Quran: Was The Book 'Sent Down' to Muhammad?

MUSLIMS who attack the Bible and Christianity claim that the Holy Book is man-made. They then claim that only the Quran is God's true word.

Muslim even boast that the QURAN was "NEVER ALTERED, NEVER CHANGED" from the time that Allah "SENT DOWN" THE BOOK to their prophet. They say, "NOT A LETTER" was added or removed from that time.

However, TWO HADITHS or EARLY TRADITIONS of ISLAM TELL a DIFFERENT STORY, which CONTRADICTS the claims of Muslims about the Quran.

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A. THE BOOK 'SENT DOWN'?

The Quran says in at least 25 verses that it was "THE BOOK" that was "SENT DOWN" by God to Islam's prophet and to mankind.

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."

These three verses claim that Allah SENT DOWN THE BOOK to MUHAMMAD. Meaning, MUHAMMAD RECEIVED THE BOOK of the QURAN -- the SAME BOOK that MUSLIMS claim to POSSESS today.

But TWO AUTHETIC, or SAHIH, TRADITIONS of ISLAM tell us that THERE WAS NO BOOK of the QURAN even after their prophet died.

One of the Hadiths even say that Muhammad DID NOT EVEN COLLECT the DIFFERENT PARTS of the QURAN; and there WAS NO SINGLE MANUSCRIPT of the Quran, much less a BOOK to talk about.

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B. ISLAMIC TRADITION

A HADITH is an Islamic tradition related to their prophet Muhammad. It claims as its sources primarily Muhammad and then the early Muslims whose words or testimonies were orally transmitted then later collected by Islamic clerics.

The Hadith provides later generations, scholars and students a view of EARLY ISLAM -- from the time of Muhammad to several Islamic generations after him.

It is categorized into three: SAHIH or AUTHENTIC, HASAN or GOOD, and DA-IF or WEAK.

One AUTHENTIC HADITH is the collection made by IMAM MUHAMMAD AL-BUKHARI, who is well-known and highly accepted by Muslims, according to the Islamic website SUNNAH.COM.

And among the AUTHENTIC HADITHS is SAHIH HADITH BUKHARI 60:201.

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C. SAHIH HADITH BUKHARI 60:201 (numbering provided to facilitate reading)

1. Narrated Zaid bin Thabit Al-Ansari: who was one of those who used to write the Divine Revelation: Abu Bakr sent for me after the (heavy) casualties among the warriors (of the battle) of Yamama (where a great number of Qurra' were killed).

2. 'Umar was present with Abu Bakr who said, 'Umar has come to me and said, The people have suffered heavy casualties on the day of (the battle of) Yamama, and I am afraid that there will be more casualties among the Qurra' (those who know the Qur'an by heart) at other battle-fields, whereby a large part of the Qur'an may be lost, unless you collect it. And I am of the opinion that you should COLLECT THE QUR'AN."

3. Abu Bakr added, "I said to 'Umar, 'HOW CAN I DO SOMETHING which ALLAH'S APOSTLE HAS NOT DONE?'

4. 'Umar said (to me), 'By Allah, it is (really) a good thing.'

5. So 'Umar kept on pressing, trying to persuade me to accept his proposal, till Allah opened my bosom for it and I had the same opinion as 'Umar."

6. (Zaid bin Thabit added:) Umar was sitting with him (Abu Bakr) and was not speaking. me). "You are a wise young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of forgetfulness): and you used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle. Therefore, LOOK FOR THE QUR'AN and COLLECT IT (IN ONE MANUSCRIPT).

7. "By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of the mountains (from its place) it would not have been harder for me than what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Qur'an. I said to both of them, "HOW DARE YOU DO A THING which THE PROPHET HAS NOT DONE?"

8. Abu Bakr said, "By Allah, it is (really) a good thing. So I kept on arguing with him about it till Allah opened my bosom for that which He had opened the bosoms of Abu Bakr and Umar.

9. So I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from parchments, scapula, leaf-stalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who knew it by heart).

10. I found with Khuzaima two Verses of Surat-at-Tauba which I had not found with anybody else, (and they were):-- "Verily there has come to you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty He (Muhammad) is ardently anxious over you (to be rightly guided)" (9.128)

11. The manuscript on which the Quran was collected, remained with Abu Bakr till Allah took him unto Him, and then with 'Umar till Allah took him unto Him, and finally it remained with Hafsa, Umar's daughter.

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D. NO BOOK OF THE QURAN

The context of Bukhari 60:201 was AFTER THE DEATH of Islam's prophet in 632 AD. That's why Islam was already being led by ABU BAKR, the first Muslim caliph.

In No. 2 of BUKHARI 60:201, UMAR, a senior companion of Islam's prophet, approached Abu Bakr and expressed FEAR that "a large part of the Qur'an may be lost" because people "who knew the Quran by heart" were dying on the battlefield.

This is the first indication in the hadith that NO BOOK OF THE QURAN had been "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet as stated in the Quran.

Had THE BOOK of the QURAN been "SENT DOWN" to Muhammad, Umar would have had nothing to fear. They would just have to protect THE BOOK and have it copied (as another Muslim caliph would do later after ordering the REWRITING of the Quran).

The second indication that THE BOOK of the Quran was NOT SENT DOWN to Islam's prophet is UMAR WANTED ABU BAKR to "COLLECT THE QURAN."

