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VI
THE QURAN
The Quran is the eternal divine message preserved from
the distortion and falsification that occured to the new
and old testaments. This is affirmed in the following
Quranic verses: "We revealed the Quran and shall
preserve it"(104) and "We shall see
to its [the Quran's] collection and recital"(105).
However, a number of unscrupulous narrators and
counterfeiters invented a number of sayings and
traditions which claim that the Quran has been distorted
either by addition or deletion. This claim has been
deplored and rejected by the Imamiya scholars who ruled
that the Quran is intact and preserved from distortion.
The completeness of the Quran has been repeatedly
reaffirmed by these scholars in their books and arguments
regarding the Quran's integrity as the following comment
by Al-Tebrasi, a prominent scholar of the Imamiya Shiite
in the fourth hijra century illustrates:(106)
What is being said about additions and deletions
[in the Quran] is inappropriate because [claims of]
additions in the Quran are considered by consensus to
be unfounded and so is the case regarding deletions.
These are our views which have been supported by [the
scholar] al-Murtada and confirmed by the
tradition".
On the same subject, al-Tebrasi wrote that "it is
widely accepted by the Imamiya scholars that the Quran
has not been distorted"(107). Further
support of this standpoint was provided by al-Sadduq, a
prominent Imamiya scholar of the third and fourth Hijra
century as follows:(108) "It is our
belief that the Quran revealed by God to his Prophet is
all that is found between its covers, and not more than
this. Whoever claims that we say it is more than this is
a liar".
Finally, the late abu al-Qasim al-Khoui, a notable
scholar of the Imamiya, also commented on the same
subject:(109)
We want to make clear that what Othman collected
was the Quran known to all Muslims and handed down
from the Prophet. Any distortion resulting from
addition or deletion may have occurred to those
versions(110) that have been unavailable
since the time of the Othman. The available Quran is
intact and free of addition and deletion.
It is therefore the consensus among Islamic scholars
that allegations of distortions in the Quran made by some
Sunni and Shiite sources are unsupported and hence
unacceptable. Also a number of the traditions of the
Imams of the Prophet Household which refer to distortions
in the Quran actually imply its meanings, and not its
text, have been distorted by some commentators and
unscrupulous people who are described in the following
Quranic verse:(111)
Those whose hearts are infected with perversity
follow the part that is allegorical, so as to create
discord by seeking to explain its hidden meanings.
But no one knows its meaning except God and those who
are firmly grounded in knowledge Say: we believe in
the book, the whole of it is from our Lord, but only
the wise take heed.
Misconceptions Regarding Fatima's Book
Before concluding this section on the Quran it is
essential to clarify and dispel misconceptions regarding
what is known as Fatima's Mushaf (Fatima's book).
This has been intentionally misconstructed by those who
seek to sow dissent among Muslims to imply that the
Imamiya shiite have a Quran which is different from the
one knows to Muslims.
Propagating such misconceptions is characteristic of
those who disregard true intentions and clear meanings
and seek to promote perversity and discord as described
in the following Quranic verses:(112)
He [God] has revealed to you the Quran. Some of
its verses are precise in meaning they are the
foundations of the book - and others allegorical.
Those whose hearts are infected with perversity
follow the part that is allegorical, so as to create
discord by seeking to explain its hidden meanings...
To expose this misinterpretation and intentional
attempt to throw suspicion on the Imamiya creed, the
literal meaning of the term Mushaf need to be
clarified to establish whether it is one of the
legitimate names of the Quran or not. The meaning of this
term will also be investigated with reference to Imam
al-Sadiq's comments on it.
Al-Raghib al-Asfahani defined the word Sahifa
to mean "any flat object such as a page, and its
plural is suhuf or pages. Al-Mushaf denotes a
collection of pages, i.e. a book"(113).
According to al-Razi, a "Sahifa is a book and
its plural is Suhuf of Sahifa. The Mushaf
is that in which the suhuf are collected(114).
Obviously this terms has been known to Arabs and commonly
used to refer to a number of written pages. It is not,
therefore, one of the specific names of the Quran.
Muslims called the Holy Quran Al-Mushaf after it
was collected and bound in a single book made up of
parchments. Legitimate names of the Quran mentioned by
God are in addition to the Quran, al-Furkan, al-Thikr,
al-Kitab, and Kalam Allah.
The Quran also has a number of labels such as al-Noor,
al-Mubeen, al- Suraj and al-Huda. The name al-Mushaf
was used not by God but by ordinary Muslims and religious
scholars refrain from using it in their lectures or
publications.
With regard to Imam al-Sadiq's mention of Fatima's Mushaf
it was made in reference to the knowledge inherited by
the Imams from the Prophet and written down in a Mushaf
or scroll. The Imam said: "We have Fatima's Mushaf
and it includes none of the Quranic verses(115).
He is also reported to have said that 'We have Fatima's Mushaf
and it includes none of the verses of God's Book. The
Prophet dictated it and Ali wrote it down in his own
handwriting'(116). These two statements
clearly establish that the material dictated by the
prophet to Imam Ali was not the Quran and does not
include any part of the Quran. This material, however,
contained religious knowledge and laws recorded by Ali in
a scroll for his wife Fatima and this explains the term
Fatima's Mushaf or scroll.
This scroll or book has been referred to by the Imam
as a source of religious knowledge and laws. However, and
contrary to false claims that this book is another Quran,
Muslim scholars of various sects including Shiites and
Sunnis share in the belief that the available Quran
contain all the verses revealed to the Prophet without
addition or deletion, and it has been preserved by God as
the following two verses promise: "We revealed the
Quran and shall preserve it"(117), and
"We shall see to its collection and recital."(118)
Accordingly, scholars dismiss weak traditions related by
single source and narrated by Sunni and Shiite authors in
contradiction with this consensus.
Finally, it must be remembered that the collection and
transcription of the Quran were accomplished during the
lifetime of the prophet who commissioned a number of
secretaries for this purpose. Furthermore, a number of
companions recited the verses they had memorized in front
of the Prophet and he approved them. The Quran received
from the Prophet and transcribed has been handed down
from one generation to another with utmost care. This has
been confirmed by the Imamiya scholars over the centuries
including al-Sadduq, al-Mufeed, al-Murtada, al-Tebrasi,
al-Hili and numerous contemporary scholars.
