Despite the very orthodox view that has taken shape for over a thousand years, there was a time when it was perfectly allowed to realise and accept that the text of the Quran that was standardised by caliph Uthman was not perfect. In fact, many early reports show that especially in the first century the community were willing to accuse the text of scribal errors. This type of textual criticism is incredibly common of the text, and there are also many variant first century readings that can only be a result of a scribal difference, not oral.
The first example of this is this tradition from Abu Ubayd Al-Qasims Fadail Al-Quran, hadith 468, which appears in other major works of this genre such as the Kitab Al-Musahif of Ibn Abi Dawud and Al-Anbari. In this tradition Uthman himself says after looking at the finished product that there are indeed some errors inside of it.
حدثنا أبو عبيد قال : حدثنا حجاج ، عن هارون بن موسى ، قال : أخبرني الزبير بن الخريت ، عن عكرمة ، قال : لما كتبت المصاحف عرضت على عثمان ، فوجد فيها حروفا من اللحن ، فقال : « لا تغيروها فإن العرب ستغيرها ، أو قال : ستعربها بألسنتها ، لو كان الكاتب من ثقيف ، والمملي من هذيل لم توجد فيه هذه الحروف »
Abu Ubaid <– Hajjaj <– Harun bin Musa <– Al-Zubayr bin Al-Khairat <– Ikrimah: When the Musahif was written, it was presented to Uthman. He found some errors and said “do not change them for the Arabs will soon change them”. Or he said: “They will correctly pronounce them via their tongues. Had the scribe been from the tribe of Thaqif, and the one who dictates it from the tribe of Hudhayl, these letters would not be found in it”.
These errors that Uthman is talking about are not explicitly named, however we do get examples in the next tradition reported in the tafsir of Al-Baghawi. In this tradition recorded in his commentary for Q4:162 Uthmans son Aban as well as Muhammads wife Aisha point out and issue a correction to two words in the verse and also point out other errors.
وَٱلْمُقِيمِينَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ، اختلفوا في وجه انتصابه، فحُكِي عن عائشة رضي الله عنها وأبان بن عثمان: أنه غلط من الكتاب ينبغي أن يكتب والمقيمون الصلاة وكذلك قوله في سورة المائدة{ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَٱلَّذِينَ هَادُواْ وَٱلصَّابِئُونَ} [المائدة: 69]، وقوله إِنْ هَـٰذَٰنِ لَسَاحِرَٰنِ [طه: 63] قالوا: ذلك خطأ من الكاتب. وقال عثمان: إن في المصحف لحناً ستقيمه العربُ بألسنتها، فقيل له: ألاَ تغيّره؟ فقال: دعوه فإنه لا يُحلّ حراماً ولا يُحرّم حلالاً.
{Wal-Muqimeen Al-salata} They disagreed on its grammar. Aisha and Aban bin Uthman said that was a mistake in the book. It should be written {والمقيمون الصلاة} Likewise he said In Surah Maidah {Inna alladhina Amanu wa-alladhina hadu wal-Sabiuna} and his saying {Inna Hadhani lasahirani}. They said: This is a mistake on the part of the scribe. And Uthman said: There are errors in the Qur’an that the Arabs will correct with their tongues. So he was asked: “Why don’t you correct it?”. Uthman replied: “Leave it there, it doesn’t make any difference in respect of what is Halal and Haram’”.
Here is a picture of the standard reading at the top, and the correction below
In this tradition from Aisha found in Abu Ubayds Fadail Al-Quran hadith 469, she tells her nephew Urwah Zubayr about multiple errors in the Quran in the following verses in chronological order: Q20:63, Q4:162 and Q5:69:
حدثنا أبو عبيد حدثنا أبو معاوية ، عن هشام بن عروة ، عن أبيه ، قال : سألت عائشة عن لحن القرآن : عن قوله إن هذان لساحران، وعن قوله والمقيمين الصلاة والمؤتون الزكاة وعن قوله إن الذين آمنوا والذين هادوا والصابئون فقالت : « يا ابن أختي ، هذا عمل الكتاب أخطئوا في الكتاب »
Abu Ubaid <– Abu Muawiyah <– Hisham bin Urwah <– his father (Urwah Ibn Zubayr): I asked Aisha about errors of the Quran in the following verses: {Inna Hadhani lasahirani} {Wal-Muqimeen Al-salata wal-mu’tuna} {Inna alladhina Amanu wa-alladhina hadu wal-Sabiuna}. She said: “oh nephew, this is the work of the scribes as they erred in writing them.
