We have already covered the history of the Quran. But the controversial Quran continues with its trail of blood. It is known that Uthman had burned the various Qurans to fabricate the lie that there is only one Quran (check it here). However many followers of Mohammad did not give away all their private copies of the Quran for burning, to Uthman. They believed their copy of the Quran was perfect.
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The Version of Abdullah Ibn Masud
One example of this is the codex of Abdullah Ibn Masud. According to Mohammad (peace be not upon him), ibn Masud was one of the four most reputed men one must
approach to learning recitation of Quran.
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, “Learn the recitation of Qur’an from four persons: Ibn Mas`ud, Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa, Ubai and Mu`adh bin Jabal.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3806
He was very confident that his Quran cannot be wrong and no one could be a better memorizer of the Quran, in comparison to him. The controversial Quran dispute starts with his following statement
Narrated `Abdullah (bin Mas`ud): By Allah other than Whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Sura revealed in Allah’s Book but I know at what place it was revealed, and there is no Verse revealed in Allah’s Book but I know about whom it was revealed. And if I know that there is somebody who knows Allah’s Book better than I, and he is at a place that camels can reach, I would go to him.
Sahih al-Bukhari 5002
The Ibn Masud challenges the Uthmanic reconstruction of the controversial book
So, when Uthman reconstructed the Quran from ashes (we have covered this story of Zaid reconstructing the Quran here), it was different from Abdullah Ibn Masud’s copy that had three Surah missing. Ibn Masud was adamant that he cannot go wrong and that a new kid like Zaid be not be given preference over him, since he was Muslim since the time Zaid was in lions of unbeliever (see Abu Ibn Dawod page 31). Therefore, he asked his disciples not to surrender to the order of Uthman and preserve the variant reading of the Quran they had until the last day.
……’O people of Al-‘Iraq Keep the Musahif (Quran) that are with you, and conceal them…. So meet Allah with the Musahif.’…..
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3104
This copy had three chapters missing in it – Surah Fatihah (1), nor Surahs At-Talaq (65) and An-Nas (114). One such copy was discovered in Bagdad in the 10th century of the 378 AH, but men burned it immediately upon its discovery. Ibn Abi Dawud in his Kitab al-Masahif, pp. 54-73 devotes 19 pages to differences between the Quran of Zaid and Ibn Masud.
Jeffery Arthur, who pursued his research in Quran while he was a director in Cairo Egypt, said in his book “Materials for the history of the text of the Quran: The Old Codices” that not only three Surahs. It also and had differences in Surah 3:19, 39 and Surah 9.” Muslim apologists argue that Masud did not differ from Zaid’s Quran and that only he did not include three Surah because they were for reciting and not for to be written down. However, Masud’s own words from Islamic sources, prove to the contrary. For fanatic followers of Islam, the words of Ibn Masud does not make sense.
Some Islamic books one can refer to for this evidence are as below:
- Ibn al-Athir in his Kamil (III, 86-87)
- Kitab al-Masahif, pp. 54-73
Conclusion
The Controversial book of Ibn Masud is just one such variant. Ubayy Ibn Kab’s codex had 116 Surahs. We have Hatun with 32 different Quran in possession with her. Apart from these variant Qurans, the sources we cite are all Islamic. Why would Muslim writers themselves play down on their own religion?
As honest seekers of truth and God, Muslims should start introspecting on their beliefs. If they are honest, they will find that the history of the preservation of the Quran is extremely complex and cannot be trusted. It is time to turn you back to the deceiver Mohammad and ask the lady of your house to stamp her foot on it.
Accept Jesus as your saviour. Only Jesus Christ who alone can grant you eternal life. We pray that God opens your eyes.
