Those of you who are regular readers of my articles will be familiar with the name of Sahabi Abdullah Ibn Abbas (b.619-d.687). He has been previously cited on TheIslamissue for his cosmological views of the earth being spread on the back of a giant whale, citing chapter 68 verse 1 of the Quran as evidence, as well as his belief that the sun has literal setting and rising places on earth in a hint to chapter 18:86-90 of the Quran.

His statements are regular citations by me and other individuals in the area of Islamic criticism for a few reasons, but the main one being the prayers that Muhammad made for Ibn Abbas regarding Quranic knowledge. For instance, in Ibn Majah 166 Muhammad said: “O Allah, teach him wisdom and the (correct) interpretation of the Book ”. In Bukhari 75 he said: “O Allah! Bestow on him the knowledge of the Book (Qur’an).”

These statements of Muhammad hold such immense weight Islamicly speaking because, if the opinions and statements of Ibn Abbas are wrong, then it demonstrates that Allah did not answer Muhammads prayer. If they are correct then his words are Islamic fact.

With that in mind, I would to present authentic narrations traced to Ibn Abbas which explicitly state that the current Uthmanic Quran contains errors in the form of mistakes committed by scribes, as well as deletions of entire sections of verses.

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Evidence 1: Quran 26:214 has a deleted portion

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In todays Uthmanic Quran, chapter 26 verse 214 reads as follows:

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وَأَنذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ ٱلْأَقْرَبِينَ And warn thy tribe of near kindred,

Quran 26:214

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However Ibn Abbas completely disagreed and said that the words “and thy group of selected people among them” is meant to be a part of the verse. This statement can be found in the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim:

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Sahih-Bukhari 4971:

حَدَّثَنَا يُوسُفُ بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَعْمَشُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ ‏‏وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الأَقْرَبِينَ‏ وَرَهْطَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ، خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى صَعِدَ الصَّفَا فَهَتَفَ ‏”‏ يَا صَبَاحَاهْ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالُوا مَنْ هَذَا، فَاجْتَمَعُوا إِلَيْهِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ خَيْلاً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ سَفْحِ هَذَا الْجَبَلِ أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالُوا مَا جَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْكَ كَذِبًا‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ تَبًّا لَكَ مَا جَمَعْتَنَا إِلاَّ لِهَذَا ثُمَّ قَامَ فَنَزَلَتْ ‏{‏تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ‏}‏ وَقَدْ تَبَّ هَكَذَا قَرَأَهَا الأَعْمَشُ يَوْمَئِذٍ‏.‏ Narrated Ibn Abbas: When the Verse:–’And warn your tribe of near-kindred, and thy group of selected people among them’ was revealed Allah’s Apostle went out, and when he had ascended As-Safa mountain, he shouted, “O Sabahah!” The people said, “Who is that?” “Then they gathered around him, whereupon he said, “Do you see? If I inform you that cavalrymen are proceeding up the side of this mountain, will you believe me?” They said, “We have never heard you telling a lie.” Then he said, “I am a plain warner to you of a coming severe punishment.” Abu Lahab said, “May you perish! You gathered us only for this reason? ” Then Abu Lahab went away. So the “Surat:–ul– Lahab” ‘Perish the hands of Abu Lahab!’ (111.1) was revealed.

Bukhari 4971

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Sahih-Muslim 208a:

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الأَقْرَبِينَ‏‏ وَرَهْطَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ‏.‏ خَرَجَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَتَّى صَعِدَ الصَّفَا فَهَتَفَ ‏”‏ يَا صَبَاحَاهْ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ فَقَالُوا مَنْ هَذَا الَّذِي يَهْتِفُ قَالُوا مُحَمَّدٌ ‏.‏ فَاجْتَمَعُوا إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ يَا بَنِي فُلاَنٍ يَا بَنِي فُلاَنٍ يَا بَنِي فُلاَنٍ يَا بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ يَا بَنِي عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ ‏”‏ فَاجْتَمَعُوا إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ خَيْلاً تَخْرُجُ بِسَفْحِ هَذَا الْجَبَلِ أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالُوا مَا جَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْكَ كَذِبًا ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏”‏ فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَىْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ تَبًّا لَكَ أَمَا جَمَعْتَنَا إِلاَّ لِهَذَا ثُمَّ قَامَ فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ السُّورَةُ تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَقَدْ تَبَّ ‏.‏ كَذَا قَرَأَ الأَعْمَشُ إِلَى آخِرِ السُّورَةِ ‏.‏ It is reported on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbas that when this verse was revealed: “And warn thy tribe of near kindred and thy group of selected people among them” the Messenger of Allah set off till he climbed Safa’ and called loudly: Be on your guard! They said: Who is it calling aloud? They said: Muhammad. They gathered round him, and he said: O sons of so and so, O sons of so and so, O sons of ‘Abd Manaf, O sons of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, and they gathered around him. He (the Apostle) said: If I were to inform you that there were horsemen emerging out of the foot of this mountain, would you believe me? They said: We have not experienced any lie from you. He said: Well, I am a warner to you before a severe torment. He (the narrator) said that Abu Lahab then said: Destruction to you! Is it for this you have gathered us? He (the Holy Prophet) then stood up, and this verse was revealed:” Perish the hands of Abu Lahab, and he indeed perished” (cxi. 1). A’mash recited this to the end of the Sura.

