Monday 2 January 2017

Has Qur'an been Preserved?

By: Islamic-Life
This article covers the Muslims response and refutation to some of the common false allegations against the preservation of the Qur'an. These are my notes from a debate that I had with an atheist on the topic of preservation of the Qur'an. He mainly argued that Qur'an was not complete during the life of the Messenger of Allah (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam - peace and blessings be upon him), neither it was completely written down or memorized. He also argued that the Qur'an we've today is missing ayaat (verses) and parts. The preservation of the Qur'an has been guaranteed by Allah (God): "Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)" (1). Imam ibn Jarir at-Tabari (rahimahullah - May Allah have mercy on him) says in the tafsir (exegesis) of this ayah: "Allah is saying, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (Reminder), i.e. the Qur'an, and We will guard the Qur'an against anything false being added to it that is not part of it, or anything that is part of it being taken away, whether that has to do with rulings, hudood punishments or matters having to do with inheritance" (2). The sound minded readers can go through my notes and analyze the truth:

Was Qur'an Incomplete when Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salm) died?

Non-Muslim's Argument

Qur'an was not complete when Muhammad died and was in fragments. Qur'an is incomplete because it was not completely compiled, missing parts or some parts didn't survive. If the sayings of the Qur'an was not organised into a book called the Qur'an, there is no Qur'an.

Muslim Response

This misconception is only raised due to lack of basic knowledge. The attacker thinks that when Muslims today say "Qur'an", they refer to the written mushaf (codex), which is not true as no sound minded Muslim believe in such a thing. According to the correct Islamic 'aqeedah (creed), Sunni Muslim believe that the Qur'an is the Kalam (speech) of Allah and it is not created. In addition, the literal meaning of the word Qur'an is, "the recitation". Therefore, when Muslims say "Qur'an", they're talking about the text not the written copies which contain the text. Now, the Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) over the period of 23 years, it was completed while he was alive. Allah Ta'ala says in the Qur'an: "this day have I perfected your deen for you" (3). Therefore, the Qur'anic revelation was completed when Allah’s Messenger (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) was alive. Even if we assume the attacker's position, if the content of a story is complete, how can you claim that the story is incomplete? The following sahih (authentic) ahadith further confirms it:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet was the most generous person, and he used to become more so (generous) particularly in the month of Ramadan because Gabriel used to meet him every night of the month of Ramadan till it elapsed. Allah's Apostle used to recite the Qur'an for him. When Gabriel met him, he used to become more generous than the fast wind in doing good. (4)
Narrated Abu-Huraira: Gabriel used to repeat the recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet once a year, but he repeated it twice with him in the year he died. The Prophet used to stay in I'tikaf for ten days every year (in the month of Ramadan). (5)

Didn't Companions (radi-allahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad(sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salm) memorize and write down the whole Qur'an?

Non-Muslim's Argument

No one memorized or wrote down all of Muhammad's teachings. Look at the following hadith: Narrated Zaid bin Thabit: ...So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palm-leaf stalks, thin white stones, and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last verse of Surat at-Tauba (repentance) with Abi Khuzaima al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him... (6). From this hadith, it is clear that the scribes failed to note down all the Muhammad said, hence why the tale talks about his followers failing to create a book and also why the person needed to search for multiple people, multiple writings to even compile it.

Muslim Response

Again, the attacker shows his lack of basic Islamic knowledge and misinterpretation of the hadith. First, let's look at the proofs which refutes his false claims and then we'll look at this hadith within the context. Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Munajjid (May Allah preserve him) said:
Everything that was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was written down in front of him straight away, and some of the Sahaabah had masaahif (written copies of the Qur'an). After the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the first khaleefah, Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him) gathered the Qur’aan in written and kept it. Then the third khaleefah, 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) compiled it in mus-hafs that were based on the mus-haf compiled by Abu Bakr, in addition to what had been memorized. (7)
and in another place he said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) appointed a group of his companions who were trustworthy and knowledgeable to write down the revelation. They are known in their biographies as those who wrote down the Revelation, such as the four Caliphs, 'Abd-Allaah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'Aas, Mu'aawiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan, Zayd ibn Thaabit and others – may Allaah be pleased with them all.(8)

The whole Qur'an was memorized by many companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam)

