In the recent discussions and research that were based on the Hafs & Warsh comparison (see ‘Which Quran?’), as well as the previous discussions and research regarding the ‘initials’ that mark certain chapters of the Scripture, certain findings have come to light that were most unexpected and deserve to be shared.

By reviewing the different variations that exist now in the printed and recited Scripture (there are 10 accepted variations according to the Sunnis alone…I have not looked at what variations the Shia or others groups also carry), it became difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood in most of the chapters of the Scripture with one exception.

That exception was the 29 initialed chapters which are all locked by a unique mathematical pattern (see ’19-Fact or Fiction?’).

The question has always existed as to ‘why only 29 chapters?’ since it would make more logical sense that all chapters should be locked or all chapters unlocked (but not part this way and part that).

The speculation about this issue has gone on for some time, but I believe, by the grace of God, that the answer is finally at hand.

What is Al-Quran?

The word ‘Quran’ is thought by most to simply mean ‘The Reading’ and is just one of the names given to the Scripture…However, when looking to the Scripture itself for answers we find that the Quran is far more than that:

§         Quran can humble a mountain (59:21).

§         Quran cannot be replicated by men and jinn (17:88).

§         Quran contains a healing for the hearts (17:82).

§         Quran is what the prophet’s followers have abandoned (25:30).

§         Quran is without doubt revealed by a higher power (27:6).

§         Quran is to be paid attention to when read (7:204).

§         Quran disturbs the disbelievers with its words (10:15.

§         Quran gives detail to the Scripture (10:37).

§         Quran is related to the 7 pairs (15:87).

§         Quran creates a barrier of for those who disbelieve (17:45).

§         Quran alone makes the disbelievers run away in aversion (17:46).

§         Quran is recited at dawn (17:78).

§         Quran is full of examples cited for mankind (17:89).

§         Quran is clear/detailed (41:3).

§         Quran contains the ‘Zikr’/Reminder (38:1).

§         Quran disturbs the rejecters, they seek to speak over it (41:26).

§         Quran is to be used to warn people with (6:19, 42:7).

§         Quran exists in a master record with God (43:3-4).

§         Quran has been made easy to learn (54:17).

§         Quran is preserved in a tablet (85:21-22).

Is the entire Scripture ‘Quran’?

If we were to take the general understanding that the entire Scripture is ‘Quran’, then we would have created a contradiction within the very words of the Scripture, for on one hand we have a warning from God that people should not write the Scripture with their hands and falsely claim it is from God…

Obviously we cannot have both a warning against (meaning it is possible) and a challenge for (meaning it is impossible) if we are speaking about the same thing?

Therefore it is becoming obvious that the Quran and the Scripture are not one in the same (i.e. the Quran is also from the Scripture, but the Scripture is not all from the Quran).

Which is Which?

If we agree that there is a distinction, then we would need to identify which is which…God, being the Most Merciful, has not left us to fumble in darkness without having provided the answer clear and simple:

The above verse has always been translated as ‘taught the Quran’, but an examination in light of all this evidence has also shown the meaning of ‘Alama’ to mean ‘marked’.

Thus the solution has always been visible and not in need of any complex searches…The chapters which are ‘marked’ are the Quran, while those unmarked are simply from the Scripture.

What Will Change?

One of the things that becomes clear in light of thus understanding is the issue of ‘Muhkam’ & ‘Mutashabih’:

The understanding of the above verse has been more of a treasure hunt than an academic approach…People would argue that a verse is a ‘muhkam’ or ‘mutashabih’ over their understanding of it or their disliking to the meaning the other person has to offer…Such an approach screams in the face of all clarity and detail that we claim the Scripture is about (if it is so clear why do people have to guess which is which?).

Obviously the ‘muhkam’ are now understood to be the 29 chapters which are ‘locked’ by the initials…While the ‘mutashabih’ is all the remainder.

What Will Change?

The knowledge of how to view the Scripture could in itself lead to a revolution of understanding and study of areas which were previously misunderstood…We can see that most of the problems of the previous generations have come from their attempt to interpret the ‘mutashabih’ while thinking that it was the ‘muhkam’…This can be found in all the mangled laws that have been forced out of the Scripture such as the ability to marry upto 4 women at will (chapter 4), or to amputate the hands of the thief (chapter 5), or to kill all opposition groups (chapter 9), or to worship the prophet with the constant ‘Sallalhu Alihi Wa Salem’ phrase (chapter 33), etc..

What About the Rest of the Scripture?

Knowing the ‘Quran’ by no way or means implies that we abandon or give-up from studying the remainder of the Scripture, for they are both from God.

What it does mean is that we are to start with the ‘Quran’ and then move outward or cross-reference against it (and not vice versa).

For example, when we read the ‘Quran’ we come across an example of how the act of theft is dealt with in chapter 12 with Joseph and his brother…When we then look into the rest of the Scripture, we come across 5:38 which gives the law of dealing with theft…Had we not begun with the ‘Quran’ as our base model, we could easily misunderstand as the Sunnis have done and end up amputating or marking the hand based on an unsanctioned approach.

Thus the ‘Quran’ clarifies and explains the ‘Scripture’ to give us the best meaning.

Quran → All Mankind → Locked verses

Scripture → Higher Study → Multiple Meaning verses

Quran Alone → Clear

Scripture Alone → May Mislead (cause Fitna)

Quran(1) + Scripture(2) →  Possible correct understanding.

Scripture(1) + Quran(2) → Possible incorrect understanding.  

The ultimate truth will always be with God, but now we finally may have an understanding of which part has been revealed for all mankind, and thus is preserved/protected through its own built-in anti-tampering mechanism(s), of which only a part has been thus discovered:

“Indeed it is We who have sent down the Reminder (Zikr), and indeed it is We who will preserve it.” (15:9)