This tradition which was vehemently defended by Al-Suyuti as being Sahih according to the conditions of Bukhari, is interesting as judging by the language of Urwah Zubayr it was quite accepted at this point that these passages were errors. Indeed, another early authority, Sayd bin Jubayr also listed these three examples as well as another and said they contain error. From the work of Ibn Abi Dawud hadith 89
حدثنا عبد الله قال حدثنا الفضل بن حماد الخيري ، حدثنا خلاد يعني ابن خالد ، حدثنا زيد بن الحباب ، عن أشعث ، عن سعيد بن جبير قال : « في القرآن أربعة أحرف لحن : الصابئون، والمقيمين ، فأصدق وأكن من الصالحين، و إن هذان لساحران»
Abdullah <– Al-Fadl bin Hammad Al-Khairi <– Khallad, meaning Ibn Khalid <– Zaid bin Al-Habbab <– Ash’ath <– Sayd bin Jubayr: In the Quran there are four letters which have error: {Al-Sabiuna}, {Wal-Muqimeen} {fa-assaddaqa wa-akun Mina Al-Salihina} {Inna Hadhani lasahirani}
Verse references in this hadith in order are as follows Q5:69, Q4:162, Q63:10 and Q20:63.
Rather interestingly, the reading of {Inna Hadhani} in Q20:63 which early authorities deemed wrong, was actually corrected by the canonical reader Abu Amr who instead read the proper reading of {Inna Hadhayni}.
Yet another scribal error found in the Quran can be found in Q24:27. The word used there is {Tastanisu} “seek familiarity” however, Ibn Abbas said that this is wrong and that the scribes made a mistake. It is actually, {Tastazinu} “seek permission”. Tabari records in his tafsir:
حدثنا ابن بشار قال ثنا محمد بن جعفر قال ثنا شعبة عن أبي بشر عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس في هذه الآية { لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا } وقال إنما هي من خطأ الكاتب { حتى تستأذنوا وتسلموا
Ibn Bashar <– Muhammad bin Jaffar <– Shu’bah <– Abu Bishr <– Sayd bin Jubayr <– Ibn Abbas about this verse ‘{Do not enter houses other than your own until you seek familiarity (Tastanisu) and greet the inhabitants}’. He said: ‘It is a mistake by the scribe. ‘{until you seek permission (Tastazinu) and greet}’.
This is also the recitation of Ibn Masud and his companions, Ubai bin Kab, Ibrahim Al-Nakha’i, Qatadah Diamah as well as one of the 14 Quranic readers Sulayman Al-Amash. A full analysis of this reading that I wrote can be found here.
Another such error that was pointed out by Ibn Abbas is found in Q17:23. In this verse, Allah says {waqada rabbuka} “and your lord has commanded”. However this is wrong according to Ibn Abbas and Al-Dhahaak. It instead should be {wawasa rabbuka} “and your lord has advised”
وقال أحمد بن منيع: ثنا حسين بن محمد، ثنا الفرات بن السائب، عن ميمون بن مهران، عن ابن عباس- رضي اللّه عنهما- قال: “أنزل اللّه- عز وجل- هذا الحرف على لسان نبيكم – صلى الله عليه وسلم – “ووصى ربك أن لا تعبدوا إلا إياه” فلصقت إحدى الواوين بالأخرى فقرأ لنا (وقضى ربك أن لا تعبدوا إلا إياه) ولو نزلت على القضاء ما أشرك به أحد
Ahmed bin Manea <– Husayn bin Muhammad <– Al-Furat bin Al-Sa’ib <– Maymun bin Mahran <– Ibn Abbas: “God, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed this letter on the tongue of your Prophet – may God’s prayers and peace be upon him {And your Lord has advised (wawasa)} that you worship none save him.” However, the letters got mixed, so the people read {And your lord commanded (وقضى Waqada)}‘, and if it was fate, none would have disobeyed him.
This was also the reading of Ali, Ibn Masud, Ubai bin Kab and others. A fuller analysis can be read here. Ultimately I could keep going on and on with these scribal variants until this article is 20+ times long. However I think the general point that I am trying to convey has sufficiently come across: that despite the orthodox view of the last 1000+ years, this Quran that we possess today is not completely without scribal error.
The Islam Issue 