نشریه قرآن پژوهی خاورشناسان (قرآن و مستشرقان)
سال پانزدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 28، بهار و تابستان 1399)

Explaining and analyzing the foundations and presuppositions of the non-Muslim Qur'anic researchers, especially the American Qur’anic researchers, is one of the most important and necessary topics in the field of Qur'anic studies. Exploring the main and unspoken foundations of these Orientalists beyond their views on the Qur'an, as well as analyzing those foundations, albeit briefly, is the subject of the present study, which, of course, focuses on the Orientalists of the United States. This research examines the main and hidden principles behind the minds of Orientalists, by passing themes such as the quotation [iqtibas] of the Qur'an from other religions and cultures, or the influence of the culture of that era, as well as those that have been promoted mainly as alternative sources by Orientalists. In fact, the most important and fundamental principles of Orientalists in Islamic studies in general and Qur'anic studies in particular are the following: non-revelation of the Qur'an or its being humanity, lack of prophethood and mission of the Holy Prophet (P), Islam as a particular ethnic religion, invalidity of Islamic tradition about the history of Islam and the Qur’an.

The Orientalism movement officially began to work during the Crusades and with similar goals, bringing remarkable results to the Western world. In such a way that it became the source for many colonies and material and spiritual domination over Islamic lands. The stream of Orientalism can be divided into four periods: the beginning period (12th century) inside the church, the Renaissance period (16th century) that pulled Orientalism out of the church wall, the Renaissance period (19th century), which has a critical approach to its past and endeavors to show him more and more academic, and finally the modern period (20th century) in which Orientalism has pretended to have full academic and impartial prestige. These four periods have been obtained through the historical analysis of the works of Orientalists around the Qur'an and in a general view, it has been concluded that the Orientalist approach has changed from a completely malicious and unfair approach to a scientific, neutral and relatively fair approach; However, the analysis of the Qur'anic works of Orientalists in all periods shows that this stream has never been free from the shackles of malice with the Qur'an, and despite some brilliant works in recent periods, many Orientalists studies have retained their critical and skeptical tone.

One of the Orientalists who has numerous articles in the field of Qur’anic sciences and exegesis is Andrew Repine, an English Christian scholar who, in one of his articles entitled "Camel or Rope", examines the meaning of the word " الجمل" in verse 40 of Surah A'raf. While quoting different sayings, he finally mentions the existence of two different readings of "Jamal: Male Camel" and "Jummal: Thick Rope" of this word and considers the second reading formed by commentators who, from the third century onwards, aimed at overcoming theological debates as well as showing the superiority of the Qur'an over other divine books, they have prepared it and attributed it to Ibn Abbas. Repine, in addition to this claim, has targeted several important foundations of Muslim belief in the Qur'an; This is also found in the works of other Orientalists. If such works are criticized, they will undoubtedly have destructive effects, one of which is the weakening of the foundations of Muslim belief. In this article, while examining the word "جمل" and the background of its various readings, we also tried to examine including the works of earlier commentators and lexicographers, Repine's claim by analytical and descriptive methods and also by critical output. As a result, the roots of different readings go back to the time of the Companions and Followers [Tabieen], and that claim that Ibn Abbas's recitation was fabricated and its other consequences by presenting the relevant evidences is regarded invalid and the famous recitation of جمل, its conformity with the recitation of the Prophet (P) and existence quite stronger proof are proved.

Challenging the Holy Qur'an to the fact that it is beyond human comprehension to write a book like it has always been the clearest proof of its divinity. The enemies of Islam have tried for a long time to respond to this advance challenge of the Holy Quran, but they have always failed. In recent years, the most important book have written in opposition to the Holy Qur'an is HOSN AL-EIJAAZ that its publication among the Arab and Islamic communities has provoked various reactions from scholars and Muslim nations. This article, which is the most recent research on this subject, has used the analytical-critical method to review and critique this book in three axes: format, content and proofs. According to the findings of this study, due attention to the verses of the Holy Qur'an that are presented as an advance challenge, it is clear that this book is not even worthy of opposition to the Holy Qur'an let alone to similarity with the Qur'an. Therefore, ZAFER, like other claimants of rivalry, has failed in this field.

Criticism and response to the views of Orientalists regarding the Holy Qur’an has always been one of the concerns of Muslim Qur’anic researchers. According to Muslims’ belief, the Qur'an is the word of God and its word and text have full authority; But Orientalists, while not denying this point, raise doubts about the text of the Holy Quran. One of the doubts of Orientalists is that they have considered the repetition of verses of the Qur'an as a reason for the non-revelation of the Qur'an; Because, according to them, repetition in the Qur'an has caused confusion, incoherence and ambiguity in the text of the Qur'an. Such an inference is preceded by several factors, including: the presumption that the Qur'an is non-revelatory, incomplete reference to the Qur'an, a inconsequent interpretation of the Qur'anic text, and disregard for the expressive methods and educational purposes of the Holy Qur'an from repeating verses; Because the educational goals determine the expressive methods of the Qur'an, in accordance with the needs of the audience and the expressive situations of the word. Since guidance and pedagogy is one of the important goals of the Holy Quran, repetition has been considered as one of the effective methods of pedagogy in the Quran and goals such as incitement and stimulation, remarking and reminding, consolidation, empathy, threat, warning and recommending role-model have been envisaged. What can be said is that the repetition of a subject, in each position, has a special mission and pursues a specific goal that can be achieved only by knowing the language of the Qur'an and its subtleties and remarks, as well as understanding the purposes and methods of expression of the Qur'an. In this research, data collection is done by documental method with analyzing the contents

One of the scientific miracles of the Qur'an is embryology and the stages of creation. This issue, however, has been raised in the form of origin and resurrection; But in the field of medical miracles can be explored. The current article seeks to answer the question of whether the embryology of the Qur'an is adapted from the embryology of Greek scientists? The present research is organized by analytical-descriptive method and with the approach of matching between sciences and Qur’an, using Qur’anic verses and the views of commentators, scholars, hadiths of Imams (A.S.) and opinions of Greek scientists, and the method of collecting its contents is documental. The result of the debate is that Greek scientists put forward views on the stages of human creation that are inconsistent with divine revelations. Aristotle, for example, refers to the combination of sperm and menstrual blood, and the Qur'an refers to it as blood clots, while the lexicographers mention four meanings for علقه(hanging, resembling a leech, red, blood clots) and all of them are in accordance with the science of embryology or they say: The female sperm does not have any role in the fetus, while in the Qur'an it is called " نطفه امشاج: mixed fluid". According to the views of Shiite commentators and lexicographers and medical scientists, it can be said that the theories of Aristotle and Galen overshadowed Europe until the 18th century; However, the theories of the Qur'an in the seventh century were contrary to their theories, and according to scientists, miraculous material in the field of embryology was put forward by Qur’an, and it cannot be claimed that Qur’an has adapted from earlier texts.

The issue of the occurrence or non-occurrence of distortion in the Holy Qur'an has been one of the most challenging and controversial issues among Muslims and Orientalists have naturally discussed it as well. The French Orientalist Brunner has devoted his article to this issue, entitled "The difference between Sunnis and Shiites on the subject of the distortion of the Qur'an in the twentieth century".
The analysis of his thoughts and how he reports on the views of Islamic scholars has particular importance. The present paper, while translating Bruner's article, explains the author's intellectual dimension and answers the question to what extent has Brunner observed fairness in his report and how acted in accordance with reality? 
Brunner examines the historical course of the belief in distortion among Shiites and Sunnis and states that this belief has not become popular among Muslims due to its weak foundations, and that verses from the Holy Qur'an, including verse 9 of Surah Al-Hijr, are the basis of this idea that the Holy Quran is not distorted.
Although Brunner has tried to be honest with the opinions of Islamic scholars on the issue of the occurrence or non-occurrence of the distortion of the Holy Quran and to present a fair report; but in some cases, but in a few cases, he also had misconceptions. The method of this article is descriptive-analytical.

The last Hajj of the Holy Prophet (P) which took place in the last year of his honorable life is called Hajj al-Balagh. One of the topics discussed in this Hajj is the issue of Wilayah [guardianship], which is mentioned in verse 3 of Surah Ma'idah ﴿ الیوم اکملت لکم دینکم و اتممت علیکم نعمتی و رضیت لکم الاسلام ﴾ [Today I have perfected your religion for you, and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam as your religion.] [5:3], according to Imamia and few Sunni scholars, it is the day of Ghadir Khum and Imam Ali (A)’s caliphate. By explaining the issue of Wilayah, religion is completed. The issue of Wilayah has been frequently discussed in reliable sources; But in some cases, it has been overlooked by Orientalists and has not been mentioned for any reason. The current article examines and criticizes the view of an Orientalist named Devin Stewart with a descriptive-analytical approach and a critical method. He is an Assistant Professor of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies at Emory University. He has written an article entitled "Hajjah al-Wida’ [Farewell Hajj]" in Leiden Encyclopedia which describes the reports of the Prophet's (P) departure to Mecca in detail; However, he did not mention the news of his return to Medina and the most important part of Hajj al-Balagh, which is the introduction of Amir al-Mumineen Ali (A) as the Walli and guardian of the Muslims. In this article, the sources used by the author are criticized and that even these sources are not used well and he did not have enough information about the sources used. Therefore, the article of Devin Stewart's "Hajjah al-Wida’ [Farewell Hajj]" is unacceptable on the basis of Qur'anic and narrational arguments.

Accurate knowledge of Orientalists' views on Islamic teachings and scientific critique of their views is an undeniable necessity; Therefore, in the present research, an attempt has been accomplished to introduce and analyze Firestone's article about Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) in an analytical-descriptive manner with a critical approach. Firestone, although has relatively acceptable potencies in the authoritative Islamic sources related to Abraham (A.S.); But due to lack of access to or comprehensive studies of Shiite sources and one-sided reference to Sunni sources, he makes unforgivable mistakes. He has put forward doubts in this regard; Among them is attributing polytheism and idolatry to the father of Ibrahim (A.S.) and the ancestors of Mohammad (A.S.), while the infallibility of Ibrahim (A.S.) had been proved by many narrations and many historical evidences. Another doubt is that in the Qur'an, Abraham (A.S.) and Moses (A.S.) are the only prophets who are explicitly mentioned as the holders of the book, while in some verses and hadiths, in addition to Abraham (A.S.) and Moses (A.S.), the other prophets are introduced explicitly as the holders of the book; Among them, Prophet David (A.S.), Jesus (A.S.) and the Last Prophet (P), etc. .; There are also other doubts to which this article has mentioned appropriate answers.

One of the topics of Quranic sciences that has attracted the attention of non-Muslim Orientalists and Quranic scholars is the Chronology of the Quran (dating of the revelation of Quranic verses and chapters) In such a way that this challenging and controversial subject had a special reflection in the works of orientalists. Richard Bell is known as one of the experts in this field. Topics related to the dating of verses and chapters can be found in the seventh chapter of his book, "An Introduction to the History of the Qur'an". With examining the content of this chapter, it is concluded that he has made mistakes and errors in studying and criticizing the views of Muslim scholars as well as in expressing himself opinions, which are mainly due to his lack of awareness about culture, language and beliefs of Islam. It also becomes clear that his view of the Qur'an is purely historical and that he has neglected its revelatory and superhuman aspects. For this reason, some of his views, such as the irrelevance of verses or deviation from the criterion of migration in determining the verses revealed in Mecca or verses revealed in Medina, or accepting that the Qur'an is affected by the passage of time or the occurrence of abrogation (literally), were rejected and It is unacceptable. In this article, we try to examine the opinions presented in the seventh chapter of the book by descriptive-analytical method and then express its mistakes.

Marco Shuler is one of the professors who have studied the Prophet's interactive approach with the tribes of the people of the Book, especially the Jews. Strong verses of the Holy Quran, in reporting on how the Prophet (PBUH) dealt with varied groups in society and interaction with different strata and minorities, can be a divine model for the officials of the Islamic government. Strong verses of the Holy Quran, a report on how the Prophet (PBUH) dealt with varied groups in society and interaction with different strata and minorities, can be a divine model for the officials of the Islamic government and a guide for decision-making in domestic and foreign policy. Purifying Qur'anic interpretations of false narrations and modifying this historical fact, shows the Qur'anic face of the Prophet's biography far from violent. The present study intends to answer the main question with the method of documentation, library tools, and the study of texts. The result of the interpretive analysis is that, contrary to Schuler's view, the non-acceptance of Islam did not lead to the expulsion of the Jews from Medina, but the breach of contract and the events of the BANI QINAGHAA market could lead to their expulsion. Also, selective reference to sources and lack of analysis, are from troubles of research of this Orientalist, about BANI QURAYZAH and BANI NADIR. By regarding to the verses of the Holy Quran and the history of Islam, there are two ways in which the Prophet (PBUH) interacted with the Jews of Medina, dialogue, peace, agreement or inevitably strong reaction which is the result of the other side's departure from the framework of civilized relations and social covenants. But according to the definite and Qur'anic tradition of the Prophet (PBUH), his behavior has not been outside the scope of justice and fairness.

"Recitation [Tilawat]" is one of the most detailed entries in Leiden's encyclopedia and includes the following topics: meaning and definition of recitation [Tilawat], similarity of Tilawat and Qira’t, elements of recitation [Tilawat], hadiths about recitation [Tilawat], aesthetics and sound skills in recitation [Tilawat]. The research method in this article is documental and analytical. Based on this fact, first a comprehensive report on the categories mentioned in this entry is presented, then these materials are evaluated and critiqued with the criteria of the Holy Qur’an and sources of Qur’anic sciences in order to introduce and explain the correct theory in each subject. In general, Tilawat is not just a Qira’t of verses, but in addition, it indicates obedience and following the Qur'anic themes; On the other hand, one of the aspects of the expressive miracle of the Qur'an is the order of the song and the specific music in the Qur'anic words that paying attention to this music along with applying the rules of recitation [Tilawat] by the reciter doubles the influence of verses on audience and listener. In other words, if the Qira’t is accompanied by the element of Tartil, which means explaining and coherence of words and learning from the verses, the recitation [Tilawat] is achieved, and it is in this case that the Tali of the Qur'an, according to Islamic narrations, carries the Qur'an and will be a role-model on the base Islamic - Qur’anic cultural criterion for the people of that society.