The doctrine of Quran Inerrancy is that there is only one Holy version of the Quran and that it has never been altered or changed.
Note that this is not the claim that there is one universal consensus among variagated versions; the claim is that variegated versions do not exist.
According to orthodox Islam, there’s one version of the Quran. It consists of a series of revelations from the angel Gabriel to Muhammad over a period of twenty-three years. He dictated what he heard (Muhammad was illiterate) to his followers, who wrote them down in their own dialects. The Quran is perfectly preserved. The standard Arabic Quran of today is the 1924 Egyptian version. But there used to be more.
The Rightly Guided Caliph (Rashidun) Uthman ordered all versions and variants of the Quran destroyed, saving only the one in the Quraishi dialect spoken by Muhammad. Uthman, the third Caliph (successors of Muhammad), reigned from 644–656. Our source for this is the Hadith (Collection of Sayings of Muhammad) Sahih Al-Bukhari:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur'an, so he said to 'Uthman, “O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Quran) as Jews and the Christians did before.” So 'Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, “Send us the manuscripts of the Qur'an so that we may compile the Qur'anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you.” Hafsa sent it to 'Uthman. 'Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, 'Abdullah bin AzZubair, Said bin Al-As and 'AbdurRahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. 'Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, “In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur'an was revealed in their tongue.” They did so, and when they had written many copies, 'Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. 'Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur'anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt. Said bin Thabit added, “A Verse from Surat Ahzab was missed by me when we copied the Qur'an and I used to hear Allah's Apostle reciting it. So we searched for it and found it with Khuzaima bin Thabit Al-Ansari. (That Verse was): 'Among the Believers are men who have been true in their covenant with Allah.' (33.23) [Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 6, Book 61, Verse 510]
Interestingly, in the very next verse, Abu Bakr, the first Caliph and the father-in-law of Muhammad (reigned 632–634) said that some verses from the Quran were already disappearing:
Narrated Zaid bin Thabit:
Abu Bakr sent for me and said, “You used to write the Divine Revelations for Allah's Apostle : So you should search for (the Qur'an and collect) it.” I started searching for the Qur'an till I found the last two Verses of Surat At-Tauba with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari and I could not find these Verses with anybody other than him. (They were):
'Verily there has come unto you an Apostle (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty …' (9.128-129) [Sahih Al-Bukhari Vol. 6, Book 61, Verse 511]
So if the last two verses of Sura At-Tauba (Surah 9 of the Quran, usually translated “The Repentance” or “The Reconciliation”) almost disappeared within two years of Muhammad’s death in 632, were there others? The evidence says there were. In Sunan ibn Majad, the sixth of the Hadith collections, gives this account:
“The Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.” [Sunan ibn Majad 9:1944]
Many Muslim scholars consider this Hadith an unreliable one since it’s in the least trustworthy Hadith collection, and assert that the command to breastfeed adult males ten times was abrogated (the footnote said the number was changed to five times — still not a great deal for the wives). Yet a more reliable Hadith, Sahih Al-Bukhari, shows that Umar knew of sura of Adam and a verse on adultery that is not in the modern Quran:
In the meantime, `Umar sat on the pulpit and when the callmakers for the prayer had finished their call, `Umar stood up, and having glorified and praised Allah as He deserved, he said, “Now then, I am going to tell you something which (Allah) has written for me to say. I do not know; perhaps it portends my death, so whoever understands and remembers it, must narrate it to the others wherever his mount takes him, but if somebody is afraid that he does not understand it, then it is unlawful for him to tell lies about me. Allah sent Muhammad with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the stoning of married person (male & female) who commits illegal sexual intercourse, and we did recite this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, 'By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah's Book,' and thus they will go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed. And the punishment of the Rajam is to be inflicted to any married person (male & female), who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if the required evidence is available or there is conception or confession. [Sahih Al-Bukhari 8:82:817 (6830)]
The Christian priest and scholar, St. John of Damascus, who lived in Syria from about 675 to 749, was one of the first critics of the Quran. In his work on heresies, he refers to the suras by their titles. He names “The Heifer” (Sura 2: “The Cow”), “The Table” (Sura 5: “The Table Spread”), and “The Camel of God.” The last one, “The Camel of God,” does not exist in the modern Quran.
