THE

RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

BY

THE REV. CANON SELL, D.D., M.R.A.S.

Fellow of the University of Madras

CHRISTIAN LITERATURE SOCIETY

LONDON, MADRAS AND COLOMBO

1909

PRINTED AT THE
S. P. C. K. PRESS, VEPERY, MADRAS
1909


www.muhammadanism.org
December 19, 2005
2

The following is the scheme of diacritical points now adopted by the C.L.S. for the
transliteration of Arabic and Persian words:—

th for ‫ﺙ‬ ṭ for ‫ﻁ‬

̣ḥ " ‫ﺡ‬ z̤ " ‫ﻅ‬
kh " ‫ﺥ‬ ، " ‫ﻉ‬
dh " ‫ﺫ‬ gh " ‫ﻍ‬
ṣ " ‫ﺹ‬ q " ‫ﻕ‬
ḍ " ‫ﺽ‬ , " ‫ء‬
 3

CORRIGENDA

Page 6 note 3 for
‫ر‬ read


7 2 " Safá " Ṣafá

12 line 19 " at " as

12 note 1 " Khaldún " Khaldún

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
6 The Doubt of 'Umar
8 The Recension of Uthman
11 Curious Letters
12 The Seven Dialects
15 Disapproval of Uthman's Recension
16 Shi'ah Objections
19 Sura of the Two Lights
24 Shi'ah Claim Untenable
 5

THE

RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

THE various portions which now form the Qur'an were recited by the Prophet during
a period of twenty-three years, but during his lifetime they were never collected
together or systematically arranged. Passages were written on palm leaves, leather,
and on such other materials as came to hand, by individual hearers, but these were all
disconnected and had no special authority. The great storehouse of the Qur'an was the
marvellous memory of the Arab people. It was recited again and again at each act of
worship, and it was held in such reverence that the committal of it to memory was an
act of the highest virtue.

We owe the Qur'an as we now have it to two recensions, made by the first and third
Khalifas, Abu Bakr and 'Uthman. At the battle of Yemana, probably within a year of
the death of the Prophet, when the usurper Musailama was overthrown, a great many
of the Qur'an reciters were slain, and 'Umar, afterwards the second Khalifa, began to
fear lest the true text should be lost. Mirkhond says: 'when Abu Bakr received the
news of the battle he thought that in course of time the words of the Lord Most High
might be blotted out from the minds of the people and so ordered the Qur'an to be
published.'1 There is a well authenticated tradition by Zaid ibn Thabit which records
'Umar's speech: 'I fear,' he said to Abu Bakr, 'that the battle may again wax hot
amongst the Qur'an reciters in other fields of battle, and that much may be lost
therefrom; now, therefore, my advice is that thou shouldst give speedy orders for the
collection of the Qur'an.' This advice approved itself to the Khalifa. He then
summoned to his presence Zaid, who had been an amanuensis of the Prophet and had
a great reputation for his knowledge of the Qur'an. He said to him: 'Thou art a young
man
1
Raudatu's-Safa. Part ii, vol. iii, p. 141.
6 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

and wise; against whom no one amongst us can cast an imputation; and thou wert
wont to write down the inspired revelations of the Prophet of the Lord, wherefore now
search out the Qur'an and bring it all together.1 Zaid collected it from the passages
written as we have described, from all who could remember any portion, and when
the whole was completed it was probably given to the Khalifa Abu Bakr. It then came
into the possession of the Khalifa 'Umar who gave it to his daughter Hafasa, one of
the widows of Muhammad. This edition was for ten years the only one in full use.

Zaid was assisted by Anas bin Malik and others and the work whilst in progress was
superintended by 'Umar, who it is said accepted nothing as part of the Qur'an which
had not been written down and which was not testified to by two persons. A case in
point is the stoning verse, 'The married man and the married woman when they
commit adultery then stone them without doubt.'2 'Umar, said he could not vouch for
this, but that he would have inserted it had he not feared that he might be charged with
having added something to the Qur'an. He himself knew the verse, but could not find
corroborative testimony.3 The punishment decreed in the Qur'an for adultery is one
hundred stripes,4 but as a matter of fact stoning is the Muhammadan legal punishment
for adultery and no other basis for it is known except this verse which 'Umar
withdrew. This seems to show that he had good authority for his statement. Anyhow
its omission shows the care taken with this recension.

In the arrangement of the Qur'an, Zaid seems to have had original passages before
him and to have put them together without much regard to the sense. Thus we have
1
Syuti, History of the Khalifas (Calcutta ed.), p. 78.
.‫ وا وا إذا ز

ر ه
ا‬2
3
See Nöldeke, Geschichte des Qorāns, p. 194. Margoliouth states that 'Ayesha said that this verse,
in which stoning was enjoined as a punishment for adultery, was on a slip (of parchment) deposited
under her bed and was afterwards lost.--Mohammed, p. 219. In commentating on Sura al-Ma'ida (v) 18,
in which the Jews are charged with concealing their Scriptures, Husain and Baidawi say that one of the
matters concealed was the ْ ‫'—  ا‬the verse of stoning'—which was in the Pentateuch. —Tafsir-i-
Husaini, vol. i, p. 140. Baidawi, vol. i, p. 251.
4
Sura an-Nur (xxiv) 1. This and the succeeding four verses are said to have abrogated the verse of
stoning which 'Umar hesitated to put permanently in the Qur'an.
 THE DOUBT OF 'UMAR 7

the name Suhuf, 'loose leaves'; and Suras, 'the rows,' the name now given to the
various chapters. A tradition recorded by ibn 'Aliya says: 'Zaid after much labour
compiled the Qur'an without any order of Suras.' Some orthodox Muslims hold that
the present form was ordained by God, and follows an arrangement made by the
Companions of the Prophet; in which case it is difficult to see the need of Abu Bakr's
recension.

It is said by the German critic, Weil, that Abu Bakr altered some passages. Thus Weil
adduces the tradition that 'Umar would not believe that the Prophet was dead and
vehemently expressed his doubts, until Abu Bakr recited some passages from the
Qur'an on the subject of the death of Muhammad. Weil considers that 'Umar and other
Muslims did not know of these passages and that Abu Bakr invented them. But
Nöldeke,1 Muir, and other competent critics think that this is a gratuitous assumption
without the least foundation in fact.

The circumstances are these: 'Umar, on seeing the placid countenance of the Prophet,
said: 'He is not dead, he hath only swooned away.' To one who tried to convince him
he replied, 'Thou liest, the Apostle of God is not dead . . . . the Prophet of the Lord
shall not die, until he has rooted out every hypocrite and unbeliever.'2 In words similar
to these he addressed the crowd which had now gathered together. Then Abu Bakr
said: 'Silence! 'Umar, sit thee down, be quiet. Hath not the Almighty revealed this
verse to the Prophet, saying, "Verily thou shalt die and they shall die."'3 And again,
after the battle of Uhud, the revelation came, 'Muhammad is no more than an Apostle:
other Apostles have already passed away before him. If he die, therefore, or be killed,
will ye turn4 upon your heels?5 Let him then know, whosoever worshippeth
Muhammad, that Muhammad is dead.' Then 'Umar was satisfied. There are also other
passages which speak of death, such as: 'Have we granted to man before thee a life
that

1
See Geschichte des Qorāns, p. 197.
2
Raudatu's-Safa. Part ii, vol. iii, p. 730.
3
‫ن‬
َ ُ#$ ُ%‫
ٌ َو ِإ‬#َ$ (َ ‫— ِإ‬Sura Az-Zumar (xxxix) 31[30].
4
i.e. return to idolatry. A report had been spread in the battle of Uhud that Muhammad was slain.
.ُْ9ِ:
َ+ْ;‫َ *َُْْ ;َ*َ< َأ‬+‫ ا‬,
َ ُِ- ْ‫ت َأو‬
َ
$ ‫ِن‬0َ‫ َأ‬,
ُ ُ12 ‫ِ ا‬3ِ*َْ- 4ِ$ ْ
َ*َ5 ْ6َ- ٌ‫ُ ل‬1‫ َر‬8
 ‫ ِإ‬6َ)ُ$
َ$‫ َو‬5
Sura Ali 'Imran (iii) 138[144].
8 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

shall last for ever; if thou then die, shall they live for ever? Every soul shall taste of
death.'1 'Every soul shall taste of death: then to us shall ye return.'2 Abu Bakr must,
therefore, be pronounced innocent of the fraud charged upon him, for it is
unreasonable to suppose that he interpolated them all.

