Critiquing Islam 2.0

“Perfect Preservation?”

A Forensic Examination of the Qur’an’s Textual History

A comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of whether the Qur’an has been preserved without alteration

📌 Introduction: The Preservation Claim

One of the most widely held beliefs in Islam is that the Qur’an has been perfectly preserved — word-for-word, letter-for-letter — from the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century to the present day. This belief is deeply rooted in both doctrine and popular Muslim conviction, based on verses such as:

Qur’an 15:9 — “Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder (the Qur’an), and indeed, We will be its guardian.”

But is this claim historically, textually, and forensically verifiable?

This article presents a detailed, no-theory, no-speculation, evidence-based exploration of the actual history of the Qur’anic text — including manuscript discoveries, Islamic historical sources, and modern academic research — to evaluate whether the Qur’an has truly remained unchanged.

🧾 1. Manuscript Evidence: Early Qur’anic Texts Vary

🔬 Radiocarbon-Dated Manuscripts:

Several ancient Qur’anic manuscripts have been discovered and scientifically tested. Among the most important are:

Manuscript	Radiocarbon Date	Location	Notable Issues
Birmingham Manuscript	568–645 CE	UK	Fragmentary; matches parts of Surahs 18–20, with spelling and wording differences
Sana'a Palimpsest	650–670 CE	Yemen	Two layers: the lower text significantly diverges from the standard Qur’an
Topkapi Codex	~8th century	Turkey	Contains orthographic and textual variants
Paris-Petit Codex (BnF 328a)	8th century	France	Deviations in verse division and orthography
Tübingen Manuscript	649–675 CE	Germany	Incomplete and contains minor textual differences

📚 Dr. Asma Hilali, The Sanaa Palimpsest (Oxford, 2017):
“The palimpsest reveals a text different from the standard Uthmanic version.”

These manuscripts demonstrate that the Qur’anic text underwent evolution — both deliberate editorial changes and scribal variations — in its early centuries.

📚 2. Islamic Sources Admit Missing and Altered Verses

Islamic Hadith literature itself contains multiple acknowledgments of changes, losses, and disagreements in the Qur’anic text.

🔸 Verses Lost or Forgotten:

Sahih Muslim 2286:

“We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to Surah Bara’ah... I have forgotten all of it except: ‘If there were two valleys full of riches for the son of Adam, he would long for a third…’”

Sahih Bukhari 5038:

“The Prophet heard a man reciting and said: ‘May Allah have mercy on him. He reminded me of a verse I was made to forget.’”

🔸 Stoning Verse (Rajm):

Sunan Ibn Majah 1944 and Musnad Ahmad 5:131:

“The verse of stoning was revealed and we recited it, but it was later removed. The Prophet stoned, and we continued to do so after him.”

Yet, this verse does not exist in any Qur’an today.

🔥 3. Burning of Qur’anic Codices Under Caliph Uthman

According to Sahih Bukhari 4987, during the reign of the third caliph Uthman (r. 644–656), major discrepancies in the recitation and writing of the Qur’an led to drastic measures:

“Uthman ordered that copies of the Qur’an be made according to the master copy and then all other Qur’anic materials in other dialects be burned.”

Key facts:

Companions like Ibn Mas'ud and Ubayy ibn Ka’b had personal codices that differed from Uthman’s version.
Ubayy's Qur’an allegedly had 116 surahs (2 more than the current 114).
Ibn Mas’ud’s Qur’an reportedly lacked Surah 1, 113, and 114.

📚 Arthur Jeffery, Materials for the History of the Text of the Qur’an (1937):
Compiled over 15 documented variant Qur’anic codices from early Islam.

This event confirms that the early Qur’an was not a fixed, universal text, but a fluid compilation with multiple competing versions.

📖 4. The Sana’a Palimpsest: Forensic Proof of Changes

One of the most significant manuscript discoveries is the Sana'a Palimpsest, containing two layers of text:

Lower text (erased and overwritten) — shows significant differences from today’s Qur’an: altered phrases, omitted words, and different verse sequences.
Upper text (standardized) — aligns more closely with the Hafs version used today.

Examples from the lower text:

Surah 2:87 in the lower layer reads:

“And We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with the messengers…”
Whereas the standard Qur’an adds:
“…and gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.”

This confirms editorial insertion postdating the original layer.

🔤 5. The “Qira’at”: Authorized Variant Versions

Today, there are 10 canonical “qira’at” (recitations) of the Qur’an, each with its own chain of transmission. These qira’at differ in:

Consonants
Vowels
Grammar
Sometimes meaning

Examples:

Verse	Hafs Reading	Warsh Reading	Meaning Difference
2:184	yutīm (“a poor person”)	masākīn (“poor people”)	Singular vs. plural
3:146	qātila (“fought”)	qutila (“were killed”)	Active vs. passive voice

These differences impact legal rulings, doctrinal interpretation, and theology.

📦 6. Standardization of the Modern Qur’an in 1924

The Qur’an used by 95% of Muslims today — the Hafs 'an Asim version — was officially standardized by Al-Azhar University and the Egyptian government in 1924.

Key facts:

This was the first fully printed Qur’an in Islamic history.
It involved selecting one recitation (Hafs) and discarding others for standardization in schools.
Non-Hafs recitations like Warsh or Qalun are still used in parts of Africa.

This proves that universal standardization occurred only in the 20th century, contradicting claims of unaltered preservation since the 7th century.

🧠 Summary of Evidence-Based Conclusions

Area of Study	Evidence	Conclusion
Manuscripts	Early copies show textual and structural differences	❌ Not identical
Islamic Hadith	Report lost, abrogated, and forgotten verses	❌ Not fully preserved
Codices of Companions	Conflicting Qur’anic books (Ibn Mas’ud, Ubayy)	❌ Multiple versions
Uthman’s Standardization	Burning of alternate Qur’ans	❌ Political standardization
Sana’a Palimpsest	Earlier version differs from today’s Qur’an	❌ Editing over time
Qira’at	Accepted variant readings with doctrinal implications	❌ Not a single text
1924 Cairo Edition	Chosen one version to unify Muslim education	❌ Modern standardization

📍 Final Verdict: The Qur’an Has Not Been Perfectly Preserved

Based on physical manuscripts, Islamic sources, and modern academic research, the Qur’an we have today is the product of a historical process of compilation, standardization, editorial decisions, and later canonization — not a miraculously preserved, unchanged book from the 7th century.

This conclusion does not depend on religious belief or disbelief. It arises directly from verifiable, documented, and peer-reviewed evidence from Islamic tradition, archaeological discoveries, and academic textual criticism.