Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Asalaam-O-Alikum,
Whether it is a recent phenomena or it has existed for a while, maybe you are aware of the claim by those who are high in the bohra clergy and those in the position to influence a great mass of people, that The Quran that is unanimously agreed upon and published throughout the world has "mistakes" (May Allah Taa`ala forgive us). These people, including local bhaisaabs, claim that the the first few Caliphs introduced changes in The Quran to fit their agendas, whatever those agendas were. These "corrections" are taught to our kids in the madrasas and are even recited in congregational prayer, such as the false "funsiib" in Surah Ash-Sharh (The Opening Forth).

This is just one of the 15 bidaa` that they have been introduced by the bohra clergy. Can you bring to our attention what the other changes are?

As a member of a bohra community, there are a lot of things that I can turn a blind eye to but this is not one of them. In my opinion, this is a very dangerous type of deviation because it challanges the Words of Allah Taa`ala and imbeds a seed of ignorance in the hearts of young minds.

May Allah Taa`ala reward you for your good deed in spreading dawaa`.Allah hafiz, Asalaam-O-Alikum.

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Bohra change Quran

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Statement: Whether it is a recent phenomena or it has existed for a while, maybe you are aware of the claim by those who are high in the bohra clergy and those in the position to influence a great mass of people, that The Quran that is unanimously agreed upon and published throughout the world has "mistakes" (May Allah Taa`ala forgive us).

 

The Truth of the matter is that the Quran cannot be changed or altered, because Allah Himself has taken it upon Himself to preserve this Glorious Book. Not only the Bohra leadership, but even the most ardent enemies of Allah have tried since time immemorial to change, edit and even destroy these words of wisdom from Allah. Allah is our witness, they will bring upon themselves nothing but misery for their attempted blasphemy, not only in the life of this world, but also in the eternal and everlasting life of the Hereafter!

The Truth is that the Quran is absolutely complete and what we have with us today is exactly the same Quran that Allah revealed to His Slave and Messenger, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws). There is not a single word in the Quran that is not supposed to be there, nor is there anything that has been removed or changed. All the different sects of Islam and all their scholars are absolutely unanimous in their opinion that this is the exact same Quran which was revealed to the Prophet (saws) (except the Dawoodi Bohras, of course!)

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 15 Surah Al Hijr verse 9:

It is We (Allah), Who has sent down this Quran, and We will assuredly guard it against corruption.

The Lord All-Mighty Himself Declares that it is He who has sent down this Quran, and it is He Who will guard it against any corruption. Allah has taken upon Himself the responsibility to safe-guard this Quran, and that is why the Quran is available today exactly the way it was revealed, and will remain so, Insha Allah, until the end of time!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 69 Surah Haaqqah verses 43-47:

(This Quran) is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds. And if this (Prophet) had forged something himself and ascribed it to Us, We would have indeed seized him by his right-hand and cut off his neck-vein! Then none of you could have withheld Us from doing this.

If one reads the whole Quran, one will realize how much Allah has praised, loved and honored the Noble Prophet (saws). But here He declares that if this same Prophet (saws) wrote something from himself into this Quran, he would cut his neck-vein! Not that, Allah-forbid, the Prophet (saws) even thought about such a thing … this was in response to the disbelievers who said that the Prophet (saws) had (Allah forbid) forged the Quran himself and said it is from Allah!

 

It is absolutely inconceivable that there are any changes or any alterations to this Glorious Book of guidance from Allah.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 10 Surah Yunus verse 64:

64 ….no change can there be in the Words of Allah.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 6 Surah Anaam verse 115:

115 The Word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in Truth and in Justice: none can change His Words: for He is the one who Hears and Knows everything.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 27:

27 And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord: none can change His Words and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him.

 

The Bohras do not actually change the Quran or edit anything, because it is simply not possible! What they have done is left the alphabets alone, but pronounce the word in such a way so as to try and change the meaning of the word as intended by Allah and as received and understood by His Messenger (saws).

 

Allah admonishes the muslims in the Holy Quran and says that the Jews did similar things with their Scriptures, and He thus cursed and punished them severely.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Al Maidah verse 13:

Then they (the Jews) broke their covenant and because of this We deprived them of Our Mercy, and hardened their hearts. Now they have become so degenerate that they distort the Words of the Scriptures so as to change their meanings completely!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 46:

Of the Jews there are those who displace words from their (right) places and say: "We hear and we disobey"; and "Hear what is not heard": and "Ra`ina"; with a twist of their tongues and a slander to faith. If only they had said: "We hear and we obey"; and "Do hear"; and "Do look at us": it would have been better for them and more proper; but Allah hath cursed them for their unbelief; and but few of them will believe.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 41:

41 O Prophet! Let not those grieve thee who race each other into unbelief: (whether it be) among those who say: "We believe" with their lips but whose hearts have no faith; or it be among the Jews men who will listen to any lie will listen even to others who have never so much as come to thee. They change the words from their (right) times and places; they say "If ye are given this take it, but if not beware:" If anyone's trial is intended by Allah thou hast no authority in the least for him against Allah. For such it is not Allah's will to purify their hearts. For them there is disgrace in this world and in the Hereafter a heavy punishment.