Let's look at some of the authentic sources which supports what the Shaykh said; Imam Al-Bukhari (rahimahullah - May Allah have mercy on him) records the following hadith in Sahih Al-Buhkhari in chapter, "Who were the Qurra'/hufaz among the companions (radiallahu anhuma - May Allah be pleased with them) of Prophet (peace be upon him)?" Qari'/ hafiz (singular of Qurra'/hufaz) is someone who has memorized the WHOLE QUR’AN!:
Narrated Masriq: 'Abdullah bin 'Amr mentioned 'Abdullah bin Masud and said, "I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet saying, 'take (learn) the Qur'an from four: 'Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu'adh and Ubai bin Ka'b'". (9)
The commenter in the commentary of this hadith says: "These four companions (RA) were the biggest 'ailm (scholar) and the memorizer of the whole Qur'an. There were other qurra' among them but these four knew the most". (10) The phrase, "Knew the most", doesn't refer to the quantity; rather it refers to the strength of their memory. This also proves that companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) perfectly memorized and learned the entire Qur'an. You can't teach others or help them memorize the Qur'an unless you have memorized the entire Qur'an and its 'alim. Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) would never have made such a statement if they were not qualified for it! We further read in 'Al-Itqan fi-ulum al-Qur'an: "Some of the companions who memorized the Quran were: 'Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Ibn Masud, Abu Huraira, Abdullah bin Abbas, Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As, Aisha, Hafsa, and Umm Salama". (11) Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) has told us of great virtue of memorzing the Qur'an. Muslims for 14 centuries have been memorizing the Qur'an and passing it down as it came. Hence, it is complete nonsensical of one to say that the companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) didn't memorize the whole Qur'an. There are numerous other overwhelming evidences, which I'm not quoting to keep the response short, that confirm the fact that many of the companions (rahiallahu anhuma) memorized the entire Qur'an and the readers will soon see that the very hadith quoted by the attacker proves him wrong.

Statements of non-Muslim Scholars on memorization of the Qur'an

John Burton says: "The method of transmitting the Quran from one generation to the next by having he young memorize the oral recitation of their elders had mitigated somewhat from the beginning the worst perils of relying solely on written records…" (12) Kenneth Cragg says: "this phenomenon of Quranic recital means that the text has traversed the centuries in an unbroken living sequence of devotion. It cannot, therefore, be handled as an antiquarian thing, nor as a historical document out of a distant past. The fact of hifdh (Quranic memorization) has made the Quran a present possession through all the lapse of Muslim time and given it a human currency in every generation, never allowing its relegation to a bare authority for reference alone". (13)

The whole Qur'an was written down by many Companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam)

Let's look some of the authentic evidences proving the fact that the Qur'an was written down by many companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) during his life:
Narrated Qatada: I asked Anas bin Malik: "Who collected the Qur'an at the time of the Prophet ?" He replied, "Four, all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubai bin Ka'b, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit and Abu Zaid. (14)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: When the Prophet died, none had collected the Qur'an but four persons: Abu Ad-Darda'. Mu'adh bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit and Abu Zaid. We were the inheritor (of Abu Zaid) as he had no offspring. (15) The commenter in the commentary of this hadith says: "Hadhrat Anas (radhiallahu anho) is saying what he knew. There were other companions (radhiallahu anhuma) besides these four who collected (wrote down) the Qur'an. However, Hadhrat Anas (radhiallahu anho) means the companions who collected (wrote down) the whole Qur'an". (10) Some may argue that the word "collected" could also mean they memorized it or collected knowledge because these ahadith are also recorded in the same chapter as 521. However, the correct translation is that they wrote it down. The Arabic word used here is, Jam'a, and it means literally collecting objects. Therefore, they must have collected Qur'an in written form.
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit: Abu Bakr sent for me and said, "You used to write the Divine Revelations for Allah's Apostle : So you should search for (the Qur'an and collect) it." (16)
Narrated Al-Bara: There was revealed: "Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the Cause of Allah" (4.95). The Prophet said, "Call Zaid for me and let him bring the board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (or the scapula bone and the ink pot)."' Then he said, "Write: …" (17)
The entire Quran was however also recorded in writing at the time of revelation from the Prophet's [sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam] dictation, may God praise him, by some of his literate companions, the most prominent of them being Zaid ibn Thabit. (18)
Others among his noble scribes were Ubayy ibn Ka’b, Ibn Mas’ud, Mu’awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan, Khalid ibn Waleed and Zubayr ibn Awwam. (19)

Explanation of the hadith and reasons for collecting the Qur'an from different people

