Introduction
Muslims claim the Quran has been perfectly preserved without the loss of a single letter. Yet Islam's own most authentic sources tell a very different story: they openly admit that portions of the Quran were lost, forgotten, or even eaten by animals. These aren't claims made by critics of Islam—they're recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other authoritative Islamic sources that Muslims themselves accept as reliable.
The missing verses include commands about stoning adulterers, rules about adult breastfeeding, and entire chapters that companions testified once existed but vanished. Some verses were forgotten by those who memorized them. Others were written down but lost when the manuscripts were eaten by a goat. Still others were deliberately excluded from the final compilation. This evidence, from Islam's own sources, demolishes the claim that the Quran was perfectly preserved.
Historical Context
According to Islamic tradition, the Quran was revealed to Muhammad piecemeal over 23 years (610-632 CE). Companions memorized portions and wrote verses on various materials. After Muhammad's death, no single complete written Quran existed. The first compilation attempt occurred under Caliph Abu Bakr (632-634 CE), and standardization under Caliph Uthman (644-656 CE).
During this compilation process, a disturbing pattern emerged: different companions remembered different verses, some verses could not be verified by multiple witnesses, and some written materials had been lost or destroyed. The compilers faced hard decisions about what to include and what to exclude. Islamic sources preserve testimony from companions admitting that verses and even entire chapters of the Quran were lost in this process.
What Islamic Sources Say
Islam's most authentic sources document multiple cases of lost Quranic material. These admissions are found in the very hadith collections that Muslims use to verify Islamic practices and beliefs.
The Stoning Verse (Rajm)
One of the most significant missing verses is the "stoning verse," which commanded stoning as punishment for adultery. Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph and one of Muhammad's closest companions, testified that this verse once existed in the Quran. Sahih Bukhari 8:82:816 records:
"I am afraid that after a long time has passed, people may say, 'We do not find the Verses of the Rajm (stoning to death) in the Holy Book,' and consequently they may go astray by leaving an obligation that Allah has revealed. Lo! I confirm that the penalty of Rajm be inflicted on him who commits illegal sexual intercourse, if he is already married and the crime is proved by witnesses or pregnancy or confession." Umar added, "Surely Allah's Apostle carried out the penalty of Rajm, and so did we after him."
Sahih Muslim 17:4194 provides even more explicit testimony from Umar:
"Allah sent Muhammad with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajm (the stoning of married persons, male and female, who commit adultery). We recited this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah's Messenger did carry out the punishment of stoning, and so did we after him. I am afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, 'By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajm in Allah's Book,' and thus they will go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed."
This testimony is devastating. Umar explicitly states that a Quranic verse about stoning "was revealed" and "we recited it," but it's no longer in the Quran. The second caliph, one of Islam's most revered figures, admits a verse of the Quran was lost.
The Goat That Ate the Quran
Perhaps the most embarrassing admission in Islamic sources is Aisha's testimony that Quranic verses were written on a manuscript kept under her bed, but a domestic animal ate the manuscript after Muhammad's death. Sunan Ibn Majah 3:9:1944 records:
"It was narrated that Aisha said: 'The Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my bed. When the Messenger of Allah died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.'"
This hadith is classified as hasan (good/reliable) by Islamic scholars. Muhammad's wife Aisha—one of the most important sources for Islamic teachings—testifies that Quranic verses existed in written form but were eaten by a goat. These verses included not just the stoning verse but also a verse about breastfeeding adults ten times to create legal family relationships.
The breastfeeding verse is independently confirmed in Sahih Muslim 8:3421-3425, where Aisha discusses how women could become mahram (unmarriageable) to men through adult breastfeeding, based on Quranic verses that were later "abrogated in recitation but not in ruling"—Islamic code for "the verse is gone but we still follow the command."