 

What the Bohra leadership has done, like the Jews, is tried to twist the actual pronunciation of the words, and tried to give arbitrary meanings to these words, to confuse and mislead the common people from the Truth. Allah cursed the Jews who did that, and deprived them of His Mercy and His Guidance. Would the Lord All-Mighty’s Wrath and Punishment be any different for others who strive to blasphame the Sanctity of His Glorious Message?

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 62:

62 (Such was) the practice (approved) of Allah among those who lived aforetime: no change wilt thou find in the Sunnah (Way) of Allah!

 

48 Surah Fath verse 23:

23 (Such has been) the Sunnah (Way) of Allah already in the past: no change wilt thou find in the Sunnah (Way) of Allah.

Your Question: These "corrections" are taught to our kids in the madrasas and are even recited in congregational prayer, such as the false "funsiib" in Surah Ash-Sharh (The Opening Forth).

This is just one of the 15 bidaa` that they have been introduced by the bohra clergy. Can you bring to our attention what the other changes are?

Brother, the first thing, we must, as believers realize, is that it is a major major sin and a blasphemy to change even a letter of the Quran! No one is allowed to change even a single letter in the Quran, and the curse of Allah be upon those who strive to change the Words of Allah Subhanah. May Allah take a severe accounting of the people who strive to change anything from the original Quran.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 79:

Then woe to those who write The Book with their own hands, and then say, “This is from Allah”, so that they might gain some paltry worldly price. This writing of their hands will bring woe to them, and what they gain thereby will lead to their ruin!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 34-35 :

O you who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and the holy men who devour the wealth of others by evil means, and debar the people from the Way of Allah. Give them the good news of a painful torment, who hoard up gold and silver and do not expend these in the Way of Allah. The Day shall surely come when the same gold and silver shall be heated in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their bodies and their backs. (And it will be said): “Here is that treasure you had hoarded up for yourselves! Taste now the evil of your hoarded treasure!”

 

The fact is that although they don’t reveal this to everybody, the Bohra leadership claim to have changed the words in several places in the Holy Quran. If you were to ask any Bohra scholar or bhaisaheb, he will confirm this with you. Allah Alone Knows exactly how many changes have the Bohra leadership tried to bring about in Allah’s Glorious Book! I personally don’t know where else they have changed all the words, but I know of one more word that they have changed in Chapter 37 Surah Saafaat verse 130, where instead of saying what the Quran says ‘ill Yaaseen’, the Bohras say, “Aa’le Yaaseen”!

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chaper 37 Surah Saafaat verse 130:

130 Peace and salutation to such as ‘Ilyaseen’ (Prophet Ilyaas (a.s.)).

 

The most important question that needs to be answered is why would any person who professes belief in the Quran, strive to change the Quran?

 

The reason is very obvious and very effective for the needs of the misguided ‘high priests’. These unscrupulous leaders, by claiming that the Quran has been changed in several places, put doubts into their followers; that this Quran is not complete and has some errors…

These are the same leaders who regular say to their followers that they should never try to understand the Quran, because they might get mis-guided! How can This Book, which was revealed by Allah Himself for the guidance of mankind, mis-guide its readers?

These are the same leaders who say that each word and each aayah of the Holy Quran has 10 meanings!

These are the same leaders who say that it is impossible to understand the Quran! These are the same people who say, that only one man, or only his ‘chosen’ family can understand the Quran; and their followers just have to obey them in whatever they say!

These are the same people who stress that the Quran can and should only be read in Arabic, thereby guaranteeing that their followers will never understand the clear guidance and teachings of the Holy Quran!

These are the same leaders who say that there is a hidden meaning, and the names of their ‘pious’ holy men ‘deep’ inside the aayahs of the Quran, which only they know!

These are the same leaders who say that the Quran has several meanings: the ‘zaahir’(open); the ‘baatin’(hidden); the ‘taaweel’ (the real meaning); etc. which are known only to one man or his family!

 

By creating these sort of doubts into the minds of their followers, these unscrupulous people have been successful in taking the Quran out of the system of the Bohras! They never use the Quran as their book of guidance… but instead use as their constitution a book called the ‘Daim ul Islam’ by an Egyptian cleric named Qadi Noaman, who incidentally wrote the book some 340 years after the death of the Prophet (saws). They never use the Holy Quran as their evidence for doing something! They never explain the meaning of the Quran from the beginning to the end … they may quote one aayah here and one aayah which suits them, there! But they simply never teach the Quran as a whole!

