Individuals who ascribe to upholding Hadith besides the Quran struggle to define what the Quran is. This is due to their erroneous understanding that the verses of the Quran were abrogated or forgotten.
According to Al-Itqan fi Ulum al-Qur’an ( االتقان في علوم القران), by Jalaluddin Suyuti, English Translation by Muneer Fareed it states:
Abu ‘Ubaid said: “Ismai’il b. Ibrahim reported to us, from Ayyub, from Nafi, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said:
“Nobody should say that he has committed the whole Qur’an to memory, for he does not know what is the whole Qur’an, since much of the Qur’an has been eliminated. Rather, he should say that he has memorized what is found of it.”
– Variant Readings of The Qur’an, Ahmad ‘Ali Al-Imam
According to followers of Hadith:
Satanic verses were accidentally added to the Quran
There used to be a sura as long as Sura 9
The Quran had two additional suras, Named ‘l-Khal`a and ‘l-Hafd, that were forgotten
Sura 33, Al-Ahzãb, which contains 73 verses, used to contain 200 verses. While another narration stated that it was originally the same length as Sura 2, Al-Baqarah, which is the longest sura in the Quran with 286 verses
Sura 9, Barã’ah, was originally much longer
That the compilers of the Quran debated to making the last two verses, which were falsely added to Sura 9, into its own sura, but decided instead to add it to the end of Sura 9 because there wasn’t a third verse added to it
The verses regarding stoning of adulterers and adult suckling were left out of the Quran
The 113 occurrences of Basmallah in the Quran are not part of the Quran
The Quran came down in seven modes (ahruf)
Many of the verses of the Quran were lost and never written down
Satanic Verses
According to traditional sources, the prophet accidentally included two verses praising the ancient Meccan pagan goddesses: al-Lāt, al-‘Uzzá, and Manāt. This narration can be read in early prophetic biographies of Muhammad by al-Wāqidī, Ibn Sa’d, the tafsir of al-Tabarī, al-Durr al-manthur, al-Sirat al-Halabiyya, and Fath al-bari.
There are different narrations of the event, but the basic form of the story reports that as Muhammad was reciting the following verses of Sura 53, The Stars, (Al-Najm / الـنجـم):
53:19 Compare this with the female idols Allaat and Al-‘Uzzah.
Satan tricked the prophet into uttering the following lines:
These are the high-flying cranes,
and their intercession is to be hoped for.
An extensive account of the incident is found in al-Tabarī’s history, the Tarīkh (Vol. VI) (c. 915 CE):
The prophet was eager for the welfare of his people, desiring to win them to him by any means he could. It has been reported that he longed for a way to win them, and part of what he did to that end is what Ibn Humayd told me, from Salama, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Yazīd ibn Ziyād al-Madanī, from Muhammad ibn Ka’b al-Qurazī:
When the prophet saw his people turning away from him and was tormented by their distancing themselves from what he had brought to them from God, he longed in himself for something to come to him from God which would draw him close to them. With his love for his people and his eagerness for them, it would gladden him if some of the hard things he had found in dealing with them could be alleviated. He pondered this in himself, longed for it, and desired it.
Then God sent down the revelation. ‘By the star when it sets! Your companion has not erred or gone astray, and does not speak from mere fancy…’ [Q.53:1] When he reached God’s words, “Have you seen al-Lāt and al-‘Uzzā and Manāt, the third, the other?’ [Q.53:19–20] Satan cast upon his tongue, because of what he had pondered in himself and longed to bring to his people, ‘These are the high-flying cranes and their intercession is to be hoped for.’
When Quraysh heard that, they rejoiced. What he had said about their gods pleased and delighted them, and they gave ear to him. The Believers trusted in their prophet with respect to what he brought them from their Lord: they did not suspect any slip, delusion or error. When he came to the prostration and finished the chapter, he prostrated, and the Muslims followed their prophet in it, having faith in what he brought them and obeying his command. Those mushrikūn of Quraysh and others who were in the mosque also prostrated on account of what they had heard him say about their gods. In the whole mosque there was no believer or kāfir who did not prostrate. Only al-Walīd bin al-Mughīra, who was an aged shaykh and could not make prostration, scooped up in his hand some of the soil from the valley of Mecca [and pressed it to his forehead].
Then everybody dispersed from the mosque. Quraysh went out and were delighted by what they had heard of the way in which he spoke of their gods. They were saying, ‘Muhammad has referred to our gods most favorably. In what he has recited, he said that they are “high-flying cranes whose intercession is to be hoped for”.’ Those followers of the Prophet who had emigrated to the land of Abyssinia heard about the affair of the prostration, and it was reported to them that Quraysh had accepted Islam. Some men among them decided to return while others remained behind.
