Qur'an's Preservation

Quran’s Preservation
Muslims believe that God sent many revelations to humanity throughout history, and over time they underwent changes from their original form. However, God chose to preserve His message to humanity in His final revelation, the Quran. Yet, one might wonder, which evidence supports the claim that the Quran has never been modified?
The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad p over a period of 23 years. The unique rhythmic style of the Quran made it easy to memorize, which has been the main source of its preservation. Moreover, since Prophet Muhammadp could not read or write, he appointed scribes to record the Quran as it was being revealed to him. Thus, the complete Quran was not only memorized by Prophet Muhammad p and many of his companions, but it also existed in its entirety in written form during his lifetime.
Within a year after Prophet Muhammad p ’s death, a manuscript of the entire Quran was assembled by a committee led by his chief scribe, who followed stringent criteria to safeguard against any errors. This copy was approved unanimously by Prophet Muhammadp ’s companions, including hundreds that had memorized the entire Quran. Eventually, several copies of the Quran were compiled in book form and distributed to the major Muslim cities. One such copy is currently at the museum in Tashkent and a facsimile of it, produced in 1905, is available in the Columbia University Library.
The process of memorization began during Prophet Muhammadp ’s life and is still emphasized by Muslims to this day. In his book, An Introduction to Hadith, John Burton explains that oral transmission through the generations aids preservation by diminishing reliance solely on written records. Manuscripts which are not protected through memorization can be altered, edited or lost overtime. However, a book that is committed to memory by millions of people across the world over centuries cannot be changed due to the amount of people who know it word-for-word.
God promises in the Quran, “We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption)” (15:9).
Quran’s Authenticity
Many people mistakenly believe that the Quran was authored by Prophet Muhammad p . In fact, the Quran is the preserved speech of God. At the same time, one might ask, which proofs indicate that the Quran is the Word of God and not the writings of Prophet Muhammad p ?
In the Quran, God addresses Prophet Muhammad p, “You never recited any Scripture before We revealed this one to you; you never wrote one down with your hand”
(29:48). In other words, Prophet Muhammad p , who was known to be illiterate, neither read any previous scriptures nor wrote the Quran.
Prophet Muhammad p was greatly regarded in his society for his superior character and exceptional manners, earning him the title of the ‘Truthful One.’ Even after his prophethood, the elite of Mecca were ready to make him their leader, so long as he allowed them to continue their pagan lifestyles. Yet, he was willing to forego all worldly glory in order to fulfill his mission. As a result, he suffered patiently through persecution and exile before ultimately succeeding in revolutionizing the entire Arabian Peninsula.
Through it all, God kept on revealing the Quran to him piecemeal. Occasionally, the revelations stopped temporarily, reminding him and others that he had no control over them. Once, when two envoys posed some questions to him, he replied, “Tomorrow I will tell you.” He expected God will inspire the answers in him through revelation and he waited for Angel Gabriel. However, revelation did not come during the next few weeks even as Meccans taunted him. Finally, God sent him the response while admonishing him, “Do not say of anything, ‘I will do that tomorrow,’ without adding, ‘God willing’” (Quran, 18:23-24).
The Quran was revealed at a time when the Arabs excelled in oral poetry. However, despite his intelligence, Prophet Muhammad p was not skilled in composing poetry. Yet, when the Quranic verses were recited, they stunned even the most acclaimed poets in the society. Deeply moved by the rhythmic tone, literary merit and penetrating wisdom of the Quran, many converted to Islam. Indeed, the science of Arabic grammar was developed after the revelation of the Quran, using the Quran as a basis for devising its rules.
There are many miracles in the Quran which themselves attest to the fact that this truly is a divine scripture.

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