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Zaid nor anyone else could use them as a primary resource for co
purposes.'
But if the entire Qur'an had been recorded during the Prophet
kept either in his custody or with various Companions, why w
afraid of losing the Qur'an through the ~lfffii:;:'s martyrdom? This o
involves the law of witness.
Numbering in their thousands, the ~lfffii:;: attained Qur'anic k
through the one relevant authority on earth, the Prophet. After
they became the relevant authorities themselves; their deaths t
to terminate the testimony leading back to the Prophet, making
sition of authorised knowledge impossible. So too would the vers
by their hands lose all merit, their owners buried and unable to v
authenticity. Even if a fragment coincided perfectly with the Q
memorised by others, in lieu of a suitable first-class witness it b
best a third-class legal document. That is why in compiling the $
Bakr insisted that every person bring not only verses but also two
to attest that the dictation came directly from the Prophet (wefm
of witness invoked again during 'Uthman's reign). Written verse
course remain on shelves and in cupboards regardless of wh
Yarnama soil soaked up the ~l{[fti:;:'s blood, but the authority o
that essential point upon which the entire value of every docume
was what 'Umar dreaded forfeiting.
4 Referring back to pp. 90-91, Sawwar b. Shabib's hadith. claims that Zai
'Uthrnan's Mushaf with the Prophet's personal copy of the Qur'an. If it h
personal copy, kept in 'A'isha's custody, then Zaid might have afforded it
status in the course of his endeavours.
5 J. Schacht, An Introduction toIslamic Law, Oxford Univ. Press, 1964, Con
6 J. Wansbrough, Qyranic Studies, Contents.
306 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR' ANIC TEXT
4. OrientalistAccusations of Appropriatio
"Then after that [period] will come ayear in which the people will
livered, and in which they will press [wine and oil]"
10 Qpr'an 19:28.
11 Luke 1:5. See also Luke 1:36.
12 Refer to Yusuf Ali's translation of the Holy Qur'an, commentarie
3:35 and 19:28.
13 A. Mingana, "The Transmission of the Koran", in Ibn Warraq (ed.)
if the Koran, p. 112.
14 Qur'an 2:37.
308 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT
15 Qur'an 6:164.
16 Qjir'an 112:1-4.
17 Qur'an 1:1-2.
THE ORIENTALIST AND THE QUR' AN
Flugel's edition which has been so widely used and so often repr
is really a very poor text, for it neither represents anyone pure t
Oriental text tradition, nor is the eclectic text he prints formed o
ascertainable scientific basis.!"
86 N° 30 = SOURATE LlII
25 Cambridge, 1914.
26 The two writings (the Qur'an and the Christian text) are
another. This type of writing is called palimpsest.
27 Mingana and Smith (eds.), Leaoesfrom Three Ancient OYrdns
28 ibid, p. xxxvii.
THE ORIENTALIST AND THE QUR' AN
Mingana's
manuscript:
.uy l.:S.;:
29 ibid, p. xxxviii.
30 There is a small alif on y which, unfortunately, this word-processo
31 Mingana, Leaoesfrom Three Ancient Qurans, p. xxxviii. He cites the sa
for verse 9:24.
32 See this work pp. 130-1.
33 Mingana, Leaoes from Three Ancient Qyrans, p. xxxix.
314 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR' ANIC TEXT
7. Conclusion
45 ibid, i:81-92.
46 Qur'an 16:44.
47 H. Bobzin, '~ Treasury of Heresies", in S. Wild(ed.), The Qyr'an as
48 ibid, p. 174. Italics added.
320 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT
ORIENTALIST MOTIVATIONS:
A STUDY OF SUBJECTIVITY
1. TheJewish Analogue
But I'm not really concerned whether I dislike or like the relig
Judaism. I want more things for the religion of Christians. I wa
reign of Christ to be more glorious, which it would be certain
having 20 million more Jews on board."
The incredulity is well placed, for the real issue here is not co
but rather the willingness to tow the line on a 'definitive inter
Following this scheme from the outset and fiercely guarding t
from general academia, the team has shown no regard or recog
any sort of scholarship - Jewish or otherwise - except that which
specific intent. What clearer example of inbred subjectivity
be~14
13 ibid, p. xiv.
