Expert: Drs. Kersten - 3/2/2007

Question
I am not at all offended. Actually I feel honored to receive an answer I can sturnly believe as true, because it's not biased but just based on fact. It is tough, though, to stick to blind faith. I find it nearly impossible for others around me to see truth in Islam, especially with the sad current events going on around the world...

Aside from that, I notice you said: "However, be aware that I am talking about the Qur'an text, not the message it contains." This is an interesting point, but if the Qur'an has been/may have been altered, what about the message? I guess it depends on the individual who reads the text and decides for himself..

This world is very confusing, but I'm glad to get some answers to some ongoing questions. I will never lose my faith in Allah, but I do wonder why the right path is so difficult to find.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Assalamu Allaikum.

I was posed a difficult question by a friend today, and I did not wish to relay wrongful information. Although I have been taught that the Qur'an has never been changed since its original form from when it was revealed to mankind, I have never been given the facts and the truths behind it to confirm the validity of this concept.

How can we know that the Qur'an has not been altered in any way from the time it was revealed?
-----Answer-----
This is a very difficult and contentious question, because the issue of the status of the Qur'an touches on the very core of Islamic teaching.

From a doctrinal point of view, and this is for the believers the most important, the position is that the Qur'an was indeed transmitted unchanged since its revelation. I will not address the other difficult question closely connected with the issue: whether the Qur'an is eternal or whether it was created. This is a matter that is even disputed among Muslims.

However, next to the doctrinal point of view there is the scholarly historical question: How can we know for certain that the Qur'an was transmitted unchanged? There is indeed no proof that this is the case. In fact there is evidence indicating that the text has undergone some change.

First of all there is the order of Suras in the Mushaf, which differs from the sequence of revelation. Secondly, even official Islamic history teaches that the Qur'an was not put into writing in its entirety until the time of the Fourth Righteous Caliph, Uthman, (644-656CE). Since we do not have any surviving Mushaf from the period we cannot even be sure about that.

In more recent years discoveries in Yemen of Mushafs which are not identical to the ones in circulation now, give an indication that the Qur'an text did not reach its final stage in the days of the Prophet or Companions, but only in a later stage in history

However, be aware that I am talking about the Qur'an text, not the message it contains.

I realize this answer may not be entirely satisfactory to you, and from a believer's point of view even offensive. But I am giving you this information from the position of an academic scholar of Islam.

Answer
In spite of all the historical uncertainty, there is one thing that even the most skeptical scholar cannot ignore: that Islam has appealed to mankind for more 1400 years and at present it inspires more than 1.2 billion people. Apparently there is a valuable message.

YOu hit the nail right on the head. In regards to all religious traditions it is important to realise that they are as much the work of people as they are of the divine. Understanding the message can only be achieved by humans actively engaging with it. It is hard work, but I gather that is part of the test life has in store for us.