 

Even in their university, Al Jamea-tus-Saifeea in Surat, the students apparently go through 13 years of Islamic education, but the meaning and understanding of the Quran is not even one of their subjects or fields of study! Even these graduates have very little knowledge about the Quran, simply because they have never studied the Quran from the beginning to the end in all their 13 years! Neither do the Bohras have a translation of their own, nor do they endorse any existing translation.

 

Their plan is simple: Just keep their followers out of the understanding of the Holy Quran. And once any person is kept out of the understanding of this Book of Guidance, they can lead them anywhere they want, make them do anything they want them to do, take from them anything they want, and make them bow down to anyone they want! And the poor followers think that everything these leaders and holy men say is apparently from the Quran, and thus obey and follow them unconditionally!

 

That is the simple reasoning behind their claiming that the Words of the Quran have been changed!

 

These unscrupulous self-made leaders and self-proclaimed holy men, then wear the garb of Islam, but guide their followers far far away from Allah and the True Deen of Islam. They guide them to the obedience and invocation of themselves and their ancestors, rather than guide them to the obedience and invocation of the One Lord Alone, Allah Subhanah! They guide them to bow down to human beings and graves of their ancestors, rather than bowing down to Allah Subhanah Alone! They guide them to become ‘abde-syedna’ (slaves of syedna), rather than guiding them to become ‘abd-Allah’ (slaves of Allah)!

 

These unscrupulous and greedy holy men might get away with their play in this world, but little do they realize that Allah is watching over everything they are doing. Not only will such people end up in the Wrath and Anger of Allah, they will take a multitude of their followers with them! They have been very busy collecting their power and their wealth, by promising intercession and distributing Paradise to their followers; and thus have forgotten the Hereafter. They have sold the words of Allah for a mere paltry gain in this world, in exchange for the everlasting torture of the Fire of Hell! What an evil bargain they have made with Allah.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verses 34-35 :

O you who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and the holy men who devour the wealth of others by evil means, and debar the people from the Way of Allah. Give them the good news of a painful torment, who hoard up gold and silver and do not expend these in the Way of Allah. The Day shall surely come when the same gold and silver shall be heated in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their foreheads, their bodies and their backs. (And it will be said): “Here is that treasure you had hoarded up for yourselves! Taste now the evil of your hoarded treasure!”

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Al-Baqarah verse 174:

Indeed those, who conceal the commands that Allah has sent down in His Book and barter them away for paltry worldly gains, fill their bellies with fire. Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He regard them as pure and there is a painful torment for them!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 159:

Those who conceal the clear (Revelations) and Guidance We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, on them shall be Allah’s ‘laanah’ and the ‘laanah’ of those who are entitled to curse!

 

Allah states Himself in the Holy Quran, that He in His Sublime Mercy and Rahmah, revealed the Glorious Quran for the guidance of all of mankind. Contrary to what the Bohra leaders say about the complication and complexity of the Holy Quran, just take a look at what Allah says about His Book and His Message, and then decide who has more right that we should believe in. Allah, our Lord and Creator of everything that exists, or some men, who are engrossed in the subjugation and extortion of the common man!

 

Allah says in Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah aayat 185

"Ramadan is the month in which the Quran was sent down: this Book is a perfect guidance for mankind and consists of CLEAR teachings which show the right way and are a Criterion of the Truth and falsehood."

Allah says the Book is a perfect guidance and consists of clear teachings and is a barometer for the Truth and falsehood! But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 44 Surah Dukhan verse 58:

We have made this Book easy in your own tongue so that they may ponder and take good counsel.

Allah says He has made this Book easy and in your own tongue so that we can think deeply about its verses! But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 43 Surah Zukhruf verses 1-3:

Haa Meem. By this lucid (clear or open) Book. We have made it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand it.

Allah swears in the Quran by His Own Words; the Quran “Mubeen” which literally means clear or open. And then Allah declares that He made it clear and open so that you may understand it. But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand!!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 12 Surah Yusuf verse 1-2:

These are the verses of the Book that makes its object perfectly clear. We have sent it down as a Quran in Arabic, so that you may understand it well.

Allah says the aayahs of the Quran make its intentions and objects perfectly clear, so that we muslims can understand it! But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand!!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 16 Surah Nahl verse 89:

We have sent down to you this Book, which makes everything plain, and is a guidance, blessing and good news to those who have surrendered themselves entirely.

Allah Himself says this Book makes everything plain, and is a guidance for the muslims. But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand!!

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 19 Surah Maryam verse 97:

O Mohamed, We have made this Quran easy, and sent it down in your tongue so that you should give good news to the pious and warn the stubborn people.

