Answering Questions Through The Holy Qur'an: Has the Qur'an been preserved? Are there different versions of the Qur’an?

Has the Qur'an been preserved? Are there different versions of the Qur’an?

89:3 And the even and the odd,

(The Qur’an has 114 Chapters. The sum of Chapters’ numbers in “Hafs” is 6,555. The total number of Verses in Hafs is 6,236. When it is added each Chapter’s number with its Verses’ total, the sum of the odd results is 6,555. That’s the same number than the sum of Chapters’ numbers: 6,555. And when it is added each Chapter’s number with its Verses’ total, the sum of the even results is 6,236. That’s the same number than the total number of Verses in Hafs: 6,236. So, in Hafs the numbers match)(In regard to “Warsh”, when it is added each chapter’s number with its verses’ total, the sum of the odd results is 6,159, while the sum of chapters’ numbers in Warsh is 6,555, so the numbers do not match in Warsh. And when it is added each chapter’s number with its verses’ total, the sum of the even results is 6,610, while the total number of verses in Warsh is 6,214, so the numbers do not match in Warsh)(The conclusion is that Hafs is the correct one)(The result in Hafs is not a coincidence, but there was a purpose to make it so - if someone were to add or subtract a verse, then an odd number would be even, or an even number would be odd, then the whole analysis would be wrong. See the calculations in the link below, titled “Even and odd numbers in the Qur’an“)(Allah knows best)

(If the results of the sum “Chapter+Verse” are divided into duplicate and unique numbers, instead of even and odd numbers, we can obtain the golden ratio. It also proves that Hafs is the correct one, because it is obtained according to the number of Verses in Hafs (6,236), on the other hand, the total number of verses in Warsh is 6,214)(According to the article “What is the golden ratio?” in “canva(dot)com”, “The Golden Ratio exists when a line is divided into two parts and the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal 1.618”)(In the Qur’an, if the results of “Chapter+Verse” are divided into duplicate and unique numbers, the sum of duplicate numbers is 7906, and the sum of unique numbers is 4885; the division of these two numbers is the golden ratio = 7906 / 4885 = 1.618; and the sum of these two numbers, divided by the larger number is also the golden ratio = (7906 + 4885) / 7906 = 1.618)(So, the number of Verses in Hafs is the correct one: 6,555 + 6,236 = 7906 + 4885 = 12,791; and it proves that the Qur’an has been preserved: no Chapter or Verse was wrongly added or subtracted)(12,791 is a prime number, while, the result of 6,555 + 6,214 (Warsh) is not prime)(See calculations in the article below: Golden ratio in the Qur’an?)(Allah knows best)

18:27 And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His Words, and never will you find a refuge besides Him.

(In regard to the differences among 14 narrators of the Qur’an, five narrators recited the same number of verses than Hafs, and as far as I know, those narrators also recited the same words than Hafs, then the matter is that there are some different marks in some words. Those narrators are Sh’uba, Khalaf, Khallad, ad-Duri (al-Kisa’i) and Abul-Harith)(But, in regard to Khalaf and Khallad, they were students of Hamzah, while Hafs was student of ‘Asim. The people of Basra alleged that Hamzah had grammatical errors, while Hafs has not grammatical errors. I found a case in which the mark in a letter makes the word to have a different meaning, for example, the narrators Khallad, ad-Duri and Abul-Harith say “many” in verse 2:219, because of the mark, instead of “great” (said by Hafs, Sh’uba and Khalaf). The Verse says, "In both of them there is great sin (ith’mun kabirun), and benefits for people. But their sin is greater (wa-ith’muhuma akbaru) than their benefits.”. Hafs is the correct one because the use of “great” is supported in the next sentence “their sin is greater”, and it is supported by other Verses (4:31, 17:31, 53:32), while the use of “many” in this context is not supported by any Verse of the Qur’an. Another point, as far as I know, none of these readings mentioned are used in any region but only Hafs (worldwide), it indicates that it may always have been known that Hafs is the correct one. Two students of Hamzah differ in that verse, this may indicate that Hamzah did not know which one was correct; on the other hand, there is coherency among ‘Asim’s recitation, and also his students (Hafs and Shu’bah). In regard to Hafs and Shu’bah, they have the same words but different marks in some words, Hafs is the correct one, while Shu’bah’s marks are less reliable (See the comment below (“note (2)”) which proves it))(In regard to the narrators who recited a number of verses other than Hafs’ (al-Bazzi (6219), Qunbul (6221), Warsh (6214), Qalun (6214), Hisham (6226), Ibn Dhakwan (6226), ad-Duri (Abu Amr) (6205) and al-Susi (6204)): I only analyzed Hafs and Warsh (see the analysis above about even and odd numbers), and the numbers match in Hafs, and do not match in Warsh; so a number of verses, other than Hafs, as a matter of probability, might not match in those recitations either, because if someone were to add or subtract a single verse, then an odd number would be even, or an even number would be odd, then the result of the analysis may vary greatly)(Another point is that there are some different words in these recitations which are not supported by other Verses or by the context, for example, al-Susi says “We” in verse 2:271, while according to the context, it is “He” (Hafs), because the context of the Verse is in third person (The Verse says “He” and “Allah”); or for example, al-Bazzi says “was killed” in verse 3:146, while according to the context, “fought”(Hafs) is the correct one, because the Verse says “but they did not lose heart” and “their words were not except” and “give us victory over the disbelievers”. So, “were killed” in al-Bazzi implies that the Prophet and those with him were killed, but according to the context they were not killed when they ask for victory, so they are fighting and they are invoking God)(The conclusion is that Hafs is the correct one because other Verses do not support recitations other than Hafs, and because the analysis in regard to the number of Verses proves that Hafs is the correct one)(Allah knows best)

