Abdullah Ibn Abi Sarh: The APOSTATE Scriber of the Quran

The incident involving Abdullah Ibn Sa'd Ibn Abi Sarh holds equal significance to the incident known as the "Satanic Verses," as both events revealed that Muhammad was fabricating the revelation on his own. 

Abdullah Ibn Sa'd embraced Islam during the time of Mecca and attained the esteemed status of being a Companion of Muhammad, which holds great importance in the Islamic faith. Subsequently, he rose to the position of the scribe of the Quran (كاتب الوحي), a position even higher than that of a Companion.

Under Muhammad's guidance, he transcribed the revelations as they were dictated to him. However, one day, an incident occurred that opened Abdullah Ibn Sa'd's eyes, leading him to realize that the revelations were not of divine origin but were being fabricated by Muhammad himself.

Upon this realization, Abdullah Ibn Sa'd renounced Islam and became an apostate.

1st Proof: 

"Asbaab Al-Nuzool" by Al-Wahidi Al-Naysaboori - Page 126 - Beirute's Cultural Libary Edition "Tub'at Al-Maktabah Al-thakafiyyah Beirute" (link): 

عَن الْكَلْبِيّ عَن أبي صَالح عَن ابن عباس: " قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ( وَمَنْ قَالَ سَأُنْزِلُ مِثْلَ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ) الأنعام/ 93 .نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي سَرْحٍ، كَانَ قَدْ تَكَلَّمَ بِالْإِسْلَامِ، فَدَعَاهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ- صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ يَكْتُبُ لَهُ شَيْئًا، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَتِ الْآيَةُ الَّتِي فِي الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: (وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ) أَمْلَاهَا عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: (ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَاهُ خَلْقًا آخَرَ) عَجِبَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فِي تَفْصِيلِ خَلْقِ الْإِنْسَانِ، فَقَالَ: تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - (هَكَذَا أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ)، فَشَكَّ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ حِينَئِذٍ وَقَالَ: لَئِنْ كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ صَادِقًا لَقَدْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ كَمَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْهِ ، وَلَئِنْ كَانَ كَذَّابًا لَقَدْ قُلْتُ كَمَا قَالَ ، وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: ( وَمَنْ قَالَ سَأُنْزِلُ مِثْلَ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ) وَارْتَدَّ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ ، 

Translation:

This verse was revealed about 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh. This man had declared his faith in Islam and so the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, called him one day to write something for him. When the verses regarding the believers were revealed (Verily, We created man from a product of wet earth…) [23:12-14], the Prophet dictated them to him. When he reached up to (and then produced it as another creation), 'Abd Allah expressed his amazement at the precision of man's creation by saying (فتبارک اللّٰہ احسن الخالقین So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators!). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, said: “This ['Abd Allah's last expression فتبارک اللّٰہ احسن الخالقین So blessed be Allah, the Best of Creators!] is how it was revealed to me (so write them too in Quran)”. At that point, doubt crept into 'Abd Allah. He said: “If Muhammad is truthful, then I was inspired just as he was; and if he is lying, I have uttered exactly what he did utter”. Hence Allah's words (and who saith: I will reveal the like of that which Allah hath revealed). The man renounced Islam.
This is also the opinion of Ibn 'Abbas according to the report of al-Kalbi. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Abdan informed us> Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Nu'aym> Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Umawi> Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Jabbar> Yunus ibn Bukayr> Muhammad ibn Ishaq> Shurahbil ibn Sa'd who said:
“This verse was revealed about 'Abd Allah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh. The latter said: 'I will reveal the like of that which Allah has revealed', and renounced Islam. When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, entered Mecca, this man fled to 'Uthman [ibn 'Affan] who was his milk brother. 'Uthman hid him until the people of Mecca felt safe. He then took him to the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, and secured an amnesty for him”.

These words of ‘Abdullah Ibn Abi al-Sarh {فتبارک اللّٰہ احسن الخالقین So blessed be Allah, the Best of creators!!} still exist in the Quran to this day. (Verse 23:14). 

Did Ibn Abi al-Sarh falsely accuse Muhammad? Certainly not!

The truth is that Muhammad took possession of his words without taking care of any copyrights, and he forgot that he himself earlier challenged the pagans of Mecca, asserting that they could not produce a single verse like that of the Quran. 

