A Study of Sunni and Shii Traditions Concerning Tahrif [of Holy Quran] Part 3

A Study of Sunni and Shii Traditions Concerning Tahrif Part 3

The Shia and Tahrif

Some explicit statements found in the works of major Shiah scholars prove their faith in the Qur'an's remaining safe from every form of alteration and deletion. These statements are a conclusive proof that the Qur'an as it exists today is exactly what has been revealed by God Almighty and that the Imamiyyah do not believe that any addition or deletion has occurred in it. Here we mention the remarks of some leading Shii scholars, along with some books and articles written by them to prove the nonoccurrence of tahrif.

Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan al-Nishaburi is a Shii writer of the 3rd/9th century. Anyone who reads his book al-'Idah will observe that he has accused some Sunni sects of believing in tahrif of the Qur'an, often referring to what they have narrated concerning the Qur'an's incompleteness, with the words,"Among that which you have narrated".... Now it is certainly a mistake to infer, as some have done, from his reference to these traditions that he himself believed in tahrif.

Abu Ja`far Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Babawayah al-Qummi, known as al-Qummi (d.381/991), says:

It is our belief that the Qur'an revealed by God Almighty to His prophet, Muhammad (S), is that which is present between the two flaps and that which is in the people's hands and there is nothing in addition to it, and anyone who ascribes to us the belief that it includes something more, is a liar.1

Thus al-Sadibi, who is one of the greatest Shii scholars and an authority on hadith and history, refutes the allegation that the Imamiy­yah believe in tahrif

Al-Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022), who was the teacher of several eminent Shii 'ulama', including al-Sayyid al-Radi and al-Sayyid al-Murtada - may God's mercy be upon all of them - observes, 'Not a single word, verse or surah has been deleted from the Qur'an, and that which was deleted from Amir al-Mu'minin's mushaf was its interpreta­tion (ta'wil) and the exposition (tafsir) of its meanings in accordance with the revelation. Though it was itself an established revelation, it was not part of the word of God which comprises the miraculous Qur'an...." He further adds, "I hold this opinion and seek succor from God (for guidance) to the truth." These words explicitly prove his belief in the absence of tahrif in the Quran.2

Apart from this, al-Shaykh al-Mufid has also rejected that which has been narrated concerning Ibn Masud mushaf, that it contained some additions. He points out that these traditions are Odd and there­fore unworthy of any credence.3

4. Al-Sayyid al-Murtada 'Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Mitsawl al-`Alawi (d. 436/1044) in his set of replies to certain queries called al-Tarabul­usiyat observes:

The knowledge of the authenticity of the Qur'an is like one's knowledge of countries, important events, famous books, and recorded Arabic poetry.

There existed an intensity of care and a plentitude of motives for narrating and preserving it, and they reached a degree not reached in respect of any example mentioned by us.... The Qur'an was collected and compiled during the Prophet's (S) lifetime the way it existed at that time. The Prophet (S) even chose a group of Companions to memorize it, and it used to be presented to and recited before the Prophet (S).

A group of Companions, like `Abd Allah ibn Mas`ud, Ubayy ibn Ka`b and others, completed the recital of the Qur'an a number of times in the presence of the Prophet (S). A little reflec­tion will show that all this proves that the Qur'an was collected in an organized manner and that it was not left in a fragmentary and scattered state.... As to those among the Imamiyyah and the Hashwiyyah who oppose this view, their opposition is of no significance. Their opposition, along with that of a group of Ahl al-Hadith, is based on daif traditions that they narrate and which they imagine to be authentic, and it is not possible to give up on their basis something whose authenticity is known with certainty.4

Ibn Hajar writes concerning al-Shan't' al-Murtada that he considered anyone who believed the Qur'an to have been altered or to have suffered addition or deletion, an apostate. The same is true of two of his con­temporaries, Abu" al-Qasim al-Razi and Abu Yala al-Tusi5

5. Shaykh al-Taifah Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi (d. 461/1068) states: As to the discussion regarding addition to and deletion from the Qur'an, such a thing does not befit it, because the presence of any addition is negated by consensus, and as to deletion from it, that which is evident from the beliefs of various Islamic schools is a negation of it as well, and this position is best entitled to authentication.

