Fourth, tal;.rif occurs in the sense of "addition or omission in a verse or a sura, while the revealed Quran remains preserved"; and it is accepted that the Prophet had recited these.
Alteration in this sense also definitely occurred in the Quran. For example, one of the things on which Muslims are agreed is that the Prophet recited the basmala [the verse that reads, "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent"] before each sura except the ninth, entitled "al-Tawba." Sunni scholars, however, are in a disagree‌ ment on whether this sentence is part of the Quran. A group of them opted for the view that it is not part of the Quran; in fact, the followers of the Maliki school of jurisprudence go as far as regarding it as reprehensible to recite it before the Silrat al-Fati/:ta (Opening Sura) in the obligatory daily prayers, except if the worshiper determines it to be outside the dispute; on the other hand, others among the Sunnis consider the basmala to be part of the Quran.
As for the Shates, they have accepted the basmala as part of each sura except sura
nine, "al-Tawba". Some Sunni scholars have adopted this as the sound opinion. We shall treat the matter in detail when we begin our commentary on "Surat al-Fatil)a." Thus, in the revealed Quran, there has certainly occurred ta/:trif[in the fourth sense]‌ that is, through addition or omission in the verse or the chapter.
Fifth, ta/:trifis used in the sense of addition; this is to say that parts of the Quran that we now have are not a revealed Word. Alteration in this sense is not true [of the Quran]. This is the consensus of all Muslims and it is, indeed, known imperatively.
Sixth, tal;.rifin the meaning of omission, indicates that the text that we have does not include all of the Quran that was revealed from heaven; rather, some of it is lost for the people.
Alteration in this sense is th<;! one on which there is disagreement. A group has
accepted it as true while others have denied it.

The Opinion of Muslims Regarding al-TarTf

The accepted view among Muslims is that no alteration has occurred in the Quran, and that tht . al-Ghi{a ,that deals with the Quran; in that section, he asserts that there is a consen-
sus on the issue. The most learned jurist, al-Shahshahani, in his discussion on the
Quran in the work entitled al- Urwa al-Wuthqa, maintains the same opinion and