Why would Umar demand the COLLECTION of the QURAN when THE BOOK was already "SENT DOWN" to Muhammad? Would the COLLECTION of the QURAN be BETTER than THE BOOK that was "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet?

Could it be that Umar wanted the Quran COLLECTED because THERE WAS NO BOOK of the Quran at that time? THE BOOK of the QURAN was NOT really SENT DOWN to Islam's prophet? THERE WAS NO BOOK SENT DOWN to MUSLIMS -- in CONTRAST to what the Quran says in several of its verses?

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E. NO SINGLE QURANIC MANUSCRIPT

Notice the reaction of Abu Bakr in No. 3, where he exclaims: "HOW CAN I DO SOMETHING which ALLAH'S APOSTLE HAS NOT DONE?"

WHAT?! Even Muhammad DID NOT HAVE the QURANIC "REVELATIONS" COLLECTED and WRITTEN in ONE MANUSCRIPT?

No wonder Abu Bakr PROTESTED. It would have made him appear BETTER than their prophet.

But then, Abu Bakr allowed Umar to CONVINCE him to do something that THEIR PROPHET DID NOT DO.

In the hadith, Abu Bakr claims that "Allah opened my bosom for it."

But doesn't that make it appear that ALLAH NEVER "OPENED THE BOSOM" of ISLAM'S PROPHET to COLLECT the QURAN into ONE MANUSCRIPT?

Did Abu Bakr claim to HAVE A BETTER "REVELATION" than WHAT THEIR PROPHET HAD?

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F. MUHAMMAD DID NOT DO IT

After ABU BAKR claimed that "Allah opened my bosom" to COLLECT the QURAN, he appointed a scribe named ZAID BIN THABIT to "COLLECT" the Quran and PUT IT in ONE MANUSCRIPT. (No. 6)

Zaid bin Thabit, who is described as Muhammad's "personal scribe," PROTESTED the ORDER of Abu Bakr.

In No. 7, we read Zaid bin Thabit's reaction: "HOW DARE YOU DO A THING which THE PROPHET HAS NOT DONE?"

As a scribe who "used to write the Divine Inspiration for Allah's Apostle (No. 6)," Zaid bin Thabit knew that Islam's prophet NEVER HAD the QURAN COLLECTED in ONE MANUSCRIPT.

The FACT that Muhammad had a SCRIBE to WRITE DOWN "Divine Inspiration" for Islam's prophet is another indication that THE BOOK of the QURAN was NOT "SENT DOWN" to HIM.

Why WRITE DOWN QURANIC "REVELATIONS" when THE BOOK had already been "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet?

Now, the FACT that Islam's prophet DID NOT COLLECT the QURANIC MATERIALS point to him NOT EVEN THINKING of HAVING IT IN ONE MANUSCRIPT or even ONE BOOK.

So, WHAT "BOOK" is the QURAN REFERRING TO when it says "THE BOOK" was "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet?

ABU BAKR, UMAR and ZAID BIN THABIT were NOT AWARE of "THE BOOK" of the QURAN when they were still alive.

Did Abu Bakr and Umar DECIDE to HAVE the QURAN COLLECTED precisely because there was NO BOOK of the QURAN that was "SENT DOWN" to their prophet?

Had there been THE BOOK of the QURAN that was "SENT DOWN" to Muhammad, Abu Bakr and Umar would have CONTRADICTED IT by having the QURAN COLLECTED, right?

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G. QURAN FINALLY COLLECTED IN ONE MANUSCRIPT

Despite his own protestations, ZAID BIN THABIT was CONVINCED by Abu Bakr to COLLECT the QURAN. He claimed that "Allah opened my bosom." (No. 8)

Like Abu Bakr, Zaid bin Thabit appear to have claimed that HE RECEIVED A REVELATION to COLLECT the QURAN -- something that ISLAM'S PROPHET DID NOT DO. (No. 7)

In No. 9, Zaid bin Thabit said, "I started locating Quranic material and collecting it from PARCHMENTS, SCAPULA, LEAF STALKS of DATE PALMS and from the MEMORIES OF MEN (who knew it by heart)."

It was only then that the Quran was COLLECTED in ONE MANUSCRIPT. (No. 11)

Those parts of Hadith Bukhari 60:201 are more indicators that THE BOOK of the QURAN was NOT "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet as stated by the Quran.

Why would early Muslims WRITE DOWN Quranic material on "parchments, scapula, leaf stalks" and have them in "the memories of men" if THE BOOK had already been "SENT DOWN" to Muhammad?

Why was there a need to COLLECT the Quranic materials if THE BOOK had already been SENT DOWN to MUSLIMS?

If the Quran is to be believed, Zaid bin Thabit should have just TAKEN THE BOOK of the QURAN that was "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet and COPIED IT. Right?

Why didn't Zaid bin Thabit just GET THE BOOK which the QURAN says was "SENT DOWN" to Islam's prophet? Is it because THERE WAS REALLY NO BOOK SENT DOWN to MUHAMMAD?

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H. THE BOOK SENT DOWN OR NOT?

Now, the questions arise about what to believe: Should the QURAN be believed that "ALLAH SENT DOWN THE BOOK" of the QURAN to ISLAM'S PROPHET?

Or should SAHIH HADITH BUKHARI 60:201 be believed pointing to the OPPOSITE of what the Quran is saying?

Can the QURAN and the HADITH be both telling the truth when they TELL OPPOSING CLAIMS pertaining to very CLEAR FACTS?

The DECISION now rests on the READER.