Muslims: What of this theory?

There is some detailed discussion on this topic which you can find at:

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Text/Mss/vowel.html

From Alphonse Mingana To Christoph Luxenberg: Arabic Script & The Alleged Syriac Origins Of The Qur'an

Here an extract paragraph you can find:

"The basic premise of Luxenberg's book, namely that the Qur'an was written in a hybrid Arabic-Aramaic language and borrows from Christian Aramaic writings - is dedicated to giving examples from the Qur'an to support this premise. The argument is essentially circular. In order to document his big idea of the Qur'an being an Arabic-Aramaic document that draws on Christian Aramaic texts, he ignored whatever did not fit - a common problem with holders of grand ideas. This has resulted in him making claims that are contrary to well-established facts such as the syro-aram�ische script served as a model for the Arabic script and that the Arabic vocalization was based on the model of the earlier syro-aram�ische vocalization system.

To further his grand ideas about the Qur'an, Luxenberg claimed that Makkah was not an Arab settlement but an Aramaic colony and that the residents of Makkah spoke aram�ische-arabische Mischsprache. He also claimed that Aramaic, just before the advent of Islam, was not only the language of written communication, but also the lingua franca of that area of Western Asia"

Allah knows best
wassalam

Alibaba wrote:  Please comment on Christoph Luxenberg's theory that ... "the original language of the Qur�an was not was not Arabic but something closer to Aramaic. He says the copy of the Qur�an used today is a mistranscription of the original text from Muhammad�s time, which according to Islamic tradition was destroyed by the third caliph, Osman, in the seventh century. But Arabic did not turn up as a written language until 150 years after Muhammad�s death, and most learned Arabs at that time spoke a version of Aramaic." Can you prove otherwise?  Didn't Osman destroy all the manuscripts?  How can you prove it was written in Arabic?

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Hey Alibaba.........It seems to me that you always try to slander Islam by making false statements against Islam. How do I know? I always follow you and read your corrupt articles that slander Islam.

Here is the answer that will refute your wild allegation:

Preservation of the Quran http://www.islam-guide.com/mambo/articles/18/

The entire Quran was however also recorded in writing at the time of revelation from the Prophet�s dictation, may God exalt his mention, by some of his literate companions, the most prominent of them being Zaid ibn Thabit.[1]  Others among his noble scribes were Ubayy ibn Ka�b, Ibn Mas�ud, Mu�awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan, Khalid ibn Waleed and Zubayr ibn Awwam.[2]  The verses were recorded on leather, parchment, scapulae (shoulder bones of animals) and the stalks of date palms.[3]

The codification of the Quran (i.e. into a �book form�) was done soon after the Battle of Yamamah (11AH/633CE), after the Prophet�s death, during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr.  Many companions became martyrs at that battle, and it was feared that unless a written copy of the entire revelation was produced, large parts of the Quran might be lost with the death of those who had memorized it.  Therefore, at the suggestion of Umar to collect the Quran in the form of writing, Zaid ibn Thabit was requested by Abu Bakr to head a committee which would gather together the scattered recordings of the Quran and prepare a mushaf - loose sheets which bore the entire revelation on them[4].  To safeguard the compilation from errors, the committee accepted only material which had been written down in the presence of the Prophet himself, and which could be verified by at least two reliable witnesses who had actually heard the Prophet recite the passage in question[5].  Once completed and unanimously approved of by the Prophet�s Companions, these sheets were kept with the Caliph Abu Bakr (d. 13AH/634CE), then passed on to the Caliph Umar (13-23AH/634-644CE), and then Umar�s daughter and the Prophet�s widow, Hafsah[6].

The third Caliph Uthman (23AH-35AH/644-656CE) requested Hafsah to send him the manuscript of the Quran which was in her safekeeping, and ordered the production of several bounded copies of it (masaahif, sing. mushaf).  This task was entrusted to the Companions Zaid ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair, Sa�eed ibn As-�As, and Abdur-Rahman ibn Harith ibn Hisham.[7]  Upon completion (in 25AH/646CE), Uthman returned the original manuscript to Hafsah and sent the copies to the major Islamic provinces.

