Page 352 - History of The Quranic Text | Kalamullah.Com

332 THE HISTORY OF THE QUR'ANIC TEXT

gained precedence over all else, a decree which effectively thrust entire
nations into institutionalised illiteracy. Their lack of proficiency in European
languages further marginalised the 'ulamii'; the retorts they issuedwere mostly
in their vernacular and went unheeded. Orientalism was not interested in
debating with the 'ulamii' however, much less noting their criticisms; its
sole aim was to use colonial resources in partnership with foreign ministries"
to influence the new breed of Western-educated Muslim elites." By casting
these elites into a secularist mould and convincing them that adherence
to the Qur'an was futile, they longed to undermine all current and future
prospects of Muslim political strength.
'Proving' all manner of vice in Muhammad and all manner of theft
from the Scriptures in the Qur'an, Geiger, Tisdall and others helped to
cement this scheme; all eyes then turned to the Prophet's sunna, and the
honour of demolishing this went to Goldziher (1850-1921), the highest
ranking Orientalist of his time. InProf Humphreys' assessment, his Muham-
medanische Studien successfully

demonstrated that a vast number of hadlths accepted even in the most
rigorously critical Muslim collections were outright forgeries from the
late 2nd/8th and 3rd/9th centuries - and as a consequence, that met-
iculous isniids which supported them were utterly fictitious.F'

Joseph Schacht pursued his mentor's conclusion further: isnadin his
view was a remnant of the Abbasid revolution, in the mid second century.
The more perfect isndds were the ones most likely to be fabrications. So
highly esteemed was his theory that his OriginsifMuhammadan Jurisprudence
became an Orientalist bible, beyond refutation or reproach, of which Gibb
predicted that it would "become the foundation for allfuture study of Islamic

37 One quick example of this is an 1805 article in AsiaticAnnualRegisterby]. Gilchrist
entitled, "Observation on the policy of forming an oriental establishment, for the pur-
pose of furnishing a regular supply of properly qualified diplomatic agents, interpreters,
&c., for facilitating and improving the direct intercourse between Great Britain and
the nations of Asia, in imitation of a similar institution in France." [See WHo Behn,
Index Islamicus: 1665-1905, Adiyok, Millersville PA, 1989, p. I.]
38 Orientalist efforts to eliminate the inviolability of the Qur'an have sadly garnered
some support among Turkey's secularist elite. President Demirel even went on record
[Daily ar-Riyad, issue 27.8.1420 A.H.l5.11.1999] with the contradictory statement
that modern Islam is fully compatible with secularisation, adding that roughly 330
verses from the Qur'an "are no longer practicable" and should be excised. The 76
year-old president faced a veritable tempest of public and journalistic fury following
his statement, while hisbid to organise a 'religious reformation' was rejected by Turkey's
High Court for Islamic Affairs.
39 R.S. Humphreys, Islamic History, p. 83.