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http://www.answering-christianity.co...ual-reply.html
http://www.tolueislam.com/Bazm/Mansoor/MA_history_3.htm
http://www.quran.net/quran/PreservationOfTheQuran.htm
http://www.free-minds.org/wadud_5.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.co...ual-reply.html
http://thetruereligion.org/modules/w...p?articleid=88
http://www.answering-christianity.co...ther_books.htm
http://www.islam101.com/quran/preservedQ.htm
http://www.islam101.com/quran/source_quran.html
http://www.suite101.com/lesson.cfm/19183/2774/4
http://www.islamonline.net/livefatwa...GuestID=8483w5
http://members.tripod.com/iaislam/Quran/quranfaq2.htm
http://www.islamalways.com/en/module...rticle&sid=101
http://www.islaam.net/main/display.p...72&category=29
http://www.islamworld.net/UUQ/2.txt
http://www.islamicity.com/forum/foru...677&PN=1&TPN=5
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Compilation, Collation , Preservation and authenticity
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www.aswatalislam.net
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http://is.aswatalislam.net/CategoryS...spx?CatID=1002
Part #1
ý The Holy Qur’an – Its Historical Authenticity ý
Nadir Aqueel Ansari
Fundamental Sources of Knowledge in Religions ý
No systematic study of a religion is possible without first determining its sources. Therefore, ýbefore we make an attempt to understand Islam, we have to be sure of the source material ýwith us. We should first know what are the basic and fundamental sources from where ýreliable knowledge can be obtained about the teachings of this great world religion. ý
Since our understanding and study of Islam is to be based on them, these sources must ýqualify certain criteria. As we shall see in this chapter, they must be
ý1.ý Well defined ý
ý2.ý Authentic and ý
ý3.ý Intelligible. ý
In other words, they should be so specific, reliable and meaningful that a matter so important ýas religion can be based on them.ý
ý ý
Well Defined ý
The source material of a religion should be well defined, specifically known and its boundaries ýshould be marked clearly. The genuine material should not be mixed up with spurious ýmaterial.ý
When we say that the sources are not well defined, it means that it is difficult to determine ýwhether something is part of the source material or not. It also shows that the source material ýmay be so widely spread, dispersed, diffused and confused with other material that it is not ýpossible to sift the genuine material from the fake.ý
Examples of such a source material (which is not well defined) can be found in a number of ýreligions. The sacred books of the Jews include Talmud, Mishnah and Gemara which are ýspread over thousands pages. Talmud has two versions (Babylonian and Palestinian) and ýmany a times the different reports and versions do not agree. According to their scholars, ýtheir book Talmud is still incomplete and is still being developed by the Jew Rabbis ý[i]. There ýare several versions of the literature and it is painstaking to determine what is genuine and ýwhat is not.ý
Similarly among Hindus, the sacred literature is even more voluminous than that of Jews and ýagain has many versions.ý
Many tribal religions have no defined sources of their faith at all. Their religious source ýmaterial consists of a large treasure of songs, stories and myths.ý
Similar is the case of faiths where the fundamental teachings of a religion are kept secret. For ýinstance a few Muslim sub-sects and mystics like Hallaj, believed that the beliefs should not ýbe preached in public. They always kept them secret and only a few people in every era knew ýthe true teachings. It is reported that Imam Jafar said, ‘This affair of Imamat is occult and ýveiled by a promise, and whoever unveils it will be disgraced by God.’ý ý[ii] On another occasion ýhe is reported to have said,ý
ý‘Keep our affairs secret, and do not divulge it publicly, for whoever keeps it secret and ýdoes not reveal it , God will exalt him and whoever divulges it publicly and does not ýkeep it secret, god will disgrace him in this world and will take away light from his eyes ýin the hereafter. Verily, taqiya (concealing) is of my religion and one who does not ýkeep taqiya has no religion. One who reveals our affairs is the one who denies ýthem’.ý ý[iii]ý
Obviously in such cases the source of religion is not only poorly defined, but is also hidden. A ýstudent or follower of such a faith would not be able to access its sources of information ýfreely.ý
To summarize, the source material of a religion should be well defined, which means that:ý
• Its boundaries should be clear. ý
• It should not be concealed. ý
Authentic ý
The sources also have to be authentic in historical terms. They should be so authentic as not ýto leave any shadow of doubt about their genuineness. If the fundamental sources of a ýreligion do not come up to the standards of historicity, they are mere stories and myths and ýare of little use for guidance and salvation.ý
The sources of Greek religion are myths which have little element of historical truth in them.ý
The Old Testament of Jews and the Bible of Christians have been so severely criticized by ýthe modern historians and scholars that a large number of Christian scholars themselves no ýmore believe that their sacred books were conveyed to them through reliable sources. ýMoreover, the Christian religious literature consists of both canonical (declared authentic) and ýapocryphal (doubtful) books. The debate as to which of them is genuine and which is ýapocryphal is the one of the most important points of difference between the Protestants and ýthe Roman Catholics.ý
To summarize, the Authenticity of religious source material means that the historical process ýthrough which the material has reached us should be reliable. The external historical ýevidence should support that the material is not based on hearsay, is not based on the ýevidence of a small number of people, and is backed by sound documentary and/or oral ýevidence.ý
ý ý
Intelligible ý
The sacred books of a religion must also be intelligible to us if at all they can guide us in the ýspiritual as well as day to day matters. Religion is not meant for scholars, philosophers and ýlinguists only. It is meant for the common man also who is equally in need of correct moral ýguidance. The sources should therefore be intelligible to all. The Intelligibility describes the ýlanguage as well as the contents of the sources.ý
The language should be comprehensible. In addition to the source material, sufficient ýliterature in the same language should also be available. The additional literature helps ýdetermine the usage, precise meanings of words, idioms and shades of meanings. This is ýintelligibility of the language.ý
The contents should also be intelligible, that is, the substance should not be complex, riddled ýwith ambiguities, too symbolic, and so obscure that it renders the literature of no practical ýworth. Similarly, the contents should be free of contradictions, errors, and inconsistencies and ýshould be in accordance with common sense. ý
