The general belief that most Muslims around the world hold, whether they're Sunni or Shia, is that Allah sent the final Messenger Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) with the Qur'an. They also believe that the Qur'an is the final revelation of God and that there are no more books or revelations that will come after that. And so for that reason, it has to endure the test of time and remain preserved.
According to the Muslim understanding, the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) over the course of 23 years. Sunnis believe the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) couldn't read or write, so he orally recited the revelation to his scribes and companions and they wrote down and memorized them. Sunnis believe that the companions around the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) constantly strove to memorize these verses, with many eventually memorizing all of the verses, and they simultaneously wrote them down on whatever materials they had around them, from parchment to bone, to wood and stone.
Sunnis believe that over time, at least 65 of the companions were scribes of the Prophet (PBUH & His Family), who eventually established a school in Medina, dedicated to teaching 900 of his companions to read and write. However, the dialect of the Qurayshi tribe that the Prophet spoke wasn't the only dialect of the Arabian Peninsula. As the religion was adopted by a growing number of tribes, they began to struggle with understanding the Qur'an since many of them did not understand the Qurayshi dialect. To overcome this, Sunnis say that the Prophet was given permission to teach the Qur'an in seven of the main dialects in the region, allowing the message to be understood more widely and the Sunnis say that these dialects didn't really affect the written records, as they were only different when the Qur'an was actually vocalized.
So this was the state of the Qur'an at the death of the Prophet (PBUH & His Family), hundreds of companions had memorized the Qur'an in seven official dialects, all of which were considered valid ways of reciting the Qur'an, as well as a supposedly incredible amount of written records that were held by the companions throughout Medina and beyond.
With the death of the Prophet (PBUH & His Family), Sunnis believe that the leadership of the Muslim community passed to Abu Bakr, who was quickly beset by conflict on the outskirts of the now considerably large Muslim state. This conflict led to the Battle of Yamamah, which saw many of those who had memorized the Qur'an killed. Many of these memorizers known as Huffaz did survive. Abu Bakr decided to appoint Zaid ibn Thabit to compile all of the written verses of the Qur'an into one collection, using only those verses which had been written in the presence of the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) himself. Sunnis believe that these manuscripts would then be verified by those who had memorized the entire Qur'an at the hands of the Prophet (PBUH & His Family).
Narrated Az-Zuhri:
"From 'Ubaid bin As-Sabbaq, that Zaid bin Thabit narrated to him, he said: 'Abu Bakr As-Siddiq sent for me - (regarding) those killed at Al-Yamamah - and 'Umar bin Al-Khattab was with him. He (Abu Bakr) said: "'Umar came to me and said: The fighting inflicted many casualties among the reciters of the Qur'an on the Day of Al-Yamamah, and I fear that there will be more casualties among the reciters in other parts of the land, such that much of the Qur'an may be lost. In my view, you should order that the Qur'an be collected.'" Abu Bakr said to 'Umar: "How can I do something which was not done my the Messenger of Allah?" 'Umar said: 'By Allah! It is something good.' 'Umar continued trying to convince me until Allah opened up my chest to that which He had opened the chest of 'Umar, and I saw it as he saw it." Zaid said: 'Abu Bakr said: "You are a young wise man, and we have no suspicions of you. You used to write down the Revelation for the Messenger of Allah as the Qur'an was revealed." He (Zaid) said: 'By Allah! If they had ordered to move one of the mountains it would have been lighter on me than that.' He said: 'I said: "How will you do something which was not done by the Messenger of Allah?" Abu Bakr said: "By Allah! It is something good." Abu Bakr and 'Umar continued trying to convince me, until Allah opened up my chest for that, just as He had opened their chests, the chest of Abu Bakr and the chest of 'Umar. So I began searching for Qur'anic material from parchments, leaf stalks of date-palms and Al-Likhaf - meaning stones - and the chests of men. I found the end of Surah Bara'ah with Khuzaimah bin Thabit: Verily, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is eager for you; for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful. But if they turn away, say: "Allah is sufficient for me. There is no god but He, in Him I put my trust, and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne (9:128 & 129).'"
– Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Book 47, Hadith 155
This was where the important concept of ‘Tawatur’ or multiple attested sources came into play, in order to be 100% sure that a verse of the Qur'an was in fact a verse of the Qur'an, Sunnis say that it needed to have multiple independent chains of transmission from different memorizers of the Qur'an. Sunnis believe that in this way, any verse that came to Zaid ibn Thabit could be corroborated through both written and oral means, essentially guaranteeing every single verse put in the final book was conveyed by the Prophet (PBUH & His Family). There is a Sunni narration that states that once this had been completed by Zaid, he penned the completed text, which became known as the Suhuf and gave it to Abu Bakr and became the official text of the Qur'an.
After Abu Bakr passed away, the Qur'an was given to Umar, and then to Hafsa. By this time, Islam had spread incredibly rapidly, reaching from Libya and the West to Hassan in the east.
With this influx of non-Arabs who had embraced Islam, Sunnis say that those seven official dialects began to cause some issues. Variant readings were beginning to crop up and in order to stamp out the issue, Uthman decided that the original Qurayshi dialect would have to become the official reading of the Qur'an. He appointed a committee of twelve companions to essentially repeat the process of Zaid ibn Thabit, gathering all of those primary sources, rectifying any differences, and confirming them with those who had memorized the text orally. Once this had been completed, he sent for the original manuscript (Suhuf), which was still being held by Hafsa and compared the two collections for any differences. Once completed, this final copy was read out to each man and the companions who all agreed upon its accuracy, and they decided to burn the original sources in order to avoid any future divergence with the text.
This text is referred to as a Uthmanic manuscript and it was the first written Qur'an to be sent throughout the Muslim world with accompanying reciters, and Sunnis consider it to be exactly the same as the Qur'an we read today, with only one pretty big difference, It didn't include any Skeletal or diacritical marks, which are essential in differentiating different words, which otherwise look exactly the same.
Now, while these diacritical marks weren't invented until 30 years after the death of Uthman, these markings, called skeletal dots, were known to the Arabs at the time of Uthman. And Sunnis believe that Uthman must have intentionally decided not to include them in his original Mushaf.
Now, while Sunnis don't know why Uthman intentionally decided not to include them in his original Mushaf, Sunnis say that it is possible that Uthman wanted to ensure that the Qur'an will always be taught and preserved through both written and oral methods. And that is where those official recitals that were sent out with copies of the Mushaf came into play. Sunnis say that without these official teachers guiding the Muslims, those who want to study the Qur'an wouldn't be able to read the text, but with both the written text and an official reciter, the Qur'an was now completely standardized, and able to be transmitted across the Muslim world.
However, the usefulness of this approach began to diminish and within the caliphate of Uthman, the skeletal dots began to be used in new copies of the Mushaf, and this quickly became the standard for all personal copies of the Qur'an. Sunnis believe that every Qur'an from then until today has been exactly the same and every memorizer of the Qur'an has learned the exact same book by heart. This is why until this very day, Sunnis believe that the Uthmanic copy is the same special book that was taught by the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) himself.
Now let us go over the many holes in this narrative.
First off, Sunnis believe the Prophet couldn't read or write and we know that is completely false and demotes the Great status of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and we have mentioned this in one of the articles and proved through Sunni sources that the Prophet did know how to read and write. And since he is the Messenger, it makes no sense that the Qur'an would only be preserved by the companions while Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) would have no oversight over the written text.
Sunnis also believe that the companions around the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) constantly strove to memorize these verses, with many eventually memorizing all of the verses, and they simultaneously wrote them down on whatever materials they had around them, from parchment to bone, to wood and stone. However, many narrations state that a very close companion by the name of Abdullah ibn Masud or Ibn Umm Abd, was the best reciter and that the Prophet told others to go back to him when it comes to recitation.
It was narrated from 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud that: Abu Bakr and 'Umar gave him the glad tidings that the Messenger of Allah had said: "Whoever would like to recite the Qur'an as fresh as when it was revealed, let him recite it like Ibn Umm 'Abd.'"
– Sunan Ibn Majah, Ibn Majah, Book of the Sunnah, Hadith No. 138
Narrated `Abdullah (bin Mas`ud): “By Allah other than Whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Sura revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place it was revealed; and there is no Verse revealed in Allah's Book but I know about whom it was revealed. And if I know that there is somebody who knows Allah's Book better than I, and he is at a place that camels can reach, I would go to him.”
– Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Virtues of the Qur'an, Hadith No. 5002
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr: Allah's Messenger neither talked in an insulting manner nor did he ever speak evil intentionally. He used to say, "The most beloved to me amongst you is the one who has the best character and manners." He added, " Learn the Qur'an from (any of these) four persons. `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifa, Ubai bin Ka`b, and Mu`adh bin Jabal."
– Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Companions of the Prophet, Hadith No. 3759 & 3760
It was narrated from Qais bin Marwan that he came to 'Umar and said:
I have come from Koofah, O Ameer al-Mu'mineen, and I left behind in it a man who dictates the Mushaf From memory. ‘Umar got exceedingly angry and said: Who is he, woe to you? He said: 'Abdullah bin Mas'ood. ‘Umar began to calm down, and went back to normal, then he said: Woe to you, I do not know of anyone who is more qualified to do that than him, and I will tell you about that. The Messenger of Allah used to stay up at night talking with Abu Bakr discussing some affairs of the Muslims. He stayed up talking with him one night, and I was with him. The Messenger of Allah went out, and we went out with him, and we saw a man standing and praying in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah listened to his recitation, and as soon as we recognised him the Messenger of Allah said: `Whoever would like to recite the Qur'an fresh as it was revealed, let him recite it according to the recitation of Ibn Umm 'Abd.` Then the same man sat and offered supplication (du'a') and the Messenger of Allah started saying to him: `Ask, you will be given; ask, you will be given.” ‘Umar said: By Allah, I shall go to him tomorrow and tell hirm the glad tidings. I went to him the next morning to tell him the glad tidings, and I found that Abu Bakr had beaten me to it and given him the glad tidings. By Allah, I never competed with him to do good but he beat me to it.
– Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Book 2, Hadith 92
Narrated by Shaqiq bin Salama: Once 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud delivered a sermon before us and said, "By Allah, I learnt over seventy Suras direct from Allah's Apostle . By Allah, the companions of the Prophet came to know that I am one of those who know Allah's Book best of all of them, yet I am not the best of them." Shaqiq added: I sat in his religious gathering and I did not hear anybody opposing him (in his speech).
– Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Virtues of the Qur'an, Hadith No. 5000
'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: "According to whose recitation do you want me to recite? Because I recited seventy-odd Surahs to the Messenger of Allah [PBUH & His Family] when Zaid had two braids, and was playing with the other boys."
– Sunan An-Nasa'i, Al-Nasa'i, The Book of Adornment, Hadith No. 5063
Narrated `Abdullah (bin Mas`ud): By Allah other than Whom none has the right to be worshipped! There is no Sura revealed in Allah's Book but I know at what place it was revealed; and there is no Verse revealed in Allah's Book but I know about whom it was revealed. And if I know that there is somebody who knows Allah's Book better than I, and he is at a place that camels can reach, I would go to him.
– Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Virtues of the Qur'an, Hadith No. 5002
Narrated Az-Zuhri, from Anas who said: "Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman came to 'Uthman, at the time when the people of Ash-Sham and the people of Al-'Iraq were waging war to conquer Arminiyah and Adharbijan. Hudhaifah saw there (the people of Ash-Sham and Al-'Iraq) different forms of recitation of the Qur'an. So he said to 'Uthman: 'O Commander of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book as the Jews and the Christians did before them.' So he ('Uthman) sent a message to Hafsah (saying): 'Send us the manuscripts so that we may copy them in the Musahif (plural of Mushaf: a written copy of the Qur'an) then we shall return it to you.' So Hafsah sent the manuscripts to 'Uthman bin 'Affan. 'Uthman then sent order for Zaid bin Thabit, Sa'eed bin Al-'As, 'Abdur-Rahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, and 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair to copy the manuscripts in the Musahif. 