**Arguments Against the Common Claim that
the Quran Came to Us in the Same Way as Hadith**
(i.e. same people and method)
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1. **The Quran Was Recited and Memorized
VERBATIM, Unlike Hadith**
The Quran was transmitted word-for-word (verbatim) by its
reciters and memorizers. In contrast, almost all hadith are
transmitted "riwayah bil ma'ana" (with meaning or gist), meaning
they are passed on in paraphrased form, not verbatim.
2. **Direct Supervision of the Prophet in
the Compilation of the Quran**
The Quran was recorded during the lifetime of the Prophet
Muhammad under his direct supervision, either through
memorization or by writing. While some argue not all parts were
recorded during his lifetime, it is widely accepted that most of
the Quran was compiled in his presence or immediately
thereafter.
3. **The Quran is the Word of God, While
Hadith Are Human Words**
The Quran is universally considered the direct, unaltered
word of God. In contrast, hadith are the alleged words of the
Prophet Muhammad, recorded and narrated by human beings, subject
to human error and interpretation.
4. **Public Recitation of the Quran
Facilitated Mass Memorization and Transmission**
The Quran was recited publicly on a daily basis, creating
a widespread environment conducive to memorization and
transmission. It is said to be the most recited and memorized
book in the world. Public recitations of hadith, on the other
hand, did not exist at the time.
5. **The Quran Was Compiled Before the
Civil Wars That Disrupted Islamic Unity**
The compilation of the Quran into its final form took
place before the turbulent period of civil wars, which led to
political and sectarian rivalries. This period is known to have
introduced challenges to the authenticity of hadith
transmission. In contrast, the Quran’s compilation occurred in a
relatively stable context, minimizing risks of later
alterations. In fact it is famously said the "isnad" (chain of
narration) was only needed after this due to fabrications.
6. **Massive Fabrication of Hadith vs.
Minimal Fabrication of the Quran**
It is widely accepted that there was significant
fabrication in the transmission of hadith. By contrast, there
are very few, if any, documented cases of Quranic fabrication.
7. **The Need for Authentication in Hadith
Transmission**
The methods used to filter and authenticate hadith—such
as the isnad (chain of narration) and narrator criticism—emerged
because hadith were not transmitted with the same communal
consensus as the Quran. There is no comparable "science of
Quran" to authenticate its verses. It wasn’t needed!
8. **The Quran Was Memorized by Hundreds
or Thousands; Hadith, Not So Much**
During the early period of Islam, there were hundreds, if
not thousands, of Quran memorizers. No such equivalent exists
for hadith. For example, during the battle of Yamama, hundreds
of Quran memorizers are reported to have died, but there are no
reports that mention casualties among hadith memorizers – it
wasn’t a thing to be mentioned!
9. **Memorizing the Quran Is Different
from Memorizing Hadith**
Memorizing the Quran, a fixed and structured text, is
categorically different from memorizing the fluid, diverse, and
lengthy hadith reports. The Quran also benefits from rhythmic
prose and other mnemonic devices that aid memorization—tools
that are absent from hadith. Quran explicitly states it was made
easy to remember, [e.g. 54:17].
10. **The Quran is Universally the Same
Across Sects**
Despite differences in sectarian beliefs, all major
Islamic sects (Sunni, Shia, etc.) have the same Quran. In
contrast, each sect has its own collection of hadith, reflecting
the varied interpretations and transmissions.
11. **Early Muslims Exercised Caution in
Transmitting Hadith**
While Quranic recitation and transmission were actively
encouraged, there was significant caution regarding the
transmission of hadith during the early years of Islam. Bans on
hadith transmission were imposed across the Muslim world for
decades after the Prophet’s death [source].
12. **Hadith and the Quran Are Not on the
Same Epistemic Level**
Even with rigorous methods for authenticating hadith, no
human-authenticated text, no matter how meticulously verified,
can be placed on the same epistemic level as the Quran. For
example, there is much dispute today over which hadith are truly
"sahih" (authentic), with scholars disagreeing on the
reliability of narrators and reports, e.g. Imam Malik,
Daraqutni, Albani.
