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Chapter 4

Discussing the Main Issues Around Rejecting the Prophetic Compilation of the Qur’an

 

In this section, I will present the most dubious problems raised by the scholars of the Imamiyyah in order to substantiate the Prophetic compilation of the Qur’an. These are:

 

1. The affirmation of a Prophetic compilation of the Qur’an by al Sharif al Murtada and ‘Abdul Hussain al Musawi.

Both of them claim that our extant Qur’an is the result of the compilation and ordering by the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. What follows is some of their statements:

1. One of the most revered Mufassirin of the Imamiyyah, Abu ‘Ali al Tabarsi, transmits this statement from al Murtada:

 

وذكر أيضا أن القرآن كان على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى الله عليه وسلم مجموعا مؤلفا على ما هو عليه الآن… وكل ذلك يدل بأدنى تأمل على أنه كان مجموعا مرتبا غير مبتور ولا مبثوث

He also mentions that the Qur’an was already gathered and compiled in the time of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam exactly as it is today. Without the need for much contemplation, this indicates that it was compiled and organised, not fragmented and scattered.^[1]

 

2. ‘Abdul Hussain Sharaf al Din al Musawi said:

 

وكان القرآن مجموعا أيام النبي على ما هو عليه الآن من الترتيب والتنسيق في آياته وسوره

a. The Qur’an was compiled in the days of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam exactly as it is today in terms of sequence and the arrangement of its verses and chapters.^[2]

 

وكل حرف من حروفه متواتر في كل جيل تواترا قطعيا إلى عهد الوحي والنبوة وكان مجموعا على ذلك العهد الأقدس مؤلفا على ما هو عليه الآن

b. Every letter of it (i.e. the Qur’an) is undisputable and definitive throughout every generation back to the time of revelation and prophethood. It is in that sacred period that it was gathered and compiled in exactly the same form in which it exists today.^[3]

 

Discussion of Issue 1

This problem is based on two main concepts, namely:

1. The extant version of the Qur’an is the compilation of our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
2. The arrangement of chapters and verses of the extant Qur’an was done by our Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

I shall now demonstrate the falsity of both these points:

 

Falsification of the first point: i.e. the claim of Prophetic compilation

Some of the greatest ‘Ulama’ of the Imamiyyah falsify the statement of al Murtada:

1. Al Fayd al Kashani said:

 

وأما كونه مجموعا في عهد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على ما هو عليه الآن فلم يثبت وكيف كان مجموعا وإنما كان ينزل نجوما وكان لا يتم إلا بتمام عمره

As for it being compiled in the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in the exact fashion as it is today, this is not established. And how could it possibly have been fully compiled when it was revealed piecemeal and did not reach completion until the end of his life?^[4]

 

2. Abu al Hassan al ‘Amili al Futuni refutes al Murtada’s claim by saying:

 

وجوابه أن القرآن مجموعا في عهد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم على ما هو الآن غير ثابت بل غير صحيح وكيف كان مجموعا وإنما ينزل نجوما وكان لا يتم إلا بتمام عمره ولقد شاع وذاع وطرق الأسماع في جميع الأصقاع أن عليا عليه السلام قعد بعد وفاة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في بيته أياما مشتغلا بجمع القرآن

His answer that the Qur’an was compiled in the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in the exact form in which it exists today is neither affirmed nor is it correct. And how could it be compiled when it was revealed piecemeal and not concluded until the end of his life? Indeed, it is widely reported and common knowledge in every region that ‘Ali ‘alayh al Salam sat after the Prophet’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam demise in his house for a few days engaged in the compilation of the Qur’an.^[5]

 

3. Hussain al Nuri al Tabarsi said:

 

وأما ما ذكره السيد المرتضى ففيه أولا أن القرآن نزل نجوما وتم بتمام عمره صلى الله عليه وسلم فإن صح ما نقله فالمراد درس ما كان عنده من السور والآيات

As for what al Sayed al Murtada mentioned, we find: firstly, that the Qur’an was revealed piecemeal and was only completed at the end of his salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam life. If what he reports is indeed correct, then what is meant is that he was studying the chapters and verses available to him (at the time).^[6]

 

4. Muhammad Hadi al Najafi al Tahrani, refutes the claim of al Murtada, saying:

 

