Surah 15 · verse 9

Commentary An Episode from the Court of Ma'mun Imam Al-Qurtubi has authentically reported an event from the court of ` Abbasi Khalifah, Al-Ma'mun. He was used to patronizing occasional debates on intellectual issues at his court where all scholars were welcome. It so happened that a Jew came to attend one of these debates. By his looks, dress and manners, he seemed to be an elegant person. Then, his address during the debate was eloquent and intellectually bright.

When the meeting was over, Ma'mun called for him and asked him if he was an Israelite, which he confirmed. To test him, Ma'mun asked him to become a Muslim in which case he could hope to have the best possible treatment from him. He said that he was not willing to leave the religion of his forefathers which was his religion too. The matter ended there. That person went away. Then, after a year, the same person returned as a Muslim and made a very distinct contribution in the court meeting on the subject of Islamic jurisprudence.

After the session was over, Ma'mun called for him and asked him if he was the same person who had come last year. He said: Yes, I am. Ma'mun asked: At that time you had refused to accept Islam. Tell me what made you accept Islam now. He said: When I went back from here, I decided to do some research on contemporary religions. I am a scribe. I write books and sell them. They bring good price. This time I wanted to make a test.

First, I calligraphed three manuscripts of the Torah in which I made some additions and deletions on my own. I took these manuscripts to the Synagogue. The Jews found them interesting and bought them. Then, I did the same things with the Injil. I calligraphed three manuscripts, complete with my additions and deletions, and took them to the Church where the Christians were pleased with these manuscripts and bought them from me.

After that, I tried the same thing with the Qur’ an . I calligraphed three good looking manuscripts of the Qur'an, of course with the usual additions and deletions of my own. When I went out to sell them, I faced a problem. Every buyer I went to would take the manuscript, look into it to determine if it was correct or not, and when he would notice additions or deletions made into it, he would quietly return the manuscript back to me.

From this episode, I learnt my lesson that this Book is protected, and protected by Allah Ta` ala Himself, therefore, I embraced Islam. Qadi Yahya ibn Aktham, the narrator of this event says that, by chance, he had the tauf` iq of performing his Hajj in the same year. There he met Sufyan ibn ` Uyainah to whom he related this event. He said: Surely, this is how it should be because this is confirmed by the Qur’ an. Yahya ibn Aktham asked about the ayah he had in mind.

He said: When the glorious Qur’ an mentions the Torah and the Injil, there it says: بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّـهِ (that is, the Jews and Christians have been entrusted with the responsibility of protecting the Torah and Injil, the Books of Allah - 5:44). This is the reason why, when the Jews and Christians did not fulfill their duty of protecting them, these Books were lost through distortions and alterations.

This is contrary to the case of the Holy Qur’ an about which Allah Ta’ ala has said:إِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ (And We are there to protect it - 9). Thus, when Allah Ta’ ala Himself arranged to have it remain protected, then, despite thousands of efforts made by enemies, not a single change in one tiny dot or case mark could be made. Today, over fourteen hundred years have passed since even the blessed age of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and there has been a shortfall and neglect on the part of Muslims in all areas of their religious matters, yet the continuous arrangement of memorizing the Holy Qur’ an all over the world stands firmly established as it was.

In every period of time, there are millions of Muslims, old and young, male and female, always present on the scene, blessed people in whose hearts and minds the Holy Qur’ an lives protected. Before them, not even the highest of the high religious scholar can dare recite a single letter of the Qur’ an wrong, for there would be around at that time many, seniors or children, who would promptly apprehend the error. The Promise to Protect the Qur'an Includes the Protection of Hadith As a matter of principle, all learned people agree that the Qur’ an is neither the name of the words of the Qur’ an alone, nor that of its meanings alone, instead, a combination of both is called the Qur’ an.

The reason is that Qur'anic meanings and subjects appear in other books as well, and as for Islamic writings, their subjects are essentially Qur'anic, but they are not called Qur’ an - because, they are not the words of the Qur’ an. Similarly, if a person were to borrow different words and sentences from the Holy Qur’ an and write an article or treatise, no one will call this too by the name of Qur’ an, even though there is no word from outside the Qur’ an.