'Uthman said to the three Quraish men: 'In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the (recitation dialect of the) Qur'an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish for it was in their tongue.' So when they had copied the manuscripts, 'Uthman sent one Mushaf from those Musahif that they had copied to every province." Az-Zuhri said: "Kharijah bin Zaid [bin Thabit] narrated to me that Zaid bin Thabit said: 'I missed an Ayah of Surat Al-Ahzab that I heard the Messenger of Allah reciting: Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah, of them some have fulfilled their obligations, and some of them are still waiting (33:23) - so I searched for it and found it with Khuzaimah bin Thabit, or Abu Khuzaimah, so I put it in its Surah.'" Az-Zuhri said: "They differed then with At-Tabut and At-Tabuh. The Quraish said: At-Tabut while Zaid said: At-Tabuh. Their disagreement was brought to 'Uthman, so he said: 'Write it as At-Tabut, for it was revealed in the tongue of the Quraish.'" Az-Zuhri said: "'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah bin 'Utbah informed me that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud disliked Zaid bin Thabit copying the Musahif, and he said: 'O you Muslim people! I am removed from recording the transcription of the Mushaf and it is overseen by a man, by Allah, when I accepted Islam he was but in the loins of a disbelieving man' - meaning Zaid bin Thabit - and it was regarding this that 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: 'O people of Al-'Iraq! Keep the Musahif that are with you, and conceal them. For indeed Allah said: And whoever conceals something, he shall come with what he concealed on the Day of Judgement (3:161). So meet Allah with the Musahif.'" Az-Zuhri said: "It was conveyed to me that some men amongst the most virtuous of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah disliked that view of Ibn Mas'ud."
Narrated Anas: `Uthman called Zaid bin Thabit, `Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, Sa`id bin Al-`As and `AbdurRahman bin Al-Harith bin Hisham, and then they wrote the manuscripts of the Holy Qur'an in the form of book in several copies. `Uthman said to the three Quraishi persons. " If you differ with Zaid bin Thabit on any point of the Qur'an, then write it in the language of Quraish, as the Qur'an was revealed in their language." So they acted accordingly. (Sa`id bin Thabit was an Ansari and not from Quraish ).
Now we wonder, why did Uthman call out these four individuals to the manuscripts of the Holy Qur'an in the form of a book in several copies, while Abu Bakr and 'Umar gave him the glad tidings that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) had said: "Whoever would like to recite the Qur'an as fresh as when it was revealed, let him recite it like Ibn Umm 'Abd'?
Narrated by Al-Nasa'i, it was narrated by Shu’bah, Waki’, Sufyan, Abu Muawiyah, and Ya’la on the authority of Al-A’mash, on the authority of Abu Wa’il, on the authority of Masruq, on the authority of Abdullah ibn Amr, so perhaps it is with Al-A’mash with two chains of transmission. Shu'bah also narrated it on the authority of Amr ibn Murrah, on the authority of Ibrahim, on the authority of Masruq, and it was narrated by Zaid ibn Abi Anisa, on the authority of Talha ibn Musraf, on the authority of Masruq.
Ibn Allan and others told us in writing that Hanbal ibn Abdullah told them, he said: Ibn Al-Hussein told us, Ibn Al-Madhab told us, Al-Quta’i told us, Abdullah ibn Ahmed told us, my father told us, Al-Aswad ibn Amir told us, Israel told us, on the authority of Abu Ishaq, on the authority of Khumayr ibn Malik, He said:
He ordered the Mushafs to be changed, and Ibn Masud said: Whoever of you is able to bind his Mushaf, let him bind it, for whoever spoils anything will bring it back on the Day of Resurrection. Then he said: I have read seventy surahs from the mouth of the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace. Should I leave what I took from the Messenger of God - may God bless him and grant him peace?
– Siyar A'lam al-Nubala', Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī, Vol. 1, p. 497
From these narrations, Abdullah ibn Masud is not only challenging the recitation Zaid has, but he also believes that the Qur'an written by Uthman is incomplete, or has at least been subjected to some change, for his saying “Shall I leave that which I took from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family)?” indicates that what he took [from the Prophet (PBUH & His Family)] differs one way or another from that which Uthman has written. And for that reason, he is telling the people to conceal the copies of the Qur'an that they have.
We also see that not only was Abdullah ibn Masud one of the experts on the Qur'an among the Sahabah, but also that Abu Bakr and 'Umar gave him the glad tidings that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) had said: "Whoever would like to recite the Qur'an as fresh as when it was revealed, let him recite it like Ibn Umm 'Abd.'
