Hi and welcome to my video – proof the Quran is corrupted, conflicting textual variants part two. In part one of this series I did a comparative analysis between the dominant Hafs version of the Quran and the lesser-known Dooree version. Here in part two I’ll be making an even more important comparative analysis of the Quran using the Hafs and Warsh versions. Why is this more important? Well it’s because there are literally tens of millions of Muslims using the Warsh version of the Quran. According to page 199 of the book An introduction to the sciences of the Quran by Muslim scholar Yasir Qadhi, after the Hafs version, the second most dominant Quran is the Warsh version. As you see here, about three percent of the Muslim world today reads this version particularly in Algeria, Morocco, parts of Tunisia, West Africa and Sudan. Now three percent might seem like a small number but out of a population of approximately 1.7 billion Muslims, it’s actually a large number. And because the Hafs version is read by 95 percent of the Muslim world, while 3 percent reads the Warsh, I will therefore be making a comparison that affects 98 percent of the Muslim world.
Now before I begin, let me remind you as you saw in part one, my goal is to refute the Quran’s claim that it’s preserved and free from corruption. Here’s that claim “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quran) and surely we will guard it (from corruption) Quran chapter 15 verse 9. Notice the footnote at the bottom. It says it is a clear fact that more than 1400 years have elapse and not a single word of this Quran has been changed. So let’s begin.
Variant number one. Quran chapter 2 verse 140 says “Or do they say that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the tribes were Jews or Christians? Say “Do you know better or does Allah? Who could do greater wrong than someone who hides the evidence he has been given by Allah? Allah is not unaware of what you do.”
Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “they say” but in the Hafs it’s “you say”. In the Warsh Quran, the variant is a third person masculine plural imperfect verb but in the Hafs Quran it’s a second person masculine plural imperfect verb. Notice also these two words begin with different letters. So this is an example of an actual consonantal difference that changes the meaning of the word.
Variant number two. Quran chapter 2 verse 58 says “Remember when We said “Go into this town and eat from it wherever you like, freely. Enter the gate prostrating and say “Relieve us of our burdens! Your sins will be forgiven. We will grant increase to all good doers.”
Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “will be forgiven” but in the Hafs it’s “we will forgive”. In the Warsh Quran, the variant is a third person masculine singular passive imperfect verb but in the Hafs Quran, it’s a first person plural imperfect verb. Notice also these two words begin with different letters. So this is an example of an actual consonantal difference that changes the meaning of the word.
Variant number three. Quran chapter 2 verse 184 says “For a specified number of days. But any of you who are ill or on a journey should fast a number of other days. For those who are able to fast, their ransom is feeding poor men. And if someone does good on his own accord, it is better for him. But that you should fast is better for you, if you only knew.”
Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “feeding poor men” but in the Hafs, it’s “feeding a poor man” In the Warsh Quran, the variant is a masculine plural noun but in the hafs Quran, the variant is a masculine singular noun. In addition, here we have a serious conflict in Islamic law because these are two different Islamic legal rulings. This verse prescribes that Muslims who miss days of fasting must compensate for that but the problem is the specific compensation of giving food is not the same in these two different Arabic Qurans. So my question is “Which Islamic legal ruling is correct? Is it feeding a number of poor men (plural) as in the Warsh Quran or feeding one poor man (singular) as in the Hafs Quran. Clearly there is a serious conflict here.
Variant number four. Quran chapter 3 verse 81 says “Remember when Allah made a covenant with the prophets: Now that we have given you a share of the book and wisdom, and then a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and help him. He asked: Do you agree and undertake my commission on that condition? They replied, we agree. He said “Bear witness then. I am with you as one of the witnesses.” Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “we have given you” but in the Hafs its “I have given you? In the Warsh Quran the variant is a first person plural perfect verb but in the Hafs Quran it’s a first person singular perfect verb. So this is another example of a consonantal difference that changes the meaning of the word.
Variant number five. Quran chapter 3 verse 146 says “Many a prophet has been killed when there were many thousands with him. They did not give up in the face of what assailed them in the way of Allah, nor did they weaken, nor did they yield. Allah loves the steadfast.” Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “has been killed” but in the Hafs it’s “has fought.” In both cases, the verb here is a third person masculine singular perfect verb but unlike the Hafs, in the Warsh, the verb is passive and that changes the meaning. So my question is: Should the Quran say “has been killed” as in the Warsh or “has fought” as in Hafs? Clearly these are not the same.
Variant number six. Quran chapter 28 verse 48 says “But when the truth did come to them from us they said “Why has he not been given the same as Moses was given? But did they not previously reject what Moses was given? They say “Two magicians who back each other up. And they say “We reject both of them.” Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “two magicians” but in the Hafs it’s “two works of magic.” The conflict here is obvious. So my question is: Is Allah telling us about two magicians as in the Warsh Quran or two works of magic as in the Hafs Quran? Clearly these are not the same.
Variant number seven. Quran chapter 4 verse 152 says “And those who believe in Allah and his messengers, and do not differentiate between any of them. We will give them their wages. Allah is ever forgiving, most merciful. Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “we will give them” but in the Hafs, it’s “he will give them”. In the Warsh Quran the variant is a first person plural imperfect verb but in the hafs Quran it’s a third person masculine singular imperfect verb. And this is another example of a consonantal difference that changes the meaning of the word. In addition we also have a serious theological conflict here. As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, Islam teaches that when Allah speaks in the plural “we” he does so to express his power because plurality expresses more power than the singular does. Muslims call this the “plural of majesty” or the “royal plural”. The third person singular does not emphasize the power of God like the first person plural does. So there is a theological difference here. Therefore Allah is more powerful at giving in the Warsh Quran than he is in the Hafs Quran.
Variant number eight. Quran chapter 21 verse 4 says “Say, my Lord knows what is said in heaven and earth. He is the all-hearing, the all-knowing.” Now let’s look at the Arabic. Notice here the Warsh Quran says “say”. This is a command verb but in the Hafs it’s “he said”. In the Warsh Quran the variant is a second person masculine singular imperative verb but in the Hafs Quran it’s a third person masculine singular perfect verb. This is another important difference between these two Qurans. So my question is: is it an order that must be obeyed as in Warsh or is it simply a statement someone said as in Hafs? And this same variant is also found in verse 112 of the same chapter.
Finally I think most of you will agree I have exposed and refuted the Quran’s claim in chapter 15 verse 9 that it’s preserved and guarded from corruption from the textual variants. I provided and analyzed for you. You’ve seen variants in the Arabic Qurans used throughout the Muslim world that are often drastically different in meaning sometimes even accompanied by major theological and legal conflicts.