Orientalists and the Theory of Qur’ān Distortion

Document Type : Scholary

Author

Department of Qur’an and Hadith Sciences, Faculty of Theology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

The Qur’ān distortion or nondistortion is one of the old discussions of qur’ānic sciences that has been debated since the time of the Prophet’s (s) Companions. The Shī‘a and Sunnī exegetes have favored the freedom of the Qur’ān from distortion in the introductory discussions of their commentaries in the light of this basic point. In addition to the Muslim thinkers’ viewpoints and opinions, the orientalists have examined the Qur’ān from various angles, too, and one of their research domains is the topic of the Qur’ān and its distortion/ non-distortion, and it forms an important part of their qur’ānic studies. The examination of the orientalists’ approach to the distortion/ non-distortion of the Qur’ān and the reaction of Muslim thinkers in their evaluation and criticism of the orientalists’ viewpoints is a novel horizon in the way to face the existing orientalist stances. The study at hand collected data via library research and analyzed the collected data via analytical-critical approach. The results showed that the existing grounds in the historical narrations that seemingly imply the occurrence of additive and reductive distortion are invalid in terms of their chains of transmission, content, and Islamic principles. The origin of most of the proposed theories is the lack of a correct understanding of the relationship between verses, which leads to the doubt that the qur’ānic text suffers from disunity as a result of distortion.

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References

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Classical and Contemporary Islamic Studies (formerly known as Journal of Contemporary Islamic Studies)
Volume 5, Issue 2
Summer & Autumn
July 2023
Pages 245-255

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