This view has been supported by al-Murtada - may God be pleased with him - and the literal import of traditions, although many traditions have been narrrated both by the Shi`ah (al-Khassah) and Sunnis (al-`Ammah) which speak of deletions in many verses and the change of their place from one location to another in the Qur'an.

But all these traditions are ahad and do not bestow certainty, and therefore it is better to ignore them and to refrain from busying oneself with them, considering that they are capable of being interpreted (in a manner which is not critical of the purity of the Quranic text), even if their authenticity be accepted, because the Quran existing between the two flaps is of known authenticity, not having been challenged or rejected by anyone from the Ummah.

Furthermore, our traditions urge its recitation, require adherence to its contents, and command correlation of contradictory traditions relating to precepts with it, so that that which agrees with it is accepted and that which contradicts it is rejected. It has been narrated from the Prophet (S) in a tradition that has not been contested by anyone that he (S) said:

إني مخلف فيكم الثقليم ما إن تمسكتم بهما لن تضلوا، كتاب الله و عترتي أهل بيتي و إنهما لن يفترقا حتى يردا علي الحوض4-15

I am leaving behind among you two precious things. As long as you adhere to them you will never go astray. (They are) the Book of God and

my kindred, my Ahl al-Bayt. Verily, the two will never separate until they meet me at the Pond.

This indicates that the Qur'an shall be present in all ages, because it is not possible that the Prophet (S) should command us to adhere to a thing which we are incapable of adhering to, considering that among the Ahl al-Bayt (A) he whose word is to be followed is present at all times. Hence, when that which we possess is of accepted authenticity, it is incumbent that we devote ourselves to its exegesis and elucidation and set aside anything apart from it.6

Abu 'Ali al-Tabrasi (6th/12th century), the author of the exegesis Ajma al-bayan, observes:

...As to the issue of additions to and deletions from the Qur'an, addition to it is negated by a consensus refuting it, and as to deletions from it, a group of our companions (Shiis) and a group of the Hashwiyyah from Sunnis have narrated occurrence of alteration in and deletion from the Qur'an. The correct view in accordance with the belief of our companions (Imamiyyah) is the opposite of it, and it is what has been held by al-Murtada - may God sanctify his soul.7

Al-Shaykh `Abd al-Jalil al-Razi al-Faritsi, author of the book al‑aqd written around 560/1164, after mentioning the accusation against the Shi`ah that they have narrated the tradition describing the incident f some domestic animal having eaten up the script of some verses assessed by `A'ishah (mentioned above in the tradition from Ibn rajah), observes: "This tradition is present in the books of the Ahl al‑ Sunnah Then he goes on to refute the view that the Shi`ah believe in tabrit.8

8. Al-Sayyid Ibn Tawils (d.664/1265) writes in his book Sa`d al­ Suud: "The Imarni view is that there has been no tahrif "9 Then criticizing some Sunni scholars, he adds:

I am surprised at those who argue that the Qur'an has been preserved since the Prophet (S) and that it was he who compiled it, and then go on to describe differences between the people of Makkah and Madinah, between the people of Kufah and Basrah, and also hold that the besmalah is not part of the surahs. More surprising is the argument they offer that had it been part of the surahs, something else should have been mentioned before it as an opening. Good Heavens! When the Qur'an is secure against additions and deletions, as demanded by reason and the Shari`ah, why should it have something before it which is not a part of it, and how is such a thing possible at all?10

9. Al Allamah Al-Hilli(648-726/1250-1326), when asked by Ibn Muhanna this question concerning the Qur'an, "Do our scholars affirm the view that something has been either deleted from or added to the Qur'an or that its order has been changed?" replied: "The truth is that no change of order nor any addition or deletion has taken place in it, and I seek God's refuge from anyone believing in such a thing or something like it, because this results in negating the miracle of the Prophet - upon whom be peace - as well as the tawatur with which it has been narrated.11

10. Mulla Muhsin, known as al-Fayd al-Kashani (d. 1091/1680), after mentioning a set of traditions hinting at the occurrence of tahrif, states:

The main objection about these traditions is that if we accept them, there will remain for us no surety concerning anything present in the Quran, because then the possibility of tahrif and alteration will exist in every verse and its being contrary to that which God had revealed. Hence the Qur'an would lose its authority and utility, and the purpose of commanding adherence to it would be lost. God Almighty says:

And surely it is a Mighty Book. Falsehood does not approach it from before it nor from behind it (41:41-42)

And He says:

Verily We have sent down the Remembrance, and verily We are its protector.(15:9)

Now how is it possible for tahrif to find its way into it?