A number of non-Muslim scholars who have studied the issue of the compilation and preservation of the Quran also have stated its authenticity.  John Burton, at the end of his substantial work on the Quran�s compilation, states that the Quran as we have it today is:

��the text which has come down to us in the form in which it was organized and approved by the Prophet�. What we have today in our hands is the mushaf of Muhammad.[8]

Kenneth Cragg describes the transmission of the Quran from the time of revelation to today as occurring in �an unbroken living sequence of devotion.�[9]  Schwally concurs that:

�As far as the various pieces of revelation are concerned, we may be confident that their text has been generally transmitted exactly as it was found in the Prophet�s legacy.�[10]

The historical credibility of the Quran is further established by the fact that one of the copies sent out by the Caliph Uthman is still in existence today.  It lies in the Museum of the City of Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Central Asia.[11]  According to Memory of the World Program, UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations, �it is the definitive version, known as the Mushaf of Uthman.�[12]

A facsimile of the mushaf in Tashkent is available at the Columbia University Library in the US.[13]  This copy is proof that the text of the Quran we have in circulation today is identical with that of the time of the Prophet and his companions.  A copy of the mushaf sent to Syria (duplicated before a fire in 1310AH/1892CE destroyed the Jaami� Masjid where it was housed) also exists in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul[14], and an early manuscript on gazelle parchment exists in Dar al-Kutub as-Sultaniyyah in Egypt.  More ancient manuscripts from all periods of Islamic history found in the Library of Congress in Washington, the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin (Ireland) and the London Museum have been compared with those in Tashkent, Turkey and Egypt, with results confirming that there have not been any changes in the text from its original time of writing.[15]

The Institute for Koranforschung, for example, in the University of Munich (Germany), collected over 42,000 complete or incomplete ancient copies of the Quran.  After around fifty years of research, they reported that there was no variance between the various copies, except the occasional mistakes of the copyist which could easily be ascertained.  This Institute was unfortunately destroyed by bombs during WWII.[16]

Thus, due to the efforts of the early companions, with God�s assistance, the Quran as we have it today is recited in the same manner as it was revealed.  This makes it the only religious scripture that is still completely retained and understood in its original language.  Indeed, as Sir William Muir states, �There is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries (now fourteen) with so pure a text.�[17]

The evidence above confirms God�s promise in the Quran:

�Verily, We have revealed the Reminder, and verily We shall preserve it.� (Quran 15:9)

The Quran has been preserved in both oral and written form in a way no other book has, and with each form providing a check and balance for the authenticity of the other.

Alibaba wrote:  Please comment on Christoph Luxenberg's theory that ... "the original language of the Qur�an was not was not Arabic but something closer to Aramaic. He says the copy of the Qur�an used today is a mistranscription of the original text from Muhammad�s time, which according to Islamic tradition was destroyed by the third caliph, Osman, in the seventh century. But Arabic did not turn up as a written language until 150 years after Muhammad�s death, and most learned Arabs at that time spoke a version of Aramaic." Can you prove otherwise?  Didn't Osman destroy all the manuscripts?  How can you prove it was written in Arabic?

------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------

Hey Alibaba.........It seems to me that you always try to slander Islam by making false statements against Islam. How do I know? I always follow you and read your corrupt articles that slander Islam.

Here is the answer that will refute your wild allegation:

Preservation of the Quran http://www.islam-guide.com/mambo/articles/18/

The entire Quran was however also recorded in writing at the time of revelation from the Prophet�s dictation, may God exalt his mention, by some of his literate companions, the most prominent of them being Zaid ibn Thabit.[1]  Others among his noble scribes were Ubayy ibn Ka�b, Ibn Mas�ud, Mu�awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan, Khalid ibn Waleed and Zubayr ibn Awwam.[2]  The verses were recorded on leather, parchment, scapulae (shoulder bones of animals) and the stalks of date palms.[3]

