History of the Qur'an

The Qur'ān is the sacred religious

book of Muslims around the world. Yet its history, from its inception in

seventh-century Arabia to its transmission in the modern world, remains

understudied. The twelve chapters in this book address this lacuna by examining

multifaceted stages in the Qur'ān's history and transmission through a broad

range of methodological and theoretical approaches. The volume examines the

earliest material evidence of the Qur'ān through its manuscript tradition and

explores their content and form. This includes a focus on the Qur'ān's unique

orthography and insights into the Sanaa manuscripts. Additionally, this work provides

new insights by broaching upon critical moments in the Qur'ān's history, such

as the codification of Abu Bakr. A crucial component of the book deals with

approaches to the variant readings of the Qur'ān, understood as being

sanctioned through narrations on the aḥruf. It explores fresh

insights into how Muslim scholars theorised such variances and the way they

related them to the qira'āt, including how they approached the

variant codices of prominent companions. Furthermore, this work explores

understudied non-Qur'ānic transmissions of the Qur'ān alongside the historical

development of Qur'ān translations. This volume advances the field of Qur'ānic

studies and Qur'ānic history.