Thread by @ShAmmarKhatib1

The recent interview with @YasirQadhi has been going around like wildfire.
I'm receiving many emails regarding the issue of the preservation of the Qur'an.
Thus, I decided to start this thread.

Important notes:
1- if you're someone who is here just so that you can question or attack the authenticity of the Qur'an, I respectfully ask you to go "play" somewhere else!
This thread is not meant for this type of discussion.

2- I don't intend to turn this thread into a debate about the character of @YasirQadhi.
This thread is only for addressing and clearing up possible confusion regarding the concept of the preservation of the Qur'an.

3- I will not be discussing things in great details. Twitter is not the most appropriate place for doing that.

4- We should all keep this advice of Imam Ash-Shatibi in mind when discussing an opinion by someone whom we might disagree with:
It is very clear that Islam calls for love, compassion and mercy.
Every opinion that leads to otherwise..., it's against the teachings of Islam.

Now that I made this clear, we can get back to our main topic.

1- Allah SWT said in the Qur'an:
﴿ذلِكَ الكِتابُ لا رَيبَ فيهِ هُدًى...﴾
[البقرة: ٢]
"This is the Book in which there is no doubt"
2:2

He also said:
﴿لا يَأتيهِ الباطِلُ مِن بَينِ يَدَيهِ وَلا مِن خَلفِهِ تَنزيلٌ مِن حَكيمٍ حَميدٍ﴾
[فصلت: ٤٢]
"It cannot be proven false from any angle. It is a revelation from the One Who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy".
41:42

He also said:
﴿إِنّا نَحنُ نَزَّلنَا الذِّكرَ وَإِنّا لَهُ لَحافِظونَ﴾
[الحجر: ٩]
"We have sent down the Quran Ourself, and We Ourself will guard it".
15:9

I advise my brothers and sisters to remember and ponder over the meaning of these verses whenever doubts creep into their hearts.

2- Are there multiple versions of the Qurʾān as some people claim?

No. The Qurʾān was inherently a multiform recitation, with multiple diverse, equally valid alternate readings to begin with.

In other words, the Quran was taught in different ways since the time of the Prophet PBUH.
This tradition was under the approval of the Prophet.

The differences in the recitation are quite subtle, although sometimes they might enrich or expand the meaning.

Is there any historical evidence to support that?

The hadith about the seven ahruf is widely attested and multiply transmitted from the earliest period in Islamic history.

No credible historian can claim it to be fabricated without resorting to intellectual dishonesty or rejection of a massive amount of historical evidence.

We cannot understand the history of the Qur’an during the Prophetic era without an understanding of the centrality of the Qur’anic recitation and memorization in Muslim ritual practice.

Since the early days of Islam, Muslims were eager to learn and study the Qur'an.

The Prophet PBUH encouraged his companions to learn the Qur'an and then teach it to others.
The Prophet said in the famous hadith:
"The best amongst you is the one who learns the Qur'an and teaches it."
[Al-Bukhari]

Since many readings are mainly linguistic diversity in the pronunciation of some words, it is very important to understand of the linguistic nature of the Arabian society at that time.

Arabs spoke different dialects (lughāt). This was reflected in the recitation of the Qur'an under the approval of the Prophet himself in the light of the license of the 7 ahruf.
This permission made the Qur'an more accessible and easier for recitation.

The concept of different Arabic dialects still exists until today.

What does the seven ahruf mean?

Muslim scholars differed on the meaning of the seven ahruf.
1- One of the easiest opinions is that the term 7 is "symbolic" = It's an Arabic term used to denote the concept of "many".

Based on this opinion, there is no difference between the term "Ahruf" and the term "Qira'at".
This means that Qur'an was meant to be read in many different ways.

2- Another opinion is that the 7 aḥruf mentioned in the hadith can be explained simply as ways of varying.

Thus, one can say that the seven aḥruf are all the categories of variation to which the differences found within qirāʾāt can be correlated.

In other words, they represent a menu of ingredients from which each qirāʾah selects its profile.

Is it possible that the Hadiths of the 7 ahruf might be fabricated?

In addition to being recorded in almost all the canonical six works (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i), the seven aḥruf narrations are found in numerous early works including the Jami’ of Ma’mar

ibn Rashid (d. 153 AH), Muwatta of Imam Malik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), the Musnad of Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi (d. 204 AH), Musnad al-Humaydi (d. 219 AH), Musannaf ibn Abi Shaybah (d. 235 AH) and the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (d. 241 AH).

Given the voluminous transmitted reports from the earliest era, the fact that the earliest Muslim community understood the Qurʾān to be a multiform recitation cannot be logically disputed even by the most skeptical historian.