For instance it is not possible to understand the religious scriptures of Buddhists and Hindus ýin the modern age. They were written in Sanskrit and Paali languages, thousands of years ýago. These languages went into disuse centuries ago. There are few people who can ýunderstand these scriptures, written in these dead languages. Moreover their content is ýdeeply philosophical and complex. Even if we are able to learn Sanskrit or Paali languages, ýwe will find their message very ambiguous, elusive and difficult to understand.ý
Same is the case with Jewish literature, which was written in classical Hebrew, which only a ýfew modern people can understand.ý
Similarly the books of mystic religions are also written in complex manner, employing difficult ýterms and concepts, which make them unintelligible. Moreover, they interpret their religious ýtexts in a gnostic manner, that is they read hidden meanings in the text which are far from the ýapparent meanings being conveyed by the words of the text.ý
In case of Jewish and Christian scriptures (Old and New Testaments) the number of textual ýerrors, internal inconsistencies and disagreements with known history and common sense ýhave been pointed out by a number of scholars. ý
Such original sources may be revered by the followers but are of no practical use to us in ýfinding the way to salvation. An intelligible piece of material should also be free of ýinconsistencies and statements that simply violate the common sense. It should not contain ýcontradictory information on any subject. Such contradictions also rob the source material of ýits intelligibility.ý
ý ý
To summarize, Intelligibility requires that the scripture be:ý
• written in a live language ý
• comprising comprehensible contents ý
• free of inconsistencies ý
• should have apparent meanings and not ‘hidden’ meanings ý
ý ý
Sources of knowledge on Islam ý
To identify the sources of Islam, we turn to the Holy Qur’an, which says:ý
ý“O ye who believe, if you believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment, obey ýAllah, obey the Messenger and the rulers among you; and if any dispute ýarises among you on a matter, refer it to Allah and his Messenger” (Sura ýNisaa Verse 59).ý
This verse is the cornerstone of Muslim faith and society. It means that the ultimate source of ýour religion is Allah and his Messenger. In this verse Allah has clearly outlined the sources ýfrom where we should derive our religious faiths and practices.ý
This verse ordains Muslims to obey
• Allah ý
• the Messenger (Holy Prophet) and ý
• the Rulers. ý
Immediately, it clarifies that in case of a dispute, we have to submit the dispute before
• Allah and ý
• his Messenger. ý
This time, even the rulers are excluded. This shows that in fact, the Muslims are required to ýobey only Allah and his Messenger who are thus considered by the Muslims as the only ýsources of Islam.ý
Addition to these or deletion of any one, would amount to transfiguring the faith of Islam. Even ýthe companions of the Holy Prophet (Pbuh), the best people in Muslim history, used to go ýback to these sources if there was any dispute.ý
ý ý
What do we have with us that represent the will of Allah and his ýMessenger? ý
God has never communicated with us directly. He does not communicate with human beings ýdirectly except through his chosen ones. It was Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) who received ýwahee (revelation) from God, which the Muslims have with them now. It was through the Holy ýProphet that Allah has expressed and conveyed His will and commandments for humanity ýand His designs about the universe. The only source of knowledge about Islam, therefore, is ýthe personality of the Holy Prophet Peace be upon him. A Muslim has to believe and follow ýwhatever commands of Allah the Prophet communicated to him.ý
This means that we have to look for what the Holy Prophet has left for us. Now whatever we ýhave received from the Prophet can be classified into the following three source materials. ýThe Holy Prophet did not leave anything else to us except these three, i.e.ý
ý1.ý The Holy Qur’an - Muslim Scripture, ý
ý2.ý The Sunnah - the practices of the Holy Prophet and ý
ý3.ý Hadeeth - the sayings, actions, biography of the Holy Prophet. ý
We would attempt to analyze and investigate the Holy Qur’an, to ascertain whether it is ýAuthentic, Well Defined and Intelligible.ý
ý ý
The Holy Qur’an - its revelation and history of compilation ý
The Holy Qur’an was presented to the people of Arabia by the Holy Prophet Muhammad ýý(Peace be upon him). It was presented in parts during 23 years of his prophetic life. The Book ýpresents itself as the word of God and the Holy Prophet also presented as such.ý
The Muslims believe that the Holy Qur’an, being the revealed word of God, is the cornerstone ýof their faith. They get their philosophy, beliefs and laws from this book - it is their lifeblood. It ýis the Word of God revealed to his Messenger Muhammad Peace be upon him, who read it ýout before the world loud and clear. He not only recited it to the people of Arabia, he also ýmade elaborate arrangements to ensure that it’s contents be preserved and his companions ýshould learn it by heart and should also reduce it to writing. The Holy Prophet’s stress on the ýsupremacy of the Book of Allah, over all other sources of religious knowledge, was ýunequivocal and categorical.ý
The Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet actually heard or received the divine words. The ýHoly Qur’an was communicated to the Holy Prophet
• either through Wahee (Revelation), or ý
• through an angel or ý
• through words spoken by God Himself. ý
All these three forms of communication, the Muslims believe, are verbatim in nature, that is to ýsay, that the Holy Qur’an consists of actual words of Allah, communicated to the Holy ýProphet.ý
The Holy Qur’an is not like the writings of the New Testament, where God inspired a scribe to ýwrite down the scripture; the idea and words were those of the scribe while God only ýsupervised the scribe. In other cases, the Christians would like to say that the scribe was ýinspired by God and revealed a certain idea to him. The scribe then wrote it down in his own ýwords. In case of the Qur’an, the words and ideas are both divine.ý
The words and verses of the Holy Qur’an were preserved, through the oral as well as the ýwritten traditions, in the Holy Prophet’s lifetime. A very large number of companions of the ýProphet participated in this preservation process and the text was safely handed over to the ýnext generation. The process was so immaculate and tremendously sound, that the ýpreservation of the Holy Qur’an has become an established fact of history.ý
What do the Muslims mean when they say that the Holy Qur’an in their hands today is exactly ýthe one that was revealed to the Holy Prophet, and that this is an established fact of history? ýThe meaning and significance of this statement can be explained in the terms of history ýwhere we would like to know when an historical fact is established beyond any shadow of ýdoubt.ý
ý ý
Chains of reports consisting of individuals ý
Usually reports about the past have reached us through oral reports, written reports, practical ýtradition or archaeological artifacts.ý