The tradition has also been extensively narrated from the Prophet (S) and the Imams (A) that the authenticity of traditions is to be judged by comparing them with the Qur'an so that their authenticity is known from agreement with it and their falsity from their contradiction with it. Hence if the Qur'an we possess be considered altered, what is the use of making such a compari­son? Apart from this, the traditions entailing the occurrence of tahrif contra­dict the Qur'an, and so it is necessary to reject them on the basis of their falsehood, or to interpret them.12

Concerning the meaning of verse 9 of Stirat al-Hijr, al-Fayd ob­serves:

[ It means,] 'We will protect it from tahrif, alteration, addition and deletion'. 13

He also refutes the occurrence of tahrif in some other of his works.14 This is al-Fayd's unambiguous view, which he states after citing some traditions about tahrif that he considers contrary to the Qur'an and so invalid. But some persons with dubious motives have imputed to al-Fayd the belief in tahrif solely because of his mentioning some traditions, without mentioning what he says about them, intend­ing thereby to create doubts in the minds of people concerning the imamiyyah.15

Out of ignorance or bias, one writer ascribes the belief in tahrif to other 'ulama' as well, such as al-Shaykh al-Saduq, despite al-Saduq's explicit statement mentioned earlier of his belief in the absence of tahrif.

11. Muhammad Baha' al-Din al-`Amili, known as al-Shaykh al­ Baha'l (d. 1030/1620), observes:

They have differed regarding the occurrence of addition to or deletion from it. The correct view is that the Great Qur'an is safe from it, be it addition or deletion, and the words of God Almighty وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ  prove this.

As to the view popular among the people that the name of Amir al-Mu'minin (A) has been deleted from some places, for example, the verse

يا ايها الرسول بلِّغ ما اُنزل اليك من ربك في علي and other verses, it is not considered credible by the Ulema.16

12. Al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Hurr Amili(d. 1104/ 1692), the author of Waseil al-Shiah, states in a treatise written by him in Persian negating tahrlf:

Anyone having studied history and tradition knows for certain that the authenticity of the Qur'an has been established through utmost tawatur, being narrated by thousands of Companions, and that it had been collected and compiled during the era of the Prophet (S).17

This is the unequivocal observation of al-Shaykh al-Hurr al-`Amili, one of the greatest of Shii scholars and traditionists. He confirms in this treatise the absence of deletions from the Qur'an. Yet one finds some slanderers imputing to him the belief in occurrence of tahrif.18

13. The eminent scholar Zayn al-Din al-Bayadi, author of al­Sirat al-mustaqim, writes while elucidating the Quranic verse

"It implies that God will protect it from tahrif, alteration, addition and deletion." 19

14. Al-Qari al-Sayyid Nur Allah al-Tustari states: "That which has been ascribed to the Imami Shiis that they believe in occurrence of alteration in the Qur'an is not something which the majority of the Imamiyyah believe. Of course, a small number of them who have held such a view are those to whom no importance is attached by them."20

15. Al-Muqaddas al-Baghdadi, in his book Sharh al-Wafiyah, narrates the presence of Ijma' among the Imamiyyah on the issue of absence of any deletion from the Quran.21

16. Al-Fadil al-Jawad says, "The Qur'an has been confirmed by tawatur and anything narrated in the form of khabar al-wahid is not Qur'an. We said it is mutawatir because there were plenty of motives for narrating the Qur'an, and anything having this quality is ordinarily bound to be narrated completely by tawatur."22

17. Kashif al-Ghita' negates belief in the occurrence of tahrif and refutes its ascription to the Imamiyyah in his book Kashf al-ghita' 'an mubhamat al-Sharrat al-gharra.

18. Al-Sayyid Muhammad Jawad al-Balaghi refutes in his exegesis Ala' al-Rahman attribution of the belief in presence of tahrif to the Imamiyyah.

