The scholars of the Caliphate school who narrated this fable at least believed in the Prophets infallibility with regard to the delivery of Gods' messages even though they did not believe in their purity with regard to all of their words and deeds as those who were trained in the Ahlul Bait school. This of course in itself necessitates acceptance of their infallibility in receiving and safeguarding these revelations; because if we don't accept the Prophets infallibility in receiving and safeguarding the revelation there will be conflict and incompatibility with regard to their infallibility in its propagation which is agreed upon by all. If a prophet cannot learn heavenly instruction without errors and mistakes and cannot safeguard it in the proper way; how can he accomplish his mission completely and thoroughly. Therefore, the belief in these types of narratives by some of the scholars of this school is incompatible and inconsistent with their belief in the prophets infallibility in the propagation, acceptance and safeguarding of divine revelation. This is because according to these false narratives the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) did not remain immune from Satanic suggestions and divine protection and infallibility in propagation did not apply to him; With the elimination of infallibility and divine protection, at least in this matter, what confidence and trust in the Holy Quran will remain? If Satan could interfere in one place of the Quran, what reason could exist to keep other parts of it immune from him. Isn't it even possible to say: The verse dealing with the abrogation of satanic suggestion - (if this fable is indeed true) - is itself a satanic suggestion under the shelter of which he could infiltrate the rest of his anti - Islamic subject matter into the Quran!!

Here, we realize what a dangerous objective that they had in mind when fabricating these types of narratives, and how in this way they wished to discredit the strongest proof of Islam.

In the false and fabricated narratives studied in previous lessons their entire attack was only on the Prophet of Islams' identity and to try and destroy its heavenly and Holy esteem while on the contrary the Quran, which was proof of Islam and its everlasting miracle, was not exposed to an attack of doubt and suspicion.

Now, however, they have taken a step further and not only is the Prophet attacked, so is the Quran and the revelation, and its undoubted immunity is given up to doubt and uncertainty!!!

Discovering The Truth.

All of the research that has been conducted up until now and all of the comparative discussions that we have observed in which the texts and documents of these narratives were analyzed from various viewpoints were appropriate and suitable. Its effectiveness, however, was only before discovering the truth behind this event and the essential reality of what happened, and when the veil is removed from the reality of the event there will be no further need for that discussion and research. Now for the truth behind the event: The great historian of the second century A.H Ibn Kolby who died in 204 A.H wrote in his book Al-Asnaam:

"The Quraishites circled the Ka'aba in Mecca saying:

'---Arabic text---'

The Quraishites believed that these idols were the daughters of God! and had the power of intercession with Him. When God sent his prophet to them, however, He revealed to him (in opposition to these vain beliefs) that: 367

'---Arabic text---'

Therefore the speakers of these words were the Quraishites and not the Holy Prophet (s.a.w). The Quraishites did not say this only once, on the contrary it was customary for them to recite this during their circulation around the Ka'aba. During the Haj and Umreh and during circumbulations they always spoke and repeated these words as an invocation. The Surah Najm was then revealed to reflect this type of belief and weak-minded idolatrous thoughts spoken of in the above mentioned words. It contained proof of the futility of their beliefs and words, and reproached and reprimanded them. Unfortunately, however, the narrative mentioned and discussed here reversed the truth, and with an enormous lie and foul calumny they attributed these words to the great Prophet of Islam. Words that never even occured to him or were ever spoken by him. They misrepresented the facts by deceitful means!!

Now that this is so we must find the roots of the appearance of such narratives and search for the reasons and means for their invention. After referring to and researching first-hand records and references, we see that in Islams distant historical past some of the researchers from among Islams scholars found the reason and discovered the means. This researcher is Mohammad ibn Eshaq ibn Khazimeh (died 311 A.H). In reference to the Gharaniq narratives he has said: "These narratives have been created and furnished by atheists and dualists". 368 This scholar also wrote a book on this matter which unfortunately has not remained for us today to enable us to find out about the range of his studies and research and become further acquainted with this fact.