Weil also considers that verse fourteen of Sura al-Ahqaf (xlvi) is an interpolation: 'We
have commanded man to show kindness to his parents, his mother beareth him and
bringeth him forth with pain, and his bearing and his weaning is thirty months; until
when he attaineth strength and the age of forty years, he saith, "0 Lord give me
inspiration, that I may be grateful for Thy favour wherewith thou hast favoured me
and my parents."' According to the commentator Husain, Abu Bakr embraced Islam in
his thirty-eighth year. His parents were also converted, and in his fortieth year he said:
'0 Lord give me inspiration that I may be grateful.' Thus this verse has been supposed
to refer to him, but this by no means proves that he interpolated it, for had he wished
to introduce a verse about himself he surely would have invented one far less obscure.
This charge then may be dismissed as having no basis in fact.

Although the recension thus made under the direction of Abu Bakr was of the nature
of a private undertaking, and too much importance ought not to be attached to it, yet it
was of great value as forming the basis for the authoritative recension of the Khalifa
'Uthman. Some authorities consider it uncertain whether Zaid completed his work
before the death of Abu Bakr or not, and the fact that the work when finished was
handed over to Hafasa, the daughter of 'Umar, would imply that Abu Bakr was now
dead. In any case the private nature of the undertaking is evident.

With the great mass of the people there was no critical study of the Qur'an, for they
were far too busy with the

.‫ت‬
ِ ْ َْ‫َُ ا‬+ِ=‫? ذَا‬
ٍ ْ@َ ,
2 ُ‫ن آ‬
َ ‫ُو‬6ِ
َْ‫ُ ُ ا‬%َ

 #$ ‫ِن‬0 َ‫ َأ‬6َ ْ*ُْ‫( ا‬
َ ِ*َْ- 4#$ ٍ ََِ
َBْ*َCَ
َ$َ1
Sura al-Anbiya' (xxi) 35-6[34-5].
The phrase 4ِ$ ( َ ِ*َْ- —'before thee'—is ambiguous and it might seem to imply that Muhammad was
different to those gone before and would not die, but the Commentators do not so interpret it and
deduce from the whole passage the universality of death.
2
‫ن‬
َ ُCَُْE
َBَْ‫ُ  ِإ‬F ‫ت‬
ِ ْ َ‫َُ اْـ‬+ِ=‫? ذَا‬
ٍ ْ@َ ,2 ُ‫— آ‬Sura al-'Ankabut (xxix) 51[57].
 THE RECENSION OF 'UTHMAN 9

ceaseless fighting that went on, and in the accumulation of booty. The result was that
they went on reciting the Qur'an as they had been accustomed to do and paid little
attention to Zaid's arrangement, and many knew very little about it. After the battle of
Qadisiya (A.D. 636), 'Umar ordered the leader of the victorious army to divide the
booty amongst the warriors who were best acquainted with the Qur'an. One was
called up and he replied that he had been so engaged in fighting that he did not know
anything by heart. Another said that he only knew the 'Bismillah'— 'In the name of
God most merciful and compassionate.' As time went on, even amongst professed
scholars, discrepancies arose, and those who, in their several districts, were looked
upon as authorities maintained the superiority of the readings they favoured and
quarrels commenced on the subject. The inhabitants of Hims stood by the readings of
al-Miqdad bin al-Aswad; the Kufites by those of ibn Mas'ud;1 the Basrites by those of
Abu Musa, and so on.2 The consequences threatened to be very serious, for men
wondered how there could be different texts, as the Qur'an sent down by God was
one, and so the Khalifa 'Uthman determined to bring out a new and authoritative
recension. He appointed Zaid, who was a native of Madina, and some learned men
amongst the Quraish3 to do the work. They took Abu Bakr's compilation as the basis
of the new book, and collected all the copies they could get. When they had finished
the work, 'Uthman destroyed all the books of the old edition he could get, except the
copy which belonged to Hafasa. This, however, was destroyed soon after by Manoan,
the Governor of Madina. The edition now authorized was sent forth into all the
provinces as the only recognized book.

In the case of any difference of opinion Zaid had to give way, and the final decision
lay with the Quraish members of the revision committee, or with the Khalifa himself.
Thus
1
One of the Prophet's sayings is thus recorded: 'Whosoever wishes to recite the Qur'an correctly
and with elegance let him follow the reading of ibn Mas'ud.' Ibn Mas'ud refused at first to give up his
copy to the revision committee. The Khalifa ordered him to be beaten, from the effects of which he
died.— Journal Asiatique , Décembre 1843, p. 385.
Mirza Alexander Kazem Beg, Observations sur le Chapitre inconnu du Coran, publié et traduit
par M. Garcin de Tassy, Journal Asiatique, quatrième série, tome II, Imprimerie Royale, Paris; 1843,
pp. 377- 446, [Remarks on the Unknown Chapter of the Qu'ran, published and translated by Mr.
Garcin de Tassy]
Shi'ite literature confirms that 'Uthman had Ibn Mas'ud beaten causing his ribs to be broken. The
Unknown Chapter of the Qur'an refers to the Sura an-Nurain, or 'Two Lights.' See page 19.

2
Nöldeke gives an excellent account of the way in which these differences arose.—Geschichte des
Qorāns, pp. 280-5.
3
This was the Meccan tribe or family to which the Prophet belonged.
10 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

the Qur'an was preserved in the Meccan dialect. An example of the Khalifa's
interference is given in the tradition which records that 'Ali wished to write ‫ ة‬:
E with
‫ ة‬the others with ‫ ت‬as ‫ ت‬:
E and 'Uthman decided in favour of the latter, as being
according to the Quraish dialect. This is rather an unfortunate illustration, as ‫ ت‬:
E is
not an Arabic word, but was borrowed by Muhammad from the Rabbinical Hebrew.1
All the various traditions on such points are intended to show that the recension is
according to the Meccan dialect, the language of Gabriel and of Muhammad. It is said
by some that the Khalifa had a political motive in his action in this matter, and that he
hoped that the settling of doubt as to the Qur'anic text and the production of an
authorized edition, would raise him in the estimation of the true believers and so
strengthen his party against their adversaries, who were numerous and powerful. This
may be so, but he had the support and sanction of the Companions of the Prophet, for
without their assent and co-operation it could not have been done. It is evident that the
Khalifa collected all the revelations he could procure, and exercised care and caution.
Ibn Zubair says: 'I read to 'Uthman the verse, "Such of you as shall die and leave
wives shall bequeath their wives a year's maintenance without causing them to quit
their homes"2; but the phrase "quit their homes" is abrogated by other verses,3 so why
have you written it?' Then 'Uthman said, 'O my nephew, leave it, I will not change
anything from its place.'

The present form of the Qur'an was established by Zaid and his coadjutors. They
retained the Bismillah, except at the heading of Sura at-Tauba (ix). The reason they
gave for this was that they were in considerable doubt as to whether Suras viii and ix
should not come together. At last they finally agreed to separate them, but omitted the
Bismillah, as that is a very definite sign of separation. Its absence shows that there
was some doubt about the division into two Suras. The arrangement of the Suras is
quite arbitrary and depends on no principle at all. Many Suras are very composite.
Probably the people could not tell Zaid

1
See Geiger's Judaism and Islam (S.P.C.K., Madras), p. 31, and Nöldeke's Geschichte des Qorāns,
p. 211.
2
Sura al-Baqara (ii) 240.
3
e.g., v. 234, which limits the obligation to four months and ten days.
 CURIOUS LETTERS 11

when various parts which they brought to his notice were revealed, and so the
portions got mixed up together without any regard to dates or place. Thus when
Muhammad bin Sirin asked 'Akrama whether the Qur'an was to be in chronological
order, he said: 'Collect it just as it came down, first portion first, second second, and
so on; if men and genii tried they could not do it in this order.'

