In Search of the Original Koran: The True History of the Revealed Text Read Online Free PDF Page A

gives himself the right to suppress a portion of the revealed words, either to improve the text or because these words were dictated by Satan. On the other hand, the equivocal parts (mutashabihdt) are treated in a strangely similar way to the suppressed parts, as if they were a revelation of inferior quality, destined to occupy a marginal place. As for the verse 13:39 that we have quoted, God concludes his statement on his capacity to suppress what he wants of revelation with the words: "With Him is the Mother of the Book." This reminder rings as an invitation to consider as doomed to disappear that which does not correspond to this hard kernel of revelation. And so those revelations called mutashabihat have the same status as that part to be suppressed. Moreover, Muslim legal scholars were not mistaken about this when they assimilated these ambiguous revelations to the abrogated verses. But that is another subject.

     

The Koran gives us on several occasions the image of a prophet subject to severe pressure from his pagan entourage, Jewish or Christian, pushing him to produce false revelations: "In truth, the [Enemies] sought to entice you from Our Revelations, hoping that you might invent some other scripture against Us, and thus become their trusted friend. And if We had not strengthened your faith, you might have made some compromise with them. In that case, We should have made you taste a double punishment in this life and in death. Then you would have found no ally against Us" (17:73-75).
    Moreover, Muhammad hesitates to communicate a part of the revelation: "Perhaps you omit a part of what is revealed to you and you therefore feel anguish ..." (11:12). Then God orders him to communicate the withheld revelation: "0 Messenger! Proclaim what has been sent to you from your Lord. And if you do not, you will have failed to proclaim His message" (5:67). The enemies in effect try by any means to push the Prophet to manipulate the revelation: "Bring us a Reading other than this, or change it." And God makes his Prophet answer them: "It is not for me to change it of my own accord; I follow only what has been revealed to me" (10:15). These same enemies go so far as to pretend to prophesy, with one saying: "`This was revealed to me,' when nothing was revealed to him, or the man who says: `I can reveal the like of what Allah has revealed"' (6:93).
    In the face of this pressure and these provocations, the Prophet attempts to resist, with the help of Allah. Does he succeed? Unfortunately, not always. The satanic revelations, inspired by Allah, are there to illustrate the difficulty of the task.

Here we touch upon another type of breakdown susceptible to affecting the revealed text, again according to the divine doctrine of the Koran. In the first place there is the technical weakness in the transmission of the revelation by Muhammad. Allah explains to him the right way to communicate: "You need not move your tongue too fast in pronouncing [the revelation] ! It is up to Us to see to its collection and recital! When We recite it, follow closely its recitation, and then it is for Us to explain its meaning" (75:16-19).

    Another obstacle derives from the Prophet himself: forgetting. Tradition reports a famous story from his wife AIsha: "The Prophet, having heard someone recite the Koran in the Mosque, said: `Allah will have mercy on this man, for he has reminded me of some such verse that had escaped me in such-and-such surah. "'24 Another version relates: "He reminded me of a verse that I had forgotten."25 The Koran confirms this possibility of forgetting on the part of the Prophet: "None of Our revelations do We abrogate [nansukhu] or cause to be forgotten . . ." (2:106). This forgetting is interpreted here as coming from Allah and being decided upon by Him.
    Another characteristic of revelation that makes it an improvised phenomenon, and consequently barely compatible with a preestablished textual project, is its causal link to