Ibn Abbas recitation in the verse and its meaning
Several chains mention that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, used to recite the verse in Surah ar Rad as “Afalam yatabayyan alladhina amanu” “Have those who believe not become aware” (Surah ar Rad 31; Tafsir al Tabari 13/537 538; Kitab Fadail al Qur’an p. 302).
Other reports from him and from early mufassirun such as Mujahid, Qatadah and Ibn Zayd explain the canonical wording “Afalam ya’ti alladhina amanu” and “Afalam ya’is alladhina amanu” with the meaning “Afalam yatabayyan,” that is, “Has it not become clear” or “Has it not become known” to those who believe (Tafsir al Tabari 13/537–538; Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim as quoted in al Itqan 2/22).
Al Tabari affirms that the correct understanding, agreed upon by the people of tafsir, is that the verse as written in the mushaf carries precisely this meaning of clarity and certainty for the believers (Tafsir al Tabari 13/538).
Scholars rejecting the attribution of errors to the mushaf
These narrations were collected and mentioned by later imams such as al Suyuti in his works on the Qur’an (ad Durr al Manthur 4/63; al Itqan 2/22).
Az Zamakhshari firmly rejects any belief that the written wording could be the result of a scribal mistake, insisting that the Book of Allah is one from which falsehood cannot reach it from before or behind, and that it could not have passed through the hands of the great imams while such an error remained hidden (al Kashshaf 2/360).
Al Qurtubi also says the attribution of an altered wording to Ibn Abbas to be false, since his reliable students Mujahid and Saʿid ibn Jubayr transmitted the verse from him exactly as it appears in the mushaf, which confirms that his established recitation agrees with what is written (Tafsir al Qurtubi 9/320).
Explanations for recitations differing from the mushaf
The first is that it was a mistake by the one to whom the recitation was attributed, or by the narrator.
The second is that it was from recitations that were later abrogated, so it was recited without knowledge of its abrogation.
The third is that it was an explanation narrated as though it were a recitation.
The fourth is that an irregular addition was introduced into the report, contradicting what is firmly established in the agreed upon mushafs and the mass transmitted recitations, so it is treated as shadhdh and not accepted.
The irregular addition about the drowsy scribe
“The scribe wrote the other wording while he was drowsy,” appears in one narration and seems to attribute error to the scribe of the mushaf (Tafsir al Tabari 13/537 538).
Al Tabari himself indicates uncertainty in the chain, wavering between al Zubayr ibn al Khirrit and Yaʿla ibn Hakim (Tafsir al Tabari 13/537).
When the earlier source of this report, Kitab Fadail al Qur’an by Abu Ubayd al Qasim ibn Sallam, is consulted, the same chain from Yazid, from Jarir ibn Hazim, from Yaʿla ibn Hakim, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas is found but without the phrase about the drowsy scribe, without doubt in the chain, and with the clear explanation that the wording means “Has it not become clear to those who believe” (Kitab Fadail al Qur’an p. 302).
This shows that the sentence about the drowsy scribe is a ziyadah shadhdhah (an irregular addition) that conflicts with the more reliable transmission from the same chain, and so it is not accepted and is weak, as the author concludes from comparing these routes.
A later supporting report via ʿAli al Hunaʾi also contains the drowsy scribe phrase, but it goes through Yaʿqub ibn Ishaq, a narrator without any mentioned reliability, in a chain that again attributes to Ibn Abbas the wording “Afalam yatabayyan alladhina amanu” along with the statement that the scribe wrote the other wording while he was drowsy (al Munajjid fi al Lughah p. 362).
It cannot be confirmed that the addition came from him rather than from his shaykh or from the compiler, so this route cannot repair the weakness or remove the irregularity of the addition.