Now, in order to gain an acquaintance with the perimeters of the dualists deeds and the limits of their destruction we will refer to the writings of the authorities on the matter. Researchers from among the experts on Hadith have investigated the circumstances surrounding the plots and destructive acts of the dualists and atheists in the first centuries of Islam, and have given explanations which to an extent remove the veil of mystery surrounding this deed. In a description of those persons who purposefully lied in the narration of hadiths, Ibn Jozy a sixth century researcher and expert on hadiths (died 597 A.H) says:

'There was one group of dualists whose aim was the misgiving in the hearts of the people and to play with beliefs. One maternal uncle and Hammad ibn Salamehs step son. Ibn Abil Auja (one of the well-known second century dualists) entered fabricated hadiths into his step father, Hammad ibn Salamehs books of Hadith.

Ibn Jozy adds: "The great expert on Hadiths Abu Ahmad taken before Mohammad ibn Sulaiman ibn Ali (because of dualism and atheism) he ordered his head to be severed. Because Ibn Abil Auja was certain of his death he said: I swear to God that I have spread among you four thousand fabricated, false hadiths which have made the permitted, prohibited, and the prohibited, permitted. I have changed your days of fasting to days of fast-breaking and your days of fast-breaking to days of fasting. It has also been related that Mahdi Abbasi has said: A man of the dualists admitted to me that he had fabricated and furnished four hundred false Hadiths which circulated among the Muslims".

Ibn Jozy said: "Among those who fabricated false Hadiths we have: (Moghaireh ibn Sa'id) and (Bayan) and then he mentions this remark by Ibn Numayr: Moghaireh was a sorcerer and Bayan was a dualist and Khalib ibn Abdullah Ghasry, the Hakem, killed them both and burned their bodies. Among these dualists there were certain persons who deceived the scholars of Hadiths and entered fabricated Hadiths in their books of hadiths, and later these experts repeated them to others thinking that they were their own narrations. It is related from Hakam ibn Mobarak that: Hammad ibn Zay d declare: The dualists and atheist ascribed twelve-thousand false hadiths to the Prophet (s.a.w)". 369

In addition to these, this humble servant of God has shown in the books "Abdullah ibn Saba wa Asaateer Okhra" 2 volumes, and "Khamsooon wa Me'ah Sahabi Moghtalek" 2 volumes, the results of a series of destructive deeds committed by the dualist of those eras in upturning the truth in Islamic history. They have gone so far in alteration and fabrication and mixing the truth with falsities that they have made the darkness of night seem like the light of day and the light of day seem like the darkness of night. Among the members of this group we introduced a person known as a dualist and atheist named Saif ibn Amir Tamimi and who by writing two books "Alfottoh wa reddah" and "Jamal wa maseer-e-A'esha wa Ali" filled the history of Islam with lies. Among the discoveries presented in this humble servants writings, dualists, we came up upon great companions, conquerors, epic, poets, battlegrounds, cities and lands, rivers and mountains which never existed being nothing but lies, fabrications, alterations and inventions!! 370

From what we have said it has become clear that these types of hadiths and narratives were fabricated by the dualists and atheists in the first years of Islams history so that the Muslims beliefs and ways of thought would be disturbed and that doubt, misgivings and disbelief would become prevalent among them. Following this aim, the hadiths under study were suggested to the gullible, simple-minded scholars of Hadith, or entered into their books without the authors being aware of such. This humble servant believes that the time of the fabrication of such hadiths was the beginning of the second century A.H because experts have said thet Ibn Eshagh (died 152 A.H) included some of them in his book Seerat un-Nabi. 371

It doesn't matter what time these fabrication were created, since their results have been spread throughout the books on commentary and history of the Caliphate school, and have been handed down generation to generation until they have reached this era; thus having formed the way of thought of many of this schools adherents. In the modern era this tragedy took on a new aspect and European and American Orientalists entered the scene gaining access to these types of sources. These scholars, who went about their scientific investigations with colonialist interests and aims, found what they desired and hoped for in these types of books and these kinds of narratives. Therefore, with special bombastic style and varnishing borrowed from the knowledge of the era they included them in their own books and published them in the worlds scientific communities under the title of "Islamic studies" and under the heading of "research and investigation" into the Prophet of Islams life and the Quran. Most regretfully they didn't stop at just narrating these fabrications, but used their own suppositions for the furnishing and glorification of these narratives and introduced them as a historical analysis of the matter and a study of the social and individual reasons for the event, of course under the heading of an impartial, exact inquiry. In the following pages we will see examples of these types of inquiries which were undertaken by famous orientalists on the environs of the Gharaniq fable, and we will also obtain a deeper recognition of the limits and value of this groups scientific works and investigative inquiries.