Gabriel came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Muhammad, what have you done! You have recited to the people something which I have not brought you from God, and you have spoken what He did not say to you.’ At that, the Prophet was mightily saddened and greatly feared God. But God, of His mercy, sent him a revelation, comforting him and diminishing the magnitude of what had happened. God told him that there had never been a previous prophet or apostle who had longed just as Muhammad had longed, and desired just as Muhammad had desired, but that Satan had cast into his longing just as he had cast onto the tongue of Muhammad. But God abrogates what Satan has cast, and puts His verses in proper order. That is, ‘you are just like other prophets and apostles.’ And God revealed: ‘We never sent any apostle or prophet before you but that, when he longed, Satan cast into his longing. But God abrogates what Satan casts in, and then God puts His verses in proper order, for God is all-knowing and wise.’ [Q.22:52] So God drove out the sadness from His prophet and gave him security against what he feared.
He abrogated what Satan had cast upon his tongue in referring to their gods: ‘They are the high-flying cranes whose intercession is accepted [sic]’. [Replacing those words with] the words of God when Allāt, al-‘Uzzā and Manāt the third, the other are mentioned: ‘Should you have males and He females [as offspring]! That, indeed, would be an unfair division. They are only names which you and your fathers have given them’… as far as ‘As many as are the angels in heaven, their intercession shall be of no avail unless after God has permitted it to whom He pleases and accepts’ [Q.53:21–26] meaning, how can the intercession of their gods be of any avail with Him?
When there had come from God the words which abrogated what Satan had cast on to the tongue of His prophet, Quraysh said, ‘Muhammad has gone back on what he said about the status of our gods relative to God, changed it and brought something else’, for the two phrases which Satan had cast on to the tongue of the Prophet had found a place in the mouth of every polytheist. They, therefore, increased in their evil and in their oppression of every one among them who had accepted Islam and followed the Prophet. The band of the Prophet’s followers who had left the land of Abyssinia on account of the report that the people of Mecca had accepted Islam when they prostrated together with the Prophet drew near. But when they approached Mecca they heard that the talk about the acceptance of Islam by the people of Mecca was wrong. Therefore, they only entered Mecca in secret or after having obtained a promise of protection. Among those of them who came to Mecca at that time and remained there until emigrating to Medina and taking part in the battle of Badr alongside Muhammad there was, from the family of ‘Abd Shams b. Abd Manāf b. Qussayy, ‘Uthmān b. ‘Affān together with his wife Ruqayya the daughter of the Prophet. Abū Hudhayfa b. ‘Utba with his wife Shal bint Suhayl, and another group with them, numbering together 33 men.
Additionally, one sees a reference to the reception by the people to the recitation of this Sura in the following Hadith from Bukhari:
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) performed a prostration when he finished reciting Surat-an-Najm, and all the Muslims and pagans and Jinns and human beings prostrated along with him.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَعْمَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَارِثِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَيُّوبُ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ سَجَدَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِالنَّجْمِ وَسَجَدَ مَعَهُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَالْمُشْرِكُونَ وَالْجِنُّ وَالإِنْسُ. تَابَعَهُ ابْنُ طَهْمَانَ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ. وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ ابْنُ عُلَيَّةَ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4862
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4862
Length of Sura 33, Al-Ahzãb
“Ibn Abu Maryam reported to us from Ibn Lahi’a, from Abu ‘l-Aswad, from ‘Urwa b. ‘l-Zubair, that A’isha said: “During the time of the Prophet (s) two hundred verses of the chapter ‘l-Ahzab [Sura 33] were recited but when compiling the Qur’an ‘Uthman was only able to collect what now exists.”
“Isma’il b. Ja’far reported to us from ‘l-Mubarak b. Fudala, from ‘Asim b. Abu ‘l-Nujud, from Zirr b. Hubaish who said: “Ubayy b. Ka’b told me: ‘How many verses do you count in chapter ‘l-Ahzab? I said:’72 or 73 verses.’ He said: ‘At one time it had as many verses as l-Baqara, including the verses on stoning which we used to recite.’ I said: “What is the verse of stoning?’ He said, ‘If a married man or woman fornicated, stone them without hesitation; a fitting punishment from God. God is Mighty, and all Wise.’ “
Abu Harb b. Abu al-Aswad reported on the authority of his father that Abu Musa al-Ash’ari sent for the reciters of Basra. They came to him and they were three hundred in number. They recited the Qur’an, and he said: You are the best among the inhabitants of Basra, for you are the reciters among them. So continue to recite it. (But bear in mind) that your reciting for a long time may not harden your hearts as were hardened the hearts of those before you. We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah) Bara’at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it:” If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust.” And we used so recite a surah which resembled one of the surahs of Musabbihat, and I have forgotten it, but remember (this much) out of it:” Oh people who believe, why do you say that which you do not practise” (lxi 2.) and” that is recorded in your necks as a witness (against you) and you would be asked about it on the Day of Resurrection” (xvii. 13).