In fact, the age and the men were uncritical, and the only apparent rule followed was
to arrange the portions of a Sura in the best way possible and then to put the longer
Suras first in order and the shorter ones last, without any reference to chronological
sequence.

Some of the Suras have single letters prefixed to them, the meanings of which it is
impossible to determine. These are the letters A.L.M.; A.L.M.R.; A.L.R.; Ta. Ha.;
Kaf, Ha Ya, 'Ain, Sad.1 This latter set occurs in the beginning of Sura Maryam (xix)
which contains the histories of John the Baptist and of Christ, and which was recited
to the King of Abyssinia in the presence of the ambassadors whom Muhammad sent
to him. This had led Dr. Sprenger to suppose that these mystic words stand for a
Christian symbol, just as the letters I.N.R.I. stand for Jesus Nazarenus Rex Judæorum.
So he would make out of these letters the following sentence:

‫ﻋﻴﺴﻰ ﺍﻝﹼﻨﺼﺎﺭﻯ ﻤﻠﻙ ﺍﻝﻴﻬﻭﺩﻴﻴﻥ‬

In Arabic, it is not necessary to use the first letter of a word for an abbreviation.2 The
most prominent letter in a word can be taken, so Dr. Sprenger takes ‫ ص ع‬J and ‫ي‬
and supposes the words were written thus and were read, as legends on coins are,
read, from below, thus:—

‫< = ع‬L; and ‫

رى = ص‬NّB‫ ا‬that is, Jesus the Nazarene.

J = P*$ and ‫ دي = ي‬% that is, King of the Jews.3

This is very curious but not at all probable. Ibn Khaldun says: 'God has placed these
letters in several Suras to show the impossibility of imitating the style of the Qur'an.
He also says

.RC%‫ آ‬3S    1

2
Thus 5 is represented by ‫ خ‬in ‫ ا‬, which is equivalent to κ τ λ.
3
Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. 20, p. 280.
12 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

that Zamakhshari considered that these letters indicated that the style of the Qur'an
was perfect and that imitation was defied.1 This is in accordance with the idea that just
as men know these letters but can make nothing out of them, so no one can compose
anything equal to the Qur'an. Several explanations are given by Sale in the
preliminary discourse to his translation of the Qur'an. Nöldeke considers them to have
been private marks of the owners put on the copies lent to Zaid, which have
inadvertently crept into the text.

Muslims believe that the Qur'an is incorruptible—'a book whose verses are
established in wisdom, and then set forth with clearness'2; but the fact that Uthman
and his company of revisers had to consider a variety of readings, to weigh their
authority, and if necessary to discard them in favour of the Meccan readings, caused
no small scandal. But a way was found out of the difficulty. Abu ibn Ka'b, one of the
Companions, became so famous as a reciter of the Qur'an that the Prophet himself
said: 'Read the Qur'an under ibn Ka'b.' Ibn Ka'b one day stated that, scandalized at
man after man who entered the Mosque repeated the Qur'an in different ways, he
spoke to Muhammad about it. The Prophet said: 'O Abu ibn Ka'b! intelligence was
sent to me to read the Qur'an in one dialect, and I was attentive to the Court of God,
and said: "Make easy the reading of the Qur'an to my sects." Then instructions were
sent to me a second time saying,

"Read the Qur'an in two dialects." Then I turned myself to the Court of God, saying,
"Make easy the reading of the Qur'an to my sects." Then a voice was sent to me the
third time, saying, "Read the Qur'an in seven dialects."' There is also a tradition that
'Umar said: 'During the lifetime of the Prophet I heard a man read a chapter of the
Qur'an. I heard the readings which he followed, and, as they were different from those
which I knew and which I had heard from the mouth of the Prophet, I feared the
namaz would be spoilt. At the close of the prayers I was angry with him and struck
him a blow, and demanded to know where he had heard these readings. He declared
that he had heard them from Muhammad. We then went to the Prophet to settle the
dispute.

1
Ibn Khaldun (de Slane's translation), vol. iii, pp. 68-9.
2
ْ
َ*#Nُ  ُF ُ3ُE
َ ْ
َِ9ْX‫ — آَِ
بٌ ُأ‬Sura Hud (xi.) 1.
 THE SEVEN DIALECTS 13

He said they were correct and added, "In truth, the Qur'an is revealed in seven
dialects, read it in as many ways as you can."'1 This removed all difficulty, and the
foresight displayed by the Prophet in thus obtaining a divine sanction for the various
ways of reading the Qur'an was looked upon as a proof of his inspiration. Thus arose
the 'qira'atu's-sab'a,' or 'seven readings' of the Qur'an now recognized. These are called
after seven men famous as Qur'an readers, and as 'Uthman's Qur'an had no vowel
points, great opportunities for differences in pronunciation arose. In course of time
public opinion fixed on two of the styles as most appropriate, and now these are in
actual use. The reading-style of Hafs, a disciple of Imam 'Asim, is followed in India,
and that of Nafi in Africa and Arabia.2

The fact that 'Uthman, when his own recension was complete, burnt all the copies of
the older edition he could find was made the basis of a charge of the alteration of the
original text.3 He defended himself thus: 'They say that I burnt the Qur'an. I did it
because it was in small portions in the hands of men and every one said, "I have the
best one." I collected them all, placed a long Sura first, a medium length one

1
Journal Asiatique , Décembre 1843, p. 378. This tradition concerning the 'seven readings' is
referred to in well-known books thus:
‫ف‬
ٍ ُ ْX‫َِ َأ‬Cَْ1 <*َ; ‫ُْن‬+ْ‫'— ُأْ[ِل ا‬The Qur'an was revealed in seven readings' (words).—Mishkatu'l-
Masabih.
‫ت‬
ٍ
َ\ُ َِCَْ1 <*َ; ‫ُْن‬+ْ‫'— ُأْ[ِل ا‬The Qur'an was revealed in seven dialects.'—Majma'u'l-Ghara'ib.
‫ف‬
ٍ
] ‫ف‬ ٍ
‫
آ‬%ّ*ُ‫ف آ‬ ٍ ُ ْX‫َِ َأ‬Cَْ1 <*َ; ‫ُْن‬+ْ‫'— ْ[ِل ا‬The Qur'an descended with seven readings, all perfect and
sacred,—Majma'u'l-Bihar.
It is said that the seven dialects were those of the Quraish, Hawadhin, Tai, Hazil, Himyar, Shaqif, and
Yaman.
.‫ ا‬4‫` وا‬+F‫ و‬X‫ و‬,a‫ وه‬bS‫ وه ازن و‬c+‫ب آ‬C‫ـ_ \
ت ا‬1 ‫
ل‬- 3^9
Others say that the 'seven readings' represent seven different copies, of which two were in use in
Madina, one in Mecca, one in Kufa, one in Basra, one in Syria, and one called the 'common edition'
which is the one now in use. Mirza Kazim Beg points out that this last explanation is untenable, as the
seven different copies did not come into existence until after the death of the Prophet.
2
A fuller account of these Qaris, or Qur'an Readers, and the 'various readings' which they have
introduced will be found in Sell's Faith of Islam (3rd ed.), pp. 63-5, 398-405.
3
The Shi'ahs considered this burning of the Qur'an to be a great crime. —Haqqu'l-Yaqin, quoted in
Journal Asiatique , Décembre, 1843 p. 384.
14 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

the middle, and a short one at the end, arranged all well and handed them over to men;
but the Qur'ans which they had I collected and burnt.'1 The probability is that 'Uthman
made the best recension then possible, but there are traditions regarding other forms
of the book, for they did not all become extinct at once. Of these the most important
are those of Ubai ibn Ka'b and of Ibn Mas'ud. Ubai is said to have brought together
Suras (cv) and (cvi), contrary to the sense. He varies the order of the Suras and is said
to have added two new ones, called Sura al-Khala' and Sura al-Hafd, or, as it is also
called, Sura al-Qanut. These are:

'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

'O God we pray Thee for help and forgiveness. we praise Thee and are not unthankful
towards Thee, and we let go and forsake every one who trespasses against Thee.'

'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

'O God we serve Thee, and to Thee do we pray, and Thee do we worship; we hasten
to Thee; we strive after Thee; we hope for Thy pity, and we fear Thy punishment.
Truly, Thy punishment overcomes the unbelievers.'

