In search of Ali ibn Abi Talib's codex : history and traditions on the earliest copy of the Quran / Seyfeddin Kara ; with a foreword by James Piscatori.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 271-278).

Foreword / by James Piscatori -- Introduction -- Western scholarship and the early history of the Qur��an -- Muslim responses to the criticisms of the textual history of the Qur��an -- The Shi�i approach to the history of the collection of the Qur��an -- Introduction to isn�ad-cum-matn methodology -- Traditions attributed to Mu�hammad Al-B�aqir -- Traditions attributed to �Al�i b. Ab�i �T�alib -- Traditions attributed to Ja�far al-S�adiq -- Traditions attributed to Ibn S�ir�in -- Miscellaneous -- Conclusion.

"The history of the text of the Qur'an has been a longstanding subject of interest within the field of Islamic Studies, but the debate has so far been focused on the Sunni traditions about the codices of Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Uthman b. 'Affan. Little to no attention has been given to the traditions on 'Ali b. Abi Talib's collection of the Qur'an. This book examines both Shi'i and Sunni traditions on the issue, aiming to date them back to the earliest possible date and, if possible, verify their authenticity. To achieve this, the traditions are examined using Harald Motzki's isnad-cum-matn method, which is recognised as an efficient tool in dating the early Islamic traditions and involves analysis of both matn (text) and isnad (chain of transmission) with an emphasis on finding a correlation between the two"--back cover.