What Are the Evidences of the Quran’s Preservation from Alteration?
Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa
Question
Are there any evidences and indications of the preservation of the Quran from alteration throughout history?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.
Yes, there are many pieces of evidence that indicate the Quran’s preservation from alteration. Among these are:
Memorization by the Companions
The Companions memorized the Quran by heart, and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) encouraged them to recite it frequently, promising great reward for doing so. He said, “Take the Quran from four: ‘Abdullah Ibn Mas‘ud, Salim, Mu‘adh, and Ubayy Ibn Ka‘b.” [Bukhari]
Among those from the Ansar who memorized the Quran during the Prophet’s lifetime were ‘Ubada Ibn al-Samit, Mu‘adh Abu Halima, Mujammi‘ Ibn Jariya, Fudala Ibn ‘Ubayd, and Maslama Ibn Mukhallad.
Written Preservation by the Prophet’s Scribes
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) took great care to have the Quran written down. Whenever a portion of revelation was sent to him, he would summon the scribes to write it down on available materials like parchment, flat stones, bones, and palm stalks. It is known that there were about twenty-five scribes of revelation.
The Prophet also restricted the efforts of these scribes to recording only the Quran, prohibiting the writing of anything else unless under specific circumstances or for certain individuals. As he said in an authentic narration,
“Do not write anything from me except the Quran. Whoever has written anything other than the Quran should erase it.” [Ahmad]
Collection During Abu Bakr’s Caliphate
During the caliphate of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the Quran was compiled into a single book format after the Companions feared that portions of it might be lost with the deaths of those who had memorized it.
Compilation Under Uthman’s Caliphate
During the time of Caliph ‘Uthman, copies were made from the collection compiled under Abu Bakr, and seven copies were distributed to the major Islamic centers. This standard copy came to be known as the “al-Mushaf al-Imam.”
All these efforts collectively contributed to the preservation of Allah’s Book, affirming that it remains unaltered and protected from distortion, as Allah (Most High) has stated:
“It is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it.” [Quran, 15:9]
Please refer to ‘Ulum al-Quran by Nur al-Din ‘Itr for further details.
And Allah knows best.
May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.
[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa
Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.
He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.
He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.
Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.