14 Note that all the previous quotes are from the first printing, they wer
omitted from the second (and perhaps in subsequent) printings. The Biblic
logical Society successfully published A Facsimile Edition qf the DeadSea Scr
amid much praise (along with bitter condemnation from the Scroll edit
horror, I discovered that in the second printing of this set Hershel Shan
foreword has shrunk from 36 pages to just two. No substantial note was g
omission.
15 H. Shanks, "Scholar Claims Palestinian History is Suppressed in Favor o
BiblicalArchaeology Review, MarchiApril 96, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 54. "Whitelam
considered so significant that it was delivered in one of the very few session
jointly by the Society of Biblical Literature, the American Academy of R
the American Schools of Oriental Research." [ibid, p. 54.]
326 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT
16 ibid, p. 56.
17 ibid, p. 56, quoting Keith Whitelam.
18 ibid, p. 69.
19 Joseph Schacht, The Origins rf Muhammadan funsprudence, 2nd
Press, 1959, Preface.
ORIENTALIST MOTIVATIONS: A STUDY OF SUBJECTIVITY
3. Searehingfor Impartiality
that Luther would bring the Kingdom of Mahomet into these Part
that his Ministers and Followers would quickly fall into Mahomeui
Certainly if ever any Religion was perverted by Adversarys,
Contempt, and thought unworthy of Refutation, it was this Re
[of Islam]. If one would design an abominable and base Doctr
the fittest Epithet, he calls it Mahometan; and the very TUrks don't
such a Doctrine: As if there was nothing good in the Mahometan C
hut every Article corrupted. Nor need we wonder at this, since
is the greatest Agreement betwixt the Devil and Mahomet, as the A
of the 4th Oration against Mahomet has shewn by many Arguments
anyone of our Youth apply himself to the Study of Theology,
fir'd with a certain generous Ardor of understanding the Mah
Religion, he is sent to [study treatises by Western authors who
with ignorance]. He is not advis'd to learn the Arabick, to hear Ma
Speak in his own Tongue, toget the Eastern Writings, and to see with h
Eyes, not with other Peoples: Because 'tis not worth while (st?J' many) to
so much Trouble and Fatigue, only to consult the Dreams and Raving
Fanatick. 25
4. Pressures andMotives
34 ibid, p. 23.
35 ibid, pp. xvii, 23.
36 A practice which continues to this day.
332 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR' ANIC TEXT
Like other serfs, Jews could not move from one tow
marry; or have more than one child without permissio
their international connections, however, Jews were off
aged to settle in Germany with a view to facilitating tra
that changed the world, the world of hatred. "Let's builda world wi
nations, without classes, without religion, a world without a Lord, thatcallsfO
hatred if other people. "49
5. Conclusion
CLOSING REMARKS
We live in difficult times, and difficult times may well lie ahe
knows best. One or two decades ago the notion of Western schola
Muslims to excise all Qur'anic references toJews might have app
fetched to some, but now the realities of our era blanket us with t
of a hailstorm. What the scholars did theoretically, their govern
now pursuing relentlessly, and their efforts take tangible shape all a
Western intervention in the Islamic curriculum; forced auditing and
directives which openly call for purging the Qur'an of all referenc
or anything unfavourable towards Christians andJews; vague per
with Arabic-sounding surnames (whose names I will not mentio
deserve no publicity), claiming things about Islam which no M
claimed before; 'terrorism experts' who appear on international
to pronounce their judgments on Muslim texts; secularist Turk
the ideal worth aspiring to, while conservative governments lo
impending threat. On all levels, the Qur'an is under assault as nev
What lies ahead is a mystery kept with Allah, but the least w
is to understand the principles of our religion and the essentials
not vary with time. Among these must be our reverence for the
Any piece of text which differs from the Mushaf in our hands,
of what it claims to be, is not and can neoer be part of the Qur'an
any attempt by non-Muslims to dictate to us the precepts and leg
our own religion must be dismissed outright. Whatever the politic
Muslim views on the Holy Book must remain firm: it is the Word
constant, immaculate, unalterable, inimitable.
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Tamim ad-Dan relates, "I heard the Prophet say, '[This religion
reach the expanses of the day and night, and Allah will not lea
any house of mud nor wool [i.e. in the city or countryside] till H
introduced this religion into it, either through the glory of the ho
able or the ignobility of the dishonourable. Such is the honou
Allah will bestow on Islam, and the debasement that He will ca
disbelief '"
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