Quran: Book 'Sent Down' by Allah or Made by Man?

SOME MUSLIMS have been unrelenting in attacking the BIBLE and CHRISTIANS while claiming that the Quran is THE BOOK SENT DOWN by God to man.

Recently, some of these Muslims even used FAKE NEWS in making FALSE CLAIMS about the BIBLE.

As Catholics, we are taught to RESPECT the BELIEFS of OTHER RELIGIONS. As much as possible, we AVOID discussing other faiths.

However, the attacks by some MUSLIMS on the CATHOLIC CHURCH, the POPE and the BIBLE have forced us to RESPOND by EXPLAINING the CORRECTNESS of OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH and also EXAMINE their CLAIMS about their RELIGION.

+++

A. BOOK OF QURAN SENT DOWN BY ALLAH?

To belittle the Bible, some Muslims claim that the Quran is superior because it is the "Book sent down by Allah." In at least 25 verses, the Quran makes that claim.

In Quran 2:176, it says:

"That is because Allah has SENT DOWN THE BOOK (the QUR'AN) in truth. And verily, those who disputed as regards the book are far away in opposition."

Quran 3:3 states:

"It is He Who has SEND DOWN THE BOOK (the QUR'AN) to you (O MUHAMMAD صلى الله عليه وسلم) with truth, confirming what came before it. And He sent down the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel),"

Also, in Quran 4:136

"O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger (MUHAMMAD صلى الله عليه وسلم), and THE BOOK (the QUR'AN) which He has SENT DOWN TO HIS MESSENGER, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him); and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away."

As such, some Muslims claim that the Quran is the "perfect" book that will do away with the Bible. (cf. 1Corinthians 13:10)

Their claim is contradicted by Islamic tradition, which shows that the BOOK of the Quran was NOT SENT DOWN.

How can Muslims claim that the Quran is "perfect" when many of its verses are CONTRADICTED by ISLAMIC TRADITION?

+++


B. ISLAMIC TRADITION SHOWS NO BOOK WAS SENT DOWN

Two Islamic traditions called hadith show that the BOOK of the QURAN was NOT SENT DOWN but was COMPILED, REWRITTEN and MADE INTO a BOOK by early Muslims.

In an earlier post here, it was written that one of the Islamic traditions called Hadith Sahih Bukhari 60:201 showed that NO BOOK was SENT DOWN to Muslims or to their prophet Muhammad. 

In fact, Bukhari 60:201 clearly shows that THERE was NO BOOK of the QURAN when Islam's prophet died.

The absence of a book prompted a companion of Muhammad named Umar to ask the first caliph of Islam, Abu Bakr, to have bits and pieces of the Quran collected for fear that these would be lost.

The clearest proof given in Bukhari 60:201 that THERE WAS NO BOOK of the QURAN was the protestation of Abu Bakr to Umar's suggestion.

Abu Bakr told Umar, "How can I do something which ALLAH'S APOSTLE HAS NOT DONE?"

NOT EVEN MUHAMMAD COLLECTED or COMPILED the QURAN in WRITTEN FORM. 

According to Islamic tradition, there was NO BOOK of the QURAN when Islam's prophet was still living, when he died and after he died.

BUKHARI 60:201 shows NO BOOK of the QURAN was SENT DOWN to HIM or to any Muslim -- CONTRARY to what Muslims say and what the QURAN CLAIMS.

So, how could anyone even say that the BOOK of the QURAN was "SENT DOWN" to MUHAMMAD?


+++

C. QURAN COMPILED; NO BOOK

In Sahih Hadith Bukhari 60:201, it is shown that a scribe named Zaid bin Thabit was ORDERED by Abu Bakr to COMPILE bits and pieces of the Quran.

After PROTESTING that ISLAM'S PROPHET NEVER even tried to COMPILED the QURAN, Bin Thabit started compiling scattered pieces of the Quran.

He found various pieces of the Quran "from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart)."

There was NO BOOK from which he copied the Quran.

Bin Thabit COLLECTED the pieces of the Quran and COMPILED THESE in a MANUSCRIPT.

Take note, it was just a MANUSCRIPT. It was NOT EVEN a BOOK.

Even at that time, THERE WAS still NO BOOK of the QURAN.

+++

D. BOOK OF QURAN WHEN DID IT APPEAR?

Islamic tradition shows that there was NO BOOK SENT DOWN when Islam's prophet was still alive, there was NO BOOK AFTER he died, there was even NO BOOK after the first leaders of Islam ordered the COMPILATION of bits and pieces of the Quran.

So, WHEN DID the BOOK of the QURAN come into existence?

According to ISLAMIC TRADITION, the BOOK of the QURAN was FINALLY MADE during the time of ISLAM'S THIRD CALIPH, UTHMAN.

Uthman ruled Islam starting 644 AD or 12 YEARS after MUHAMMAD DIED. Uthman died in 656 AD.

It was during UTHMAN'S 12-year reign that he ORDERED the MAKING of the BOOK of the QURAN, according to ISLAMIC TRADITION.

The making of the BOOK of the QURAN can be read in the ISLAMIC TRADITION in SAHIH AL-BUKHARI 61:510.

+++

E. ISLAMIC TRADITION

The TRADITION which MUSLIMS DECLARE are AUTHENTIC (SAHIH) can be read below. Verse numbers are provided for easier reading.


Sahih al-Bukhari Book 61 Hadith 510
1. Narrated Anas bin Malik: Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan.

2. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) DIFFERENCES IN THE RECITATION OF THE QUR'AN, so he said to 'Uthman, "O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Quran) as Jews and the Christians did before."


3. So 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, "Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may COMPILE the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you."


4. Hafsa sent it to 'Uthman. 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abdullah bin AzZubair, Said bin Al-As and 'AbdurRahman bin Harith bin Hisham to REWRITE the manuscripts in perfect copies.


5. 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, "In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue."


6. They did so, and when they had written many copies, 'Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa.


7. 'UTHMAN sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ORDERED that ALL the OTHER QUR'ANIC MATERIAL, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, BE BURNT.


8. Said bin Thabit added, "A Verse from Surat Ahzab was missed by me when we copied the Qur'an and I used to hear Allah's Apostle reciting it. So we searched for it and found it with Khuzaima bin Thabit Al-Ansari. (That Verse was): 'Among the Believers are men who have been true in their covenant with Allah.' (33.23)

+++

F. QUR'AN 'DIFFERENCES'

VERSE 2 of BUKHARI 61:510 above says there were already "DIFFERENCES IN THE RECITATION OF THE QUR'AN" during the time of UTHMAN.

In attacking and belittling the BIBLE, some MUSLIMS claim that the Christian holy book had many "differences" and "contradictions." They add that the QUR'AN never had any differences.

Bukhari 61:510 tends to disprove the claim of some Muslims that the Qur'an does not have differences.

The DIFFERENCES in the QUR'AN were exactly the reason why Uthman in VERSE 4 ordered the REWRITING of the MANUSCRIPT that was COLLECTED by ZAID BIN THABIT according to Bukhari 60:201.

+++

G. QUR'AN COMPILED

In verses 3 and 4, UTHMAN ORDERED that the MANUSCRIPT COMPILED by ZAID BIN THABIT be sent to him so that these could be "COMPILED" AGAIN.

This further tends to show the ABSENCE of a BOOK of the QURAN during the time of UTHMAN.

Had a BOOK of the QURAN been "SENT DOWN" to MUHAMMAD, there would have been NO NEED for BIN THABIT to COMPILE the QURAN and NO NEED for UTHMAN to COMPILE IT AGAIN.

ISLAMIC TRADITION again GOES AGAINST what some Muslims and what the QURAN CLAIM.

+++

H. 'PURE WORD OF GOD'

While ATTACKING the BIBLE, Some Muslims say that the CHRISTIAN HOLY BOOK is INFERIOR to the QURAN because the "QURAN is the PURE WORD of GOD."

However, Bukhari 61:510 again SHOWS OTHERWISE.

In verses 4 and 5, the ROLE of UTHMAN in the REWRITING of the QUR'AN is SHOWN.