(Note: A recent study has argued that the Qur’an we have today is exactly the same as the one compiled by ‘Ali ibn Abi-Talib, and that the reading of Hafs from his teacher ‘Asim to be the unaltered reading of ‘Ali. This is because ‘Asim’s teacher, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami, had learnt the Qur’an from ‘Ali. Furthermore, Hafs was a Companion of Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq and it is claimed that the latter had inherited ‘Ali’s Master Copy of the Qur’an. The study provides a case that it was ‘Ali’s Master Copy which formed the basis of the ‘Uthmanic canon. As for the reading of Hafs, the study presents evidence that the latter had learnt the Qur’an from two sources: ‘Asim who was his main teacher, and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq who provided him a corrective of ‘Asim’s reading. This can very well mean that the reading of Hafs from Asim is the de facto reading of ‘Ali which he inherited from the Prophet till the very last dot)(Source: Ahmed El-Wakil)(Allah knows best)

(Note (2): Another source says that Abu Abdurahman learnt only Ali's recitation. 'Aasim however learnt two readings; one from Abu Abdurahman (who learnt from Ali) and another from a reciter called Zirr who had learnt from ibn Mas'oud the famous companion who refused to give up his Qur'an and who had learnt over 70 Chapters from the Prophet directly (but not all Chapters of the Qur'an like Ali who was also the Prophet's primary scribe). 'Aasim however was very careful to separate the two readings. He taught his son in law, Hafs, the reading he got from Abu Abdurahman (and so from Ali), while he taught Abu Bakr bin 'Ayyash the reading of Zirr (so from ibn Mas'oud). Hafs never abandoned or mixed his recitation that he received from 'Aasim with anything else. This is what was eventually recorded; and is now the most popular recitation. Each of the “seven reciters”, like 'Aasim, have two sub-readings from them. For 'Aasim they are Hafs and Shu'bah (the above mentioned Abu Bakr bin 'Ayyash). They differ because 'Aasim taught Hafs Ali's reading from Abu Abdurahman, while he taught Shu'bah the reading of ibn Mas'oud's that he got from Zirr. But, ibn Mas'oud, though a righteous and learned companion of the Prophet, was not a Qurayshi man; his dialect was different from the Prophet's, nor was he as major a scribe like Ali. And nor did he learn all of the Qur'an directly from the Prophet. The most important point is that when we actually read the verses where the other readings differ from Hafs, it is the Hafs reading that makes the "best" sense and is the most consistent with the verse and other verses like it in the Qur'an. Lastly there is a likelihood that if the Prophet's copy survived and was indeed inherited and made it to his descendant Ja'far AL-Sadiq, that Hafs, who was partisan to the Prophet's descendants and was contemporary to Ja'far and lived in the same city with him, that Hafs could have checked his recitation with Ja'far who would also have had his reading ultimately from the Prophet through Ali)(Source: Quran_Islam)(Allah knows best)

6:115 And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and justice. None can change His words, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.