For instance, the views of Socrates originated as oral reports (words of mouth) which were ýlater recorded by Plato and other writers. The plays of Shakespeare have reached us through ýdocumentary evidence (written words). The report that Buddha used to meditate in a certain ýposture has reached us through archaeological remains (pieces of art - artifacts - like statues ýand engravings). The Christian institution of Baptism and the way a newborn is baptized has ýtraveled through centuries to us through practical continuity (practice). These reports are ýconsidered as micro-history. They are to be judged in the light of the authenticity of the ýnarrators (in case of oral evidence), the scribes (in case of written evidence), the clerics (in ýcase religious rites) or the artists that created the pieces of art (in case of archaeological ýevidence).ý
Discussions in micro history hinge on detailed and incisive discussions on individuals ýý(scribes, narrators and artists etc.). The authenticity of the report depends upon the veracity ýof these individuals. The lives of these individuals are examined to get an idea of the ýauthenticity of the report they have conveyed us. Their character, capabilities, resources, ýenvironment, and location at a certain place and time are studied. Obviously, the individual ýbeing the kingpin in such instances of micro-history must be shown to be reliable, truthful, ýunprejudiced and intelligent (to confirm his ability to comprehend, retain and truly express the ýfacts).ý
Once the personal traits of the individuals are investigated, the historians turn to the question ýof continuity. Continuity means that the individuals involved in collecting and then transmitting ýthe report to us must be shown to be in a state of uninterrupted contact and communication. ýWe are referring to the fact that there should be an immediate proximity in time and place ýbetween the two reporters who form one ring of the chain of transmission. There should be no ýtime when the report remained with anonymous narrators because then we cannot investigate ýthe personal traits of the individuals. It should also not suffer from oblivion because, in that ýcase, any change or corruption in the report, during the time it remained hidden from us, ýcannot be ruled out. If the communication between two consecutive reporters is smooth, ýcontinuous and uninterrupted, the report gathers strength. This evidence for continuity is ýhowever to be produced in respect of each stage of the chain of reporters, enabling us to say ýwith a fair degree of confidence that the report is worth consideration. ý
If the investigation of individuals and continuity of the report leads to positive conclusions, we ýhave established one chain of the report. Sometimes two or more such chains of reports, ýleading to the same event, can be established. For example, two courtiers of Akbar the Great ýmay narrate the same incident. In such cases, the supporting narration should be identical or ýat least similar. If the individuals involved in the chain and the continuity of their transmission ýhas been investigated, these corroborating reports strengthen and reinforce each other and ýwe are able to place more confidence in the substance brought out by them.ý
We can summarize our discussion by saying that in micro history, the following components ýare vital:ý
• Individuals ý
• Continuity of the report ý
• Corroboration (if any, by way of multiple chains of individuals) ý
If an event or a substance is supported by this investigation it becomes worth considering for ýa historian. However, information obtained through chains of individual to individual ýtransmission can never establish a fact beyond any shadow of doubt. The primary reason is ýthat in such examinations, the historicity of the report ultimately depends on one or two ýindividuals. If our assessment about even one of the individuals in the chain of reporters is ýfaulty, the entire chain is shaken. These individuals may be widely known as men of ýreasonably good character, fairly reliable memory, relatively sound understanding and ýrelatively free of prejudices. However, they cannot be assumed to be of infallibly good ýcharacter, unfailing memory, perfect understanding and absolutely free of prejudices. This ýmakes our assessment of individual reports somehow subjective and introduces an element ýof probability in our judgments.ý
Similarly, our investigation (and finally our judgment) about them can be extremely cautious, ýscientific and objective, yet it cannot be infallible and indubitable. We were told that an ýindividual was known to be honest, truthful and reliable, but we know that individual behavior ýis not predictable. After all we are dealing with human beings. One may be honest and truthful ýthroughout one’s life but stumble in the end. One may have a sound memory yet he may ýsometimes be forgetful also.ý
Moreover, how are we going to collect evidence about the personal traits of these individuals? ýObviously we would be looking for more parallel chains of reporters to learn about a certain ýindividual. These sources would suffer from the same limitations, thereby compounding our ýproblem. ý
Before proceeding ahead let us summarize our discussion. The chains of reports consisting of ýindividuals, may lead us to a fair degree of plausibility of an event, yet they cannot lead us to ýthe knowledge of the event that is beyond any shadow of doubt because of the following ýreasons:ý
ý1.ý The reliability of the report hinges on one or two individuals ý
ý2.ý These individuals are not infallible. ý
ý3.ý Our investigation and judgment about these individuals can also be incorrect. ý
The Hadeeth Scholars of early Muslim History were alive to the above discussion and they ýtermed Individual to Individual Report as Khabr-e-Wahid (or Individual Report). Almost the ýentire Hadeeth literature consists of Akhbar-e-Ahad (Individual Reports).ý
ý ý
Chains of reports consisting of Generations ý
On the other hand in macro history we deal with facts, incidents and reports transmitted, not ýby one or two individuals to another individual, but by one generation that witnessed a fact ýand testified it to the next generation. For example, the fact that the Crusades did take place ýbetween Christians and the Muslims is a fact transmitted by generations to generations. The ýgeneration that actually fought and witnessed the wars conveyed this knowledge to the next ýgeneration and so on till it reached us. This communication to succeeding generations can be ýthrough any means - oral, written or through any mode of art. But the important condition is ýthat there should be no interruption between the successive generations that were involved.ý
Here we may note that the units of such chains of transmission are not individuals, but ýgenerations. This singular difference changes the very character of such a report.ý
Historical facts are empirical observations of men. This means that they communicate to other ýpeople facts they had observed through their senses. The limitations of senses are known. ýHowever, in Generation-to-Generation Transmission, we are talking of the empirical ýobservations of the entire generations and not of a few individuals. Such testimony, obviously, ýprovides us the surest and the most reliable knowledge of a past event. Such knowledge is as ýdefinite as anything can be in human matters.ý
