At-Tusi on the completeness of the Qur’an in the hands of people.

Muhammad Ibn Hasan At-Tusi writes:

والمقصود من هذا الكتاب علم معانيه، وفنون أغراضه وأما الكلام في زيادته ونقصانه فمما لا يليق به أيضا، لان الزيادة فيه مجمع على بطلانها والنقصان منه، فالظاهر أيضا من مذهب المسلمين خلافه، وهو الأليق بالصحيح من مذهبنا وهو الذي نصره المرتضى رحمه الله وهو الظاهر في الروايات غير أنه رويت روايات كثيره، من جهة الخاصة والعامة، بنقصان كثير من آي القرآن، ونقل شئ منه من موضع إلى موضع، طريقها الآحاد التي لا توجب علما ولا عملا، والأولى الاعراض عنها، وترك التشاغل بها، لأنه يمكن تأويلها ولو صحت لما كان ذلك طعنا على ما هو موجود بين الدفتين، فان ذلك معلوم صحته، لا يعترضه أحد من الأمة ولا يدفعه

“The purpose of this book is the knowledge of its meanings and its subjects of purpose and as for the talk about its addition and its omission from it (Qur’an), this belongs to that, which equally does not fit to it, because there is a consensus about the falsehood of the addition to it and about the omission, likewise, from the faith of the Muslims the opposition of it is evident and it is the most fitting to the correctness from our faith and it is what Al-Murtada, may God bless him, advocated and it is that which is evident in the traditions. However, many traditions have been reported from the general public and the superior class about the omission of many verses of the Qur’an and the misplacement of some of it from one place to another. Their routes are single (Ahad), which do not impose knowledge or action and it is preferable to turn away from it and refrain from dealing with it, for its interpretation is possible and even if it were true, that would not be a challenge to what is between the two covers of the Book, for the correctness of it is known. Neither does anyone from the nation object to it, nor do they reject it.” [At-Tibyan, volume 1, page 3]

Abu l-Hasan Al-Fatuni writes:

أقول أما ادعاؤهم عدم الزيادة أي زيادة آية أو آيات مما لم يكن من القرآن فالحق كما قالوا إذ لم نجد في أخبارنا المعتبرة ما يدل على خلافه سوى ظاهر بعض فقرلت خبر الزنديق في فصل السابق وقد وجهناه بما يندفع هذا الاحتمال وقد مر في الفصل الأول وفي روايات العياشي أن الباقر عليه السلام قال: إن القرآن قد طرح منه آي كثيرة ولم يزد فيه إلا حرف قد أخطأت بها الكتبة وتوهمتها الرجال وأما كلامهم في مطلق التغيير والنقصلن فبطلانه بعد أن نبهنا عليه أوضح من أن يحتاج إلى بيان وليت شعري كيف يجوز لمثل الشيخ (الطوسي) أن يدعي أن عدم النقصان ظاهر في الروايات مع أنا لم نظفر على خبر واحد يدل عليه

“I say: As for their claim that there is no addition, by which is meant the addition of a verse or verses which do not belong to the Qur’an, what they say is correct, since we find nothing in our acceptable traditions which proves the contrary. Apart from the outward appearance of some of the paragraphs of the tradition in the previous section on the heretic and we have put them in a direction which excludes this possibility and it has already been mentioned in the first section and in the traditions of Al-Ayyashi that Al-Baqir (a.) said: “From the Qur’an many verses have been removed and nothing has been added to it except letters. The scribes erred with it and the people made it up.” And as for their statement about the general change and omission, after we have pointed it out, its falsity is clearer than that it requires an explanation. If only I knew how it is possible for one like the scholar (At-Tusi) to claim that what is evident in the traditions is that there is no any omission, although we were not given any tradition which proves it.” [Mir’at-ul-Anwar, page 85]

Husain An-Nuri At-Tabarsi writes:

ومما يؤكد كون وضع هذا الكتاب على التقية ما ذكره السيد الجليل علي بن طاووس في سعد السعود وهذا لفظه: ونحن نذكر ما حكاه جدي أبو جعفر محمد بن الحسن الطوسي في كتاب التبيان وحملته التقية على الاقتصار عليه من تفصيل المكي من المدني والخلاف في أوقاته الخ وهو أعرف بما قال من وجوه لا يخفى على من اطلع على مقامه فتأمل

“That he wrote this book out of Taqiyyah, is supported by, what the excellent Sayyid Ali Ibn Tawus mentioned in Sa’d-us-Su’ud and this is his wording: “We mention what my grandfather, Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Hasan At-Tusi, narrated in the Book of At-Tibyan and the Taqiyyah caused him to limit himself, from the differentiation of the Meccan from the Medinan and the difference about their dates.” And so on and he is more knowledgeable about the viewpoints he has expressed. This does not go unnoticed by the one, who studied his condition. So contemplate.” [Fasl-ul-Khitab, page 34]

Adnan Ibn Alawi Al-Bahrani writes:

فما عن المرتضى والصدوق والشيخ (الطوسي) من إنكار ذلك فساد

“The statement of Al-Murtada, As-Saduq and the scholar (At-Tusi) about the rejecting (Tahreef) of it is invalid.” [Mashariq-ush-Shumus, page 129]

Ni’matullah Al-Jaza’iri writes:

