Revelation and Falsification: The __Kitāb al-qirā'āt__ of Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Sayyārī

This work by a 3rd/9th century Shi'i scholar deals with variant readings of the Qur'an. Its most important part is the list of passages which were allegedly omitted or corrupted by the enemies of Ali and his house. For all Muslims the Qurʾan is the word of God. In the first centuries of Islam, however, many individuals and groups, and some Shiʿis, believed that the generally accepted text of the Qurʾan is corrupt. The Shiʿis asserted that redactors had altered or deleted among other things all passages that supported the rights of ʿAli and his successors or that condemned his enemies. One of the fullest lists of these alleged changes and of other variant readings is to be found in the work of al-Sayyārī (3rd/9th century), which is indeed among the earliest Shiʿi books to have survived. In many cases the alternative readings that al-Sayyārī presents substantially contribute to our understanding of early Shiʿi doctrine and of the early and numerous debates about the Qurʾan in general. Introduction Issues raised by western studies Information, doubts and contradictions in Islamic sources Imami views on the question of the falsification of the Qur'an Life and works of al-Sayyārī Structure and contents of the Kitab al-qira'at The edition The manuscripts Other sources Further manuscripts Principles of the edition Text Technical apparatus. For all Muslims the Qur'an is the word of God. Some Shi'is, however, believed that the generally accepted text of the Qur'an is corrupt. They asserted that redactors had altered or deleted all passages that supported the rights of Ali and his successors or that condemned his enemies. This work deals with variant readings of the Qur'an