19. Al-Sayyid Mandi al-Tabatabai known as Bahr al Ulum in the chapter on the authority of the Qur'an of his book Fawaid Al-Usul denies the occurrence of tahrif.23

20. Ayatullah Kuh-Kamari has also confirmed the nonoccurrence of tahrif, as mentioned by his pupil in Bushra al-Usul 1411.

21. Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-'Amin Al-Amili(d. 1371/1951), in his work Ayan al-Shiah on biographies of Shi`i personalities, declares the absence of tahrif in the Qur'an, and observes about the ascription of this belief to the Shi`ah: "This is a lie and a slander, with which Ibn Hazm has associated himself.., and the greatest of Shi`i scholars and traditionists have expressly affirmed their opposition to it."

He writes at another place, "No Imami scholar, from the earliest times to the present, has said that the Qur'an contains any minor or major additions to it. All of them concur regarding the absence of any addition, and those whose opinions are worthy of being taken into account also con­cur that nothing has been deleted from it.... Anyone who ascribes to them anything contrary to this is a liar and a slanderer guilty of affront to God and His Prophet (S)."24

Other eminent Shi’i scholars who have affirmed the purity of the Quranic text and absence of any tahrif in it are:

22. Mulla Fath Allah al-Kashani,author of the tafsir Manhaj al‑sadaqien.25

23. Mirza Muhammad Hann al-'Ashtiyani (d. 1319/1901), in Bahr al-fawa 'id

24. Al-Shaykh `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Mamaqini (d. 1351/ 1932), in Tanqih al-maqal

25. Al-Shaykh Muhammad al-Nahawandi (d. 129111874), in his tafsir Nafahat al-Rahman.

26. Al-Sayyid Naqi al-Hindi (d. 1408/1988), in the book Tafsir al-Qur'an.

27. Al-Sayyid Muhammad Mahdi Al-Shirazi.

28. Al-Sayyid Shihab al-Din al-Mar`ashi al-Najafi.

29. Al-Sayyid `Abd al-Husayn Sharaf al-Din in his book Ajwibat masa'il Masa Jar Allah. He says:

The Wise Qur'an (has been so preserved in all respects that) falsehood cannot find a way into it, and it is what the people possess between the two flaps, without a letter having been deleted, or added, or replaced by another letter. All its letters are mutawatir, and in every generation its tawatur is definite, reaching up to the era of the Prophet (S) and its revelation.

It existed in a compiled form and in its present form in the earliest period. Gabriel used to present the Quran before the Prophet (S) once every year and presented it twice in the year of his (S) demise. The Companions used to present and recite the Qur'an to him (S) and they completed these recitals several times. All these necessarily known facts have been in front of the researchers among the Imami scholars.26

30. Ayatullah al-Hajj Aga Husayn al-Tabatabai al-Burujerdi has spelled out in some of his lectures on jurisprudence (as narrated by some of his pupils) the falsity of the notion of occurrence of tahrif, and upheld the purity of the Quranic text.

31. Allamah al-Sayyid Hibat al-Din al-Shahristani says:

The predominant view, held by the majority, is that the Qur'an revealed by God to the Prophet (S) is the one which exists between the two flaps, and there is sufficient evidence from history and tradition to substantiate it. Some Hashwiyyah and pious literalists among the tradionalists were misled by weak traditions, a part of which were coined by leaders of heretical sects in the early Islamic era, into imagining the occurrence of deletion in Qur'inic verses. And al-Murtada 'Alam al-Huda and other researchers among our predecessors have unequivocally stated that the Qur'an has been secure from addition and deletion.27

33. Al-Sayyid al-Khumayni, in Kashf al-Asrar.28

There are other explicit statements of Shii 'ulama' in refute of tahrif which we have not mentioned here. Those interested may refer to Kashf al-'irtiyab fi raddi Fas1 al-khitab or their books on jurisprudence and especially the chapters in them on the legal authority of the Book.

The authors mentioned at the end of the above list have writings indicating their belief in the absence of occurrence of tahrif, and the author of Burhan-e roshan, Mirza Mahdi al-Burujerdi, has mentioned them along with the names of other scholars not mentioned here.