The codification of the Quran (i.e. into a �book form�) was done soon after the Battle of Yamamah (11AH/633CE), after the Prophet�s death, during the Caliphate of Abu Bakr.  Many companions became martyrs at that battle, and it was feared that unless a written copy of the entire revelation was produced, large parts of the Quran might be lost with the death of those who had memorized it.  Therefore, at the suggestion of Umar to collect the Quran in the form of writing, Zaid ibn Thabit was requested by Abu Bakr to head a committee which would gather together the scattered recordings of the Quran and prepare a mushaf - loose sheets which bore the entire revelation on them[4].  To safeguard the compilation from errors, the committee accepted only material which had been written down in the presence of the Prophet himself, and which could be verified by at least two reliable witnesses who had actually heard the Prophet recite the passage in question[5].  Once completed and unanimously approved of by the Prophet�s Companions, these sheets were kept with the Caliph Abu Bakr (d. 13AH/634CE), then passed on to the Caliph Umar (13-23AH/634-644CE), and then Umar�s daughter and the Prophet�s widow, Hafsah[6].

The third Caliph Uthman (23AH-35AH/644-656CE) requested Hafsah to send him the manuscript of the Quran which was in her safekeeping, and ordered the production of several bounded copies of it (masaahif, sing. mushaf).  This task was entrusted to the Companions Zaid ibn Thabit, Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair, Sa�eed ibn As-�As, and Abdur-Rahman ibn Harith ibn Hisham.[7]  Upon completion (in 25AH/646CE), Uthman returned the original manuscript to Hafsah and sent the copies to the major Islamic provinces.

A number of non-Muslim scholars who have studied the issue of the compilation and preservation of the Quran also have stated its authenticity.  John Burton, at the end of his substantial work on the Quran�s compilation, states that the Quran as we have it today is:

��the text which has come down to us in the form in which it was organized and approved by the Prophet�. What we have today in our hands is the mushaf of Muhammad.[8]

Kenneth Cragg describes the transmission of the Quran from the time of revelation to today as occurring in �an unbroken living sequence of devotion.�[9]  Schwally concurs that:

�As far as the various pieces of revelation are concerned, we may be confident that their text has been generally transmitted exactly as it was found in the Prophet�s legacy.�[10]

The historical credibility of the Quran is further established by the fact that one of the copies sent out by the Caliph Uthman is still in existence today.  It lies in the Museum of the City of Tashkent in Uzbekistan, Central Asia.[11]  According to Memory of the World Program, UNESCO, an arm of the United Nations, �it is the definitive version, known as the Mushaf of Uthman.�[12]

A facsimile of the mushaf in Tashkent is available at the Columbia University Library in the US.[13]  This copy is proof that the text of the Quran we have in circulation today is identical with that of the time of the Prophet and his companions.  A copy of the mushaf sent to Syria (duplicated before a fire in 1310AH/1892CE destroyed the Jaami� Masjid where it was housed) also exists in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul[14], and an early manuscript on gazelle parchment exists in Dar al-Kutub as-Sultaniyyah in Egypt.  More ancient manuscripts from all periods of Islamic history found in the Library of Congress in Washington, the Chester Beatty Museum in Dublin (Ireland) and the London Museum have been compared with those in Tashkent, Turkey and Egypt, with results confirming that there have not been any changes in the text from its original time of writing.[15]

The Institute for Koranforschung, for example, in the University of Munich (Germany), collected over 42,000 complete or incomplete ancient copies of the Quran.  After around fifty years of research, they reported that there was no variance between the various copies, except the occasional mistakes of the copyist which could easily be ascertained.  This Institute was unfortunately destroyed by bombs during WWII.[16]

Thus, due to the efforts of the early companions, with God�s assistance, the Quran as we have it today is recited in the same manner as it was revealed.  This makes it the only religious scripture that is still completely retained and understood in its original language.  Indeed, as Sir William Muir states, �There is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries (now fourteen) with so pure a text.�[17]

The evidence above confirms God�s promise in the Quran:

�Verily, We have revealed the Reminder, and verily We shall preserve it.� (Quran 15:9)

The Quran has been preserved in both oral and written form in a way no other book has, and with each form providing a check and balance for the authenticity of the other.