13. **The First Four Caliphs Took Formal
Steps to Preserve the Quran, But Not Hadith**
The first four caliphs made significant efforts to
preserve the Quran. In fact, they actively discouraged the
transmission of hadith, with some even ordering the destruction
of collections. The preservation of hadith, in contrast, was not
a priority in the early caliphate.
14. **Zayd ibn Thabit: The Key Scribe of
the Quran vs. Hadith**
Zayd ibn Thabit,
probably the most prominent scribe of the Quran, is cited in
only a handful of hadith isnads (about 5 out of approximately
15,000 in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim).
15. **God’s Protection of the Quran vs. No
In-built Protection for Hadith**
The Quran is said to be protected by God (15:9, 39:28)
and its authenticity supported by internal challenges e.g. find
contradictions/variance within it, bring a chapter like it etc.
Hadith collections, by contrast, are filled with contradictions
and varying versions of events, with no in-built checking
mechanisms.
16. **Hadith Gained Mainstream Legal
Status Only After Imam Shafi'i**
While the Quran was universally acknowledged as the
primary source of law from the beginning, the legal use of
hadith as a primary source of law did not go mainstream until
after Imam Shafi'i (>200yrs after prophet). Shafi'i is
credited with elevating hadith to an equal footing with the
Quran, and significantly altered the way sunnah was defined.
17. **Most popular Quran transmission is
from Hafs**
Who is considered strong in Quran narration but weak in hadith
narration.
Conversely the most prolific hadith narrator is Abu Hurayrah yet
he is not known for being a Quran memorizer or Quran reciter.
18. **Dating of Earliest complete
Manuscript: Quran vs. Hadith**
The earliest extant carbon-dated manuscript of the Quran
(such as the Sanaa manuscript, Topkapi) is approximately 200
years after the Prophet. In contrast, the earliest complete
manuscript of Sahih Bukhari dates to about 450 years after the
Prophet, underscoring the differences in the preservation
timelines of the two texts.
19. **Earliest carbon dated extant manuscript**
For Quran it is to the time of prophet (e.g. Birmingham Quran).
For hadith it is a tiny fragment of Malik's Muwatta (approx 200
years after prophet).
Some claim Sahifa Hammam ibn Munabbih is the earliest but this
is a reproduction of the original and there is no carbon dating.
20. **Question
over
transmitter of Sahih Bukhari's Primary Copy**
The version of Sahih Bukhari that forms the basis of the widely
accepted text today is transmitted through his student, Muhammad
ibn Yusuf al-Firabri. However, no contemporaries of Firabri are
known to have explicitly vouched for his reliability—e.g. no one
is recorded as describing him as thiqa
(trustworthy). There is perhaps not even a record of any peer
making a positive statement about him. It seems he is not well
known by his immediate peers.
21. **Even the most attested hadith have issues**
The hadith considered most mutawatir (mass-transmitted)—"Whoever
lies about me (intentionally) will enter Hellfire"—shows
variation in its wording. [reference]
Likewise, the Prophet’s Farewell Sermon, arguably the most
widely witnessed hadith, exists in multiple versions with
significant differences. For example, some versions instruct
followers to uphold: (1) the Quran alone, (2) the Quran and
Sunnah, (3) the Quran and Ahl al-Bayt, while others omit this
instruction entirely. Among these, version (1) appears to be the
most widely attested. [reference]
If even the most broadly transmitted hadith contain
discrepancies, it follows logically that less well-attested
hadith should be approached with even greater scrutiny and
caution. Thus, even the most widely attested hadith cannot equal
the Quran in terms of its textual integrity and precision.
