WESTERN ATTEMPTS AT DATING THE REVELATIONS

WESTERN ATTEMPTS AT DATING

THE REVELATIONS

1.  Introduction

Since the middle of the nineteenth century, some western intellectual have wanted to explain about the chronological of the revelations. This paragraph will discuss about two approaches which the most influential in western. The first about summarize of Noldeke, because he used Islamic traditions and theological development. He divided dating the revelations into four periods. And the second will discuss about Richard Bell’s approach. He argued that that the majority of the surahs are composite. This argumentation will appear the standard Egyptian chronology, surah classification by Noldeke and Schwally, or Bell's dating of the surah sections by Bell.

2. The Noldeke-Schwally classification of the surahs

Theodor Noldeke argued that different between meccan and Madinan surah was basically sound. He added that meccan ayahs shorter than madinan ayahs. He reasoned about Muhammad’s migration certain change Muhammad’ style until some years.

This we will see classification by Noldeke and his pupil Friedrich Schwally based on their revised edition. Schwally said that in every four period only approximate.

First Meccan

(N1) 96 : al-‘Alaq, (N2) 74 : al-Muddasir, (N3)111 : al-Lahab, (N4) 106 : Quraisy, (N5) 108 : al-Kausar, (N6) 106 : al-Humazah, (N7) 107, (N8) 102, (N9 ) 105, (N10) 92, (N11) 90 , (N12) 94, (N13 ) 93, (N14 ) 97, (N15 ) 86, (N16) 91, (N17 ) 80, (N18) 68*, (N19 ) 87, (N20) 95, (N21) 103*, (N22) 85*, (N23) 73*, (N24 ) 101, (N25) 99, (N26) 82, (N27) 81, (N28) 53", (N29 ) 84*, (N30) 100, (N31) 79*, (N32) 77, (N33) 78, (N34 ) 88, (N35) 89, (N36) 75*, (N37 ) 83, (N38) 69, (N39 ) 51*, (N40) 52*, (N41) 56*, (N42) 70, (N43) 55*, (N44 ) 112, (N45) l09, (N46) 113, (N47) 114, (N48) 1.

Second Meccan

(N49) 54, (N50) 37, (N51) 71, (N52) 76, (N53) 44, (N54) 50, (N55) 20, (N56) 26, (N57) 15, (N58) 19, (N59) 38, (N60) 36, (N61) 43, (N62) 72, (N63) 67, (N64) 23, (N65 ) 21, (N66) 25, (N67 ) 17, (N68) 27, (N69 ) 18.

Third Meccan

(N70) (N71) (N72) (N73) (N74) (N75) (N76) (N77) (N78) (N79) (N80) (N81) (N82) (N83) (N84) (N85) (N86) (N87) (N88) (N89) (N90)

Madinan

(N91) 32, (N71) 41, (N72) 45, (N73 ) 16*, (N74) 30, (N75) 11, (N76) 14, (N77) 12, (N78) 40, (N79 ) 28, (N80) 39, (N81) 29*, (N82) 31*, (N83 ) 42, (N84 ) 10, (N85) 34, (N86) 35, (N87 ) 7*, (N88) 46, (N89 ) 6*, (N90) 13.

Meccan additions to Meccan surahs

52,21 , 29-49; 68.17-52; 78.37-41; 79.27-46; 96.9-19.

Meccan Insertions in Madinan surahs

2.163-71, ?200-2, ?204-7; 22.1-24, 43-55, 59-64, 66-74.

Madinan additions to ileccan surahs

6.91-94; 7.157f; 14.35-9; 16.41f., 110-125; 29.1-11, ?45, ?69; 31.11-18, 25-28; 73.20; 74.31.

Additions to Meccan surahs, date unspecified

51-24-60; 53.23, 26-32; 55-8-9, 33 (except last five words); 56.75-96; 75.16-19; 84.25; 103.3.

On first period, have some character such as all of surah short. Of the 48 surahs, 23 have less than 20 ayahs; 14 have less than 5o. The ayahs are also short, generally having between 6 and io syllables. Style ayah is oaths and rhymes. The majority of themes surahs is coming cataclysm (e.g. 70.8-14), the contrasting fate awaiting the blessed and the damned (e.g. 16.15-29), the bountiful nature of God's creation (e.g. 55.I-II), etcetera.

