148 — Ibrāhīm ibn Mūsā al-Jawzī also informed us, saying: Yaʿqūb ⦗475⦘ ibn Ibrāhīm al-Dawraqī narrated to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn Mahdī narrated to us, saying: Mālik ibn Anas informed us, from al-Zuhrī, from ʿUrwa, from ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn ʿAbd al-Qārī, from ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: I heard Hishām ibn Hakīm reciting Sūrat al-Furqān during prayer in a manner different from the way I recited it, although the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had taught me to recite it. I therefore took hold of his garment and brought him to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I heard this man reciting Sūrat al-Furqān differently from the way you taught me to recite it.” He said, “Recite.” He then recited in the manner in which I had heard him recite, whereupon he said, “This is how it was revealed. Indeed, this Quran was revealed in seven modes, so recite whichever of them is easy for you.”
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said: Disputing about the Quran therefore amounts to disbelief in the following sense: one person says, “My recitation is better than ⦗476⦘ yours,” while another says, “No, my recitation is better than yours,” and they accuse one another of falsehood. They were therefore told: Let each person recite as he was taught, and let none of you disparage another’s recitation. Fear Allah, act upon its unequivocal passages, believe in its ambiguous passages, take heed from its parables, treat as lawful what it declares lawful, and treat as forbidden what it declares forbidden.
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: In my composition entitled Kitāb al-Mushaf (The Book of the Quranic Codex), I have already discussed the Quranic codex of ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān—may Allah be pleased with him—upon which the Muslim community reached consensus: the Companions, the Followers after them, and the imams of the Muslims in every land. I also discussed what the seven imams said concerning the Quran, and what I presented there is sufficient. I did not wish to repeat it here. My sole purpose here is to urge people to abandon argument and disputation concerning the Quran, for we have been forbidden to engage in it.
No one should speak about the Quran on the basis of his own opinion, nor interpret the Quran except on the basis of what has come from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or from one of the Companions, one of the Followers, or an imam from among the imams of the Muslims. Nor should he dispute or argue.
If someone were to say, “We see jurists debating matters of jurisprudence. One of them says, ‘Allah Most High said such-and-such, and the Prophet said such-and-such.’ Does this count as disputing about the Quran?”
He would be told: Allah forbid! This is not disputation. Someone may debate a ⦗477⦘ legal question with a jurist, and the jurist may say to him by way of clarification and sincere counsel, “Our proof concerning this matter is that Allah Most High said such-and-such, and the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said such-and-such.” He says this by way of sincere counsel and clarification, not to engage in disputation. Whoever conducts himself in this manner, seeking neither to defeat the other person nor for his opponent to make a mistake so that he may gain the upper hand over him, will remain safe, and it will be accepted from him, Allah Most High willing, as we mentioned in the preceding chapter.
Al-Hasan said: “The believer neither acts contentiously nor engages in disputation. He spreads Allah’s wisdom; if it is accepted, he praises Allah, and if it is rejected, he praises Allah—Mighty, Majestic, and Exalted is He.”
Moreover, I deem argument and disputation reprehensible, as well as raising one’s voice during debate concerning jurisprudence. Such debate should be conducted only with dignity and proper composure.
⦗478⦘ ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—said: “Acquire knowledge, and acquire for the sake of knowledge composure and forbearance. Humble yourselves before those from whom you learn, and let those whom you teach show humility toward you. Do not be tyrannical scholars, for your knowledge will not withstand your ignorance.”