say that] something similar will certainly occur in this [Muslim] community. One of these traditions is related by Ibn Babawayh al-Saduq in his Kamal al-D!n on the authority of Ghiyath b. Ibrahim, who reported from al- adiq,
his forefathers. He [al- adiq]

The Messenger of God said, "All that has happened among the past nations will surely happen in this nation, exactly as a horseshoe follows another and a feather of an arrow follows another [i.e., they are identical]."٣٢

What follows from this is that alteration will necessarily occur in the Quran; other‌
wise, the signification of these traditions will not come to pass.
The response to this is as follows.
First, the traditions in question are supported by single narrations, and, conse‌ quently, they have neither theoretical nor practical value. The claim that they have been transmitted without interruption is arbitrary, with no evidence to support it. These traditions have not been recorded in any of the four authoritative compilations of Shlite traditions. Hence, it does not follow that the incidence of alteration in the Torah will inevitably be repeated in the Quran.
Second, if this reasoning were sound, it would have certainly been evidence that additions have been made to the Quran, as they have to the Torah and the Gospel; and it is evident that this is incorrect.
Third, many incidents have occurred in past nations the like of which has not taken place in the [Muslim] community, such as the worshiping of the calf; the wandering of the Children of Israel for forty years; the drowning of Pharaoh and his compan‌ ions; the dominion of Solomon over humans andjinns; the raising of Jesus to Heaven; the death of Aaron, who was the legatee of Moses, before the death of Moses him‌ self; the receiving of nine manifest divine signs by Moses; the Immaculate Concep‌ tion of Jesus without a father; the transmutation of many among the ancients into monkeys and swine; and countless other events. This is a most convincing argument that what is intended here is not the literal statement of the traditions but some sem‌ blance of it. Accordingly, for alteration to have occurred in the [Muslim] commu‌ nity, it is sufficient that they [Muslims] do not observe the boundaries of the Quran even \Yhen they maintain its outward form, as in the tradition cited at the beginning of this discussion [the letter from al-Baqirto Sad al-Khayr]. This is further supported by another tradition, related by AbU Waqid al-Laythi:
When the Messenger of God set out for Khaybar, he came upon a tree [sacred to the unbelievers] known as Dhat al-Anwat [tree of many branches]. The unbelievers used to hang their weapons on it [for a blessing]. Thus, the believers said, "٠ Messenger of God! Designate for us a [sacred] tree likeDhat al-Anwlif, [the one] they have for them‌ selves." The Prophet said: "Glory be to God! This is just as the people of Moses said,
Designate for us a god, just as they have a goddess. By the One in whose hands is my soul! Indeed, you will follow the path of those before you."٣٣

This tradition is explicit in stating that what shall occur in the community will re‌
semble certain aspects of what happened in past nations.
Fourth, even if it is admitted that these traditions were transmitted without inter‌ ruption, and that they are accurate in what they indicate, they still do not prove that alteration did occur in the past. On the contrary, it might happen in the future, whether