—their leaders had never instructed them to do so; rather, such practices are the deeds of hypocritical zanādiqa (godless subversives). Nevertheless, everyone who truly professes Islam agrees on the duty to respect, honor, exalt, and keep pure the muṣḥafs, and to act upon the saying (1) of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him:
“Do not carry the Quran to the land of the enemy.” (2)
Although the people of innovation fall into contradictions when they try to reconcile the dictates of the Sacred Law with the doctrines they have invented, contradiction is something that can befall human beings, and it is easier for them to bear than persisting in outright heresy, hypocrisy, and atheism (3)—even if that very innovation is the stepping-stone to such corruption (4)(5).
As for the second faction, the ones who regard the Quran as nothing more than letters and sounds, they have sided with the Jahmiyyah among the Muʿtazilites and others, for those groups held that
(1) In manuscript S: “yaqul” (he says).
(2) This hadith is recorded by both al-Bukhari and Muslim with slight variations on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade traveling with the Qur’an to enemy territory. Muslim adds “for fear that the enemy might seize it.” He also transmits another version from Ibn ʿUmar: “Do not travel with the Qur’an, for I do not feel safe that the enemy will obtain it.”
See:
• Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 15, Kitab al-Jihad, chapter “Traveling with the Mushafs to the Land of the Enemy.”
• Sahih Muslim, vols. 3/1490–1491, Kitab al-Imarah, chapter “Prohibition of Traveling with the Mushaf to the Land of the Kuffar If There Is Fear of Its Falling into Their Hands,” ḥadith 92, 93, 94.
• Sunan Ibn Mājah, vol. 2, p. 961, Kitab al-Jihad, chapter “Prohibition of Traveling with the Qur’an to Enemy Territory,” ḥadith 2879, 2880.
• Musnad Aḥmad, vol. 2, nos. 6, 8, 10, 55, 63, 76, 128.
(3) In manuscript S: “wa-illa li-hal.”
(4) In manuscript S: “kana.”
(5) After the word “fasad” (corruption), the original manuscript S contains a blank space sufficient for about five words. In the printed edition, however, the text runs on without interruption. It appears the scribe left this space to mark the end of one section and the beginning of another.