Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies

Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies

Analyzing the Allegation of the Qurʾān’s Influence by Contemporary Culture from the Perspective of Sunni and Shiʿite Exegetes, with Emphasis on the Topic of Female Infanticide

Document Type : Scholary

Authors
Mahdyeh Yarahmadi 1
Seyed Karim Khobbin Khoshnazar 2
Shir Mohammad Alipoor Abdoli 3
1 Department of Qurʼān and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Education, Islamic Azad University of Khorramabad, Khorramabad, Iran
2 Department of Interpretation and Qurʼanic Sciences, Faculty of Qurʼanic Sciences, University of Qurʼanic Studies and Sciences, Malayer, Iran
3 Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Lorestan University, Khorramabad, Iran
10.22059/jcis.2026.405960.1451
Abstract
The allegation that the Qur’ān was influenced by individuals and the culture of its time dates back to the era of its revelation. Some Qur’ānic verses explicitly state that the Messenger of God was accused of the Qur’ān being the product of the Prophet’s (PBUH) interaction with specific individuals rather than a divine, heavenly revelation. On the one hand, the revelatory nature of the Qur’ān’s wording, and on the other, its utilization of certain elements of contemporary culture in many of its verses, make the explanation and analysis of the allegation of the Qur’ān’s influence by the culture of the revelation era highly necessary. In this research, the opinions of selected exegetes from both Sunni and Shiʿite schools regarding the influence and interaction between the Qur’ān and contemporary culture are explained and analyzed using a descriptive–analytical method, and their points of agreement and divergence are examined. Three general viewpoints can be proposed concerning the Qur’ān’s influence by contemporary culture: (1) the Qur’ān is completely detached from and alien to the Arab culture of the revelation era; (2) the Qur’ān was influenced by contemporary Arab culture; and (3) the Qur’ān sifted through Arab culture, affirming what was suitable and positive and nullifying, gradually eliminating, or reforming superstitions and falsehoods. The authors argue that, through a precise examination of rational and textual evidence on the one hand, and historical evidence on the other, the third viewpoint can be validated: the Qur’ān, while establishing its own specific culture over time, also sifted through the Arab culture of the revelation era. Therefore, regarding the aforementioned allegation, the issue of female infanticide is examined through an analysis of the views of selected Shiʿite exegetes (Ṭabrisī, Ṣādeqī Tehrānī, Jawādī Āmulī, Ṭabāṭabāʾī, and Makārem Shīrāzī) and Sunni exegetes (Fakhr al-Rāzī, Sayyid Quṭb, Ālūsī, and Ibn ʿĀshūr) concerning the influence—or lack thereof—of the Qur’ān by the culture of the revelation era. The data collection method in this article is library-based.
Keywords
Allegation of Influence
Sunni and Shiʿite Exegetes
Contemporary Culture
Female Infanticide
Subjects
The Holy Qur’an.
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Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies
Volume 9, Issue 1
Winter & Spring
January 2027
Pages 77-89