In previous articles I have detailed the testimonies of Ibn Abbas, Aisha, Umar, Mujahid Ibn Jabr, Abu Darda, Ibn Masud, Ibn Umar that the Quran is a corrupted scripture. Ubai Bin Ka’b is yet another early member of the Muslim community who believed in its corruption.

Ubai is generally regarded as one of the most prominent members of the companions and was a memoriser of the Quran. He was so highly thought of by Muhammad in this regard that he was 1 of 4 that he recommended that people should learn the Quran from stating “Take (Learn) the Quran from four: Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu’adh, and Ubai bin Ka’b’.” (Bukhari 3758). Let us see what Ubai had to say on the issue of Qur’anic preservation:

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Evidence 1: Deletion has taken place in 48:26

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In the current Uthmanic Quran, chapter 48 verse 26 reads as follows:

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إِذْ جَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلْحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ ٱلْجَٰهِلِيَّةِ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَأَلْزَمَهُمْ كَلِمَةَ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَكَانُوٓا۟ أَحَقَّ بِهَا وَأَهْلَهَا ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًا When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, then Allah sent down His peace of reassurance upon His messenger and upon the believers and imposed on them the word of self-restraint, for they were worthy of it and meet for it. And Allah is Aware of all things.

Quran 48:26

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However Ubai Bin Ka’b is on record as saying that the verse should have an extra portion. This testimony can be found in Tafsir an-Nasa’i commenting on verse 48:26. See page 308

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أنا إبراهيم بن سعيد نا شبابة بن سوار عن أبي زبر عبد الله بن العلاء بن زبر عن بسر بن عبيد الله عن أبي إدريس عن أبي بن كعبأنه كان يقرأ إذ جعل الذين كفروا في قلوبهم الحمية حمية الجاهلية ولو حميتم كما حموا لفسد المسجد الحرام فبلغ ذلك عمر فأغلظ له قال إنك لتعلم أني كنت أدخل على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيعلمني مما علمه الله فقال عمر بل أنت رجل عندك علم وقرآن فاقرأ وعلم مما علمك الله ورسوله قوله تعالى لقد رضي الله عن المؤمنين إذ يبايعونك تحت الشجرة Ibrahim Ibn Sa’eed narrated from Shebabah Ibn Suwar from Abdallah ibn Al’ala’ from Basr ibn Abdallah from Abi Idrees from Ubay ibn Ka’ab, that he read: ‘(48:26) When those who disbelieve had set up in their hearts zealotry, the zealotry of the Age of Ignorance, and if you had felt zealotry like they felt, the masjid e haram would have been corrupted’

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Another version of the hadith also appears in Siyar a`lam al-nubala (The Lives of Noble Figures) by al-Dhahabi on page 397

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أنَّ أبا الدَّرداءِ ركِبَ إلى المدينةِ في نَفَرٍ مِن أهلِ دِمَشقَ، فقَرَؤوا يومًا على عُمَرَ: إِذْ جَعَلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ ولو حمَيتُم كما حَمَوْا لفسَدَ المسجدُ الحَرامُ. فقال عُمَرُ: مَن أقرَأَكم هذا؟ قالوا: أُبَيُّ بنُ كَعبٍ. فدَعا به، فلمَّا أتى، قال: اقرَؤوا. فقَرَؤوا كذلك. فقال أُبَيٌّ: واللهِ يا عُمَرُ، إنَّكَ لتَعلَمُ أنِّي كنتُ أحضُرُ ويَغيبونَ، وأُدْنى ويُحجَبونَ، ويُصنَعُ بي ويُصنَعُ بي، وواللهِ لئِنْ أحبَبتَ، لألزَمَنَّ بَيْتي، فلا أُحدِّثُ شيئًا، ولا أُقرِئُ أحدًا حتى أموتَ. فقال عُمَرُ: اللَّهُمَّ غَفْرًا! إنَّا لنَعلَمُ أنَّ اللهَ قد جعَلَ عندَكَ عِلمًا؛ فعَلِّمِ النَّاسَ ما عُلِّمتَ.

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These hadith are consistent on what was lost in the verse as both add ولو حمَيتُم كما حَمَوْا لفسَدَ المسجدُ الحَرامُ “and if you had felt disdain like they felt, the masjid e haram would have been corrupted” to the Quran. Both these hadith are Sahih. Nasa’i classed his version of the narration as Sahih in the Tafsir, and Dhahabi in his version said that all the narrators in the Isnad are trustworthy, thus it is Sahih (see both links above)

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Evidence 2: Most of Chapter 33 is gone

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One of the most popular Islamic websites in the world, Islamqa records this narration attributed to Ubai Bin Ka’b whom says says that Surah Azhab (chapter 33) used to be the length of Surah Baqarah (chapter 2). Azhab currently has 73 verses, while Baqarah has 286. Meaning that over 200 verses are gone according to Ubai.

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It was narrated by ‘Abdullah the son of Imam Ahmad in Zawaa’id al-Musnad (21207), ‘Abd ar-Razaaq in al-Musannaf (599), Ibn Hibaan in his Sahih (4428), al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (8068), al-Bayhaqi in as-Sunan (16911), Ibn Hazm in al-Muhalla (12/175), via ‘Aasim ibn Bahdalah, from Zirr, who said: Ubai bin Ka‘b said to me: How long is Surat al-Ahzab when you read it? Or how many verses do you think it is? I said to him: Seventy-three verses. He said: Only? There was a time when it was a long as Surat al-Baqarah, and we read in it: “The old man and the old woman, if they commit zina, then stone them both, a punishment from Allah, and Allah is Almighty, Most Wise.”

