The Quran of Historians

2019 history book

The Quran of Historians Editor| Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi and Guillaume Dye

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Original title| French: Le Coran des historiens
Language| French
Subject| Quran
Genre| summa
Published| 2019
Publisher| éditions du Cerf

The Quran of Historians (French: Le Coran des historiens) is a work of research and historical synthesis on Islam, specifically focusing on the Quran. It was published in three volumes in 2019 by éditions du Cerf after five years of work. The book was described as a "summa" of current knowledge on the history of Islam by several researchers. It is the first commentary on the entire Quran published in the field of Quranic studies in French.

The writing was entrusted to researchers but was directed by Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi and Guillaume Dye. The book includes contributions from twenty-eight researchers.

## Authors

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In addition to Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi and Guillaume Dye,[1] the work has contributions from twenty-six other researchers, including Muriel Debié, Mehdi Azaiez, Samra Azarnouche, and François Déroche.[2][3]

## Work

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According to the authors, the project aims to "deal with the 'Quran as a text' based exclusively on historical and philological research that lies outside the realm of belief."[4]

The work is presented as a review and synthesis of various hypotheses and historical discoveries related to the birth of Islam, the birth of the Quran, its development, its contextual and textual history, the major issues surrounding this text, its writing, propagation, and its canonization into a unique text.[2][5]

### Structure

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Its encyclopedic and comprehensive nature leads some scholars to describe it as a "summa."[6][7][8]

The first volume, consisting of 1016 pages in French, addresses historical and methodological questions. The second volume provides a translation and running commentary on the Quranic text,[6] while the third is dedicated to the bibliography and sources used.[9] The total length of all three volumes exceeds 3500 pages.[10]

### Translations

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An Arabic translation is currently underway.[11]

## Reception

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### Scholarly reception

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Shortly after its publication, the work was regarded by various researchers as a "landmark" or as an important contribution to Islamic research.[7][12][13][14][15] Gavin McDowell of Laval University described the book as follows:[8]

> Le Coran des historiens is a monumental work of Proustian dimensions. Billed as a "a summary (or perhaps: summa) without precedent in history" and also "an unedited adventure of the spirit," whatever that might mean, this dense work does have a legitimate claim to be the first of its kind.

According to Muhammad Bā'azam, it is the only work of such magnitude that exists.[16] The University Platform for Research on Islam (PLURIEL) promoted the book[17] and provided an opportunity to organize research seminars and introductory seminars at Aix-Marseille University.[18] UNESCO and the University of Kufa also organized a conference on the book,[19] as did the French Institute of Islamic Cultures.[20]

### Islamic reception

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The Iranian Ahl al-Bayt International University, recommended reading the book[21] and organized a research seminar focused on it in 2022.[22] The Quran of Historians was cited in the latest work of Muhammad Shahrur.[23] Hisham Abdel Gawad considered this publication as "another step towards popularizing the historical-critical approach among the general public, including the Muslim audience."[24]

The Arabic-speaking website Ahewar highlighted its publication and provided positive commentary.[25] According to Syrian philosopher Hashim Saleh, it is the "most important book of the 21st century."[26] However, an Iranian Shiite preacher criticized the work, accusing it of being part of a Western conspiracy to destroy Islam.[27] In contrast, a Moroccan writer accused the book of being a Shia propaganda directed against Sunni Islam.[28]

### Media coverage

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Radio France featured the book in a program with Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi[29] and in a series of episodes dedicated to the subject.[30] Another program on France Culture invited him along with Muriel Debié and Guillaume Dye.[31]

Le Monde devoted a laudatory article to the book.[5] While Le Figaro, a conservative French newspaper, and Libération,[32][33] a socialist French newspaper, had written articles about the publication of The Quran of Historians, Riposte Laïque!, a far-right French website, accused the book of being an "apology for Islam."[3]

### Sales and awards

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The book was a commercial success in France, selling 12,000 copies in its first six months.[6] It received the Grand Prize from the Institut du Monde Arabe in 2020.[34]

### Others

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The Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute congratulated Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi for the publication of this book.[35][36]

## References

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1. ^ "Religions du monde - Le Coran des historiens ou "le Coran avant l'islam"". RFI (in French). 10 July 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
2. ^ a b Amir Moezzi, Mohammad Ali; Dye, Guillaume (2019). Le Coran des historiens. Paris: les Éditions du Cerf. ISBN 978-2-204-13551-1.
3. ^ a b Grasso, Valentina A. (2022). "The Qu'rān through the Lens of Late Antiquity, Late Antiquity through the Lens of the Qu'rān: Approaches, Perspectives and Possibilities". Harvard Theological Review. 115 (3): 466–476\. doi:10.1017/S001781602200027X. ISSN 0017-8160.
4. ^ De Franceschi, Sylvio Hermann (1 October 2023). "Le Dieu un : problèmes et méthodes d'histoire des monothéismes. Cinquante ans de recherches françaises (1970-2020)". École pratique des hautes études. Section des sciences religieuses. 130 (130): xlv–lxv. doi:10.4000/asr.4285. ISSN 0183-7478.
5. ^ a b "" Le Coran des historiens " : le livre saint de l'islam comme document historique de première importance". Le Monde.fr (in French). 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
6. ^ a b c Avon, Dominique (25 August 2022). "La réception du Coran des historiens par des acteurs musulmans et en contexte musulman". Archives de sciences sociales des religions (198): 31–38\. doi:10.4000/assr.66694. ISSN 0335-5985. S2CID 251873475. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023. "Le Coran des historiens a été publié en novembre 2019, au terme de cinq années du travail d'une équipe coordonnée par Mohammad Ali Amir Moezzi, directeur d'études à l'EPHE titulaire de la chaire « Exégèse et théologie de l'Islam Shi'ite », et Guillaume Dye, professeur d'études islamiques à l'Université libre de Bruxelles. Cette somme, en langue française, fait le point de l'état des recherches sur le texte coranique et son contexte d'élaboration (vol. 1). Elle est associée à un commentaire analytique des 114 sourates coraniques (vol. 2 et 3). Les coordinateurs de cette entreprise ont, en outre, mis en ligne une bibliographie sur les études coraniques en constante actualisation. La presse nationale a accordé un large écho à la publication. Destinée à un public averti, celle-ci est un succès commercial : six mois après son lancement, le coffret a été vendu à plus de 12 000 exemplaires."
7. ^ a b Terrier, Mathieu (18 January 2021). "Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi, Guillaume Dye (dir.). Le Coran des historiens (I. Études sur le contexte et la genèse du Coran. II. Commentaire et analyse du texte coranique)". Abstracta Iranica. 42–43 (1). doi:10.4000/abstractairanica.54281. ISSN 0240-8910.
8. ^ a b Mcdowell, Gavin (2021). M. A. AMIR-MOEZZI et G. DYE (éds.), Le Coran des historiens. I. Études sur le contexte et la genèse du Coran; II. Commentaire et analyse du texte coranique. III. Bibliographie (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 2019). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
9. ^ Helali, Asma (25 August 2022). "Histoire du Coran. Critique des approches des sources". Archives de sciences sociales des religions (198): 17–24\. doi:10.4000/assr.66679. ISSN 0335-5985. S2CID 251872552. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
10. ^ Sassine, Farès (5 March 2020). "Décrypter le Coran". L'Orient-Le Jour. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023.
11. ^ "الشارع المغاربي – المفكّر يوسف الصديق: نعيش في "اللامرحلة" وحكم سعيّد سيأخذنا إلى الكارثة". acharaa.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
12. ^ Avon, Dominique (25 August 2022). "La réception du Coran des historiens par des acteurs musulmans et en contexte musulman". Archives de sciences sociales des religions (198): 31–38\. doi:10.4000/assr.66694. ISSN 0335-5985. S2CID 251873475. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
13. ^ Varia: le coran des historiens ethnographies impliquées catholicisme. Archives de sciences sociales des religions. Paris: Editions de l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. 2022. ISBN 978-2-7132-2923-7.
14. ^ Chih, Rachida; Jordan, David; Reichmuth, Stefan (10 November 2021), "The Presence of the Prophet: General Introduction", The Presence of the Prophet in Early Modern and Contemporary Islam, Brill, pp. 1–13, ISBN 978-90-04-46673-9, archived from the original on 20 December 2023, retrieved 20 December 2023
15. ^ Tottoli, Roberto (20 February 2023). The Qur'an: A Guidebook. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-077132-9. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
16. ^ "قرآن به مثابه سند تاریخی در مقابل متن مقدس، تحلیلی از مجموعه "قرآن مورخان"". پرتال جامع علوم انسانی (in Persian). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
17. ^ "Le Coran des historiens". Pluriel (in French). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
18. ^ "Seminar #2 of the cycle "POLITICAL LANGUAGES IN ISLAM" - Imera". Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
19. ^ marwa (22 May 2021). "The UNESCO Chair for Dialogue, in cooperation with the French Institute in Baghdad, was conducting a symposium entitled "Le Coran des historiens "". UNESCO CHAIR. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
20. ^ "Le Coran des historiens : introduction". Institut des Cultures d’Islam (in French). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
21. ^ "Why is the book "Quran of Historians" important? - Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly". www.ahl-ul-bayt.org. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
22. ^ "Meeting on "Methodology of Quran-Researchers in the West" held at AhlulBayt (a.s.) University - Ahl Al-Bayt World Assembly". www.ahl-ul-bayt.ir. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
23. ^ Šaḥrūr, Muḥammad; Abbès, Makram (2019). Pour un islam humaniste: une lecture contemporaine du Coran. Islam-nouvelles approches. Paris: les Éditions du Cerf. ISBN 978-2-204-13600-6.
24. ^ Gawad, Hicham Abdel (1 January 2020). "Quelle place pour un prolongement théologique croyant ?". La Revue Nouvelle. 1 (1): 39–46\. doi:10.3917/rn.201.0039. ISSN 0035-3809. S2CID 234942192.
25. ^ "محمد الهلالي - عَنْ -قرآن المؤرخين-". الحوار المتمدن. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
26. ^ "هاشم صالح و"قرآن المؤرخين": في نقد الانبهار". Aldar.ma (in Arabic). 28 December 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
27. ^ "قرآن المؤرخين ...ما هي قصته ولماذا يُطالَبُ بنبذه؟" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
28. ^ ""قرآن المؤرخين" محاولة يائسة من أصحابه بقلم:محمد شركي". pulpit.alwatanvoice.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
29. ^ "Le Coran des historiens". France Inter (in French). 10 October 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
30. ^ "La composition du Coran : Série "Le Coran des historiens"". France Inter (in French). 20 January 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
31. ^ "Coran : le regard des historiens". France Culture (in French). 21 November 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
32. ^ Abbès, Makram. "Makram Abbès "Aborder le Coran comme un document historique, pas sacré"". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
33. ^ Sauvaget, Bernadette. ""On fait fréquemment dire au texte coranique ce qu'il ne dit pas"". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
34. ^ "Le Coran des historiens (de Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi et Guillaume Dye)". Telquel.ma (in French). Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
35. ^ Viebke, Moa (16 December 2019). "Congratulations to Professor Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi on the release of his new book, Le Coran des historiens". Roshan. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
36. ^ Viebke, Moa (1 March 2015). "The Qur'an of the Historians". Roshan. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.

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