Overview of the Book “The Trends in Orientalist Quranic Studies in the the United States” by Seyyed Hossein Alavi

In the contemporary era, Orientalist studies on Islam and the Noble Qur’an have grown remarkably, making it imperative for Muslim scholars to examine and respond to the doubts raised within these works. This study offers a review of Seyyed Hossein Alavi’s book Trends in Orientalist Qur’anic Studies in the United States, aiming to critique its form and content and to elucidate its strengths and shortcomings. The book investigates the principal currents of Qur’anic studies in the United States, which have developed under the influence of Western intellectual paradigms and are presented across three domains: Qur’anic sciences, Qur’anic teachings, and exegetical discussions.
The author analyzes three fundamental approaches adopted by American Orientalists toward the Qur’an: the descriptive, the skeptical, and the scientific-critical approaches. Following an exposition of these trends and approaches, the book thoroughly examines the core premises underpinning Orientalist Qur’anic studies — such as the denial of the Qur’an’s divine origin, rejection of the Prophet’s divine mission, viewing Islam as ethnocentric, and disputing the Islamic narrative of its own history. It then outlines the principal methods employed by Orientalists, including historical criticism, phenomenology, and comparative approaches, illustrated through concrete examples.
The book’s key finding reveals that Orientalists, operating from materialistic and secular presuppositions, employ methodologies that serve the aims set by these frameworks. Consequently, their approaches - largely developed in materialist contexts to critique Biblical tradition - have come to be regarded as authoritative within Western academic circles.