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Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology

The Integrity of the Qur'anSunni and Shi‘i Historical Narratives

By Seyfeddin Kara

Open access
Format

Free to read

Open access under CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0

About this book

Advances the method of isnād-cum-matn analysis for unravelling complex aspects of early Islamic history

  • Establishes the earliest dating of the Qurʾanic codex based on the study of hadith
  • Contributes to the textual history of the Qur’an
  • Examines the claims regarding the integrity of the text of the Qur’an
  • Uses case studies of the verses on stoning and breastfeeding, making it relevant to contemporary studies in the field


This book investigates Muslim narratives on Qurʾanic distortion through a meticulous analysis of hadith. Using isnād-cum-matn analysis, Seyfeddin Kara discovers the historical origins of this disputed claim and illuminates the dynamic interplay between Sunni and Shiʿi traditionists. He demonstrates that isnād-cum-matn analysis is not only an important tool for dating hadiths but also crucial for uncovering forgeries. By identifying the individuals responsible, he provides new explanations of forgery culture in early Muslim society. Kara illuminates debates over the textual integrity and evolution of the written Qurʾanic text, offering insights into the enigmatic early history of Islam. By pushing the boundaries of isnād-cum-matn analysis, this book makes methodological advancements in the study of early Islamic history and contributes to its reconstruction on the question of the canonised Qur’an’s integrity.

Reviews

In this technically complex book with its sophisticated methodology, Seyfeddin Kara persuasively argues that the Quran was compiled and fixed within two years of the Prophet Muhammad’s death, and that narratives within certain small Sunni and Twelver Shii groups about the Quran’s textual distortion are historically untenable.
Professor Kara’s book will become the work on the history of the codification of the Qur’an. It is an overdue study and offers new analysis of the data. This is the first study that takes into consideration not only Sunni sources but also Shiite sources. Kara’s work will become the standard work on the history of the Qur’anic text.
[A] rigorously researched and insightful study that offers fresh perspectives through detailed analysis and historical interpretation. Carefully analytical, sensitive to how texts are shared and received, and deeply aware of the lasting challenges of defining communities and identities, [t]his work will prove indispensable reading for those involved in future Qurʾānic and aḥādīṯ research.
Table of contents

Foreword

Introduction

  1. ʿĀʾisha’s Legal Debate on the Scope of Breastfeeding
  2. The Litigation of the Two Men According to 'The Book of God'
  3. The Prophet, the Jews and the Stoning Penalty
  4. CaliphʿUmar’s Sermon About the 'Missing Stoning Verse'
  5. Transition of the Distortion Narrative into Shiʿi Reports
  6. Distorting the Book of God
  7. The Return of the Avenger (Al-Mahdī) and Teaching the Correct Quran


Conclusion
Bibliography

About the author

Seyfeddin Kara

Seyfeddin Kara is an Assistant Professor of Islamic Origins at University of Groningen. He is also a Marie Sklodawski Curie Global Fellow at Lund University and the University of Toronto. He holds a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Durham. Dr Kara’s academic journey includes a prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Global Fellowship, with research terms at the University of Toronto, the University of Lund, and the University of Göttingen. He has received grants from the European Union, Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and other funding bodies. Dr Kara has also taught at the University of Durham, UK, and served as an Assistant Professor at Hartford International University, US. His scholarly work encompasses research articles in journals such as the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, the Muslim World, and Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. Kara authored In Search of Ali ibn Abi Talib's Codex: History and Traditions of the Earliest Copy of the Qurʾan (2018).

More in this series

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