Written By: Dr. Mozammel Haque
Generally people are curious and pose the question: is there any change or omission or addition in the Qur’an? I think this question must be answered in order to resolve any confusion. I think, it should be clearly said without any ambiguity that there is no changes, no additions, no omissions and no alterations in the text of the Qur’an after the Prophet peace be upon him passed away. It is also to be mentioned that once the Qur’an is collected and compiled as a text by the Third Caliph Uthman bin Affan there is no changes or nothing is omitted from the Qur’an.
Now, at the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, someone raised this question at the Islamic Circle meeting on 5th of January 2019. The Question was: Some part of the Qur’an is added or omitted or dropped from the Qur’an? That was the question. Whether this is true or not that is the question.
Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan
Director General of the Centre
Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, gave a lecture on this issue. He has already talked about the abrogation in the Qur’an or not. He said, “The Qur’an that we have now as a Book is it the real Qur’an that was revealed to Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam or there is some part of it is missing or may be, some part of it is added which is not a part of the Qur’an? This is a question.”
Dr. al-Dubayan said, “Be careful I am going to explain this. Those who believe, from the Sunnah specially, that there is abrogation in the Qur’an; they said there were some verses, may be, two or three or four verses of the Qur’an revealed to the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam during his life and then during his life these were removed from the Qur’an. So revealed to be there and revealed to be removed. The Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam was there.”
“When the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam came to the end of his life, the Qur’an was known as a text; but not all the companions memorized the Qur’an; each one memorized some parts of them; some of them may be two-thirds of the Qur’an; some of them almost all; some of them one Juz’ or two Juz’; three Juz’; but the community, all of them, memorized the Qur’an all together; few only who can memorize the Qur’an completely. Few people only; but most of them memorized some parts,” explained Dr. al-Dubayan.
First Caliph Abu Bakr created a committee
The ICC Director General continued, “About one year, even less than one year after the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam dead, Abu Bakr Siddiq,the First Caliph, himself started to write down the Qur’an, the text. He created a committee. This committee in Madinah used to go to each one in Madinah to ask: ‘Do you memorize anything from the Qur’an? Yes, what do you memorize? I memorize this.’ Then they wrote down what he memorized and then they matched it with others and where is this? Is it this part or this chapter till they complete their work all of it.”
“Abu Bakr wrote this and kept it in his house. After his death, of course, Omar bin Khattab, the second Caliph, took it with him and then Omar bin Khattab all his life about ten years (This subject – Omar bin Khattab and the Qur’an – was talked about before) and then Omar bin Khattab was killed. Then this collection of the Qur’an was given to his daughter Hafsa, who is the wife of the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam. After two three years, the Third Caliph, Uthman bin Affan, started the process of writing the Qur’an again. He asked Hafsa to hand over these things that she had. Then Hafsa gave it to them,” Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned.
The Third Caliph Uthman bin Affan
Created committee and wrote the Qur’an text
The ICC chief continued, “Then Uthman bin Affan again created a committee. The committee also did the same. They went to ask everybody; they checked whatever Abu Bakr wrote before, about 12 years ago; and then they wrote it again. Uthman bin Affan created a committee of companions to read it and to write it; to agree for a certain order as I said to you the Chapters; not the verses; we know from the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam. They wrote it down. In order to avoid any problem, Uthman bin Affan wrote five copies, some historians said, seven copies, some of them said, even about ten copies. He sent one to the major cities; he sent one to Kufa in Iraq; one to Basra; one to Damascus in Syria. They said he sent one to Yemen; and then he kept one in Madinah. Some people said, he sent another one to Makkah. Then the Third Caliph asked the Governor of the cities to ask people when they wanted to have a Qur’an they copied from this copy; that’s why; we have now one Qur’an.”
Companion Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman
asked to do it immediately
Dr. al-Dubayan then enquired how this idea of having one Qur’an came. He described and narrated the events for having to do this. He said, “That was the idea of another Companion who is Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman. Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman was actually in Armenia that time. Can you imagine the companions of the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam reached Armenia? He was in Armenia with Muslim army there. Then some one recited the verse of the Qur’an; some body said no, no, this is not like this; it is recited that way. Then the other person said; no, this is not correct; this is the way how it was recited.”
“Then Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman himself, who was the companion of the Prophet, realised that there is something really very dangerous. He moved from Armenia back long way to Madinah; met Uthman bin Affan and said to him: ‘You have to do something urgently before we have the same problem that the Jews and Christians have with the Bible. There are different versions. Immediately you have to write down.’ Then Uthman bin Affan did it,” Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned the background.
Shia-Sunni story – a political issue,
not religious one
That was the background of having one Qur’an which was written down as one Qur’an after having committees during Abu Bakr, Omar bin al-Khattab and Uthman bin Affan. This is how the present Qur’an compiled as one text, one Book. Now, Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned about the opinion of the Shia and the Shia-Sunni story. He said, “Some Shia, not all Shia; by the way, said that the Qur’an is being changed; why? “There is a long explanation which I am trying to squeeze for you in a short time. You know the story of Shia and Sunni started in the beginning; it was a political issue, not religious issue. Those only dispute between Ali ibn Abi Talib RA because of the Uthman bin Affan the third Caliph was killed; then each one had different idea anyway that led to some fighting; then that was some political.”
“After that those who supported Ali tried to find, say after about, may be, eighty years after, the idea was created that Ali bin Abi Talib is the real and the first Caliph and the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam had a will for Ali. The Will, okay, was removed and then they gave it to Abu Bakr Siddiq. This is something like conspiracy done by the companions. This opinion was created, may be, one century after the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam. Not within a first century. Nobody talked about it,” Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned.
The ICC Chief went into different topic for discussion. He said, “Now the question is: If Allah SWT wanted Ali to be the first Caliph, how come then HE allows His plan to be changed. Question? We know the biography of Abu Bakr; we know the biography of Omar bin al-Khattab; we know the biography of Uthman bin Affan. They are good people. How come suddenly in the last minute of the life of the Prophet Sallallahu wa Sallam they become evil and they changed the will. A good Question? Another thing that is: those who believe in what we call it Immamah or Imanship of Ali; they said Imamship of Ali is something like pillar of Islam. It means, not to be a Muslim till you do not believe in this, according to them; not according to us. From this issue, there is a big question. Okay, if imamship of Ali is so important like Hajj, like Zakat, why it is not mentioned in the Qur’an; where is it? Show us in the Qur’an; where is it? Not there. It is not possible Allah says us something so important; then HE does not mentioned in the Qur’an.”