The impossibility of a shared error in all Uthmanic mushafs
The mushafs ordered by ʿUthman, may Allah be pleased with him, were several standard copies, not a single book. He had seven mushafs written when he gathered the Qur’an and sent one to Makkah, one to al Sham, one to Yemen, one to Bahrain, one to Basrah, one to Kufah, and kept one in Madinah (al Masahif by Ibn Abi Dawud 1/239).
For the alleged error to be true, all the scribes would have had to make the same mistake at the same time, and all the people of those regions and all the reciters after them would have had to accept and transmit that mistake for generations.
Given the known precision with which the Qur’an was memorised and written and the consensus of the Ummah upon these mushafs, this scenario is impossible in practice and history (al Masahif 1/239).
Mutawatir qiraat from Ibn Abbas contradict the alleged reading
The mutawatir chains of qiraat show what Ibn Abbas actually recited and taught. The canonical recitation of Ibn Kathir, for example, is transmitted through al Bazzi and others back through Ikrimah, Mujahid and Ibn Abbas to Ubayy ibn Kaʿb and then to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that mutawatir path preserves the accepted reading that matches the mushaf, not a fixed alternate text of “Afalam yatabayyan alladhina amanu” in place of the written wording (Jamiʿ al Bayan fi al Qiraʾat al Sabʿ 1/233 234).
Likewise, the additional recitation of Ibn Muhaysin is transmitted through the same circle of students of Ibn Abbas, confirming the established wording (Jamiʿ al Bayan fi al Qiraʾat al Sabʿ 1/236).
In the same way, the recitation of Abu ʿAmr ibn al ʿAlaʾ is traced back through Mujahid, Saʿid ibn Jubayr and ʿIkrimah to Ibn Abbas, then to Ubayy and to the Prophet ﷺ, without containing this alleged alteration (al Wajiz fi Sharh Qiraʾat al Qurraʾ al Thamaniyah p. 74).
These strong mutawatir chains outweigh isolated, conflicting and irregular reports.
Explanatory nature of the wording from Ibn Abbas and Mujahid
What is reliably transmitted from Ibn Abbas and from Mujahid regarding this verse appears clearly in the form of tafsir, not as an alternative recitation. Ibn Abbas is reported as saying about “Afalam ya’ti alladhina amanu” that its meaning is “Afalam yatabayyan,” that is, “Has it not become clear,” and other routes phrase it as “Has it not become known” (Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim as quoted in al Itqan 2/22).
Mujahid likewise explains the wording “Afalam ya’is alladhina amanu” with the sense of clarity and knowledge, saying that its meaning is “Has it not become clear” (Tafsir al Tabari).
These are standard explanatory statements paraphrasing the meaning of the verse for listeners, not attempts to change the written text. It is therefore very plausible, that some narrators misunderstood explanatory phrases of this type and transmitted them as though they were the exact wording of a different qiraah.
Full Article
Yaqub narrated to me. He said: Hishim narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq al Kufi, from a freed servant who reported that Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, used to recite: أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam yatabayyan alladhina amanu”
Al Hasan ibn Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Abdul Wahhab narrated to us, from Harun, from Hanzalah, from Shahr ibn Hawshab (d. 100 AH) that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Afalam ya’ti” أَفَلَمْ يَأْتِ, said: Its meaning is أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنْ “Afalam yatabayyan” “Has it not become clear”.
Ahmad ibn Yusuf narrated to us. He said: Al Qasim narrated to us. He said: Yazid narrated to us, from Jarir ibn Hazim (d. 170 AH), from az Zubayr ibn al Khirrit, or Ya‘la ibn Hakim (indication of doubt in the chain), from Ikrimah (d. 105 AH), from Ibn Abbas, that he used to recite it as: أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam yatabayyan alladhina amanu” He said: “The scribe wrote the other wording while he was drowsy.” (As Suyuti attributed this in ad Durr al Manthur 4/63 to the Musannif. See Tahdhib al Kamal by al Mizzi (d. 742 AH) 9/301. As Suyuti in ad Durr al Manthur 4/63 attributed it to the Musannif and to Ibn al Anbari (d. 328 AH) in al Masahif.