وأما ما ذكر من أن القرآن في ذلك الزمان كان مجموعا مؤلفا على ما هو عليه الآن فمن الشناعة بمكان فإن القرآن كان ينزل نجوما وإنما تم بتمام عمر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إجماعا فكيف يكون مؤلفا قبل نزوله والدروس والحفظ إنما كان بالنسبة إلى البعض لا الجميع وختم عبد الله وأبي لجميعه قبل نزوله عجيب ولو سلم فلا ينفع فيما رامه بل يضره حيث إن مصحفهما يخالفان ما بأيدينا من مصحف عثمان وبالجملة فكون القرآن في ذلك الزمان مبثوثا غير مجموع في موضع واحد بحيث لا يؤمن عليه الضياع مما شاع وذاع والعجب من المرتضى قده حيث خفي عليه ما لا يخفى على أحد حتى أنه ادعى أنه كان في ذلك الزمان على ما هو المؤلف الآن مع أن كون ترتيب السور من فعل عثمان من الوضوح بمكان ولا ريب أنه مخالف لترتيب النزول ومخالف لترتيب مصاحف مولانا أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام وعبد الله بن مسعود وأبي بن كعب

a. As for what he mentioned about the Qur’an being in a gathered and compiled state at that time, in the same form as it is today, this is a rather disgraceful statement. Certainly, there is consensus on the fact that the Qur’an was revealed piecemeal and revelation was only completed near the end of the life of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. How could it have been compiled before its revelation? The study and memorisation that occurred was only of portions of it, not its entirety. Also absurd is the notion that ‘Abdullah and Ubayy could have recorded their Mushafs before the completion of revelation. Even if this were the case, it doesn’t help his (i.e. al Murtada’s) claim, rather it discredits it, since both of their Mushafs differ from the ‘Uthmani Mushaf that we now hold in our hands. In brief, the Qur’an during that time was scattered and not a single compiled entity, since it is widely reported that no measures were taken against it being lost. It is suspicious that al Murtada rahimahu Llah seems to be in the dark about something that is common knowledge, to such an extent that he would claim that the Qur’an during that time is exactly the same as the compiled version of today whereas the fact that the arrangement of the chapters is the work of ‘Uthman is extremely clear; and there is no doubt that it is at variance with the chronological order of revelation and it also differs from the Mushafs of our master Amir al Mu’minin ‘alayh al Salam, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, and Ubayy ibn Ka’b.^[7]

 

فظهر أن ما توهمه المرتضى قده من أن ما بأيدينا كان كذلك في زمان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأنه لا يمكن أن يكون مخالفا له ضروري الفساد ويظهر إن شاء الله تعالى أنه يخالفه قطعا

b. It is clear that al Murtada’s rahimahu Llah illusion that the Qur’an in our hands currently is the same as the Qur’an during the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and that it is impossible for there to be any significant differences between the two manuscripts is corrupt. It will become clear, if Allah so wills, that it is in fact undoubtedly different.^[8]

 

5. Agha Buzurk al Tahrani falsifies al Murtada’s statement by saying:

 

نعم تأكيده لهذا الإنكار بدعوى أن هذا القرآن كان مجموعا مؤلفا في عصر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كذلك ليس بسديد لمنافاته لما علم بالتواتر من الأخبار والسير أن الجمع في موضع واحد وعلى الترتيب الذي عليه اليوم إنما حدث بعد رحلته صلى الله عليه وسلم

Yes, his insistence on the denial (i.e. of Qur’anic compilation after the death of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) by saying that the Qur’an was gathered and compiled in the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is similarly incorrect, due to its contradiction of what is established by successive reports and the life of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam that the Qur’an was only compiled as a single Mushaf in the order that we have it today after the demise of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.^[9]

 

6. Muhammad Karim Khan al Kirmani, also refutes this claim by saying:

 

فكذلك قوله أن القرآن كان على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مؤلفا فلو كان مؤلفا وفي أيدي الناس لما كانوا يحتاجون إلى جمع زيد بن ثابت… وأما قوله أن القرآن كان على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مؤلفا إلخ هذا محض ادعاء ولو كان الأمر كذلك لما كانوا يحتاجون إلى جمع وتأليف وشهود بالجملة كلامه رحمه الله على ما ترى مثل سائر تحقيقاته الكلامية وقد أوضحنا أمره في كل موضع ذكرناه وأوضح شيء في وهن قوله وقول من يقول بقوله عدم برهان لهم من كتاب أوسنة أو إجماع أو دليل عقل وإن هو إلا تنويق عبارات وتنميق خيالات

Similar to this is his statement that the Qur’an was compiled in the time of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. If the Qur’an had been compiled and in people’s hands at that time, they would not have any need for the compilation of Zaid ibn Thabit. And as for his statement that the Qur’an was compiled in the time of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam etc., this is purely pretence, since if this had been the case, why would there have been a need for compilation, transcription, and the bearing of testimony? In short, this argument of his is much the same as you would see in his other works of theory. We have already sufficiently clarified his case every time we have mentioned him. One thing is evident in the feebleness of his argument and all those who use it: their lack of evidence from the Qur’an, Sunnah, Ijma’ and rational proof, and it is nothing but embellishment and fantasy.^[10]

 

Falsification of the second point i.e. the claim of Prophetic arrangement of the extant Qur’an

This claim is refuted by some of the most revered Maraji’^[11] of the Imamiyyah, among them:

1. Abu al Qasim al Khu’i negates the notion that the arrangement of the Qur’anic chapters was instituted by the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is expressed in numerous statements, such as:

a. He affirmed—when presenting an answer to a question—the implausibility of the arrangement of the Qur’anic chapters during the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

 

سؤال 1321: ترتيب سور القرآن وترتيب آيات السور على ما هو عليه الآن في المصاحف هل كان على زمن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهل كان لغيره صلى الله عليه وسلم دخل في ذلك بعده الخوئي أما ترتيب الآيات فنعم وأما ترتيب السور فلا وقد حصل بعده صلى الله عليه وسلم والله العالم

Question (1321): Did the arrangement of the chapters of the Qur’an and the arrangement of the verses of the chapters as we have it today occur during the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam or did someone else have a hand in it after him salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam?