To end here are some interesting (albeit ultimately
unverifiable) reports about hadith from the first 3 Caliphs
Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman:
Daughter of Abu Bakr, ʿAʾishah is reported to have said:
"My father collected Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him), and it was five hundred Hadiths. One night, he
was very uneasy, tossing and turning much. I also felt uneasy
because of this, so I said, 'Are you turning because of an
ailment, or have you heard news that upset you?' In the
morning, he said, 'O daughter, bring the Hadiths.' I brought
them, and he asked for a flame and burnt them. I said, 'Why
did you burn them?' He said, 'I feared lest I die while they
are with me containing narrations that I heard from a man whom
I trusted and whose narrations I considered to be correct
while in reality they are not; then I would have quoted
incorrect narrations from him.'"
Abu Bakr addressed the people after the Prophet Muhammad’s
(peace be upon him) passing, expressing concern over
disagreements arising from narrations of the Prophet’s sayings.
He advised:
"You relate from the Messenger of Allah, upon whom be God’s
peace and benediction, traditions regarding which you disagree,
and consequently severer controversy shall occur among people.
So relate nothing from the Messenger of Allah, and when asked by
anyone, you can say: The Book of Allah is the arbitrator between
us. Deem lawful what it considers lawful, and deem unlawful what
is considered unlawful in it."
Reports from Shu'bah, from Sa'id ibn Ibrahim from his father, that Umar detained Ibn Mas'ud, Abu al-Darda', and Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari, saying to them "You have narrated hadith abundantly from the Messenger of Allah." It is reported that he had detained them in Medina, but they were set free by Uthman.
Abu Hurayrah, asked by Abu Salamah whether he used to narrate traditions as freely in Umar's time as he was then doing, replied "No, for if I had tried, 'Umar would have had me whipped."
Narrated ‘Ubaidullah bin `Abdullah: Ibn `Abbas said, “When the
ailment of the Prophet became worse, he said, ‘Bring for me
(writing) paper and I will write for you a statement after
which you will not go astray.’ But `Umar said, ‘The Prophet is
seriously ill, and we have got Allah’s Book with us, and that
is sufficient for us.’
Sahih al-Bukhari 114
Ref: Ibn Saad's "Tabaqat" (Volume 5)
Ref: The History of al-Tabari [reference]
Ibn Sa’d, and Ibn Asakir reports from Mahmud ibn Labid that he
said: I heard Uthman ibn Affan addressing people from over the
pulpit: It is unlawful for everyone to narrate any hadith he
never heard of during the time of Abu Bakr and that of Umar.
Verily that which made me abstain from narrating from the
Messenger of Allah was not to be among the most conscious of
his Companions, but I heard him declaring: “Whoever ascribing
to me something I never said, he shall verily occupy his
(destined) abode in Fire.”
Ref:
Hadith_in_Quran.htm
Quran_True_Sunnah_of_Messenger_Naveed.htm
Rethinking_Tradition_Modern_Islamic_Thought.htm
Quran_clear_complete_detailed_explained.htm
References:
islamic-books-online.html
THE
SAHIFAH OF HAMMAM IBN MUNABBIH
BukhariGate
by Mufti Abu Layth
Quran and hadith
manuscripts
QuranTalk
blog
chatGPT.com
https://mypercept.co.uk/articles/
This work would not have been possible without the many people
who have contributed to this topic, and without the resources
now available to anyone wishing to study The Quran in detail.
For these stepping stones, I am indebted and truly thankful.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:
This work reflects my personal understanding, as of May 3rd
2025. Seeking knowledge is a continual process and I will try
to improve my understanding of the signs within 'the reading'
(al quran) and out with it, unless The God wills otherwise.
All information is correct to the best of my knowledge only
and thus should not be taken as a fact. One should always seek
knowledge and verify for themselves when possible: 17:36,
20:114, 35:28, 49:6, 58:11.
And do not follow what you have no knowledge of; surely the
hearing, the sight and the heart,
all of these, shall be questioned about that.
[17:36]