Surah 33 Originally Had Over 200 Verses
Sahih Muslim 5:2286 records testimony from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, a companion of Muhammad:
"We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah) Bara'at [Surah 9]. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it: 'If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust.' And we used to recite a surah which resembled one of the surahs of Musabbihat, and I have forgotten it, but remember (this much) out of it: 'Oh people who believe, why do you say that which you do not practice' and 'that is recorded in your necks as a witness and you would be asked about it on the Day of Resurrection.'"
Even more explicitly, Sahih Bukhari 5:59:416 records that Surah 33 (Al-Ahzab) was once much longer:
"Surah al-Ahzab (33) used to be recited in the time of the Prophet with two hundred verses, but when Uthman wrote the Mushaf he was unable to procure more than what it contains today [73 verses]."
This means over 127 verses of Surah 33 went missing. These weren't minor verses—the surah was nearly three times its current length. Where did those verses go? Why couldn't Uthman "procure" them when compiling the standard Quran? The admission is that they were lost.
Ubayy ibn Ka'b's Missing Surahs
According to Ibn Abi Dawud's Kitab al-Masahif and Al-Suyuti's Al-Itqan, Ubayy ibn Ka'b's Quran codex contained 116 chapters, while the standard Quran has 114. His version included two additional surahs called "Al-Khal'" (The Separation) and "Al-Hafd" (The Haste). Classical Islamic scholars debate whether these were actual Quran surahs that were lost or just prayers, but Ubayy—whom Muhammad praised as one of the best Quran reciters—considered them part of the Quran.
The Forgotten Verses
Multiple hadiths record that verses were simply forgotten by those who had memorized them. Sahih Bukhari 6:61:558 states:
"Narrated Aisha: The Prophet heard a man reciting the Quran in the mosque and said, 'May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such-and-such Verses of such-and-such Suras, which I had missed!'"
If Muhammad himself forgot verses, and companions forgot verses, how can Muslims claim perfect memorization preserved the Quran?
Problems and Contradictions
The testimony of missing Quranic verses creates catastrophic problems for Islamic claims:
The Claim of Perfect Preservation Is False: Muslims claim Allah promised to preserve the Quran (15:9), yet their own sources admit verses were lost, forgotten, and eaten by animals. You cannot have both perfect preservation and lost verses. Either the sources are wrong (undermining Islamic history), or the preservation claim is false (undermining Islamic theology).
The Memorization Myth Collapses: Muslims claim the Quran was perfectly preserved through memorization. But the sources show that memorizers forgot verses, disagreed about what verses existed, and couldn't recover all the verses during compilation. Memorization did not preserve the Quran perfectly—it failed.
The Written Transmission Failed Too: Written copies also proved unreliable. Aisha's manuscript was eaten by a goat. Uthman couldn't locate all the verses of Surah 33. The written record was incomplete. Both oral and written transmission failed to preserve the complete Quran.
Which Version Is "Allah's Word"? If verses existed that are now lost, was the complete Quran "Allah's word" or is the incomplete version we have today "Allah's word"? If the lost verses were Allah's word, then we don't have all of Allah's word. If they weren't Allah's word, then why were they revealed and recited as Quran? This is a theological disaster for Islam.
Implications
- The Quran Is Incomplete: We don't have all the Quranic verses that were originally revealed. Significant portions are missing, including legal commands (stoning), entire chapters, and over 127 verses from Surah 33 alone.
- Perfect Preservation Never Happened: Both memorization and written transmission failed to preserve the complete Quran. The claim that the Quran is perfectly preserved is demonstrably false based on Islam's own sources.
- Allah Failed to Keep His Promise: If Quran 15:9 promises that Allah will preserve the Quran, and verses were lost, then either Allah failed or the Quran's promise is false. Either conclusion destroys Islamic theology.
Muslim Responses
Muslim apologists offer several defenses when confronted with these missing verses:
"Those verses were abrogated": Abrogation means Allah replaced older verses with newer ones. But Umar's testimony about the stoning verse explicitly says it was revealed and recited—he doesn't say it was abrogated. Moreover, if it was abrogated, why did Umar want people to know it existed? And why do Sunni Muslims still practice stoning based on a verse that's not in the Quran? This response creates more problems than it solves.
