By Nida

Is it just me, or is there a new edition of an organic chemistry textbook sprouting up every year? Granted, it’s the same basic information, only slightly tweaked as to appease powerhouse publishers and scientific fanatics. It seems change is inevitable in the world we live in. Those who do not follow change are often left behind. Similarly, it’s unsettling to see a new edition of a Holy-Book being printed every so often. One could say it is introduced for precisely the same reasons; to appease greedy and bored people. One may also wonder if a Holy-Book can still be deemed holy, if it is modified. Being Muslims, we are expected to follow religious texts of believers in their original form. Now the question is, how do we discern original form when all these alterations are taking place.

This is a testament to how much of a blessing it is to have a book, the Qur’aan, in its original form. Not a word from the Qur’aan has been added, deleted, or manipulated. Those who dispute the message have been powerless to change it. This is due to great pains taken by Muslims, past and present, to ensure that the words of the Qur’aan remain untouched. Mostly, it is a sign of the mercy of Allah. Surah Al-Hijr:9 is a proof of this preservation;

“Without doubt, We have sent down the Message; And We will surely guard it (safely from evil.)”

It is important to keep the message of the Qur’aan intact. The Qur’aan is the final book to have been sent down to us directly from Allah. It illustrates living one’s life, in accordance with worshiping your Creator. The message of this Book resonates to all people, regardless of gender or race. It’s necessary to have the Qur’aan because it provides humans with knowledge of things that are unseen and unknown to us. For those who search for the meaning of life, they need not look any further than the Holy Qur’aan.

At the time of its revelation, the Prophet(saw) took great measures to protect the words of the Qur’aan. Each time a verse was revealed to him, he would have one of his Companions write it down. Afterwards, they would read it back to the Prophet(saw) to make sure no error was made. These verses were then stored for safe-keeping through memorization and in-text.

Those with the best memory and most righteous character were chosen for this task. In Rays of Faith, we learned certain rules needed to be followed if one were to inscribe the Qur’aan. Firstly, the scribe could record no other book except the Qur’aan. All of the companions needed to be familiar with what was being written and two witnesses needed to be present in order to solidify the authenticity of these lines. Those who were literate often memorized and wrote down the verses of the Qur’aan, as soon as they were revealed by the Prophet(saw). In his lifetime, he made sure to recheck the written verses at least once a year to ensure wording and order. After the death of the Prophet(saw), Abu Bakr made sure that all copies of the Qur’aan were written on sheets of similar material and bounded.

In this day and age, believers strongly defend their Holy Book. There are millions of people who have memorized the Qur’aan and they make sure that, upon recitation, all words are spoken exactly as they were written. In most Islamic countries, there is a death penalty to anyone who tries to change the wording of the Qur’aan. These people are treated no less than murderers. Anyone who has been guilty of changing the words of the Qur’aan for their own gain, has been punished. No other people will defend their Book with such passion as those who follow Al-Dhikr.

In this way, Allah has ensured that through His blessing upon His believers, the words of the Qur’aan are preserved and protected. Either way, no being could possibly match the beauty and meaning of the Qur’aan. Surah Al-Baqara:23-24, is proof of the completeness and perfection of the Book, as well as Surah Al-Isra’:88.

The Qur’aan has been preserved since the time of its revelation. It is the word of Allah; and will live forever, unchanged, because of His mercy. The sacrifices made by people who wanted to keep the message and meaning safe, should not be compromised in order to seek worldly fame. The Qur’aan is preserved for a reason, and any threat to its message should be prevented. As the decay of greed and boredom reach other books, it would be wise to appreciate how the Qur’aan has remained intact, and how it will remain intact, InshaAllah, in years to come.