History of The Quran - Completeness

Completeness

Muslims believe that Quran, as it is presented today, is complete and untouched, supported by their faith in quranic verses such as "We have, without doubt, sent down the Reminder ; and We will assuredly guard it " (Quran 15:9).

Due to the varying accounts and hadiths on the collection and canonization of the Qur'an, some scholars debate whether the 'Uthmanic text comprehends the entire body of material that was revealed to the Prophet, or if there has been material that is missing from the 'Uthmanic text. For example, some Sunni literature contains reports that suggest that some of the revelations had already been lost before the collection of the Qur'an initiated by Abu Bakr. It is reported, for example, that 'Umar was once looking for the text of a specific verse of the Qur'an on stoning as a punishment for adultery, which he remembered. Later, he discovered that the only person who had any record of that verse had been killed in the battle of Yamama and as a result the verse was lost. Later, some of the Companions recalled that same verse, one person being 'A'isha, the Prophet's youngest wife. She is believed to have said that a sheet on which two verses, including the one on stoning, were under her bedding and that after the Prophet died, a domestic animal got into the room and gobbled up the sheet.

Certain Shi’i scholars even state that Ali’s predecessors willfully excluded all references to right of Ali to be the next caliph after the Prophet died. A small group of early extremist Shi’i’s questioned the integrity of the of the Uthmani codex stating that two suras, “al-Nurayn” (The Two Lights) and “al-Walayah” (the Guardianship), which dealt with the virtues of the Prophet’s family were removed.

Al-Khu’i addresses this issue and argues for the authenticity and completeness of the Qur'an on the basis that it was compiled during the lifetime of the Prophet. His argument is based on hadiths and on critically analyzing the situation during and after the life of the Prophet.

On the argument that verses of Ali’s rule had been removed, Al-Khu’i states that the collection of the Qur'an by Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman occurred significantly after the caliphate was decided and so if Ali’s rule had been mentioned it would have been the strongest argument for him to be the first caliph. There would have been no need for the Muslims to gather to appoint someone. (Khu’i 158) The fact that the Companions did not mention anything, neither at the beginning of the caliphate nor after the caliphate had fallen to ‘Ali is proof that alteration in this sense did not occur.

Another, argument Al-Khu’i brings up in favor of the Qur'an is that by the time ‘Uthman became caliph, Islam had spread to such an extent that it was impossible for him, or even for anyone more powerful than him, to remove anything from the Qur'an. The value and importance the Qur'an during this time protected it from being altered. In the oral culture at this time, people paid great attention to memorizing pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, it is hard to imagine that they did not pay similar attention to the preservation of the Book of the Almighty, especially since they believed they would be rewarded in the hereafter for memorizing it. Uthman could have altered the text, but he would have been unable to remove the Qur'an from the hearts of the Muslims who had memorized it.

In addition, had Uthman changed the Qur'an, it would have served as the clearest argument for, and major justification of, his public assassination. His opponents would have brought this up against him, but there are no records of this. Al-Khu’i also argues that if Uthman had altered the Qur'an, Ali would have restored it to its original state upon the death of Uthman, especially if verses of his rule had been removed. Instead Ali is seen promoting the Qur'an during his reign, which is evidence that there was no alteration.