The Ahulbayt in Quran [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Early Debates on the Integrity of the Quran (Part I)

[ This article is written by Professor Hossein Modarresi from Princeton University,NJ]

This short article attempts to shed some light on the origins of the Sunnite-Shi'ite controversies on the integrity of the text of the Quran.

The development of these debates in the first Islamic centuries represents an interest example of how ideas evolved in the early period through sectarian disputes, as well as contacts and communication between various Muslim sects and schools of thought.

Despite severe mistrust, various factors existed to facili- tate the give and take among different sects. Most prominent was a group of hadith transmitters who frequented different sectatrian camps and, thereby, introduced much of each sect's literature to the others. Often confusion on the part of these "bipolar" narra-

tors of hadith helped "naturalize" segments of one sect's literature into that of another sect.

This was particularly true in Shi'ism, many of transmitters heard hadith from both Shitite and Sunnite sources, and later misattributed much of what they had heard.

[1] The early Shi'ite

[1] Kashshi, Marifat al naqilin = Kitba al Rijal, abridged by

Muhammad b.

al Hasan al Tusi as Ikhtiyar Marifat ar Rijal

p 590-91, where Shadhan b.

Khalil al Naysaburi askes the

celebrated hadith transmitter, Abu Ahmad Muhammad b.

Abi Umayr

al Azdi, who heard from bothe Shi'ite and Sunnite sources, why

he never quoted any Sunnite hadith to his tudents in his works.

He

answered, that he deliberately avoided that since he found many

of the Shi'ites studied both Shi'ites and Sunnites traditions, but

later confused and ascribed Sunnite material to the Shi'ites sources

and vice versa.

mutakallimun also quoted statements from the Sunnite sources in

their polemics against the Sunnites as argumentum ad homi-

nem.

But from the mid 3rd/9th century onward, it was common

for some Shi'ite authors and traditionisls to attribute a Shi'ite

origin to this material, since it was thought that whatever the

companions of the Imams and early Shl'ite mutakallimun said or

wrote, even what they used in their polemics, necessarily represen-

ted the views and statements of the Imams.

[2] This assumption

led to the introduction of much alien material into Shi'ite thought.

[2] Kulayni, al Kafi, vol 1 p 99

Subhu al Salih, Mabahith fi ulum al Quran, p 134

Many of these early interchanges were forgotten over time.

Hence it was not known that many of the ideas that were later

labeled as Sunnite, Shi'ite, or the like were originally held by a

different group or, at least in the early period before the sects took

on their final shape, were shared by various mainstream elements

of Islamic society.

The question of the integrity of the Uthmanic

text of the Qur-an and the controversies surrounding it are a prime

example of that phenomenon.

The central issue in these debates

was whether the Uthmanic text comprehended the entire body of

material that was revealed to the Prophet, or whether there had

been further material that was missing from the Uthmanic

text.

In the following pages, we shall examine the Sunnite-Shi'ite

interchanges on this question.

* * * * *

The evidence in the text of the Qur'an itself as well as in hadith

indicates that the Prophet compiled a written scripture for Islam

during his own life-time, most likely in his first years in

Medina.

[3] He reportedly continued until the end of his life to

[3] Zarkashi, al Burhan fi ulum al Quran, vol 1 p 235, 237-38

256, 258

Suyuti, al Itqan fi ulum al Quran, vol 1 p 212-13, 216

personally instruct the scribes where to insert new passages of the

revelation in the scripture.

[4] There are also indications that

[4] Ahmad b.

Hanbal, vol 1 p 57

Tirimidhi, Sunan, vol 4 p 336-37

al Hakim al Naysaburi, al Mustadrak, vol 2 p 229

parts of earlier revelations were not included in the scrip-

ture.

One verse in the Quran acknowledges the absence of a part

of revelation which was abrogated or "caused to be forgoeten, [5]

[5] Quran Chapter II Verse 106

another spoke of verses that God substituted for uthers.

[6] Early

[6] Quran Chapter XVI Verse 101

Muslims reportedly used to recall verses of the revelation they did

not find in the new scripture.

They were however, aware that

those passages were deliberately excluded by the Prophet, since

the Muslims frequently referred to them as what "abrogated"

(nusikha), "lifted" (rufi'a), "caused to be forgotten" (unsiya), or

"dropped't (usqita).

[7] The concept of abrogation of the revela-

[7] Abu Byad, al Naskih wa'l mansukh fi l Quran an al Karim,

ed.

