HISTORY OF THE QURANIC TEXT

The Quran reigns supreme in muslim hearts most sacred of texts: untold millions have enthusiastically committed each letter to a profusion of exalted ideas to rouse stories to stir the soul. universal truths to awaken the e injunctions (liret‘ting’ humanity to its own deliverance, elodious essence that is the Wordof Allah. Through fourteen , muslims have persevered in championing the text against curruption , memorisings its every word and phrase Beginning with , catalogue of ancient and contemporary attacks on the Qur’an, This expansive books;‘Tlie ‘History of the Qur’anic Text, provides ‘unique insights into the holy text’s imriiaculate preservation throughout itsihistoriy, as well as exploring of the accusations levelled against it. The reception of divine revelations, Pigophet Mul_1ammad’s role in teaching and disseminating these verses,-)tqrt’s compilation under his guidance and the setting of its final external shape shortly after his death, are meticulously and scientifically examined alongside such topics as the origins of Arabic, its palaeography and orthography, the so—called Mushaf of lbn Mas‘€1d, 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 Judeo-Christian sources including the Dead Sea Scrolls, and uncovers a startling range of alterations that touch almost every facet of the Biblical Spriptures. Using this as a springboard for assessing Western theories regarding the Q_ur’an, he makes a sophisticated yet passionate case for questioning of Western scholarship in continuously undermining Islam’s Holy Bodltfiand illustratels convincingly that siich research, motivated by more than mere scitiriosity/, 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 too common. ‘

• AUTHOR: M.M. AL-AZAMI
• PUBLISHED BY UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY