The codex of Ubayy ibn Ka'b is a mushaf of the Quran that differs from the Uthmanic codex and is attributed to Ubayy ibn Ka'b, a companion of Muhammad. [1] The codices of Ubayy and Uthman differ on point of several textual variants between the two, but more importantly, Ubayy's codex possesses a total of 116 surahs, whereas the codex of Uthman possesses 114. The surahs absent from the Uthmanic codex, but present in that of Ubayy, are Al-Khalʿ (Surah 115) and Al-Ḥafd (Surah 116). These continued to be seen as authoritative and Quranic by several scholars through the eighth century, [2] and evidence for the transmission of the codex is available until the tenth or eleventh centuries. [3] A copy of the codex of Ubayy is unavailable in any extant manuscript, although its historicity is accepted. [4] Islamic scholars documented the text of Ubayy's two unique surahs in addition to the textual variants that distinguished the codex of Ubayy from that of Uthman. [5]
Early on, Theodor Noldeke rejected the historicity of the codex of Ubayy (while accepting the codex of Ibn Mas'ud) as he was able to find little documentation of it in the extant Islamic sources. [6] During the 1970s, John Wansbrough and John Burton both argued that the codex of Ubayy did not exist. According to them, the invention of variants attributed to Ubayy's codex served the function of enabling certain figures to create a basis in the Quran for their personal interpretations. [7] [8] Other scholars have found these arguments unconvincing and have now moved towards a view that accept that this codex did exist and goes back to Ubayy. [4] First, the majority of the variants attributed to Ubayy's codex have no affect on the meaning of the text, and therefore do not serve the motive of promoting particular exegetical approaches to the Quran. Second, a number of variants attributed to Ubayy's codex have now been confirmed with manuscript discoveries, particularly with regards to the Sanaa manuscript, which is also a non-Uthmanic codex. [9] More recent studies of the textual reception of Ubayy's codex have shown that it was widely geographically documented among the earliest and most pertinent Islamic sources. These accounts offer detailed observations on the material features of the codex that they purport to have had access to, and occasionally differ in doing so, suggesting that the relevant accounts are not derivative of one another. [10]
The textual variants in the codex of Ubayy sometimes agree with those present in the codex of Ibn Mas'ud, and on other occasions agree with the version in the Uthmanic codex. [11]
One variant in the codex of Ubayy concerns the muqattaʿat. Specifically, Ubayy's codex included the Ha-Wa-Meem in Surah 39, where it is absent from the codex of Uthman. [12]
The text of the first unique surah of Ubayy's codex is as follows: [13]
[bi-smi llāhi l-raḥmāni l-raḥīm]
[In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate]
1 allāhumma innā nastaʿīnuka wa- nastaghfiruk
1 Lord, for aid and forgiveness do we beseech you;
2 wa-nuthnī ʿalayka wa-lā nakfuruk
2 We praise you and do not disbelieve you;
3 wa-nakhlaʿu wa-natruku man yafjuruk
3 We denounce and forsake all who disobey you.
The text of the second unique surah of Ubayy's codex is as follows: [14]
[bi-smi llāhi l-raḥmāni l-raḥīm]
[In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate]
1 allāhumma ʾiyyāka naʿbud
1 Lord, you we worship;
2 wa-laka nuṣallī wa-nasjud
2 To you we pray and bow low;
3 wa-ilayka nasʿā wa-naḥfud
3 For you we make haste to serve;
4 narjū raḥmatak
4 We hope for Your mercy;
5 nakhshā ʿadhābak
5 We fear Your torment;
6 inna ʿadhābaka bi-l-kuffāri mulḥiq
6 Surely your torment will overtake the infidels.
Al-Ikhlāṣ, also known as the Declaration of God's Unity and al-Tawhid, is the 112th chapter (sūrah) of the Quran.
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Ubayy ibn Ka'b, also known as Abu Mundhir, was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a person of high esteem in the early Muslim community.
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