The Contribution of Modern Muslim Scholars and Institutions to Qurʾānic Manuscript Studies: A Preliminary Survey

Abstract

The Idea of this paper is to document the contributions of contemporary Muslim scholars, Islamic institutions, and postgraduate students to the study of Qurʼān manuscripts through an initial bibliographic survey. The central question addresses the extent and scope of these contributions, examining whether there was any reluctance among Muslim scholars to engage in the study of Qurʼān manuscripts. The objectives of this paper is to provide a preliminary comprehensive overview of the efforts made by contemporary Muslim scholars and Islamic institutions in this domain. Furthermore, this study showcases the significant contributions of contemporary Muslim scholars and Islamic institutions to the study of Qurʼān manuscripts, highlighting their roles and any reservations they may have had regarding the analysis of ancient Qurʼān manuscripts. The paper also identifies key challenges in this field, including the scarcity of previous studies, limited bibliographic surveys, and the lack of dedicated Qurʼānic research centers in the Muslim world. In this paper, a statistical and analytical methodology was applied, the statistical-methodology was facilitated by a preliminary bibliographic list from the e-Ma’rifa Foundation, which included books, published articles in academic journals, conference papers, and university theses. Additional data were provided by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. The findings reveal that contemporary Muslim scholars, postgraduate students, and Islamic institutions have made substantial contributions to the study of Qurʼān manuscripts, with no significant opposition to analytical studies in this area. Consequently, the authors recommend the establishment of specialized centers to conduct comprehensive studies on Qurʼān manuscripts across the Muslim world.