In this section, we want to address some of the doubts that orientalists have raised and provide appropriate answers for each of them.
Orientalism and Islam
From the perspective of the Islamic approach, Islam is a celestial religion that began with a revelation, which serves as the means of communication between divine truth and human nature.
“Muhammad ibn Abdullah” is the Messenger of Allah, and the Quran was revealed to him by the angel Gabriel.
The Quran is the word of Allah, and it is free from any falsehood, Allah Himself taking the responsibility for its preservation.
Islam is a religion that Allah has chosen and bestowed superiority and virtue upon it compared to other religions. In this regard, the Almighty Allah Has Said, «إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَاللهِ الْإِسْلَامُ» [آلعمران: ۱۹] ؛ “Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.” [Quran, Al-Imran: 19].
Islam is a religion that Allah Himself has perfected and conveyed to humanity through His Messenger, along with all its principles and commandments.
Allah, the Highest, says, «الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا» [مائده: ۳] ؛ “Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” [Quran, Al-Ma’idah: 3].
However, because the adversaries of this complete faith have always strived to tarnish its beautiful name and find fault with it, they have raised numerous objections and doubts. These doubts increased during the period of orientalists who opposed Islam to the extent that some wrote books against Islam. Below, we will address some of these doubts.
First Doubt
The first doubt that enemies of Islam (such as antagonistic orientalists) express is that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), had interactions with Jews and Christians and adopted this religion from them.
For example, it is claimed that the Prophet (PBUH), once traveled to Syria with his uncle and became acquainted with a Christian monk named Nestorius in a Christian monastery in Basra, from whom he learned about the knowledge of the Torah. Some books even suggest that he acquired his beliefs about the afterlife from Jewish sources, while others assert that he gained knowledge from Waraqah ibn Nawfal.
Response to this Doubt
If we want to provide a brief response to this doubt, we can say the following: If Bahira and Waraqah ibn Nawfal were teaching the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) him, any aspects of Christian beliefs, no one from the Quraysh would have believed in him.
However, regarding the matter of prophet hood and the events that transpired after the migration (Hijrah), what role did Bahira play in these events when he had already passed away before the prophet hood? Similarly, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who died twelve years before the migration, what relevance did he have to these issues?
Despite these points, it is remarkable that there is no commonality among the celestial religions. Prophet Moses (PBUH) came after Prophet Abraham (PBUH) but followed his teachings, believing in them. Prophet Jesus (PBUH) came after Prophets Abraham and Moses (PBUH) and also had faith in both of them. Then, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came after all the previous prophets and had faith in all of them.
Orientalists use these doubts to deny that Islam is a celestial religion sent by Allah and instead argue that Islam is a religion borrowed from two earlier religions, namely Judaism and Christianity.
Another doubt raised by orientalists is that Islam is at odds with science and philosophy.
One orientalist, Ernst Renan, writes, “Islam has engaged in a struggle with science and philosophy.” Others argue that if the Quran and the city of Mecca were removed from the Arab countries, then Arabs could progress along a path of civilization from which Muhammad (PBUH) and his book have kept them distant.
It is indeed quite surprising that biased orientalists aim to prove what with these statements? However, we should understand that these biased individuals, despite their efforts to antagonize Islam and cast it in a negative light, should not lead us to doubt.
The first brick laid in the construction of Islam began with the word “Iqra” (Read), and later on, scholars, researchers, and intellectuals made various efforts and contributions. This is exactly what the Lord of the Worlds encouraged His servants to do—contemplate, ponder, and think. As He states: «قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ۚ ثُمَّ اللهُ يُنشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الْآخِرَةَ ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ» [عنكبوت: ۲۰]؛ “Say, ‘Travel through the land and observe how He began creation. Then Allah will produce the final creation. Indeed Allah, over all things, is competent.'” [Quran, Al-Ankabut: 20].
The Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), made seeking knowledge an obligation for every Muslim, urging every Muslim to be knowledgeable or a learner. When we study Islamic history, we can clearly see how knowledge rapidly spread and reached far and wide within a short span of time.
This rapid spread of knowledge, civilization, and culture in the world during those days was a blessing illuminated by Islam. It cultivated individuals whose names continue to shine on the pages of history, and they left an indelible mark on the entire world. Not only in religious sciences but in all fields, to the extent that impartial and fair-minded Westerners themselves acknowledge and have written about this fact.
Orientalism and the Holy Quran
The position of Orientalism and orientalists regarding the Holy Quran is very clear and evident. From the very beginning, this group adopted a stance of opposition and denial against the Quran. This stance is a natural part of advancing the goals of Orientalism. As a result, all efforts by opponents of Islam, both ancient and modern, have aimed to undermine belief in the authenticity of the Quran and its divine source.
Even in the days of ignorance (pre-Islamic era) when the idolaters and polytheists resisted the belief that the Quran is a revelation from Allah, they thought it was a fabrication, as stated in the Quran: «إِفْكٌ افْتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيْهِ قَوْمٌ آخَرُونَ» [فرقان: ۴] ؛ “He has fabricated it and has help from another people.” [Quran, Al-Furqan: 4].
In another place, it was said: «أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ اكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِيَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا» [فرقان: ۴]؛”The disbelievers say theQuran] is the legends of the ancient’s peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.'” [Quran, Al-Furqan: 4].
In another place, it was said that The Quran had been taught to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), by a human: «يُعَلِّمُهُ بَشَرٌ» [نحل: ۱۰۳] ؛ “He is taught by a human being.” [Quran, An-Nahl: 103].