Muslim 208a

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An interesting thing to note, is that the official translations for these narrations used by websites like QuranX completely distort the words of Ibn Abbas. The Bukhari translation simply doesn’t translate “and they group of selected people among them” into English. The Sahih-Muslim translation does, however those words are put into brackets to make the reader think it is not part of the original. The Arabic in both is also obfuscated as they both include brackets around the Uthmanic verse while not bracketing the Ibn Abbas addition.

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Evidence 2: Deletion has taken place in 18:79-80

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In the Uthmanic Quran we read today, verses 18:79-80 read as follows:

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أَمَّا ٱلسَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَٰكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَآءَهُم مَّلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًا وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُلَٰمُ فَكَانَ أَبَوَاهُ مُؤْمِنَيْنِ فَخَشِينَآ أَن يُرْهِقَهُمَا طُغْيَٰنًا وَكُفْرًا As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working on the river, and I wished to mar it, for there was a king behind them who is taking every ship by force. And as for the lad, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should oppress them by rebellion and disbelief.

Quran 18:79-80

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Ibn Abbas however believed that the true Quran said the king took the “serviceable” boats by force and, referring to the boy, “he was a disbeliever”. This can be found in Sahih-Bukhari 4727:

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حَدَّثَنِي قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ إِنَّ نَوْفًا الْبَكَالِيَّ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ مُوسَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَيْسَ بِمُوسَى الْخَضِرِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ كَذَبَ عَدُوُّ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَا أُبَىُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ قَامَ مُوسَى خَطِيبًا فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ أَىُّ النَّاسِ أَعْلَمُ قَالَ أَنَا، فَعَتَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، إِذْ لَمْ يَرُدَّ الْعِلْمَ إِلَيْهِ، وَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ بَلَى عَبْدٌ مِنْ عِبَادِي بِمَجْمَعِ الْبَحْرَيْنِ، هُوَ أَعْلَمُ مِنْكَ قَالَ أَىْ رَبِّ كَيْفَ السَّبِيلُ إِلَيْهِ قَالَ تَأْخُذُ حُوتًا فِي مِكْتَلٍ فَحَيْثُمَا فَقَدْتَ الْحُوتَ فَاتَّبِعْهُ قَالَ فَخَرَجَ مُوسَى، وَمَعَهُ فَتَاهُ يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ، وَمَعَهُمَا الْحُوتُ حَتَّى انْتَهَيَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ، فَنَزَلاَ عِنْدَهَا قَالَ فَوَضَعَ مُوسَى رَأْسَهُ فَنَامَ ـ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ وَفِي حَدِيثِ غَيْرِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ ـ وَفِي أَصْلِ الصَّخْرَةِ عَيْنٌ يُقَالُ لَهَا الْحَيَاةُ لاَ يُصِيبُ مِنْ مَائِهَا شَىْءٌ إِلاَّ حَيِيَ، فَأَصَابَ الْحُوتَ مِنْ مَاءِ تِلْكَ الْعَيْنِ، قَالَ فَتَحَرَّكَ، وَانْسَلَّ مِنَ الْمِكْتَلِ، فَدَخَلَ الْبَحْرَ فَلَمَّا اسْتَيْقَظَ مُوسَى ‏{‏قَالَ لِفَتَاهُ آتِنَا غَدَاءَنَا‏}‏ الآيَةَ قَالَ وَلَمْ يَجِدِ النَّصَبَ حَتَّى جَاوَزَ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ، قَالَ لَهُ فَتَاهُ يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ ‏{‏أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ‏}‏ الآيَةَ قَالَ فَرَجَعَا يَقُصَّانِ فِي آثَارِهِمَا، فَوَجَدَا فِي الْبَحْرِ كَالطَّاقِ مَمَرَّ الْحُوتِ، فَكَانَ لِفَتَاهُ عَجَبًا، وَلِلْحُوتِ سَرَبًا قَالَ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَيَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ، إِذْ هُمَا بِرَجُلٍ مُسَجًّى بِثَوْبٍ، فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْهِ مُوسَى قَالَ وَأَنَّى بِأَرْضِكَ السَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ أَنَا مُوسَى‏.