Alibaba wrote: It's too bad that Sign Reader thinks that any innovative thinking regarding Islam is the sign of a "troubled mind." In any case, I just asked Muslims about their opinion - I did not say whether I agreed with it or not.  What a sorry inablility to engage in actual debate or discussion! Also, it's pretty obvious why the orignator of the theory uses a pseudonym, given certain ayatollah's propensity for murderous fatwahs.

I didn't fall from the turnip truck yesterday !!! The European industry to pick apart Qur'anic verses and write slanderous books about the Prophet is as old as the Qur'an itself. Don't you realize that it would have mattered least if it was written down or not. It is being recited 24-7 around the known world since it revelation and reading from memory in its entirety in Ramadan around the globe. Alibaba, you are asking Muslims' innovative thinking about Qur'an like asking to trade light for darkness:
It is miracle that Allah answered to your question long before you were born in verse 41-44 below. It is time that that you accept the truth and save yourself from the fire which BBQs men over stones

12:2 We have sent it down as an arabic Qur'an, in order that ye may learn wisdom.

 13:37 Thus have We revealed it to be a judgment of authority in arabic. Wert thou to follow their (vain) desires after the knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither protector nor defender against Allah.

 16:103 We know indeed that they say, "It is a man that teaches him." The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is arabic, pure and clear.

 
20:113 Thus have We sent this down - an arabic Qur'an - and explained therein in detail some of the warnings, in order that they may fear Allah, or that it may cause their remembrance (of Him).

26:195 In the perspicuous arabic tongue.

 
39:28 (It is) a Qur'an in arabic, without any crookedness (therein): in order that they may guard against Evil.

 41:3 A Book, whereof the verses are explained in detail;- a Qur'an in arabic, for people who understand;-

41:44 Had We sent this as a Qur'an (in the language) other than arabic, they would have said: "Why are not its verses explained in detail? What! (a Book) not in arabic and (a Messenger an Arab?" Say: "It is a Guide and a Healing to those who believe; and for those who believe not, there is a deafness in their ears, and it is blindness in their (eyes): They are (as it were) being called from a place far distant!"

 
42:7 Thus have We sent by inspiration to thee an arabic Qur'an: that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and all around her,- and warn (them) of the Day of Assembly, of which there is no doubt: (when) some will be in the Garden, and some in the Blazing Fire.


43:3 We have made it a Qur'an in arabic, that ye may be able to understand (and learn wisdom).

 
46:12 And before this, was the Book of Moses as a guide and a mercy: And this Book confirms (it) in the arabic tongue; to admonish the unjust, and as Glad Tidings to those who do right.

Alibaba wrote: 

according to Islamic tradition was destroyed by the third caliph, Osman, in the seventh century.

What Islamic tradition ? you must be under the spell of some secular Shia's propaganda-- them being the followers of Ali only sect have been preached as such. Whoever says that is may be a Shia but not a Muslim.

But Arabic did not turn up as a written language until 150 years after Muhammad�s death, and most learned Arabs at that time spoke a version of Aramaic."

It is akin to Americans' thinking in the sixtees that China didn't exist or mattered and see what happened.

Either you are living a too sheltered a life not knowing beyond your nose or are too narrow minded or embarrassed to accept the fact of the recorded history that the great Caliph Umar smashed both of the super powers (Romans and Persians) of the time within a decade of the Prophets passing. You  are  saying he didn't have a written language to  run his empire extending from mediterranean to India !!! You need to get your head screwed on right-- talk about innovative thinking

By the way the Salman Rushdie is still living with you--What are you complaining about the Ayatullah? There is  another den of anti islamic thieves near you--The School of Oriental and African Studies, you might visit them and get more rotten fabrications to throw in Muslims' faces. These Europeans can't get over the fact that how the colored childrens of Hagar got to have the most successful prophet of all times--they bad mouth them every chance they get to do it.

Time to go to bed CYA