Allah says that He has made this Quran easy. But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand!!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verse 1-3:

All praise is for Allah Alone, Who has sent down this Book to His Servant (Mohamed (saws), and assigned nothing crooked to it. This Book says everything directly, so that he may warn the people of the severe chastisement of Allah and give good news to the believers, who do righteous deeds, that they will have an excellent reward.

Allah Himself declares that there is absolutely nothing crooked in this Quran. It says everything absolutely directly. But some ‘holy men’ say this Book is incomprehensible and impossible to understand.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 99:

We have sent down to you Revelations that clearly expound the Truth, and none but the disobedient reject them.

Allah states that the aayahs clearly expound the Truth, and only the disobedient people, (those who do not actually believe in Allah and the Last Day) reject these verses!

My beloved brother in Islam, there is One Allah, and there is Only One version of the Holy Quran! Read it once with understanding and see for yourself how true is Allah and His Promises, and how mis-guided and dangerous are those who try to create doubts about the Quran in the minds of their followers, and thus guide them far away from Islam.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 18 Surah Kahf verses 103-106:

Tell them (O Mohamed), “Should We tell you who are the most unsuccessful people and miserable failures in regard to their deeds? They are those, all whose endeavors in the worldly life, had gone astray from the Right Way, but all along they were under the delusion that everything they were doing, was rightly directed! Those are the people who rejected the Revelations of their Lord and did not believe that they would ever go before Him. Therefore all their deeds were lost, for We shall assign no weight to them on the Day of Resurrection. Their recompense is Hell for the disbelief they showed, and for the mockery they adopted in regard to My Aayahs and My Messengers!”

 

Your Statement: As a member of a bohra community, there are a lot of things that I can turn a blind eye to but this is not one of them. In my opinion, this is a very dangerous type of deviation because it challanges the Words of Allah Taa`ala and imbeds a seed of ignorance in the hearts of young minds.

My dear and beloved brother in Islam, turning a blind eye for some ignorant act done in the matters of this world might be acceptable; but, I assure you in the Blessed Name of Allah Subhanah, intentionally turning a ‘blind eye’ to, or accepting, or following any change or alteration to even one command of Allah and His Messenger (saws) will certainly, without an iota of a doubt, mean the Eternal and Everlasting Wrath, Anger and Punishment of the One Who is All-Mighty, All-Powerful!!!

 

It is our ardent prayer that the Lord Most Merciful bestow upon you and our beloved brethren of the Bohra community the wisdom and the courage to leave alone those who have divided the Ummah of Islam into sects, and be amongst those who unconditionally obey none except Allah and His Messenger (saws). Ameen.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 23 Surah Mu’minoon verse 52-55:

And you all belong to one and the same ummah, and I (Allah) am your Lord; so fear Me Alone! Yet afterwards the people divided themselves into different sects, and each sect rejoicing in what it has. Well, leave them deeply involved in their heedlessness up to an appointed time. What? Do they think that, by continuing to provide them with wealth and children, We are solicitous for their welfare? Nay, they do not understand the reality of the matter!

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 22 Surah Hajj verse 77-78:

O you who have believed, do ‘rukooh’ (bow down) and do ‘sajdah’ (prostration), and worship your Lord Allah Alone, and do righteous deeds: it may be that you attain true success! Exert your utmost for the cause of Allah, as one should. He has chosen you for His service, and has not laid on you any hardship in your religion. Therefore, be steadfast in the religion of your father Abraham. Allah had named you ‘muslims’ before this, and has named you (muslims) in this Quran also, so that the Messenger may be a witness in regard to you, and you may be witnesses in regard to the rest of mankind.

 

As regards to the so-called, supposed, and self-named ‘holy men’, whose attire, looks, and public acts ‘look’ holy, but the truth is nothing but; one only needs to ponder over these Prophecies of the Prophet (saws) who spoke nothing but the Truth:

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.578 Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri

I heard Allah's Messenger (saws) saying, "There will appear some people among you whose prayer will make you look down upon yours, and whose fasting will make you look down upon yours, but they will recite the Qur'an which will not exceed their throats (they will not act on it) and they will go out of Islam as an arrow goes out through the game; whereupon the archer would examine the arrowhead but see nothing, and look at the unfeathered arrow but see nothing, and look at the arrow feathers but see nothing, and finally he suspects to find something in the lower part of the arrow!"

 

Sahih Muslim Hadith 2336 Narrated by Sahl ibn Hunayf

I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say (and he pointed with his hand towards the east) that there would come a people who would recite the Qur'an with their tongues and it would not go beyond their collar bones. They would pass clean through their religion just as the arrow passes through the prey!

 

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your Brother and sincere well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan