Similarities Of The Mus’hafs

Similarities Of The Mus’hafs (Of Fatimah And Those Of The Companions)

The similarity of Mus’haf Fatimah with those that the Ahl al-Sunnah count (amongst their corpus) - such as those of A'ishah, Hafsah, and 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud - is in name only. The similarity is in name only because their Mus’hafs are replete with Quranic verses and additional material whereas Mus’haf Fatimah does not contain a single verse of Qur’an. Its name Mus’haf is only in reference to it being a bound book. It is only by way of ignorance and self-serving interests that the Shi'ah have been libellously accused of distorting the Qur’an.1

Their libel is based on the hadith in which Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) says that Mus’haf Fatimah is ‘three times larger than the Qur’an.’ However, he continues to say, ‘by Allah, there is not a single word from the Qur’an in it.’ The libel of corruption aimed towards the Shia is curious given that in the Sunni Mus’hafs there are verses of the Qur’an omitted and other (verses) that have extra words!

1. Mus’haf A'ishah

There is a narration in the Sunni books which says, ‘The Qur’an in A'ishah's possession contained deficiencies not presently found (in the Qur’an that all Muslims universally agree is authentic and free of errors of omission or commission). For example, after “Truly Allah and the angels send their blessings unto the Prophet” (33:54) was added, 'and those who pray in the first row2 (of communal prayer).'‘3 (In another hadith it says) ‘After “Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the middle prayer” (2:238) she had, 'and the late afternoon prayer.'‘4 This same matter appears in Hafsah's and Umm Salamah's Mus’hafs. We will refrain from mentioning other examples.

2. Mus’haf 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud

As recorded by the Sunnis, as per their own authentic sources, and according to Suyuti's interpretation, it says that Ibn Mas'ud believed that surahs al-Falaq (113:1-5) and al-Nas (114:1-5) were not part of the Qur’an, because it is a supplication (du'a). What's more amazing is that he thought the same of al-Fatihah (1:1-7). Because of this, Uthman5 burned his Mus’haf.6

3. Mus’haf Ubai Ibn K'ab

In place of ‘lilaldheen yu'lun’ [Ubai] would recite, ‘lilldheen yaqsimun’, and instead of ‘fa la jannah 'alahi inn yatuf bihuma’ he would recite, ‘illa yatuf bihuma’, etc.7

In the Sunni resources it has been said that some of the canonical verses are deficient. For example, ‘the verse of rijm (16:98),8 the verse of jihad (9:29),9 the verse of shahadah (5:67),1011 the verse of wilayayah of ‘Ali (5:55),12 etc.

It is important to note that both the Shi'i and Sunni sects consider the Qur’an to be free from distortion or error. The unusual or conflicting hadith are not reliable (in their authenticity). Among the Sunnis, 'Abd al-Rahman Jaziri in Al-fiqh 'ala al-madhhab al-arba'ah13 and Zarkushi in Al-Burhan fi 'ulum al-Qur’an,14 and… This matter has already been discussed. The Shi'i scholars also don't accept that the Qur’an is deficient or has been distorted. Once can point to Sheikh al-Saduq in Al-'Itiqadat15 and Sheikh al-Mufid in Awa'il al-maqalat,16 etc.

Tafsir, Tahrif, Hadith Qudsi

Regarding that of which we spoke, there are many phrases and passages in the Qurna that have a meaning beneath the external meaning. It is the explanation of these phrases that we call tafsir, or, exegesis.

Imam Husayn (‘a) said to his enemies, ‘You have made tahrif (distorted) on the book of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an).’ What he meant by this is the meaning of the Book (had been distorted) against the Divine intent.

Occasionally speeches were recorded that were hadith qudsi, (Divine speech), but were not counted as verses of the Qur’an.17

• 1. Al-Sira’ Bayn al-Islam wa al-Muthniyyah, volume 1, page D, Matba’a al-Salafiyyah, Cairo, 1354.
• 2. The first row of communal prayer is reserved for those with greater knowledge and piety. The reason for this is that if the prayer leader were to suddenly fall ill, or, make a mistake in the prayer, or, loose his ritual purity (Taharah), someone in the front row would have to fill in and continue the prayer without any discontinuity. It is likely that people like A’ishah’s father, Abu Bakr, as an early convert to Islam and wealthy benefactor of the religion, sat in the front row of prayer.
• 3. Al-Masahif, page 34, Matba’ah al-Rahmaniyyah, 1st edition, and, Alusi, Ruh al-Ma’ani, volume 1, page 25, Dar Ahya’ al-tarath al-‘Arabi, and, Al-Durr Al-Manthur, volume 5, page 220, Muhammad Amin Damaj publication.
• 4. Al-Musannaf, volume 1, page 537, hadith #2201, Al-majlis al-‘a’lami publication, and, Al-Durr Al-Manthur, volume 1, page 302.
• 5. Uthman Ibn ‘Affan was the 3rd Caliph. It is widely and incorrectly considered that Uthman was the first to collect the Qur’an in a bound manuscript. Imam ‘Ali (‘a) was the first to do so. We will mention the relevant hadith later in the text. Uthman, however, was the first to collect all extant Qurans, fragmentary or whole, destroy them and issue an authoritative Qur’an compiled and approved by a ‘blue ribbon panel’ which was then copied and distributed to various centers around the Islamic world which has growing rapidly in all directions away from Medina.
• 6. Al-Durr Al-Manthur, volume 4, page 414, ‘A discussion on the history of the Qur’an and its sciences’, and, Majlisi M, Bihar al-Anwar, volume 92, page 343.
• 7. Al-Mus’haf, volume 1, page 131, and, Al-Itiqan, volume 1, page 47, Dar al-Fikr, and, Ruh al-Ma’ani, volume 1, page 25.
• 8. Al-Masahif, page 33; Akdabubah, Tahrif al-Quran, page 43, and, Al-I’tiqan, volume 1, page 41.
• 9. Al-I’tiqan, volume 2, page 25.
• 10. Muslim, A. Sahih Muslim, tr. A.H. Siddiqui, volume 2, page 724, Kitab Bhavan; 2000.
• 11. The author appears to be referring to hadiths no. 438-440. They are similar in content; no. 438 reads in part, ‘…[Uthman said] By Allah, I am narrating to you a hadith. If there were not a verse in the Book of Allah, I would have never narrated it to you…’
• 12. Al-Durr Al-Manthur, volume 2, page 293.
• 13. Jaziri, AR, Al-fiqh ‘ala al-madhhab al-arba’ah, volume 4, page 24, Dar Ahya’ al-tarath al-‘Arabi publications, Beirut.
• 14. Zarkushi. Al-Burhan fi ‘ulum al-Qur’an, volume 2, page 253, Dar al-Ma’rifah, Beirut.
• 15. Al-Saduq, Al-‘Itiqadat, page 84, Al-Mu’tamar al-‘Alamin, Qom.
• 16. Mufid, Awa’il al-maqalat, page 81, Al-Mu’tamar al-‘Alamin, Qom.
• 17. Sayyid Sharif Jurjani says: ‘[Hadith-i qudsi] is from God, the Most Exalted, from the point of view of meaning, and from the Prophet (S) from the viewpoint of actual wording. It constitutes what God has communicated to the Prophet (S) through revelation or in dreams. The Prophet (S) informed others of its meaning in his own words. Accordingly, the Qur'an is superior to the hadith-i qudsi, because it is the actual Word of God.’ Quoted in Outlines of the development of the science of hadith, M. Awliya’i, Al-Tawhid, vols.1-3.