Between falsification and authentication : tracing Imāmī Shīa perspectives on Uthmanic mushaf

Abstract

This research examines the shift and the development of Imāmī Shīa perspectives concerning the authenticity of the Uthmanic Mushaf. Tracing the views of prominent Imāmī Shīa figures from the early era to modern times reveals an ambiguity between falsification and authentication of the Uthmanic Mushaf. The focus of this research is not to clarify or determine which stance most accurately represents the original Imāmī Shīa viewpoints on the Uthmanic Mushaf, but rather to analyze and uncover the factors behind each attitude of acceptance and rejection. This research employs a qualitative methodology, integrating historical and socio-political approaches. The historical approach traces the shifting views of Imāmī Shīa scholars regarding the Uthmanic Mushaf from the early Islamic period to the modern era. Meanwhile, the socio-political approach analyzes how social and political dynamics have influenced Imāmī Shīa scholars' views on tahrīf (falsification) and the Uthmanic Mushaf’s integrity. The research reveals that the majority of early Imāmī Shīa, up until the early 4th/10th century, rejected the integrity of the Uthmanic Mushaf and promoted the issue of taḥrīf. Political rivalry over succession following the Prophet's death, coupled with the ongoing perception of Shīa persecution and marginalization under the Umayyad and Abbasid Sunni dynasties, were primary factors for this rejection. From the late 4th/10th century onwards, significant Imāmī Shīa figures began to shift towards accepting the Uthmanic Mushaf’s integrity and refuting the issue of tahrīf. This early acceptance emerged during the Shīa Buwayhid dynasty's rule, driven by at least three factors: the role of the Mu'tazilah in political knowledge towards rationalization, political strategy by getting closer to Sunni orthodoxy, and the development of Shīa doctrine due to the occultation (ghayb) of the last Imām. In the modern era (19th-20th centuries), with the increasingly complex Sunni-Shīa conflict involving geopolitics, debates on taḥrīf and the integrity of the Uthmanic Mushaf have resurged. Some Imāmī Shīa scholars have maintained the initial views, continuing to campaign taḥrīf as a form of resistance against Sunni dominance. Conversely, the majority voice of Imāmī Shīa scholars have massively refuted the accusations of tahrīf as a stance of resilience and part of efforts towards rapprochement (taqrīb) between Sunnis and Shīas. Based on these findings, this research argues that the two Imāmī Shīa views on the Uthmanic Mushaf’s integrity— falsification and authentication—both influence and are influenced by the prolonged political conflict between Sunnis and Shīas.