What was the hadith about destroying Quranic verses?
Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, gave a sermon saying: Allah sent Muhammad, peace be upon him, with the truth and revealed to him the Book. In that which was revealed is the verse of stoning, which we recited and understood. The Messenger of Allah stoned, and we stoned after him. I feared that, if time prolonged among the people, someone would say: 'We find no verse of stoning in Allah's Book,' and thus they would go astray by abandoning a prescribed duty from Allah Almighty. Stoning is due for the married person of either sex if clear evidence exists, or there is pregnancy or confession. By Allah, if it were not for people’s objection that Umar added something to Allah’s Book, I would have recorded it.
Sunan Abu Dawud 40:68
This hadith reflects Umar's concern regarding the preservation of the prescribed laws revealed in the Qur'an. He feared that if the verse on stoning were not documented in the Qur'an, future generations might abandon this important ruling, leading them away from a significant aspect of Islamic law. His statement highlights the challenges faced in preserving the Quranic text and the importance of its authentic transmission.
Sources
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Sunan Abu Dawud 40:68
Sunan Abu Dawud · Book 40, Hadith 68 · Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas
Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, gave a sermon saying: "Allah sent Muhammad, peace be upon him, with the truth and revealed to him the Book. In that which was revealed is the verse of stoning, which we recited and understood. The Messenger of Allah stoned, and we stoned after him. I feared that, if time prolonged among the people, someone would say: 'We find no verse of stoning in Allah's Book,' and thus they would go astray by abandoning a prescribed duty from Allah Almighty. Stoning is due for the married person of either sex if clear evidence exists, or there is pregnancy or confession. By Allah, if it were not for people’s objection that Umar added something to Allah’s Book, I would have recorded it."
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