(Other scriptures coexist with the Qur’an. It does not change the fact that the Qur’an is preserved. It was predicted that there could be other scriptures (2:79, 3:78). The Qur’an is a criterion (25:1, 2:185) to know what is right or wrong)(Anyone can take a book and change or corrupt its words any time and any moment, but it does not mean that the book has versions, because the original is still preserved, and because those changes are not the Qur’an, nor are made valid or confirmed by the Qur’an Itself)(Allah knows best)

2:79 So woe to those who write the book with their hands, then they say, "This is from Allah," to exchange it for a little price. So woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.

6:68 And when you see those who engage (in vain talks) about Our Verses, then turn away from them until they engage in a talk other than it. And if Satan causes you to forget, then do not sit after the reminder with the people - the wrongdoers.

(Satan causes people to forget (6:68, 12:42, 18:63, 58:19))(The words of the existing recitations are the same or almost the same, among them, for example, in regard to Hafs and Warsh, there are only 51 word differences out of a total of 77,439 words, so, apparently, there are no meaningful differences, so it might have been unintentional mistakes, nevertheless, the Qur’an does not support that there are several recitations, but “Recitation” is singular. The hadith cannot contradict the Qur’an. So, it could have been a matter of some people’s errors in recalling)(Allah knows best)

39:23 Allah has revealed the best statement - a Book, resembling each other oft-repeated. The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it, then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allah. That is the guidance of Allah, He guides with it whom He wills. And whoever Allah lets go astray, then there is no guide for him.

(The Qur’an has parts that resemble each other and it is oft-repeated, so you can compare parts with one another. And the conclusion is that Hafs is the correct one)(Allah knows best)

4:82 Then do they not ponder on the Qur’an? If it had been from other than Allah, surely they would have found much contradiction in it.

(In regard to the Sana’a manuscript, it is not supported by other Verses of the Qur’an. Unlike the all existing recitations which have the same or almost the same words, the Sana’a manuscript has major differences, so it was intended to erase it, but some parts survived, so it was not fully preserved)(Another point is that, according to Asma Hilali, both the upper and lower text show characteristics of being schoolroom “exercises” in quranic writing, in which case scraping and re-use was to be expected”; if so, it would be another reason to disregard the Sana’a manuscript)(Some people is interested in reconstructing the lower text, or collecting information containing errors, (e.g. unauthentic hadiths, according to Muslim scholars, like some false stories in Al-Tabari book, etc.), but it is used by non-Muslims to confuse or prevent people from Islam)(See the link below, “Does the Qur’an support the Sana’a manuscript?”)(Allah knows best)

15:9 Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We are surely its Guardians.

(Note: A comparison between the Birmingham Ancient Qur’an and the present Qur’an (Hafs), shows that the Qur’an appears to be safely preserved, without alteration. Difference in words: 0% (i.e. similarity of 100%); difference in characters without considering the “silent alif”: 0% (i.e. similarity of 100%); semantic difference: 0% (i.e. similarity of 100%); phonetic difference: 0% (i.e. similarity of 100%)(Note: the radiocarbon analysis showed that there is a 95.4% chance that the parchment on which the Qur’an fragments were written can be dated sometime between the years 568 and 645CE. This means that the animal from which the skin was taken was living sometime between these dates. Furthermore, we know that the Prophet lived between 570 and 632CE, which makes this discovery quite interesting by showing that this manuscript could be one of the oldest manuscripts in the world, or at least dating from the first centuries after the Prophet)(Source: Pr. Halim Sayoud. See the article below, titled “Investigation on the Ancient Quran Folios of Birmingham”))(Allah knows best)

15:87 And We have certainly given you seven of the often repeated and the great Qur'an.