When we are talking of scientific principles of history, an important condition of Generation-to- ýGeneration Transfer is that it should not deal with opinions and ideas of individuals but the ýhard facts, which were witnessed, seen and/or heard by the first Generation (empirical ýfacts).ý ý[iv] This condition eliminates the possibility of mythologies and opinions being included ýin the Generation-to-Generation Transmission.ý
Generation-to-Generation transmission is thus marked by:ý
ý1.ý The fact is witnessed by a large number of people, sometimes the entire generation. ý
ý2.ý The fact consists of an empirically observed (seen or heard) phenomenon and does ýnot consist of any opinion. ý
ý3.ý The generations continue to transfer the fact to the successive ones, without ýinterruption and at all stages the number of the people involved in transmission is so ýlarge that it is impossible to assume that they misperceived the fact or agreed to tell a ýlie or forgot the truth. ý
Summarizing the salient differences between Individual-to-Individual Transmission and ýGeneration-to-Generation Transmission are:ý
ý1.ý The reliability of the report from generation to generation does not hinge upon one or ýtwo individuals. It rather depends on the hundreds and thousands of people that lived ýtogether in a known place and time. ý
ý2.ý It is no more necessary to investigate the character, understanding, memory or ýimpartiality of individuals involved in a Generation-to-Generation transmission. The ýentire generations can neither be investigated not should it be necessary. When such ýa large number of people convey a fact, it is impossible that all of them could have ýwrongly reported it, forgotten it or could have developed a consensus on telling lies. ý
ý3.ý There is no need to establish the continuity of reporting chain consisting of ýindividuals. One generation is so perfectly enmeshed into another, and the contact ýand proximity with the next generation is so intimate and obvious that conducting an ýinquiry to prove it is not required, and the continuity should be taken as granted. ý
ý4.ý When hundreds and thousands of people are conveying a fact to the next generation, ýwe do not need any corroborating evidence. Agreement of the entire generation is so ýoverwhelmingly strong that it renders further corroboration redundant. ý
ý5.ý An Individual-to-Individual Report only makes a fact probable and therefore remains ýopen to further investigations and is revised in the light of fresh discoveries, whereas ýa Generation-to-Generation Transmission proves the fact beyond any shadow of ýdoubt. ý
To further elaborate the issue, these differences between an Individual-to-Individual Report ýand Generation-to-Generation Transmission have been represented graphically also.ý
ý ý
Subject matter of books on history ý
The ordinary books of history we read apparently consist of narration of, investigation into and ýcompilation of individual to individual reports. Such reports by the dint of being only probable ýat best require investigation and reconciliation between different accounts. They catch most of ýthe historian’s attention and interest. That is why, normally history is considered to consist of ýIndividual to Individual Reports.ý
A closer examination would however reveal that the books of history actually rest on the ýfoundation of Generation to Generation Reports, around which the details, gathered from ýIndividual to Individual Reports, are built. The Generation to Generation Reports are ýhistorically established facts and therefore historians seldom question them or contest them. ýSince they are taken as known facts, a superficial reader of history may miss them. But seen ýmore carefully, the history books are like flesh of Individual to Individual Reports, put on the ýskeleton of Generation to Generation Reports.ý
In a way, we are talking here of Historical Foundationalism, which signifies the fact that most ýhistory accounts have a foundation, which is self evident and need not be proved because of ýoverwhelming empirical evidence. The details of the historical account constitute the pyramid ýof history, which rests on this firm, secure and certain base. These details are mostly obtained ýthrough Individual to Individual Reports and are selected out of the huge mass of reports, ýpreferring those that fit well with the foundation. This is Historical Coherentism where, the ýdetails must be in harmony with the foundation of history. The Individual to Individual Reports ýthen fit into a jigsaw puzzle with an observable interlocking strength. Historical Coherentism ýthus governs our selection and preference of Individual to Individual Reports out of the ýconflicting and divergent mass available. Once an individual report fits well with the structure ýand is not in conflict with the Foundation, it becomes acceptable as a probable report. ýObviously, Historical Foundationalism provides the basic framework while Historical ýCoherentism helps us fill in the details.ý
Due to excessive debates on the probable reports, and because most of the facts about the ýpast are based on them, the Individual to Individual Reports assume an apparently ýconspicuous position, whereas the foundation goes unnoticed by a common reader. Although ýif asked, we learn that he fully accepts the foundation (Generation to Generation Reports) ýwith full certitude.ý
An illustration would help us understand this. If an historian writes a book on Hitler, guess ýhow much volume of the book would be devoted to the details of the personality, life events, ýwars, family, views and character of Hitler? Probably the whole book! On the other hand, how ýmany pages would be employed to answer the questions - whether Hitler really existed? Did ýHitler live in the twentieth century or the Middle Ages? Was Hitler a German or a Red Indian? ýObviously, we should except not even a sentence on these issues. Why? Because the ýfoundation of writing Hitler’s history is know with certainty. It should therefore be taken without ýdebate. If not mentioned in the book, the readers take these facts for granted. As a result the ýbook would almost entirely consist of Individual to Individual Reports while the Foundation ýý(Generation to Generation Reports) is not mentioned. In this way, historians work more on ýIndividual Reports and the significance of self evident (Generation to Generation) Reports are ýnot brought to the fore. But the core of the book consists of a number of historically ýestablished facts and any Individual Report that tends to call these facts into question is ýconveniently shelved. Reports such as those suggesting that Hitler never existed or that he ýwas a Chinese by descent or that he lived in Middle Ages would all be termed as unfounded ýin reality and would be seen as myths.ý
Similarly, while studying the history of the Holy Qur’an, we have to see the Foundation which ýis common to all reports, and then see the Individual Reports that fit in with the foundation. ýObviously, any Individual Report that contradicts the Generation to Generation Report cannot ýbe accepted.ý
ý ý
Terminology of the Muslim Historiography ý