One of the earliest Qurans that exist today is the Samarkand Kufic Quran, which has been carbon dated between 765 and 855. It is located in the Tashkent Library in Uzbekistan, and is often referred to as the “Tashkent Quran.” It has significant differences to the younger Istanbul Quran (which may be around 200 to 300 years later), and the standardized Egyptian Quran from 1924 was based on oral tradition based on the Istanbul version. Defenders of the modern Quran claim that the Tashkent Quran is full of human errors, yet the oral tradition of over a thousand years later is perfectly preserved. This page shows the vast amount of differences between the two: A1-2. Yet there is also a North African Quran still in use today that shows differences to the standardized version (The Different Arabic Versions of the Qur'an). So the evidence shows that from the beginning until today, the Quran has not been transmitted perfectly and may be missing entire chapters that were once there.
Sources:
Example Summary, Hafs vs Warsh:
Examples of simple changes in reading or dialect:
Stronger;
No, and the Hadith and Qur’an are very clear about this.
Narrated Aisha: The Prophet heard a man reciting the Qur'an in the mosque and said, “May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such-and-such verses of such a Surah.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 61, no. 556; also Sahih Muslim: bk. 4, no. 1720)
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: … (Muhammad said) I am only a human being and I forget just as you do; so when I forget, remind me … (Sunan Abu Dawud: bk. 3, no. 1015; also Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 1, bk. 8, no. 394)
We will make you recite, [O Muhammad], and you will not forget, except what Allah should will … (Qur'an 87:6-7, Saheed International)
We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it … (Qur'an 2:106, Saheed International)http://sunnah.com/bukhari/66/27
These verses from the Qur’an and Hadith are all referring to how Muhammad forgot the Qur’an, therefore Muslim leaders are exaggerating when they say Muhammad memorised the Qu’ran perfectly.
Again the answer is no. The Hadith is very clear that sometimes Muhammad would say a verse and then say it again with an edited version.
Narrated Al-Bara: There was revealed: “Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah.” (Qur’an 4.95)
The Prophet said, “Call Zaid for me and let him bring the (writing) board, the inkpot and the scapula bone (the pen) …” Then he said, “Write: ‘Not equal are those Believers who sit…’”, and at that time 'Amr bin Um Maktum, the blind man was sitting behind the Prophet. He said, “O Allah's Apostle! What is your order for me (as regards the above verse) as I am a blind man?” So, instead of the above verse, the following verse was revealed:
“Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) except those who are disabled and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah.” (Qur’an 4.95) (Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 61, no. 512; also Sahih Muslim: bk. 20, no. 4676-4677)
Here we see an earlier version of verse 4:95 being edited to now include “except those who are disabled”. This type of change happened so often to the Qur’an that the Meccans used it as a reason to reject Muhammad.
And when We exchange a verse in the place of another verse - and God knows very well what he is sending down - they (the Meccans) say (to Muhammad), “You are simply inventing this”. (Qur'an 16:101)
Therefore, when Muslim leaders say the Qur'an was simply recited by Muhammad and then written down they are wrong. The Islamic history shows that sometimes verses were fluid and edited to a final form.
No, in particular Abdullah ibn Mas’ud objected to Uthman’s actions. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was personally commissioned by Muhammad to teach the Qur’an:
Narrated Masruq: … I heard the Prophet saying, “Take (learn) the Qur'an from four (men): `Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu'adh and Ubai bin Ka'b.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 61, no. 521)
He even recited the Qur’an to Muhammad. (see: http://sunnah.com/bukhari/66/27)
Narrated Abdullah bin Masud: The Prophet said to me, “Recite (the) Quran to me.” I said to him. “Shall I recite (it) to you while it has been revealed to you?” He said, “I like to hear it from another person.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 61, no. 576)
That is, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud was authorised and commissioned by Muhammad to teach the Qur’an to others. However, Uthman did not consult Abdullah ibn Mas’ud when he made his version of the Qur’an, and Abdullah was angry about this, and also angry that Uthman wanted him to hand over his collection of the Qur’an to be destroyed. Abdullah maintained that his collection was just as valid, if not more so, that any other collection. As a result Abdullah told his students to hide their Qur’ans from Uthman.
