14/04/2025
The Hadith and the History of the Quran
One of the things we often hear from our Muslim friends is this: "The Quran has never been changed. It is exactly the same today as it was when Prophet Muhammad received it from the angel Gabriel." This belief is very common and very strong in the Muslim world. In fact, itâs one of the main reasons many Muslims feel confident in their faith.
They believe that while the Bible which consists of the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels, has been changed or corrupted over time, the Quran has been perfectly preserved. And they use this claim to say that Islam is the true religion, and Christianity and Judaism have lost their way. They even point to a verse in the Quran where Allah supposedly says, âWe have revealed the Reminder (Quran), and We will surely guard itâ (Surah 15:9).
Now, this belief in perfect preservation is very important to Islam. The Quran is at the center of everything for a Muslim...it guides their laws, their worship, their way of life, and even their identity. So, if it could be shown that the Quran was changed or parts of it were forgotten, that would shake the very foundation of their faith.
But hereâs something many Muslims donât know: when you read their own books, books like Sahih Bukhari, which they consider one of the most trusted records of Muhammadâs words and actions...you see a very different story.
Let me explain it to you.
The Quran was not written down all at once. It didnât come as a complete book. Muhammad would speak verses when he claimed to receive them, and his followers would memorize them or write them on bones, leaves, and scraps of leather. Sometimes he gave different versions of the same verse to different people. This caused confusion, even while Muhammad was still alive.
There were arguments among the Muslims about who had the correct version. But instead of correcting one side, Muhammad would say, âYouâre both right, so donât argue.â He told them that disagreements over scripture were what destroyed nations before them.
Now after Muhammad died, something serious happened. Many of the people who had memorized the Quran died in battles. This worried the first caliph, Abu Bakr. He was afraid that if more memorizers died, large portions of the Quran would be lost forever. So he called on Zaid ibn Thabit, one of Muhammadâs scribes, to gather the Quran into one book.
Zaid himself admitted that it was a hard task. He had to find pieces of the Quran from peopleâs memories and from scraps of writing. Some verses were found with only one witness. Yet he gathered what he could and made a single copy, which was kept safe in the house of one of Muhammadâs widows.
But as time passed and Islam spread to new lands, more problems came up. Different groups were reciting the Quran in different ways. The disagreements were getting serious. So the third caliph, Uthman, decided to take action. He took the manuscript that Zaid had collected, edited it, made several copies, and sent them to the main cities of the Muslim empire.
But hereâs the shocking part: Uthman then ordered that every other version of the Quran...anything written by anyone else, in any form should be burned. All the old copies and fragments were destroyed. The goal was to make sure that only his version was accepted.
Now friends, think about that for a moment. If the Quran had never been changed, if nothing had been forgotten, if everyone had the same version, then why was there a need to burn other copies? Why did they have to edit the text? Why were there arguments in the first place?
Even after Uthmanâs version was made official, some companions of Muhammad, like Ubay ibn Kaâb, said they had verses that were left out. And they refused to stop reciting them because they said they heard them directly from the Prophet.
All of this comes from Sahih Bukhari...not from Christian scholars or enemies of Islam, but from their most trusted books.
So what does this mean?
It means that the idea that the Quran has been perfectly preserved is not true...not even according to Islamic tradition. The truth is, like any other ancient text, the Quran went through a process. It was spoken, memorized, forgotten, argued over, written down, edited, and even standardized by burning other copies.
This doesnât mean we attack Muslims or mock their faith. No. But it does mean we speak the truth in love. We must lovingly show them that the Bible is not corrupted, and that the message of salvation in Jesus Christ is trustworthy. And we can ask them gently: If your own books tell a different story about the Quranâs preservation, are you willing to consider the truth about Godâs Word which is the Bible?
Let us stand firm on the truth, not with pride, but with compassion...ready to explain, ready to defend, and ready to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