Therefore, Ibn Abi al-Sarh witnessed firsthand that Muhammad was fabricating revelations on his own, which made him aware of this falsehood. Nevertheless, he decided to further test Muhammad to confirm his doubts. Muslim historians such as Waqidi, Ibn Athir, and Tabari have written that when Muhammad dictated the phrase "Allah is All-Knowing All-Wise" (عليم حکيم) to him, Ibn Abi al-Sarh wrote it in the reverse order (i.e., "All-Wise All-Knowing" - حکيم عليم). He then recited it back to Muhammad, who did not detect these changes.

2nd Proof:

Waqidi recorded a comment by Ibn Abi al-Sarh (link):

قال فحدثني عبد الحميد بن جعفر عن يزيد بن أبي حبيب ، عن عطاء بن أبي رباح ، ... قالوا : وكان عبد الله بن سعد بن أبي سرح يكتب لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الوحي فربما أملى عليه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم سميع عليم فيكتب عليم حكيم فيقرأ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فيقول كذلك الله ويقره . وافتتن وقال ما يدري محمد ما يقول إني لأكتب له ما شئت ، هذا الذي كتبت يوحى إلي كما يوحى إلى محمد .

"Abdullah bin Sa'd bin Abi Sarh used to write down the revelations for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Sometimes, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would dictate to him (for example) 'All-Hearing, All-Knowing,' and he would write 'All-Knowing, All-Wise.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would recite it and say, 'This is also from Allah,' and approve it. However, Abdullah became confused and said, 'Muhammad does not know what he is saying. I can write whatever I wish for him. What I have written is revealed to me just as it is revealed to Muhammad.'"

After Ibn Abi al-Sarh renounced Islam, he told the people of Mecca, "Your religion is better than his." (دينكم خير من دينه) 

Upon learning about it, Muhammad became furious with him, realizing that it would be nearly impossible to determine the exact locations where Ibn Abi al-Sarh had introduced distortions in the Quran.

In an attempt to discredit Ibn Abi al-Sarh, Muhammad accused him of being a liar and declared the revelation of the following verse:

Quran 6:93:
ومن أظلم ممن افترى على الله كذبا أو قال أوحي إلي ولم يوح إليه شيء ومن قال سأنزل مثل ما أنزل الله

And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed."

Muhammad sought to defend himself against Ibn Abi al-Sarh's accusations. However, all of his excuses proved futile, and this verse now stands as undeniable evidence against him, especially for those discerning individuals who possess critical thinking abilities. We should express gratitude for this verse since, without it, Islam apologists would likely have dismissed the very existence of Abdullah Ibn Abi al-Sarh by deeming all traditions concerning him as "weak."

3rd Proof:

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari recorded the following tradition from ‘Ikrama in his Tafsir of Quran (link):

حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال ثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن عكرمة، قوله: { وَمَنْ أظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى على اللّهِ كَذِباً أوْ قالَ أُوحِيَ إليَّ وَلَمْ يُوحَ إلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ } قال: نزلت في مسيلمة أخي بني عديّ بن حنيفة فيما كان يسجِّع ويتكهن به. { وَمَنْ قالَ سأُنْزِلُ مِثْلَ ما أنْزَلَ الله } نزلت في عبد الله بن سعد بن أبي سَرْح، أخي بني عامر بن لؤي، كان يكتب للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وكان فيما يُملِي «عزيز حكيم»، فيكتب «غفور رحيم»، فيغيره، ثم يقرأ عليه كذا وكذا لما حوّل، فيقول: «نَعَمْ سواء» فرجع عن الإسلام ولحق بقريش وقال لهم: لقد كان ينزل عليه «عزيز حكيم»، فأحوّله ثم أقول لما أكتب، فيقول نعم سواء
Al-Qasim told us: Al-Hussein narrated: Al-Hajjaj narrated: by Ibn Jurayh, by Ikrimah:
His saying [i.e. Verse 6:93], "And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed.". He [Ikrimah] said: This verse was revealed about Musaylamah the brother of Bani (children of) Uday bin Haneefah, for he [Musaylamah] was reciting poetry and prophesying. And "I can reveal like what Allah hath revealed" was revealed about Abdullah bin Sa'd bin Abi Al-Sarh, the brother of Bani (children of) Amir bin Lu'ai. He [Abdullah] used to write for the Prophet (SAW), and while he [Mohammad] was dictating "Exalted in power, full of Wisdom'', he [Abdullah] would write it "Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful", thus changing it. Then he [Abdullah] would read the changed verses to him [Mohammad], and he [Mohammad] would say, "Yes [in approval], it's like this". So, he [Abdullah] reverted from Islam and followed Quraysh telling them, "He [Mohammad] used to recite to me Exalted in power, full of Wisdom', and I would change it when I write it down, and he would tell me, 'Yes [in approval], it's the same [meaning]."