‏ قَالَ مُوسَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالَ نَعَمْ هَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ عَلَى أَنْ تُعَلِّمَنِي مِمَّا عُلِّمْتَ رَشَدًا‏.‏ قَالَ لَهُ الْخَضِرُ يَا مُوسَى إِنَّكَ عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنْ عِلْمِ اللَّهِ عَلَّمَكَهُ اللَّهُ لاَ أَعْلَمُهُ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِنْ عِلْمِ اللَّهِ عَلَّمَنِيهِ اللَّهُ لاَ تَعْلَمُهُ‏.‏ قَالَ بَلْ أَتَّبِعُكَ‏.‏ قَالَ فَإِنِ اتَّبَعْتَنِي فَلاَ تَسْأَلْنِي عَنْ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى أُحْدِثَ لَكَ مِنْهُ ذِكْرًا، فَانْطَلَقَا يَمْشِيَانِ عَلَى السَّاحِلِ فَمَرَّتْ بِهِمَا سَفِينَةٌ فَعُرِفَ الْخَضِرُ فَحَمَلُوهُمْ فِي سَفِينَتِهِمْ بِغَيْرِ نَوْلٍ ـ يَقُولُ بِغَيْرِ أَجْرٍ ـ فَرَكِبَا السَّفِينَةَ قَالَ وَوَقَعَ عُصْفُورٌ عَلَى حَرْفِ السَّفِينَةِ، فَغَمَسَ مِنْقَارَهُ الْبَحْرَ فَقَالَ الْخَضِرُ لِمُوسَى مَا عِلْمُكَ وَعِلْمِي وَعِلْمُ الْخَلاَئِقِ فِي عِلْمِ اللَّهِ إِلاَّ مِقْدَارُ مَا غَمَسَ هَذَا الْعُصْفُورُ مِنْقَارَهُ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَفْجَأْ مُوسَى، إِذْ عَمَدَ الْخَضِرُ إِلَى قَدُومٍ فَخَرَقَ السَّفِينَةَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى قَوْمٌ حَمَلُونَا بِغَيْرِ نَوْلٍ، عَمَدْتَ إِلَى سَفِينَتِهِمْ فَخَرَقْتَهَا ‏{‏لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ‏}‏ الآيَةَ فَانْطَلَقَا إِذَا هُمَا بِغُلاَمٍ يَلْعَبُ مَعَ الْغِلْمَانِ، فَأَخَذَ الْخَضِرُ بِرَأْسِهِ فَقَطَعَهُ‏.‏ قَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى ‏{‏أَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْئًا نُكْرًا * قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكَ إِنَّكَ لَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ مَعِيَ صَبْرًا‏}‏ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ ‏{‏فَأَبَوْا أَنْ يُضَيِّفُوهُمَا فَوَجَدَا فِيهَا جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْقَضَّ‏}‏ فَقَالَ بِيَدِهِ هَكَذَا فَأَقَامَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى إِنَّا دَخَلْنَا هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةَ، فَلَمْ يُضَيِّفُونَا وَلَمْ يُطْعِمُونَا، لَوْ شِئْتَ لاَتَّخَذْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا فِرَاقُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنِكَ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْوِيلِ مَا لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ عَلَيْهِ صَبْرًا‏.‏ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ وَدِدْنَا أَنَّ مُوسَى صَبَرَ حَتَّى يُقَصَّ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ أَمْرِهِمَا ‏”‏‏.‏ قَالَ وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَقْرَأُ وَكَانَ أَمَامَهُمْ مَلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ صَالِحَةٍ غَصْبًا، وَأَمَّا الْغُلاَمُ فَكَانَ كَافِرًا‏.‏ Narrated Sa`id bin Jubair: I said to Ibn `Abbas, “Nauf-al-Bakali ” claims that Moses of Bani Israel was not Moses, the companion of Al-Khadir.” Ibn `Abbas said, “Allah’s enemy tells a lie! Ubai bin Ka`b narrated to us that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘Moses got up to deliver a sermon before Bani Israel and he was asked, ‘Who is the most learned person among the people?’ Moses replied, ‘I (am the most learned).’ Allah then admonished Moses for he did not ascribe all knowledge to Allah only (Then) came the Divine Inspiration:– ‘Yes, one of Our slaves at the junction of the two seas is more learned than you.’ Moses said, ‘O my Lord ! How can meet him?’ Allah said, ‘Take a fish in a basket and wherever the fish is lost, follow it (you will find him at that place). So Moses set out along with his attendant Yusha` bin Noon, and they carried with them a fish till they reached a rock and rested there. Moses put his head down and slept. (Sufyan, a sub-narrator said that somebody other than `Amr said) ‘At the rock there was a water spring called ‘Al-Hayat’ and none came in touch with its water but became alive. So some of the water of that spring fell over that fish, so it moved and slipped out of the basket and entered the sea. When Moses woke up, he asked his attendant, ‘Bring our early meal’ (18.62). The narrator added: Moses did not suffer from fatigue except after he had passed the place he had been ordered to observe. His attendant Yusha` bin Noon said to him, ‘Do you remember (what happened) when we betook ourselves to the rock? I did indeed forget (about) the fish…’ (18.63) The narrator added: So they came back, retracing their steps and then they found in the sea, the way of the fish looking like a tunnel. So there was an astonishing event for his attendant, and there was tunnel for the fish. When they reached the rock, they found a man covered with a garment. Moses greeted him. The man said astonishingly, ‘Is there any such greeting in your land?’ Moses said, ‘I am Moses.’ The man said, ‘Moses of Bani Israel?’ Moses said, ‘Yes,’ and added, ‘may I follow you so that you teach me something of the Knowledge which you have been taught?’ (18.66). Al-Khadir said to him, ‘O Moses! You have something of Allah’s knowledge which Allah has taught you and which I do not know; and I have something of Allah’s knowledge which Allah has taught me and which you do not know.’ Moses said, ‘But I will follow you.’ Al-Khadir said, ‘Then if you follow me, ask me no question about anything until I myself speak to you concerning it.’ (18.70). After that both of them proceeded along the seashore. There passed by them a boat whose crew recognized Al-Khadir and received them on board free of charge. So they both got on board. A sparrow came and sat on the edge of the boat and dipped its beak unto the sea. Al-Khadir said to Moses. ‘My knowledge and your knowledge and all the creation’s knowledge compared to Allah’s knowledge is not more than the water taken by this sparrow’s beak.’ Then Moses was startled by Al-Khadir’s action of taking an adze and scuttling the boat with it. Moses said to him, ‘These people gave us a free lift, but you intentionally scuttled their boat so as to drown them. Surely you have…’ (18.71) Then they both proceeded and found a boy playing with other boys. Al-Khadir took hold of him by the head and cut it off. Moses said to him, ‘Have you killed an innocent soul who has killed nobody? Surely you have done an illegal thing! ‘ (18.74) He said, “Didn’t I tell you that you will not be able to have patient with me up to..but they refused to entertain them as their guests. There they found a wall therein at the point of collapsing.’ (18.75-77) Al-Khadir moved his hand thus and set it upright (repaired it). Moses said to him, ‘When we entered this town, they neither gave us hospitality nor fed us; if you had wished, you could have taken wages for it,’ Al- Khadir said, ‘This is the parting between you and me I will tell you the interpretation of (those things) about which you were unable to hold patience.’…(18.78) Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, ‘We wished that Moses could have been more patient so that He (Allah) could have described to us more about their story.’ Ibn `Abbas used to recite:– ‘And in front (ahead) of them there was a king who used to seize every serviceable boat by force. (18.79)…and as for the boy he was a disbeliever.”

