Genesis of Qur’Énic Exegesis with Reference to the Companion Ibn ‘AbbÉs as Its Source-Critical Analysis of Harald Motzki’s IsnÉd Cum Matn Analysis of the Qur’Én XV:90-91

Abstract

Contemporary Islamswissenschaft considers dating Traditions or AÍÉdÊth as a key to uncovering the origins of Islam. These Traditions are a unique genre of historical documents which offer a view into the early history of Islam owing to the fact that their textual vehicle or isnâd accompany the transmitted text or matn. With reference to the unique manner in which the transmission history of these texts was also recorded along with them by their collectors, contemporary western ×adÊth studies generally adopt one of the three types of methods for dating these Traditions: dating by matn as Joseph Schacht did, dating by isnÉd as GHA Juynboll did, and dating by isnÉd and matn simultaneously. The latter of these methods has its merit in that it recognizes the unique nature of ×adÊth mentioned above and the current paper focuses on its pioneer and primary proponent in today’s western academia, Harald Motzki. Although he applies this method to different kinds of Traditions like the biographical, the legal and the exegetical ones, the current paper concerns itself with an instance of its application by Motzki on their latter kind.