William Goldsack

“ On the contrary we learn from Al-Bukhārī that within a short period the discrepancies and contradictions which existed in the various readings of the Qurān became of a still graver nature; until at last the Khalif ʿUsmān took steps to allay the doubts which began to arise in the minds of the people. The means which ʿUsmān adopted were drastic in the extreme, and simply consisted in transcribing one complete copy of the Qurān, and then burning all other copies! For this purpose the Khalif appointed a committee, with Zaid at its head, to do the work. ”

“ We shall have occasion, later on in this little book, to point out some of the grave differences between the readings of Ibn-Masʿūd and ʿUsmān; it must suffice here to remind the reader that Ibn-Masʿūd’s Qurān contained neither Sūra Fātiha, nor Sūras Talaq and Nas. One cannot but wonder at the temerity of the Khalif in thus destroying the very Qurān which the apostle himself had taught men to follow, and in substituting another which differed seriously from it. ”

“ Hidāyat-ul-Muslimīn, Minār-ul-Haqq, Mizān-ul-Haqq, Tahqiq-ul-Imān, Tahrīf-i-Qurān and. Tawil-ul-Qurān. Let the reader, then, with all earnestness, pursue the study of this all-important subject; for those whose opinions and comments we have quoted are the foremost of the scholars of Islām, and their testimony cannot lightly be set aside. We have seen what men like Kāzī Baizāwi, Imām Husain, Muslim, Bukhārī and Jallāl-ud-Dīn have to say with regard to the Qurān. We have seen how, even in the life-time of Muhammad himself, grave differences arose in the various readings of the Qurān ”

“ Yet another extraordinary variation of reading is found in verse 36 of Sūra Kahaf. In current copies of the Qurān the passage reads,
(Arabic characters)
“But God is my Lord, and I will not associate any with my Lord.” But the Kāzi tells us in his commentary that in some copies the passage reads thus,
(Arabic characters)
“But God is my Lord; but we are not God; He only is our Lord.” Comment on this extraordinary corruption of the Qurānic text would be superfluous. The reader may judge for himself. ”

“ We have shown enough to prove to every unprejudiced and open-minded reader that the Qurān has been greatly corrupted, and that Sunni and Shiah alike agree in affirming that numerous differences exist in different copies. Many reliable scholars even admit that in many cases the text of the Qurān has been wilfully corrupted by unscrupulous Muslims. ”

“ The reader must either be devoid of all literary sense, or blinded by prejudice, if he fails to see how such facts as we have recorded above absolutely shatter all claims to a Divine protection of the Qurān. ”

“ Thus the illustration before us affords an interesting example of the way in which various readings sometimes come into existence through the insertion of marginal explanatory words into the text itself for the purpose of rendering the meaning more lucid.
The ninety-first verse of Sūra Māida furnishes another example of the corruption of the text of the Qurān. It is there written that the expiation of an oath should be the feeding of ten poor men, but if the offender has not wherewith to carry out this demand of the law, he may fast three days instead. ”

“ These traditions show us that the present ideas of the marvellous power of memory said to be possessed by men (Hāfiz) of the prophet’s day need to be seriously modified; for here we have an undoubted verse of the Qurān for the authenticity of which not a single Hāfiz could be found to vouch. There is, however, more than one tradition which records the testimony of Ayesha, the favourite wife of the prophet, with reference to this verse. One tradition runs thus,
"Ayesha said that the Sūra Akhrāb which she was reading was incomplete. In the time of the prophet it contained two hundred verses. ”

“ Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”’
S. P. C. K. PRESS, VEPERY, MADRAS—1906. ”

“ But the Imām Sāheb tells us that according to the copy of Ubi and the reading of Ibn-Masʿūd we should read several additional words in this passage, viz., (Arabic characters) "and he (Muhammad) is their father.” The reader will now perceive why Ibn-Masʿūd refused to give up his Qurān to the Khalif ʿUsmān; and, remembering the high encomiums passed upon the former’s Qurān by the prophet himself, will readily believe that these words have disappeared from the present Qurān. ”

“ This at least we know, that the Shiahs have constantly charged ʿUsmān with suppressing and altering various passages of the Qurān favourable to ʿAli and his family. Thus in the book 'Faniki-kitāb-Debistān' it is written, "ʿUsmān burnt the Qurān, and excised from it all those passages in which was related the greatness of ʿAli and his family. ”

“ In Sūra Jonas, verse 92, it is written,
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"If thou art in doubt concerning that which we have sent down unto thee (O Muhammad) , ask them who are reading the Book before thee." We have seen, in the preceding pages, that there is ample reason to doubt the testimony of the Qurān as it exists to-day; let Muslims then, with fearless resolution, turn to the Gospels and learn from them of the wonderful love of God as revealed in Christ Jesus. Jesus Himself said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away ”

“ If, then, our Muhammadan brethren, in spite of these undoubted defects in their sacred book, can still continue to read and believe in the same, upon what process of reasoning, we ask, do they object to read the Injīl because, as they think, it has been altered in some places? ”

“ Indeed we learn from the Itqān that the two men mentioned above, ʿUmr and Hishām, were both of the same tribe, the Quraish, so that a supposed difference of dialect does not account for the difference recorded above. ”

“ The fact that these scholars had to consider a variety of readings, to weigh their authority, and, if necessary, discard them in favour of the Meccan readings shows. to what an extent corruptions had crept into the text. ”