Bukhari 4727

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This hadith can also be found in Tirmhidi 3149 and was classed Sahih by Darussalam and Hasan-Sahih by Tirmhidi. Note that the English translation of the Sahih-Bukhari hadith distort the words of Ibn Abbas by adding brackets around the world “serviceable”.

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Evidence 3: Quran 24:27 contains a “mistake”

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The current Uthmanic Quran for chapter 24 verse 27 reads as follows:

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يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَدْخُلُوا۟ بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّىٰ تَسْتَأْنِسُوا۟ وَتُسَلِّمُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَهْلِهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and saluted their inmates; this is better for you, that you may be mindful.

Quran 24:27

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Ibn Abbas however disagreed. He is recorded as saying there is a mistake committed by the scribe who wrote the verse down. This is recorded in multiple places such as Al-Mustadrak 3496 and tafsir Tabari.

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Al-Mustadrak 3496:

حدثنا أبو علي الحافظ أنبأ عبدان الأهوازي ثنا عمرو بن محمد الناقد ثنا محمد بن يوسف ثنا سفيان عن شعبة عن جعفر بن إياس عن مجاهد عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما : في قوله تعالى : { لا تدخلوا بيوتا غير بيوتكم حتى تستأنسوا } قال : أخطأ الكاتب حتى تستأذنوا Narrated Mujahid: Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say about the statement of Allah ‘{do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome}’ It is a mistake by the scribe’ (actually its) ‘seek permission’’

Mustadrak 3496

Hadith grade:

Sahih according to Al-Hakim and Dhahabi

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Tafsir Tabari, Volume 18 page 146:

حدثنا ابن بشار قال ثنا محمد بن جعفر قال ثنا شعبة عن أبي بشر عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس في هذه الآية { لَا تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ بُيُوتِكُمْ حَتَّى تَسْتَأْنِسُوا وَتُسَلِّمُوا عَلَى أَهْلِهَا } وقال إنما هي من خطأ الكاتب { حتى تستأذوا وتسلموا Ibn Bashar <– Muhammad bin Jaffar <– Shu’aba <– Abi Bashir <– Sayd bin Jubayr <– Ibn Abbas about this verse ‘{O you who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own houses until you ascertain welcome and saluted their inmates}’ . He said: ‘It is a mistake by the scribe.‘{until you seek permission and saluted their inmates}’.

Tafsir Tabari 24:27

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Ibn Hajar, when mentioning the Tabari narration among others, stated the following:

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اخرج سعيد بن منصور والطبري والبيهقي في الشعب بسند صحيح أن ابن عباس كان يقرأ حتى تستأذنوا ويقول أخطأ الكاتب Sa’id ibn Mansur, al-Tabari and al-Bayhaqi in al-Shi’b have narrated through a Sahih chain that Ibn Abbas used to recite “until you seem permission” and used to say: ‘The scribe made a mistake’.

Fath al-Bari, Volume 11 page 8

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Another very interesting thing to note are the comments by the various scholars of tafsir. From their words it is quite clear that were in panic over this Ibn Abbas testimony:

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Al-Razi:

واعلم أن هذا القول من ابن عباس فيه نظر لأنه يقتضي الطعن في القرآن الذي نقل بالتواتر ويقتضي صحة القرآن الذي لم ينقل بالتواتر وفتح هذين البابين يطرق الشك إلى كل القرآن وأنه Be aware that the statement by Ibn Abbas is one that requires consideration because it questions the authenticity of the Quran that has been narrated by Tawatur and that it necessitates one to accept the authenticity of the Quran (over that) which has not been narrated by Tawatur and opening those two doors will question the authenticity of whole Quran.

Tafsir Razi 24:27 See also: Tafsir Ibn Adil, Tafsir Abu Hayyan, Tafsir Alusi Baghdadi,

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Evidence 4: A mix up in 17:23

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In todays Uthmanic Quran, chapter 17 verse 23 reads as follows:

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وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age with thee, say not “Fie” unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word.

Quran 17:23

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however Ibn Abbas disagreed, and was recorded in tafsir Razi volume 10 page 70 as saying:

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وروى ميمون بن مهران عن ابن عباس أنه قال: في هذه الآية كان الأصل ووصى ربك فالتصقت إحدى الواوين بالصاد فقرىء: { وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ } ثم قال: ولو كان على القضاء ما عصى الله أحد قط، لأن خلاف قضاء الله ممتنع، هكذا رواه عنه الضحاك وسعيد بن جبير، وهو قراءة علي وعبد الله. Maimon bin Mehran narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: ‘The actual word in this verse was ‘ووصى’ but ‘و’ got mixed with ‘ص’ that is why it is recited as ‘وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ’. Then he said: ‘Had it been fate then none would have disobeyed Allah as it would have been impossible to go against fate of Allah’. This narration was narrated from him by Dahak and Saeed bin Jubair and this is the Qirat of Ali and Abdullah.

