However in the thirtieth year of the Hejra, Othmdn being then
K h a lf and obferving the great difagreement in the copies of the Koran
in the feveral provinces o f the empire, thofe of Irak, for example,
following the reading of Abu Muja al Afiari, and the Syrians
that of Macdad Ebn AJwad, he, by advice of the companions, ordered
a great number o f copies to be tranfcribed from that of Abu Beer,
in Haifa’s casSj under the infpeCtion of Zeid Ebn 'Ehabet, Abd'allah
Ebn Zobair, Said Ebn al As, and Abdalrahmdn Ebn al Hdreth the
Makhzumite-, whom he directed that wherever they difagreed abouc
any word, they fhould write it in the dialed; o f the Koreijh, in which
it was at firft delivered.'. Thefe copies when made, were difperfed
in the feveral provinces o f the empire, and the old ones burnt and
fuppreffed. Tho’ many things in Haffa’s copy were corrected by the
above-mentioned fupervifors, yet fome few various readings ftill occur;
the moft material of which will be taken notice of in their
proper places.
Various The want of vowels 1 in the Arabic character made Mokri’s, or rea-
readings. f e r s , yvhcffe peculiar ftudy and profeffion it was to read the Kordn
with its proper vowels, abfolutely neceffary, But thefe differing in
their manner of reading, ‘ occafioned ftill further variations iri the .copies
o f the Kordn, as- they are now written with the vowels; and
herein confift much the greater, part of the various readings throughout
the book. The readers whofe authority the commentators chiefly
alledge', in- 'Admitting- thefe various ' readings!,1, af e Teven in ntriiber. ..;
Pafiiges There being fome. paflages in the Koran which are contradi&ory,
abrogated. t^e Mohammedan doCtors; obviate any objefition from thehcb,'by .'the
ddftrine'df abrogation•,' for they fay,' that G o b :ih the 'Tcirdh commanded
feveral things which were for good reafontf afterwards revoked
and abrogate^. _ „ a
Paflages abrogated are diftinguifhed into three’’'kind's: theJirft, Where
the letter and the fenfe are both abrogated; the fetbnd, where ;theletter
onlyis'abrogated, but the fenfe?, remains; and .the Where the
fenfe is abrogated, tho’ the letter remairis; ' : f , _ l -
Of the firft kind, were feveral verfes, which by the tradition of
Ans Ebn Malec were in the prophet’s life time read in the .chapter of
repentance, but are not now extant, one of which, being all he rei
Abulfeda; in vitis Abubecr & Othman. 2 The charafters or marks of the Arabic vowels were
Bot uftd tiii feveral years afterMtibommd. Some afefibe the invention of them tb Tabya- Ebn Tamer,
fome to Na/r Ebn A farm furnamed al Leitbi, and otherstoAbu'lafevad al Dili, ’all three of whom
were dottors of Bf/ra,znd immediately fucceeded the companions. See D’Herbel. Bibb Orient, p. 87.
membred of them, was the following, “ I f a fon of Adam had twcJ
“ rivers of gold, he would covet yet a third; and if he had three,
“ he would covet yet a fourth (to he added) unto them; neither fball
8 the belly of a fon of Adam be filled, but with duft. G od will
“ turn unto him who fhall repent.” Another inftance of this kind
we have from the tradition of Abd’allah Ebn Majud, who reported
that the prophet gave him a verfe to read which he wrote down;
but the next morning looking in his book, he found it was vanifhed,
and the leaf blank: this he acquainted Mohammed with, who allured
him the verfe was revoked the fame night.
Of the fecond kind is a verfe called the verfe of floning, which according
to the tradition of Omar, afterwards Khallf, was extant
while Mopammed was living, tho’ it be not now to he found. The
words are thefe, “ Abhor not your parents, for this would be ingra-
“ titude in you. I f a man and woman o f reputation commit adul-
“ tery, ye fhall ftone them both; ic is a punifhment ordained by G o d ;
“ for G od is mighty and wife.”
O f the laft kind are obferved feveral verfes in fixty three different chapters,
to the number of 225. Such as the precepts of turning in prayer to
Jerufakmi falling after the old cuftom ; forbearance towards idolaters
; avoiding the ignorant, and the like '. The paflages of this fort have
been carefully collected by feveral writers, and are moft o f them remarked
in their proper places.
Tho’ it is the belief of the Somites or orthodox that the Kordn is Baffles
uncreated and eternal, fubfifting in the very effence o f G o d, and ponccrn*
Mohammed himfelf is faid to have pronounced him an infidel who erfatioa
aliened the contrary 2 *, yet feveral have been of a different opinion; of the
particularly the feCt of th c Motazalites 3, and the followers of I f a Ebn
Sobeib Abu Mufa, furnamed al Mozdar, who ftuck not to accufe thofe
who held the Kordn to be uncreated of infidelity, as aflertors o f two
eternal beings 4.
This point was controverted with fo much heat that it occafioned
many calamities under fome of the Khalifs o f the family of Abbas,
al Mamun s making a public ediCl declaring the Kordn to be created,
which was confirmed by his fucceffors al Motafem 6 and al Wathek 7,
1 Abu Hafhem Hebatallah, apud Marracc. de Ale. p. 42. 2 ApudPoc. Spec. 220. 1 See after,
in Se£t. 8. 4 V. Poe. Spec. p. 219, Ac. 5 Ahno Hej. 218. Abulfarag. p. 245. v. etiam Elmacin.
in vita al^ Mamun. 6 In the time of al Matajem, a doftor named Abu Harun Ebn al Baca found out
a diftinflion to fereen himfelf, by affirming that the Koran was ordained, becaufe it is faid in that book,
And I have ordained thee^ the Koran. He went ftill farther to allow that what was ordained, was
created, and yet he denied it thence followed that the Kordn was created. Abulfarag. p. 2; 2.
7 Ibid..p. 257. . . 0