This tells us that the Qur'an is the exclusive name of the particular Divinely revealed Book the words and meanings of which are simultaneously protected. This also leads us to the ruling that the practice of people who publish the translation of the Qur’ an only in a foreign language and give it the name, for example, an English Qur’ an or an Urdu Qur’ an, is not permissible at all - because, that is not the Qur’ an.

And when we know that Qur’ an is not the name of the words of the Qur’ an alone, but that its meaning too are a part of it, then, the responsibility of protecting the Qur’ an taken upon Himself in this verse by Allah Ta’ ala covers the total protection of the words of the Qur’ an as well as the meanings of the Qur’ an in that they remain protected against alteration or distortion. And it is obvious that the meanings of the Qur’ an are the same as the Holy Prophet ﷺ ﷺ was sent to teach - as pointed out in the Qur’ an: لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ (16:44).

It means: 'You have been sent to explain the meaning of what has been revealed for them.' And this is what the verse: يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ : 'Teaches them the Book and the Wisdom' (3:164) also means. And that is why he said: اِنَّمَا بُعِثتُ مُعَلِّماً 'As for me, I have been sent as a teacher.' Now, when the Holy Prophet ﷺ was sent to explain the meanings of the Qur'an and to impart education to people, then, he used a set of his sayings and doings as the medium of instruction for his community, and this very set of his words and deeds is known as the Hadith.

One who says that the Ahadith of the Rasul ﷺ of Allah are not absolutely protected is really saying that the Qur'an is not protected. There are people around who would like to deceive the whole world by saying that the treasure of Ahadith present in authentic books is not trustworthy because it has been documented much later than the blessed age of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . First of all, even this assumption of theirs is not correct because the process of protection and documentation of Ahadith had already started within the age of prophethood itself, though it was completed later.

In addition to that, the Hadith of the Rasul of Allah is really the explanation of the Qur’ an and the meaning of the Qur’ an. Their protection is something which Allah Ta’ ala has taken upon Himself. Then, how can it be possible that only the words of the Qur’ an remain protected while the meanings of the Qur’ an (that is, the Ahadith of the Rasul) go to waste?

The Accusation that the Prophet was a Madman and Demands for Him to bring down Angels Allah tells us about the disbelief, arrogance and stubbornness of the disbelievers as reflected in their words: يأَيُّهَا الَّذِى نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ (O you (Muhammad) to whom the Dhikr (the Qur'an) has been revealed!) i.e., the one who claims to receive it. إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ (Verily, you are a mad man!) i.e., by your invitation to us to follow you and leave the way of our forefathers. لَّوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلَـئِكَةِ (Why do you not bring angels to us) i.e., to bear witness to the accuracy of what you have brought to us is true, if you are really telling the truth This is similar to what Pharaoh said: فَلَوْلاَ أُلْقِىَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌ مِّن ذَهَبٍ أَوْ جَآءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ (Why then are not golden bracelets bestowed on him, or angels sent along with him)(43:53).

And Allah said: وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْمَلَـئِكَةُ أَوْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا لَقَدِ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَعَتَوْا عُتُوّاً كَبِيراً - يَوْمَ يَرَوْنَ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ لاَ بُشْرَى يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُجْرِمِينَ وَيَقُولُونَ حِجْراً مَّحْجُوراً (And those who do not expect a meeting with Us (i. e., those who deny the Day of Resurrection and the life of the Hereafter), say: "Why are not the angels sent down to us, or why do we not see our Lord" Indeed they think too highly of themselves, and are scornful with great pride.

On the Day that they do see the angels - there will be no good news given on that day to the guilty. And they (angels) will say: "All kinds of glad tidings are forbidden for you.") (25:21-22) For this reason Allah said: مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ إِلاَّ بِالحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُواْ إِذًا مُّنظَرِينَ (We do not send the angels down except with the truth, and in that case, they (the disbelievers) would have no respite!) Mujahid said in this Ayah: مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةَ إِلاَّ بِالحَقِّ (We do not send the angels down except with the truth) "i.e., with the Message and the punishment."

Then Allah, may He be exalted, stated that He is the One Who revealed the Dhikr to him, which is the Qur'an, and He is protecting it from being changed or altered.

নিশ্চয় আমরাই কুরআন নাযিল করেছি এবং আমরা অবশ্যই তার সংরক্ষক ^১।

1. ১

   অর্থাৎ এই বাণী, যার বাহক সম্পর্কে তোমরা খারাপ মন্তব্য করছ, আল্লাহ নিজেই তা অবতীর্ণ করেছেন। তিনি একে কোন প্রকার বাড়তি বা কমতি, পরিবর্তন বা পরিবর্ধন হওয়া থেকে হেফাযত করবেন। অন্যত্র আল্লাহ বলেছেন, “বাতিল এতে অনুপ্রবেশ করতে পারে না---সামনে থেকেও না, পিছন থেকেও না। এটা প্রজ্ঞাময়, স্বপ্রশংসিতের কাছ থেকে নাযিলকৃত ।" [সূরা ফুসসিলাত: ৪২] আরও বলেছেন, “নিশ্চয় এর সংরক্ষণ ও পাঠ করাবার দায়িত্ব আমাদেরই। কাজেই যখন আমরা তা পাঠ করি আপনি সে পাঠের অনুসরণ করুন, তারপর তার বর্ণনার দায়িত্ব নিশ্চিতভাবে আমাদেরই” [সূরা আল-কিয়ামাহঃ ১৭-১৯]।

   সুতরাং একে বিকৃত বা এর মধ্যে পরিবর্তন সাধন করার সুযোগ ও তোমরা কেউ কোনদিন পাবে না। আল্লাহ্ তাআলা স্বয়ং এর হেফাযত করার কারণে শক্ররা হাজারো চেষ্টা সত্বেও এর মধ্যে কোন পরিবর্তন আনতে পারেনি। রিসালাত আমলের পর আজ চৌদশ’ বছর অতীত হয়ে গেছে। দ্বীনি ব্যাপারাদীতে মুসলিমদের ক্রটি ও অমনোযোগিতা সত্বেও কুরআনুল কারীম মুখস্ত করার ধারা বিশ্বের সর্বত্র পূর্ববৎ অব্যাহত রয়েছে। প্রতি যুগেই লাখো লাখো বরং কোটি কোটি মুসলিম যুবক-বৃদ্ধ এবং বালক ও বালিকা এমন বিদ্যমান থাকা, যাদের বক্ষ-পাঁজরে আগাগোড়া কুরআন সংরক্ষিত রয়েছে। কোন বড় থেকে বড় আলেমের সাধ্য নেই যে, এক অক্ষর ভুল পাঠ করে।

   তৎক্ষনাৎ বালক-বৃদ্ধ নির্বিশেষে অনেক লোক তার ভুল ধরে ফেলবে। প্রখ্যাত আলেম সুফিয়ান ইবন ওয়াইনা এর কারণ বর্ণনা করে বলেন, কুরআনুল কারীম যেখানে তাওরাত ও ইঞ্জীলের আলোচনা করেছে, সেখানে বলেছেঃ (بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوْا مِنْ كِتٰبِ اللّٰهِ) [সূরা আল-মায়েদাঃ ৪৪] অর্থাৎ ইয়াহুদী ও নাসারাদেরকে আল্লাহর গ্রন্থ তাওরাত ও ইঞ্জীলের হেফাযতের দায়িত্ব দেয়া হয়েছিল। এ কারণেই যখন ইয়াহুদী ও নাসারাগণ হেফাযতের কর্তব্য পালন করেনি, তখন এ গ্রন্থদ্বয় বিকৃত ও পরিবর্তিত হয়ে বিনষ্ট হয়ে গেল। পক্ষান্তরে কুরআনুল কারীম সম্পর্কে আল্লাহ্ তা'আলা বলেনঃ (وَاِنَّا لَهٗ لَحٰفِظُوْنَ) অর্থাৎ “আমিই এর সংরক্ষক" [সূরা আল-হিজরঃ৯]।

   সুতরাং এটি কখনও অসংরক্ষিত হওয়ার সুযোগ নেই। [কুরতুবী]