Dual Heritage of Western Islamic Scholarship: Qurʾānic Influence on Orientalism and Postcolonial Studies, and Trends in Academic Journals

This descriptive article argues that the shift to postcolonial revisionism in Western Islamic studies stems partly from Edward Said’s Orientalism and partly from the failure of the Orientalists’ Corpus Coranicum project to replace textus receptus . Consequently, transfixing divide reflects larger biformity crisis in Western Islamic studies: while anti-Eurocentric scholars have shifted to area studies, Eurocentric Revisionists remain tied to neo-Orientalism, criticizing the Qurʾān and Ḥadīth as later constructions. In doing so, they overlook the Orientalists’ contributions to postcolonial studies in the West. Whereas, a systematic review shows how Orientalists’ access to Islamic databases and translations laid foundation for the Western Islamic studies as it stands today. Furthermore, a qualitative survey reflects that Orientalism no longer holds relevance in research. Survey would prompt traditionalists to shift their focus from the retrospective approach to either area studies or contemporary issues raised by the Revisionist School, especially relating Qurʾān and formative Islam.