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This narration was classed as authentic by the scholars of Hadith. Ibn Hibban and Hakim strove to only collect reports they deemed Sahih, thus this report was Sahih to them. Islamqa quotes Ibn Hazm as saying: “This is a clearly sahih isnad, as clear as the sun, in which there is no fault.” Ibn Kathir is quoted as saying: “This is a hasan isnad“. Wikiislam quotes even more scholars who authenticated it:

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“Its isnad was graded by al-Tabari and al-Albani as sahih, even more emphatically by ibn Hazm, “sahih, as clear as the sun” (إسناده صحيح كالشمس), and hasan by ibn Kathir and ibn Hajar.”

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Another report with similar wording can be found in Zawa’id al-Musnad 21206:

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Wahb ibn Baqiyyah <– Khalid ibn ‘Abdullah at-Tahaan <– Yazeed ibn Abi Ziyad <– Zirr ibn Hubaysh <– Ubai bin Ka‘b, who said: How many (verses) do you recite in Surat al-Ahzab? He said: Seventy-odd verses. He said: We recited it with the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) like al-Baqarah, or more than that, and verily the verse of stoning was in it.

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Islamqa when commenting on the hadith says:

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Yazeed ibn Abi Ziyad is daif, but there is nothing wrong with the hadith, as there is corroborating evidence for it. This indicates that Surat al-Ahzab was a lengthy surah like Surat al-Baqarah, but most of it was abrogated.

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A convenient excuse with no evidence. It is especially interesting considering that Ubai was not aware of such an alleged abrogation. Surely if something like that took place, he would know?

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Evidence 3: Deletion from 33:6

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Sticking with chapter 33, we have another testimony of a Deletion from Ubai in verse 6. The Uthmanic version is as follows:

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ٱلنَّبِىُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَٰجُهُۥٓ أُمَّهَٰتُهُمْ ۗ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِبَعْضٍ فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُهَٰجِرِينَ إِلَّآ أَن تَفْعَلُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰٓ أَوْلِيَآئِكُم مَّعْرُوفًا ۚ كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مَسْطُورًا The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of Allah).

Quran 33:6

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Whereas the Ubai Quran read as follows:

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وأخرج عبد الرزاق وسعيد بن منصور وإسحاق بن راهويه وابن المنذر والبيهقي عن بجالة قال: مر عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه بغلام وهو يقرأ في المصحف ” النبي أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم وأزواجه أمهاتهم وهو أب لهم ” فقال: يا غلام حكها فقال: هذا مصحف أبي فذهب إليه فسأله فقال: إنه كان يلهيني القرآن، ويلهيك الصفق بالأسواق Abd Al-Razzaq and Sa’yd Bin Mansur and Ishaq ibn Rahuwayh and Ibn Munzir and Al Bayhaqi have narrated from Bujalah that he said: Umar passed by a youth who was reading in a mushaf “The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers and he is their father” , so he said: “Young boy talk about it”. The youth then said: “This is the mushaf of Ubai”. So Umar went to Ubai and asked him about it to which Ubai replied: “I used to be busy with the Quran whilst you were busy shopping in the markets”.

Tafsir Manthur 33:6

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This narration is Sahih, Sayd Mansur as explained by Ibn Hajar wrote only traditions he was sure about. “he never withdrew from what he wrote in his book because he was so sure about it”.(Taqrib al-Tahdib, p235). Another version is found in Ibn Hajar’s Matalib Al-Aaliya. It is Hadith 3777 and was Sahih by him. Interestingly, this version records Ubai as saying the Quran causes him to lapse. If this is true, then why did Muhammad say that he is one of the Qur’ans top authorities? If it is because Ubai did not have problems with a lapse prior or at the time of Muhammads declaration, then why is it that the prophet of God could not foresee this future problem and not name Ubai an authority?

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Evidence 4: Word mix up from 24:25

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In the Uthman Quran, we read 24:25 as follows:

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يومئذ يوفيهم الله دينهم الحق ويعلمون أن الله هو الحق المبين “On that Day Allah will pay them the recompense of their deeds in full, and they will know that Allah, He is the Manifest Truth.”

Quran 24:25

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However, Ubai Bin Kab believed that the order of the words were different which in turn leads to a different sentence. This is found in Tabaris tafsir and is reported directly from the Ubai manuscript by Tabari himself:

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قال جرير: وقرأتها في مصحف أبي بن كعب يوفيهم الله الحق دينهم Jarir (Tabari) said: ‘I read it in Ubai bin Kabs Manuscript as ‘Allah the just will pay back to them their reward in full”.

Tafsir Tabari 24:25

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Note the difference this word mixing makes to the verse. In Ubai it has the word “ٱلْحَقَّ” after “الله” and the word “دينهم” after “ٱلْحَقَّ” whereas in the Quran compiled by Uthman, “دينهم” is present between “الله” and “ٱلْحَقَّ”. The result of which results is the term ‘Allah the just’ in the Ubai Quran.