In VERSE 5, UTHMAN ORDERED the people who were to REWRITE the QUR'AN to "WRITE in the DIALECT of QURAISH."

The verse says: "Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, 'In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue."

So, according to this ISLAMIC TRADITION, the QUR'AN was "REVEALED" and "REWRITTEN" in the DIALECT of the QURAISH.

No problem?

Unfortunately, questions arise.

+++

I. UTHMAN OVERRULES QUR'AN?

What right or authority did UTHMAN have to DICTATE HOW the BOOK of the QUR'AN should be REWRITTEN? WHO gave UTHMAN the AUTHORITY to SAY HOW ISLAM'S BOOK should be WRITTEN?

In verse 5, UTHMAN even OVERRULES the MANUSCRIPT of the QURAN that was gathered by BIN THABIT. UTHMAN ORDERS his men to "WRITE IT IN THE DIALECT of QURAISH." He also claimed that "the QUR'AN was REVEALED IN THEIR TONGUE."

In Quran 43:3, we can read this line: "Verily, we have made it a Qur'an in ARABIC that you may be able to understand."

Does that sound similar to the COMMAND of UTHMAN in Verse 5 of BUKHARI 61:510?

Curiously, the ORDER of UTHMAN to REWRITE the QUR-AN in QURAISH and the words of Quran 43:3 CONTRADICT the WORDS of MUHAMMAD in another HADITH.

In BUKHARI 41:601, MUHAMMAD says, "The Qur'an has been REVEALED in SEVEN DIFFERENT WAYS, so RECITE IT in the WAY that is easier for you."

In BUKHARI 54:442, it is made CLEAR that "WAY" means "DIALECT."

The HADITH quotes ISLAM'S PROPHET: "Gabriel read the QUR'AN to me in one way (i.e. DIALECT) and I continued asking him to READ IT in DIFFERENT WAYS till he READ IT in SEVEN DIFFERENT WAYS" or DIALECTS.

MUHAMMAD himself PROCLAIMS in BUKHARI 54:442 that the QUR'AN was "REVEALED" NOT ONLY in ONE WAY or DIALECT but in SEVEN DIALECTS.

So, on whose AUTHORITY did UTHMAN act in ORDERING the COMPOSING or REWRITING the QUR'AN in only ONE DIALECT?

WHO should people believe? UTHMAN who ORDERED the QUR'AN to be WRITTEN in ONE DIALECT (QURAISH) or MUHAMMAD who said the QUR'AN was "REVEALED" in "SEVEN DIALECTS"?

It is a matter MUSLIMS SHOULD DECIDE for THEMSELVES.

+++

J. UTHMAN BURNS QUR'ANIC MATERIALS

NOW, as if ORDERING the REWRITING of the QUR'AN was not enough, UTHMAN later COMMANDED the BURNING of ALL QUR'ANIC MATERIALS.

VERSE 7 of BUKHARI 61:510 says, UTHMAN "ORDERED that ALL the OTHER QUR'ANIC MATERIAL, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, BE BURNT."

The ONLY QUR'ANIC MATERIAL SPARED from BURNING was the MANUSCRIPT COMPILED by BIN THABIT, which was returned to HAFSA. (Verse 6)

This again indicates that, at that time, THERE WAS NO BOOK of the QUR'AN "SENT DOWN" from HEAVEN.

Had there been a BOOK SENT DOWN, it would have been BURNED by UTHMAN along with ALL the OTHER QUR'ANIC MATERIALS.

+++

K. WHERE WAS THE BOOK OF THE QUR'AN?

In the first place, HAD a BOOK been SENT DOWN to MUHAMMAD and to MUSLIMS, UTHMAN would NOT HAVE ORDERED the REWRITING of QUR'AN and COPIES of UTHMAN'S BOOK MADE.

UTHMAN should just have ORDERED the BOOK SENT DOWN to be COPIED and SENT to ALL MUSLIM.

But as shown by ISLAMIC TRADITION, THERE WAS NO BOOK SENT DOWN that UTHMAN could have copied.