This article compares the seven verse numbering systems of the Qurʾān recorded in classical sources: Medina I, Medina II, Mecca, Damascus, Ḥimṣ, Basra, and Kufa. It compares them statistically to determine the possibility of genetic relationships, the incidence of variation and the typical causes, and whether any of the systems might be considered more reliable than the others. It also compares a number of cases from a literary perspective. The article next suggests a scenario as to how the Kufan system became dominant and concludes with a preference indicated for Medina I.
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This article compares the seven verse numbering systems of the Qurʾān recorded in classical sources: Medina I, Medina II, Mecca, Damascus, Ḥimṣ, Basra, and Kufa. It compares them statistically to determine the possibility of genetic relationships, the incidence of variation and the typical causes, and whether any of the systems might be considered more reliable than the others
