In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Ever Merciful…
Since some of the deviant teachings of American preacher Yusuf Estes have been exposed and clarified, many people have been asking some very important questions:
- If what we hold in our hands is not the Quran (as Yusuf Estes claims), then what is it?
- If the Quran is only the Quran when it is being recited (as Yusuf Estes claims), then doesn’t that mean that what is memorized in the hearts (but not currently being recited) is also not really the Quran? (This further violates the consensus of the Muslims that the Quran is memorized, recited, and written.)
- If the writing in the mushaf is not the Quran because it can be altered (as Yusuf Estes claims), then what do we say about people who read the Quran mistakenly (altering it) and no one corrects them? (Based on this flawed logic, the recitation would not be the real Quran either!)
- If the Quran is only the Quran when it is being recited (as Yusuf Estes claims), then does it “cease to exist” when its recitation is over?
Falsehood spawns falsehood, and the absurdity of these logical follow-up questions further prove just how deviant and confusing the beliefs of the Jahmiyyah are.
With regards to one of the questions above, “Does the Quran cease to exist when its recitation is over?” Yusuf Estes actually provides the answer himself. He actually says:
How did we get the Quran? Do you think that Muhammad sat there and wrote it down? Do you think some people just wrote it down and passed it out? Is that what you heard? Well, if you heard that, you’re wrong. Because the Prophet “saw sallam” didn’t know how to read or write. What he heard from the Angel Jibreel he memorized and repeated, and taught to his Companions the same way.
It was written at his time, but that was not considered Quran, that was called the suhuf, or mushaf – scripture. And it’s still called that today.
Quran means that which is recited. What you hear being recited is the Quran. What you heard me say in Arabic, that was Quran at the time I said it, and when I stopped, it’s GONE. You got it?
Source: A lecture given at the Chicago ICNA office called “9 Points of Shahada to be a Muslim” broadcast on the Deen Show (15:10). [YouTube/Safeshare]
Important Commentary:
Adding to the long list of deviant beliefs about the Quran spread by Yusuf Estes, now the Quran is “GONE” when it is not being recited! As mentioned, false beliefs spawn false beliefs. Reviving the ancient rhetoric of one of Islam’s first and most dangerous deviant sects, the Jahmiyyah, has led Yusuf Estes to actually believe and teach that the Quran is GONE when it is not being recited. We ask Allah for His refuge!
“The Written Mushaf was/is not Considered Quran” (Jahmiyyah)
Ahlus-Sunnah have always unanimously affirmed that the Quran is actually written in our mus-hafs, and that what is written in the mus-hafs is the Quran, with sound evidences from the Book and the Sunnah.
The Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) said:
لا تسافروا بالقرآن فإني لا آمن أن يناله العدو
“Do not travel with the Quran, as I can not guarantee that the enemies would not get a hold of it.” (Sahih Muslim)
Quite obviously, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) was not referring to the Quran memorized in their hearts or the Quran in al-Lowh al-Mahfooth (the Preserved Tablet)! He was referring to the mus-haf, the written Quran, and he explicitly called it “the Quran”.
Refer to this highly informative e-book, which is an easy read clearly distinguishing the basic belief of the Muslims from the deviant rhtetoric of the Jahmiyyah cults:
The Written Mushaf is Actually the Quran (PDF)
There is nothing new about Yusuf Estes spreading the blasphemy of the Jahmiyyah heretics. We have dealt with this in numerous articles, and explained how the beliefs he has spread over the last ten years are not the beliefs of the Muslims, but rather that of the stray sect of disbelievers called the “Laf-thiyyah” Sect, one of the strains of the Jahmiyyah Cult.
Review this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this for examples of previous clarifications of this topic.
Gathering the Quran into One Book in the Time of the Companions
In contrast to one of the many erroneous claims of Yusuf Estes, the Quran was actually collected and arranged in written form during the time of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace). Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, “We were with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) arranging the Quran from the writings (we made).” Meaning: He would instruct them on the arrangement of the verses and surahs. This was the preliminary stage of written arrangement, which could not be finalized until the revelation was complete, meaning: after the death of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) which would signify the end of the era of revelation.
Then, as one of the most important tasks accomplished in the Caliphate of Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq, Zayd ibn Thaabit was placed in charge of gathering all the writings and arranging them as he learned from the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) into one complete, finalized mus-haf, for the very first time. As the scholars have explained, Zayd only allowed Quranic passages that were written in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace), to be used to complete the arrangement of the mus-haf, not what was memorized by heart alone.
Refer to: al-Itqaan fee ‘Uloom al-Qur’aan of as-Suyootee (1/164-169).
Yusuf Estes mistakenly assumes that the memorization was the most important element in the compilation of the first complete mus-haf, while that was simply not the case at all. Additionally, the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank) forbade the Companions from travelling with the mus-haf to the lands of the enemies, as is collected in Saheeh Muslim. This further proves that the Quran had clearly been recorded in written form in the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace), as he began to teach the Companions about the special rulings that apply to the written Quran.
Further Reading
Educate yourself about the misguided teachings of Yusuf Estes by reading the following academic clarification of some of his most dangerous beliefs taught over the last ten years – more of the Jahmiyyah seen here, promotion of the Shiite Religion, denial of love and hatred for Allah’s sake, and other wild mistakes, like even claiming that George Bush invaded Afghanistan as some kind of legitimate “jihad” sanctioned by the Quran. Refuge with Allah is sought.
Yusuf Estes and the Quran (PDF)
Written by: Moosaa Richardson
Rev.QM
