the perfection of the Qur'an.
Triggered by
this post by Bill, itself a reply to
this post by Zack, an interesting
discussion in the comments of Bill's new MT-based IdeoFact.
I personally don't fear any research that shows differences in Qur'anic text in the same way that a Sunni believing in the Qur'an as an uncreated text would, or a Catholic faced with proof of Christ's bloodline via Mary Magdalene. The fact that these early Qur'anic texts were found in Yemen, favored by Ali AS in those times, speaks volumes to me.
Regardless of whether the Qur'an was created or uncreated, the perfection and completeness of the Qur'an is absolute. I think that the whole created vs increated debate is really about whether the Qur'an even NEEDS to be interpreted or not (and if so, by whose authority? We Ismailis certainly have our own perspective on that!).
UPDATE: David Ross has some insightful analysis. I'd like to note that I am a Fatimi Ismaili Bohra, not a Nizari Ismaili or an Ithna Ashari. That means that I don't believe in the Mahdi, and I believe in 21 Imams, not 12. I don't believe that the Aga Khan is the Imam, either. My sect is described in detail in the book
Mullahs on the Mainframe by Jonah Blank.
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posted by Shi'a Pundit