What is the proof of the Qur’an’s protection from addition or omission?
What is the proof that the Qur’an has been preserved from addition and omission?
Is there any definitive evidence that the Noble Qur’an has been safeguarded from attempts of manipulation or reduction? Because when one examines the history of the Qur’an’s compilation, the delay in its codification, and the existence of opponents to the method of its collection, this matter raises numerous questions.
Is it reasonable to think that all the reports from both the Shia and the Sunnis on this issue are fabricated — given that the number of narrations regarding this matter exceeds what could reasonably be suspected of fabrication? It is astonishing that both groups agreed to record these narrations and include them in most of the hadith collections, and that some scholars of hadith explicitly stated opinions acknowledging that copyists made transcription errors — such as Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
I am not speaking about the attempt to add something that is not in the Qur’an — that is impossible, for it would nullify the Qur’an’s authority — but rather about omission, deletion, or the placement of some verses in non-original locations. We need a satisfactory response from both Sunni and Shia brothers on this issue, for this is a doubt that troubles many people without receiving a convincing answer.
Response
The answer comes from several perspectives, each building upon the other:
First Aspect:
The definitive verse of the Qur’an, clear in its meaning, explicitly states that the Book of Allah is protected from distortion, alteration, and change:
“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder (the Qur’an), and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
(Surah al-Ḥijr, 15:9)
Preservation here is absolute, and it is of two types:
- Preservation of its verses, and
- Preservation of its understanding.
The first type — the preservation of the verses from addition or omission — will be discussed in the next aspect.
As for the second type — the preservation of understanding — we will briefly refer to it: after the cessation of prophethood, that correct understanding has remained protected from distortions of interpretation. This is reflected in the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):
“I am leaving among you two weighty things: if you hold fast to them, you will never go astray after me — the Book of Allah and my progeny, the people of my household. The All-Gentle, the All-Knowing has informed me that they will never separate until they return to me at the Fountain.”
Thus, the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s family) are the guardians of understanding whenever the ummah differs — and, all the more so, they are the guardians of the verses whenever the ummah differs.
Second Aspect:
In the firmly established doctrine upon which all Muslims have agreed, whatever Allah has stated in His Book will indeed occur — and Allah has pledged to preserve His Book from distortion and alteration.
However, we have found certain hadith reports that cause some observers to doubt the history of the Qur’an’s compilation and to ask whether it was altered or if some verses were omitted. This has created — through the explicit statements of certain prominent scholars from both the Sunni and Imami (Shia) sects — some confusion and suspicion regarding the divine preservation of the Qur’an.
The conclusion, however, is that the word of Allah takes precedence over even the most authentic hadiths if they appear to contradict the Book of Allah.
So what, dear researcher, do you say about the statements of scholars from both the Sunni and Imami sects, if those statements imply an addition to or omission from the words of the Noble Qur’an? Such statements are to be rejected.
Once you reach this certainty — and you regard all such statements as mere drafts or preliminary opinions unworthy of reliance — you will naturally ask yourself:
How can I be sure that this Qur’an, with its script and its verses as we have them today, is indeed the same Qur’an that was revealed to our master Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
Third Aspect:
Here lies the answer to the question raised in the second aspect.
We can be certain that this Qur’an — with its current script and its present verses — is indeed the same Qur’an that was revealed to our master Muhammad (peace be upon him). This is supported by several proofs:
First Proof:
This matter has been one over which narrations and scholarly opinions among the various sects have differed.
Yet despite these differences, none of them have established any Qur’anic text other than these well-known verses that exist between the two covers of the Qur’an as we have it today.
Whoever claimed that there was addition or omission never actually added to or removed from the written forms and scripts of the Qur’ans that are in our hands. Their disagreement did not go beyond what was written in books, commentaries, or marginal notes.
This is evidence to the researcher that what exists between the two covers — that which is widespread and in the hands of Muslims — is indeed the Book of Allah that was revealed to our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
The fact that this preservation of form and content has remained intact, despite such scholarly disputes in written works, is a sign of Allah’s mercy and the fulfillment of His promise of preservation.
Therefore, what is narrated in those books amounts to nothing more than words with no real effect — for they have not affected the actual text of the Noble Qur’an, which has been transmitted through massive continuous transmission (tawātur) in its current form for hundreds of years. It will remain so, by Allah’s will, until the end of human responsibility (the end of time).
