ABSTRACT
For many Muslims, the terms “Qur'an” and “muṣḥaf” refer to one and the same thing. They are often used interchangeably. Yet there are significant differences between these two terms. Some of these differences are real and reflect the fact that these terms denote different, albeit related, entities. But other alleged differences that are deeply anchored in the concept of abrogation are not genuine. This link between abrogation and the nature of the muṣḥaf makes discussing the difference between the Qur'an and the muṣḥaf relevant to this book. As we shall later see, the concept of muṣḥaf is at the heart of the legal-textual and textual modes of abrogation.