والظاهر أن هذا القول إنما صدر منهم لأجل مصالح كثيرة منها سد باب الطعن عليها بأنها إذا جاز هذا في القرآن فكيف جاز العمل بقواعده وأحكامه مع جواز لحوق التحريف لها وسيأتي الجواب عن هذا كيف هؤلاء الأعلام رووا في مؤلفاتهم أخبارا كثيرا تشتمل على وقوع تلك الأمور في القرآن وأن الآية هكذا أنزلت ثم غيرت إلى هذا

“It is obvious, that this statement was made by them only because of the many benefits. Among it (the benefits) is that they are spared from criticism through it, that if this is possible with the Qur’an, how can it still be possible to be guided by its principles and rulings when the occurrence of the corruption of it is in question and the answer to this will follow, as these outstanding personalities transmitted in their books numerous traditions containing the occurrence of those things with the Qur’an and that a verse so-and-so was sent down, whereupon it was changed to so-and-so.” [Al-Anwar-un-Nu’maniyyah, volume 2, page 315]

Muhammad Ibn Hasan At-Tusi writes:

وأذكر مسألة مسألة فاستدل عليها إما من ظاهر القرآن أو من صريحه أو فحواه أو دليله أو معناه، وإما من السنة المقطوع بها من الاخبار المتواترة أو الاخبار التي تقترن إليها القرائن التي تدل على صحتها

“I mention facts by facts, whereupon I give the proof for it. Either from the outward literal sense of the Qur’an, or its unambiguity, or its purpose, or its indication, or its meaning, or from the custom (Sunnah) about which there is certainty through successive (Mutawatir) traditions, or the traditions for which there is indicational evidence, proving that they are authentic (Sahih).” [Tahdhib-ul-Ahkam, volume 1, page 2]

ما أخبرني به الشيخ أيده الله تعالى عن أبي القاسم جعفر ابن محمد عن محمد بن يعقوب عن محمد بن الحسين وغيره عن سهل بن زياد عن علي بن الحكم عن الهيثم بن عروة التميمي قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن قوله تعالى فاغسلوا وجوهكم وأيديكم إلى المرافق فقال: ليس هكذا تنزيلها إنما هي فاغسلوا وجوهكم وأيديكم من المرافق ثم أمر يده من مرفقه إلى أصابعه وعلى هذه القراءة يسقط السؤال من أصله

“What the scholar, may God consolidate him, reported to me from Abu l-Qasim Ja’far Ibn Muhammad, from Muhammad Ibn Ya’qub, from Muhammad Ibn Husain and others, from Sahl Ibn Ziyad, from Ali Ibn Hakam, that Haitham Ibn Urwah At-Tamimi said: “I asked Abu Abdillah (As-Sadiq) about His word: “So wash your faces and hands to the elbows.”” (5:6) Then he said: “That is not how His revelation (Tanzil) is read. It only reads: “So wash your faces and hands from the elbows.” Then he passed his hand from his elbow to his fingers.” And according to this reading the question is dropped entirely.” [Tahdhib-ul-Ahkam, Volume 1, page 60 – 61, Hadith 159]

الفحام قال حدثني محمد بن عيسى بن هارون قال حدثني أبو عبد الصمد إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن جده وهو إبراهيم بن عبد الصمد بن محمد بن إبراهيم قال: سمعت جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام يقول كان يقرأ إن الله اصطفى ادم ونوحا وال إبراهيم وال عمران وال محمد على العالمين قال: هكذا أنزلت

“Al-Fahham said: I was told by Muhammad Ibn Isa Ibn Harun, who said: I was told by Abu Abdissamad Ibrahim, by his father, by his grandfather and this is Ibrahim Ibn Abdissamad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim, who said: “I heard Ja’far Ibn Muhammad (a.) speaking. He used to read: “God chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, the family of Amram and the family of Muhammad before the worlds.” (3:33) He said: “That is how it was revealed.” [Al-Amali, page 451, Hadith 38.]

اللهم أنزل بهم (الرؤساء) بأسك ونقمتك فإنهم كذبوا على رسولك وبدلوا نعمتك وأفسدوا عبادك وحرفوا كتابك وغيروا سنة نبيك

“God, send down to them (leaders) Your calamity and Your retribution, for they lied about Your Messenger, reversed Your grace, belittled Your servants, corrupted Your Scripture and changed the custom of Your Prophet.” [Misbah-ul-Mutahajjid, page 122]

اللهم جدد به (الإمام) ما امتحي من دينك وأحي به ما بدل من كتابك وأظهر به ما غير من حكمك

“God, revive through Him (Imam), what disappeared from Your religion, revive through Him, what was changed from Your scripture and uncover through Him, what was changed from Your judgement.” [Misbah-ul-Mutahajjid, page 291]

فأماتت (الأمة) الحق وجارت عن القصد ومالأت الأحزاب وحرفت الكتاب وكفرت بالحق لما جاءها

“Then they (the ummah) let the right die, deviated from the goal, made common cause with the parties, distorted the Scripture and denied the right when it came to them.” [Misbah-ul-Mutahajjid, page 545]

Comment: 

Misbah-ul-Mutahajjid is a book of Dua written by Shaykh At-Tusi, so it is possible that At-Tusi made the statement that the Qur’an is complete under taqiyyah. Also At-Tusi believes that the reading of Asim differs from Ali (a.) [Read here!]