A Research-Based Analysis of the Atheists’ Objections to the Qur’an
Based on the Explanations by Classical Scholars and the Evidence of Hadith
Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما):
"Ubayy ibn Kaʿb is the best reciter among us, yet we leave out some of what he says because he says, ‘I received it directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and will not abandon it for anything.’ Allah has said: ‘Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it.’"
[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitāb Faḍāʾil al-Qurʾān, Bāb al-Qurrāʾ min Aṣḥāb Rasūlillāh, Ḥadīth 5005]
Explanation by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
Conclusion:
✦ “من لحن أُبي” means “from the specific recitation of Ubayy” — not an actual mistake.
✦ Claiming that this represents a serious contradiction or error is a false allegation by the atheists.
✦ Minor variations in recitation were recognized and managed within the transmission of the Qur’an’s recitation.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ is one-third of the Qur’an."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitāb Faḍāʾil al-Qurʾān, Bāb Faḍl Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad, Ḥadīth 5015]
Atheists’ Claim:
They allege that “اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ” was once an actual verse of Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ that was lost during compilation.
Refutation:
Conclusion:
✦ This phrase is an explanatory statement, not a missing verse.
✦ The claim that it is a lost verse is deceitful and false.
"لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ…"
(“Those believers who sit at home without any valid excuse are not equal to those who strive in the path of Allah…”)
[Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 95]
Atheists’ Claim:
They argue that early narrators reported the verse in a different order, suggesting that the phrase “غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ” was not part of the original revelation and was added later.
Refutation:
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar’s Explanation:
He confirmed in his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī that the phrase “غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ” was indeed added to the verse later as an explanatory exception, as we have it in the Qur’an today.
✔ The phrase “اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ” is an explanatory description of Allah’s attributes, not an omitted verse of Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ.
✔ The claim about Sūrah al-Nisāʾ is based on misunderstanding of recitational variants (qirāʾāt), not a textual discrepancy.
Based on the Explanations by Classical Scholars and the Evidence of Hadith
❶ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb’s Statement and Ubayy ibn Kaʿb’s Reading
Text of the Ḥadīth:Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما):
"Ubayy ibn Kaʿb is the best reciter among us, yet we leave out some of what he says because he says, ‘I received it directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and will not abandon it for anything.’ Allah has said: ‘Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it.’"
[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitāb Faḍāʾil al-Qurʾān, Bāb al-Qurrāʾ min Aṣḥāb Rasūlillāh, Ḥadīth 5005]
Explanation by Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله):
- The phrase “من لحن أُبي” (mistakes of Ubayy) refers to “the recitation of Ubayy,” not an actual error in pronunciation or meaning.
- Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (رضي الله عنه) firmly held to the readings he heard directly from the Prophet ﷺ.
- The Prophet ﷺ allowed recitation in seven aḥruf (modes), accommodating tribal dialects.
- ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه) believed that some of Ubayy’s readings had been abrogated, yet he did not condemn Ubayy; he merely considered these to be remnants of abrogated readings.
Conclusion:
✦ “من لحن أُبي” means “from the specific recitation of Ubayy” — not an actual mistake.
✦ Claiming that this represents a serious contradiction or error is a false allegation by the atheists.
✦ Minor variations in recitation were recognized and managed within the transmission of the Qur’an’s recitation.
❷ “اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ” and Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ
Text of the Ḥadīth:The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ is one-third of the Qur’an."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitāb Faḍāʾil al-Qurʾān, Bāb Faḍl Qul Huwa Allāhu Aḥad, Ḥadīth 5015]
Atheists’ Claim:
They allege that “اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ” was once an actual verse of Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ that was lost during compilation.
Refutation:
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (رحمه الله) clarified that these words are not a verse but rather descriptive phrases used by the Prophet ﷺ to highlight the unique divine attributes contained in Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ.
- No Companion claimed these words were part of the Qur’an, nor was there any demand to include them in the written compilation.
- The Prophet ﷺ used these words to emphasize the meaning of Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ and its equivalence to one-third of the Qur’an in virtue.
Conclusion:
✦ This phrase is an explanatory statement, not a missing verse.
✦ The claim that it is a lost verse is deceitful and false.
❸ Sūrah al-Nisāʾ, Verse 95: “لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ”
Current Verse:"لَا يَسْتَوِي الْقَاعِدُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالْمُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ…"
(“Those believers who sit at home without any valid excuse are not equal to those who strive in the path of Allah…”)
[Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 95]
Atheists’ Claim:
They argue that early narrators reported the verse in a different order, suggesting that the phrase “غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ” was not part of the original revelation and was added later.
Refutation:
- The real difference lies only in the placement of the phrase and the recitation style (fatha or ḍammah on “غَيْر”), not in the meaning or order of the entire verse.
- Historical context: initially, the phrase “غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ” (except those who are disabled) was not revealed. When ʿAbdullāh ibn Umm Maktūm (رضي الله عنه) — a blind Companion — pleaded his case, Allah revealed this additional phrase to clarify the exemption for the disabled.
- The phrase “فنزلت مكانها” (“then it was revealed in its place”) means it was revealed as a clarification or extension within the same verse, not a new separate revelation.
Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar’s Explanation:
He confirmed in his commentary on Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī that the phrase “غَيْرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ” was indeed added to the verse later as an explanatory exception, as we have it in the Qur’an today.
Summary of Research Findings
✔ The statement about Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (رضي الله عنه) was regarding permissible differences in recitation, not error or contradiction.✔ The phrase “اللّٰهُ الوَاحِدُ الصَّمَدُ” is an explanatory description of Allah’s attributes, not an omitted verse of Sūrah al-Ikhlāṣ.
✔ The claim about Sūrah al-Nisāʾ is based on misunderstanding of recitational variants (qirāʾāt), not a textual discrepancy.
