Die Methode Nöldekes zur chronologischen Anordnung der Suren und Verse des Korans in seinem Buch „Geschichte des Qorāns“ Eine analytisch-kritische Studie

Abstract

Theodor Noldeke (1836-1930) was one of the most famous orientalists of the 19th century who dealt not only with Oriental languages, but addressed also historical questions. Noldeke was thus called both a philologist and a historian. Among Noldeke’s most important works is his Geschichte des Qorāns(“History of the Quran”)which was published in 1860. His Geschichte des Qorāns consists of three parts: 1) On the Origin of the Quran. This part was revised by Friedrich Schwally (1863-1919) and published in 1909. 2) The Collection of the Quran. This part was completely revised by Friedrich Schwally and came out in 1919. 3) The History of the Quranic Text. This third part of Noldeke’s Geschichte des Qorāns was entirely revised by Gotthelf Bergstraser (1886-1933) and Otto Pretzl (1893-1941). It was published in 1938. The present study deals with the section“On the Origin of the Individual Parts of the Quran” that discusses the topic of the chronology of the Quran. This section is to be found in the first part of Noldeke’s Geschichte des Qorāns. With regard to the arrangement of the Quran, one can differentiate between two systems: The first one is applied in all contemporary editions of the Quran and does not reflect the chronological sequence of the revelations. The second arrangement, however, is determined by a chronological order of the Quranic suras. Theodor Noldeke dealt with the chronology of both the suras and individual verses of the Quran. In his work Geschichte des Qorāns (1860), which is quoted up to the present day, he arranged the Quranic revelations into four chronological periods, three Meccan and one Medinan one. In his study, he based himself on the formal, i.e., linguistic and literary characteristics of the Quranic text. The present study addresses primarily the method Noldeke applied when developing his chronology of the Quran. I chose this topic on the one hand because both Noldeke and his often-quoted opus Geschichte des Qorāns are of great importance for Quranic Studies in Europe. On the other hand, a study of the chronological arrangement of the suras and verses of the Quran is of particular importance and interest since it can help to shed light on the origin of Islam and the Quran. The following three questions were central for my research: • In which periods did Noldeke classify the Quranic revelations? • How did Noldeke analyze the suras of the different periods? Which method did he apply in this process? • Did Noldeke apply the historical-critical method that was used in the field of Arabic and Islamic Studies since the middle of the 19th century when he developed his chronology of the Quran? In order to address these questions, two additional questions were discussed: • Which method did 19th century orientalists apply in their study of historical subjects in the field of Arabic and Islamic Studies? • How was the Quran studied in Europe from the 19th century onwards? The present dissertation contributes to the progress of scholarship by offering insights into the world of thought of one of the most well-known orientalists of the 19th century. Moreover, the study demonstrates how difficult it is to put forward a verified chronological order of the suras and verses of the Quran.