"The Words Of Islamologists'".

First- Professor Montgomery Watt, professor of Islamic studies and head of the Arabic Department of Edinbugh University in Scotland, in a book quoted from in previous lessons says that:

"In the minds of the Meccans, monotheism was vague, and they didn't see it as being the exact opposite of polytheism, this matter being clearly represented in the story of the (Satanic verses)! Mohammad, who was tired and worn out by the Meccans opposition, awaited a revelation which would clear up the difficulties with the Meccan leaders. It was under these circumstances that a revelation was revealed which did not exceed two or three verses, and gave permission for the mediation of some of the gods in the temples surrounding Mecca. Later he realized that these verses were not inspired to him from God but were really satanic suggestions. At first he wanted to accept them and this shows that in this stage of monotheism he did not refrain from paying respect to or praying to certain supernatural beings which they knew as a kind of Angel! 372

In another place in this book we read: "The various descriptions of this events circumstances are quite diverse, so first of all we had better refer to an explanation of the creditable (!) .... Apparently there was a time in which Mohammad introduced verses in the Quran which probably gave permission for the intercedence of the idols. The contents of one of these verses is:

'---Arabic text---'

A while later another revelation was revealed to him which abrogated the above verses.... Both the first and second verses had been circulated everywhere and the explanation for this correction and abrogation was that Satan had slipped his own inspiration into the first verses without Mohammad being aware of such. This story is very strange and amazing. A Prophet who propagandizes the greatest monotheistic religion gives permission for idolatry (!) In truth this event is so strange that it proves its being based on fact (!) and it is not conceivable that someone fabricated it and wished the Muslims to believe it..... One of the fascinating aspects of this story is that it reveals to us Mohammads opinions and beliefs in relation to his time. Even though Mohammad was sure that the speaker of these verses was not himself and was being revealed to him, in the beginning he was not aware that these verses were contrary to the religion he was the propagator of (!) Doesn't this mean that he himself was an idolator at this time?!......" 373

Second- Professor Watt in another of his books in a lengthy discussion entitled "The Satanic verses, its causes and interpretations" writes such: "Islamic scholars and Jurisprudents who have no understanding of the Western term evolution (gradual development or perfection) believe, that in Mohammads case he was completely aware of the total content of Islamic belief, and it is extremely difficult for them to accept the fact that he didn't see the revealing of "the satanic verses" as being contrary to his beliefs. This is while the truth of the matter is that his monotheism, just as the monotheism of his enlightened contemporaries, is not free of complexity, ambiguity and mystery (!) and they don't think of the acceptance of these gods as opposing or antithetical to "Tauhid", and no doubt they see Lat, Uzza, and Manat as being heavenly creatures but of a lower rank in relation to God.....There is no doubt Mohammad succeeded in gaining the Quraishite leaders' interest in his beliefs by these means. Efforts were made in order for him to agree to a form of permission for worship in the temples surrounding Meccca, and he was initially ready to accept this because of its material advantages, because he knew that this would help in an effortless, easy advancement of his ideas. Later, as a result of divine counsel, he realised that this association and sympathy with the idolators would be fatal for Islam.

As a result he announced a foresaking of idolatry and he went about this with such strong words and so vigorous that he closed the way for any kind of co-operation with them). 374

Third- Joseph Sshact Danish Orientalist and Islamologist, Professor of Arabic in Leeden University and also Professor of the Universities of Cairo, Algeria, Oxford in England, Fryboug in Switzerland and Columbia in the Unites States, in the article "Osool" of the Encyclopedia of Islam, mentions the fabricated, false story of Gharaniq and Satans interference. He says: "Among the Muslims there is no one who doubts the Qurans irrefutability and immunity from mistakes, in spite of the efforts Satan may have made to taint it and mix his words and ideas with the Quran". 375

Fourth- F. Buhl the great orientalist and Islamologist from Denmark (1850-1932), Professor of the University of Leipzig, in the Encyclopedia of Islam under the article Quran, he mentions this very fabricated, false story after the necessary prelude and introduction saying: "The Prophet possessed readiness to recognize and discern the words which were inspired to him from his unconscious mind.....he was responsible for battling with the secret sound of Satan......But sometimes he intended to intermingle the revelation with these secret proclamations from Satan. This matter is completely clear in verse 98 of the Surah Nahl. In order to keep himself immune from these Satanic proclamations he asked for his protection from God.