These may have been simple prayers, written on the margin of a Qur'an, but it is not
clear whether this is the case or not. The oldest book in which Nöldeke found them is
one written in the fifth century of the Hijra. They are taken from the codex of Ubai.
Nöldeke considers them to be authentic.2 The second Sura of these two, it is said,
should be placed in the Qur'an after the words of Sura Yunus (x) 10, 'Glory be to
Thee, O God, and their salutation therein "Peace."' There are expressions in these
Suras not found in the authorized Qur'an, e.g., <BF‫ أ‬and 6@X. Then @‫ آ‬is not
constructed with the accusative, but with ‫ ب‬Again d in the sense of trespass does
not take the accusative.

The objection is taken to these Suras that in them man addresses God and not God
man; but Sura al-Fatiha (i) is similar in style, and in any case the word ْ,- 'say,' may
be understood, so this objection has no weight. According to

1
See Raudatu's-Safa, Part ii, vol. iii, p. 166.
2
Sketches from Eastern History, p. 53.
 DISAPPROVAL OF 'UTHMAN'S RECENSION 15

the Traditions these prayers seem to have been known in early times.

Ibn Mas'ud's copy omitted Sura al-Fatiha (i) Sura al-Falaq (cxiii) and Sura an-Nas
(cxiv). 'Ali's copy of the Qur'an is said to have been arranged chronologically, Sura al-
'Alaq (xcvi) being put first; but as the copy is not extant, it is impossible to say
whether this account is correct or not. The copy possessed by 'Ayesha is said to have
been arranged in a different order from the one made by Zaid. Other copies joined
together Suras xciii. and xciv. but they have all disappeared.

The most serious opponent of 'Uthman's text was ibn Mas'ud, a companion of the
Prophet and a great theologian. Ibn Mas'ud refused to give up his copy of the Qur'an
to the President of the Revision Committee and thus incurred the anger of the Khalifa,
by whom he was publicly chastised. He died a few days after from the effects of the
beating he had received.[1] This unnecessary and cruel act on the part of the Khalifa
was disapproved of by his contemporaries, and has ever since been looked upon by
the Shi'ahs as an atrocious crime. But notwithstanding the number of enemies
'Uthman had, his Qur'an held its ground, and as any valid cause of opposition would
have found eager partisans, we must assume from the general acceptance given to it,
that it was looked upon as genuine. By far the most serious objection to it is that made
by the Shi'ahs, though there is no good historical evidence that 'Ali or his followers in
the earliest period ever rejected 'Uthman's book. The charges made against him are of
much later date, and though their historical value may not be great, they cannot be
entirely overlooked. No doubt some copies of the Qur'an were preserved by their
owners in spite of the Khalifa's orders that all should be destroyed. A Shi'ah tradition
records that the Prophet said, 'O 'Ali! Truly the Qur'an delivered to you is written in
fragments on pieces of silk and of skin; collect them, but do not act as the Jews did
with the Book of the Law.' 'Ali said that he received this copy covered up in a yellow
cloth, and read it to the Prophet in his house.

This was why, according to Shi'ah tradition, 'Ali said the Qur'an ought to be kept in
his family. When 'Umar asked him to lend his copy in order that other copies might be
compared with it, he refused, saying that the Qur'an he possessed was the most
accurate and perfect, and could not be

[1 See page 9 where the author references Journal Asiatique , Décembre 1843, p. 385.]
16 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

submitted to any changes and alterations which might be found necessary in the other
copies. He said that he intended to hand down his copy to his descendants to be kept
until the advent of the Imam Mahdi.1 Assuming that this tradition is correct, the
question naturally arises as to how it was that 'Ali did not get his own copy
recognized as the one and only authorized book. The reply is that, in the troublous
times in which he lived, he had neither the leisure nor the opportunity to convince the
Muslims who supported his rivals that they had been unjustly dealt with, nor could he
circulate his own copy of the Qur'an without calling in all of 'Uthman's copies and this
was an act he dared not venture on. It would have simply increased the already
existing dissensions and have hastened his downfall, so he left the matter alone. After
the assassination of 'Ali, his sons Hasan and Husain were subjugated by Mu'awiya,
and outwardly, at least, acknowledged the authorized Qur'an as the true one, and said
that the Faithful should use it as it was, without any regard to other passages or
fragments regarded by some of their followers as intrinsic portions of the true text. In
secret, however, they assured their partisans that the complete Qur'an would remain
concealed until the appearance of al-Mahdi, the last Imam, at the close of the present
dispensation.

According to Shaikh Abu Ja'faru'l-Qumi their case stood thus:2 'We believe that the
Qur'an given to the Prophet is contained within its covers, and is now found in use.
The number of Suras is generally acknowledged to be one hundred

1
Journal Asiatique , Décembre, 1843, p. 387. In the Randatu's-Safa a long letter from 'Ali to
Mu'awiya is quoted in which 'Ali says: 'the Prophet honoured me by revealing several verses
concerning me, thus elevating the banners of favour over my head.'—Part ii, vol. iii, p. 336.
)‫ّ)` وا‬N‫ ا‬i i]‫*` ا‬5 ‫ن‬+‫ن ا‬
ّ ‫ إ‬i*;
 ‫م‬hّL‫ ا‬3*; <*C 3‫ و‬3*; e‫*< ا‬f e‫ ل ا‬1‫
ل ر‬-
5 F @f‫ ب أ‬F i 3Cd <*; m*n
 ‫ د اّ راة‬%‫
ا‬Cّk
‫ آ‬j CّlE 8‫ و‬j C‫ وا‬j‫و‬a ?S‫ا‬+‫وا‬
.3C‫< أ‬X ‫ي‬6E‫ أر‬8 ‫
ل‬-‫ و‬3: i 3*;

4ّْ6‫ ا‬4:
$ ‫ ه‬3ّ‫ أ‬3‫ و‬3*; 3ّ*‫*ّ< ا‬f 6ٍ َ)ُ$ 3َّ <*; <
CE ُ3*‫ ا‬3[‫ِي أ‬a‫ُْن ا‬+‫ ا‬o*$ i
‫
د‬+;‫ ا‬2
ْ‫)َ< وَأَْ َْ َح‬2l‫
وَا‬6B;‫ رة و‬1 ‫ ;ة‬C:‫ وأر‬r$ ّ$
C‫ ا‬6B; j‫ُ ر‬1 o*$‫ ذ( و‬4$ p‫^آ‬: ? ‫ّ
س‬B‫ي ا‬6‫ أ‬i
‫ن‬
َ ُْ+‫ن ا‬  ‫
أ‬B‫ إ‬vL 4$‫ة و‬6X‫ ر ًة وا‬1 َ:ْ ‫ْ@َ
ل وا‬w
َ ‫ة وا‬6X‫ رة وا‬1 c ٍ َْ ُ- ‫ف‬
ِ hu‫` و‬ َ َْ‫َ َ آ‬E َْ‫ ًة َوَأ‬6X‫ ر ًة وا‬1
.ٌ‫ آ
ذب‬% (‫ ذ‬ ُ x
Journal Asiatique , Décembre, 1843, p. 389.
 SHI'AH OBJECTIONS 17

and fourteen, but according to our view Suras xciii and xciv form one; Suras cv and
cvi also form one; Suras viii and ix1 form one, and he who attributes to us a Qur'an
different from this is a liar.'

As already explained, the Shi'ahs defend the assent given to 'Uthman's recension by
the assertion of their belief that the hidden parts will be made known to the whole
Muslim world by Imam Mahdi. Still some of the more fanatic Mullas2 of the Shi'ah
sect, hold that certain passages are even now authoritative, and charge 'Umar and
'Uthman with having suppressed or altered them. They describe the defects in the
present Qur'an as due to:

(i) Omission of certain words and phrases.3

Thus, in Sura an-Nisa' (iv) 164, we read: 'God is Himself witness of what He hath sent
down to thee concerning 'Ali;' in Sura al-Ma'ida (v) 71, 'O Apostle! proclaim all that
hath been sent down to thee from the Lord concerning 'Ali;' in Sura an-Nisa' (iv) 136,
'Of a truth those who believed and then became unbelievers, then believed and again
became unbelievers, and then increased their unbelief with regard to the family of
Muhammad and their rights, it is not God who will pardon them'; and in Sura ash-
Shu'ara (xxvi) 228, 'But they who treat them, the family of Muhammad and their
rights, unjustly shall know what a lot awaiteth them.'

