نشریه قرآن پژوهی خاورشناسان (قرآن و مستشرقان)
سال نهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 16، بها و تابستان 1393)

The orientalists can be classified into two groups: one group views revelation as a phenomena and therefore, its study centers on the sociological aspect and to some extent the psychological aspect of the genesis of prophethood. The other group that believe in God and the Unseen [Supernatural realities], along with these earthly and humanly centered issues, observe the inner impulse too, and assume that is guided by the supernatural reality. However, not all orientalists who believe in God have this view concerning the prophethood of the prophet. Rather, some of them consider the prophet Muhammad in accordance with the first group’s view. William Montgomery Watt can be considerd among those orientalists who has introduced phenomological study of revelation and prophethood in the western world from a divine perspective with reference to Christian theology and has tried to bring them together. The present paper deals with the paradigm of the phenomenological study of watt with regard to the revelation and prophethood and in the second section, we have critically examined those paradigms.

Abrogation is one of the most vital issues in the Qur’anic history and therefore, various Islamic scholars and Orientalists have propounded their views on this subject. Montgomery Watt, Rodnson and David powers are amongst prominent orientalists who have propounded their views concerning abrogation, a critical review of which is proposed in the present article. “Manuscript abrogation and moderation in the Quran”, “abrogation; a means for lightening the juristic laws from the Prophet” by Montgomery Watt, “abrogation: a contradiction in the Qur’an” by David Powers, “abrogation; a result of different tastes” and “abrogation; requirement of the community of two anti-entity” by Rodnson are the views that have been critically examined in this paper.

The present research deals with the article presented in the Qur’anic encyclopedia entitled Adam and Eve. In this article, Cornelia Schock has dealt with the issue of the declaration of Adam’s creation, teaching all names to him, prostration of angels to Adam, descent of Adam and Eve on earth and the children of Adam. The repetition of the word Adam in the Qur’an, discussion of angels, discussion in the meaning of Caliphate, creation of Eve, and declining the command of Allah by Satan are among the issues in Cornelia Schock’s article that should be critically examined. In this paper we have critically examined these concerns.

The entry criticism of hadith is one of the most important and principal articles that contains rich information and has been placed in the third volume of the encyclopedia of Islam.The author has been partly successful in dealing with the main issue of hadith. However, he has provided issues with regard to the genesis of hadith, collection of hadith, assemblage of hadith texts, criticism of hadith, level and stage of authenticity of an authentic hadith, and information concerning the science of hadith and science of studying hadith text that need to examine critically. In particular, the section on “criticism of hadith” in Robson’s paper contains faults that cannot be ignored easily. The present paper attempts to explain those issues and to point out those that are in need of further explanations.

One of the main questions concerning the life of the Prophet is about his multiple marriages. His marriage with Zainab, the daughter of Jahash and the wife of prophet’s adopted son Zaid, has been briefly mentioned in the Allies chapter in verse 37. Orientalists have used this event to raise many doubts about the personality of the prophet. This incident has been an issue of doubt throughout the Arab history, apart from the doubts of orientalists.In this paper, we endeavored to answer this doubt by consulting the Qur’anic exegesis and analyzing different views. It is found out that the origin of this doubt is some fabricated and Israelite Hadiths that have been introduced into the Sunni and Shi’a books of biography [of the Prophet] and exegesis due to Muslims’ negligence in identifying the proper from the improper.

When discussing the relationship between science and the Qur’an, some Orientalists believe in compatibility between these two. In their discussions of natural sciences, Orientalists such as Mourice Bucile, Muhammad Shamir ‘Ali and Professor Kith More have confirmed the compatibility of the Qur’an and science. Through examination of the Orientalists’ views on the relationship between science and the Qur’an and in particular, after reviewing issues such as cosmology, astronomy, biology and medical science we reach the conclusion that the Qur’an’s stance in all these aforementioned sciences is the same as the sciences. The Orientalists’ views on issues such as the beginning of creation, the plurality of the heavens and the earth, the expansion of the universe, the movements of the sun, the quality of the light of the sun and moon, death of sun, the reproductive role of clouds, water being the origin of life, the general parity of every existence, and creation of human beings by a small amount of liquid imply that there is compatibility between the Qur’an and Science. However, with regard to the issue of gamete, which refers to the female reproductive liquid, the orientalists’ view does not look proper. Their interpretation does not fit the criteria of scientific interpretation and causes the science-based interpretation of the Quran to become extreme.

Orientalists have dealt with Islam and Qur’an, life of the Prophet and infallible Imams, Hadith and other subjects through a different and negative way that has always been motivated with colonialism, political interests, and annunciatory purposes and such procedures are still applied when studying Islam. However, there have been many scholars among Orientalists who have studied Islam and the Quran, and have converted to Islam due to their own studies. Apart from this, they have written works to introduce Islam and its teachings. In this paper, we have briefly introduced sixteen Orientalists who have converted to Islam (the Muslim Orientalists) and their conversion to Islam has been effective in introducing Islam and Muslims. Similarly, some of their books that they have written in different sciences of Islam and their process of conversion to Islam have been also introduced.