Reliable narratives (!!) show that at least one time he permitted himself to be tempted by Satan and praised Lat, Uzza and Manat. Afterwards, however, he discovered his error and verse 19 of Surah Najm was revealed to him". 376

This group of Orientalists, in addition to personal motives and sometimes ignorance, were in the clutches of the Western colonialist forces and were the hirelings and wage-earners of the Foreign Ministry or Colonial Department of the great imperialistic governments. Apart from them, however, another group went about the work involved in Oriental studies and Islamic studies. They are church scholars who in the first place follow the aim of Christianizing the world and secondly are the wage earners and aids of the colonialist Imperialist governments with a mediator. Somtimes in bigotry this group excels (outdoes) the firs-rate scholars. One of the outstanding examples of this group is P. F Lammens (1862-1937). Eighty of his articles in the first edition of the "Encyclopedia of Islam" and many of his other books and articles show the height of his bigotry and enmity towards Islam and Ahlul Bait. This group of scholars also gained access to the Gharanig Fable and they use it against Islam in their writings. Among them is one writing which was published in Egypt in Arabic at the beginning of the twentieth century, which was compiled by a group of American Christian scholars against Islam. The writer or writers of this article, which appeared in four parts and was named "Al-Hedayah", after narrating the Gharaniq Fable said that they knew it was the greatest proof of the prophets attachment to and inclination towards the idols. 377

A Summary Of Our Discussion.

In the previous lesson, from among the Caliphate schools narratives, we narrated and studied the fable regarding the first divine revelation. This fable stated: The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) doubted the revelations of the Lord, and he thought that the angel delivering the revelations was a jinn or devil - God Forbid! After wards we stated the truth behind the occurance from the narratives related to this event in the Ahlul bait (a.s) school.

In this discussion we study a bigger lie than the previous one, a lie which has gained vast publication in the historical and biographical texts of the Caliphate school, and that being the Gharaniq Fable.

A summary of this fable has been narrated by Tabari and many other scholars as such:

When the Prophet (s.a.w) was reciting the Surah Najm and came to the celebrated verse:

'---Arabic text---'

Satan caused him to say: 378

'---Arabic text---'

and the Prophet recited these words among the Quranic verses in his recitation. The idolators were gladened that the Prophet spoke such words in description of their idols and prostrated along with the Muslims while Valid, who was one of the Quraishite leaders, took a fistful of earth and prostrated on it since because of his advanced age he could not bend over.

News of this occurance reached the immigrant Muslims in Abyssinia, they thought that the idolators of Mecca had accepted Islam. They returned to their homeland but upon arrival saw that the idolators had remained firm in their idolatry.

After this event Gabriel appeared to the Prophet and informed him that the aforesaid verses were from Satan and the Prophet became greatly saddened and unhappy and God sent this verse to console him:

'---Arabic text---'

* * * * * * * * *

This was a summary of this enormous lie and fabricated, dangerous fable, and we said in a description of its many weak and defective points that: This fable centered around verses from the Surahs Najm and Hajj. In the part concerning the Surah Najm the verses which mention the three famous Arab idols are included in a group of this Surahs' verses which are verses 17-30. This group of the Surah Najms verses and unified and uniform as to the subject matter of their topic of discussion, and all of their remarks revolve around the three Arab idols. The Quran had repeatedly refuted them with a series of impressive reasons and ridiculed the idolators beliefs regarding them since they believed that those idols were the angels and daughters of God and would intercede for them on resurrection day. Following this very aim, these verses in Surah Najm say: "They thought of the angels as being girls and women and addressed them likewise". And adds, "are you to have sons and the lord daughters?" Also in the Surah Saffat it has also come to us: 'Then ask them whether your lord has daughters and they have sons. Or did we create the angels females.....? 379

In a continuation of the battle with the beliefs possessed by the idolators the verses of Surah Najm say: These idols are not symbols or signs of forgiveness nor angels and they have no power of intercession; up until the point where it is said: "There are many angels in heaven...who possess no power of intercession....." With this statement the Holy Quran makes man realize: When the intercession of angels has no effect how can the lifeless, mindless statues you think of as images of angels have any benefit or intercession?

These types of verses in the Holy Quran debate with the idolators and ridicule their beliefs regarding Lat, Uzza and Manat, and these are the clearest and most explicit verses in the Quran on this subject. Anyone who understands Arabic words and language will see that adding the satanic verses to these verses would be completely unharmonious, and this is understandable to anyone familiar with the Arabic language. This inharmony can in no way remain hidden just as a piece of coal in a bowl of sugar cannot remain hidden from the sighted person.

* * * * * *

This was the result of the study of the verses in Surah Najm and the lies that have been forged regarding it interpretation, and the fables they fabricated regarding them.

In Surah Haj, however, the discussion concerns the verse:

'---Arabic text---'

and also the fables they narrated on an interpretation of it. This verse has also been revealed among a group of verses which possess unified subject-matter and a relationship with one another which may be realized after a short deliberation. This group begins with verse 92, the place where God says: "And if they reject you, then already before you did the people of Nuh and Ad and Samud reject their prophets".

This statement continued and He says: "And (as for) those who strive to oppose our communications, they shall be the inmates of the flaming fire. And We did not send before you any apostle or prophet, but when he desired, the Shaitans made a suggestion respecting his desire, but Allah annuls that which the Shaitan casts then does Allah establish His communications, and Allah is knowing, Wise".

The verses in this Surah are so apparent with the flow of words continuing as such up to verse 57, that we can summarize them like this: O' Prophet! your rejection by your people and their efforts to destroy your "school of thought" are not peculiar to you and your religion alone. The idolators among the previous nations also acted the same way with their Prophets Noah, Saleh and Abraham etc. They all strove to destroy Gods' verses and there was no prophet who was not tempted by Satans' suggestions in the way of establishing his Holy aim. In all eras Satan has strived to prevent the prophets from obtaining their desire regarding the peoples' guidance. Of course God destroyed all of Satans plots and efforts and established his own verses.

God has also said the same in another place: "And thus did we make for every prophet an enemy, some of them suggesting to others varnished falsehoods to deveive (them), and had your lord pleased they would not have done it, therefore leave them and that which they forge". 380

God annuls all of these types of Satanic inspirations and suggestions and abrogates their effects. This was satanic inspirations and suggestions and abrogates their effects. This was satans ways and means for confronting the Prophets efforts in the way of the peoples guidance and divine grace.

The meanings of the Quranic verses in these surahs are in all clarity and free of ambiguity, just as they were presented to you here, but this is only if we possess an impartial mind and refer to the Quran without any form of pre-judgement. Unfortunately, however, we must say that if we refer to the Hadiths which exist in the Caliphate Schools books of history, commentary and the Prophet biography, just as we have seen, the matter is presented in a way completely opposed to the Quran. By relating and studying those narratives, however, the truths below appear:

A- According to their content these narratives contain several contradictions:

1- These narratives say: When the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) was reciting the Surah Najm and came to the names of the famous Arab idols (Lat, uzza and Manat), Satan inspired him to say:

'---Arabic text---'

and the Prophet unknowingly recited them.

When Gabriel informed him that these words were not revelations, however, he was saddened and God revealed verse 52 of the Surah Haj for his consolation All of this was said even though the Surah Haj is Medinan, meaning that it was revealed in Medina while the Gharaniq fable says that this event occured many years before that in Mecca and before the migration to Mecca.

2- Some of these Hadiths have contradictions and contrast with others in content, especially the second Hadith (which .is also the most detailed, in which various parts in it contain clear contrariety.

3- The contents of all these narratives are inconsistent with the prophet (s.a.w) infallibility, at least with regard to their reception of revelations and their propagation, while they are also contradictory to explicitly and veritable Quranic texts which state that Satan has no form of severeignty over the believers and the devoted.

4- This fable is contradictory to the Prophets natural disposition which has been introduced by successive witnesses in histories, narratives and biographies, because all of these records pronounce that from childhood he spoke in nothing but ill terms regarding these idols.

These were examples of the contradictions and contrasts present in the texts of these narratives.

B- The narratives spoken of are also discredited by several weaknesses and difficulties in their "chain of transmitters", in which, with the exclusion of one narrative, all of them originate with persons who not only did not witness the time of the event they were also all from the class following the companions called the followers (Tabe'in).

