Is the Noble Qur’an distorted? If it is not distorted, how should we understand the many narrations found in…

Answer

In the name of Allah, know, my son, that the term “distortion” has been misunderstood by many researchers. Its linguistic meaning refers to leaving the text as it is while the distorter alters the intended meaning through manipulative interpretation, without changing the text itself. In most Quranic contexts, distortion is used in this linguistic sense. Allah, the Exalted, says: “They distort words from their proper places,” and this was the practice of the Jews and Christians concerning the Torah and Gospel passages indicating the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH&HF). There is a second, theological meaning which emerged during the Abbasid period and continues until today. It refers to altering the text itself through reordering, adding, or removing letters or words. Distortion in the first (linguistic) sense certainly exists, as can be seen by those who examine the statements of the commentators. As for the second meaning, some Muslims have indeed held this view. However, following our great master, Syed Abul-Qasim (may Allah sanctify his soul), I completely reject it. Yes, there is a particular orthographic style in Quranic manuscripts used across the Muslim world that differs from the common Arabic writing conventions. Some imagined this to be distortion of Qur’anic words. For example, in Allah’s saying, “O Prophet, why do you forbid what Allah has made lawful for you? You seek the approval of your wives”, some thought the word “approval” (mardhat) [with the long T letter) was distorted because the more common modern spelling is “approval” (mardhat) [with the short T letter). Examples of this sort exist throughout the Quran we possess today, and those who claim distortion in such instances are simply unaware of the older script style used during the Prophet’s era. Nevertheless, the Quranic orthography found in our copies must be preserved to protect the text from tampering. Allah is the Guide and He knows best.