Tafsir Razi 17:23

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Commenting on the authenticity of this Ibn Abbas claim, Ibn Hajar said:

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وقد جاء عن ابن عباس نحو ذلك في قوله تعالى ( وقضى ربك ألا تعبدوا إلا إياه ) قال ” ووصى ” التزقت الواو في الصاد ، أخرجه سعيد بن منصور بإسناد جيد عنه . A similar narration comes in regards to ‘And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve (any) but Him’ He said: ووصى and و has joined ص; Sayd bin Mansur narrated it with a great chain from him’

Fath al-Bari, Volume 8 page 373

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Tafsir scholars much like in the previous section, also absolutely panicked at this evidence of corruption:

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Al-Razi:

واعلم أن هذا القول بعيد جداً لأنه يفتح باب أن التحريف والتغيير قد تطرق إلى القرآن، ولو جوزنا ذلك لارتفع الأمان عن القرآن وذلك يخرجه عن كونه حجة ولا شك أنه طعن عظيم في الدين “I know this saying is very weird as it no doubt opens the gates of Tahreef and changes in the Tareeq of Quran and if it is accepted then it will mean that Quran is out of protection and it will take out Quran from the status of Hujja and no doubt that it will open great criticism in religion”

Tafsir Razi 17:23

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Evidence 5: Drowsy scribe makes a mistake in 13:31

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I’m the current Uthmanic Quran we read the following for 13:31:

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وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْءَانًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ ٱلْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۗ بَل لِّلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَا۟يْـَٔسِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن لَّوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَى ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۗ وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ تُصِيبُهُم بِمَا صَنَعُوا۟ قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِّن دَارِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ وَعْدُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ Had it been possible for a Lecture to cause the mountains to move, or the earth to be torn asunder, or the dead to speak, (this Qur’an would have done so). Nay, but Allah’s is the whole command. Do not those who believe know that, had Allah willed, He could have guided all mankind? As for those who disbelieve, disaster ceaseth not to strike them because of what they do, or it dwelleth near their home until the threat of Allah come to pass. Lo! Allah faileth not to keep the tryst.

Quran 13:31

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Ibn Abbas however insisted that this is incorrect and is recorded as saying (from Al-Itqan):

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Ibn Abbas recited this verse as ‘أَفَلَمْ يتبين ٱلَّذِينَ’. He was told that it is ‘أَفَلَمْ يَا۟يْـَٔسِ ٱلَّذِينَ’ to which Ibn Abbas replied: “The writer has written يَا۟يْـَٔسِ but I think that he may not have been wakeful at that time of writing this word.

Al Itqan fi Uloom al Quran, Volume 1 page 238

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Commenting on the authenticity of this statement of Ibn Abbas, Ibn Hajar said:

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وروى الطبري وعبد بن حميد بإسناد صحيح كلهم من رجال البخاري عن ابن عباس أنه كان يقرؤها ‏”‏ أفلم يتبين ‏”‏ ويقول‏:‏ كتبها الكاتب وهو ناعس And Tabari and Abd bin Hamid narrated with a Sahih chain containing all the narrators from the rijal of Bukhari, from Ibn Abbas that he recited “‏ أفلم يتبين‏” and said that the writer had written it [يَا۟يْـَٔسِ] when he was drowsy.

Fath al Bari, Volume 8 page 373

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Evidence 6: A deleted portion from 2:198

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The current Uthmanic Quran records chapter 2 verse 198 this way:

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لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَآ أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَٰتٍ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلْمَشْعَرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ وَٱذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ It is no sin for you that ye seek the bounty of your Lord. But, when ye press on in the multitude from ‘Arafat, remember Allah by the sacred monument. Remember Him as He hath guided you, although before ye were of those astray.

Quran 2:198

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The Ibn Abbas recitation however, went like this:

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Sahih-Bukhari 1770:

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ الْهَيْثَمِ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، قَالَ عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ كَانَ ذُو الْمَجَازِ وَعُكَاظٌ مَتْجَرَ النَّاسِ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَ الإِسْلاَمُ كَأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا ذَلِكَ حَتَّى نَزَلَتْ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلاً مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ‏‏ فِي مَوَاسِمِ الْحَجِّ‏.‏ Narrated Ibn Abbas: Dhul-Majaz and `Ukaz were the markets of the people during the Pre-Islamic period of ignorance. When the people embraced Islam, they disliked to do bargaining there till the following Holy Verses were revealed:– There is no harm for you If you seek of the bounty Of your Lord during the Hajj season.

