Has the Quran Been Changed? 

A Critical and Historical Examination

Introduction: Why This Question Matters

For over 1.9 billion Muslims, the Quran is regarded as the literal word of God—unchanged, perfect, and preserved since the 7th century. But is this universally true from a historical and textual-critical perspective? Outside of faith traditions, many scholars, historians, and textual critics have asked: Has the Quran really remained unchanged for over 1,400 years?

This claim is not just theological—it underpins religious authority, political legitimacy, and the formation of Islamic civilization. In this post, we critically examine this question through manuscript evidence, historical records, scholarly consensus, and comparative textual analysis, providing a well-researched, evidence-based exploration.

1. Defining the Claim of an “Unchanged Quran”

Muslim tradition asserts that the Quran has remained exactly as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. This view, often taught in mosques and schools, is summarized in verses such as:

"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its guardian." (Quran 15:9)

However, this theological claim does not exempt it from critical scrutiny. In historical and academic terms, the assertion of a text being “unchanged” requires:

• A traceable, unbroken transmission chain

• Identical manuscript evidence across time and geography

• No significant variants that change meaning

Let’s examine how the Quran stands up to these criteria.

2. The Origins of the Quran: Oral and Written Traditions

Historically, the Quran was both recited and written during Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime (610–632 CE). However, most of the Quran was memorized, and written fragments existed in forms like:

• Animal skins

• Stones

• Parchment

• Shoulder blades

• Palm leaves

Multiple sources, including Islamic hadith collections like Sahih al-Bukhari, confirm that the Quran was not compiled into a single codex until after the Prophet’s death:

"Zaid bin Thabit said: Abu Bakr sent for me... and said: ‘You should search for the fragmentary scripts of the Quran and collect it...'” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 61, Hadith 509)

This indicates an early reliance on human memory and scattered scripts, which is inherently vulnerable to human error and discrepancies.

3. The Role of Uthman and the Standardization Process

Around 20 years after Muhammad’s death, Caliph Uthman ibn Affan (r. 644–656 CE) ordered a standardized recension of the Quran due to emerging textual and dialectical differences across the Islamic empire.

According to Islamic sources:

• Multiple regional codices existed (e.g., those of Ibn Mas’ud, Ubayy ibn Ka'b)

• Uthman commissioned Zaid ibn Thabit and others to compile an official version

• Copies of this version were sent to major cities

• All other versions were ordered to be burned

"Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all other Quranic materials... be burnt." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 61, Hadith 510)

The need for enforced uniformity implies that variant versions were already in circulation, contradicting claims of complete textual consistency.

4. Textual Variants in Early Quranic Manuscripts

Modern scholarship has uncovered multiple early Quranic manuscripts that contain textual differences, including:

• Spelling variations

• Word substitutions

• Verse omissions or insertions

The Sana’a Manuscript (Yemen, ~670 CE):

• Discovered in 1972 in the Great Mosque of Sana’a

• Contains palimpsests (texts written over erased earlier text)

• Lower text shows variations from the standard Uthmanic text

• Radiocarbon dating places parts to within decades of Muhammad’s death (Gerd-R. Puin, 1999)

The Topkapi and Samarkand Codices:

• Often claimed to be Uthmanic, but contain orthographic inconsistencies

• Paleographic analysis dates them to the late 8th to early 9th century

"The fact is that a fifth of the Quranic text is just incomprehensible." — Dr. Gerd Puin, specialist in Quranic palaeography

These manuscripts are not radically different from today’s Quran, but their variations undermine the idea of a perfectly preserved, unchanged text.

5. The Qira’at (Canonical Readings) Controversy

There are 10 widely accepted canonical Qira’at, each transmitted by two narrators, creating 20 recognized variants. These readings involve:

• Differences in vowels and consonants

• Word substitutions

• Changes in meaning

Example:

• Hafs reading (widely used today): Maliki yawmi al-din ("Master of the Day of Judgment")

• Warsh reading (used in parts of Africa): Maliki yawmi al-din ("King of the Day of Judgment")

While these variations may appear minor, they demonstrate that multiple versions with different theological implications coexisted.

6. Modern Manuscript Discoveries

Birmingham Manuscript (UK):

• Radiocarbon dated to 568–645 CE

• Contains verses from Surah 18–20

• Likely pre-dates Uthman’s recension

• Matches today's Quran text closely, but its early dating raises questions about compilation timelines

Paris-Petrograd Codex (Codex 328a):

• Dates to early 8th century

• Features orthographic and diacritical differences

These findings confirm that the Quranic text underwent a period of evolution and stabilization, contradicting the idea of an unchanging text from day one.

7. Expert Opinions and Academic Consensus

Dr. Michael Cook (Princeton University):

"There is no evidence that the text of the Quran was fixed in the lifetime of Muhammad."

Dr. Fred Donner (University of Chicago):

"The Quran as we have it was likely formed gradually through a process involving oral transmission and later textual standardization."

Dr. Mustafa Akyol:

"The canonization of the Quran was a human process—faithful, perhaps, but not infallible." — Reopening Muslim Minds (2021)

These scholarly perspectives align in asserting that the Quran’s preservation was not absolute, but instead involved human intervention and editorial decisions.

8. Final Conclusion: The Quran Has Been Changed

Despite centuries of religious tradition asserting otherwise, the claim that the Quran has remained unchanged since its revelation does not hold up to historical scrutiny. The combined weight of early manuscript discoveries, documented textual variants, the Uthmanic standardization process, and the existence of multiple canonical readings (Qira’at) all point to one conclusion:

The Quran has undergone changes—intentional and unintentional—since the time of its initial revelation.

These changes include:

• Variations in early manuscripts (e.g., the Sana’a palimpsest)

• Suppression of alternate codices (e.g., Ibn Mas’ud and Ubayy)

• Editorial decisions during Uthman’s recension

• Divergences across recognized Qira’at affecting meaning

While much of the core message of the Quran may have been preserved in spirit, the idea that every letter has remained the same since the 7th century is not supported by the evidence. The Quran we have today is the result of a human process of transmission, redaction, and standardization.

This does not diminish its religious significance for believers, but from a historical and critical standpoint, the Quran has been changed.

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References and Further Reading:

• Puin, Gerd R. "Observations on Early Quranic Manuscripts in Sana'a." The Qur'an as Text, Brill, 1999.

• Donner, Fred M. Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam. Harvard University Press, 2010.

• Akyol, Mustafa. Reopening Muslim Minds. St. Martin's Press, 2021.

• Cook, Michael. The Koran: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2000.

• Bukhari, Sahih al-. Book 61 (Virtues of the Quran), Hadiths 509–510.