4th Proof:

Imam Tabari recorded the following tradition in his Tafsir from as-Sudy (link):

حدثني محمد بن الحسين، قال: ثنا أحمد بن المفضل قال: ثنا أسباط، عن السديّ: { وَمَنْ أظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى على اللّهِ كَذِباً أوْ قالَ أُوحِيَ إليَّ وَلمْ يُوحَ إلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ... } إلى قوله: { تُجْزَوْنَ عذَابَ الهُونِ } قال: نزلت في عبد الله بن سعد بن أبي سرح أسلم، وكان يكتب للنبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فكان إذا أملى عليه «سميعاً عليماً»، كتب هو: «عليماً حكيماً» وإذا قال: «عليماً حكيماً» كتب: «سميعاً عليماً». فشكّ وكفر، وقال: إن كان محمد يوحى إليه فقد أوحيَ إليّ، وإن كان الله ينزله فقد أنزلت مثل ما أنزل الله، قال محمد: «سميعاً عليماً»، فقلت أنا: «عليماً حكيماً». فلحق بالمشركين ، ووشى بعمار وجبير عند ابن الحضرميّ أو لبني عبد الدار، فأخذوهم فعذّبوا حتى كفروا. وجُدع أذن عمار يومئذ، فانطلق عمار إلى النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فأخبره بما لقي والذي أعطاهم من الكفر، فأبى النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يتولاه، فأنزل الله في شأن ابن أبي سَرح وعمار وأصحابه: مَنْ كَفَرَ باللّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ إيمَانِهِ إلاَّ مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بالإِيمَانِ وَلَكِنْ مَنْ شَرَحَ بالكُفْرِ صَدْرًا فالذي أُكره عمار وأصحابه، والذي شرح بالكفر صدراً فهو ابن أبي سرح.
Mohammad bin Al-Hussein spoke to me, he said: Ahmad bin Al-Mufdil narrated: Asbat narrated from As-Sudy: " [Verse 6:93], "And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed." until his [Allah] saying, "ye receive your reward, a penalty of shame".
He [Al-Sudy] said: This verse was revealed about Abdullah bin Sa'd bin Abi Al-Sarh, he embraced Islam, and used to write [Quran revelations] for the Prophet (SAW). So, when the Prophet dictated him: "Who heareth and knoweth all things", he'd write it: "All-Knowing, All-Wise". So, he doubted and reverted. Then he said, "If Mohammad gets inspiration, then I get inspiration too, and if Allah sent him his revelation, then I was sent the same thing. For when Mohammad said, 'Who heareth and knoweth all things' I'd say, 'All-Knowing, All-Wise'" So he followed the Pagans, and he blew the cover of Ammar and Jubar [secret Muslims] to Ibn Al-Hudrumi or to Bani Abd Al-Dar, so they took them and tortured them until they reverted. Ammar's ear was cut off that day, so he [Ammar] went to the Prophet (SAW) and told him what had happened to him, but the Prophet (SAW) refused to handle his issue. So, Allah revealed about [Abdullah] Ibn Abi Al-Sarh and his companions, "Anyone who, after accepting Faith in Allah, utters Unbelief, - except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty" Who was "under compulsion" is Ammar and his companions, and who "open their breast to Unbelief" is [Abdullah] Ibn Abi Al-Sarh.

