The Reality Behind The Shi'a Qur'an

If you go online and you examine this discussion, you will see some Muslims from other schools of thought attacking us and saying, see? You have one or two scholars who believe that somehow companions changed the location of some Verses. Yes, one or two have said that. An example: Ayat at-Tat-hir. There are some who have claimed that Ayat at-Tat-hir, the Verse of purification: "innama yuridu Allah liyudhiba 'ankumu ar-rijs Ahl al-Bayt, wa yutahhirakum tathira" (33:33). God wills to thoroughly purify the Ahl al-Bayt. Some believe that is not the original place of Ayat at-Tat-hir.

The original location of it, was in Surat al-Insan, not in Surat al-Ahzab. Surat al-Ahzab is chapter 33, and Ayat at-Tat-hir today is found in Verse 33 of the chapter. Some have argued, very few, maybe one or two or three scholars have argued that possibly the real location of Ayat at-Tat-hir was in Surat al-Insan: "Innama nut'imukum li wajhi Allah. La nuridu minkum jaza'an wa la shukura" (76:9). And then Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala states: "innama yuridu Allah liyudhiba 'ankumu ar-rijsa Ahl al-Bayt, wa yutahhirakum tathira".

It fits very well with the context of the Surah, as some have claimed. Allah, in Surat al-Insan is talking about the sacrifice of the holy family of the Prophet. So Ayat at-Tat-hir actually belong to this chapter, but some changed it, and they put it with the wives of the Prophet, in order not to make it so clear that it is referring to the Ahl al-Bayt only. But this is rejected by the vast majority of Shi'a scholars. Scholars have not accepted this idea. They say, no, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala put Ayat at-Tat-hir in Surat al-Ahzab.

Another example that they have mentioned is Ayat al-Ghadir, Ikmal al-Wilayah. Look at Surat ul-Ma'ida, which is the fifth chapter in the Qur'an, Verse three. Allah starts the Verse by talking about what's lawful for you to eat and what's not. For example, Allah says: "hurrimat 'alaikum ul-maita" (5:3), a dead animal that dies on its own, it is not permissible for you to eat it. Blood is not permissible for you to eat. Pork is not permissible for you to eat. An animal that killed another animal, you cannot eat that animal. And then Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, mentions some of these laws.

Then suddenly Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala states: today the disbelievers have despaired and lost hope. Today I have perfected your religion. I have completed My favor upon you, and I have accepted Islam as your religion. Then, right after that, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala, goes back to the previous topic about what is halal and what is halal. Allah says: but if there's starvation and you are hungry, it is okay, you can eat some of this haram meat.

Some scholars have said, what is this phrase: Today I perfected your religion. Today the disbelievers have despaired from your religion. What does this have to do with the beginning of the Verse and the end of the Verse? It's an interjection. It doesn't belong here. Some of them have made the statement. My dear brothers and sisters, the vast majority of Shi'a scholars very clearly have rejected this idea. They say, no, no one changed these Verses. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala deliberately put these Verses in these areas. Why? When you would think it is kind of unrelated? Why would God suddenly put a Verse like that, when He is talking about halal and haram meat.

And then, interestingly, in that Verse in Surat ul-Ma'ida, Allah says: "Akmaltu lakum Dinakum" (5:3), the entire religion has finished. Meaning every law has been prescribed to you. But as soon as that phrase is over, Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala talks about a new law. If you are hungry, if you are starving, you can eat some of this haram meat. So what's going on over here? I thought the religion was just completed.

This is what led to some to doubt whether this is the real place of this Verse. Our response to that is that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala deliberately put these Verses in these areas. Why? Two reasons.

One: to test you. Having Ayat al-Ghadir and the Wilayah of the Imam in a Verse like that is a test. Because if Allah puts it somewhere else, it would be more obvious. But Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala wants you to search for the truth. Yes. Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala wants you to make an effort to see where the truth is. So sometimes something is not that visible, you have to search for it. That's one reason.

A second reason: if these Verses of Ayat at-Tat-hir and Ayat al-Ghadir were so clear, you would have people after the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, who would have omitted it from the Qur'an. Mu'awiya and Bani Ummaya would have omitted it from the Qur'an. So Allah kept it in a Surah, in a Verse that's not that obvious, to protect the Verse from being distorted.

And if the Verse was very clear, if Ayat at-Tat-hir was in Surat ul-Insan, and it clearly referred only to the Ahl al-Bayt and not the wives of the Prophet, be sure that Mu'awiya and his group would have tried to delete this Verse from the Qur'an.

But Allah wants to protect His Book, so He puts it in a place where He knows it is safe from being distorted. That is another reason that we can mention. So this is the second type of distortion in the Qur'an, and we firmly believe that no distortion has been made.