In this post, I cite specific narrations from the Al-Kafi collection, considered by Shia to be one of their most authoritative sources on ahadith, in respect to the corruption of the Quran. According to this Shiah work, the Quran initially contained 17,000 verses and was “revealed” in one way, not in seven ahruf as the sunni sources contend. This means that a great bulk of the Quran has been lost, never to be recovered. These reports also reject the Quran of ibn Masud, preferring the versions of Ali and Ubayy instead. All emphasis will be mine.
Book 3, Chapter 12
The Holy Quran will be Raised as it Was Sent Down
Ḥadīth #2: 2086
2 ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنَّا نَسْمَعُ الآيَاتِ فِي الْقُرْآنِ لَيْسَ هِيَ عِنْدَنَا كَمَا نَسْمَعُهَا وَلا نُحْسِنُ أَنْ نَقْرَأَهَا كَمَا بَلَغَنَا عَنْكُمْ فَهَلْ نَأْثَمُ فَقَالَ لا اقْرَءُوا كَمَا تَعَلَّمْتُمْ فَسَيَجِيئُكُمْ مَنْ يُعَلِّمُكُمْ.
2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn Sulayman from certain individuals of his people from who has said the following: “Once I said to abu al-Hassan, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, we hear certain verses of the Holy Quran that we do not have with us as we hear them and we cannot read as good as we receive from you. Are we committing sins in this matter?’ The Imam said, ‘No, you are not committing any sins, read as you have learned. The one to teach you will come soon.’”
Book 3, Chapter 14
The Rare Ahadith
Ḥadīth #12: 2122
12 ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْوَشَّاءِ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ دَرَّاجٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ وَاحِدٌ نَزَلَ مِنْ عِنْدِ وَاحِدٍ وَلَكِنَّ الإخْتِلافَ يَجِيءُ مِنْ قِبَلِ الرُّوَاةِ.
12. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Ali ibn Muhammad from al- Washsha’ from Jamil ibn Darraj from Muhammad ibn Muslim from Zurara from abu Ja’far who has said the following: “The Holy Quran is one. It has come from One, however, the differences come from the narrators.”
Ḥadīth #13: 2123
13ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) إِنَّ النَّاسَ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ نَزَلَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ فَقَالَ كَذَبُوا أَعْدَاءُ الله وَلَكِنَّهُ نَزَلَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ عِنْدِ الْوَاحِدِ.
13. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Umar ibn ‘Udhaynah from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar who has said the following: “Once, I said to Abu ‘Abdillah, ‘People say that the Holy Quran was revealed upon seven letters.’ The Imam said, ‘They, the enemies of Allah, lie. It was revealed upon one letter from One source.’”
Ḥadīth #16: 2126
16 ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي نَصْرٍ قَالَ دَفَعَ إِلَيَّ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) مُصْحَفاً وَقَالَ لا تَنْظُرْ فِيهِ فَفَتَحْتُهُ وَقَرَأْتُ فِيهِ لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَوَجَدْتُ فِيهَا اسْمَ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلاً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ وَأَسْمَاءِ آبَائِهِمْ قَالَ فَبَعَثَ إِلَيَّ ابْعَثْ إِلَيَّ بِالْمُصْحَفِ.
16. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from certain individuals of his people from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr who has said the following: “Once, abu al-Hassan gave me a copy of the Holy Quran saying, ‘Do not look at it.’ I opened and read in it (Chapter 98) ‘The unbelievers were not . . .’ and I found therein the names of seventy people from Quraysh with their names and the names of their fathers.’ The narrator has said that the Imam sent a message to me, ‘Send the copy back to me.’”
Ḥadīth #23: 2133
23 ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي هَاشِمٍ عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ قَالَ قَرَأَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) وَأَنَا أَسْتَمِعُ حُرُوفاً مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ لَيْسَ عَلَى مَا يَقْرَأُهَا النَّاسُ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) كُفَّ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْقِرَاءَةِ اقْرَأْ كَمَا يَقْرَأُ النَّاسُ حَتَّى يَقُومَ الْقَائِمُ (عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف) فَإِذَا قَامَ الْقَائِمُ (عجل الله تعالى فرجه الشريف) قَرَأَ كِتَابَ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى حَدِّهِ وَأَخْرَجَ الْمُصْحَفَ الَّذِي كَتَبَهُ عَلِيٌّ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) وَقَالَ أَخْرَجَهُ عَلِيٌّ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) إِلَى النَّاسِ حِينَ فَرَغَ مِنْهُ وَكَتَبَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ هَذَا كِتَابُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَمَا أَنْزَلَهُ الله عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَقَدْ جَمَعْتُهُ مِنَ اللَّوْحَيْنِ فَقَالُوا هُوَ ذَا عِنْدَنَا مُصْحَفٌ جَامِعٌ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ لا حَاجَةَ لَنَا فِيهِ فَقَالَ أَمَا وَالله مَا تَرَوْنَهُ بَعْدَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا أَبَداً إِنَّمَا كَانَ عَلَيَّ أَنْ أُخْبِرَكُمْ حِينَ جَمَعْتُهُ لِتَقْرَءُوهُ.
23. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu Hashim from Salim ibn Salamah who has said the following: “Once, a man read before Abu ‘Abdillah certain letters from the Holy Quran, while I was present, which were not like those that people read. Abu ‘Abd Allah said, ‘Stop this reading. Read as people read until the one who will establish Divine Authority on earth will come. When he will come, the book of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will be read upon its limits. He then brought the copy of the Holy Quran that Ali had written and said, ‘Ali brought this to people when he completed writing down the Holy Quran in one copy and said to them, “This is the book of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, as Allah had revealed upon Muhammad and I have written it in one copy from two tablets.” They said, ‘With us there is the comprehensive copy of the Holy Quran. We do not need it.’ He then said, ‘By Allah you will never see this from today on. It was necessary for me to tell you after I completed writing it down so you can read.’”
Ḥadīth #27: 2137
27 ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ عَبْدِ الله بْنِ فَرْقَدٍ وَالْمُعَلَّى بْنِ خُنَيْسٍ قَالا كُنَّا عِنْدَ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) وَمَعَنَا رَبِيعَةُ الرَّأْيِ فَذَكَرْنَا فَضْلَ الْقُرْآنِ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) إِنْ كَانَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ لا يَقْرَأُ عَلَى قِرَاءَتِنَا فَهُوَ ضَالٌّ فَقَالَ رَبِيعَةُ ضَالٌّ فَقَالَ نَعَمْ ضَالٌّ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) أَمَّا نَحْنُ فَنَقْرَأُ عَلَى قِرَاءَةِ أُبَيٍّ.
27. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from ‘Abd Allah ibn Farqad and al-Mu’alla ibn Khunays, both of whom said the following: “We were with Abu Abdullah, and with us was Rabi’ah al-Ra’y, and we mentioned the virtue of the Quran. So Abu Abdillah said, ‘If Ibn Mas’ood does not recite according to our recitation, then he is misguided.’ Rabi’ah said, ‘Misguided?’ He replied, ‘Yes, misguided.’ Then Abu Abdillah said, ‘As for us, we recite according to the recitation of Ubayy.’’”
Ḥadīth #28: 2138
28 ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (علَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ جَبْرَئِيلُ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ آيَةٍ.
28. Ali ibn al-Hakam has narrated from Hisham ibn Salim from Abu ‘Abdillah who said: “The Quran that Jibril brought to Muhammad had seventeen thousand verses.”
FURTHER READING
The Quran of ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib
Answering Islam Blog 