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

The reputation of Sayd can be gouged from what Ibn Hajar said of him in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib Volume 4 No. 14:

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He narrated hadiths from Ibn Abbas, Ibn Al-Zubayr, Ibn Umar, Ibn Maqal, Udayy Ibn Hatim, Abu Mas`uod al-Ansari, Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, Abu Hurayra, Abu Musa al-Ash`ari, al-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri, Anas, `Amr ibn Maymun, Abu `Abdulrahman al-Sulami and lady `A’isha….. Ibn Abi Mughira said that when people of Kufa visit Ibn `Abbas they used to ask him for Fatwa, he used to say them: “Isn’t Sa’id Ibn Jubayr among you?”…. `Amr ibn Maymun said that his father said that Sa’id ibn Jubayr passed away and every one on the earth attained his knowledge… Abu al-Qasim al-Tabari said: “He is a reliable Imam and hujjah on Muslims”…..Ibn Hibban said: “He was jurist, worshiper, righteous and pious”.

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Evidence 1: Scribal Mistake in 24:27

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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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Sayd Bin Jubayr however disagreed with Uthman on this verse and is recorded as saying in Tafsir Tabari , Volume 18 page 146 that it should be read in this manner:

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حدثنا ابن المثنى قال ثنا وهب بن جرير قال ثنا شعبة عن أبي بشير عن سعيد بن جبير بمثله غير أنه قال: إنما هي {حتى تستأذنوا} ولكنها سقط من الكاتب. Ibn al-Muthana <– Wahab bin Jarir <– Shu’aba <– Abi Bashir <– Sayd bin Jubayr the same but he added: ‘It is supposed to be {until you seek permission} but it was a mistake of the scribe’

Tafsir Tabari 24:27

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The reason for the words “the same” in the narration is because just before quoting Sayd Bin Jubayr, Tabari narrated another hadith to Ibn Abbas via a similar chain of narrators:

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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 in Fath al-Bari, Volume 11 page 8 deemed the Ibn Abbas narration as Sahih. So, on the authenticity of the statement of Sayd Bin Jubayr, the first two narrators in both the narrations, Bashir and Shu’aba are the same. However the chains differ after Shu’aba to Wahab Jarir –> Ibn Muthana. Here is what the scholars of Hadith thought of these two:

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Ibn Muthana: Dhahabi said he was “Thiqat”. Ibn Hajar said he was “Thiqat Thabt”. Ibn Ma’in said he was “Thiqat” Abu Hatim said he was “satisfactory in narration”. Maslamah ibn Qasim said he was “thiqat”. Ibn Hibban said he was “thiqat”. Wahab bin Jarir: Dhahabi said he was “Thiqat” (Al-Kashif, v2 p356), Ibn Hajar said he was “Thiqat” (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p291).

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This makes this an authentic statement of Sayds.

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Evidence 2: Sayd Bin Jubayr endorsed the Satanic verses incident

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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 weak, there are many less known hadiths that can be traced to Ibn Sahaba and Tabi’un with sahih chains of narration such as this one from tafsir Tabari:

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Bundar, Muhammad b. Bashshar al-Basrj <– Ghundar, Muhammad b. Ja‘far al-Basri <– Shu’bah b. Hajjaj al-Basri <– Abu Bishr Ja‘far b. Wahshiyyah al-Wasitl al-Basri <– Sayd Bin Jubayr: When the verse, “Have you seen al-Lat and al-‘Uzza,” came down, the

Messenger of God recited it; and he said: “Those high gharaniq! Indeed, their intercession is to be hoped for!” Then the Messenger of God made the sajdah, and the Mushrikun said, “He has not spoken favourably of our gods until today,” and they 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 into his umniyyah,” until His words: “the suffering of a barren day.”

Tafsir Tabari 22:52

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Al-Tabari cites the text of the report from that isnad, and then gives a second isnad with the remark that it transmits “the same meaning”

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Muhammad b. al-Muthanna <– ‘Abd al-Samad b.Abd al-Warith Al-Bari <– Shu’bah b. Hajjaj al-Basri <– Abu Bishr Ja’far b. Abi Wahshiyyah al-Basri al-Wasiti <– Sayd b. Jubayr

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Both isnads are made up of transmitters with sound reputations: they are sahih mursal reports as stated by Al-Albani.

Another narration from Sayd on the issue is cited by Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir, and by Al-Suyuti in his Asbab al-nuzul. Both adduce the narration from the Tafsir of Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi. Al-Suyuti says that the narration is also in al-Tabari, although it is not in any surviving work of his —and in the respective Tafsirs of Ibn Mardawayh and Ibn al-Mundhir. Ibn Kathir provides Ibn Abi Hatim’s isnad. Al-Suyuti does not cite the isnad, but says that it is sound, which the chain cited by Ibn Kathir certainly is:

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Ibn Abi Hatim al-Razi <– Yunus b. Habib al-Isbahani <– Abu Da’ud Sulayman b. Da’ud al-Tayalisi al-Basri <– Shu’bah b. Hajjaj al-Basri <– Abu Bishr Ja‘far b. Abi Wahshiyyah al-Basri al-Wasiti <- Sayd b. Jubayr

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Sulayman b. Da’ud al-Tayalisi was an extremely prominent Hadith scholar in Basrah in the second half of the second century. Yahya b. Ma‘in preferred him above all others as a transmitter from Shu’bah. He compiled an extant Musnad, the transmitter of which was Yunus b. Habib al-Isbahani. Even though al-Suyuti does not give the isnad, the wording of the texts he cites is virtually identical to that in Ibn Kathir, given below:

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The Messenger of God recited Surat al-Najmin Mecca. When he reached this point “Have you seen al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat, the third, the other,” Satan cast onto his tongue “Those high gharaniq: indeed, their intercession is to be hoped for”. They said: “He has not spoken favourably of our gods before today.” Then he made the sajdah and they made the sajdah. 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—and God is All-Knowing, All-Wise .”

Authentic Hadith about the Satanic verses part 11

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Evidence 3: Deletion from 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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However Sayd disagreed and believed that Deletion did in fact occur as evidenced by this tradition from Sahih-Muslim:

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سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ وَكَانَ أَمَامَهُمْ مَلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ صَالِحَةٍ غَصْبًا ‏.‏ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ وَأَمَّا الْغُلاَمُ فَكَانَ كَافِرًا ‏.‏ Sa’yd b. jubayr used to recite in this way: There was before them a king who used to seize every boat by force which was in order, the boy was an unbeliever.

Sahih-Muslim 2380a