A Critical Review of Wansbrough’s Qur’anic Theory through Quraish Shihab’s Epistemology

Muchammad Agiel Kholid Putra; Sandi Ferdy Yulianto

doi:10.32492/sumbula.v11i2.11217

Authors

Muchammad Agiel Kholid Putra Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Ampel Surabaya, Indonesia
Sandi Ferdy Yulianto Universitas Islam Negeri Syekh Wasil Kediri, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2840-263X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32492/sumbula.v11i2.11217

Keywords:

John Wansbrough; M. Quraish Shihab; Qur’anic authenticity; Qur’anic codification; Synthetic Qur’anic Epistemology

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The authenticity and codification of the Qur’an remain central debates in contemporary Qur’anic studies. John Wansbrough’s historical theory posits the Qur’an as a product of prolonged communal redaction, completed long after the Prophet Muhammad. In contrast, M. Quraish Shihab argues for a systematic transmission grounded in revelation, collective memorization, and historical verification. This study critically examines the methodological assumptions of Wansbrough’s theory and reconstructs Shihab’s epistemological framework on Qur’anic authenticity and codification. Using qualitative hermeneutic library research with a comparative approach, this study analyzes primary and secondary sources through textual analysis, codicology, and qirāʾāt studies. Findings show that Wansbrough’s theory suffers from three main weaknesses: uncritical application of biblical criticism to Islamic tradition, neglect of oral transmission, and excessive historical inference with limited manuscript engagement. Conversely, Shihab develops an integrative epistemology combining revelation, rational inquiry, and linguistic analysis. The critical dialogue between both perspectives leads to a Synthetic Qur’anic Epistemology comprising transcendental, historical-transmissional, and textual-linguistic dimensions. This study contributes an interdisciplinary model integrating philology, codicology, radiocarbon analysis, and sanad-qirāʾāt studies to balance academic rigor with the epistemological foundations of Islamic revelatory tradition.

Keywords : John Wansbrough; M. Quraish Shihab; Qur’anic authenticity; Qur’anic codification; Synthetic Qur’anic Epistemology

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