As for the narrative which was narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas, even though he is know as one of the Prophets' companions, since he was born in the third year before the mission, he had not yet been born at the time of this occurance which took place in the first years of the mission and even if we assume that he had been born he was so young that he couldn't have understood such an event or even gain presence there.

Therefore, room for this question is made: How can these narrators relate an event at which none of them were present?

Discovering The Truth.

All of these narratives say: The first person to speak the sentence '---Arabic text---' was the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) and the Quraishites heard it from him and used it. Ibn Kolby, the creditable historian and student of Imam Ja'far ibn Mohammmad al-Sadeqh (a.s), however, removes the veil from the truth of the event.

In his famous book Al-Asnaam, he says on this matter; "The Quraishites on their processions around the Ka'aba would say:

'---Arabic text---'

They believed that their idols were the daughters of God and possessed intercession with him.

When the Prophet was appointed, however, God revealed to the Prophet in annulification of this belief that:

"Have you then considered the Lat and the Uzza, and Manat, the third, the Last? What! for you the males and for Him the females! This indeed is an unjust divisions! They are naught but names you have named, you and your fathers; Allah has not sent for them any authority".

Just as it was researched, Hesham Ibn Kolby a student of Imam Sadeqh (a.s) school of thought, 381 raises the curtain from before the truth of the event and shows the falsity of the above mentioned hadiths. 382

The care and extent existant in Hesham Ibn Mohammad Kolbys' writings is but a small indication of the scholarly care and extent of their thinking in Imam Sadeqh's school of thought.

Here it is possible that a seeker of the truth would ask: "Then where is the root of these narratives?" The answer to this question has been given by the old Islamic scholar, Mohammad ibn Eshaq ibn Khazimeh.

He wrote a book on the matter and proved with firm reasons and proof that: These false narratives were fabricated and furnished by the atheists and dualists.

* * * * * * * * *

This humble servant of God has spoken in detail of how the dualists went about fabricating hadiths in order to inspire doubt in the minds of the Muslims, in the introduction to the first volume of the book Abdullah ibn Saba and the book "Khamsoon wa Me'ata Sahabi Mokhtaleq".

At any rate, unfortunately the narrative of Imam Sadeqhs student (Ibn Kolby) , which clarifies the truth, has not gained publication and only those narratives have been published which the dualists, atheists and enemies of Islam have fabricated. It is interesting to note that no scholar of the Ahlul Bait (a.s) school has narrated the narratives of the Gharaniq Fable except those who wished to critisize it.

The Enemies Of Islam Take Advantage:

In the present era, Christian missionaries, Jewish and Christian Orientalists and Communists have written and published many discussions on the study of Islams various aspects the most important and lengthy of these being the set "Encyclopedia of Islam". 383

These articles which deal with giving an understanding of Islams' beliefs, laws, history and nations, the evolution of the Muslims way of thinking, their politics and beliefs and also a study of the Quran and its history and the Prophet and all aspects of his life, all or most of them followed a single, spiteful motive; the destruction and obliteration of Islam. These sorts of persons used the fabricated, false "Gharaniq Fable" in a special way, and in addition to presenting it to the people of the world they added to it and furbished and varnished it to a great extent with analyses and assimilations so that they could obtain a new angle for their motive with regard to Islam, the Quran, and the Prophet. These Orientalists and Christian missionaries did not travel to the east and world of Islam on an academic mission in search of the truth for them to refer to Imam Sadeqhs' student Hesham ibn Hakam or other renowned men of this school. Since they could not obtain their colonialist ambitions in the students of Ahlul Bait (a.s) they had no choice but to turn away from this school and face the direction in which they could find proof for their motive.

The narrative presented in the Gharaniq Fable brought the esteemed personage of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) down to a level lower than the average intelligent person, and in addition opens up a way for creating doubt in the Holy Quran just as we have seen accomplished in the deeds of the Orientalists.

Thanks be to God who bestowed upon us the Grace to discover and reveal this enormous lie.

383) This encyclopedia which we have mentioned frequently in these discussions, was begun under the supervision of the International association of Academies and with the help of the Royal Academy of Holland. Its' first printing was published in the years 1913-1936 in English, German and French under the supervision of a group of famous Orientalists. In 1953 a condensed version of it was published and the first volume of new printing was published in 1960..