{"id":15399,"date":"2022-04-26T06:34:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T05:34:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/?p=15399"},"modified":"2022-04-26T06:34:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T05:34:37","slug":"shiah-believe-different-quran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/15399\/shiah-believe-different-quran\/","title":{"rendered":"Do the Shi’ah Believe in a Different Quran?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A refutation of the spurious claim that the Shi’ah believe in a different Qur’an than Sunnis do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do the Shi’ah Believe in a Different Qur\u2019an?<\/strong>
\nSurely We have revealed the Reminder (Holy Qur\u2019an) and We most surely are its Guardian. (Holy Qur\u2019an: Chapter 15, Verse 9)
\nThe Shi’ah are frequently accused of belief in Tahrif in Holy Qur\u2019an which means believing that the Holy Qur\u2019an has been tampered with and is not the same as the one revealed to the Prophet (s).<\/p>\n

THIS IS NOT true !!!<\/strong>
\nAll great Twelver Shi\u2019ah scholars from the earliest period to the present century have believed in the complete preservation of the Holy Qur\u2019an. Some famous early Shi\u2019ah scholars who have clearly stated this belief in their books include:
\n\u2022 Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 381 AH), Kitabu\u2019l-Itiqadat, (Tehran, 1370) p. 63.
\n\u2022 Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413 AH), Awa\u2019ilu l-Maqalat, pp. 55-6;
\n\u2022 Sharif al-Murtada (d. 436 AH), Bahru \u2018l-Fawa\u2019id (Tehran, 1314) p. 69;
\n\u2022 Shaykh at-Tusi (d. 460 AH), Tafsir at-Tibyan, (Najaf, 1376), vol 1 p. 3;
\n\u2022 Shaykh at-Tabrasi (d. 548), Majma\u2019u \u2018l-Bayan, (Lebanon), vol. 1 p. 15.
\nSome of the later scholars who spelt out the same views include:
\n\u2022 Muhammad Muhsin al-Fayd al-Kashani (d. 1019 AH), Al-Wafi, vol. 1 pp. 273-4, and al-\u2019Asfa fi Tafsir al-Qur\u2019an, p. 348;
\n\u2022 Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi (d. 1111 AH), Bihar al-\u2019Anwar, vol. 89 p. 75
\nThis belief has continued uninterrupted up to the present time. Shi\u2019ah scholars of this century who have reiterated the belief that the Qur\u2019an is completely protected and unchanged include such famous names as:
\n\u2022 Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin al-\u2019Amili (d. 1371 AH);
\n\u2022 Sayyid Sharaf al-Din al-Musawi (d. 1377 AH.);
\n\u2022 Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Kashif al-Ghita\u2019 (d. 1373 AH);
\n\u2022 Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim (d. 1390 AH);
\n\u2022 \u2018Allamah al-Tabataba\u2019i (d. 1402 AH);
\n\u2022 Sayyid Ruhullah al-Khumayni (d. 1409 AH);
\n\u2022 Sayyid Abu al- Qasim al-Khu\u2019i (d. 1413 AH)
\n\u2022 Sayyid Muhammad Rida al-Gulpaygani (d.1414 AH).
\nThis, of course, is not an exhaustive list.<\/p>\n

Q: But what about the Shi\u2019ah before these scholars, didn\u2019t they all believe in tahrif?<\/strong>
\nNot at all! Consider the example of \u2018Ubaydullah b. Musa al-\u2019Absi (120-213 AH), a devoted Shi\u2019ah scholar whose narrations from the Imams can be found in the famous Shi\u2019ah hadith collections such as al-Tahdhib and al-Istibsar. Now let\u2019s see what some Sunni scholars have to say about him:
\n\u2022 \u201c… a pious person, one of the important Shi\u2019ah scholars … he was considered reliable by Yahya b. Ma\u2019in, Abu Hatim said he was reliable, trustworthy … al-\u2019Ijli said that he was an authority on the Qur\u2019an…\u201d [Al-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz (Haydarabad, 1333 AH), vol. 1 p. 322]
\n\u2022 \u201c… he was an imam in fiqh and hadith and Qur\u2019an characterized by piety and righteousness, but he was one of the chiefs of the Shi\u2019ah.\u201d [Ibn al-\u2019Imad al-Hanbali, Shadharat al-Dhahab (Cairo, 1350 AH), vol. 2 p. 29]
\nNone of these Sunni scholars would have praised him for his knowledge of the Qur\u2019an if they thought he believed in a different Qur\u2019an!!!
\nAnd \u2018Ubaydullah was considered so trustworthy, despite being a Shi\u2019ah, that the famous Sunni traditionists al-Bukhari and Muslim as well as many others narrated scores of traditions from him in their hadith collections! [The Creed of the Imaam of Hadeeth al-Bukhari (Salafi Publications, UK, 1997), pp. 87-89]<\/p>\n

