Protection from any alteration [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

In the Name of
Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Protection from any Alteration

The chapters and verses have been in constant
use amongst Muslims and have been passed on perfectly intact from one
generation to the other.

The Qur'an we know today is the same Qur'an which was
revealed to the Prophet some fourteen centuries ago.

The Qur'an does not stand
in need of historical proof for its identity or authenticity, (although
history too confirms its validity).

Since a book which claims to be the actual
unalterable word of God and attests to this in its own text, does not need to
resort to others to prove its authenticity.

The clearest proof that the Qur'an
we have with us today is the same that was revealed to the Prophet and that no
alteration has taken place in its text is that very superiority which the
Qur'an claimed for itself at the time of its revelation and which still
exists.
The Qur'an says that it is a book of light and guidance, a book
which shows man the truth and reality of existence; it says that it explains
all things, that is, everything necessary for man to live in accordance with
his own natural character; it says that it is the word of God and challenges
man and jinn to produce similar words; -it invites them to find someone like
the Prophet, who could neither read nor write and grew up in an age of
ignorance as an orphan without instruction; the Qur'an challenges them to find
any inconsistency in its method, Sciences, or laws, such as one might find in
any ordinary book.

They obviously cannot for the superiority of the Qur'an
remains after its revelation.
Likewise, the guidance for man contained in the Qur'an is still
valid; it still expounds a complete world view which is in accord with the
purest of intellectual proofs and is the source of man's well being in this
world and in the next.

By the benevolence and care shown by the Creator for
His creation in the Book, it still invites man to belief.

The Qur'an cares for
the needs of man by giving him a vision of reality based on Divine Unity.

All
knowledge and belief spring from this view of reality.

At no point does the
Qur'an fail to explain in the most comprehensive fashion the reality of this
oneness.

It devotes much attention to explaining the behavior and transactions
expected of the individual in society and shows how correct action is that
which accords with the natural character and capability (fitrah) of man.

The
Qur'an leaves the detailed description of man's behaviour to the Prophet whose
daily life was an example of how man was to apply what was contained in the
Qur'an.

Together the Book of God and the example (or Sunnah) of the Prophet
delineated an astoundingly comprehensive life-pattern for man, namely, the way
of living in tune with the reality which is Islam.

The Qur'an deals precisely
with all aspects of individual and social life and, despite having been
revealed in another age, does not contain the slightest inconsistency or in-
compatibility even today.

It describes a din, a comprehensive way of life,
whose programme of living is beyond the imagination of the world's most
capable lawyers and sociologists.
The miracle of the Qur'an has in it clarity and eloquence, rooted,
as it is, in the language of a nation famed for the purity and power of its
language.

The Qur'an is a miraculous sun whose light shines far brighter than
the finest poetry of the time, indeed of any age.

During the Islamic conquests
of the first century after Hijra, the resulting admixing of non-Arabic words
with the Arabic lessened the purity of Arabic language used in the Qur'an
causing it to disappear from the every-day speech of the people.

The Qur'an
does not merely challenge man by the use of its language but also by the depth
of its meaning.

Those familiar with the Arabic language (both prose and verse
writings) are reduced to silence and astonishment when they attempt to
describe it.

The Qur'an is neither poetry nor prose but rather seems to draw
qualities from both; it is more attractive and dazzling than poetry and
clearer and more flowing than prose.
A single verse or phrase from the Qur'an is more illuminating,
more penetrating, and more profound than the complete speech of most eloquent
speakers.

The profundity of meaning in the Qur'an remains as miraculous as
ever; its complex structure of beliefs, morals and laws stands as proof that
the Qur'an is the word of God.

Man, and in particular someone who was born and
raised in circumstances similar to those of the Prophet, could never have
created such a system; the Qur'an is a harmonious whole despite having been
revealed during twenty-three years in greatly varying circumstances.

God
Himself confirms that the Qur'an has been preserved from change; in chapter
XV:9 He says:
"Indeed We, even We, reveal the Reminder and indeed We are truly
its guardian," and in chapter (XLI:41-42) He says:
"for indeed it is an unassailable Book.

Falsehood cannot come to
it from before or behind it.

(It is) a revelation from the Wise, the Praise
one."
Only a divine Book could remain preserved for fourteen centuries
in a world where the enemies of truth and of Islam are numerous.

(Allamah Tabatabai, The Qur'an in Islam, p.

101-103)

After reading about the protection of any alteration of the Holy Qur'an, you
might find the following of interest:

Ta'wil: Some scholars
consider ta'wil to mean foregoing the literal meaning of a text for its
metaphorical sense without violating the norms of Arabic language for
metaphorical usage, and in consonance with metaphorical relations, such as
referring to a thing by the name of something similar to it or by its cause or
that of something which is closely associated with it.

The Demand of the Qur'an for a Direct Confrontation: From the very first day that the Prophet began preaching his message
of monotheism, he summoned people also to a realistic vision of the world.

When inviting them to faith, he addressed their wisdom and intelligence and
called on them to use their eyes and their ears to perceive the truth.

Do
we deserve the Qur'an ? The student of the Qur'an
will find out that, Qur'an is telling us that the messengers of Allah will
lead the people from darkness into the light and that nowhere in the Qur'an
does Allah tell us a story of a community misled by its messenger or given the
wrong teachings by him.

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