This is a clear and sufficient proof:
If those recorded disputes in the books of both sects had any real connection to the Glorious Book, they would themselves have been preserved along with it — since the Book is divinely protected.
But since that is not the case, we judge that such reports are not part of it.
As for this script and these verses between the two covers, which we are discussing — if they had been the product of consensus by only one sect, group, or faction of Muslims, our claim would fall.
But the agreement of all sects on them — and the insignificance of the isolated dissenting opinions — shows that Allah’s preservation of His Book outweighs all disagreement.
Second Proof:
The Messenger of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him and his family — who does not speak out of desire, and whose words are nothing but revelation from Allah the Exalted, has established for us a guiding principle that prevents us from disagreement and resolves our disputes whenever they arise.
He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, as previously mentioned in the first aspect, in the authentic and mutawātir (mass-transmitted) ḥadīth of al-Thaqalayn (the Two Weighty Things):
“I am leaving among you two weighty things: the Book of Allah and my progeny, my household. If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray after me.”
And likewise, in the ḥadīth of the Ark (ḥadīth al-safīnah):
“The likeness of my household among you is that of the Ark of Noah: whoever boards it is saved, and whoever stays behind drowns and perishes.”
From this, it necessarily follows that the script and verses of the Qur’an are preserved through the transmission of the Prophet’s household (the ‘itrah) — the most trustworthy channel by which souls find assurance and doubt and suspicion are removed — alongside the previously mentioned mass transmission (tawātur) of its recitation and written form.
Now, the question arises: What is the transmission chain of the ‘itrah — the Imams of the Zaydiyyah, the noble descendants of al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn — to the Qur’an?
The answer: Their chain of transmission, in addition to the consensus of the entire Muslim ummah, rests upon two foundations:
1. The consensus of the ‘itrah — and what has been mass-transmitted from them — that the Noble Qur’an present between the two covers is indeed the Book of Allah, His speech, His revelation, and His word, untouched by addition or omission, and that such alteration is impossible regarding it.
This is the consensus of the earliest members of the Prophet’s household:
the Commander of the Faithful after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), namely ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and the same belief was held by al-Ḥasan, al-Ḥusayn, ‘Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn, al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan, Zayd ibn al-Ḥasan, Muḥammad al-Bāqir, Zayd ibn ‘Alī, ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Ḥasan al-Maḥḍ, and others among the noble descendants of the Prophet’s family — up to this very day.
2. Imām al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq, Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ismā‘īl ibn Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (245–298 AH)**, said:
“My father narrated to me from his father (al-Qāsim al-Rassī), who said:
‘I read the muṣḥaf (copy of the Qur’an) of the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib — may Allah’s mercy be upon him — which was kept by an elderly woman from the descendants of al-Ḥasan ibn Zayd ibn al-Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib.I found it written in parts, in different handwritings. At the bottom of one section was written: “Written by ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib.”
At the bottom of another: “Written by ‘Ammār ibn Yāsir.”
At another: “Written by al-Miqdād.”
At another: “Written by Salmān al-Fārisī.”
And at another: “Written by Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī.”
It was as if they had cooperated in writing it.My grandfather, al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm — may Allah’s peace be upon him — said:
“I read it, and found it to be the same Qur’an that is in the hands of the people today, letter for letter — not a single letter more or less — except that in the verse(Surah al-Tawbah, 9:123)
قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُم مِّنَ الْكُفَّارِ (Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you)
it was written as:
اقْتُلُوا الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُم مِّنَ الْكُفَّارِ (Kill those of the disbelievers who are near to you),and I found in it the two chapters of al-Mu‘awwidhatayn .’” [1]
3. Imām al-Qāsim ibn Ibrāhīm al-Rassī said:
“A group of false claimants — ignorant and senseless people — have said that some of the Qur’an has been lost. They have fabricated lies about it without realizing what they are doing, and they have spoken falsely about Allah in this matter without knowledge.
Glory be to Allah! Do they not hear His saying:
‘Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.’ (Surah al-Ḥijr, 15:9)
and His saying:
‘But it is a Glorious Qur’an, in a Preserved Tablet.’ (Surah al-Burūj, 85:21–22)
The Book of Allah is the Wise Reminder and the Noble, Great Qur’an — so from where could loss ever reach it while Allah Himself has taken charge of preserving it?
