The Qur’an is the last book sent by the Lord of the worlds. Muslims believe in all the Books sent before the Qur’an, i.e., the Scriptures of Abraham, the Psalms, the Torah, the Gospel, etc. Muslims believe that the true message conveyed by all the Books was pure monotheism, i.e., having belief in Allah and worshiping Him alone. However, the Qur’an, unlike the previous heavenly books, was not sent exclusively to a certain category or group, and it does not have various versions, and it has not been changed; rather, it is one copy for all Muslims. The text of the Qur’an is still in its original language, the Arabic language, and it has not undergone any change, distortion, or replacement. It has still been preserved in its original form until now and it will remain so, as the Lord of the worlds has promised to preserve it. It is available among all Muslims and is memorized by many of them. The current translations of the Qur’an in various languages, which are widely spread among people, are nothing but the mere translation of the meanings of the Qur’an. The Lord of the worlds has challenged the Arabs and non-Arabs to bring the like of this Qur’an, knowing that the Arabs at that time were the masters of eloquence, rhetoric, and poetry; however, they were certain that this Qur’an could come from none but Allah. This has been a standing challenge for over fourteen centuries, and none has been able to rise to it, and this is one of the greatest proofs that it is from Allah.
If the Qur’an had come originally from the Jews, they would have hastened to attribute it to themselves. Did the Jews claim this at the time of its revelation?
Are there no differences in the legislations and transactions, including the prayer, Hajj, and Zakah? Moreover, let us consider the testimony of non-Muslims about how the Qur’an is distinguished from other books, how it could not possibly come from a human, and how it contains scientific miracles, and when a non-Muslims admits the soundness of a belief, this represents the most sufficient proof of its authenticity. It is all one message from the Lord of the worlds, and it should be one. What Prophet Muhammad brought is not a proof of its falsity; rather, it is a proof of its truthfulness. Allah challenged the Arabs who were excellent in rhetoric at that time, as well as non-Arabs to bring even the like of one verse; however, they all failed, and this is still a standing challenge.
Some of the sciences of the ancient civilizations were sound, whereas many of them were only myths and superstitions. How was an illiterate Prophet, who grew up in a barren desert, able to copy from these civilizations the sound knowledge only leaving out the myths?
There are thousands of languages and accents spread around the world, and if the Qur’an had been revealed in any of these languages, people would have wondered why it was not revealed in a different language. Allah sends the messenger speaking the language of his people, and He chose His Messenger Muhammad to be the last messenger, and the Qur’an was revealed in the language of his people. Allah has protected it against distortion and this will last till the Day of Judgment. He also chose the Aramaic language, for instance, for the Book of Jesus.
Allah Almighty said:
{We did not send any messenger but in the language of his people to make things clear for them...} [126] Surat Ibrāhīm: 4.
The abrogating and the abrogated represent a development in the legislation rulings like cancelling a previous ruling or replacing it with another, restricting the unrestricted, or unrestricting the restricted. It is something usual and familiar in the previous legislations since the time of Adam. For example, giving the sister in marriage to her brother was serving an interest during the time of Adam (peace be upon him). However, it became something evil in all other legislations. Working on Saturdays was likewise serving an interest in the legislation of Abraham (peace be upon him) and before him and in all other legislations; however, it became something evil in the legislation of Moses (peace be upon him). Allah Almighty ordered the Children of Israel to kill themselves after worshiping the calf; however, this ruling was abrogated after that. There are many other examples in this regard, as replacing a ruling with another is possible in the same legislation or between one legislation and another as we mentioned in the previous examples.
The doctor, for instance, who starts treating his patient with a certain medication, then by time, he increases or decreases the dosage to treat his patient gradually, is considered wise. Bearing in mind that Allah has the highest example, the existence of the abrogating and the abrogated in the Islamic rulings is an indication of the wisdom of the great Creator.
The Messenger of Allah left the Qur’an documented and written down by the Companions to recite it and teach it to others. When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Caliph, he ordered that such scrolls should be collected to be in one place and to be used as a reference. However, during the era of ‘Uthmān, he ordered that the copies and scrolls that were available with the Companions in the various countries and in various dialects be burnt, and he sent them new copies identical with the original copy that was left by the honorable Messenger and collected by Abu Bakr, to ensure that all countries refer to the same original and only copy that was left by the Prophet.
The Qur’an has remained intact without any changes or alterations, and it has always been with Muslims throughout the ages, handing it to one another and reciting it in their prayers.