And az Zamakhshari (d. 538 AH) said in al Kashshaf 2/360: “This and what is like it cannot be accepted concerning the Book of Allah, which falsehood cannot reach from before it or from behind it, so how could such a thing be hidden until it remained fixed between the two covers of the book while it was passing through the hands of those great imams who were so careful in the religion of Allah. By Allah, this is a lie in which there is no doubt.”
And al Qurtubi (d. 671 AH) said in his Tafsir volume 9 page 320: “This is false from Ibn Abbas, because Mujahid and Said ibn Jubayr both related the wording from Ibn Abbas just as it is in the mushaf)
Al Hasan ibn Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Hajjaj ibn Muhammad narrated to us, from Ibn Jurayj (d. 150 AH), who said in the first qira’a of Ibn Kathir and others said: أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنِ. “Afalam yatabayyan”.
Muhammad ibn Saad (d. 230 AH) narrated to me. He said: My father narrated to me. He said: My uncle narrated to me. He said: My father narrated to me, from his father, from Ibn Abbas, regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: أَفَلَمْ يَأْتِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا. “Afalam ya’ti alladhina amanu”
He said: Its meaning is أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنْ “Afalam yatabayyan” “Has it not become clear”. (This was reported by Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327 AH) in his Tafsir, as mentioned in al Itqan 2/22, through the chain of Abdullah ibn Salih with this wording, and As Suyuti in ad Durr al Manthur volume 4 page 63 attributed it to Ibn al Mundhir (d. 318 AH))
Al Mathna narrated to me. He said: Abdullah ibn Salih narrated to us. He said: Muawiyah ibn Salih narrated to me, from Ali, from Ibn Abbas, regarding His saying: “Afalam ya’ti alladhina amanu” أَفَلَمْ يَأْتِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا. He said: Its meaning is “Has it not become known”.
Imran ibn Musa narrated to us. He said: Abdul Warith (d. 180 AH) narrated to us. He said: Layth narrated to us, from Mujahid (d. 104 AH), regarding His saying: أَفَلَمْ يَأْيَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam ya’is alladhina amanu.” He said: Its meaning is “Has it not become clear”.
Bishr narrated to us. He said: Yazid narrated to us. He said: Said ibn Abi Arubah (d. 156 AH) narrated to us, from Qatadah (d. 117 AH), regarding His saying: أَفَلَمْ يَأْيَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam ya’is alladhina amanu.” He said: “Has it not become clear to those who believe.”
Muhammad ibn Abd al A‘la narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Thawr narrated to us, from Ma‘mar ibn Rashid (d. 153 AH), from Qatadah (d. 117 AH), regarding His saying: أَفَلَمْ يَأْتِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam ya’ti alladhina amanu” He said: “Has it not become known to those who believe.”
Yunus narrated to me. He said: Ibn Wahb (d. 197 AH) informed us. He said: Ibn Zayd, meaning Abd ar Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam (d. 182 AH), said regarding His saying: أَفَلَمْ يَأْيَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam ya’is alladhina amanu.” He said: “Has it not become known to those who believe.”
The correct saying about this is what the people of tafsir have said, that its meaning is: “Has it not become clear and has it not been known.” This is because the people of tafsir are agreed on that, and because of the lines of poetry that we have already recited concerning it.
Tafsir Al Tabari (13/537-538)
Al Tabari narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas that he used to recite the saying of Allah:
أَفَلَمْ يَيْأَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
Have those who believe not despaired
(Surah ar Raʿd 13–31)
in this manner:
أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
Have those who believe not become aware
There is no problem with this regarding the issue of recitations reported from the Companions that differ from the written mushaf. Such cases are explained in one of four ways.
The first is that it was a mistake by the one to whom the recitation was attributed, or by the narrator.
