# Was Ibn Mas'ud's Quran different from the Quran we have?

*Ibn Mas'ud's codex: not substantially different, with the 'qul' of the last surahs; and Mufti Abu Layth on cutting the hand today*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/s/21/
- Date: 2020-06-19 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Dr. Shehzad Saleem | the Preservation of the Quran & the Problem of Qira'at | MindTrap with Mufti#26 (1:37:31–1:41:28)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2BcGWatU5g&t=5851s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/

**Topics:** Preservation and variant readings; Hudud and punishments; Guest conversations

**Question as asked:** Do you believe Ibn Mas'ud's version of the Quran was substantially different from the common reading and the Quran we have today?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: the guest says the reports that Ibn Mas'ud rejected al-Fatiha or the last two surahs are wrongly ascribed to him, and the major companions vouched for the same Quran, the only traceable dispute being over the word 'qul'. Mufti Abu Layth also says he would not advocate cutting the hand today, since for him the hudud have already changed with the age.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth first answers a viewer who asked him whether he would advocate cutting off the hand if the conditions were met today: he would not, because in his understanding the Sharia, with its maqasid, has already changed, as the Maliki scholars he mentioned held, so that today the hudud would be whatever suits the age, such as sentences and fines; he refers to his video on trajectory hermeneutics. A viewer then asks the guest whether Ibn Mas'ud's version of the Quran was substantially different. The guest says absolutely not: he has shown in his book that the narratives ascribed to Ibn Mas'ud, such as that he did not count al-Fatiha or the last two surahs as part of the Quran, are erroneously ascribed to him and have problems in their chains and content, and that Ibn Mas'ud, Ubayy ibn Ka'b and all the major companions vouched for the same Quran; he cites a successor of the companions, whose name is garbled in the transcript [?], who said he compared three readings, of Ibn Abbas, Ubayy and Ibn Mas'ud, and found they had exactly the same number of verses and matched completely. Mufti praises the book's treatment, which shows nothing clear about what the dispute over the mu'awwidhatayn was, and the gem that some narrations locate the difference only in the word 'qul' at the start of the two surahs, whether it was part of the revelation. He then reads a few short chat comments, a joke about copyright and a remark about chains of narration and popularity whose question he cannot find, and introduces the question whether the variations arose from the lack of diacritical marks.

## Sources and names cited

- Dr Shehzad Saleem (guest)
- Ibn Mas'ud
- Ubayy ibn Ka'b
- Ibn Abbas
- al-mu'awwidhatayn (the two surahs of seeking refuge)
- Surah al-Fatiha: https://quran.com/1
- report: ibn masud did not count al-fatiha and the last two surahs as part of the quran
- hudud (prescribed punishments)
- maqasid al-shari'ah
- trajectory hermeneutics
- Maliki school

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:37:31–1:41:28)

[1:37:25] part of a greater chain of course it has used significance yeah very well said very well said dr. mashallah just somebody had just asked me again I suppose this is just for me they'd asked me about if the criteria was met today would I advocate would I advocate chopping the hand I wouldn't because according to me all of this the Sharia with Makka see it's already changed like trick I have a whole video on trajectory hermeneutics so with in my understanding and that of these my lackeys at work are similarly in the past and these scholars the Sharia who do would have changed so they would be whatever the day and age so today punishment a

[1:38:04] sentences and fines and things like this okay the question somebody's asked doctors are veneers asked eponymous ODEs version of the Quran do you believe it was substantially different from the common killer and the Quran we have today absolutely not because I have shown in my book that the narratives which are ascribed to apply Masood Azhar which he did not find surah fateha' or the mob is a time to be part of the Quran they are erroneously ascribed to them to him and they have problems in their description they have problems in their snar they have problem and they content and abdullah al masud and

[1:38:43] ob-ivan acaba and all the major companions they they actually vouch for the same Quran and we even have people like I'm forgetting the name yes I got the name gobble cosy he was a Baba of consent he said that I found three currents in which the one of them was of the love of their boss the other one was from Hawaii niqab and the third one was from kul Elna Masood and none of them deferred anywhere they had exactly the same number of verses and they were they were total matching to each other so I think that as far as the beloved nemesis is concerned he is he's been wrongly

[1:39:22] understood and these you guys can't see but these were the pages I'd been going through that just the other day all on up dilemmas roots you know variation of the Quran and and you do that very well and as a brief summary I mean it does speak about that there's nothing clear that what the debate was about was it them I was a team because you know could it be that none of his students transmitted from and even though 2/3 of them do briefly but they don't nobody really you know this should be a known thing SHINee and and I love how you brought it down and through some of the rear Wyatt showing that was the

[1:40:00] difference on the word cool in the mob of the team that's a an absolute gem I thought that was an amazing part that's through some narrations they were discussing the quarry of Gulu you know cloud up in Nassau fella so was that part of the revelation or not and was this even emotes contention but once again that is in much in great detail mentioned in the book right does the Koran not have okay I don't know if that's a legitimate question does the Koran not have copyright laws it does not it does not

[1:40:37] have copyright laws people I'm surprised at the idea that dr. Shaheen has said the idea is that one must have valid chains of narration to become really popular since common people don't usually care for chains of narration for the Koran I'm not sure where the question is in that okay so on manuscripts not having the huffs Kira I think it's probably to do with the fact that by the time people started putting diacritic marks hmm is it like is I suppose the question is is the variations in the Koran because of not

[1:41:15] having diacritic marks well one of the reasons as I said that there are several reasons I have enumerated them in my book so another reason is because of the lack of diacritical marks there was some similarity in words as well sanctioned by this knowledge you see thoroughly moon and yalla moon was caused because of the fact that their diacritic was not present above and below and both had and it's not traced back to the Prophet as well so you could have read thoroughly moon and you could have already around the moon and of course in the absence of these diacritic marks and because of the fact that both readings were were

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment f2BcGWatU5g/s/21. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/s/21/

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