# Where does the claim that the Quran is preserved to the very dot come from?

*Where the slogan 'preserved to the very dot' comes from: fundamentalism in the face of modernity and colonialism*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/s/16/
- Date: 2020-06-19 · Kind: discussion · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Dr. Shehzad Saleem | the Preservation of the Quran & the Problem of Qira'at | MindTrap with Mufti#26 (1:21:11–1:24:40)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2BcGWatU5g&t=4871s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/

**Topics:** Preservation and variant readings; Islam and modernity; Orthodoxy and how Islam spread

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says the slogan that the Quran is preserved to the very dot is not traditional but a creed cemented in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when religious people entrenched themselves in fundamentalism against modernity and colonialism. Early Muslims were comfortable with a Quran that was preserved while allowing variation.

## Longer summary

The guest finishes by saying the work is a combined effort and a humble presentation, and welcomes being shown where it goes against accepted principles. Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding, which he has given on his Monday night shows, the recent controversy is not the real problem; the problem is that Muslims have to unlearn some things they learnt. He says it is a matter of fact that in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with the rise of modernity and colonialism, people of religion, Muslims and Christians alike, tried to entrench themselves in fundamentalism to stabilise their identity, producing slogans such as 'Islam is a way of life' and 'Islam is the solution to all your problems', and, in contrast to the Bible, 'the Quran is preserved to the very dot'; he feels that era cemented this creed, which is now bothersome as information and manuscripts become more accessible. The slogan, he says, was not a traditional one: early Muslims were comfortable saying that even if it varies it is still the same Quran in essence, which he compares to a substance in chemistry that under certain conditions is simultaneously a solid and a liquid, so that for them the Quran was preserved while allowing differences. He offers this as food for thought and moves to viewers' questions.

## Sources and names cited

- Dr Shehzad Saleem (guest)
- Hamiduddin Farahi
- the Bible

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:21:11–1:24:40)

[1:20:49] than the most welcoming thing which will help us also build upon our flaws and it's like a combined quest it's not my quest it's like mullah Baba and many other people fooling in and presenting their view analyzing it and creating some part of it telling us that for example this this this argument is flawed or this argument is correct and it's like it's like a combined effort that we should put forth without claiming ourselves that we are the ones who have discovered something it's just a humble presentation done by for I serve as a student of the Quran and if you think it is incorrect it would be of the fitting and very very welcoming if

[1:21:28] we are made known that for example this is how it doesn't go against many of them accepted principle so I think the approach is important and not a result now of course and the methodology like you're saying is is paramount I've in my understanding and I've said this on my Monday nights with Mufti show that look I felt that the problem I know recently this has become a hot topic and it's bothering people but I felt that it's not this is not the problem the problem is that that we have to unlearn some of the things we've learnt and in my understanding and this is obviously

[1:22:07] slightly different in my understanding that in the 19th century especially and the early 20th century with the rise of modernity and colonialism there was and this is I mean this is this parts of fact I mean it's not that that's not my opinion that there was a global kind of with relief with people of religion especially Muslims anchors and Christians there was this attempt to entrench themselves further in fundamentalism to stabilize their identity in the face of modernity so you start seeing a rise of fundamentalism and a lot of slogans like Islam is this is a way of life Islam is the solution

[1:22:46] to all your problems Islam is this and in contrast to the manifesto of modernity or colonialism of the Bible the Quran is absolutely vowel for what vowel the you know what we've what we have has been preserved - it's very dot I felt that it was that era that really cemented this kind of this Creed and now what's happening is as information is generally become more accessible and certain manuscripts are being found it's it's become bothersome but I felt that this slogan in and of itself was not actually a traditional

[1:23:25] slogan that early Muslims had they kind of were quite comfortable with saying look so what if it varies it's it's still the same Quran in essence it's kind of like saying in and I've given this example of saying like in in chemistry things are you know from molecular perspective they're either solids fluids or gases but then you do under certain circumstances you could get like potassium which is a solid but under a certain temperature it could atomically also be a liquid and a solid simultaneously so the Quran for them was preserved whilst at the same time

[1:24:04] allowing differences so it's like yeah I mean that was just just food for thought that's how I kind of saw this but yeah I'd like to come to some questions and I know I know it is very very late over the adductors up but I think people would love to kind of be able to pick your brains on some of these things so if we could take some questions somebody said all right let me just bring up these questions right people if you've got some questions you can feel free to post them I'll get dr.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment f2BcGWatU5g/s/16. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/s/16/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.