In the Historiography (Ilm-e-Hadeeth) developed by the Muslims, the Individual to Individual ýReport is termed as Khabr-e-Wahid (Individuals’ Report) whereas the Generation to ýGeneration Report is called Mutawatir, and the process of Generation to Generation ýTransmission is known as Tawatur.ý
The entire history is seen as divided into these two broad categories. It is believed that ýTawatur is above all suspicion and there is no need to investigate the individuals involved in ýcommunicating it. Rather, a Mutawatir report is defined as one in which there is no need to ýexamine the individuals constituting the chain, because there is no chain of individuals that ýcan be termed as the basis of the tawatur.ý ý[v] We would, henceforth, use these terms in our ýsubsequent discussions.ý
Tawatur is thus defined as the process by which one generation communicates a fact ýý(observed or heard) to another, and so on, without interruption. This communications is ýachieved in such a manner that the number of communicators in each generation is so large ýthat there is no possibility of the fact being misperceived, misconstrued, forgotten or their ýhaving agreed to tell a lie or
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The Holy Qur’an has reached us through Tawatur ý
The Holy Qur’an has reached us through the process of tawatur - historical continuity and ýperpetuation achieved through transfer from generation to generation. When we say that the ýQur’an has reached us through tawatur, we mean to say that so many people in every ýgeneration conveyed it to the next and so on that there can be no doubt about its authenticity. ýIt would be incorrect to believe that a few persons in one generation transmitted it to a few ýpersons in the next. It was handed over by the entire generations to the successive ýgenerations. The Generation of the Companions of the Holy Prophet witnessed the revelation ýand compilation of the Holy Qur’an during the life of the Holy Prophet and then handed it over ýto the next generation and so on.ý
The authenticity of the Holy Qur’an has far exceeded the need for any debate. In the ýpresence of established history, we would not accept any individual reports and rumors that ýassail the Mutawatir Foundation. Since it has achieved the status of Tawatur, no odd ýIndividuals’ Report would affect its credibility. When generations and generations of people ýwithout interruption hold the Qur’an as the one and only version of the divine guidance ýreceived from the Holy Prophet, such dissenting individual reports would not infringe upon its ýauthenticity. The overwhelming evidence of millions of people would simply override the ýevidence of a few individuals. ý
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part #2
History of Compilation of the Holy Qur’an ý
The details of the history of compilation of the Holy Qur’an found in the books of history and ýexegesis provide us the details of the process of Qur’anic preservation and dissemination. ýHowever, while we scan through the hadeeth literature and historical records, it should be ýkept in mind that the historical authenticity, of the Holy Qur’an, is not based on these records, ýbut on Tawatur.ý
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During the Holy Prophet’s Life ý
During the first thirteen years of his ministry at Mecca, when there were few converts without ýthe support of state authority, the Prophet Muhammad used to read out the revealed ýpassages to the small group of his followers and non-believers. His followers used to commit ýthe revelation to their hearts. There is evidence that the revealed verses or chapters were ýalso written down on whatever writing material was available.ý
It is reported that when Umar, learnt about his the conversion of his sister and her husband to ýIslam, he hurried to her sister’s house in anger. When he arrived at her house, she hid the ýpart of Qur’an she was reading. When Umar expressed his eagerness to see what they were ýreading, his sister informed him that the Holy Scripture is sacred and can only be touched by ýclean people. She told her to wash his hands before touching the scripture.ý ý[vi] This shows ýthat as early as in the sixth year of the Holy Prophet’s ministry, the Holy Qur’an was being ýwritten down, in addition to being learnt by heart.ý
However, when the Holy Prophet migrated to Medina and established a state he attached ýpriority to this task. He developed institutionalized systems under the state machinery to ýpreserve and disseminate the Holy Qur’an on a large scale. To ensure this, extremely ýelaborate arrangements were made.ý
The Holy Prophet constituted a committee of about forty or more of his literate companions, ýwho were assigned the task of writing the Holy Book.ý ý[vii] The names of some of these scribes ýhave been mentioned by Ibn-o-Abdi Rabbihi ý[viii] and Ibn Qayyumý ý[ix]. The scribes included:ý
ý1.ý Abubakr Siddique ý
ý2.ý Umar bin al Khattab ý
ý3.ý Uthman bin Affan ý
ý4.ý Ali bin Abi Talib ý
ý5.ý Zubair ý
ý6.ý Aamir bin Fuhairah ý
ý7.ý Ubayy bin Ka’ab ý
ý8.ý Zaid bin Thabit ý
ý9.ý Khalid bin Sa’eed bin Al Aas ý
ý10.ý Mu’awiya bin Abi Sufyan ý
ý11.ý Mughira bin Shu’bah ý
ý12.ý Abdullah bin Arqam ý
ý13.ý Alulaa’ bin Uqbah ý
ý14.ý Amar bin al Aas ý
ý15.ý Thabit bin Qais ý
ý16.ý Abdullah bin Ruwahah ý
ý17.ý Khalid bin al Waleed ý
Iraqi, in his Life of the Prophet (in verse), begins the account of the Scribes with the stanza:ý
And his scribes were forty two. (Wa kuttabuhu ithnani wa arba’oon).ý ý[x]ý
Ibnu Abdi Rabbihi differentiates between Scribes reserved for recording the Holy Qur’an and ýthe Scribes engaged in official correspondence of the State of Medinah. The famous ýcompanion, Hanzala bin Rabee’ Al Usaidiyy was the full time Secretary of this Committee. He ýis termed as the Secretary of all the Scribes of the Holy Prophet (‘khalifatu kulli kaatibin min ýkuttaabin Nabi).ý ý[xi] He was supposed to remain present most of the time with the Holy ýProphet. Later, after the death of Hanzala, this responsibility was shifted to another ýCompanion.ý
It can be understood that the reason for nominating such a large number of scribes was ýobviously, to ensure that a Scribe was always available, whenever the need arose. The ýRevelation could come to the Holy Prophet at any place and time, while traveling or during the ýmilitary campaigns. This shows how serious the Holy Prophet was to preserve the Holy ýQur’an.ý
On receiving a verse or verses from Allah, the Holy Prophet used to call one of the members ýof the committee and get it dictated ý[xii]. At this time, the Holy Prophet also used to instruct the ýScribe as to where the newly revealed verse or verses were to be placed in the Holy ýQur’an ý[xiii]. The Holy Prophet thus not only used to dictate scattered verses but also give a ýdivine order of arrangement of each verse. The ordering of verses and surahs was not left out ýfor the later generations. This was necessary because it is reported that more than one Surah ýý(Chapter) used to be revealed upon the Holy Prophet simultaneouslyý ý[xiv]. The Scribes ýtherefore needed Divine Guidance about the arrangement of the Holy Qur’an also.ý
