The promise of preservation
The Quran states that God Himself undertook to preserve it:
إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَYo he revelado el Corán y Yo soy su custodio.
لَّا يَأۡتِيهِ ٱلۡبَٰطِلُ مِنۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهِۦۖ تَنزِيلٞ مِّنۡ حَكِيمٍ حَمِيدٖNo puede ser adulterado agregando algo o suprimiendo [parte de él], porque es una revelación proveniente de un Sabio, Loable.
During the Prophet’s lifetime
The Prophet ﷺ received the revelation, memorised it and recited it to his Companions. He had scribes who wrote down what was revealed, and the Companions memorised it and recited it in prayer. So the Quran was preserved from the first day both in memory and in writing.
Collection under Abu Bakr
After the Battle of Yamama, in which a number of Quran memorisers were killed, Umar urged Abu Bakr to gather the Quran into a single volume. He assigned Zayd ibn Thabit, one of the Prophet’s scribes, who compiled it from written fragments and from memory, requiring two witnesses for everything he recorded. (Al-Bukhari 4986)
Standardised copies under Uthman
When differences in recitation began to appear across the provinces, Uthman had several copies made from the collected volume and sent them to the major cities, written in the dialect of Quraysh. The Companions agreed, and the community united on one text. (Al-Bukhari 4987)
How can we be confident today?
- Unbroken chains: today’s students receive recitation from teacher to teacher in a chain reaching the Prophet ﷺ.
- Collective memorisation: millions of people in every age have memorised the whole Quran, so any alteration would be detected at once.
- Early manuscripts: museums and universities study very old Quran manuscripts, which overwhelmingly agree with the standard text; scholars debate details of spelling and dating.
- Canonical readings: there are authenticated modes of recitation (qirāʾāt) that differ in limited points of pronunciation without altering the core meaning, all transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ.
Preguntas frecuentes
What is the difference between recitation modes and corruption?
Authentic modes of recitation are variations in pronunciation established from the Prophet ﷺ and still recited today; corruption means altering the text, which the Quran and the scholarly consensus deny.
Is a translation the Quran?
No. The Quran is the revealed Arabic text; translations convey its meanings only and cannot replace it.
Los textos y traducciones están en revisión por sabios.