Contents

PART I

Xl
XVlll

Introduction The Qur'an and Its Names 3
Chapter 1 The Authorship ofthe Qur'an 7
The authorship oJthe Gospels
The authorship oftile Pentateluh
Books held sacred by other religions
Orienta/ists' claims about the authorship ojthe Qur'iin
Claims that the Prophet was a poet
Claims that the Qur'iin resulted from his imagination
Claims that he was an epileptic
Claims that he composed the Qur'iin helped byJewish and
Christian sources
Chapter 1 The Divine Composition ofthe Qur'an 18
The Qur'iinic literary style
More Orie,ntalists' comments on the Qur'iinic style
Comments by modern Arab linguists
The frequency ojoccurrence ojalphabetical letters
Individllal letters at the beginning ojSurahs
The subject matter oJthe Qur'iin
Conclllsion
Chapter J First Writing ofthe Qur'an
The reve/atiom came down in instalments
Early memorizing and writing ojthe Qllr'iin
Historical evidence
Chronological and textllal orders

35

CClIIlmlS
Titles (~f tllf: Siiralls
Tile textllal order was kllowII in tile Propllet's time
Collection ofti,e written texts
Issuing oftile statldard copies
Present-day Mu~-~afs
Sciences and arts related to tile Qur'iin
Chapter 4 On the Qur'anic Textual Order
Attempted changes itl tlte texlllal order
Rodwell's hypotllesis
jeffery's aSSlfmptions
Illvellted criteria for Meccan and Medinall revelations
Meccall alld Medinall verses combitled
Links between consecutive Siiralls
Chapter 5 English Translations of the Qur'an
Historical note
Assessment ofEnglish tramlatiotls
Mistaken English translations
1 Nescience ofthe Arabic word's exact meatling
2 Awareness ofonly one shade ofmeaning
3 Confilsion between diffirent Arabic words
4 Limited knowledge ofArabic eked out witlt figments of
imaginatiotl
5 Mistaking Arabic fer Hebrew or Syriac
6 Some con}Usion with Hebrew Traditions

52

64

Chapter 6 Judgements based on Mistaken Interpretations 80
The Names ofAllah
Islam and Hanyjism
Intermediaries Asserted in Islam
Islam accused ofpolytheism
Imagined contradictions
Assertions ofthe Middle Ages
More recent assertions

J

Chapter 7 Abrogations
How the subject is mentioned in the Qur'an
Some Orietrtalists' comments
VI

93

COli/Cuts

Alleged abrogatiolls in the Qur'all
1 Illtoxicallts
2 Widows'R(llhts
3 .Idol worsllip: a special abrogatiotl alleged
4 Traditioll ima,llilled to abrogate a Qur'allic code
COl/clusion
Chapter 8 A Pause for Recapitulation
PART II

105

Chapter' The Qur'anic Concept ofGod 111
Allah
His Imity and attributes
Orientalists' comments 01/ AlIal,'s Unity
From the Old al/d New Testamellts
Oriel/talists' commetlts 01/ ti,e attributes ofGod
Allah's Love
Chapter 10 Islam as defined in the Qur'an 128
The ul/iversality ofIslam
Islamic belief
Islamic rites
Declaratiol/ ofthe.faith
Prayers (al-~alah)
Oriel/talists' commellts on ti,e Prayers
Alms (al-zakall)
Fasting (al.~QI,'m)
Pilgrima,lle (al-~ajj)
Contrast betweel/ Islam and Muslims
Chapter 11 The Qur'anic Attitude towards other Religions 143
Qur'anic record ofthe earlier prophets
Islamic attitude towards Christians al/d the Bible
What happetled to theJewish commullities around Medina
The Bal/i-Qail/oqa'
The Bal/i-I/-Na4ir
The Bal/i-Qurait!hah

The Jews at Khaibar

Cowell(S
The Qur'allic attitude towards idolators and others
How Islam was introduced to other peoples
Chapter 11 The Qur'anic Code ofMorals
Transcendent versus relative morality
The act, the overseer and the judge
The subject. ofmoral, intellectual and physical health
Earning and spending
Family life
Marriage
Prohibited marriages
Plurality ofwives
Divorce, when and how?
The status ofwomen
Parent-child relationships
The Qur'anic attitude towards slavery
COllclusion
Chapter 13 Predestination and Free Will
Does the Qur'all preach fatalism?
What the Qur'an preaches 011 the theme
The Qllt'iin versus the Prophet's teaching
Conclusion

164

192

Chapter 14 The Qur'an and the Metaphysical World 205
The spirit (ar-roub)
The soul (an-naft) and the /teart (al-qulb)
Death - the grave
Resurrection
Judgement
Hell-fire
Paradise
Angels
Jinll
Conclusion
Chapter 15 General Conclllsions
Appendix I Transliteration of Arabic Words
VIlI

218
221

CO/ltt'nts
Appendix II Order ofthe Qur'anic Surahs 224
Appendix lJI Surahs revealed partly in Mecca and partly 228
in Medina
BiblioRraphical Notes 230
Bibliographical References 241
Index ofQur'iinic references 246
General Index

Book The Sublime Qur'an and Orientalist author :