Zaid bin Thabit reports that after the verse had been dictated by the Holy Prophet, he would ýask the Scribe to read it out. Then the Holy Prophet used to listen to what had been written ýand would request the Scribe to read it out. Errors were rectified and the Holy Prophet used to ýapprove the final draft ý[xv]. It was then issued for all (Thumma ukhraju bihi ila alnaas) and the ýpeople used to make personal copies of the approved draft and would also try to memorize ýit ý[xvi].ý
The Companions were motivated to study, learn and memorize the Holy Qur’an because of ýthe central place it had in their lives and also because the Holy Prophet emphasized upon it ýso frequently and forcefully. Such sayings of the Holy Prophet abound in the Hadeeth ýliterature that declare ‘Reading the Holy Qur’an from a written copy (Mushaf) is as superior to ýrecitation by memory, as mandatory (farz) prayers are superior to optional (nafl) prayers’. He ýsaid that he who recites the Holy Qur’an during the night is indeed enviable ý[xvii]. He said, ýý‘The best among you is the one who learns and teaches the Qur’aný ý[xviii]’. The Prophet’s ýemphasis on memorizing the Qur’an was so marked that he is reported to have substituted ýthis ability of a poor Companion for the Mehr (money he had to pay to his bride on his ýmarriage).ý ý[xix] He would sometimes ask his Companions to recite the Holy Qur’an to him. ýAbdullah bin Masood asked the Holy Prophet, ‘Should I recite (the Holy Qur’an) to you when it ýwas actually revealed on you?’ The Holy Prophet replied: ‘I like listening to the Qur’an when ýread by others’ý ý[xx]. ý
Given the swelling number of his followers after Migration, the Qur’an was learnt and ýrecorded by a large number of his followers.ý ý[xxi] From among the Ansar alone, Anas bin ýMalik reports that four prominent Companions had compiled the Qur’an: Ibayy bin Ka’ab, ýMu’az bin Jabal, Zaid bin Thabit and Abu Zaid ý[xxii]. In another report, Anas adds the name of ýAbu Darda also ý[xxiii]. Relying on this report, many authors have erroneously confined the ýnumber of Companions who compiled the Qur’an to four. Actually the report only intends to ýmention such Companions from among the Ansar and does not include the names of such ýCompanions from among the Muhajiroon (the immigrants to Medina from Mecca).ý
Some of the companions must have recited the Qur’an over to the Holy Prophet for approval. ýAbdullah ibn e Masood is reported to have said that he recited Surah Yusuf to the Holy ýProphet while Ubayye is reported to have learnt the entire Qur’an from the Holy ýProphet.ý ý[xxiv]. Imam Bukari has reported in his Saheeh that in only one combat at Bair e ýMa’oonah, seventy Qura’a (those who specialized in reciting the Qur’an) fell as martyrs. The ýnumber of written copies had become quite common within the life of the Holy Prophet. ýAyshah, the wife of the Holy Prophet, is reported to have had a Mushaf in her house (the ýhouse of Holy Prophet) from which, she is seen dictating the Holy Qur’an to a visitor from ýIraq ý[xxv]. This report also confirms the existence of a Mushaf in the house of Holy Prophet. A ýlarge number of Companions had Musahif and they felt motivated to carry them during ýbattles. The Holy Prophet used to discourage his Companions from carrying the Musahaf with ýthem on military expeditions ý[xxvi].ý
On the occasion of the Last Hajj, the Holy Prophet delivered a sermon in which he said that ýpeople should acquire Knowledge before it is lost. On this an Arab Bedouin rose and asked: ýWould the Knowledge be lost while we have Musahif (written copies of the Holy Qur’an) ýamong us?ý ý[xxvii] This observation during the life of the Holy Prophet establishes the ýubiquitous nature of Musahif in the earliest times. It is therefore obvious that the Holy Qur’an ýwas compiled and written down before the Holy Prophet left this world. A copy of the Holy ýQur’an was retained with the Holy Prophet (in his house as reported by Bukhari in his Saheeh ýfrom Aishah). In addition numerous written copies abounded among the Companions, which ýhad been copied from the Master Copy (al Imam) with the Holy Prophet or had been directly ýdictated from the Holy Prophet.ý
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Arrangement of Surahs in the Holy Qur’an ý
The Qur’an was being revealed in accordance with the needs of the different stages of the ýprophetic mission. It was however not compiled in the chronological order of its revelation. ýWhile compiling and arranging it, the Qur’an was being given a new order, which was to have ýa meaningful coherence for the readers in future. Whenever the Prophet dictated a passage ýof the Qur’an to the Scribes, he used to tell him where in the Qur’an that passage would be ýplaced. This means that not only was the Qur’an being recorded and memorized as it was ýbeing revealed piecemeal, it was also being compiled and given a new order under the ýpersonal supervision of the Prophet. The Prophet in turn was being instructed by Allah about ýthe placement of passages in the desired order.ý ý[xxviii] That is why the Companions use the ýword ‘Compilation’ while defining their functions as Scribes. It is reported: We used to sit with ýthe Holy Prophet and compile the Holy Qur’an on parchments ý[xxix].ý
When the entire Book had been revealed, it is reported in several traditions that the Angel ýGabriel heard the final recitation of the Holy Qur’an from the Holy Prophet ý[xxx]. This final ýpresentation of the Holy Qur’an (Arzai Akheerah) gave the final shape to the Holy Book under ýthe directions of Allah.ý
Thus the entire Qur’an was systematically recorded and arranged on written material during ýthe lifetime of the Prophet. The Holy Qur’an was recorded on tanned hides, stone tablets, ýwooden tablets, pieces of cloth, shoulder bones etc. One complete set of the Qur’an was with ýthe State authorities, i.e. with the Holy Prophet. It was placed in the Mosque of the Prophet ýý(Masjid-e-Nabavi) where the Holy Prophet lived. From there any one was free to make a copy ýfor himself or to refer to it in case he wished to memorize it. It however appears that apart ýfrom this centrally placed copy, a number of other copies also existed. A few of them must ýhave been complete copies whereas in case of others, only portions of the Qur’an were in ýpossession of a number of Companions of the Prophet.ý
Abdullah ibn e Abbas was asked as to what did the Holy Prophet leave behind him. He ýreplied: ‘The Holy Prophet did not leave anything but it was bound within a volume’ý ý[xxxi].ý
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The Significance of the Qur’an in the life of Companions ý
The Holy Qur’an constituted the foundation of the early Muslim community during the life of ýHoly Prophet. It was recited five times a day, people used to commit it to their hearts and ýused to study it with utmost care and concentration. People were graded and appreciated in ýthe community, on the basis of their knowledge of the Qur’an. All affairs of the state as well as ýthe social life of Arabia were governed in the light of the provisions of the Qur’an. All civil ýservants, military commanders and judges used to seek guidance from the Holy Qur’an. ýDuring the Prophet’s life time, when he used to send governors and judges to far off places, ýhe used to instruct them that they have to govern and decide in the light of the Qur’an. These ýfacts show that Qur’an was alive in that society not because of written manuscripts but as an ýexigency of Faith and an inevitable source of guidance for social, political and legal affairs.ý
