THE SHIITE VIEW ON THE DISTORTION OF THE QURAN

[Taqavi]

What is the Shiite view on the distortion of the Quran?

 

One of the accusations against Shiites is their belief in the distortion of the Quran; for example, one prominent Sunni scholar, Alusi, says about the Shiite belief in the distortion of the Quran: "Shiites believe that Uthman, Omar, and Abu Bakr have removed many verses and chapters of the Quran."[1] Fakhr Razi, also a respected Sunni scholar, has a similar view on this issue as Alusi.[2]

However, these statements are nothing but false accusations, as throughout history, Shiite scholars have explicitly stated the position of Shiites regarding the issue of the distortion of the Quran, some of which are elaborated below:

Sheikh Saduq:

"We believe that the Quran revealed by Allah (SWT) to the Prophet (SAW) is the same book that is between its two covers and is accessible to all people, and nothing more... Anyone who attributes more than this to us is a liar."[3]

Sheikh Mufid:

Sheikh Mufid, while narrating a tradition on this issue, believes that the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) have ordered to recite what is between these two covers without any addition or subtraction.[4]

Sayyid Murtadha:

Our certainty in the correctness of the transmission of the Quran and its preservation intact is similar to our knowledge of the existence of cities and major world events and famous books and Arab poetry because there has been extraordinary attention and effort to safeguard the Quran, as it is a miracle of Prophethood and the main document of Islamic religious sciences and teachings.[5]

Sheikh Tusi:

Speaking of addition and subtraction in the Quran is not appropriate for this book, as any addition to the Quran has been unanimously considered invalid. Subtraction from the Quran contradicts the apparent teachings of Muslim scholars, and it is more appropriate to our correct belief. Sayyid Murtadha also confirms this and considers the contrary narrations as single news (Al-Khabar al Wahid).[6]

Imam Khomeini:

The late Imam has said about the distortion of the Quran, "Anyone with an iota of intellect should not believe in these words, as the reports are either inconclusive or fabricated, or they are strange and puzzling narrations, or they are authentic narrations that do not suggest any distortion but are related to the interpretation and explanation of the Quran."[7]

Fadl ibn Shadhan Nishaburi:

He says: Umar bin Khattab said: I fear it may be said that Umar inserted this verse into the Qur'an and made it a part of it. In the time of the Prophet of Allah (SAW), we used to recite the verse as follows: "Stone the elderly man and woman who have committed adultery out of desire, as a punishment ordained by the Mighty and Wise Allah."[8]

If the Shiites did have a belief in distortion, it would not differentiate them from the Sunni who believe in the same. Thus, they are both in agreement on this belief.

Tabrisi:

He says about the distortion of the Quran that any addition to the Quran is considered false by the consensus of scholars, and any subtraction from it has been mentioned by some of our companions and a group of heretics among the Sunnis, but our true belief in our sect is contrary to that.[9]

Allameh Hilli:

In response to a question about the distortion of the Quran, he said, "There is indeed no change, delay, priority, addition, or subtraction in the Quran, and seeking refuge in Allah from such beliefs, which cast doubt on the eternal miracle of the Prophet of Allah, is a miracle that has been transmitted continuously."[10]

Qadi Nurullah Shushtari:

He says about the distortion of the Quran that the occurrence of distortion in the Quran, attributed to the Shiites, is not a belief of the general Imami Shiites, and only a few of them have said such things that do not have a credible position among the Shiites.[11]

Based on the above statements, it is clear that the claim that Shiites believe in the distortion of the Qur'an is false, and Shiite scholars throughout history have confronted this accusation and clarified that the Qur'an has not been distorted.

The late Agha Buzurg Tehrani has mentioned in his book the names of many scholars who have written books refuting the distortion of the Quran, including Abu al-Qasim Ahmad ibn Ali al-Kufi who wrote the book "Tabdil wa Tahreef."[12] Raha Hussein ibn Zaher Hussein al-Koopalpouri and Ali Naqi bin al-Sayyid Abu al-Hasan al-Naqvi al-Lakahnavi both have books on the distortion of the Quran in which they address this issue.[13]

 

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[1] . Tafsir-i Ruh al-Ma'ani: Al-Alusi, Shahab al-Din, vol: 1 p: 24.

[2] . Al-Tafsir al-Kabir (Mafatih al-Ghaib): Al-Razi, Fakhr al-Din, vol: 19 p: 124.

[3] . Al-'Aqa'id: Al-Sheikh al-Saduq, vol: 1 p: 84.

[4] . Al-Masa'il al-Sarwiyyah: Al-Sheikh al-Mufid, vol: 1 p: 81.

[5] . Majma' al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an: Al-Sheikh al-Tabrisi, vol: 1 p: 43.

[6] . Tafsir al-Tibyan: Al-Sheikh al-Tusi, vol1 p: 3.  

[7] . Tahzib al-Usul: Al-Sobhani, Al-Sheikh Ja'far; Presentations of the discussion of al-Sayyid Ruh Allah al-Khomeini, vol: 2 p: 417.

[8] . Al-Izah: Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, vol: 1 p: 217.

^[9] . Majma' al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an: Al-Sheikh al-Tabrisi, vol: 1 p: 43.

^[10] . Ajwibah al-Masa'il al-Muhannaiyyah: Al-Allamah al-Hilli, vol: 1 p: 121.

^[11] . Musa'ib al-Nawasib: Al-Qadi al-Shahid Nur Allah al-Shushtari, vol: 1 p: 123.

^[12] . Al-Dhari'ah ila Tasanif al-Shi'ah: Al-Tehrani, Agha Buzurg, vol: 3 p: 311. 

^[13] . Ibid. p: 394.