Historical Criticism or Political Tendency? Reassessing Early Critiques of the Uthmanic Mushaf

Muhammad Alan Juhri; Muhammad Nasir

doi:10.21009/JSQ.22.2.01

Authors

Muhammad Alan Juhri Universitas Islam Negeri Sultan Syarif Kasim, Riau, Indonesia
Muhammad Nasir Rice University, Houston, Texas, United States of America

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21009/JSQ.22.2.01

Keywords:

Mushaf Utsmani, Kritik Tekstual Al-Qur'an, Tahrif, Sejarah Islam Awal, Identitas Sektarian

Abstract

Debates over the integrity and authenticity of the Uthmanic Mushaf have persisted since the early period of Islam. However, much of the existing scholarship tends to treat these critiques as a singular and uniform phenomenon, without adequately distinguishing the underlying ideological motives across different early Muslim communities. Purpose, to examine critiques of the Uthmanic Mushaf during the early period of Islam (1st–4th centuries AH/7th–10th centuries AD) by tracing the basis of arguments and the ideological tendencies underlying these critiques among early Muslim communities. Method, a historical-critical approach combined with comparative analysis of classical Sunni, Shia, and Islamic heresiographical sources. Result, critiques of the Uthmanic Mushaf stemmed from fundamentally different bases across groups. Among some of the Prophet's companions, critiques were primarily grounded in historical objections to the codification process and the validity of the Mushaf collectors. Among certain Khawarij groups, rejection of parts of the Uthmanic Mushaf was driven by ethical-dogmatic prejudices against verses considered incompatible with the sanctity of revelation. Meanwhile, among the early Imami Shia, rejection reflected strong political tendencies, particularly through narratives delegitimizing ruling authority and claims regarding the removal of verses affirming the superiority of Ali and Ahl al-Bayt. Contribution, this study offers a typology of early critiques, namely historical, ethical-dogmatic, and political, while affirming that discourse on the integrity of the Uthmanic Mushaf cannot be separated from the dynamics of power, religious authority, and sectarian identity in the formative period of Islam.

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