Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD candidate in Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran
2
Corresponding author, Associate Professor, Department of Qur’anic Sciences and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran,
3
Member of the Faculty of the Tafsir Research Center, Qur’an and Hadith Research Institute, Dar Al-Hadith Scientific and Cultural Institute, Qom, Iran,
Abstract
This study focuses on South Arabian inscriptions to conduct a comparative analysis of slaughter laws in the Qur’an, the Torah, and the Gospel. Emphasizing Holger Zellentin’s theoretical framework, it critically reassesses the hypothesis that Qur’anic legal rulings are derived from earlier scriptures. The primary aim is to elucidate the historical, linguistic, and legal roots of slaughtering regulations and dietary prohibitions, and to demonstrate the Qur’an’s position as a creative continuation of pre-Islamic Semitic traditions. The research adopts a descriptive–analytical methodology grounded in intertextual, epigraphic, and linguistic studies, alongside library-based source analysis. Epigraphic data from South Arabia are examined in conjunction with relevant Qur’anic verses and passages from the Two Testaments. The findings indicate that concepts such as purity, impurity, blood, and sacrificial slaughter possess deep roots in Semitic legal culture and in the legal traditions of non-Jewish communities, as reflected in South Arabian inscriptions. The Qur’an reconfigures this shared heritage through conceptual reconstruction, transcending local and ethnic frameworks and transforming it into a universal legal system for the Islamic community. The study concludes that Qur’anic slaughter laws are not the result of linear borrowing from the Torah or the Gospel. Rather, they emerge from multilayered historical, linguistic, and cultural interactions within South Arabia. While maintaining continuity with earlier traditions, the Qur’an affirms its interpretive independence and distinct legal identity
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