George Sale, The Koran, commonly called the Alcoran of Mohammed, translated into English immediately from the original Arabic; with Explanatory Notes, taken from the most approved Commentators. To which is prefixed A Preliminary Discource (1734)
However in the thirtieth year of the Hejra, Othmân being then Khalîf, and observing the great disagreement in the copies of the Korân in the several provinces of the empire, those of Irak, for example, following the reading of Abu Musa al Ashari, and the Syrians that of Macdâd Ebn Aswad, he, by advice of the companions, ordered a great number of copies to be transcribed from that of Abu Becr, in Hafsa’s care, under the inspection of Zeid Ebn Thabet, Abd’allah Ebn Zobair, Saïd Ebn al As, and Abd’alrahmân Ebn al Hâreth the Makhzumite; whom he directed that wherever they disagreed about any word, they should write it in the dialect of the Koreish, in which it was at first delivered 1. These copies when made, were dispersed in the several provinces of the empire, and the old ones burnt and suppressed. Tho’ many things in Hafsa’s copy were corrected by the above-mentioned supervisors, yet some few various readings still occur; the most material of which will be taken notice of in their proper places.
Various readings.
The want of vowels 2 in the Arabic character made. Mokrî’s, or readers, whose peculiar, study and profession it was to read the Korân with its proper vowels, absolutely necessary. But these differing in their manner of reading, occasioned still further variations in the copies of the Korân, as they are now written with the vowels; and herein consist much the greater part of the various readings throughout the book. The readers whose authority the commentators chiefly alledge, in admitting these various readings, are seven in number.
Passages abrogated.
There being some passages in the Korân which are contradictory, abrogated, the Mohammedan doctors obviate any objection from thence, by the doctrine of abrogation; for they say, that God in the Korân commanded several things which were for good reasons afterwards revoked and abrogated.
Passages abrogated are distinguished into three kinds: the first, where the letter and the sense are both abrogated; the second, where the letter only is abrogated, but the sense remains; and the third, where the sense is abrogated, tho’ the letter remains.
Of the first kind were several verses, which by the tradition of Ans Ebn Malec were in the prophet’s life time read in the chapter of repentance, but are not now extant, one of which, being all he
1 Abulfeda, in vitis Abubeer & Othmân.
2 The characters or marks of the Arabic vowels were not used till several years after Mohammed. Some ascribe the invention of them to Yahya Ebn Yâmer, some to Nasr Ebn Asam, surnamed al Leithi, and others to Abu’laswad al Dîli; all three of whom were doctors of Basra, and immediately succeeded the companions. See D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 87.
