© Copyright 2007-2008 The Straight Path
ThnksbetoGod: Frankly, I could make a corruption argument that since there is no evidence that the Qur'an was written down in its entirety in
Muhammad's lifetime and compiled as a unit that the claim of divine authorship is highly suspect. And do you really wanna talk "changed"? So we
have some mortal mucking around and destroying all versions/transcripts of the Qur'an except for the codex of Zaid. Wasn't any Allah involved in
that.

RKC: This is worth a read for those interested in how the Qur'an comes to us today. Sabeel Ahmed's conclusions are below…details on how he
arrived at his conclusions are found on the below link.


Preservation of the Qur'an

Memorization Conclusion

Quran is the only book, religious or secular, on the face of this planet that has been completely memorized by millions. These memorizers range
from ages 6 and up, both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers, blacks, whites, Orientals, poor and wealthy. Thus the process of memorization was
continuous, from Prophet Muhammad's (S) time to ours with an unbroken chain.

"The method of transmitting the Quran from one generation to the next by having he young memorize the oral recitation of their elders had
mitigated somewhat from the beginning the worst perils of relying solely on written records…" relates John Burton (12)

"This phenomenon of Quranic recital means that the text has traversed the centuries in an unbroken living sequence of devotion. It cannot,
therefore, be handled as an antiquarian thing, nor as a historical document out of a distant past. The fact of hifz (Quranic Memorization) has made
the Qur'an a present possession through all the lapse of Muslim time and given it a human currency in every generation never allowing its
relegation to a bare authority for reference alone" reflects Kenneth Cragg (13)"


Written Text Conclusion (1)

The complete Quran was written down in front of the Prophet by several of his scribes and the companions possess their own copies of the Quran
in the Prophet's lifetime. However the written material of the Quran in the Prophet's possession were not bounded between the two covers in the
form of a book, because the period of revelation of the Qur'an continued up until just a few days before the Prophet's death. The task of collecting
the Qur'an as a book was therefore undertaken by Abu Bakr, the first successor to the Prophet.


Written Text Conclusion (2)

`Two of the copies of the Qur'an which were originally prepared in the time of Caliph Uthman, are still available to us today and their text and
arrangement can be compared, by anyone who cares to do, with any other copy of the Quran, be it in print or handwritten, from any place or
period of time. They will be found identical'. (41)

It can now be proclaimed, through the evidences provided above, with full conviction and certainty that the Prophet memorized the entire Quran,
had it written down in front of him through his scribes, many of his companions memorized the entire revelation and in turn possess their own
private copies for recitation and contemplation. This process of dual preservation of the Quran in written and in the memory was carried in each
subsequent generation till our time, without any deletion, interpolation or corruption of this Divine Book.

Sir William Muir, Orientalist of the 19th century states, "There is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries (now
fourteen) with so pure a text". (42)

This divine protection provided to the Quran, the Last Reveled Guide to Humanity, is proclaimed by One God in the Quran:

We* (Allah) have, without doubt, send down the Message; and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption)' (Quran – Chapter 15, Verse 9).