Uncovering the Hidden History of the Quran: A Textual Critique That Shakes the Foundations of Islam. For over a thousand years, Muslims have been taught that the Quran is the unaltered, eternal Word of God, preserved perfectly since it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.

Claims such as "not one word or letter has changed" are standard in Islamic apologetics. However, recent scholarly and public investigations—led by figures like Dr. Jay Smith, Hatun Tash, and Dr. Dan Brubaker—have revealed significant issues with that narrative.

This article explores the most compelling evidence that challenges the claim of a perfectly preserved Quran, compares it with the Bible's manuscript tradition, and shows why Jesus Christ remains the ultimate revelation of God.

The Four Pillars of Islamic Claim about the Quran

Muslims generally assert four central beliefs about the Quran:

1. It is uncreated and eternal (Surah 85:22)

2. It was sent down to Muhammad between 610 and 632 CE

3. It was compiled by Uthman in 652 CE

4. It has remained unchanged for 1,400 years

Dr. Jay Smith’s work has focused on refuting the latter two claims—that the Quran is both complete and unchanged.

Where Are the Original Manuscripts?

Unlike the Bible, which has over 24,000 early manuscripts[1], there is no complete Quran manuscript from the 7th century that matches today’s standard Hafs version. The earliest known manuscripts (like the Topkapi, Samarkand, and Sana’a manuscripts) date to the 8th to 10th centuries, and none are identical to the Quran used today.

Dr. Dan Brubaker’s forensic study of early Qur’anic manuscripts revealed numerous erasures, insertions, and overwritings, all seemingly aimed at conforming older texts to a later standardized version[2]. These are not just scribal errors, but evidence of active textual editing over centuries.

The Problem with Dots and Vowels

Early Arabic script lacked diacritical marks (dots) and vowel signs, making interpretation ambiguous. By the 8th and 9th centuries, dots and vowels were added—but not uniformly. This allowed multiple readings (qira’at) to develop. By the 10th century, seven official readings were chosen, each with two transmitters, resulting in 14 versions. Later, 30 canonical versions were recognized[3].

One example: the difference between the Hafs and Warsh versions alone yields 5,000 distinct word differences, some of which alter meaning and doctrine.

Exposing the Crisis: Yasir Qadhi’s Admission

In a now-infamous interview, Muslim scholar Dr. Yasir Qadhi admitted:

“We do not talk about this in public... This is the most difficult problem for Muslim scholars in the last 1,000 years.”

He referred to the variants in Qur’anic texts and their implications for claims of preservation. The fallout was immediate—hundreds of Muslims left Islam and the video was pulled offline, though Christian apologists preserved it[4].

Christianity’s Transparency in Contrast

While the Bible has textual variants too, Christian scholars have long acknowledged them. They are catalogued openly in footnotes and critical editions of the text. Despite scribal errors, the message of the Gospel remains unchanged and consistently affirmed by manuscript evidence.

What’s more, Christians don’t worship a book—we worship the Living Word, Jesus Christ:

• Eternal (John 1:1)

• Sent down (John 3:13)

• Complete (Colossians 2:9-10)

• Unchanging (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus fulfills everything Muslims seek in their view of the Quran.

The Origins of the Quranic Text

Dr. Günter Lüling and Dr. Christoph Luxenberg further showed that some of the Quran’s obscure passages appear to be adapted Syriac Christian hymns and lectionaries, rewritten with Arabic dots and vowels to give them new meanings[5]. This undermines the belief that the Quran is a uniquely revealed Arabic text.

Standardization and Suppression

In 1924, the Egyptian government selected the Hafs version to solve conflicts among school children who were memorizing different Qurans. The other 29 versions were discarded into the Nile[6]. In 1985, Saudi Arabia adopted this version globally, making it the dominant text memorized by 93% of Muslims today.

Conclusion: Not to Condemn, But to Call

Dr. Jay Smith closes not with mockery, but with a plea:

“We don't want to just shut down their man, god, and book. We want to bring them to our Man, God, and Book.”

This critique isn’t just about manuscript wars. It’s about truth, hope, and salvation. The Quran may not be what Muslims believe it to be—but the Person of Jesus Christ is everything they are seeking. He is the true, eternal Word of God.

Footnotes

[1] Metzger, Bruce M. The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, Oxford University Press.

[2] Brubaker, Dan. Corrections in Early Qurʾān Manuscripts: Twenty Examples, Think and Tell.

[3] Ibn Mujahid (d. 936), the scholar who canonized the seven readings.

[4] Yasir Qadhi interview with Muhammad Hijab, 2020. Archived by David Wood and others.

[5] Lüling, Günter. A Challenge to Islam for Reformation, and Luxenberg, Christoph. The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran.

[6] Gilliot, Claude. "Creation of a fixed text", in The Cambridge Companion to the Qur’an, Cambridge University Press.

Call to Action

If you're a Muslim reading this and feeling conflicted, know that you are not alone. Truth is not something to be feared—it is someone to be known. That someone is Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

If you're a Christian, study well. Speak the truth boldly. And always, always speak with love.

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." — John 8:32 (WEB)