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In fact, there are different ways to prove that the Qur'an is the word of
God, which has always been true and has never been subjected to change
or distortion. These proofs can be classified into three types: the way the
Qur'an was transmitted throughout the centuries, some challenging
verses within the Qur'an itself, and the periodic, modern -day discoveries
in the universe that were first mentioned in the Qur'an more than
fourteen centuries ago.

Unlike the Bible and Old Testament that have been subject to
innumerable translations, doubtful and spurious transmissions, and
corruptions at the hands of clerics up till now (with the 0  
  versions coming out these days), the Qur'an was transmitted
to us in an unprecedented and unique manner according to rigorous rules
of transmission. The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) via the angel Gabriel, and the Prophet subsequently
memorized the whole scripture.

Thousands of the Companions of the Prophet learned the Qur'an directly


from the Prophet (pbuh). They memorized it and were known in Islamic
history as huffaadh (the memorizers and preser vers of the Qur'an).
Moreover, a number of Companions wrote it down during the lifetime of
the Prophet (peace be upon him), and it was compiled in its entirety
immediately after his death.

The following generation of Muslims learned the Qur¶an directly fr om the


Companions. Thus the chain of teaching and learning through direct
contact continued systematically, methodically, and meticulously until the
present age.

Additionally, several of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace


be upon him) were appointed as scribes to record the words of the
revelation directly from the Prophet himself on parchment, leather, or
whatever else was available. The most famous of these scribes was Zayd
ibn Thabit, who also memorized the entire Qur¶an, and he formed with the
others a community of huffaadh that can be compared to academic
societies of our present time.

We know the Qur¶an was recorded in totality during the lifetime of the
Prophet (pbuh) and the different surahs (chapters) personally arranged
by him. Many copies of the text were used for study and teaching, even in
Mecca before the Hijrah, the migration to Medina.

The entire Qur¶an was written down during the lifetime of the Prophet
Muhammad, and trusting the fact that many scholars knew it by heart, it
was not collected in one volume. It was personally arranged by him, and
the Muslims memorized it in the same order. The companion Uthman
reported that whenever a new verse was revealed, the Prophet would
immediately call a scribe to record it. He would instruc t the person to put
the specific verse or verses in a particular chapter.

Furthermore, every year during the month of Ramadan, the Prophet


would recite the whole Qur¶an from beginning to end in its present -day
arrangement, and everyday people could hear it from his own lips in the
mosque. Its sequence is no mystery. Many of the Companions not only
memorized it completely, they also wrote it down and even added
commentary (tafseer) on their own personal copies. When the Prophet
passed away, the whole Qur¶an was already written down, but it was not
yet compiled in book form.

During the rule of the first Caliph Abu Bakr, there was a rebellion among
some distant Arab tribes that resulted in a series of fierce battles. In one
particular battle, a number Companions who had memorized the Qur¶an
were killed. The Companion Omar worried that the knowledge of the
Qur¶an was in danger, thus he convinced Abu Bakr that the Qur¶an should
be compiled into book form as a means of preserving it once and for all.

Zayd bin Thabit was entrusted with this important task. Zayd followed
strict methods in his compilation and had dozens of other huffaadh
recheck his work to ensure its accuracy. Abu Bakr, who had also
committed the entire Qur¶an to memory, approved of the final product.
After Abu Bakr passed away, the copy was passed to the Caliph µOmar,
and then Uthman.

However as the Muslim world expanded into lands where the people
spoke Arabic as a second language, the new Muslims had a difficult time
learning the correct pronunciation of the text. The Caliph Uthman
consulted other Companions, and they agreed that official copies of the
Qur¶an should be inscribed using only the pronunciation of the Quraysh
tribe, the Arabic dialect that the Prophet spoke.

Zayd bin Thabit was again given this assignment, and three other
huffaadh were assigned to help him in the task. Together, the four scribes
borrowed the original, complete copy of the Qur¶an, duplicated it manually
many times over, and then distributed them to all of the major Muslim
cities within the empire. Two of these copies still exist today: one is in
Istanbul and the other in Tashkent.
One must keep in mind that in traditional learning in the Arab world,
transmission was based upon an oral tradition as well as a written on e;
the Arabs (and later all Muslims) excelled in accurately reporting
scripture, poetry, aphorisms, etc. through the generations without
change. Similarly, the chain of huffaadh was never broken, and thus the
Qur'an today has reached us in two forms: the memorized version
transmitted through the scholarly chain, and the written version based
upon the Companions¶ initial recording.

If the Qur¶an had been changed, there would be huge discrepancies


between these two today, as the Qur¶an has reached isolated (and
sometimes illiterate) communities through the memorized form of
transmission without the written form to correct it. No such discrepancies
have ever been recorded or reported. In other words, isolated village A in
African Mali and isolated village B in Afghanistan will both produce
contemporary huffaadh reciting the same words of the Qur¶an, though
they did not learn from a similar printing of the scripture nor has there
ever been a concerted international effort to rectify would -be
discrepancies.

Allah has said in the Qur¶an that He alone will protect His book, and
indeed He has kept His promise. The Qur¶an that we read today contains
the same exact words that were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) over 1400 years ago. This is quite a miracle,
especially when you consider that no other group of people can say that
their book has not been subject to change by the time it reached the
present generation.

Only the Qur¶an has survived through the centuries unchanged, and the
language in which it was revealed, classical Arabic, still enjoys practical
usage around the world. While classic English of the 14th century can be
understand by very few native English speakers, the Qur¶an can be
understood by the vast majority of Arabic-speaking Muslims. When
compared to other scriptures, the Qur¶an is unique in these two respects.

Furthermore, from the prolific arts that have accompanied Qur¶anic


learning and transmission, we can learn of the auspiciousness and honor
with which the Muslims have traditionally held the Qur¶an. The visual arts
of calligraphy and binding, and the vocal art of recitation represent
examples of such arts, and from them we can see that veracity of
transmission would be understood as a fundamental aspect of Qur¶anic
reverence.

  
    
 
 
   

  


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Ref : http://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-341960.0.html

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