Copyist Errors in the Quran?
Muhammad Mustafa Al-Azami, Professor Emeritus at King Saud University, writes that there are copyist errors in Quran manuscripts:
We must nevertheless take into consideration that there are over 250,000 manuscripts of the Qur’an scattered all over the globe. When comparing them it is always possible to find copying mistakes here and there; this is an example of human fallibility, and has been recognized as such by authors who have written extensively on the subject of “unintentional errors.” Such occurrences cannot be used to prove any corruption within the Quran.1The History of The Qur’anic Text: From Revelation to Compilation: A Comparative Study with the Old and New Testaments [Leicester: UK Islamic Academy, 2003], 13).
Later, Al-Azami writes something similar:
“In my estimate there are over 250,000 copies of the Qur’an in manuscript form, complete or partial, from the first century of Hijra onwards. Errors are classified in academic circles into the dual categories of deliberate and unintentional, and in this vast collection of manuscripts it is a certainty that many copyists must have committed unintentional errors” (Ibid. 151).
Copyist errors in biblical manuscripts—the vast majority of which are similar to the unintentional copyist errors in the Quran—do not invalidate the Bible from being the Word of God.
The Qur’anic Teaching about the Injeel
The real issue Muslims have regarding the Christian Scriptures isn’t copyist errors (textual criticism) because Qur’anic manuscripts contain copyist errors.
Nor is the issue differences between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The real topic for discussion is that there are four Christian gospels written after Jesus’ life on earth while the Qur’an speaks of a single book (Injeel) given to Jesus from heaven which he gave to His disciples,
Qur’an 5:46-47
And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel [l-injīla],2Translating the Arabic l-injīla as “the Gospel” adds further confusion because the Greek word Christians translate as “gospel” (εὐαγγέλιον) means “good news.” Injeel does not mean “good news.” in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous.
And let the People of the Gospel [l-injīli] judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.
Muslims assume that the four Christian gospels are evidence that the one Qur’anic Injeel has been lost/corrupted. The fact is that Jesus was never given a book from heaven (Injeel). The book the Qur’an calls the Injeel never existed; it is a forgery of Qur’anic imagination.
You may be interested in:
Proof Muslims have tried to corrupt Scripture: The Gospel of Barnabas
What every Muslim should know about the Bible
References
I can bet that they are 100% un-intentional and that does not change the fact that the Quran is and will stay un-corrupted till the Judgment day and after. What I don’t understand is why the author is chasing a wild goose. They will never be able to prove there was any addition or subtraction from the word of Allah SWT. These are human errors and unintentional at that, not divine.
I’m not sure what you mean by “un-corrupted.” The addition and subtraction is that the Quran does not preserve what God revealed because it has omitted the books of Moses, Prophets, the Psalms, and the Gospels. Furthermore, many Muslims have also resorted to arguing that the Gospel of Barnabas was an authentic Gospel.
And can word of God have mathematical errors?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoeLlSE4t7I
Books like Gleason Archer’s Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties will answer these alleged “errors” such as Ezra 2:1 and Nehemiah 7:6. Also, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties
Preservation of the Noble Quran is a MIRACLE of Islam.The Rashidun Caliph
UTHMAN [ May Allah Bless him],compiled SIX IDENTICAL MASTERS and destroyed all
other written copies. The SIX identical Masters were distributed to various
locations in the Muslim lands of that time. Caliph Uthman’s compilation is the ONLY MASTER WHICH MUST BE TRUSTED as the ACCURATE QURAN till the Day of Judegement. The Quran that we read to day is the copy of Uthman’s Master Quran.
Any Quran other than Caliph UTHMAN’s compilation is INVALID and MUST NOT BE TRUSTED. Allah has promised the preservation of the Quran. See my documentary
“PRESERVATION OF THE HOLY QURAN” by ZAHIR AHMED
DVD available at http://www.islamicbookstore.com
ZAHIR AHMED
This is the lie you tell again and again. In fact from currently available Islamic manuscripts itself I can point out almost 100 of scribe errors. For example, Surah 2 itself have about 5 copyist error. There’s a very good book written about it by an Islamic scholar, himself a Muslim, Abu AlAl-Haqq called “Islam: The honest Truth what they don’t tell you” documented the errors in the 21st century Arabic Qur’an vs earlier manuscripts. For example, in the earliest manuscript, Sanna’s, you have lower writings erased and Qur’an re written in a different surah order (Many scholars believe the lower script is prior Uthmanic) as well as in May verses significant word changes sentence reordering can be noticed. This is more than copyist errors! What about Mohamed himself wrongly identified Mary (Marriyam) as Moses’s sister Miriam? 1000-1200 year different mistake! This is not a copyist error! What about that?
…so the Quran was written by uthman, not Muhammad.
So instead of the word of Allah, you have the word of uthman.
Congratulations.