Sahih Muslim 1050
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1050
Abu ‘Ubaid said: Hajjaj informed us from Hammad b. Salama, from Ali b. Zail, from Abu Harb b. Abu ‘l-Awad, that Abu Musa ‘l-‘Ash’ari said: A chapter resembling Bara’a was revealed and then removed except for the following verse: ‘ God will assist this religion even with a community that is good for nothing, And if the son of Adam possessed two valley’s worth of wealth he would lust for a third; nothing would fill his belly (to his satisfaction) except the dust of the grave. But God does forgive all who turn to him.”
Ibn Abu Hatim reports that Abu Musa ‘l-‘Ash’ari said: “We used to recite a chapter that we compared to the musabbihat, but we were made to forget it, except for one verse which I memorized: ‘O! Ye who believe! Speak not of that upon which you act not, lest it be recorded against you, and you be asked about it on the Day of Resurrection.”
‘l-Tabarani reports in the work ‘l-Kabir that Ibn `Umar said: “Two men used to recite a chapter taught to them by the Prophet (s). One night they awoke to pray only to find that they were unable to recall even one letter of that chapter. The next morning they went to the Prophet (s) to inform him of what had transpired. He said: ‘It is of those parts of the Qur’an that have been abrogated, so ignore it.'”
Surah Khal and Surah Hafd
‘l-Husain b. ‘l-Munadi in his work ‘l-Nasikh wa ‘l-Mansukh said: “of the material that was removed from the Qur’an but not from memory are the two chapters of the qunut supplications that are recited in the witr prayer; they were named ‘l-Khal`a and ‘l-Hafd.
According to both Al-Fihrist and Al-Itqan, two extra surahs were present in the mushaf of Ubayy ibn Ka’b: Surah Khal’ and Surah Hafd
History of the Quran – A Critical Study, 1st Edition, 2019, Dr. Shehzad Saleem, p.31
While referring to the text of these surahs, Schwally quotes, their text on the authority of various sources. He point out that they have been variously called as Surah Khal and Surah Hafd, Surahs of Qunut, even Surah Qunut..
History of the Quran – A Critical Study, 1st Edition, 2019, Dr. Shehzad Saleem, p.315
From Ubayy ibn Ka`b’s Qur’an codex:
Surat al-Hafd
You (alone) we worship,
and to You (alone) we pray and lie prostrate,
and to You (alone) we proceed and have descendants.
We fear Your torture and hope for Your mercy.
Truly Your torture will overtake the infidels.
Surat al-Khal’
O Allah, You (alone) we ask for help and forgiveness.
We speak appreciatingly of Your goodness.
Never do we disbelieve You.
We repudiate and disbelieve anyone who follows immorality.
9:128-129 Were Considered To Be Their Own Sura
Ibn Abu Dawud narrates that Khyuzaymah ibn Thabit provided what came to be verses 128 and 129 of Surat al-Tawbah’s, and ‘Umar said that he would have made them a surah if they had been three verses. Then suggested that he should decide where to put them. As a result, they were put at the end of Surat al-Tawbah.
Al-Masahif, p. 30
Ubayy ibn Ka’b reported that when they compiled the Qur’an, the scribes thought that 9:127 was the end of the sura. Then he informed them: “The messenger aught me two verses after this, “Verily has come unto you a Messenger…””
*Note: The author of Bulugh al-Amani, vol. 18, pp. 54-55 and pp.173-174, accepts this version as a sound hadith accepted by al-Hakim.
Al-Masahif, vol. 9, pp. 128-129; Al-Murshid al-Wajiz, p. 56; Tartib al-Musnad, vol. 18., p. 173.
Length of Sura 9
The ‘l-Mustadrak contains a report from Hudhaifa where he says: “Of the chapter ‘l-Bara’a you recite but one quarter.”