Q: Don\u2019t the Shi\u2019ah believe in Mushaf Fatimah which is three times the size of the Qur\u2019an?<\/strong>
\nThe Qur\u2019an is a Mushaf (book), but any book is not necessarily the Qur\u2019an! There is no Qur\u2019an of Fatimah! Mushaf Fatimah was a book written or dictated by Fatimah (a) after the Prophet\u2019s (s) death. It is not a part of Qur\u2019an and has nothing to do with Allah\u2019s commandments or legal rulings.<\/p>\n

Q: But are there not traditions in Shi\u2019ah collections that mention verses of the Qur\u2019an containing extra words than what we have today?<\/strong>
\nThere are some instances where extra words are indicated only by way of explanation, they do not imply that the original Qur\u2019anic text is being distorted. This happens in both Shi\u2019ah and Sunni sources. Consider the following two examples, both from famous Sunni commentaries of the Qur\u2019an:
\n\u2022 \u201cUbayy b. Ka\u2019b used to read \u2018\u2026 then as to those whom you profit by for an appointed period give them their dowries as appointed\u2026\u2019 (Qur\u2019an Chapter 4, Verse 24) and this was also the recitation of Ibn \u2018Abbas.\u201d [Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb (Beirut, 1981), vol. 9 p. 53] [Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur\u2019an al-\u2019Azim (Beirut, 1987), vol. 2 p. 244]
\nA footnote in Ibn Kathir\u2019s Tafsir explains that the additional words indicated above, which are not part of the Qur\u2019an, were recited by these Companions of the Prophet (s) only by way of tafsir and explanation.
\n\u2022 \u201cIbn Mas\u2019ud said: In the days of the Prophet (s) we used to recite, \u2018O our Messenger (Muhammad) deliver what has been sent down to you from your Lord that \u2018Ali is the master of the believers if you do not, then you have not delivered His message.\u2019 (Qur\u2019an Chapter 5, Verse 67) [Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur, vol. 2 p. 298]
\nIn this case as well, the part in italics is certainly not part of the Qur\u2019anic text, however the Companion Ibn Mas\u2019ud used to recite it in this way to explain the context of its revelation.<\/p>\n

Q: But what about those traditions that say a number of revealed verses are no longer part of the Qur\u2019an?<\/strong>
\nThe Shi\u2019ah do not believe in the immunity of any writer, commentator or narrator from mistakes, and, therefore, they do not take any collection of hadith to be completely valid and correct. The only book which is completely immune from any mistake is the Qur\u2019an. These traditions are mostly considered as weak or interpreted as referring to non-Qur\u2019anic revelation.
\n\u2022 It is interesting to point out that there are numerous traditions reported in Sahih al- Bukhari and Sahih Muslim which allege that many verses of Qur\u2019an are missing. [Al-Bukhari, Al-Sahih, vol. 8 p. 208; Muslim, Al-Sahih, vol. 3 p. 1317]
\n\u2022 Not only that, these Sunni reports allege that two chapters from the Qur\u2019an are missing with one of them similar to the Chapter of al-Bara\u2019ah (chapter 9) in length!!! [Muslim, Al-Sahih, Kitab al-Zakat, vol. 2 p. 726]
\n\u2022 Some Sunni traditions even claim that the Chapter al-Ahzab (chapter 33) was as lengthy as the Chapter of al-Baqarah (chapter 2)!!! The Chapter of al-Baqarah is the biggest Chapter of the Qur\u2019an. The traditions in Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim even detail some of the missing verses. [Al-Bukhari, Al-Sahih, vol. 8 p. 208]
\nYet, fortunately the Shi\u2019ah never accuse the Sunni brothers and sisters of believing that the Quran is incomplete. We say that either these Sunni reports are weak or fabricated.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong>
\n\u201cIt is our belief that the Qur\u2019an which Allah revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (s) is (the same as) the one between the two covers (daffatayn). And it is that which is in the hands of the people, and is not greater in extent than that\u2026 And he who asserts that we say that it is greater in extent than this (the present text) is a liar.\u201d [As-Saduq, Kitabu\u2019l-I\u2018tiqadat (Tehran: 1370 AH) p. 63; English translation, The Shi\u2019ite Creed, tr. A.A.A. Fyzee (Calcutta: 1942) p. 85]<\/p>\n

source:alhassanain<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A refutation of the spurious claim that the Shi’ah believe in a different Qur’an than Sunnis do. Do the Shi’ah Believe in a Different Qur\u2019an? Surely We have revealed the Reminder (Holy Qur\u2019an) and We most surely are its Guardian. (Holy Qur\u2019an: Chapter 15, Verse 9) The Shi’ah are frequently accused of belief in Tahrif […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7773],"tags":[8154,7563,19692],"class_list":["post-15399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quran","tag-allah","tag-quran","tag-shia-islam"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shiastudies.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}