(ii) Alteration of verses or passages.

1
As the Bismillah is omitted before Sura at-Tauba (ix) some Sunnis also looked upon it as part of
the previous Sura.
2
The names are 'Ali bin Ibrahimu'l-Qumi; Muhammad bin Ya'qubu'l-Kulaini; Shaikh Ahmad bin
'Ali Talibu't-Tabrasi and Shaikh Abu 'Ali at-Tabrasi. — Journal Asiatique , Décembre, 1843, p. 405.
3
The parts said to have been omitted are printed in the Arabic given below, enclosed in brackets;
in the English text they appear in italics.
(i
ّ *; i ) (
َ َْ‫ِ
أَ[َل ِإ‬: ٌ6َ%َْ ُ3*‫ ا‬4ِ9
Sura an-Nisa' (iv) 164[166].
(i
ّ *; i ) (
َ #:‫ ر‬4ِ$ (
َ َْ‫ل ِإ‬
َ [ِ ُ‫َ
أ‬$ ْo#*َ: ‫ل‬
ُ ُ1 ‫َ
ا‬%2‫َ
َأ‬
Sura al-Ma'ida (v) 71[67].
ُْ%َ َ ِ@ْ\َِ ُ3ّ*‫ ا‬4
ِ ُ9َ ْ (%ّ+X 6َ)ُ$ ‫ُ  ازْدَادُواْ آُ@ًْا )ل‬F ْ‫ُ  آَ@َُوا‬F ْ‫ُ ا‬Bَ$  ُF ْ‫ُ  آَ@َُوا‬F ْ‫ُ ا‬Bَ$ 4
َ ِa‫ن ا‬
 ‫ِإ‬
Sura an-Nisa' (iv) 136[137].
‫ن‬
َ ُِ*َ+Bَ v
ٍ َ*َ+Bُ$ ‫ي‬
 ‫( َأ‬%ّ+X 6َ)ُ$ ‫ {َ*َُ ا )ل‬4
َ ِa‫ْ*َ ُ ا‬Cََ1‫َو‬
Sura ash-Shu'ara (xxvi) 228[227].
18 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

In Sura Ali 'Imran (iii) 106, 'Ye are the best nation that hath been raised up unto
mankind: ye enjoin the just and forbid the evil.' For 'nations' read 'Imams,' that is, for
$‫ ُأ‬read ّ=‫ أ‬The Shi'ahs support their reading by saying that the description given of
the enjoining and the forbidding applies more correctly to the Imams as rulers than to
a nation in its corporate capacity.

In Sura al-Furqan (xxv) 74, 'O our Lord! give us in our wives and offspring the joy of
our eyes and make us examples to those that fear Thee.' For 'make us examples to
those that fear Thee'—
ً $
َ$‫ ِإ‬4 َ ِ+ُْ*ِ
َBْ*َCْ‫ وَا‬read 'make for us Imams, from those that
fear Thee,'—
ً $
َ$‫ ِإ‬4
َ ِ+ُ‫ْ ا‬4ِ$
َBَ ْ,C‫ ا‬that is, from 'Ali and his descendants.

In Sura ar-Ra'd (xiii) 12, 'Each one has angels before him and behind, who watch over
him by God's order.' The Shi'ahs read 'Each one has angels behind him and guardians
(v-‫ )ر‬who watch over him by God's order.'

In Sura al-Hud (xi) 20, '(With such can they be compared) who rest upon clear proofs
from their Lord; to whom a witness from him reciteth (the Qur'an) preceded by the
Book of Moses, a guide and mercy.'1 The other reading is, 'To whom a witness from
him a guide and mercy, reciteth (the Qur'an), preceded by the Book of Moses.'2 This
witness, according to this reading, is the 'guide and mercy,' and is 'Ali who comes
from him, that is, Muhammad. Thus it is not, as in the received text, the Book of
Moses which is the 'guide and mercy.' One day after 'Ali had finished his sermon a
member of the congregation said to him, 'which verse of the Qur'an refers to thee?'
'Ali replied, 'Hast thou not read the verse "who rest upon clear proofs from their Lord:
to whom a witness, a guide and mercy, reciteth the Qur'an preceded by the Book of
Moses."' This tradition is accepted by Imam Fakhru'd-Din Razi.3 The whole verse is a
difficult one. It is a very good example of a mujmal verse, as it contains words, to
which different meanings may be given.4 Some say that the 'who' is Muhammad or
Jewish

.ًَْX‫ ً
َو َر‬$
َ$‫َ< ِإ‬1 ُ$ ‫ب‬
ُ
َِ‫ِ آ‬3ِ*َْ- 4ِ$‫ُ َو‬3ْB#$ ٌ6ِ‫ ]َ
ه‬jُ ُ*َْ‫ِ َو‬3#:‫ ر‬4#$ ٍَB#َ: <َ*َ; ‫ن‬
َ
َ‫ آ‬4ََ‫ َأ‬1
.<1 ُ$ ‫ب‬ ُ
َِ‫ِ آ‬3ِ*َْ- ْ4ِ$‫ًَْ و‬X‫ ً
و َر‬$
$ِ‫ُ إ‬3ْB#$ 6ِ ‫ ]َ
ه‬jُ ُ*َْ‫ َو‬2
3
Journal Asiatique , Décembre, 1842, p. 412.
4
Faith of Islam (3rd ed.), p. 74.
4
Faith of Islam (3rd ed.), p. 74.
 THE SURA OF THE TWO LIGHTS 19

converts to Islam, or Muslims in general: that the 'clear proof' is the Qur'an or
Muhammad, or the true religion; that the 'witness' is Muhammad or 'Ali or Abu Bakr,
or the Qur'an or Gabriel, who came from Him (God) and recited the Qur'an to
Muhammad. In this case 'Him' means God and not Muhammad.1

In Sura al-Muminun (xxiii) 39, 'There is no life beyond our present life; we die and
we live and we shall not be quickened again.' The Shi'ahs say that the order must be
inverted—'we live and we die.' 2

(iii) Verses defective in respect of their order.

Sura al-Baqara (ii) 58: 'He (Moses) said, "What, will ye exchange that which is worse
for what is better? Get ye down into Egypt, for ye shall have what ye asked."' It is said
that in the correct and true Qur'an these words were immediately followed by others,
now found in Sura al-Ma'ida (v) 23: 'They said, "O Moses! Therein are men of might
and verily we can by no means enter in until they be gone forth."'

In Sura al-Furqan (xxv) 6 the opponents of Muhammad say of the Qur'an, 'Tales of
the Ancients hath he put in writing and they were dictated to him morning and
evening.' It is said that in the original Qur'an these words were followed by a passage
now found in Sura al-'Ankabut (xxix) 47, in which God says to Muhammad, 'Thou
didst not recite any book (of revelation) before it; with that right hand of thine thou
didst not transcribe one.'

But the most serious charge of all is that of the omission of a whole Sura, called the
Sura an-Nurain, or 'Two Lights,' by which Muhammad and 'Ali are meant. It is as
follows:

'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

'O ye who believe, believe in the two lights we have sent down, who have recited our
signs and warned you of the punishments of the Last Day. These two lights (proceed)
the one from the other.3 Truly, I am the Hearer, the Knower.

1
Khulasatu't-Tafasir, vol. ii, p. 383; Baidawi, vol. i, p. 431; Tafsir-i Husaini, vol. i, p. 298.
2
i.e., for
َْ)َ‫و‬
َ ‫ت‬
ُ َُ read ‫ت‬
ُ َُ‫َ)ْ
و‬.
3
A reference to the Shi'ah interpretation of Sura Hud (xi) 20, according to which 'Ali proceeds
from Muhammad.
20 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

'For those who obey the orders of God and of His Prophet, for them, according to
these verses, there is a Paradise of Delights; but those who disbelieve after they have
believed, and who break their promise and that which the Prophet had stipulated for
them, shall be cast into Hell.