(Some people object against some mathematical miracles in the Qur’an (e.g. even and odd numbers mentioned in this article), because it involves Verses and Chapters, and they object that the Qur’an was divided into Verses, after the time of the Prophet, but the Birmingham Ancient Qur’an (568-645CE) proves that the numbering of Verses and Chapters was done at the time of the Prophet (570-632CE), because the Birmingham Ancient Qur’an contains marks which separate Verses and Chapters)(Another evidence, Verse 15:87 says, "And We have certainly given you seven of the often repeated". It refers to the seven Verses in Chapter 1, which are often repeated in the daily prayers. The Qur’an Itself says that there are “Verses” (e.g. “These are the Verses of the clear Book” (12:1)), and even the Qur’an explicitly says that “seven” are the number of Verses in Chapter 1 (15:87))(Even mathematics confirm that “seven” in Verse 15:87 refers to seven Verses in Chapter 1: Chapter 1 has 7 Verses, 29 words, and 139 letters, all these numbers are prime numbers; and their digit sums are prime numbers too (7 = 7; 2 + 9 = 11; and 1 + 3 + 9 = 13); and the total of these sums is another prime number (7 + 11 + 13 = 31). If these numbers (7, 29, 139) are arranged next to each other right-to-left (139297) and left-to-right (729139), these two numbers are prime numbers too)(In addition, these seven Verses and the rest of the Qur’an are distinguished in Verse 15:87: The rest of the Qur’an has 113 Chapters (114 – 1 = 113), and 6229 Verses (6236 – 7 = 6229); numbers 113 and 6229 are prime numbers, and their sum are also prime numbers (1 + 1 + 3 = 5) and (6 + 2 + 2 + 9 = 19))(Quoting scholars, "the number of verses found in each chapter and their assortment was an order given by the Prophet (pbuh) during his lifetime")(See the link below, “Correspondence between Chapter numbers and number of Verses”)(Allah knows best)

41:41 Indeed, those who disbelieve in the Reminder when it comes to them. And indeed, it is surely a mighty Book.

(Note: The Birmingham Qur’an manuscript contains parts of chapters 18, 19 and 20 of the Holy Qur’an. As far as I know, there are no differences in words between Hafs and Warsh in these chapters. Hafs and the Birmingham manuscript support each other in the similarity of the words contained in the four surviving pages. But, in regard to the marks that separate the verses, the three (Hafs, Warsh and Birmingham manuscript) differ from each other. Nevertheless, the analysis of even and odd numbers (see comments in the top of this article) is a clear evidence that Hafs is the correct one; in addition, Hafs is complete, while the Birmingham manuscript is not complete. So, the conclusion is that Hafs is the correct one)(Coexisting with other scriptures does not change the fact that the Qur’an has been preserved)(And even if there were/are old pages which differ from Hafs, the evidences prove that Hafs is a copy of the original Qur’an, whether an original written “Hafs” from the time of the Prophet survived or not; nevertheless, it survived through its copy)(Allah knows best)

35:43 (Due to) arrogance in the land and plotting of evil; but the evil plot does not encompass except its own people. Then do they wait except the way of the former? But you will never find in the way of Allah any change, and you will never find in the way of Allah any alteration.

3:103 And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together, and do not be divided. And remember the Favor of Allah on you when you were enemies, then He made friendship between your hearts then by His Favor you became brothers. And you were on the brink of the pit of the Fire, then He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes clear for you His Verses so that you may be guided.

(The existing recitations, other than Hafs, might not be burnt because they have the same or almost the same words than Hafs; but it was known that Hafs is the correct one, because the study says that Hafs was “the basis of the ‘Uthmanic canon” (“Hafs” aka “reading of ‘Ali which he inherited from the Prophet”). It is thought that they did not know about the numerical evidence of odd and event numbers, at that time, so, if they had known, some more recitations would have probably been disregarded. In conclusion, in regard to the recitations which have the same number of verses than Hafs, as far as I know, they also have the same words than Hafs, so the words have been preserved, so they were not burnt, but among these recitations, some words have some different marks, and apparently it did not change the meaning, nevertheless, there is evidence that Hafs is the correct one)(Hafs being “the basis of the ‘Uthmanic canon” implies that recitations cannot (greatly) differ from Hafs, lest they be burnt. So, being the basis of the Uthmanic canon does not imply changing Hafs, but Hafs have been preserved)(Allah knows best)

(Note: Another study compared the “Gold Qur’an” with Hafs and Warsh, which confirmed 53% of Warsh and 32% of Hafs, but “Gold Qur’an” is dated to the year 800 A.D., while the Birmingham Ancient Qur’an, which confirms Hafs, is older because the parchment is dated between the years 568 and 645CE (the Birmingham Ancient Qur’an has a similarity in words of 100% with Hafs))(The 53% of Warsh in the “Gold Qur’an” implicitly proves that Hafs is the correct one, because of the conclusions reached in the articles “Even and odd numbers in the Qur’an” and “Does the Qur’an support the warsh recitation?”)(Allah knows best)

26:1 Ta Seen Meem. 26:2 These (are the) Verses (of) the clear Book. 26:3 Perhaps you (would) kill yourself that they (do) not become believers. 26:4 If We will, We can send down to them a Sign from the sky so (that) their necks would bend to it (in) humility.

