The One and the Many: The Early History of the Qur'an

The world's leading scholar of early Quranic manuscripts, François Déroche, has written a book that explores the diversity of early Islam and how the Quran went from being uttered by Muhammad to being inviolable canonical scripture. He shows that plurality was the outstanding characteristic of the genesis and transmission of the Quran, both textually and orally, and that the faithful initially adopted a flexible attitude toward the text. Muhammad himself was more concerned with the meaning than the letter.

Format: Hardback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 15 March 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

François Déroche, a renowned scholar of early Quranic manuscripts, has written a groundbreaking book that delves into the history and diversity of the Quran. In Muslim belief, the Quran, as we know it today, is believed to be a faithful reflection of the divine word that was originally revealed to Muhammad. However, an examination of early Islamic sources, including accounts of prophetic sayings, reveals that plurality was a prominent characteristic of the genesis and transmission of the Quran, both in text and oral tradition.

François Déroche's book sheds light on the fact that the Quran remained open to textual diversity for a significant period. He demonstrates that the faithful initially adopted a flexible attitude towards the Quranic text, which was at odds with the absolute literalism later enforced by Muslim orthodoxy. This suggests that Muhammad himself was more concerned with the meaning of the divine message than with its precise letter.

Déroche's meticulous research and analysis of early Islamic sources provide a wealth of information about alternative wordings that were eliminated from the canonical version of the Quran during the first centuries of Islam. By piecing together this information, he shows that the Quran long remained a dynamic and evolving text, open to interpretation and adaptation.

This book is a valuable contribution to the study of early Islam and the Quran. It sheds light on the complex processes of textual transmission and interpretation, and challenges the notion of the Quran as a static and unchanging text. François Déroche's expertise and lucid writing style make this book accessible to a wide audience, including scholars, students, and anyone interested in the history and diversity of the Islamic faith.

Dimension: 22 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300251326