Now if this was the case, when Umar feared that there would be more casualties among the reciters in other parts of the land, such that much of the Qur'an may be lost, how did gather all of those who were known to the best reciters and compile the Qur'an? And why was Abdullah ibn Masoud opposed to this?
And there are those who claim that Abdullah Ibn Masoud burnt his own Masahif eventually when he came around to the opinion of Uthman Ibn Affan. And we ask them to provide authentic evidence that Abdullah Ibn Masoud burnt his own Masahif. And in regards to the opinion that Abdullah ibn Masoud agreed with the copy of Uthman, did ibn Masoud do so for the purpose of unity and to prevent a civil war or did he do so because he thought that the Uthman Qur'an was correct?
Let us go to a book called Siyar A'lam al-Nubala', written by Shams ad-Dīn adh-Dhahabī, who was one of the students of Ibn Taymiyyah and one of the teachers of ibn Kathir.
In volume 1, page 489, it says, ‘The people gathered around him (Ibn Masoud) and told him “Stay and do not go. We will protect you from anything that might harm you.” And he (Ibn Masoud) said: “I owe him my obedience and there will be conflicts and tribulations and I do not want to be the one that starts them.” So he refused the people and travelled to Uthman.’
Therefore, it's clear from this narration that Abdullah ibn Masoud only agreed with the copy of Uthman for the sake of peace, not because he thought that Uthman’s copy was correct.
Let us go back to the narration where Abu Bakr decided to appoint Zaid ibn Thabit to compile all of the written verses of the Qur'an into one collection. In the narration, Umar says to Zaid that he fears [in the future] that, ‘there will be more casualties among the reciters in other parts of the land, such that much of the Qur'an may be lost’. How can Umar fear that much of the Qur'an will be lost? Didn’t Allah promise us in the Qur'an that He will preserve and protect it? Didn’t Allah know in the future that there would be such a battle and that many of the reciters would be killed? Why didn’t Allah command the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) to safeguard the verses and safeguard it with trusted individuals? Why didn’t Allah protect the reciters from being killed? Either Umar had a lack of faith in Allah’s promise or Umar’s fear of the Qur'an being lost is a great indication that Allah didn’t protect the Qur'an.
Now Sunnis say that in order to be completely sure that a verse of the Qur'an was in fact a verse of the Qur'an, it needed to have multiple independent chains of transmission from different memorizes of the Qur'an. If this is the case, then we the memorizers are not reliable, for we have this narration that mentions that a verse is mentioned in the Qur'an but it's no longer there.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: `Umar said, "I am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say, "We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book," and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of Rajam be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is already married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or confession." Sufyan added, "I have memorized this narration in this way." `Umar added, "Surely Allah's Messenger (PBUH & His Family) carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him."
– Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Limits and Punishments set by Allah, Hadith No. 6829
'Umar bin Al-Khattab said: "Verily Allah sent Muhammad (PBUH & His Family) with the truth, and he revealed the Book to him. Among what was revealed to him was the Ayah of stoning. So the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) stoned, and we stoned after him. I fear that time will pass over the people such that someone will say 'We do not see stoning in the Book of Allah.' They will be misguided by leaving an obligation which Allah revealed. Indeed stoning is the retribution for the adulterer if he was married and the evidence has been established, or due to pregnancy, or confession."
Notice how Umar said that he is afraid after a long time that people would say ‘We do not find the Verses of the Rajam (stoning to death) in the Holy Book’. He did not say that he feared that the people would lose the recitation or forget the ruling. And also wasn’t Umar the same individual that said to Zaid that he fears [in the future] that, ‘there will be more casualties among the reciters in other parts of the land, such that much of the Qur'an may be lost’? If we look at the Qur'an that we have today, we do not find the verse. And for those who say that the verse of abrogated, how can it be abrogated when Umar says, “Surely Allah's Messenger (PBUH & His Family) carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him.”
And it is at this point, some Sunnis may say that this verse was abrogated.
Abrogation comes from this verse in the Qur'an.
“Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it. Know you not that Allah is able to do all things? Know you not that it is Allah to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? And besides Allah you have neither any Walee (protector or guardian) nor any helper.” [al-Baqarah 2:106-107]
Sunnis say that abrogations come in three types.
