The History of the Qur'anic Text: From Revelation to Compilation (Muhammad Mustafa al-Azami)

ISBN: 9789675062636
Author: Muhammad Mustafa al-Azami
Publisher: Islamic Book Trust
Pages: 424 Binding: Paperback

Description from the publisher:
The Qur'an reigns supreme in Muslim hearts as the most sacred of texts: a profusion of exalted ideas to rouse the mind; noble histories to stir the soul; universal truths to awaken the conscience and precise injunctions directing humanity to its own deliverance; all distilled into the melodious essence that is the Word of Allah. Through fourteen centuries Muslims have persevered in championing the text against corruption; memorising its every word and contemplating its every phrase; so that in our own times untold millions have enthusiastially committed each letter to heart.

Beginning with a catalogue of ancient and contemporary attacks on the Qur'an; this expansive book provides unique insights into the holy text's immaculate preservation throughout its history; as well as exploring many of the accusations levelled against it. The reception of divine revelations; Prophet Muhammad's role in teaching and disseminating these verses; the text's compilation under his guidance and the setting of its final external shape shortly after his death; are meticulously and scientifically examinded alongside such topics as the origins of Arabic; its palaeography and orthography; the so-called Mushaf of Ibn Mas'ud; and the strict methodology employed in assembling textual fragments. By way of comparison the author investigates the histories of the Old and New Testaments; relying entirely on Judaeo-Christian sources including the Dead Sea Scrolls and uncovers a startling range of alterations that touch almost every fact of the Biblical Scriptures. Using this as a springboard for assessing Western theories regarding the Qur'an; he makes a sophisticated yet passionate case for questioning the aims of Western scholarship in continuously undermining Islam's holy book; and illustrates convincingly that such research; motivated by more than mere curiousity; has no scientific bearing on the Qur'an's integrity. This monumental effort; a scholarly work composed in an impassioned tone; provides a welcome foundation for sincere study at a time when assailing the Qur'an has become all too common.