Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies

Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies

Criticism of the study of the special origins of the Orientalists about the reading of the Holy Qur'an

Document Type : Scholary

Author
Baqer Riahi Mehr
Department of Comparative Studies of the Qur’ān, Qur’ān and Hadith Specialized University, Al-Mustafa International University, Qom, Iran
10.22059/jcis.2025.376175.1381
Abstract
The science of recitation is one of the Quranic sciences that plays a significant role in understanding the Quran and differences in recitations will be effective in understanding different meanings of the Quran. According to the importance and connection of the difference in readings with the change and distortion of the words of the Qur'an, Orientalists have researched and raised doubts in this field. Using the descriptive-analytical method and with a critical approach, the present article investigates the foundations and origins of certain opinions of famous orientalists, including: 1- Disbelief in the authenticity of the Quranic revelation, 2- Proving the occurrence of distortions in the Quran, 3- Proving that the Quran is controversial, 4- Belief in anxiety and lack of stability in the text of the Qur'an. It seems that what forms the intellectual foundation of this group of Orientalists is, firstly, the long-standing hostility of the West towards Muslims, which is also visible in their approach to studying the Qur'an, and on the other hand, the lack of attention to the principles of research. And it can be clearly seen that the aim of Orientalists from such research was not and is not to know Islam and the Qur'an. The researches of Orientalists on the issue of readings of the Qur'an, whether from the point of view of the research method, the lack of investigation of Imamiya sources and the lack of full knowledge of the issue of differences in readings, are among the unacceptable shortcomings and shortcomings of Orientalists.
Keywords
The origins of the Orientalists
Differences in reading
The science of reading
Collecting and compiling the text of the Qur'an
Subjects
The Holy Qur’ān.
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Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies
Volume 9, Issue 1
Winter & Spring
January 2027
Pages 33-45