Examination of the " Quran" entry in the Encyclopedia of Islam

A look at the entry "Quran" in the Encyclopedia of Islam, published by Leiden, reveals its author's lack of familiarity with and information about Islam and the Quran. Moreover, the article text that is written by Alford T. Welch implies that he has a presupposition toward the Quran, i.e. the Quran was revealed only during the first 20 years of the prophetic mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s). He has developed this assumption in all his discussions, and regarding every topic, he has tried to prove the presupposition that there has been an evolution in thoughts and beliefs in the Quran. He has even considered the vocabulary of the Quran, the content of the verses, the canonic rules, the manner of presentation, and the expressions of the Quran to follow a kind of evolution. Regarding the dating of the Quranic verses, he seems to be a follower of Richard Bell School. The consequence of his presupposition is that there had never been such a thing as an all-at-once revelation of the Quran to the heart of the Prophet of Islam (s), a view that is against the viewpoint of many Islamic scholars.