Bukhari 1770

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Some might argue that this is not evidence of corruption because of the inclusion of brackets in the modern editions of Bukhari. However, this is not a particularly great argument as the older editions don’t actually have brackets included. For instance, the Sultani edition (Circa 1893):

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Evidence 7: Deletion from 4:24

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In the Uthmanic Quran, chapter 4 verse 24 reads as follows:

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وَٱلْمُحْصَنَٰتُ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ إِلَّا مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَٰنُكُمْ ۖ كِتَٰبَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَأُحِلَّ لَكُم مَّا وَرَآءَ ذَٰلِكُمْ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُم مُّحْصِنِينَ غَيْرَ مُسَٰفِحِينَ ۚ فَمَا ٱسْتَمْتَعْتُم بِهِۦ مِنْهُنَّ فَـَٔاتُوهُنَّ أُجُورَهُنَّ فَرِيضَةً ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيمَا تَرَٰضَيْتُم بِهِۦ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱلْفَرِيضَةِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا And all married women except those whom your right hands possess (this is) Allah’s ordinance to you, and lawful for you are (all women) besides those, provided that you seek (them) with your property, taking (them) in marriage not committing fornication. Then as to those whom you profit by, give them their dowries as appointed; and there is no blame on you about what you mutually agree after what is appointed; surely Allah is Knowing, Wise.

Quran 4:24

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However Ibn Abbas believed that there should be an additional part of the verse. We read in Tafsir Manthur by As-Suyuti, whom is quoting the sources of the testimony:

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Narrated Abed bin Hamid, ibn Jarir, al-Anbari in his book al-Musahif and al-Hakim and he declared the chain as Sahih from Abi Nadhra who said: ‘I recited before Ibn Abbas ‘ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers’. Ibn Abbas said: ‘ye derive benefit from them for a specific period’. I said: ‘We don’t recite it like this’. Ibn Abbas said: ‘By Allah it was revealed like that.’

Tafsir Manthur 2/140-141

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The source of Al-Hakims narration which he declared Sahih is Al-Mustadrak volume 2 page 334, narration 3192. This was also declared as Sahih by Dhahabi according to the conditions of Imam Muslim.

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Evidence 8: Ibn Abbas testified to the Satanic verses

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Those who have researched Islam, especially from a skeptical standpoint will likely have heard of the story of the Satanic verses incident, however those whom read the story are most likely to read the accounts from Tabaris history and Ibn Ishaqs Sira. However whilst these traditions are generally either Mursal or weak or both, there are many less known hadiths that can be traced to Ibn Abbas with sahih chains of narration. For instance from Suyutis Tafsir Manthur:

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وأخرج البزار والطبراني وابن مردويه والضياء في المختارة بسند رجاله ثقات من طريق سعيد بن جبير، عن ابن عباس قال: إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قرأ { أفرأيتم اللات والعزى ومناة الثالثة الأخرى } تلك الغرانيق العلى، وإن شفاعتهن لترتجى ففرح المشركون بذلك، وقالوا: قد ذكر آلهتنا فجاءه جبريل فقال: اقرأ عليَّ ما جئتك به، فقرأ { أفرأيتم اللات والعزى ومناة الثالثة الأخرى } تلك الغرانيق العلى وإن شفاعتهن لترتجى. فقال: ما أتيتك بهذا! هذا من الشيطان. فأنزل الله { وما أرسلنا من قبلك من رسول ولا نبي إلا إذا تمنى } إلى آخر الآية. Al-Bazaar and Al-Tabarani and Ibn Mardaweh and al-Ziya’ have narrated through a chain of all trustworthy narrators by the way of Sayd Bin Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas that The Messenger of God recited: “Have you seen al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?” and Satan cast onto his tongue: “Those high gharaniq: their intercession is to be hoped for! And the Mushrikun were greatly pleased by this and said: “He has mentioned our gods.” So Jibril came to him and said: “Recite to me what I brought you!” And he recited: “Have you seen al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat, the third, the other? Those high gharaniq: their intercession is hoped for!” He said: “I did not bring you this! This is from Satan!, or he said: “This is from Satan! I did not bring you these”. So God sent down: “And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet, but when he desired, Satan cast something into his recitation” to the end of the verse.