It is therefore incorrect to suggest that the Holy Qur’an was compiled and written in the days ýof Caliphs Abubakr Siddique or Uthman Ghani. Actually the Holy Qur’an was preserved under ýthe personal supervision of the Holy Prophet in his lifetime. It is also natural to believe that he ýcould not neglect the task of its preservation. The primary mission of the Holy Prophet was to ýdeliver the Divine Message to mankind. This message was nothing but the Holy Qur’an. He ýcould not shift this responsibility to later generations.ý
This happened exactly in accordance with what the Holy Qur’an had instructed:ý
Verily, upon us is the (responsibility of) its collection and recital. So when We ýhave recited it, follow this recitation. Then upon Us is (the responsibility) to ýexplain it. (75:16-19)ý
These verses demonstrate in so many words the divine scheme of Qur’anic preservation.ý
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Canonization of the Qur’anic Text ý
Canonization is the process culminating at the acceptance of a religious scripture in a religion. ýCanonization has usually occurred in other religions centuries after the scripture was ýpresented by the Prophet or the Founder of the faith. For instance, the New Testament was ýcanonized through convening a series of conferences and councils of religious scholars and ýthe final contents were decided centuries later.ý
It is interesting that we do not find any process of Canonization and the debates attending it in ýMuslim history. The reason is obvious; the Qur’anic text was compiled and preserved well ýwithin the life of the Holy Prophet, leaving no room for later disagreements. It was, so to say, ýcanonized by the Holy Prophet himself.ý
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During the Caliphate of Abu Bakr ý
It is important to understand the nature of services of the First Caliph towards this end. During ýthe reign of Caliph Abu Bakr, the increasing number of Huffaz who were embracing ýmartyrdom in the battlefield emerged as a cause of alarm to Umar ibn e Khattab. He ýsuggested to the Caliph that
ý1.ý After the death of the Holy Prophet, the State should take over the responsibility of ýthe dissemination of the Holy Qur’an ý
ý2.ý An official copy of he Holy Qur’an should be prepared which is written on pages of ýeven size and bound up in a volume. ý
Abu Bakr, the first Caliph therefore decided to arrange the Qur’an in one volume. He ýconstituted a committee under the chairmanship of Zaid. All the companions assisted him and ýthe volume thus compiled was attested by hundreds of companions. Every companion who ýhad any verse recorded on any material was called in and was required to produce two ýwitnesses also who testified that a verse was actually dictated by the Holy Prophet and was ýplaced properly as desired by the Prophet.ý ý[xxxii] Witnesses were called in to make the ýprocedure more stringent. This was to ensure that the Generation of the Companions should ýcollectively participate in this blessed service.ý
This achievement of the first Caliph was not the only effort for the preservation of the Qur’an. ýThe instant effort only related to the written and documentary dissemination of the Holy Book. ýAs we shall show later, written tradition is not the only way through which the Qur’an was ýpreserved and other means were also adopted to preserve the Holy Book.ý
Although the Qur’an had been compiled in the life time of the Prophet, yet the task of ýpreparation of an Official copy involved rewriting it on pages of even size. Given the sensitivity ýthe Companions attached to the Holy Book, this task could not be left over to one person. The ýCompanions valued the Holy Book more than anything else. The entire group of Companions ýensured that, while copying verses from the original office copy, and binding them in one ývolume, even an iota of difference or error should not be allowed to occur. Moreover, written ýand oral evidence should also be called, not to discover something new, but to further ýconfirm. The procedural caution observed by the Committee constituted by Abubakr, can be ýwell compared with any modern attempt to publish the Holy Qur’an on a large scale. The ýcopies are compared and checked and the contents are then certified by expert Huffaz. ýThese Huffaz have memorized the Holy Book in totality and they are available in huge ýnumbers.ý
The bound volume of the Holy Book, prepared by the Committee and approved by the main ýbody of Companions, was then placed in public where people could make as many copies of ýthe scripture as they wished.ý ý[xxxiii] ý
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During the Caliphate of Uthman ý
After the death of Caliph Abu Bakr, that volume of Holy Book was entrusted to Umar and, ýafter his death, to Hafsa bint Umar (the wife of the Holy Prophet).ý
During the caliphate of Uthman, a large number of non-Arabs also embraced Islam. Arabic ýwas not their mother tongue. They used to speak Persian, Syrian and a number of other ýlanguages. Many of them read Arabic in different ways. Even some Arabs from far flung areas ýused to recite the Qur’an in different accents. Such differences in pronunciation had no impact ýon the long term preservation of the Qur’an because the by now numerous written copies of ýthe Qur’an were available and thousands of people were there who recited it in the original ýaccent. Although minor in nature, yet the differences in the pronunciation were seen with ýconcern by the cautious Caliph who feared they could develop into different versions with the ýpossibility of different meanings. It was required that just like a standard text, a standard ýpronunciation should also be decided.ý
It was however not a difficult decision. Uthman in consultation with all the companions, ýdecided that the Qur’an will be read in the accent of the Holy Prophet, i.e. the accent of the ýQuraysh of Mecca. Obviously, only the way the Holy Prophet pronounced the divine words ýcould be accepted as the true and faithful way.ý
Uthman then got prepared copies of the Qur’an. These were written in accordance with the ýaccent and calligraphic style of the Quraysh, and these copies were placed in the major cities ýof the Muslim Caliphate. These copies served as the master copies for all the Muslims and ýnumerous copies were prepared and circulated. Two of the master copies prepared by ýUthman are reported to be still available in museums at Tashkent, and Istanbul. It is known ýthat not only written copies were circulated by the third Caliph, but he also sent expert Qari’s ýý(experts in recitation of the Holy Book) along with the scriptures. These Qari’s were selected ýfrom the Quraysh who could read the Book in accordance with the accent and pronunciation ýof the Holy Prophet.ý
