A Critical Examination of the Attribution of the Poem Cited by Suha in his Critique of the Quran to Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl

Document Type : Original

Authors

1 Advanced Student (Level 4) in Islamic Studies, Isfahan Seminary, Isfahan, Iran.

2 Advanced Student (Level 4) in Comparative Exegesis, Fatima al-Zahra Specialized Center, Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract

One of the arguments posited by Suha in his book "  Naqd al-Qurʾān" (Critique of the Quran) to support the claim of Qur’anic appropriation of pre-Islamic ideas is the alleged recurrence of a thematic element from a poem attributed to Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl within the Qur’anic text. He contends that since this concept appears in the poetry, the corresponding Qur’anic expression must have been derived from it. A fundamental method for refuting this claim is to scrutinize the authenticity of the poem’s attribution to its purported pre-Islamic author. If this attribution is unreliable, the foundational premise for asserting the poem’s chronological priority and the Qur’an’s alleged borrowing from it collapses. This study conducts a meticulous source-critical analysis (asnād) of all extant transmission chains (ṭuruq) of the verse. The findings demonstrate that all chains are either disconnected (maqṭūʿ) or, in their most complete form, converge upon narrators from the Zubayrid family (Āl Zubayr)—a group with a clear historical motive to fabricate merits for their lineage. Key transmitters, including Saʿīd ibn Zayd (a known fabricator) and Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, further undermine the narration’s credibility. Consequently, the poem’s attribution to Zayd ibn ʿAmr is highly dubious and cannot substantiate Suha’s claim. This research highlights the necessity of rigorous historiographical analysis in responding to modern polemics against the Qur’an.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Quranic Doctrines
Volume 22, Issue 42 - Serial Number 42
December 2025
Pages 323-350

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 21 September 2025
  • Accept Date: 27 October 2025
  • Publish Date: 22 December 2025

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