The first type of abrogation is that a verse cancels out the ruling or instruction of another verse and some Sunnis say that it's possible that a hadith cancels out the ruling or instruction of a qur'anic verse.
The second type of abrogation is both the verse and its ruling no longer exist. The verse is no longer in the Qur'an and the ruling no longer applies.
The third type of abrogation is that the verse cannot be found in the Qur'an, however the ruling still applies. So that means it's only the recitation of the verse that is conceptually abrogated. We can't recite the verse as though it's part of the Qur'an now, but we can discuss it in the commentaries of the Qur'an.
Now when it comes to the verse of stoning, how was it abrogated considering the fact Umar said, “Surely Allah's Messenger (PBUH & His Family) carried out the penalty of Rajam, and so did we after him,” and the fact that stoning is still a legal punishment in many Muslim majority countries?
So if the verse was abrogated, it would have to be abrogated during the time of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family), not after him, and because those who were after him were acting upon the verse. Plus, there needs to be evidence or an event in which the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) publicly informed his people or at least his companions to no longer recite this verse, and nowhere did the Prophet make this statement.
Sunnis also claim that the placing of each verse within each chapter had been established by the Prophet before he died. However, because each chapter functions as an independent unit, the companions had different ways of ordering the chapters themselves within the book as a whole. However, we find this to be problematic because there is no agreement on which verse the last revelation of the Qur'an. For example,
Narrated Al-Bara: The last Sura that was revealed was Bara'a, and the last Verse that was revealed was: "They ask you for a legal verdict, Say: Allah's directs (thus) about those who leave no descendants or ascendants as heirs." (4.176)
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The last Verse (in the Qur'an) revealed to the Prophet (PBUH & His Family) was the Verse dealing with usury (i.e. Riba).
It was narrated from Ibn al Musayyab that `Umar said: One of the last verses to be revealed was the verse on Riba, and when the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) died, he had not explained it. So avoid Riba and any dubious matter.
We have a problem at this point. Which verse was the last verse revealed by Prophet Mohammed? Was it the verse dealing with usury or was it the verse concerning one having neither descendants nor ascendants? And it does not end there, most scholars opine that the last verse to be revealed was verse 281 in Surah Al-Baqarah. Allah Most High says: “And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly.” [Qur'an, 2:281]
And here is a video from a well known Sunni scholar who confirms that the scholars differ on which verse was the last verse revealed by the Prophet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgw08RgCw60&ab_channel=AhleIlm
So how can the Sunnis claim that the placing of each verse within each chapter had been established by the Prophet before he died when they cannot even agree in regards to which verse is the last verse?
Next, we have the verse of protection and this verse in Surah 15 Verse 9 where it says,
“It is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it.”
And Sunnis say the Reminder in this verse is referring to the Qur'an.
According to Tafsir Jalal Al-Jalalayn, he said, “Verily it is We (nahnu emphasises the subject of inna, or [functions as] a separating pronoun) Who have revealed the Remembrance, the Qur’ān, and assuredly We will preserve it, against substitution, distortion, additions and omissions.”
Now we have proven that the Qur'an that we have today is not protected because we just provided a narration in which Umar says that he fears that time will pass over the people such that someone will say 'We do not see stoning in the Book of Allah’. And we have the narration in which a verse was eaten by an animal.
It was narrated that 'Aishah said: “The Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.”
And for those who claim that these verses were abrogated in recitation but not ruling, they need to bring evidence that this verse was abrogated in recitation. Plus Aisha is saying that the verse was lost after the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) passed away, so how can they claim that the verse was abrogated? The truth is that these hadiths are so problematic for the Sunnis that the only defense that the Sunnis have is that they reject these narrations as true. And by claiming that this hadith is false not only questions the authenticity of Sahih Al-Bukhari, but also puts the ‘Sunnah’ that the Sunnis follow in a very doubtful position.
Not to mention, Sunnis such as Sheikh Ibn Baz who is a very well-known Sunni-Salafi scholar claim there are no weak narrations in Sahih Bukhari or Sahih Muslim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ndRAqM-QGM&ab_channel=SubulAsSalam%D8%B3%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85
And it is no surprise that Sunnis disagree on this topic as well.