5th Proof:

Imam Ibn Abi al-Hatim recorded the following tradition in his Tafsir (link):

7624 حدثنا أبي ثنا ابن نفيل الحراني ثنا مسكين بن بكير عن معان رفاعة قال: سمعت ابا خلف الأعمى قال: كان ابن أبي سرح يكتب للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الوحي، فاتى أهل مكة فقالوا: يا ابن أبي السرح، كيف كتبت لابن أبي كبشة القران؟ قال: كنت اكتب كيف شئت. فانزل الله تعالى: ومن اظلم ممن افترى على الله كذبا. قوله تعالى: أو قال أوحي إلي ولم يوح اليه شيء

Abi Thana ibn Nufayl al-Hirani — Maskeen bin Bukayr — Ma’an Rifah – Aba Khalf al-Aami, who said:
Ibn Abi Sarh used to write down the revelation for the prophet. Then some people of Mecca came to him and asked him why he write the Quran for Ibn Abi Kubsha (i.e. Muhammad). Ibn Ibi Sarh replied that he writes Qruan according to his own wishes. Upon that Allah revealed this verse (Quran 6:93: And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed.")

6th Proof:

Imam al-Hakim recorded the following tradition in his book al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihain (link): 

4419 - فحدثنا أبو العباس محمد بن يعقوب ، ثنا أحمد بن عبد الجبار ، ثنا يونس بن بكير ، عن ابن إسحاق قال : حدثني شرحبيل بن سعد قال : " نزلت في عبد الله بن أبي سرح " ومن أظلم ممن افترى على الله كذبا أو قال أوحي إلي ولم يوح إليه شيء ومن قال سأنزل مثل ما أنزل الله فلما دخل رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم مكة فر إلى عثمان بن عفان رضي الله عنه ، وكان أخاه من الرضاعة ، فغيبه عنده حتى اطمأن أهل مكة ، ثم أتى به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم فاستأمن " .

Abu al-Abbas Muhammad bin Yaqoob – Ahmad bin ‘Abd al-Jabbar – Younus bin Bukayr — Ibn Ishaaq — Sharjeel bin S’ad:
This verse was revealed for Abdullah Ibn S’ad Ibn Abi Sarh  (Quran 6:93: And who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about Allah or says, "It has been inspired to me," while nothing has been inspired to him, and one who says, "I will reveal [something] like what Allah revealed."). When Muhammad entered Mecca (after it’s victory), then he hid in the house of ‘Uthman Ibn Affan (the 3rd Caliph) who was his cousin. And when the situation in Mecca became calmer, he sought refuge for himself. 

Undoubtedly, Abdullah Ibn Sa'd inflicted a significant insult upon Muhammad, and Muhammad was unwilling to spare his life. However, through the intercession of Uthman, Muhammad eventually granted Abdullah refuge. Subsequently, Abdullah bin Sa'd joined the army and participated in looting during wars. The looted goods, which included enslaved women and war booty, became more important to him than Muhammad's claim as a true prophet.

7th Proof:

 Sunan Abi Dawud 4358:

Muhammad wanted to kill Ibn Abi Sarh even through deception 

Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 2683:

Narrated Sa'd:
On the day when Mecca was conquered, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave protection to the People except four men and two women and he named them. Ibn AbuSarh was one of them.
He then narrated the tradition. He said: Ibn AbuSarh hid himself with Uthman ibn Affan. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called the people to take the oath of allegiance, he brought him and made him stand before the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: Messenger of Allah, receive the oath of allegiance from him. He raised his head and looked at him thrice, denying him every time. After the third time he received his oath. He then turned to his Companions and said: Is not there any intelligent man among you who would stand to this (man) when he saw me desisting from receiving the oath of allegiance, and kill him? They replied: We do not know, Messenger of Allah, what lies in your heart; did you not give us a hint with your eye? He said: It is not proper for a Prophet to have a treacherous eye.
Abu Dawud said: 'Abd Allah (b. Abi Sarh) was the foster brother of 'Uthman, and Walid b. 'Uqbah was his brother by mother, and 'Uthman inflicted on him hadd punishment when he drank wine.

Grade: Sahih

Let's read one comment on this tradition: 

It shows the true nature of Mohammad. We have to admit that he was a very shrewd leader. He knew how to secure his alliances. Uthman was too important an ally for Mohammad to upset. He inwardly still wanted the scribe to be killed even though it was politically expedient for him to spare him. This was Mohammad's inner struggle that he wanted his followers to solve for him by killing the scribe without any trial. This would save face in front of Uthman as he could claim that he didn't want to kill him but some hothead follower did it anyway. His followers had the decency to not rush to judgement before their leader had made a clear call. Mohammad after accepting the scribe's pledge still bore enough enmity for him to ask his followers why they didn't kill him? They said they didn't get a sign. Mohammad told them that prophets can't make a treacherous signal with their eye.