'They who have injured their own souls and have been disobedient to the executor of
the Prophet1 (i.e., 'Ali), they shall drink of the scalding water.

'Truly, God is He who gives light to the heavens and to the earth, and who chooses the
angels, the prophets, and who makes believers; they are His creation, He creates what
He wills: there is no God but He, the merciful and gracious.

'Truly, those who were before them have deceived their prophets. I have punished
them for their deceit, and my punishment is severe and strong.

'Truly, God has destroyed 'Ad and Samud 2 on account of what they did and has made
them as a memorial to you, but ye did not believe. And He did the same with regard to
Pharaoh for his opposition to Moses and his brother Aaron. He drowned him and all
who followed him as a sign to you, yet most of you are perverse. Truly, God will
gather them together in the day of resurrection, and they will not be able to answer
when questioned: for them is the Hell, for God is knowing and wise.

'O Prophet! publish my warnings, perhaps they will follow them. In truth, they who
turned from my signs and my orders have perished. As to those who keep thy
covenant, I reward them with the Paradise of Delights. Truly, God is the pardoner and
the great rewarder.

1
Ali is called e
ِ ‫لا‬
ِ 1‫ ر‬i
ّ f‫— و‬executor of the Prophet of God.
2
The tribe of 'Ad dwelt to the north of Mecca and that of Samud near by. The prophet Hud was
rejected by the 'Adites and the prophet Salih by the Samudites. These men were probably Jewish
teachers or Christian evangelists. The destruction of the tribes is referred to in Sura al-'Araf (vii) 71-77,
and the Sura al-Fajr (lxxxix) 5-13. Muhammad attributed the disappearance of these tribes to
supernatural causes, but a very simple explanation of the fact can be given. The Roman merchants, by
opening up direct communication between the Indian Ocean and Suez, destroyed to a great extent the
caravan trade of Arabia. Syria and Northern Arabia also became the arena of conflict between Persia
and Byzantium. The whole country fell into disorder, cities were ruined and the people in large
numbers returned to a wandering life and some tribes disappeared altogether. Muhammad made skilful
use of a perfectly natural event to show how divine vengeance followed a people who rejected a
prophet, and thus gave a warning to people who might be tempted to reject him.
 THE SURA OF THE TWO LIGHTS 21

'Truly, 'Ali is one of the pious men, and we will restore his rights to him at the Day of
Judgment. We are not ignorant of the injustice done to Him. We have exalted him
above all thy family, and he and his posterity are patient and his enemies are the chief
of sinners.

'Say to those who have disbelieved after they had believed, "You have sought the
glory of worldly life and have hastened to gain it, and have forgotten what God and
His prophet promised you, and you broke the promises after a strict order about
them." We have given you examples, perhaps, you may be guided.

'O Prophet! We have sent the manifest signs; in them are shown who will believe on
him ('Ali) and who after thee will turn away from him ('Ali).

'Turn from them; certainly they turn aside and certainly We will summon them on the
Day (of Judgment), when nothing shall avail them and no one shall pity them. Truly,
there is a place for them in Hell and they shall not return. Praise the name of thy Lord
and be of those who worship Him.

'Truly, we sent Moses and Aaron with what was needed and they rebelled against
Aaron. Patience is good, so we changed them to monkeys and pigs,1 and have cursed
them till the day of resurrection. Be patient, they will be punished. We have sent. thee
an order, as we did to preceding prophets. We have appointed to thee a successor2
from among them: perhaps they will return. He who turns from my order, from him I
will turn, they get but little benefit from their unbelief. Do not ask about those who
break the law.

'O Prophet! We have made for thee a compact on the neck3 of those who believe;
possess it and be of the number of those who are thankful.

'Truly, 'Ali is constant in prayer at night making the prescribed prostrations (sajidan),
and he fears the Last Day and hopes for mercy from his God.

1
Sura al-Baqara (ii) 62; Sura al-Ma'ida (v) 65; Sura al-'Araf (vii) 166. In the first and third of these
references, the punishment is awarded on account of Sabbath breaking, in the second for the rejection
of the scriptures. It is not in any way connected with Moses and Aaron. The orthodox leaders,
therefore, hold this passage to be spurious and so the whole Sura to be void of any authority.
2
i.e., 'Ali
3
i.e., they must keep it.
22 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

'Say, how can those be compared who make tyranny, and those who know my
troubles. They will place charms on their necks and they will repent of their works.

'We gave good news to thee of pious descendants, and they will not be disobedient;
my peace and my mercy is on them, living or dead, and on the day when they shall
rise again. My anger is on those who after thee transgress amongst them. Truly, they
are a bad people and will wander from the right way; but those who go on in the way,
on them is my mercy and they will be safe in the lofty rooms (of Paradise).

'Praise be to the Lord of both worlds. Amen.'

The following is the Arabic text of this Sura.

 4C:‫ وأر‬iBF‫ ا‬4‫ ر‬2B‫ رة ا‬1

ْX‫ ا‬4
ِ َX‫ ا‬e‫ ا‬L:

‫ب َ ْ ٍم ;َ|ْ ٍ ُ ران‬ َ ‫ْا‬aَ; 9ِ‫رَا‬aِّ َ)ُ‫ َو‬iE

 ُْ9ْ*َ; ‫َ
هَُ
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: ‫ ا‬Bِ$ ‫ُ ا‬Bَ$ 4 َ ِa‫
ا‬%‫
أ‬
ْCَ ‫ت‬ُ
Bَ ُْ%َ ‫ت‬ ٍ
َ i 3ِْ ُ1‫ َو َر‬e ِ ‫ ا‬6ِ ْ%َCَ: ‫ن‬َ ُ ُ 4 َ ِa‫ن ا‬
 ‫_ ;* ِإ‬L
ِ‫ َوإ‬.} ٍ ْCَ: ْ4ِ$
َُ%ُlْCَ:
ِ ِْ)َdَ‫ ا‬i ‫ن‬ َ ُaَ ْ+ُ ِ3ِْ*َ; ‫ل‬
ُ ُ1 ‫هُ ُ ا‬6َ َ‫َ
;َ
ه‬$‫ُْ َو‬%-
َpِ$ ْ%ِlْ+َB: ‫ ا‬B$
َ$ 6ِ ْCَ: ْ4ِ$ ‫ آَ@َُوا‬4 َ ِa‫وَا‬
‫ت‬ِ ‫ َ َا‬L‫ِي َ   َر ا‬a ‫ ا‬e َ ‫نا‬  ‫َِ ْ إ‬X ْ4 ِ$ ‫ن‬ َ +Lُ (َ  ِrَ‫ أُو‬،‫ُ  ْل‬1 ‫ ا‬i
ّ  ِf َ ِ ‫َ  ْا‬Nَ;‫ُْ َو‬% َLُ@ْ‫{*ُ  ْا أ‬

$ e ُ ‫ا‬, ُ Cْ@َ 3ِ+ْ*َ5 ْ4ْ$ ( َ rِ‫ أُو‬4ْBِ$ُْْ‫ ا‬4 َ ِ$ , َ َCَ‫ َو‬,ِ 1‫ِ وَا‬9ِ=hْ‫ ا‬4ِ$ <َ@َnْf‫َِ
]َ
َء وَا‬: ‫ض‬ َ ْ‫ر‬w َ ‫وَا‬
6ُ ْ6ِ َ] ‫ي‬a5‫ن أ‬  ‫ْ ِهِْ ِإ‬9َ: ُْ%ُEْaَ5^ ِْ%*ُ1ُ : ُ %ِ*َْ- ْ4ِ$ 4 َ aِ ‫َ ا‬9َ$ ْ6- X‫ ا‬4 ُ َْX ‫ هُ َ ا‬8
 ‫َ إ‬3‫ إ‬8 ‫ََ
ُء‬
<*َ; <\S
َ: ‫ن‬ َ َ;ِْ‫ن َو‬ َ ُ+E h ‫ْآِ ًة‬aَE ْ9َ ُْ%*َCَ‫َ ا َو‬Lَ‫َ
آ‬: ‫ َد‬Fَ‫( ;َ
دًا و‬ َ *ْ‫ْ أه‬6- eَ ‫أْ ُ إن ا‬
ُْ%ُCَْdَ e‫ن ا‬  ‫ ن إ‬+ِ1
 ُْ‫َ َآ‬p‫ن أآ‬  ‫ُْ ًَ وَإ‬9َ ‫ن‬
َ ُ9َِ 4
َ ْCَْ‫ُ أ‬3َCE ْ4َ$‫ َو‬3ُ-ْx‫ن أ‬ َ ‫ِ هَُو‬3ِْ5‫< وأ‬ َ 1 ُ$
ََ)‫َ ْ َم ا‬
 ‫‪THE SURA OF THE TWO LIGHTS‬‬ ‫‪23‬‬