The second is that it was from recitations that were later abrogated, so it was recited without knowledge of its abrogation.
The third is that it was an explanation transmitted as though it were a recitation.
The fourth is that an irregular addition was introduced into the report, contradicting what is firmly established in the agreed upon mushafs and the mass transmitted recitations, so it is treated as shadhdh and not accepted.
The first way
The difficulty lies in an additional wording reported by al Tabari in this narration, namely: He said: The scribe wrote the other wording while he was drowsy.
This addition became a point of suspicion, because it appears to attribute error to the written mushaf upon which the Ummah agreed.
Imam al Tabari himself expressed doubt in the chain by saying: from al Zubayr ibn al Khirrit, or Yaʿla ibn Hakim.
However, when see al Qasim ibn Sallam’s book itself, neither this addition nor this doubt is found.
Al Qasim said: Yazid narrated to us, from Jarir ibn Hazim, from Ya‘la ibn Hakim, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he used to recite: أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam yatabayyan alladhina amanu” meaning “has it not become clear to those who believe.”
Kitab Fadail al-Qur’an by Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Salam p. 302
This is the same chain of transmission without the additional wording. The extra wording is therefore a ziyadah shadhdhah (an irregular addition), and a report containing such an irregular addition is not accepted and is weak (daif).
A supporting narration was reported by ʿAli al Hunaʾi:
Abu Yusuf Yaʿqub ibn Ishaq al Isbahani narrated to us, from ʿAli ibn ʿAbd al ʿAziz, from Abu ʿUbayd, from Yazid ibn Harun, from Jarir ibn Hazim, from al Zubayr ibn al Khirrit, or Yaʿla ibn Hakim, from Ibn ʿAbbas, that he used to recite it as: Have those who believe not become aware. He said: The scribe wrote the other wording while he was drowsy. (al Munajjid fi al Lughah, p. 362)
Yaʿqub ibn Ishaq has no reliable authentication.
However, it cannot be confirmed that this addition came from him rather than from Yaʿqub or from the compiler, neither of whom is established as reliable.
The second way
The mushafs ordered by ʿUthman were not a single copy:
If a scribe had been drowsy, it would require that all seven scribes made the same error at the same time, and that the people of all regions agreed upon it. This is not possible.
The third way
Ibn ʿAbbas has mutawatir recitations and others from the four additional recitations, and none of them contain this wording.
The recitation of Ibn Kathir is transmitted as follows:
The recitation of Ibn Muhaysin, from the four additional recitations, is also transmitted:
The fourth way
What is authentically transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbas and Mujahid regarding this verse is in the context of explanation, not recitation.
Al Hasan ibn Muhammad narrated to us. He said: Abdul Wahhab narrated to us, from Harun, from Hanzalah, from Shahr ibn Hawshab (d. 100 AH) that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Afalam ya’ti” أَفَلَمْ يَأْتِ, said: Its meaning is أَفَلَمْ يَتَبَيَّنْ “Afalam yatabayyan” “Has it not become clear”.
Imran ibn Musa narrated to us. He said: Abdul Warith (d. 180 AH) narrated to us. He said: Layth narrated to us, from Mujahid (d. 104 AH), regarding His saying: أَفَلَمْ يَأْيَسِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا “Afalam ya’is alladhina amanu.” He said: Its meaning is “Has it not become clear”.
This indicates explanation, not a competing recitation. It is therefore likely that some narrators misunderstood and transmitted it as a recitation.
Conclusion
The narration that includes suspicion concerning the scribe of the mushaf is shadhdh (irregular), because it contradicts what al Qasim ibn Sallam transmitted in his own book, and because it also conflicts with what is transmitted from Ibn Abbas through qiraat mutawatirah (mass transmitted recitations).
As for the wording attributed to Ibn ʿAbbas, it was either said as an explanation, or it was said and later abandoned, since it conflicts with what is firmly established from him in the accepted recitations.