So what is the true meaning of the verse that Allah will preserve the Qu’ran? The truth is that the the Qur'an is protected with the Infallible (From Him is Peace) And it was specifically the Qur'an that was with Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) that was protected.
Abu Bakr Mohammed ibn Abdullah Al-Hafeed, told us Ahmad ibn Mohammed ibn Nasr, told us Amru ibn Talha Al-Qana'ad The trusted Al-Ma'moon, told us Ali ibn Hasim ibn Al-Bareed, from his father said: Sa'eed Al-Teem'i, from the father of Thabit the Mauwla Abu Thar said:
I was with Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) with him on the day of Jamal, so when I saw Aisha standing, something in my heart has entered of what enters some other people, so Allah relieved that from me in the prayer of the afternoon (Zuhr) so I fought with the prince of the faithfuls (Imam Ali) so When I had been free of time, I went to Al-Madeenah so I cam to Um-Salamah: "By Allah I have not come for food nor drink, But I am a "Mawla" to Abi Thar" So she said: "Welcome". So I told her my story so she said: " Where were you when hearts aloft and flew"? I said: "Until Allah has relieved that from me at sun fall" (She Um-Salamah)said: " Well done, I heard the messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) saying: "Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with Ali, and they will not separate until they return to me at the lake.
– Mustadrak Al-Hakim Ala Al-Saheehain Vol. 4 p. 93 Hadith No. 4685
The narration can also be found here:
And here as well:
http://kingoflinks.net/Mkhalfoon/4Aysha/2Jmal/3Ali.htm
Also Jabir narrated that he heard Abu Ja'far (From Him Is Peace) saying: “No one from among the people says that he gathered all of the Qur'an as Allah sent it down except for a liar! No one gathered it nor memorized it as Allah sent it down except for Ali ibn Abi Talib (From Him is Peace) and the Imams after him.”
- Basa'ir Al-Darajat Page 213, Bihar Al-Anwar Volume 89 Page 88
Salim ibn Abi Salama said: A man recited [Qur'an] upon Abu Abdullah (From Him Is Peace) and I was hearing letters from the Qur'an which were different than how the people were reading,
Abu Abdullah (From Him Is Peace) said: “Stop this recitation, recite like the people recite until the Qaim rises, for when the Qaim (From Him is Peace) rises, he shall read the Book of Allah alone ([or upon one reading] and he shall bring out the Mushaf (the copy of the Qur'an) which Ali (From Him Is Peace) wrote”. And he said “Ali (From Him Is Peace) brought it out to people when he finished writing it, and he said to them: “This is the Book of Allah as Allah sent it down upon Muhammad (PBUH & His Family), and I have gathered it from the two boards. So they said: We have a Mushaf (a copy of the Qur'an) which has the Qur'an gathered in it, we do not need yours. So he said: By Allah! You shall not ever see it after this days of yours, I just had to inform you when I gathered it in order that you may read it.
- Basa'ir Al-Darajat Page 213, Mustadrak Al-Wasa'il Volume 4 Page 226, Bihar Al-Anwar Volume 89 Page 88, Usul Al-Kafi Volume 2 Page 633.
And we have other narrations from the Ahlul-Bayt proving that the Qur'an that is within our hands is fraudulent.
In Al-Masa'il Al-Sorouriya Page 79 and in Tafsir Al-Ayashy Volume 1 Page 9: Abu Al-Jaroud said: I heard Abu Ja'far (From Him Is Peace) saying: “Qur'an came down upon four quarters, a quarter about us, a quarter about our enemy, a quarter about the obligatory acts and rulings, and a quarter of Sunnahs and examples, and we have the virtues of the Qur'an.”
And also it was narrated by Al-Qadhi Al-No'man Al-Maghrabi from the Prince of the Believers (From Him Is Peace) in these words: “Qur'an was sent down upon four quarters, a quarter about us, a quarter about our enemies, a quarter of biographies and examples, and a quarter of obligatory acts and rulings, and we have the excellence of the Qur'an.”
- Sharh Al-Akhbar Volume 3 Page 11
Therefore, the Qur'an that is preserved is referring to the Qur'an that is safeguarded with Imam Ali (From Him is Peace) and the true Qur'an that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) came with will be revealed by the Qaim (From Him Is Peace).