John Burton (Cambridge 1987), p 6

Muhasibi, Fahm al Quran an wa manih ed.

H.

Quwwatli (in the

collection of al Aql wa fahm al Quran [n.

p.

, 1971] p 261-502)

p 399 (quoting Anas b.

Malik), 400 and 408 (quoting Amr b.

Dinar)

403 (quoting Abd al Rahman b.

Awf), 405 (quoting Abu Musa al

Ashari), 406

Tabari, Jami al Bayan, vol 3 p 472-74, 476, 479-80

Ibn Salama, al Nasikh wa l mansukh, p 21 (quoting Abd Allah b.

Masud)

Suyuti, al Durr al manthur, vol 5 p 179 (quoting Ubayy b.

Kab)

tion (naskh al Quran) apparently referred originally to those parts

that were not included by the Prophet in the scripture.

[8] Later,

[8] Abu Ubayd, al Naskih, p 6

Bayhaqi, Dalail al Nubuwwa, vol 7 p 154 (where it is argued that

the Prophet never put the Quran together since there was always the

expectation that some verses might be abrogated and some later

modification was thus in-evitable in any collection of the Quran

put together during his lifetime.

Underlying this argument is the

assumption that the abrogated verses had to be physically removed

from the scripture.

)

Zarkashi, vol 2 p 30 (the first interpretation of the concept of

naskh)

however, the concept was developed in the Sunnite tradition to

include several hypothetical categories, most of them with

examples preserved in the present text of the Quran.

With a

single possible exception,[9] however, it is highly doubtful that the

Qur'an includes any abrogated verse.

[9] Abu al Qasim al Khui, al Bayan, p 305-403

The Sunnite account of the collection of the Quran is comple-

tely different from the above.

It contends that the Quran was

not compiled in a single volume until after the Prophet died in the

year 11/632.

[10] The "recorders of the revelation" (kuttab al-

[10] Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al Tabaqat al Kabir, vol 3 p 211, 281

Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al Masahif, p 10

Ibn Babawayh, Kamal ad Din, p 31-32

Bayhaqi, Dalail, vol 7 p 147-8

Zarkashi, vol 1 p 262

Ibn al Hadid, Sharah of Nahj al Balagha.

vol 1 p 27

Ibn Juzayy, al Tashil li ulum al tanzil, vol 1 p 4

Suyuti, Itqan, vol 1 p 202

Ibrahim al Harbi, Gharib al hadith, vol 1 p 270

wahy) used to jot down the verses immediately after the Prophet

received and recited them.

Others among the faithful memorized

portions of the revelation or occasionally recorded them on whate-

ver primitive writing material was available.

According to the

supporters of this account, the fact that the Quran was not compi-

led as a book until the death of the Prophet is perfectly logi-

cal.

As long as he was alive there was always the expectation of

further revelation as well as occasional abrogations.

Any formal

collection of the material already revealed could not properly be

considered a complete text.

[11] Many people had memorized

[11] Bayhaqi, Dalail, vol 7 p 154

Zarkashi, vol 1 p 235, 262

Suyutim Itqan, vol 1 p 202

Ahmad al Naraqi, Manahij al ahkam, p 152

large parts of the revelation, which they repeated in their prayers

and recited to others.

As long as the Prophet was living among

the faithful as the sole authority there was no need for a formal

reference book of religion or a code of law.

All of these considera-

tions would change after his death and the new circumstances

would necessitate the collection of the Qur'an.

The story as

reported by the Sunnis sources is as follows

Two years etfter the Prophet died, the Muslims were engaged in a

bloody battle with a rival community at Yarnama in the deserts of

Arabia.

Many of the memorizers (qurra) of the Qur'an lost their

lives at this time.

[12] Fearing that a great portion of the Qur'an

[12] Yaqubi, Kitab al Tarikh, vol 2 p 15, most of the bearers of

the Quran were killed during the battle.

All together, some

360 persons among the distinguished companions of the Prophet

lost their lives on that occasion.

)

Tabari, Tarikh, vol 3 p 296

Larger figures upto 500 for Ibn al Jazari, al Nashr, p 7

Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al Quran, vol 7 p 439

Qurtubi, al Jami li Ahkam al Quran, vol 1 p 50

and a figure of 1200 for Abd al Qahir al Baghdadi, Usul al Din p 283

are also given.

The last figure is however the number of all Muslims