The orientalist claim that the Prophet authored the Qur'an

دعوى أن النبي مؤلف القرآن عند المستشرقين

Zaqzuq presents orientalist views on the source of the Qur'an. He reports that George Sale's English preface states flatly that the Prophet ﷺ was the author, a claim that shaped European writing for a long time, and that Richard Bell argued the Prophet drew on the Bible. These are the author's report and rebuttal, not a ruling by the museum.

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الدعوى

يذكر زقزوق أن بعض المستشرقين عادوا إلى ما قاله مشركو مكة في القرآن، فنسبوه إلى النبي أو إلى مصادر بشرية. ¹ ويعدّ ذلك من أقوى محاولات زعزعة الاعتقاد في مصدر القرآن، لأن الإيمان بالقرآن متى ثبت أنه وحي صار أمراً لا مفر منه. ¹

جورج سيل

يذكر الكتاب أن جورج سيل قرر في مقدمة ترجمته الإنجليزية للقرآن، التي تعود عند المؤلف إلى سنة ١٧٣٦م، أن النبي هو مؤلف القرآن، وأن المعاونة التي تلقاها في ذلك لم تكن يسيرة. ² ويذكر أن هذه المقدمة أثّرت في الكتابات الأوروبية زمناً طويلاً. ²

ريتشارد بل

يذكر الكتاب أن ريتشارد بل رأى أن النبي اعتمد على الكتاب المقدس، ولا سيما في قسم القصص. ³ ويرد زقزوق هذه الدعوى ويرى أن القرآن نفسه يدفعها. ³

Opinions on the question

The question: Is the Qur'an revelation from God, or the composition of the Prophet or of human sources?

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

The Qur'an is revelation from God, and the claim that the Prophet composed it repeats the charge the Meccan pagans made, which the Qur'an itself answers

Zaqzuq treats the claim as a continuation of the Meccan pagans' objections and says biased orientalists took the same path, citing Sale's preface as the clearest example.

Held by: Orientalism and the Intellectual Background of the Civilisational Conflict — Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq

Basis: Orientalism and the Intellectual Background of the Civilisational Conflict — Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq PDF pp. 112 and 113

More opinions (1)

Other viewOther opinion

The Qur'an is the Prophet's composition, or drawn from scriptural sources such as the Bible

The book reports three positions, each attributed: Sale holds the Prophet was the author, Renan treats the mission as an extension of a religious movement of the time, and Bell holds that the Bible, above all in its narratives, was the main source. The book reports these; their original texts are not yet checked.

Basis: Orientalism and the Intellectual Background of the Civilisational Conflict — Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq PDF pp. 113 and 115

Sources

Orientalism and the Intellectual Background of the Civilisational Conflict — Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq , p. 112

Orientalism and the Intellectual Background of the Civilisational Conflict — Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq , p. 113

Orientalism and the Intellectual Background of the Civilisational Conflict — Mahmud Hamdi Zaqzuq , p. 115

Orientalism

Zaqzuq defines orientalism in its narrow sense as Western study of the Islamic East in its languages, history, creeds, law and civilisation. He credits it with positive work on manuscripts and editions and criticises its studies of the Qur'an, Sunna and the Prophet's life. He holds the religious motive to be its first cause, names scientific, commercial and political aims, and sorts orientalists into categories. These are the author's judgements, attributed to him.