Rereading the Qurʾān: The modern methodologies of Muḥammad Shaḥrūr and ʿAdnān al-Rifāʿī

Al-Qasem, Haya ORCID: 0000-0002-1146-8456 (2025). Rereading the Qurʾān: The modern methodologies of Muḥammad Shaḥrūr and ʿAdnān al-Rifāʿī. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis critically examines the methodologies of two contemporary Syrian thinkers, Muḥammad Shaḥrūr and ʿAdnān al-Rifāʿī, who adopt unconventional approaches to reread the Qurʾān. It aims to lay the groundwork for a new methodological framework for engaging with it. Shaḥrūr and al-Rifāʿī challenge the authority of Islamic tradition, particularly the Ḥadīth, considering it neither divinely revealed nor a legitimate source of legislation. Both employ a multidimensional methodology that draws on language, mathematics, philosophy, among other fields, applying these disciplines to the interpretation of the Qurʾān and to demonstrating its divine origin through an analysis of both its content and structure.
The thesis evaluates the validity of their claims concerning the Islamic tradition and the Qurʾān, along with the criteria and methods they use to support these claims. It also assesses the novelty of their methodologies in rereading the Qurʾān. In light of the lack of critical studies on al-Rifāʿī’s methodology, integrating it with Shaḥrūr’s more widely recognized framework may help develop a new approach to reread the Qurʾān. To this end, the thesis adopts a composite methodology—descriptive, critical, analytical, and comparative—incorporating theological and philosophical reasoning alongside historical perspectives. It also situates their ideas within broader academic debates, including historical-critical and theological frameworks.
This thesis contributes to Islamic thought and Qurʾānic studies by redefining the criteria of al-naṣṣ al-ilāhī (divine text) - a form of waḥy- and offering a new understanding of the concept of Sunna. It also introduces new concepts, such as a reinterpretation of the term ʿarabī, and refutes several prevailing claims about the Qurʾān. Furthermore, it develops alternative frameworks to replace the traditional reliance on Ḥadīth-based disciplines—frameworks that seek both to reinterpret the Qurʾān and to affirm its divine origin through its content and structure.
The thesis concludes that Shaḥrūr’s and al-Rifāʿī’s claim—that the Ḥadīth and related disciplines (ʿilm al-nāsikh wa-l-mansūkh, ʿilm asbāb al-nuzūl, and ʿilm al-qirāʾāt) are human-made—is well founded. However, their work lacks conclusive proof of the Qurʾān’s divine nature, even though their criteria and methods provide a compelling case against it being a human construct. Notably, the novelty of their methodology lies in the parallel examination of the Qurʾān’s internal structure—such as its linguistic and mathematical composition—and its external features, including orthography and āya separators, as well as the use of a multidisciplinary lens. This approach leads to new insights into the text’s meaning and origin. The thesis proposes a new framework for rereading the Qurʾān, setting aside Islamic heritage and prioritizing its content and structure through an evolving, multidisciplinary approach.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):