Lost Verses
Abu Ubaid said: Ibn Abu Maryam informed us, from Nafi b. Umar ‘l-Jumahi who said: ‘Ibn Abu Mulaika informed me, from Miswar b. Makhrama who said: ‘Umar said to Abd ‘l-Rahman b. ‘Auf: “I have been unable to find a verse revealed to us “Strive now, as you have in the past.” Do you know of its whereabouts? He replied: “It was effaced along with everything else that was effaced from the Qur’an.”
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with, her) reported that it had been revealed in the Holy Qur’an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated (and substituted) by five sucklings and Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) died and it was before that time (found) in the Holy Qur’an (and recited by the Muslims). –
Sahih Muslim 1452a, Book 17, Hadith 30, Book 8, Hadith 3421
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas reported that ‘Umar bin Khattab sat on the pulpit of Allah’s messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Verily Allah sent Muhammad (may peace be upon him) with truth and he sent down the book upon him, and the verse of stoning was included in what was sent down to him. We recited it, retained it in our memory and understood it. Allah’s messenger (may peace be upon him) awarded the punishment of stoning to death (to the married adulterer and adulteress) and after him, we also awarded the punishment of stoning. I am afraid that with the lapse of time, the people (may forget it) and may say: We do not find the punishment of stoning in the book of Allah, and thus go astray by abandoning this duty prescribed by Allah. Stoning is a duty laid down in Allah’s book for married men and women who commit adultery when proof is established, or if there is pregnancy or a confession.
Muslim, III, No. 4194; Bukhari, VIII, No. 816.
“I fear that after a long time has passed, some will say: ‘I do not find (the sentence of) stoning in the Book of Allah (ﷺ),’ and they will go astray by abandoning one of the obligations enjoined by Allah (SWT). Rather stoning is a must if a man is married (or previously married) and proof is established, or if pregnancy results or if he admits it. I have read it (in the Quran). “And if an old man and an old woman commit adultery, stone them both.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stoned (adulterers) and we stoned (them) after him.’”
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam); Sunan Ibn Majah 2553, Book 20, Hadith 21, Vol. 3, Book 20, Hadith 2553
Bismillah
There is much debate among traditional Muslims if the 113 occurrences of Bismallah at the start of all the Suras, with the exception of Sura 9, are part of the Quran. Below is a passage from the book The Transmission of the Variant Readings of the Quran, by Shady Hekmat Nasser, p.97.
According to the Malikıs, the Basmalah is not a Quranic verse at all except for (Q.27:30). The H anafıs believe that the Basmalah is a Quranic verse by itself; nevertheless, it is not part of al-fateah or any other surah; it is rather an independent verse revealed to separate the surahs from each other. Because of this dispute regarding if Bismallah is part of the Quran or not, it got considered as makrūh (detestable) by the Muslim ulama. This is the reason that during salat, you will not hear most imam’s recite the Bismallah at the start of the Fateah.
The Seven Ahruf
The aHadith that describe these supposed seven modes of the Quran comes from the following.
Scholars squabble over what the meaning of these seven ahruf are, but typically fall in one of the following camps of understanding:
The Seven Ahruf are seven ways of pronouncing a word
The Seven Ahruf are seven types of Quranic verses
The Seven Ahruf just denotes a large number
The Seven Ahruf are the seven dialects of Arabic spoken at that time
The Seven Ahruf refer to the seven types of differences in the Quranic readings
The Seven Ahruf refer to synonyms of a Quranic word
The Seven Ahruf refer to seven recitals
The absurdity of these understandings leaves people to assume that:
There is not one Quran, but seven Qurans (Quran 10:15)
The words in the Quran are ambiguous and are subject to change
The Quran allows for synonyms to be added in place of words
That prophet could authorize changes to the Quran to make it easy for people (Quran 10:15)
The Quran is not sent down in one form, but seven if not more (Quran 85:22)
One of the examples that show that these “modes” are not just differences in dialect, can be seen in the following two Sahih Hadith regarding Sura 92, Al-Layl ( الـيـل).
From these narratives it states that the prophet used to recite Sura 92 verse 3 as ( By the male and the female / وَالذَّكَرِ وَالأُنْثَ) rather than what we find today in the Quran ( By what He Created, the male and the female / وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالأُنْثَى). From the reading of Sahih Muslim 824a it makes it seem that verse 2 of Sura 92 was completely absent as well from this recitation.
Lost Verses
The following passages claim that much of the Quran was lost after the Yamama battle. Verese that were not written or part of any of the compilations we have today.
“Many (of the passages) of the Qur’an that were sent down were known by those who died on the day of Yamama … but they were not known (by those who) survived them, nor were they written down, nor had Abu Bakr, Umar or Uthman (by that time) collected the Qur’an, nor were they found with even one (person) after them.”