‫ل ‪ْo*َ:‬‬
‫‪
َ ُ ِْ9َX ُ ْ*َ; e‬أ‪
َ%2‬ا ‪ُ ُ1‬‬ ‫نا َ‬ ‫ن اْ‪^$ َ َْ)َd‬واهُْ َوِإ ‬ ‫نإ‬ ‫‪َ ْ ^Lُ 4‬‬ ‫ب ‪َ ِْX‬‬‫ن ا‪ َd‬ا َ‬ ‫َ‪َ ُCْnَْL h‬‬
‫ك‬‫ن ‪َ 6ِ ْ%َCِ:‬‬‫‪َ ُْ ُ 4‬‬ ‫‪ ,‬ا‪َ ِa‬‬
‫ن ‪ُ pَ$‬‬ ‫‪ 4‬آَ
ُ ا ;َ‪ iE
َ ْ4‬و‪َ ُkِ ْCُ$ iْ9ُX‬‬ ‫ن ‪ َ ِLَ5 ْ6-‬ا‪َ ِa‬‬ ‫ف َ‪َ *َْC‬‬ ‫إ‪a‬اري ‪َ َL‬‬
‫‪ 4‬اُْ‪ 4ِ+‬وَإ
َ‪َ ْ َ ُ3+َX ِ3َِ ُB‬م‬ ‫ن ;َ* ً
َِ َ‬‫ن ا‪aَ e‬وْ ‪ٍ ِ@ْ\َ$‬ة وأْ ٍ ;َ| ٍ وَإ ‬ ‫ت ا‪ CB‬إ ‬ ‫ِإ‪ِ
Bَ ُ%ُْ[َ َ i‬‬
‫ن ;َ ُ‪ 6‬وهُْ‬ ‫‪ 4‬وَإ‪َ 3‬و ُذ ‪#‬رََ‪ُ:
َN ُ3‬ون َوِإ ‬ ‫( َأَْ‪َ ْC‬‬ ‫< أهْ*ِ َ‬‫‪َ 4‬وآَ‪َ *َ; jُ
َB$‬‬ ‫‪َ *ِ
َ\َ: ِ3ِْ*ُ{ ْ4َ; 4‬‬ ‫ا‪ 46‬وَ‪ُ ْ)َ
$‬‬
‫‪ 4‬آَ@َوا ‪ ُBَ$
َ$6ْCَ:‬ا ‪ِ ُْ*S‬ز‪ B‬اْ)ََ ة ا ‪َ
َْ6‬وَا‪َ
َ%: ُ ُْ*َdْCْ1‬وَ‪
َ$ ُْL‬‬ ‫ِإ‪ُ
َ$‬م اُ‪َ ّa*ِ ْ,- 4$ِْd‬‬
‫ن َ
أ‪
%‬‬ ‫ل ‪ُ6َْ%َE ُْ9*َC‬و َ‬ ‫‪ e‬وَر‪َ ُ3ُ ُ1‬وَ‪ ُْl+‬اْ‪َ ُ%ُC‬د ‪ َE 6ِ ْCَ: ْ4ِ$‬آِ‪6‬هَ
َو‪ ُ ْ9َ
َBْ:َ َk ْ6َ-‬ا‪َ
pْ$w‬‬ ‫َو;َ َ‪6‬آْ ا ُ‬
‫ك ُ|ْ‪ُ َ%‬وْن 
;ْ ِضْ‬ ‫ت ِْ‪َ
ً Bِ$ُْ$ 3 َ َ ْ4َ$
َ%‬و‪َ 6ِ ْCَ: ْ4ِ$ ُ3 َ ْ4َ$‬‬ ‫ت ‪ٍ
Bَ:‬‬ ‫( َ
ٍ‬‫ل ‪ ْ6-‬أْ[‪
B‬إِِ َ‬ ‫ا ‪ُ ُ1‬‬
‫ن َ‪i ُ%‬‬ ‫نإ‬ ‫ن ‪ٍ ْ َ i‬م ‪iَ] %ْBَ; iB\ُ 8‬ءٌ وَ‪ 8‬هُْ ُْ‪َ َُX‬‬ ‫ن إ
َ‪ُِlْ)ُ$ ُْ%‬و َ‬ ‫;َ‪ِ ُْ%ْB‬إ‪َ ُkِ ْCُ$ ْ%‬‬
‫‪َ 4‬وَ‪ ْ6َ+‬أرْ‪َ <1 ُ$
َBْ*َ1‬وهَ
رُون ‪
َ:‬‬ ‫( َوآُ‪ 4ِ$ ْ4‬ا‪َ ْ6
L‬‬ ‫ن َ‪َ ْ1
: ْƒََL‬ر‪َ َ:‬‬ ‫َ‪َ ُ6ِ ْCَ 8 ُ3ْBَ;
ً $
َ+َ$ Bَ%‬‬
‫ن 
‪ْْf‬‬ ‫ن ‪ ُ ُ%ْBِ$
َBْ*َCَd ٌ,َْ ٌَْN‬اْ‪َِ+‬د َة واَ‪ِ
َB‬زْ وَ‪
ُBَC‬هُْ إ< َ ْ َم ُْ‪َ ُpَC‬‬ ‫` ََ\َ ْا هَ
رَو َ‬ ‫ا‪َ *ُْْ1‬‬
‫( ‪ ُْ%ْBِ$‬وَ‪ُْ%*Cَ
ً ّf‬‬ ‫‪َ 4‬وَ‪َ 
َBْ*َC‬‬ ‫‪ 4‬اُْ‪َ ْ*َ1‬‬ ‫( ‪َ ِ$‬‬
‫‪َ ِ*ْ- ْ4ِ$ 4‬‬ ‫( اْ)ُ‪ َ ْ9‬آَ
‪َ ِa‬‬ ‫ن َوَ‪ ْ6َ+‬أ‪َ :
َBَْE‬‬ ‫ف َْ* َ‬‫‪َ َL‬‬
‫‪^ْLَE hَ h‬لْ ;َ‪ 4‬ا‪
B‬آِ‪
َ 4ِp‬أ‪
َ%2‬‬ ‫ل ;َ‪ ْ4‬أ‪ِْ$‬ي َ ِ‪ ُCَْ*َ ُ3ُCُِْ$ i0‬ا ‪ِ ْ@ُ9ِ:‬هِ ٍ ‪ً ِْ*َ-‬‬ ‫ن َو‪ َ ْ4َ$‬‬ ‫َِْ‪َ ُC‬‬
‫‪,‬‬‫ن ;َ*ِ ً
‪ِ ْ#*
:
ً ِ
َ-‬‬‫‪4‬إ‬ ‫‪ ُBَ$ 4‬ا ;َ‪ً6ْ%‬ا َُ‪َ jُ a‬وآُ‪ ْ4ِ$ ْ4‬ا
آِْ َ‬ ‫ق ا‪َ ِa‬‬‫( ‪ i‬أ;ْ‪ِ
َB‬‬ ‫ل ‪َ َ
َBْ*َCَ ْ6َ-‬‬ ‫ا ‪ُ ُ1‬‬
‫ب َر‪ ,- ِ3#:‬هَ‪ َْLَ ْ,‬ي ا‪ َُ*َ{ 4ِa‬ا‬ ‫‪ً6ِ
َ1‬ا َ)ْ‪a‬ر ا…‪ً ِ5‬ة َوَُْ ‪ ُF‬ا َ‬
24 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

