Qalu an al-Quran

Qalu an al-Quran (What They Said About the Quran) is a contemporary Arabic work compiled by the Iraqi historian and author Imad al-Din Khalil, assembling testimonies, evaluations, and commentaries on the Quran expressed by Western thinkers, Orientalists, Christian scholars, and converts to Islam Qalu an al-Quran+1.

Content and Structure

The book is structured into individual biographical entries dedicated to prominent Orientalists, foreign scholars, and notable converts Qalu an al-Quran+1. For each figure, Khalil provides a concise biographical overview in the footnotes—including their background, academic posts, and publications—accompanied by direct quotations from their writings reflecting on different facets of the Quran Qalu an al-Quran+1.

The documented perspectives cover a wide range of Quranic themes:

• Inimitability and Style: The entries document assessments of the literary eloquence and inimitable nature of the text (iʿjaz). Quotes from scholars such as Philip Hitti emphasize the unique style of the Quran and its role in preserving the Arabic language Qalu an al-Quran, while French Orientalist Régis Blachère remarks on its poetic resonance, supreme literary quality, and historical compilation under Caliph Uthman ibn Affan Qalu an al-Quran+1. British scholar Thomas Arnold notes that even medieval Christian opponents such as Álvaro of Córdoba could not help but admire its rhetorical power Qalu an al-Quran.
• Scientific and Cosmological Aspects: Passages from French physician Maurice Bucaille highlight the harmony between modern scientific knowledge and Quranic statements on natural phenomena, contrasting this with errors found in previous scriptures Qalu an al-Quran+1. American scholar Millar Burrows discusses Quranic verses referencing the subjugation of nature and astronomy Qalu an al-Quran.
• Theology and Social Legislation: Legal scholar Marcel A. Boisard characterizes the text as a living, uncreated revelation and a timeless social and spiritual order Qalu an al-Quran. French Orientalist Émile Dermenghem addresses the Quran's high esteem for Jesus (Isa) and the Prophet's fidelity in delivering the revelation Qalu an al-Quran, while Washington Irving discusses the comprehensive scope and moral elevation of the Quranic law Qalu an al-Quran.
• Converts' Testimonies: Khalil includes statements from figures such as former missionary Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad, Deborah Potter, William Burchell Bashir Pickard, and Amer Ali David, recounting how studying the Quranic text and its theological clarity led to their conversion Qalu an al-Quran+3.

Purpose

The work serves as an apologetic and comparative resource, offering testimonies from outside the Islamic tradition to illustrate the universal appeal, linguistic impact, and intellectual coherence of the Quran Maqalat Mawqi al-Durar al…. It particularly targets readers engaged with Western philosophy or secular critique by highlighting admissions of the scripture's merit from non-Muslim specialists Maqalat Mawqi al-Durar al….