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This work aims to distill the findings of a wide variety of scholarly disciplines into a coherent narrative of the Qur'ān's history, from the first oral recitation to the four published Variants in active circulation today. In the process of unraveling the complicated relationships between the oral Qur'ān and the written Qur'ān, it becomes clear that there are, in fact, two histories of the Qur'ān and that the overall history of the Qur'ān cannot be appreciated without understanding the interactions between these two occasionally intertwined but often independent component histories. Discrepancies between the four qur'ānic Variants that are in active use today are indexed and analyzed. While most scholarship views the Qur'ān either in relation to its past and its possible origins, or in relation to its contemporary status as a static, fixed text, this work adopts an organic, developmental approach recognizing that the Qur'ān is a living text that continues to evolve.

A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org.Creating the Qur'an presents the first systematic historical-critical study of the Qur'an's origins, drawing on methods and perspectives commonly used to study other scriptural traditions. Demonstrating in detail that the Islamic tradition relates not a single attested account of the holy text's formation, Stephen J. Shoemaker shows how the Qur'an preserves a surprisingly diverse array of memories regarding the text's early history and its canonization. To this he adds perspectives from radiocarbon dating of manuscripts, the linguistic history of Arabic, the social and cultural history of late ancient Arabia, and the limitations of human memory and oral transmission, as well as various peculiarities of the Qur'anic text itself. Considering all the relevant data to present the most comprehensive and convincing examination of the origin and evolution of the Qur'an available, Shoemaker concludes that the canonical text of the Qur'an was most likely produced only around the turn of the eighth century.

The Qur'anic surahs and passages that are customarily taken to postdate Muhammad's emigration to Medina occupy a key position in the formative period of Islam: they fundamentally shaped later convictions about Muhammad's paradigmatic authority and universal missionary remit; they constitute an important basis for Islam's development into a religion with a strong legal focus; and they demarcate the Qur'anic community from Judaism and Christianity. The volume exemplifies a rich array of approaches to the challenges posed by this part of the Qur'an, including its distinctive literary and doctrinal features, its relationship to other late antique traditions, and the question of oral composition. Contributors are Karen Bauer, Saqib Hussain, Marianna Klar, Joseph E. Lowry, Angelika Neuwirth, Andrew J. O'Connor, Cecilia Palombo, Nora K. Schmid, Nicolai Sinai, Devin J. Stewart, Gabriel S. Reynolds, Neal Robinson and Holger Zellentin.

A revelatory account of early Islam's great diversity by the world's leading scholar of early Qur'anic manuscripts“There is no one better placed than François Déroche to write the history—and tell the story—of how the Quran went from words uttered by Muhammad to inviolable canonical scripture. This is a meticulous, lucid, and fascinating book.”—Shawkat Toorawa, Yale University According to Muslim dogma, the recited and written text of the Qur'an as we know it today scrupulously reflects the divine word as it was originally sent down to Muhammad. An examination of early Islamic sources, including accounts of prophetic sayings, all of them compared with the oldest Qur'anic manuscripts, reveal that plurality was in fact the outstanding characteristic of the genesis and transmission of the Qur'an, both textually and orally. By piecing together information about alternative wordings eliminated from the canonical version that gradually came to be imposed during the first centuries of Islam, François Déroche shows that the Qur'an long remained open to textual diversity. Not only did the faithful initially adopt a flexible attitude toward the Qur'anic text, an attitude strikingly at odds with the absolute literalism later enforced by Muslim orthodoxy, but Muhammad himself turns out to have been more concerned with the meaning than the letter of the divine message.

In this book, Angelika Neuwirth provides a new approach to understanding the founding text of Islam. Typical exegesis of the Qur'an treats the text teleologically, as a fait accompli finished text, or as a replica or summary of the Bible in Arabic. Instead Neuwirth approaches the Qur'an as the product of a specific community in the Late Antique Arabian peninsula, one which was exposed to the wider worlds of the Byzantine and Sasanian empires, and to the rich intellectual traditions of rabbinic Judaism, early Christianity, and Gnosticism. A central goal of the book is to eliminate the notion of the Qur'an as being a-historical. She argues that it is, in fact, highly aware of its place in late antiquity and is capable of yielding valuable historical information. By emphasizing the liturgical function of the Qur'an, Neuwirth allows readers to see the text as an evolving oral tradition within the community before it became collected and codified as a book. This analysis sheds much needed light on the development of the Qur'an's historical, theological, and political outlook. The book's final chapters analyze the relationship of the Qur'an to the Bible, to Arabic poetic traditions, and, more generally, to late antique culture and rhetorical forms. By providing a new introduction to the Qur'an, one that uniquely challenges current ideas about its emergence and development, The Qur'an and Late Antiquity bridges the gap between Eastern and Western approaches to this sacred text.

Der Koran ist noch immer nicht Teil des europäischen Wissenskanons, obwohl er tief in der biblischen Tradition verwurzelt ist. Er gilt weithin noch als exklusiv islamischer Text. Die kritische Bewertung seiner Beziehung zur Bibel und damit zur europäischen Tradition setzt seine Einbettung in die ‒ auch für das spätere Europa formative – spätantike Kultur voraus, in die er sich theologisch innovativ einbrachte. Die großen Fragen der Zeit wurden nicht nur von Rabbinen und Kirchenvätern, sondern auch von der koranischen Gemeinde debattiert. Ihre besonderen Antworten verdienen daher als Beiträge zu einer neuen, sich intensiv in die laufenden Religionsdebatten einbringenden Theologie Beachtung. Die sich dabei abzeichnende Fokussierung des gesprochenen Wortes als der maßgeblichen Manifestation Gottes in der Welt kann nicht außerhalb des besonderen kulturellen Umfelds gesehen werden, in dem lokale Dichtung der arabischen Hochsprache bereits eine besondere Aura verliehen hatte. Der neue Blick auf den Koran erfordert jedoch gleichzeitig eine kritische Neureflektion unserer modernen – nie ganz unpolitischen – Philologien. Der Blick muss frei werden für die Textpolitik des Koran, die den Prozess der Islamentstehung am ehesten erkennbar macht.

For the first time, the dramatic changes the Qur'anic code underwent during the Umayyad period (660-750 C.E.) are analysed and presented on the basis of a selection of material in good part unpublished. Winner of 23rd I.R. Iran World Award for the Book of the Year 2016!

This popular introduction by a well-known Islamic scholar has been updated and expanded, offering a balanced portrayal of the Qur'an and its place in historic and contemporary Muslim society. Features new sections on the Qur'an and its relationship to democracy, science, human rights, and the role of women Contains expanded sections on the Qur'an in the life cycle of Muslims, and in Islamic ethics and law Incorporates additional images and student features, including a glossary. Supported by an accompanying website (available on publication) hosting a range of additional material, including student resources, links to important websites, news stories, and more This title is also available as an eTextbook on the CourseSmart platform, as a Wiley Desktop Edition, or via your preferred eTextbook vendor; eTextbooks offer convenience, enhanced electronic functionality, and flexible pricing options – learn more at www.wiley.com/college/wileyflex