ِ#‫ر‬aُ : ‫ك‬
َ
ََْ:
‫ُ ن ِإ‬$6ِ ْBَ ْ%ِ
َْ;‫ْ َوهْْ ;َ*< أ‬%ِ-
َBْ;‫ َأ‬i ‫ل‬ُ hxw‫ ا‬, ُ َCَdَُ1 ‫ن‬ َ ُ*ْCُ i:‫ا‬aَCَ: ْْ‫َوه‬
<َ*;َ‫ّ ن و‬pCُْ ‫ ً
َوَ ْ َم‬E‫ْ ا‬$‫َْ
ًء وَأ‬X‫ًْ أ‬X‫َ* ة َو َر‬f iBِ$ ْ%ْ*َCَ ‫ َْ*@ُ ن‬8
َِ ْ$w ُ ُ%‫ وِإ‬4 َ ِْ)ِ
N‫ا‬
i#Bِ$ ُْ%َ9*ْLَ$ ‫ُ ا‬9َ*َ1 4َ ِa‫ْ َو;َ*< ا‬4ِ1
َ5 ‫ُ ٍء‬1 ‫ ُم‬- ُْ%‫ ِإ‬iَِlَx ‫ك‬ َ 6ِ ْCَ: ْ4ِ$ ُ%ْ*َ; ‫ن‬
َ َ\َْ 4
َ ِa‫ا‬
.4$ 4ِْ
َCْ‫ب ا‬# ‫ َر‬e ِ 6ُ َ)ْ‫ُ ن وَا‬Bِ$ ‫ت‬ ِ
ُُ\‫ ا‬i ُْ‫ًَْ َوه‬X‫َر‬

E

Mirza Kazim Beg, to whose researches we are indebted for a copy of this Sura in the
original Arabic, does not believe in its genuineness. He looks upon it as a feeble
imitation of the Qur'an, invented by a fanatical Shi'ah, after religious quarrels had
absorbed the attention of the 'Ulama of the two rival sects. He says that there is no
authentic tradition about it, that no author in the earlier centuries mentions it, and that
the name al-Nurain—the two lights—in connexion with Muhammad and 'Ali was not
heard of until the seventh century of the Hijra. He admits that it is quite possible that
unimportant changes may have been made in the early recensions, but declines to
believe that a whole Sura was discarded. Even assuming that 'Uthman did not wish
that anything favourable to 'Ali should appear, it was not necessary to omit a whole
Sura. The omission of a few phrases would have served his purpose just as well. He
considers the whole chapter, with the exception of the words and expressions
favourable to 'Ali and his family, to be simply a compilation from various parts of the
Qur'an. Some words and phrases have been altered, some borrowed literally, and the
result of the whole is that the style is very inferior to that of the Qur'an itself. This
statement he supports by a comparison of expressions used in this Sura which are
either exactly the same, or very similar to phrases found in the Qur'an.1

1
The following are some examples:
ْ‫ُ ا‬Bَ$ 4 َ ِa‫َ
ا‬%2‫ َ
َأ‬Sura v. 59[57];
iE
 9*; ‫ * ان‬Sura xxxviii. 59; [The clause is not in Qur'an, but we find (iِE
َ ُْ9َْ*َ;) in
Suras. 6: 130; 7: 35. Cf. Nöldeke's GDQ, II, p 100-112, where the Sura of the TWO
LIGHTS is discussed]
|َ; ‫ب َ ْ ٍم‬ َ ‫َا‬aَ; Sura xxxix.15[13];
CB‫ت ا‬ ُ
Bَ Sura xxi. 70; [This reference is incorrect, however this phrase is found in Suras 5:
65; 10: 9; 22: 56; 31: 8; 56: 12; 68: 34]
ُْ%َLُ@َ‫ {*َُ اْ أ‬Sura iv. 99 [64];
‫َ
ََ
ء‬$ ُ3ّ*‫ ا‬, ُ َCْ@َ Sura iii. 37 [40];
ِْ%ِ*َْ- 4ِ$ 4 َ ِa‫َ َ ا‬9َ$ ْ6َ- Sura xvi. 28 [26];
‫ن‬َ ُ+ِ1
َ ُْ‫َ َآ‬pْ‫ن َأآ‬  ‫ َوَأ‬Sura v. 55[59];
ٌ,َِ ٌَْNَ Sura xii. 18;
َ ِ‫َ
ز‬Bَْ‫ِ َ َد َة وَا‬+ْ‫ُْ ا‬%ْBِ$
َBْ*َCَ‫ َو‬Sura v. 65 [60];
hً *َ- ِ‫ُ@ْ ِه‬9ِ: ‫ُ ا‬Cََ* Sura xxix. 66;
‫ًا‬6
1 , ِ ْ*
ِ:
ًَ
َ- Sura xxxix. 12 [9];
4
َ ِa‫َْ ي ا‬Lَ Sura xxxix.12 [9];
ِ%ِ-
َBْ;‫ َأ‬i ‫ل‬ ُh َ ْxw َ ‫ ا‬,Cdَُ1 Sura xxxiv. 32 [33];
‫ ن‬B$ ‫ت‬ ِ
ُُ\‫ ا‬i Sura xxxiv. 36 [37];
4َ َ
َCْ‫ب ا‬ # ‫ِ َر‬3*ِ 6َْ)‫ ا‬end of Sura xxxvii.
 SHI'AH CLAIM UNTENABLE 25

M. Garcin de Tassy, in a foot-note to Mirza Kazim Beg's article, expresses the great
joy he feels at the discovery of this unknown Sura,1 and he evidently considers that it
is not to be lightly set aside. He thinks that there is nothing improbable in the idea that
it was recited by Muhammad and that it formed part of 'Ali's copy; but he does not
consider himself bound to uphold its authenticity, while on the other hand he declines
to say that it is a forgery. He very properly sets aside Kazim Beg's argument with
reference to the difference in style, and to the similarity of expressions in it and in the
Qur'an, for, as he points out, in the Qur'an itself the repetitions of similar words and
phrases in the various Suras are innumerable.2

On the whole, the weight of evidence seems to be against the Shi'ah claim. 'Ali and
his followers were a powerful body during the Khalifate of 'Uthman; they must have
known very well whatever the Prophet had said about 'Ali; and it is not easy to
believe that, powerful as they were, they would have allowed 'Uthman to suppress all
such passages. Then when 'Ali became Khalifa he could, if he had so willed, have
produced his copy of the Qur'an. The passions raised by civil war were already so
strong, that it is not likely that such an action as that would have so increased them as
to lead to still further danger to the Khalifate. The fact is that the cult of 'Ali, a most
curious and interesting phase of religious thought, is of very much later growth; and
when it developed it needed all the support that these supposed revelations could give
it.

1
Je suis charmé d'avoir appelé l'attention des orientalistes sur le chapitre du Coran inconnu jusqu'à
l'époque on je le publiai, l'an passé, pour la première fois.— Journal Asiatique , Décembre, 1843, p.
427.
2
Nöldeke agrees in the main with the criticism.—Geschichte des Qorāns, p. 222.
26 THE RECENSIONS OF THE QUR'AN

The way in which the various recensions were made, and the need of them show that
the Qur'an is open to criticism, and that the orthodox view of inspiration needs to be
very much modified, but do not prove that the present copies are not authentic. The
conclusion arrived at by Muir, with which most scholars agree, seems to me sound
and good. He says:1 'The conclusion, which we may now with confidence draw, is
that the editions both of Abu Bakr and of 'Uthman were, not only faithful, but
complete as far as the materials went; and that whatever omissions there may have
been, they were not on the part of the compilers intentional. The real drawback to the
inestimable value of the Qur'an, as a contemporary and authentic record of
Muhammad's character and actions, is the want of arrangement and connexion which
pervades it; so that, in inquiring into the meaning and force of a passage, no infallible
dependence can be placed on the adjacent sentences as being the true context. But,
bating this serious defect, we may upon the strongest presumption affirm that every
verse in the Qur'an is the genuine and unaltered composition of Muhammad himself,
and conclude with at least a close aproximation to the verdict of Von Hammer "That
we hold the Qur'an to be as truly Muhammad's word, as the Muhammadans hold it to
be the word of God."'

1
Life of Mahomet, vol. i, p. xxvi.