Or how could it be valid for anyone to claim — on the authority of any of the righteous — that he heard such a thing, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had so many companions, most of whom were literate and skilled in writing?
Indeed, this is a most astonishing falsehood! No rightly guided person, nor any sound-minded individual, would ever accept it.
We seek refuge in Allah from ignorance and blindness, and we ask Him to grant us, through His Book, knowledge, and to make it for us a shining lamp in every dark night and a cure and refreshment for every thirsting heart.” [2]
4. Al-Ḥāfiẓ Muḥammad ibn Manṣūr al-Murādī said:
“Ḥamzah ibn Aḥmad ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib — peace be upon him — informed me, saying:
‘I read the muṣḥaf (Qur’anic codex) that ‘Alī had written in his own hand; and it is this same Qur’an that is in the hands of the people today — without addition or omission.’” [3]
5. Imām al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq, Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn, said:
“How could even a little or much of the Qur’an be lost, when it is the proof of the One, the All-Subtle, the All-Knowing — in which He has placed His obligations upon His creation?
It has indeed been preserved and protected from every flaw or corruption.
Woe, then, to anyone who claims there is deficiency in the Furqān (the Qur’an)!
Has he not heard the saying of the Most Merciful:
‘But it is a Glorious Qur’an, in a Preserved Tablet.’ (Surah al-Burūj, 85:21–22)
Thus He informed that the Qur’an is preserved with Him — Exalted be His Majesty.
And He also says:
‘Indeed, it is an honored Book; falsehood cannot approach it from before it nor from behind it; [it is] a revelation from One All-Wise, All-Praiseworthy.’ (Surah Fuṣṣilat, 41:41–42)
And He says:
‘Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.’ (Surah al-Ḥijr, 15:9)
Thus He declared that once the Reminder was sent down, He Himself is its Preserver.
None utters anything other than this preservation except one who is an ignorant fool — one who has strayed from right guidance and truth, who rejects the word of Allah, opposes it with hostility, and denies what Allah Himself affirmed of His preservation of it.” [4]
6. As for Imām Zayd ibn ‘Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (75–122 AH), he authored a commentary titled “Gharīb al-Qur’ān” (The Rare or Uncommon Expressions of the Qur’an).
Within it, there is not a single letter in which he diverged from the Qur’an known and recognized by the entire Muslim ummah.
This constitutes yet another confirmation, through the lineage of the Fāṭimid (Prophetic) Household, of the Qur’an’s integrity and preservation.
And nothing has been authentically transmitted through the Zaydī tradition that undermines the narration or transmission of the Qur’an.
The consensus of the noble leaders of the Prophet’s Household (the ‘itrah) — who are the companions of the Book — is that the Book of Allah, exalted is He, is preserved both in its verses and in its understanding.
Whoever becomes confused because of the disagreements among the traditionists and authors from the various Muslim sects, his confusion arises from their dispute regarding the People of the House of their Prophet — from their putting themselves before those whom Allah has preferred among His creation.
This is the same path as those who came before them, who rejected divine preference and selection, until some among them repeated the words of their predecessors, rejecting divine election, as Allah said:
“And thus We have tried some of them by means of others, that they might say, ‘Are these the ones whom Allah has favored from among us?’ Does not Allah know best those who are grateful?”
(Surah al-An‘ām, 6:53)
Had it not been that ḥadīths such as the ḥadīth of al-Thaqalayn, the ḥadīth of the Ark, the ḥadīth of the Stars, and others mass-transmitted regarding the status and virtue of the Prophet’s Household were clear, manifest, and widely known, then they would have had an excuse for turning away from their guidance.
But since they turned away from their leadership, they consequently disagreed concerning the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
We ask Allah to unite the affairs of the ummah upon that which He loves and is pleased with.
And all praise is due to Allah.
Answered by: al-Kāẓim al-Zaydī — may Allah grant him success.
Footnotes
[1] The Collected Works and Letters of Imām al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn.
[2] The Collected Works and Letters of Imām al-Qāsim al-Rassī.
[3] Jāmi‘ ‘Ulūm Āl Muḥammad (The Compendium of the Sciences of the Family of Muḥammad), manuscript.
[4] The Collected Works and Letters of Imām al-Hādī ilā al-Ḥaqq Yaḥyā ibn al-Ḥusayn, p. 463.