Régis Blachère and the Qur’an: A Critical Analysis of His Orientalist Claims

ريجيس بلاشير والقرآن الكريم: تحليل نقدي لمزاعمه الاستشراقية

Abstract

This paper presents a critical analysis of the claims made by French Orientalist Régis Blachère regarding the Qur’an, focusing on his assertions about its human authorship, literary composition, and historical influences. Blachère, like many Orientalists, approached the Qur’an through a secular and philological lens, interpreting it as a cultural artifact rather than a divinely revealed scripture. He posited that the Qur’an drew heavily from pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, Judeo-Christian traditions, and other historical sources, thus challenging its originality and divine origin. His conclusions are largely rooted in comparative literary studies and speculative historical reconstructions that often disregard the Qur’an’s self-referential claims and the epistemological framework of Islamic tradition. This study critically examines Blachère’s methodology, particularly his dependence on conjectural sources and his selective reading of Qur’anic text. It highlights the methodological flaws in his analysis, including the marginalization of the Qur’an’s unique linguistic structure, rhetorical devices, and internal coherence. Furthermore, the paper draws on classical and contemporary Islamic scholarship to respond to these orientalist narratives, emphasizing the Qur’an’s inimitability (iʿjāz), consistency, and impact on linguistic, moral, and social transformation. By contextualizing Blachère’s views within the broader orientalist discourse and contrasting them with Islamic scholarly approaches, the paper aims to provide a balanced and academically rigorous rebuttal. Ultimately, it defends the Qur’an’s authenticity and divine origin, reaffirming the integrity of Islamic revelation against reductive orientalist interpretations. This analysis contributes to the ongoing dialogue between Islamic and Western scholarship and underscores the need for a more nuanced and respectful engagement with sacred Islamic texts.