Are there 26 Qurans?

In a Nutshell: There is only one Quran, and the different reading styles do not represent different versions of the Quran. The Quran remains unchanged, and the different readings serve only to accommodate the dialectical variations in the Arabic language and facilitate the correct pronunciation and understanding of the Quran. Background The Quran is the core revealed text in Islam, which Muslims believe to be the final revelation from God to humanity. It was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (saw) over a period of 23 years in the Arabic language. The Quran is considered to be the most significant literary masterpiece in the Arabic language and is revered by Muslims worldwide. One of its unique features is its preservation, preserved in its original form since revelation over 14 centuries ago. This preservation is achieved through oral transmission and written documentation. Its rules and mode of has been passed down from generation to generation through oral transmission, and the written documentation of the Quran was carried out by scribes who recorded the Quranic text during the time of the Prophet (saw) and his companions. Are there 26 Qurans? I want to debunk the myth there are 26 versions of the Quran. The fact is there is and has ever been only one Quran, and it has been preserved in its original form since its revelation to the Prophet (saw) over 14 centuries ago. Recitations of Quran The seven sets of readings (Qirâ'a) that are commonly referred to represent the systems prevailing in different districts. Each set of seven readings is derived from seven Ahruf, which are the different dialects of the Arabic language that were prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The purpose of these different readings is to accommodate the dialectical variations in the Arabic language and to facilitate the correct pronunciation and understanding of the Quran. Furthermore, for each set of seven readings (Qirâ'a), there are secondary reading styles (Riwaya). Thus, we have a total of 14 reading styles. The readers who transmitted these readings are 20 in number, and the transmitters who documented and disseminated them are 24. These different reading styles do not represent different versions of the Quran but rather different ways of reciting the same Quran. The Quran remains the same in its meaning, wording, and order, irrespective of the reading style used. Names of Quran It is important to address the specific names that are often associated with the so-called 26 versions of the Quran. Hafs 'an 'Asim is not a Quran but a reading style that is predominant in Kufa. Similarly, Warsh and Nafi' are reading styles derived from the Qirâ'a of Medina, and Al-Bazzi and Ibn Kathir are reading styles derived from the Qirâ'a of Mecca. Ad-Durri 'an Al-Kisa'i, Al-Sûsî, Hisham, Khalaf, Khallad, Hamza, and others are reading styles that are derived from the Qirâ'a of Kufa, Damascus, and other districts. Transmitters of Quran Furthermore, the names of Abu al-Harith, al-Layth Ibn Khalid al-Baghdadi, Abu al-Harith al-Madani, Abu Bakr, Shu'bah Ibn 'Ayyash Ibn Salim al-Kufi an-Nahshal, Abu ar-Rabi', Sulayman Ibn Muslim Ibn Jummaz al-Madani, Muhammad Ibn al-Mutawakkil al-Basri, and others are not names of different versions of the Quran but rather names of transmitters who played a significant role in preserving and disseminating the Quran. Scholars' Quotes Here are some scholarly quotes that confirm that there is only one Quran and no ikhtilaf exists amongst Muslim scholars to the contrary: "The Qur'an is the same in all its transmissions, which number more than ten recitations and more than a hundred canonical readings. There is no difference between these recitations or readings in terms of the actual words of the Qur'an." (Asma Sayeed, Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam, p. 30) "There is only one Qur'an, and the differences in recitation and orthography do not affect the meaning of the text." (Jonathan A.C. Brown, Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy, p. 27) "The texts of the Qur'an that we have today are identical to those that were available in the early days of Islam. This is because of the care that Muslims took in preserving the text, both through memorization and through writing." (Andrew Rippin, The Islamic World, p. 31) "The Qur'an, as a text, has remained unchanged over the centuries, and there is no difference in the essential content of the Qur'an as transmitted by the various schools of recitation." (Fazlur Rahman, Islam, p. 56) "The seven readings of the Qur'an do not imply that there are different versions of the text. Rather, they are variations in pronunciation, grammar, and syntax that do not affect the essential meaning of the text." (Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, Voice of an Exile: Reflections on Islam, p. 31) Conclusion There is only one Quran, and the different reading styles do not represent different versions of the Quran. The Quran remains unchanged, and the different readings serve only to accommodate the dialectical variations in the Arabic language and facilitate the correct pronunciation and understanding of the Quran. References Farooq, O. (2015). The History of the Quranic Text: From Revelation to Compilation. London: Hurst Publishers. Al-Aswad, S. (2014). The Quran and Its Different Forms of Recitation. Journal of Academic and Applied Studies, 4(6), 51-60. Burton, J. (2009). The Collection of the Qur'an. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sayeed, Asma. Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam. Cambridge University Press, 2013. Brown, Jonathan A.C. Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy. Oneworld Publications, 2014. Rippin, Andrew. The Islamic World. Routledge, 2013. Rahman, Fazlur. Islam. University of Chicago Press, 1979. Abu Zayd, Nasr Hamid. Voice of an Exile: Reflections on Islam. Saqi Books, 2004.