In the refutation of the attacker's claim, I've above shown using the authentic evidences that the entire Qur'an was memorized and written down during the life of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam). Now, the attacker's false claims only arise due to his misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the hadith: Narrated Zaid bin Thabit: ...So I started looking for the Qur'an and collecting it from (what was written on) palm-leaf stalks, thin white stones, and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last verse of Surat at-Tauba (repentance) with Abi Khuzaima al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him... (6). However, when we read the complete hadith it tells us the reasons about their decision of collecting the Qur'an. We read in the hadith that many Qurra' (who memorized the whole Qur’an) martyred during the battle of Yamama. Again, the very hadith quoted by the attacker to prove his point contradicts him and it proves my point: many companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) memorized the entire Qur’an during his life. The battle of Yamama took place right after Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) passed away, in fact, he (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) sent the army himself and later this army was strengthened with more men by Abou Bakr (radiallahu anho). Hence, the companions (rahiallahu anhuma) decided to make a committe which was responsible of collecting the Qur'an and Zaid was incharge of this task.
Imam ibn Hajr al-Asqalani (rahimahullah) says in Fathul Bari: "The material must have been originally written down in the presence of the Prophet; nothing written down later on the basis of memory alone was to be accepted. The material must be confirmed by two witnesses, that is to say, by two trustworthy persons testifying that they themselves had heard the Prophet recite the passage in question". (20) The restrictions placed by the committee are the sole reason for collecting the Qur'an from different people and finding a certain ayah with only one person. In other words, reading the hadith within the context of other evidences, we understand that the phrase in the hadith "other than him" exclude the members of committee as Zaid (radiallahu anho) was collecting the Qur'an from non-members and they needed two trustworthy witnesses to confirm it. Shaykh Muhammad Salih confirms it: "The Sahaabi Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) knew the Qur’aan by heart but he was methodical in his confirmation; he would not agree to write down any verse until two of the Sahaabah testified that they had heard it from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)". (8) Imam ibn Hajr further explains this in Fathul Bari:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) permitted the writing of the Qur'an and prohibited the writing of anything else along with it, so Abu Bakr did not order anything to be written down except what has already been written down, and that is the reason why he (Zayd bin Thaabit) refrained from writing the last verses from Surah al Bara'a until he found it written, for he already knew it and had people who remembered it along with him. Umar said: Who ever received anything regarding the Quran from the Prophet (peace be upon him) then let him bring it. And they used to write it on the manuscripts and boards and date palmed stalks. He said that nothing would be accepted from anyone until two witnesses testify to it. "And this points out that Zayd was not satisfied with only finding it written down until someone testified that he heard it, even though Zayd himself had memorized it, and they used to take this extra precaution in order to be more cautious. And Abu Dawud contained a narration on the authority of Hisham bin Arwa that his father said that Abu Bakr said to Umar and Zayd: Sit down on the door of the Mosque and whoever of two witnesses come to you regarding the Quran then write it down'. The men of this narration are trustworthy despite the chain being broken, and the intended meaning regarding two witnesses was memorization and writing, or it meant that they both testify that what was written down was actually written down under the authority of the Messenger peace be upon him, or it meant that they both testify that it was sent down as Quranic revelation. And it was their way that nothing was written down except that they receive what was written down during the time of the Prophet peace be upon him and not just from memorization. (21)
From above evidences, it is clear that Zaid (radiallahu anho) didn't find the ayaat (verses) written down with anyone except Abi Khuzaima (radiallahu anho); however, it doesn't mean that no one else knew about these ayaat beside him. Even if we assume the attacker position, then how did Zaid (radiallahu anho) know that he had to look for these ayaat? How did he know that he will find these ayaat from Abi Khuzaima (radiallahu anho)? How did Zaid (adiallahu anho) confirm that it was part of Sura At-Tauba and Abi Khuzaima (radiallahu anho) was mentioning those two specific ayaat? Even, if we assume that Abi Khuzaima (radiallahu anho) told him this then the committee would never have taken this into account because this would nullifies their basic premise for verifying the correct collection of the Qur'an (only one source). To hit the nail to the ground, we read Tafsir ibn Kathir in which Imam ibn Kathir (rahimahullah) summed it all up:
And Ahmad said: Ali bin Bahr said that Ali bin Muhammad bin Salma on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ishaq on the authority of Yahya bin Ebad on the authority of his father Ebad bin Zubayr may Allah be pleased with him said that Al Harith (Zayd) approached bin Khuzaymah with these two verses from the ending of Surah Al Bara'a (Surah 9) 'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves' to Abdullah ibn Umar Al Khattab so he said 'Who is with you on this?' He said 'I don't know' and by Allah I testify that I heard it from the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him and I learned it and memorized it then Umar said: And I testify that I heard it from the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him. (22)
Therefore, it is clear from the above evidences that other than Abi Khuzaima (radiallahu anho), other companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam) indeed knew about these ayaat. A more detailed Muslim response to attacker's claim can be found here.

Is Qur'an Incomplete (missing ayaat/parts)?

Non-Muslim's Argument

Many passages of the Qur'an were lost as it is related by the following narration: "Zuhri reports, 'We have heard that many Qur'an passages were revealed but that those who had memorised them fell in the Yemama fighting. Those passages had not been written down, and following the deaths of those who knew them, were no longer known; nor had Abu Bakr, nor 'Umar nor 'Uthman as yet collected the texts of the Qur'an. Those lost passages were not to be found with anyone after the deaths of those who had memorised them. This, I understand, was one of the considerations which impelled them to pursue the Qur'an during the reign of Abu Bakr, committing it to sheets for fear that there should perish in further theatres of war men who bore much of the Qur'an which they would take to the grave with them on their fall, and which, with their passing, would not be found with any other" [-bu Bakr 'Abdullah b. abi Da'ud, "K. al Masahif"]

Muslim Response

First, it is well known that "al Masahif" by 'Abdullah bin abi Da'ud is full of fabricated narrations. Hence, there's no point of refuting the claim if it is not authentic. It is well known and reported by Islamic scholars that if it weren't for the isnaad (chain of narrators/transmitters), the people would had come up anything they wanted and inculded it in Islam. Thus, I ask the attacker where is the isnaad of this narration? I'm assuming that Zhuri mentioned in the narration is Imam Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn 'Ubaydullah ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (rahimahullah). I say this is a lie attributed to a great Sunni Imam and muhadith (scholar of hadith) as the narrations goes against the well known authentic ahadith reported in Sahih al-Bukhari. It has been proved earlier that there were many companions (radiallahu anhuma) of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam), who memorised and wrote down the entire Qur'an, but we read few names from authentic ahadith (9) (14) (15): 'Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu'adh bin Jabal, Ubai bin Ka'b, Abu Ad-Darda', Zaid bin Thabit and Abu Zaid.
Among these people, Ubai bin Ka'b (radiallahu anho) and 'Abdullah bin Masud (radiallahu anho) passed away during the caliphate of 'Uthman (radiallahu anho). Mu'adh bin Jabal (radiallahu anho) passed away during the caliphate of 'Umar (radiallahu anho). Zaid bin Thabit (radiallahu anho) and Abu Ad-Darda' (radiallahu anho) passed away during/after the caliphate of 'Uthman (radiallahu anho). Salim (radiallahu anho) was martyred during the battle of Yamama. I could not trace down some info about Abou Zaid (radiallahu anho). Therefore, out of seven people, who are proven from authentic ahadith that they memorised and/or wrote down the entire Qur’an, only one of them was martyred during the battle of Yamama; hence, the report/rumour that is either attributed to Imam Zahri (rahimahullah) or he heard is false and an utter lie.

Non-Muslim's Argument

Quran is incomplete as relayed by the earliest Muslims: "It is reported from Ismail ibn Ibrahim from Ayyub from Naafi from Ibn Umar who said: "Let none of you say 'I have acquired the whole of the Qur'an'. How does he know what all of it is when much of the Qur'an has disappeared? Rather let him say 'I have acquired what has survived.'" [as-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur'an, p.524].

Muslim Response

If we read this report, from Ibn 'Umar (radiallahu anho), in the context and the correct translation of it, we understand that he is talking about understanding of the Qur'an not compilation or completion of the Qur'an as the attacker claims! Dr. G.F. Hadad says:
The words used by Ibn 'Umar for the terms given as "acquired," "disappeared," and "what has survived" above were -- I am quoting from memory -- respectively "ahattu" (I have encompassed), "faatahu" (escapes him), and "ma tayassara minhu" (whatever amount of it has been facilitated). The actual meaning of Ibn 'Umar's words is: "Let no one say: I have encompassed the whole of the Qur'an [= its meanings]. How does he know what all of it is when much of the Qur'an escapes him? Rather, let him say: I have encompassed whatever amount of it has been facilitated [for me to know]". Ibn `Umar was famous for his strictness in refraining from interpreting the Qur'an, even criticizing Ibn 'Abbas's interpretive zeal in the beginning, then accepting its authority. He was not referring to the collection of the Qur'an! But only to the ethics of the exegete, in the same line as Ibn 'Abbas's saying narrated by al-Tabari and cited by al-Suyuti and al-Zarkashi: 'There are ambiguous verses in the Qur'an which no one knows besides Allah. Whoever claims that he knows them, is a liar.' (23)

Non-Muslim's Argument

Different version of the Qur'an were destroyed: Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sha'm and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to Uthman, 'O Chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Qur'an) as Jews and the Christians did before'. So Uthman sent a message to Hafsa, saying, 'Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you'. Hafsa sent It to Uthman. Uthman then ordered Zaid ibn Thabit, Abdullah bin az-Zubair, Sa'id bin al-As, and Abdur-Rahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, 'In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of the Quraish as the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue'. They did so, and when they had written many copies, Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, p.479).

Muslim Response

Qur'an was originally revealed in the dialect of Quraish but later was allowed to recited/read in seven different ways: Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: Allah's Apostle said, "Gabriel recited the Qur'an to me in one way. Then I requested him (to read it in another way), and continued asking him to recite it in other ways, and he recited it in several ways till he ultimately recited it in seven different ways. (24) Hence, various readings among people from different tribes/nations became obvious and we also make a note of this from the hadith, which the attacker quoted, that they were afraid of disputes raising among people. As a result, 'Utman (radiallahu anho) set a committee to prepare a final copy of the Qur'an from the copy that Abou Bkar (radiallahu anho) left with the wife of Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam), Hafsa (radiallahu anha - May Allah be pleased with her). He also ordered to write down the Qur'an in Quraish dialect and burned the other copies to resolve any uncertainty, discrepancies and errors in terms of textual or reading variants. Shaykh Muhammad Salih briefly explains the reasons for uniting upon one recitation:
This Mus-haf (written copy of the Qur’aan) remained in the hands of the caliphs until the time of the Rightly-Guided Caliph ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him). The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) had dispersed to different lands, and they used to recite the Qur’aan according to what they had heard of the seven recitations from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and each of their students used to recite according to what he had heard from his shaykh. If a student heard someone reciting in a manner different from what he knew, he would denounce him and accuse him of making a mistake, and this went on until the Sahaabah feared that there would be fitnah (trouble) between the Taabi’een and successive generations. So they thought that they should unite the people in following one recitation, which was in the dialect of Quraysh in which the Qur’aan had first been revealed, so as to dispel any disputes and resolve the matter. ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) was consulted, and he agreed with this opinion. 
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (4988) from Anas ibn Maalik that Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan came to ‘Uthmaan at the time when the people of Shaam (Syria) and the people of Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah was alarmed by their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur’aan, so he said to 'Uthmaan, "O Ameer al-Mu’mineen! Save this nation before they dispute about the Book (Qur’aan) as the Jews and the Christians did before." So 'Uthmaan sent a message to Hafsah saying, "Send us the manuscript of the Qur’aan so that we may make copies of the Mus-haf and we will return the manuscript to you." (8)
We also read:
The earlier recension (Original copy prepared by Abu Bakr) was to serve as the principal basis of the new one. (25)
Any doubt that might be raised as to the phrasing of a particular passage in the written text was to be dispelled by summoning persons known to have learned the passage in question from the Prophet. 'Uthman himself was to supervise the work of the Council. (26)
It is well known that when the final recension was completed, 'Uthman (radiallahu anho) sent a copy of it to each of the major cities of Makka, Damascus, Kufa, Basra and Madina. The action of 'Uthman (radiallahu anho) to burn the other copies besides the final recension, though obviously drastic, was for the betterment and harmony of the whole community and was unanimously approved by the Companions of the Prophet as Zaid ibn Thabit (radiallahu anho) is reported to have said: "I saw the Companions of Muhammad (going about) saying, 'By God, Uthman has done well! By God, Uthman has done well!". (27)

Non-Muslim's Argument

Editing of the Qur'an is allowed as it is reported in a hadith: Uthman called Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin az-Zubair, Sa'id bin Al-'As and 'Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, and then they wrote the manuscripts (of the Qur'an). 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi persons, "If you differ with Zaid bin Thabit on any point of the Qur'an, then write it in the language of Quraish, as the Qur'an was revealed in their language". So they acted accordingly. [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol.4, p.466]

Muslim Response

So, what exactly did they edit? As I showed above that Qur'an was originally revealed in Quraish dialect but later was allowed to be recited/read in seven different dialects. I don't know by which logic using one of the seven dialects is considered editing!

