The Integrity of the Qur’an: Sunni and Shi‘i Historical Narratives

By Seyfeddin Kara

Series: Edinburgh Studies in Islamic Scripture and Theology

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Publication Date: July 31, 2024

ISBN: 9781474462235

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 canonized Qur’an’s integrity.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• ʿĀʾisha’s Legal Debate on the Scope of Breastfeeding
• The Litigation of the Two Men According to ‘The Book of God’
• The Prophet, the Jews and the Stoning Penalty
• CaliphʿUmar’s Sermon About the ‘Missing Stoning Verse’
• Transition of the Distortion Narrative into Shiʿi Reports
• Distorting the Book of God
• The Return of the Avenger (Al-Mahdī) and Teaching the Correct Quran
• Conclusion

About the Author

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).

Source: Edinburgh University Press

Author: Seyfeddin Kara (Hartford Seminary)

Publisher: Gerlach Press (July 30, 2018)

The history of the text of the Qur’an has been a longstanding subject of interest within the field of Islamic Studies, but the debate has so far been focused on the Sunni traditions about the codices of Caliphs Abū Bakr and ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān. Little to no attention has been given to the traditions on ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib’s collection of the Qur’an. This book examines both Shiʿi and Sunni traditions on the issue, aiming to date them back to the earliest possible date and, if possible, verify their authenticity. To achieve this, the traditions are examined using Harald Motzki’s isnād-cum-matn method, which is recognized as an efficient tool in dating the early Islamic traditions and involves analysis of both matn (text) and isnād (chain of trans-mission) with an emphasis on finding a correlation between the two.

“Kara’s application of hadith criticism to Shi‘i sources is innovative as well as constructive. Respectful of others’ contributions, he nonetheless subverts conventional sceptical and starkly sectarianized approaches to Scriptural textual history.” (From the foreword by James Piscatori)

Table of Contents

Introduction

• Chapter 1: Western Scholarship and the Early History of the Qur’ān: A Short History of Qur’anic Studies in the West

– Discovering the Biblical Roots of the Qur’an
– Challenging the Muslim Narrations
– Syriac Influence on the Qur’an
– The Wansbrough School
– Decoding Wansbrough
– ‘Muslim Conspiracy’ Against the Qur’an

• Chapter 2: Muslim Response to the Criticisms of the Textual History of the Qur’an

– Convincing ‘Non-Believers’ of the Authenticity of the Qur’an: The Traditional Muslim Approach to the History of the Text
– Arguing Historicity of the Qur’an
– Use of Archaeological Data

• Chapter 3: The Shiʿi Approach to the History of the Collection of the Qur’ān

– Denial of Judeo-Christian Influence on the Qur’an
– The Issue of taḥrīf
– ʿAlī’s Codex in the Earliest Shiʿi Sources
– The Collection of the Qur’an at the Time of the Prophet

• Chapter 4: Introduction to isnād-cum-matn Methodology

– The isnād-cum-matn Method in the Assessment of the Sunni Traditions
– Regarding the Collection of the Qur’an
– Employment of the isnād-cum-matn Method on Fewer Variant Traditions
– Criticism of the Method

• Chapter 5: Traditions Attributed to Muḥammad Al-Bāqir

– Group One Variants
– Isnād Analysis
– Investigating the Identity of the Reporter
– An Analysis of al-Kāfī’s isnād Patterns
– Matn Analysis
– Group Two Variants
– Isnād Analysis
– Matn Analysis
– Group Three Variants
– Isnād Analysis
– Matn Analysis

• Chapter 6: Traditions Attributed to ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib

– Isnād Analysis
– A Brief Study of the Succession Crisis
– Matn Analysis

• Chapter 7: Traditions Attributed to Jaʿfar al-Ṣādiq

– Isnād Analysis
– Matn Analysis

• Chapter 8: Traditions Attributed to Ibn Sīrīn

– Isnād Analysis
– Matn Analysis

Miscellaneous

Conclusion

Source: Gerlach