The Faith of Islam | Page 6

can cast an imputation; and thou wert wont to write down the inspired revelations of the Prophet of the Lord, wherefore now search out the Qur��n and bring it all together." Zeid being at length pressed to undertake the task proceeded to gather the Qur��n together from "date leaves, and tablets of white stone, and from the hearts of men." In course of time it was all compiled in the order in which the book is now arranged. This was the authorized text for some twenty-three years after the death of Muhammad. Owing, however, either to different modes of recitation, or to differences of expression in the sources from which Zeid's first recension was made, a variety of different readings crept into the copies in use. The Faithful became alarmed and the Khal��f Osm��n was persuaded to put a stop to such a danger. He appointed Zeid with three of the leading men of the Quraish as assistants to go over the whole work again. A careful recension was made of the whole book which was then assimilated to the Meccan dialect, the purest in Arabia. After this all other copies of the Qur��n were burnt by order of the Khal��f, and new transcripts were made of the revised edition which was now the only authorised copy. As it is a fundamental tenet of Isl��m that the Qur��n is incorruptible and absolutely free {9} from error, no little difficulty has been felt in explaining the need of Osm��n's new and revised edition and of the circumstances under which it took place; but as usual a Tradition has been handed down which makes it lawful to read the Qur��n in seven dialects. The book in its present form may be accepted as a genuine reproduction of Abu Bakr's edition with authoritative corrections. We may rest assured that we have in the Qur��n now in use the record of what Muhammad said. It thus becomes a fundamental basis of Isl��m. It was a common practice of the early Muslims when speaking of the Prophet to say:--"His character is the Qur��n." When people curious to know details of the life of their beloved master asked '��yesha, one of his widows, about him, she used to reply:--"Thou hast the Qur��n, art thou not an Arab and readest the Arab tongue? Why dost thou ask me, for the Prophet's disposition is no other than the Qur��n?"
Whether Muhammad would have arranged the Qur��n as we now have it is a subject on which it is impossible to form an opinion. There are Traditions which seem to show that he had some doubts as to its completeness. I give the following account on the authority of M. Caussin de Percival. When Muhammad felt his end draw near he said:--"Bring ink and paper: I wish to write to you a book to preserve you always from error." But it was too late. He could not write or dictate and so he said:--"May the Qur��n always be your guide. Perform what it commands you: avoid what it prohibits." The genuineness of the first part of this Tradition is, I think, very doubtful, the latter is quite in accordance with the Prophet's claim for his teaching. The letter of the book became, as Muhammad intended it should become, a despotic influence in the Muslim world, a barrier to freethinking on the part of all the orthodox, an obstacle to innovation in all spheres--political, social, intellectual and moral. There are many topics connected with it which can be better explained in the next chapter. All {10} that has now to be here stated is that the Qur��n is the first foundation of Isl��m. It is an error to suppose it is the only one: an error which more than anything else has led persons away from the only position in which they could obtain a true idea of the great system of Isl��m.
The Sh��a'hs maintain, without good reason, that the following verses favourable to the claims of 'Al�� and of the Sh��a'h faction were omitted in Osm��n's recension.
"O Believers! believe in the two lights. (Muhammad and 'Al��).
'Al�� is of the number of the pious, we shall give him his right in the day of judgment; we shall not pass over those who wish to deceive him. We have honoured him above all this family. He and his family are very patient. Their enemy[10] is the chief of sinners.
We have announced to thee a race of just men, men[11] who will not oppose our orders. My mercy and peace are on them living[12] or dead.
As to those who walk in their way, my mercy is on them; they will certainly gain the mansions of Paradise."
2. THE SUNNAT.--The second foundation of Isl��m is based on the Had��s (plural Ah��d��s) or Tradition. Commands from