(The “Muqatta’at” are combinations of between one and five Arabic letters figuring at the beginning of 29 out of the 114 Chapters of the Qur’an)(Chapter 2, 3, 29, 30, 31 and 32 say “Alif Lam Mim”; Chapter 7 says: “Alif Lam Mim Sad”, Chapters 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15 say: “Alif Lam Ra”; Chapter 13 says “Alif Lam Mim Ra”; Chapter 19 says “Kaf ha Ya ‘Ain Sad”; Chapter 20 says “Ta ha”; Chapters 26 and 28 say “Ta Sin Mim”; Chapter 27 says “Ta Sin”; Chapter 36 says “Ya Sin”; Chapter 38 says “Sad”; Chapters 40, 41, 43, 44, 45 and 46 say “Ha Mim”; Chapter 42 says “Ha Mim; ‘Ain Sin Qaf”; Chapter 50 says “Qaf” and Chapter 68 says “Nun”)(So, in “Muqatta’at”, “Alif” occurs 13 times, “Lam” 13 times; “Mim” 17 times; “Sad” 3 times; “Ra” 6 times; “Kaf” 1 time; “ha” 2 times; “Ya” 2 times; “’Ain” 2 times; “Ta” 4 times; “Sin” 5 times; “Ha” 7 times; “Qaf” 2 times and “Nun” 1 times)(Chapter 26 begins saying, “26:1 Ta Seen Meem. 26:2 These are the Verses of the clear Book”. It is interpreted that Verse 26:2 is referring to Verse 26:1. If we replace “Ta, Seen, Meem” by their count, we get “4, 5, 17” (Ta is 4 times in “Muqatta’at” and so on). There are 6236 Verses in the entire Qur’an. If we add number 19 to the sum of the numbers “4, 5, 17”, then: 4 + 5 (x 19) + 17 (x 19 x 19) = 6236. That’s the number of Verses of the Qur’an. It also proves that the Qur’an has been preserved because if a single verse were added or removed, this calculation would have been broken)(There are many other mathematical calculations using Hafs. The mathematical miracles prove Hafs to be the correct one, because the numbers may not match in all the so-called “versions”. See the link below “The Qur’an and Mathematics”)(Allah knows best)

22:51 And those who strove against Our Verses, (to) cause failure, those (are the) companions (of) the Hellfire. 22:52 And We (did) not send a Messenger or a Prophet before you but when he recited, Satan threw in his recitation. But Allah abolishes that which Satan throws, then Allah will establish His Verses. And Allah (is) All-Knower, All-Wise.

3:59 Indeed, the likeness of Jesus with Allah is like the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.

(The order of the Chapters has been preserved, and it is confirmed by the Qur’an Itself. For example, from Verse 34 where Jesus in mentioned to Verse 58 where Adam is mentioned, is 25 Verses, which is the number of times both Adam and Jesus are mentioned in the Qur’an)(In Verse 3:59, the mention of Adam and Jesus is the 7th time in the Qur’an. The first time Adam is mentioned in the Qur’an is in Verse 2:31. The first time Jesus is mentioned is in Verse 2:87. Between Verse 31 and Verse 87 is 57 Verses, a multiple of 19 (19 x 3 = 57). These two numbers (19 and 3) are Chapter “Mary” (19) and Chapter “the family of Imran” (3) (the family to which Mary belongs))(Another example, the Chapter right in the centre of the Qur’an is Chapter 57, and it is called “Al-Hadid (Iron)”; it is believed that the earth’s inner core is comprised of 80% iron and 20% nickel. See the link below “Is the centre of the earth made up of iron, according to the Qur’an?”)(Another example, if you take every 19th Chapter in the Qur’an: 19; 19 + 19 = 38; 19 + 19 + 19 = 57; 19 + 19 + 19 + 19 = 76; 19 + 19 + 19 + 19 + 19 = 95; 19 + 19 + 19 + 19 + 19 + 19 = 114; the resulting numbers are 19, 38, 57, 76, 95 and 114. The sum of these numbers are multiple of 19: (19 + 38 + 57 + 76 + 95 + 114 = 399)(19 x 21 = 399). See the article below “Code 19 in the Qur’an?”)(Allah knows best)