Tafsir Manthur 22:52

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Suyuti is not 100% correct in his attributions of the report. He mistakenly attaches this particular narration to Musnad Al-Bazzar and Mujam Al-Kabir by Tabarani. However, the narrations in those books are also Sahih:

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Yusuf b. Hammad al-Basri <– Umayyah b. Khalid al-Basri <– Shu’bah b. Hajjaj Al-Basri <– Abu Bishr Ja‘far b. Abi Wahshiyyah al-Basri al-Wasiti <– Sa‘id b. Jubayr <– Ibn ‘Abbas: When the Prophet was in Mecca, he recited, “Have you seen al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?” And there ran upon his tongue “Those high gharaniq: intercession from them is to be hoped for! The Mushrikun of Mecca heard this and were pleased by it. This greatly distressed the Messenger of God. So God sent down: “We have not sent before you a Messenger or a Prophet but that when he tamanna, Satan cast something into his umniyyah’, then God removes that which Satan casts and establishes His Signs clearly.”

Musnad Bazzar hadith examined

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Al-Husayn b. Ishaq al-Tustari and ‘Abdan ‘Abd Allah b. Ahmad [al-Ahwazi al-Jawallqi <– Yusuf b. Hammad <– Umayyah b. Khalid <– Shu’bah <– Abu Bishr <– Sa‘id b. Jubayr <– Ibn ‘Abbas. The same hadith is also cited from the Tafsir of Ibn Mardawayh by al-Diya’ al-Maqdisi in his Mukhtarah and by al-Zayla‘I in his Takhrij ahadith al-Kashshaf. Al-Diya’ al-Maqdisi provides Ibn Mardawayh’s full isnad: Ahmad b. Musa Ibn Mardawayh Al isbahani <– his father, Musa b. Mardawayh Al isbahani <– Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Mattuwayh al-isbahani <– ‘Ali b. al-Husayn b. Junayd al-Razi AND Ahmad b. Muhammad b. ‘Asim al-Razi <– Yusuf b. Hammad al-Basri <– Umayyah b. Khalid al-Basri <– Shu’bah b. Hajjaj al-Basri <– Abu Bishr al-Basri <– Said b. Jubayr al-Kufi <– Ibn ‘Abbas: the Prophet recited Surat al-Najm, and when he reached, “Have you seen al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat, the third, the other?,” Satan cast onto his tongue: Those high gharaniq: their intercession is to be hoped for!” When he reached the end of it, he made the sajdah, and the Muslims and Mushrikun made the sajdah [with him]. So God sent down: “We have not sent before you a Messenger or a Prophet but that when he tamanna, Satan cast (something),” to His words, “the suffering of a barren day”: the Day of Badr.

Tabarani/Mardawayh hadith examined

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While some scholars such as Haythami have attempted to dispute the authenticity of the statement based on the content, they are authentic chains and they were deemed as such for instance by Qadhi Uthmani in his tafsir Mazhari for the verse, whom said the hadiths are “successive and strong”. Furthermore, there is yet another narration this time appearing in Samarqandis tafsir. While this narration has not been authenticated by the hadith scholars, its chain is no doubt authentic.

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Al-Khalil b. Ahmad Al-Sijzī al-Samarqandi <– Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Mattuwayh Al-Ishaban <– Ja’far b. Muhammad al-Tayalisi al-baghdadi <– Ibrahim b. Muhammad Ar’arah al-Basri al-baghdadi <– Abū ‘Asim al-Nabil al-Dahhak b.Makhlad al-Makki al-Basri <– Uthman b. Al-Aswad al-Makki <– Sa‘id b. Jubayr <– Ibn Abbas: The messenger of God recited: “And Manāt, the third, the other.” Then he said: Those high Gharāniq: indeed, intercession from them is to be hoped for!” So the Mushrikūn said, “He has mentioned our Gods.” Then the verse (22:52) was sent down.

Samarqandi narration examined

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From the evidence provided, it should become clear to the reader that the claim that the Quran is free from corruption is severely weakened as Ibn Abbas, the man with the knowledge and interpretation of the Quran lists at least 7 mistakes and endorses the Satanic verses. These opinions of Ibn Abbas are also well known among the Quran scholars, but reject them simply because it proves the Quran is a corrupted scripture.

If that isn’t telling, I don’t know what is.