The Qur’anic Doublets and the Hypothesis of the Later Redaction of the Canonical Qur’an: A presentation and Criticism of Gabriel Reynolds’ Hypothesis

Akhavan Sarraf, Zahra

doi:10.22096/rc.2021.243662

The Qur’anic Doublets and the Hypothesis of the Later Redaction of the Canonical Qur’an: A presentation and Criticism of Gabriel Reynolds’ Hypothesis

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Zahra Akhavan Sarraf

Assistant Professor, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.

10.22096/rc.2021.243662

Abstract

Unbelieving Qur’anic scholars have long studied Qur’an’s codification and canonization. In his recent hypothesis, Gabriel Said Reynolds, assistant professor of Islamic studies and theology at the Notre Dame University of America, generalizes New Testament’s modern research studies to Qur’an and focuses on Qur’an’s “doublets” or repeating passages, and considers the present codex (mushaf) of the Qur’an as a result of the later redaction of a written text provided from two previous Meccan and Medinan written material. This article - which is the outcome of analyzing a detailed article, two speeches of the writer and a series of scientific correspondences and discussions with him - explains his hypothesis and research method, clarifies his methodological mistakes and violation of his own scientific criteria and thus falsifies the validity of his idea. It then academically questions the presuppositions, bases and the content of this view, mentioning the following points: the incompatibility of the Holy Qur’an and the New Testament and thus the invalidity of generalizing the research methods of the New Testament to the Holy Qur’an, the intentionality of repetition in the expressive style of the Qur'an and considering repetition as one of the feature of the Qur’an, Qur’an being oral and readable and transmitted from one heart to another heart through permitted recitations, disclosing the scientific flaws of this proposal resulted from neglecting the views of Muslim Qur’anic scholars, and explaining the inaccuracy of his evidences due to interpretational misunderstandings; it then shows the critical necessity of inspecting the idea.

Keywords

Qur’an’s Doublets

Canonization of the Qur’an

Meccan Source

Medinan Source

Gabriel Reynolds

Orientalists

Redaction of the Qur’an

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