Thus the contribution of Uthman is not that he compiled the Qur’an for the first time, as is ýgenerally understood. The Holy Qur’an had already been compiled during the life of the Holy ýProphet. It was bound in a single volume of pages of even size, during the caliphate of ýAbubakr. Uthman’s valuable contribution lies in his ability to take notice of the challenge of ýdifferent accents getting popular among the new converts. He immediately resolved it with the ýconsultation of the companions of the Holy Prophet and decided in favor of only one authentic ýaccent - that of the tribe of the Holy Prophet. He thus united the Ummah on one recitation of ýthe Qur’an.ý
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During the caliphate of Ali and the rule of Mu’awia
After the assassination of Uthman, the Muslim Ummah underwent a division into two separate ýcamps, which fought bloody wars with each other. During such ages of turmoil, for an ýideology that is still young, there is every possibility that the warring factions start disputing ýthe very basis of the ideology that stimulated their growth, and may end up with two different ýsets of sacred literature. But in this case, both the groups continued to have unquestionable ýbelief in the same book. Ali upheld the book as it was received from the earlier three Caliphs ýand so did Mu’awia.ý
Their viewpoints might have differed on political issues, but they were united on the text of the ýHoly Qur’an, and continued with the efforts of the Ummah to protect, respect and propagate ýthe Holy Book. Had Ali compiled a different version of the Holy Qur’an (as held by a few ýindividual reports) he would have imposed his version instead of the one that (according to ýthe belief of a few Shia scholars) had been unfairly imposed by the earlier Caliphs. Caliph ýAli’s six years rule is devoid of any such assertion. On the contrary we find him reciting the ýsame text, basing his judicial decision on it and taught the same to the next generation.ý
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Since then ý
After the age of turmoil, the Muslims had flourishing, stable and long rule of Umayyad and ýAbbaside dynasties who proclaimed the standard version of the Qur’an as the only accepted, ýcanonized and authentic version of the revealed book. After the fall of Abbasides, the ýUthmani Caliphate of Turkey took over this task and the state attached priority to preserving, ýpublication, and disseminating the Holy Qur’an. Only one text was known and recognized. ýThere never existed any other versions. Thousands of Muslims continued to recite the entire ýHoly Qur’an every year in Taraweeh Prayers during the holy month of Ramazan, for the last ýfourteen centuries. On introduction of printing press, the printed copies spread far and wide in ýlarge numbers and the now even the remotest possibility of any corruption of the text does not ýexist.ý
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Oral Communication ý
A book can be communicated to the next generations through written (documentary) means ýor through oral tradition. So far we have discussed the documentary aspect of its history.ý
This history of documentary transmission is very valuable and praiseworthy, but it is not what ýthe Muslims are proud of. They are proud of the history of transmission of the Book through ýmemorizing tradition.ý
Thousands and millions of Muslims memorized the Holy Qur’an accurately in all generations. ýWhenever there is a difference between huffaz, they always find a third one to consult and ýverify. The Muslims do not rely on the written word as much as they do on the oral ýtransmission. When the Holy Qur’an is printed, we require two huffaz to read the text and ýapprove it.ý
The Holy Qur’an was thus received by the first generation of Muslim Ummah (i.e. the ýcompanions of the Holy Prophet) from the Prophet in written and verbal forms and was then ýtransmitted to the next generation, and so on, till it reached us. Such a large number of ýpeople have participated in this generation to generation transfer of this book that there ýremains no shadow of doubt about its historical authenticity.ý
ý ý
Written and Oral Communication ý
A book can be communicated to the next generations through written (documentary) means ýor through oral tradition. So far we have discussed the documentary aspect of its history.ý
This history of documentary transmission is very valuable and praiseworthy, but it is not what ýthe Muslims are proud of. They are proud of the history of transmission of the Book through ýmemorizing tradition.ý
Thousands and millions of Muslims memorized the Holy Qur’an accurately in all generations. ýWhenever there is a difference between huffaz, they always find a third one to consult and ýverify. The Muslims do not rely on the written word as much as they do on the oral ýtransmission. When the Holy Qur’an is printed, we require two huffaz to read the text and ýapprove it. Usually a Hafiz knows the name of his teacher from whom he heard and ýcommitted the Book to his mind, and the name of his teacher’s teacher, a connection that ýsometimes goes to the Prophet’s companions.ý
The Holy Qur’an was thus received by the first generation of Muslim Ummah (i.e. the ýcompanions of the Holy Prophet) from the Prophet in written and verbal forms and was then ýtransmitted to the next generation, and so on, till it reached us. Such a large number of ýpeople have participated in this generation to generation transfer of this book that there ýremains no shadow of doubt about its authenticity. This is known as tawatur.ý
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Well Defined ý
The Holy Qur’an is a well-defined text with 114 chapters (surahs). Its verses, words and ýletters have also been counted. There are no parallel apocryphal (fake or dubious) texts of the ýQur’an.ý
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Intelligibility of the Holy Qur’an ý
The Holy Qur’an is in Classical Arabic used by the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. Arabic language ýhas remained an alive language since then, being the mother tongue of millions of Arabs. ýModernization has had impact on the language yet the classical Arabic is still widely ýunderstood. Sufficient literature in classical Arabic dating before Holy Qur’an also exists and ýhelps us understand the usage and idiom of classical Arabic.ý
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Conclusion ý
Judging the Holy Qur’an in the light of the criteria discussed in the beginning of this chapter, ýwe find that it is the only religious scripture that comes up to these standards:ý
• The contents of the Holy Qur’an are definite and well defined. There is no dispute ýwhether a certain verse or word is a part of it or not. Its contents are undisputed and ýare known with certainty. Thus the Holy Qur’an is an original source that is perfectly ýwell-defined. ý
• The above historical detail of its compilation and preservation shows that the Holy ýQur’an is a perfectly authentic and reliable book. It has reached, from the Prophet to ýour times, through the process of tawatur.ý
thank you for the research cum article
really useful
Hope the swedish friend benefits from reading it
Jazaky allahu khaira sis Muslima
Umm Tasneem
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This is an answer from Sheikh Fahd Bin Salman Al Odeh
I sent & He replied
http://www.islamtoday.com/discover_i...&sub_cat_id=41
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