Original/Earliest Quran
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I brought this topic up earlier on before my posting mysteriously disappeared !
I am eager to find the earliest dated complete quran. Reason being that I want to be absolutely certain that the widely available copies now bear resemblance to the earliest copies. Using the quran, I see that there is a verse stating that Muhamad wrote the quran himself and hence was not illiterate and I can accept this. I also noticed Anwar Goins quoting a verse were it directs Muhamad to 'arrange the quran excellently'.
That being said, first of all, there exist, as far as I know, differences between certain texts. I have heard of some qurans being called 'Hafs' and 'Warsh'. I have read articles about these explaining that these differences do not actually change the meaning of the verses. I am willing to accept this - however, given the above, why do any differences exist in the first place?
Secondly, at submission.org, the link below shows some differences between the Tashkent Quran in Uzbek and the readily available quran copies today.
http//www.submission.org/quran/protect.html
The Tashkent Quran is quite old, but I am not sure if it is the oldest around. Although the webpage highlights the differences for other purposes , once again, differences clearly exist. I realise that the differences don't seem to make too much of a difference but yet again, given the statements from the quran quoted about Muhamad's literacy and arranging of the quran excellently, why have these differences occured?
Here is another link to a site that claims this is the oldest Quran copy
http//faculty.washington.edu/wheelerb/quran/kufi_393.html
This topic is vitally important if we are to uphold the intergrity of the Word. I think it is desriable to find out how and why these differences came about and search for the oldest quran copy. According to tradition the quran was compiled by Uthman the Caliph right? Well how did this tradition begin in the first place if the quran was already there when Muhamad had written it and arranged it?
I hope that God guides us to the truth on this roll