The Holy Quran refutes all of these claims, and in response to the first and second accusations, it states: «قُلْ أَنزَلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا» [فرقان: ۶] ؛ “Say, ‘He [i.e., Allah] is the one who has sent it [i.e., the Quran], being acquainted with what is in the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is ever Forgiving and Merciful.'” [Quran, Al-Furqan: 6].
And in response to the third accusation, it says: «لِّسَانُ الَّذِي يُلْحِدُونَ إِلَيْهِ أَعْجَمِيٌّ وَهَـٰذَا لِسَانٌ عَرَبِيٌّ مُّبِينٌ» [نحل: ۱۰۳] ؛ “The language of the one they refer to is foreign, while this [Quran] is [in] a clear Arabic language.'” [Quran, An-Nahl: 103].
When we examine the books generally written by orientalists, we find that resistance and denial of the Quran’s divine authorship have been their unanimous stance. They believe that the Quran was authored by Muhammad (PBUH) himself, and this view has arisen due to bias and opposition to the Quran and the Prophet himself.
Orientalists have made efforts to create doubt and skepticism in two main areas of the Quran: first, the divine aspect of the Quran, and second, the creation of doubt and skepticism in the narrations related to the compilation of the Quran, its different versions, and its recitations.
One of the prominent figures who attempted to create doubt and skepticism in the Quranic text is the orientalist ‘jold letasheer’. In his book “Schools of Islamic interpretation,” he portrays the Quranic text as disturbed and unstable, claiming that the Quran exhibits clear bias and partisanship in its expressions. He writes, “No legislative book exists where a religious group collectively admits that the book is a revealed text or revelation, and later in that book, there is so much anxiety and inconsistency as seen in the Quran.”
Doubt answer
‘jold letas heer’ belief that there is anxiety in the Quranic text contradicts reality. The Quranic text is one of the strongest texts, both in terms of precision and accuracy. No text from ancient or modern books has been able to perform the service that the Quranic text has. No text has reached the level of certainty and authenticity that the Quranic text has achieved.
Perhaps ‘jold letas heer’ reference to this difference relates to the variations in the recitations (qira’at) of the Quran. However, these recitations, as commonly known, do not alter the text itself.
The differences in recitations pertain to the pronunciation and enunciation of the words, and they do not introduce any substantive variations in meaning. These variations are part of the accepted and well-documented oral tradition of Quranic recitation and do not deviate from the established norms of Quranic recitation.
Doubt
Orientalists believe that the teachings of the Quran have been borrowed from the Torah and Bible. French scholar Regis Blachère asserts: “The similarities found in the Quranic stories with the Jewish and Christian narratives indicate that the Quran is a human-made book influenced by external factors, especially in the Meccan surahs, where it is quite clear that it has been influenced by the teachings of Christianity.”
Doubt answer
False Comparison between the Quran and Other Books: In the theories proposed by some Orientalists who compare the Quran to the books of the two Covenants (Torah and Bible) and argue for tampering, these theories wrongly assume that the Torah and the Bible are of human origin.
However, acknowledging that the Torah and the Bible contain human words does not necessitate a general and fallacious extrapolation that all heavenly books must be composed of human words. In other words, the existence of multiple sacred texts like the Torah and the Bible, which contain human language, does not justify the baseless and fallacious assertion that every heavenly book is composed of human words.
In fact, both the Torah and the Bible were revealed through divine revelation, but these books were later subjected to alteration and tampering, a fact that is widely accepted by Christian scholars and even acknowledged within their sacred texts. These books were altered by human hands after the advent of Prophet Jesus (PBUH).
The Holy Quran has the unique distinction that, over a period of 14 centuries, it has been transmitted from generation to generation without any alteration or distortion. However, such a state and distinction do not exist for the Old Testament (Torah), as contemporary interpreters and modern commentators have not acknowledged the accuracy and authenticity of any of the Torah books, except for Jeremiah.
The New Testament (Bible) also does not have a better situation than the Torah because many of its accounts were excluded in the ” Council of bishops of Nicaea,” and the remaining narratives in the synoptic bibles of Matthew, Mark, and Luke continue to be surrounded by doubt and uncertainty.
Orientalism and the Life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Many orientalists claim that the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is shrouded in ambiguity and obscurity. They argue that, except for a few narratives, there is no other evidence for his biography. In response, one must say, “How have these individuals allowed themselves to make such a statement when the biography and life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are very clear and evident? If a person has some culture and historical knowledge, they will know that the biography of a figure as prominent as he, hailing from the most renowned tribe of the Quraysh and the noblest family, will never be hidden.
Those who were much lower in status than him, such as poets, orators, or tribal leaders, have many details recorded about their lives. What, then, can be said about the leader of humanity and the beloved of the Lord of the Worlds, Muhammad, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)? This group, due to the animosity they hold towards the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the divine religion of Islam, seek to make people pessimistic about his biography and life, or to create doubts about a certain aspect of his life. However, fair-minded authors and orientalists have written books about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and acknowledged the truth of his life.”
Through research and examination of Orientalist literature, it becomes clear that this group has raised many objections, and one or several articles are not sufficient to address them all. However, since honorable scholars and Muslim researchers have made efforts to respond to these objections, it is appropriate to introduce some important and informative books on this matter:
“Prophet’s Sunnah and Its Place in Islamic Legislation” by Dr. Mustafa Al-Sabai:
“Modern Apostasy and Colorful Inversion in Four Volumes” by Morad Yousefi
“The Critique in the Approaches of Orientalists and Evangelists” by Dr. Shoukry Abu Khalil:
