Textual Criticism and Qur'an Manuscripts

Keith E. Small

ISBN 10: 0739177532 / ISBN 13: 9780739177532

Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated, 2012

About this Item

pp. 288 Reprint edition.

Seller Inventory # 2642990426

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Textual Criticism and Qur'an Manuscripts
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0739177532
• ISBN 13: 9780739177532
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This unique work takes a method of textual analysis commonly used in studies of ancient Western and Eastern manuscripts and applies it to twenty-one early Qur'an manuscripts. Keith Small analyzes a defined portion of text from the Qur'an with two aims in view: to recover the earliest form of text for this portion, and to trace the historical development of this portion to the current form of the text of the Qur'an.

Small concludes that though a significantly early edited form of the consonantal text of the Qur'an can be recovered, its original forms of text cannot be obtained. He also documents the further editing that was required to record the Arabic text of the Qur'an in a complete phonetic script, as well as providing an explanation for much of the development of various recitation systems of the Qur'an. This controversial, thought-provoking book provides a rigorous examination into the history of the Qur'an and will be of great interest to Quranic Studies scholars.

About the Author

Keith E. Small is an associate research fellow and visiting lecturer for the Centre for Islamic Studies and Muslim-Christian Relations at the London School of Theology.