History of the Qur’an

The holy book of Islam is the Qur'an but its history remains shrouded in mystery. What are the historical origins of the book and how did it develop. In this podcast we present the major theories about the origins of the Qur'an, from those that attribute it to Muhammad, to those that argue for a later date and longer period of development. We talk about the recent manuscript findings and carbon dating and its significance for the history. We talk about how the Qur'an was complied, transcribed, and then commented on. We explore the development of commentary literature or tafsir and the major theological debates about the Qur'an's nature. And finally conclude with the history of how the Qur'an comes to us today.