Al Khu’i: As for the arrangement of verses, then yes. As for the arrangement of chapters, then no, since it was done after his demise salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. And Allah knows best.”^[12]

 

b. He affirms that the compilation and arrangement of the Qur’an’s chapters were not achieved during the lifetime of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He said:

 

فمن البين جدا أن السور لم تكن مترتبة في عصره صلى الله عليه وسلم على النهج المألوف بيننا لعدم جمع القرآن يومئذ وإنما حدث بعد ذلك

What is abundantly clear is that the chapters were not arranged during his salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam lifetime in the way we are familiar with, due to the lack of a compiled Qur’an, which only happened later.^[13]

 

c. He said:

 

ولا سيما بالإضافة إلى عامة الناس الذين لا يعرفون أن الترتيب أمر حادث… ولو فرضنا القول بجواز ذلك استنادا إلى ما عرفت من عدم كون القرآن مرتبا في عصره صلى الله عليه وسلم

Especially with regards to the common masses who don’t even know that the arrangement of the Qur’an is something that took place later… Even if we entertain the possibility of this, we are reliant on what is known about the Qur’an not being arranged in his time salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”^[14]

 

2. Jafar al Subhani refutes the claim of the Prophetic arrangement of chapters in our extant Qur’an in many of his statements, including:

 

وقد اتفقت كلمات المحققين على أن ترتيب السور لم يكن توقيفيا

a. There is agreement in the statements of all the scholars that the arrangement of the chapters was not prophetically instituted.^[15]

 

وما ذكره ابن النديم يثبت أن القرآن كان مكتوبا في عصر النبي كل سورة على حدة وكان فاقدا للترتيب الذي رتبه الإمام على سبعة أجزاء

b. And what Ibn al Nadim^[16] mentioned affirms that the Qur’an was written in the time of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, each chapter on its own, but it was forfeited in favour of the structure in which it was arranged by the Imam (‘Ali ibn Abi Talib [radiya Llahu ‘anhu]) of seven parts.^[17]

 

After invalidating both parts of al Murtada’s claims, we have adequately discussed and dealt with the first problem.

 

NEXT⇒ 2. (The notion that) denying the Prophetic compilation of the Qur’an is tantamount to accusing the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam of negligence

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^[1]  Al Tabarsi: Tafsir Majma’ al Bayan, 1/43.

^[2]  Al Musawi: Ajwibat Masa’il Jar Allah, pg. 34.

^[3]  Al Musawi: Al Fusul al Muhimmah fi Ta’lif al Ummah, pg. 175.

^[4]  Al Kashani: Al Tafsir al Safi, 1/54.

^[5]  Al Futuni: Mir’at al Anwar wa Mishkat al Asrar, pg. 87.

^[6]  Al Tabarsi: Fasl al Khitab fi Tahrif Kitab Rabb al Arbab, pg. 145.

^[7]  Al Najafi al Tahrani: Mahajjat al ‘Ulama’ fi al Adillah al ‘Aqliyyah, 1/444-445.

^[8]  Mahajjat al ‘Ulama’ fi al Adillah al ‘Aqliyyah, 1/469.

^[9]  Al Tahrani: Risalat al Naqd al Latif fi Nafy al Tahrif ’an al Qur’an al Sharif, pg. 944.

^[10]  Al Kirmani: Taqwim al Lisan fi Qira’at al Qur’an, pg. 6.

^[11]  Plural of Marja’. This is the highest rank of scholarship among the Shia and is roughly equivalent to the rank of mujtahid among the Ahlus Sunnah. As of 2023, there are 56 living Maraji’, all of whom reside in Iraq or Iran.

^[12]  Al Tabrizi: Sirat al Najah, 1/469.

^[13]  Al Khu’i: Al Ijarah, 1/502.

^[14]  Ibid.

^[15]  Al Subhani: Rasa’il wa Maqalat, 8/327.

^[16]  Abu al Faraj Muhammad ibn Ishaq al Nadim (d. 385 in Baghdad). He was a Shia polymath of the fourth century who compiled the encyclopaedic work, Kitab al Fihrist.

^[17]  Al Subhani: Dalil al Murshidin ila al Haqq al Yaqin, pg. 170.