Complete and unchanged: Muslims believe the Quran today is complete and unchanged. Not a verse has been added, and not a verse has been lost.
The Shia view and the majority: This is the Shia view, and it is also the view held by the great majority of Muslims:
- The text is one. Every printed Mushaf in the world — in Makkah, in Qom, in London, in Karachi — has the same 114 surahs, in the same order, with the same words.
- The promise is Allah's. The Quran says Allah Himself will guard it. Its preservation is not only a human achievement; it is a divine promise.
- Questions are welcome. If someone asks, "How do we know it has not changed?" — the answer is in the double protection we studied: it was written down, and it was memorised by thousands, in every generation, from the Prophet's time until today.
Recitation styles differ, text does not: There are differences in recitation styles (the seven Qira'at) and in the interpretation of verses. But the written text is the same.
Key Terms
- Tahreef (التحریف) — alteration or distortion of a text; Muslims believe the Quran is free of it
- Qira'at (القراءات) — the recognised styles of reciting the Quran
- 114 surahs — the complete Quran, from Al-Fatiha to An-Nas
Quran or Hadith
Quran 15:9 — "Indeed, We have sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will guard it." — to be checked.
A short explanation, in a small box in the app: this verse is the heart of the Muslim belief in the Quran's preservation — Allah guards His Book.
Fresh diagram to be drawn
Diagram to be drawn: a world map with three Mushaf copies — Makkah, Qom, Karachi — all opening to the same page, with the words "One text, everywhere". In Project Desk colours.
Example
The same words everywhere: If you buy a Quran in Pakistan and your friend buys one in Iran, and you open both to the same page, you will find the same words.
What 'preserved' means: That is what "preserved" means. The Book has travelled across 14 centuries, across every country, and it still speaks with one voice.
- Muslims believe the Quran today is complete and unchanged.
- Every Mushaf in the world has the same 114 surahs, in the same order.
- Recitation styles and interpretations differ, but the written text is one.
- Its preservation is Allah's promise, carried out through writing and memorisation.