A Critical Study of Arthur Jeffery’s Views on the Collection and Compilation of the Qur’an

Abstract

Arthur Jeffery (1892–1959) is among the most influential Orientalist scholars who examined the traditional Islamic narrative of the Qur’an’s collection and preservation. In his writings, particularly The Qur’an as Scripture, Jeffery argued that the Qur’an was not compiled during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and that later political and historical factors shaped its final form. This article critically examines Jeffery’s objections through a comprehensive analysis of Qur’anic verses, Prophetic traditions, early Islamic historiography, and classical as well as modern Muslim scholarship. By engaging all available primary quotations and offering logical and textual commentary on each, this study demonstrates that the Qur’an was preserved through a dual system of memorization and writing under the direct supervision of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), officially compiled during the caliphate of Abu Bakr (RA), and standardized under Uthman (RA) to preserve unity, not to alter content. The study further argues that Jeffery’s methodology reflects a Biblical textual paradigm that is not applicable to the Qur’anic transmission model. The findings reaffirm that the Qur’an’s compilation was divinely guided, historically verifiable, and textually secure from the earliest period of Islam. The study concludes that Jeffery’s objections are based on misunderstanding and selective reading of historical sources.