ANGELIKA NEUWIRTH’S PRE-CANONICAL READING: Implication for Qur’anic Studies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15408/x58dkc43Keywords:
Pre-Canonical Reading, Qur’anic Studies, Angelika Neuwirth, Intertextuality, Revelation HistoryAbstract
This study examines the pre-canonical reading approach in Qur’anic studies, addressing the tendency of scholarship to focus exclusively on the finalized muṣḥaf while neglecting the revelatory process of prophetic communication. Angelika Neuwirth’s framework offers a new perspective by viewing the Qur’an not as a static text but as a dynamic process of growth. Through structural analysis, each surah is interpreted as part of a sequential episode of revelation, shaped by and responding to preceding surahs. Intertextual analysis further reveals the Qur’an’s dialogue with earlier Jewish and Christian traditions. Using a qualitative library-based method, this study reviews Neuwirth’s major works to analyze the theoretical foundations and assess the relevance of pre-canonical reading. This study aims to analyze the theoretical and methodological foundations of pre-canonical reading and to assess its relevance within Qur’anic studies. The findings demonstrate that this approach uncovers the Qur’an as a gradually developing discourse, responsive to shifting social, political, and theological contexts, while affirming its autonomy as a text engaged in interreligious dialogue. Consequently, pre-canonical reading contributes to situating the Qur’an within its historical milieu and enriches our understanding of the formation of early Muslim communal identity.
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