Odon Lafontaine, (spokesperson of Gallez) Criticism on "Le coran des historiens"" on the French Amazon:
(DeepL translation...)
An encyclopedic and non-synthetic approach: exciting, sharp, but disappointing
The book consists of an introductory volume presenting some thirty critical studies on the context of the emergence of Islam, and two volumes on the integral exegesis of the Koran. It is exciting, it is sharp, but it is also very disappointing because it suffers from the major defect of scientific research in general: the hyperspecialization of researchers and the absence of a global perspective.
Critical studies are indeed fascinating, very specialized, covering a very varied field of analysis. But unfortunately, all these studies are carried out independently of each other. These are works of "hyperspecialists", each in his own corner, and we are very frustrated not to see them working in real synergy, not to see them leaning on each other to develop a global vision, a global perspective on the history of the origins of Islam and the genesis of the Koran (we will not explain the latter without really understanding the formation of Islam).
No synthesis is thus made at the scale of the work, no truly global vision is thus brought on the genesis of the Koran from these studies (with the exception of Guillaume Dye, masterful). And so the volumes of exegesis are very frustrating because of this, even if their "encyclopedic" aspect (review of the various translations and various analyses) nevertheless makes them an interesting tool for research.
More deeply, we can even note a major inconsistency in the book, and in particular in the articulation between the first volume and the other two: critical studies provide, each in its own speciality, a host of elements contradicting the narrative of the origins according to the tradition of Islam, a tradition that basically says that Islam comes from Mohammed's preaching to uncultivated Bedouins in the Hijaz between Mecca and Medina, which preaching will constitute the Koran. However, it will have been understood through these critical studies themselves that the figure of the "prophet of Islam" is a late creation, that the origins of Islam cannot be reduced to Hijaz alone, far from it, but that it must be extended to Syria-Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Ethiopia, etc. We will also have understood that there is a whole political-religious context preceding Islam and accompanying its formation to be taken into account: Jewish-Christian currents, religious debates, texts and recitatives in circulation, a Christianization of Arabs, an Aramaic language, a background of general apocalypse and imminence of the last judgment, geopolitical issues, etc. We will finally have understood that there has been a whole reconstruction of the political-religious doctrine and original history carried out in a caliphate environment over the centuries....
But when we approach the exegesis of the Koran, we pretend to be nothing, or almost nothing. We pretend that the critical studies presented in the first volume are null and void since we are trying, more or less laboriously according to the contributors, to explain the Koranic text according to the mythical framework of the Muslim tradition, by forcing it back to this mythical framework even though it was previously invalidated. There are certainly some exceptions all the same, some critical impulses here and there, but on the whole, the analysis remains trapped in categories whose falsity has been demonstrated. How the hell can you understand something if you start from assumptions that are wrong? It is here that this lack of a global perspective is cruelly felt...
And so, claiming that this book is a "major breakthrough", a research advance, seems to me to be very premature. This does not correspond to the content of the 3 volumes. It is a sum, yes, it is a juxtaposition of works, it is a formidable work that amply deserves its 4 stars, but it is not a synthesis. However, we will be grateful to the publishing house for its media hype, which helps to raise awareness that Islam is shaking on its foundations because of historical work. However, all this is very frustrating....
Topic: Qur'anic studies today