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Than on second period have different character with the first period. The surahs generally longer than the past. the shortest has 28 ayahs and 13 have over 8o. The ayahs themselves are also longer, having an average of between 12 and 2o syllables. The style is more monotonous: many style rhyme in -an/-In. the rhyme change by diatribe (e.g 23.80-90). Often referent to God’s signs in nature (e.g 16.3-18).

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For the third period do not differ with the second period in length. Style and themes is same. Audience addressed as “O Humankind”. Finally, as these surahs werethe last to be revealed before the hijrah, it is not surprising that many ofthem were revised at the beginning of the Madinan period. Hence,Madinan additions are not uncommon.

The total of medinan surah is 24 surahs. The character of this period is have long ayah. The ayah until 200 ayahs. There are 2 surahs have 200 or more ayah. Than 3 surahs have at least 120 ayahs. But there are also 9 surahs whice have 18 or fiwer. The other character is have the rhyme un/in. the audience not only believer but also Jews and Hypocrites (Munafik). Although Noldeke stresses that some of the longer surahs may have been revealed over a considerable period, and hence cannot be arranged in a precisechronological sequence.  He puts surahs 2,8,3,59,33,48,9 according sirah-Maraghi literature. His reasons for putting surahs 8 and 3 because they contain references to, the victory at Badr and the setback at Uhud. As Surah 47 mentions the reluctance of some believers in victory , he concludes that it was probably revealed shortly after Badr, but before Uhud. Consequently, he positions it after Surah 8 and before Surah 3.

3. The difficulties involved in dating individual surahs

In fact, many of the surahs are extremely difficult to date accurately according hardand-fast evidence. The example surah 110. It tell about victory or conquest and mass conversion to the religion of Allah. This reason make Madinan in last period. According the contain this surah about victory but it do not put in 114. This position also has acquired by standard Egyptian. Apart from the possibility that there were people who remembered internal evidence. He explain two argument. First, surah 110 resembles the beginning of surah 48.

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“Surely We have opened up a clear victory for thee that Allah may forgive thee thy former and thy latter sins” (4 8. if.).

The second, in post-Qur'anic works referring to the life and times of Muhammad. The word fath almost referent to conquest Meccan. But there is different connotation. In surah 26 ayah 118

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This conquest not military conquest. The root meaning of the verb is 'to open', and what Noah presumablywanted was for God to judge openly between him and his people, or toopen for him a way out of his difficulties with them.

4. Bell's attempt at dating the surahs and surah sections

            Bell use Noldeke’s chronology in starting point for his research, but he modified it when he found that surah was more complex than Noldeke. He agreement with Noldeke about 24 surahs in period Madinan because their komposit. In particular he was believe that word “Munafiqun” used for people who distrusted Muhammad’s Policy at the battle of Uhud. He also agree with Noldeke at many of remaining 90 surahs.

On the basis of this observation, Bell deduced that passages which mentioned 'Islam' or 'Muslims', or implied that Muhammad's followers were a distinct community, were Madinan. He tentatively suggested that the composition of the Qur'an fell into three main periods:

a.       An early period, consist of natural phenomena, which are signs of Allah's power

and generosity (such as 23.12-14; 23.17-21; 78.6-16; 79.27-33; 80.24-32), and exhortations to worship him (such as io6).

b.      Qur'an period.

This began with the prayer ritual and covered the latter part of Muhammad's activity in Mecca and early in Yathrib. Bell thought that the word qur'an was took from the Syriac qerydna, which used the reading or lesson in church services.

The Qur'an was intended to deliver the religion before, but in the Arabic language. However the earlier message of Allah's many themes about the proclamation of the coming judgment, paradise and hell and with edifying biblical stories.

c.       Book period.

which began around the end of the second year of the hijrah - in other words after the break with the Jews and the victory at Badr - during which Muhammad was definitely producing a Book, that is to say an independent revelation which was immediately committed to writing. In this period the qur'an is spoken of in a way which implies that it is complete (2.185 and 9. i), whereas 'the Book' (al-kitab) is still in the process of being revealed (-I9 . I6, 41, 5 1, 54, 56).