Non-Muslim's Argument

There have been changes to the Qu'ran as Zaid has been reported to said: "I missed a verse from al-Ahzab (Surah 33) when we transcribed the mushaf (the written text of the Qur'an under Uthman's supervision). I used to hear the messenger of Allah (saw) reciting it. We searched for it and found it with Khuzaimah ibn Thabit al-Ansari: 'From among the believers are men who are faithful in their covenant with Allah' (33.23). So we inserted it in the (relevant) surah in the text." [As-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur'an, p.138]

Muslim Response

Again, the attacker mixed up the completion of the Qur'an with compilation of the Qur'an. Does the attacker's source say that they came up with this ayah and added it to the completed Qur'an? All it is saying that when they were compiling the Qur'an under the supervision of 'Uthman (radiallahou anho), one of the companion (radiallahu anho) forgot an ayah but he knew that he (radiallahu anho) heard it from Prophet Muhammad (sal-allahu 'alayhi wa salam); so, he (radiallahu anho) got it from another companion (radiallahu anho) and added it in where it belonged! Therefore, I don't see how this is changing the Qur'an. The argument of edition of the Qur'an would make sense if they (radiallahu anhuma) created or removed an ayah which was not part of the Qur'an, but there is ZERO evidence for that. I already have showed above that Qur'an was perfectly compiled and the same Qur'an exist today as it has been perfectly passed down for 1400 years.

Non-Muslim's Argument

An example of a missing verse, Verse of Stoning; One of the missing verses is the verse of stoning, where an adulterer would be stoned to death as punishment: "Allah sent Muhammad (saw) with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the stoning of married persons, male and female, who commit adultery) and we did recite this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah's Apostle (saw) did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, 'By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah's Book', and thus they will go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, p.539]

Muslim Response

This has been already dealt here in details. It is important to note that there are other cases like the rajam (stoning) ayah. Other Islamic sources prove that certain ayaat were revealed but they were later abrogated; hence, not found in the Qur'an. However, the attackers quote the narrations which prove that certain ayaat were revealed but either deliberately misses out the narrations which say that those ayaat were abrogated or misinterpret them. For example, the case of missing part of 2:238, which has been dealt here in details. With this, I would like to conclude that in this article, I've shown many authentic evidences to disapprove and refute the common false allegations made against the authenticity and preservation of the Qur'an. For more information on this topic and Muslims refutations/responses to suspicious arguments raised by Islamic haters, the readers can refer to Qur'anic Variants and Qur'an. Wallahu a'lam (and Allah knows best)!
Footnotes:
  1. Surah Al-Hijr (15) Ayah 9 - interpretation of the meaning
  2. Surah Al-Hijr - The Tafsirs
  3. Surah Al-Ma'idah (5) Ayah 3 - interpretation of the meaning
  4. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 509
  5. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 519
  6. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 520
  7. Is it true that there is no evidence of a Qur'an being written in the 7th century?
  8. Who wrote the Qur'an and how was it put together?
  9. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 521
  10. Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, page 527-528, published by Jami'yat Ahla Hadith of Hind in 2004
  11. 'Al-Itqan fi-ulum al-Qur'an, Vol. I, p. 124.
  12. An Introduction to the Hadith, Edinburgh University Press: 1994, p. 27.
  13. The Mind of the Quran, London: George Allen & Unwin, 1973, p.26.
  14. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 525
  15. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 526
  16. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 511
  17. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 512
  18. Al-Itqan fee ‘Uloom al-Quran, Vol.1, p.41 & 99.
  19. Al-Isabah fee Taymeez as-Sahabah, p.53-63
  20. Fathul Bari, Vol. IX, p. 10-11.
  21. Fathul Bari, Kitab: Fadaa'il Al Qur'aan, Bab: Jami' Al Qur'aan, Commentary on Hadith no. 4603
  22. Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, Commentary on Surah 9:129
  23. COMPANION MEMORIZERS OF QUR'AN
  24. Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6, Book 661, Number 513
  25. Ibn Hajar, Bath, IX, p. 15
  26. 'Al-Itqan fi-ulum al-Qur'an, Vol. I, p. 59
  27. Naysaburi, al-Nizam al-Din al-Hasan ibn Muhammad, Ghara'ib al-Quran wa-ragha'ib al-furqan, 4 vols., to date. Cairo, 1962.
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