"The goat hadith is weak": This is false. Ibn Majah's collection is considered one of the six major authentic Sunni hadith collections, and Islamic scholars classify this hadith as hasan (good/reliable). Moreover, the breastfeeding verses are confirmed in Sahih Muslim, and the stoning verse is confirmed in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. The multiple independent attestations make denial difficult.
"These weren't Quran verses, just hadith qudsi": This desperate claim contradicts the sources, which explicitly call them Quran verses that "were revealed" and "we recited." Umar doesn't say "Muhammad said"—he says "Allah revealed" and "we recited it as Quran." The sources are clear.
"What we have is what Allah wanted preserved": This circular reasoning assumes the conclusion. If Allah promised to preserve all revelation, and some was lost, then Allah failed. You can't retroactively redefine success as "whatever happened is what Allah wanted" when the sources explicitly lament that verses were lost.
Christian Perspective
The contrast with Christianity is instructive. Christians have never claimed that God miraculously preserved every word of the Bible without any textual variation. Instead, we acknowledge that the Bible was transmitted through normal historical processes, copied by human scribes, with variants emerging over time. We have thousands of manuscripts that allow us to identify and correct copyist errors.
This honest acknowledgment of human transmission doesn't undermine biblical authority—it demonstrates intellectual honesty. We can show our work. We have the manuscripts. Scholars can verify the text. We don't need to claim miracles that didn't happen.
Islam, by contrast, claims a miracle of preservation that demonstrably didn't occur. When confronted with their own sources admitting lost verses, Muslims either deny their own traditions or engage in special pleading. This is not honest scholarship—it's apologetic gymnastics designed to protect a false claim.
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)
God's word guides us, but Christianity has never claimed that God prevented human transmission errors. We claim that God preserved His message through His church across history, giving us sufficient revelation for faith and practice. The manuscript evidence supports this claim. Islam's claim to miraculous preservation is contradicted by Islamic sources themselves.
Questions to Consider
- If the stoning verse was revealed by Allah and recited as Quran (as Umar testifies), why is it not in the Quran today?
- If Allah promised to preserve the Quran (15:9), how did a goat eat verses that were supposed to be divinely protected?
- If Surah 33 originally had over 200 verses but Uthman could only find 73, where did the other 127+ verses go?
- How can Muslims claim perfect memorization when their own sources show that Muhammad and his companions forgot verses?
- If significant portions of the Quran were lost, how can Muslims be confident they have Allah's complete revelation?
Conclusion
The evidence from Islam's own most authentic sources is unambiguous: portions of the Quran were lost. The stoning verse was revealed but vanished. Verses were written down but eaten by a goat. Surah 33 lost over 127 verses. Muhammad and companions forgot verses. The claim of perfect preservation is false.
This is not anti-Islamic propaganda—these are admissions from Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other sources that Muslims themselves accept as authentic. The testimony comes from Umar, Aisha, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, and other close companions of Muhammad. If these sources are reliable (as Muslims claim), then the Quran was not perfectly preserved. If these sources are unreliable, then Muslims have no reliable information about early Islam. Either way, the Islamic claim crumbles.
The missing verses problem exposes the fundamental dishonesty in Islamic apologetics. Muslims criticize the Bible for having textual variants while ignoring that their own sources admit far worse problems with Quranic transmission. The difference is that Christians acknowledge our manuscript tradition honestly, while Muslims deny what their own sources clearly state.
For Christians engaging with Muslims, the missing verses provide powerful evidence that Islam's central claims are false. When Muslims assert Quranic preservation as proof of divine origin, simply ask them to explain the stoning verse, the goat-eaten verses, and the 127+ missing verses from Surah 33. Their own sources admit these verses existed and were lost. Perfect preservation is a myth contradicted by Islamic history.
The Quran we have today is incomplete. Allah's promise to preserve it (if it was ever made) failed. The emperor has no clothes, and Islam's own sources prove it.