This excuse from Muhammad is ridiculous. It means only that prophets can be treacherous in their heart but making an outward sign is what he considers treachery. An outward sign of treachery would have alerted Uthman and that is what Mohammad couldn't risk. He wanted his followers to read his mind and the treacherous intentions of his heart.

This is the man that 1.8 billion muslims follow. It shows how gullible they are. Then again they are never shown these hadiths or even if they are shown these hadiths they read them with the blindfolds of devotion on. 

This was the scribes forced conversion back in to the fold of Islam and to the credit of the scribe he was very grateful to his foster brother Uthman for saving his life. He remained a loyal ally of his foster brother. (Credit: curiousjack6)

Islamic Apologists: The tradition about Verses 23:12-14 is not correct 

We have previously presented the tradition regarding verses 23:12-14 (refer to Proof Nr. 1 above), which includes the words of Abdullah Ibn Sa'd as part of the Quran.

However, some Islam apologists (link) have argued that this tradition cannot be accurate because Surah Muminun (in which these verses 23:12-14 are found) was revealed during the Meccan period, while Abdullah Ibn Abi Sarh embraced Islam later in the Medinan period. As evidence, they cite the following tradition from the book "Asad-ul-Ghaba" by Ibn Athir (link):

أسلم قبل الفتح، وهاجر إِلَى رَسُول اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وكان يكتب الوحي لرسول اللَّه صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثم ارتد مشركًا، وصار إِلَى قريش بمكة
He (‘Abdullah Ibn S’ad Ibn abi Sarh) accepted Islam before the “Victory of Mecca”. He migrated to the Prophet (when he was already in Medina). He was a scribe of revelation, but later he apostated and went back to Quraysh in Mecca. 

Answer:

During the early period of Islam, there was a widespread awareness of the truth behind various incidents that occurred during Muhammad's time and the corresponding revelations of Quranic verses. Consequently, many people accurately narrated traditions about these events.

However, some of these traditions painted Islam and Muhammad in a negative light, and later Muslims sought to preserve the honor of their religion by discrediting them. As a result, these later Muslims employed two strategies:

1. They fabricated numerous Ahadith (narrations) to counter the traditions that revealed the actual truth.
2. They developed the field of 'Ilm-ul-Hadith (Science of Hadith) and categorized certain traditions as 'weak' if they contradicted the honor of Islam.

Despite their efforts, these Muslim scholars and fabricators often made mistakes and were unable to concoct enough falsehoods to conceal the truth.

One specific case that exemplifies this situation is that of Ibn Abi Sarh:

• The tradition of Ibn Atheer, which claims that Ibn Abi Sarh accepted Islam during the period in Medina, is a solitary report without any chain of narration to support it.
• Moreover, the revelation of Surah Muminun (Verses 23:12-14) took place in Mecca, contradicting the claim in Ibn Atheer's tradition.
• Similarly, Surah al-Anam (Verse 6:93) was also revealed in Mecca, wherein Allah Himself testifies to the presence of a person claiming to have fabricated a revelation. This serves as irrefutable evidence that Abdullah Ibn Abi Sarh did indeed accept Islam during the Meccan period, and the incident of his apostasy occurred in Mecca.
• Additionally, the traditions presented in proofs 3, 4, 5, and 6 also pertain to Surah al-Anam (Verse 6:93) and confirm that the incident involving Abdullah Ibn Abi Sarh occurred during the Meccan period.
• Lastly, proof 4 mentions the torture of Ammar Yasir and his companions, a well-known event that unquestionably transpired during the Meccan period. Consequently, it further supports the notion that the incident involving Ibn Abi Sarh took place during the Meccan period.

Therefore, these arguments highlight the "double standards" employed by apologists of Islam, who dismiss all these pieces of evidence while accepting the solitary report by Ibn Athir, which not only contradicts other traditions but also goes against the Quranic text.

Islamic Apologists: It was not Ibn Abi Sarh, but a Christian man who used to claim to add to the Quran

Islamic apologists bring the following tradition to deny Ibn Abi Sarh's role:

Sahih al-Bukhari 3617: