Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture

A critical study of the historicity of the Holy Qur'an in the view of Mohammad Arkun based on the opinions of Marzouq Al-Omari

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Hajar Hardan 1
marzieh mohases 2
Hasan Zarnooshe Farahani 3

1 PhD student of Islamic Studies Majoring in Quran and Texts, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Shahid Beheshti University, Faculty of Theology and Religions Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Professor in Department of Theology and Islamic Studies, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/isqs.2025.50504.2361
Abstract
The title “The Project for Critiquing Islamic Reason” was chosen by Muhammad Arkoun (1928–2010) to define his intellectual and research project. Arkoun considers the prerequisite for “Critiquing Islamic Reason” to be a historically grounded approach to the entire Islamic tradition, influenced by the principles of historicism. He asserts that understanding the Qur’an and other religious texts is only possible through recognizing their historical context. This perspective links the Qur’an to specific moments in time and place, which leads to its perceived suspension and diminished applicability in other eras. Consequently, Arkoun’s views have been subject to extensive criticism from Muslim scholars, notably by Marzouq al-Omari (b. 1968). This article examines al-Omari’s critical narrative regarding Arkoun’s viewpoint on the historicity of the Qur’an using the descriptive and analytical method.

The findings of this study reveal that Arkoun’s conclusion on the Qur’an’s historicity stems from a distinction between the oral and written Qur’an. His rejection of the Qur’an’s sanctity and adoption of a positivist approach to understanding the Qur’an are among the implications of his belief in its historicity.

Keywords

"Muhammad Arkoun"
" Marzouq al-Omari"
"historicity"
"oral Qur’an"
"positivism"
"Anal school"

Subjects

Quranic Studies and Islamic Culture

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 June 2025

  • Receive Date 17 November 2024
  • Revise Date 19 May 2025
  • Accept Date 14 July 2025

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