'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) reported that he said to his companions to conceal their copies of the Qur'an and further said: He who conceals anything he shall have to bring that which he had concealed on the Day of Judgment, and then said: After whose mode of recitation do you command me to recite? I in fact recited before Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) more than seventy chapters of the Qur'an and the Companions of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) know it that I have better understanding of the Book of Allah (than they do), and if I were to know that someone had better understanding than I, I would have gone to him. Shaqiq said: I sat in the company of the Companions of Muhammad (may peace be upon him) but I did not hear anyone having rejected that (that is, his recitation) or finding fault with it. (Sahih Muslim: bk. 31, no. 6022; also Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 61, no. 522)
Az-Zuhri also narrated that Abdullah Ibn Mas’oud became upset because he was not chosen to copy the Qur’an. He said, “Oh you Muslims, how can I not be chosen …” Ibn Mas’oud also said, “Oh people of Iraq! Hide your Qurans in your homes (from Uthman).” (Sunan Al-Tirmithi, Dar Al-Kotob Al-ilmiyah, 2008, vol. 4, no. 3105, p. 134; also Ibn Sa'd, Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir, vol. 2 p. 444)
(also see: https://sunnah.com/muslim/44/162)
Therefore not all the companions of Muhammad agreed with Uthman’s innovation, but Uthman was able to enforce his decision and eventually all the companions had to accept this. Had Uthman not enforced his version of the Qur’an, other collections of the Qur’an could have remained until today.
No. See answering-islam.org/PQ/A1.htm#AppendA for a comprehensive comparison between the the Samarkand manuscript and the modern Qur’an, and www.qurantext.org for a comparison with the San’a manuscripts.
Again no. When Uthman made his Qur’an the Arabic script did not include the vowel markings or the dots used to distinguish between certain letters. This ambiguity allowed words to be formed (vocalised or read) in different ways, and today there are different versions of the Uthmanic Qur’an which have the words formed differently.
There are ten such different Qur’ans accepted today. The two main versions (qira’at) are the Qur’an according to Imam Hafs (the most common) and the Qur’an according to Imam Warsh (North Africa). Here are two examples of their differences. (see source)
No. Some of the variants may be authentic but not all of them.
We saw in chapter 3 that Muhammad allowed the Qur’an to be recited in different ways. Some of these differences may well have survived and now be present in the variants that exist between the ten accepted versions (qira’at) of the Qur’an, but there are more variants than those found between the ten accepted versions.
Some variants arose simply from the fact that the early Arabic script was vague and could be read in different ways as Ahmed Von Denffer explains:
When more and more Muslims of non-Arab origin and also many ignorant Arabs studied the Qur'an, faulty pronunciation and wrong readings began to increase. It is related that at the time of Du'ali (d. 69H/638) someone in Basra read the following aya from the Qur'an in a faulty way, which changed the meaning completely:
This mistake occurred through wrongly reading rasulihi in place of rasuluhu, which could not be distinguished from the written text, because there were no signs or accents indicating the correct pronunciation. Unless someone had memorised the correct version he could out of ignorance easily commit such a mistake. (Von Denffer, `Ulum Al-Qur'an - An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an, p. 58)
Therefore, some variants are considered authentic but other variants are rejected.
Below is a six volume encyclopedia set which records all known variants. It is entitled: Mu'jam al-qiraa'aat al-Quraaneeyah, ma'a maqaddimah fee qiraa'aat wa ashhar al-qurraa (The Encyclopedia of the Quranic Readings with an Introduction to Readings and Famous Readers). It shows that almost every verse in the Qur'an has several variants associated with it.
(picture available at source)
Not all of these variants are accepted as authentic. Islamic scholars judge the variants in the same way they judge the Hadith: Some are accepted, some rejected. Therefore, Muhammad may have allowed some variation in the Qur’an but this does not justify all of the thousands of variants that exist and that Islamic scholars have to judge for authenticity.