9:128 & 129 Are Not Part of the Original Quran According to Hadith

Anyone who studies the history of the Quran’s compilation after the prophet’s death will encounter the questionable origins of verses 9:128 and 129 and how these verses were eventually included in the Quran’s mushaf.

MAKKI VS. MADANI

Before getting into some crucial details about this narration, it is worth considering the addition of these verses in the context of the overall Quranic revelation. Every Sura in the Quran is considered either Meccan or Medinan. According to the book “An Introduction to The Sciences of The Quran,” pp. 27-28:

There is a common misunderstanding that Makki means the surah was revealed in Makkah and Madani means it was revealed in Medinah. This is not the case. Makkan revelation is anything that was revealed before the migration of the Prophet from Makkah to Medinah whereas Madani revelation is anything that was revealed after migration. It is a classifcation based on the time of revelation with migration serving the determining factor.

Therefore, if the revelation occurred before the Hijra to Medina, it is considered Meccan. If it was revealed after the Hijra, it is considered Medinan.

Sura 9, Barã’ah, sometimes also called At-Tawba, was the second last Sura revealed and is, therefore, considered a Medinan sura. This is except for verses 128 and 129, which are regarded as Meccan. The problem with this claim is that until the Hijra, all the revelations occurred in Mecca, and after the Hijra, all the revelations occurred in Medina. So, it does not make sense that a Medinan Sura ends with two Meccan verses.

Additionally, we will see that the only witness to these two verses, Khuzayma ibn Thabit Dhu al-Ansari, was an Ansari (resident of Medina), as his name implies. So how did an Ansari companion be the only one to witness these two Meccan verses?