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This chapter utilizes hadith texts as a window into the thoughts of its creators, Muslim believers who lived many decades after the prophet's death and whose religious ideas were reflected in the way they chose to describe the divine nature of the Quran. The Quran itself was the major source which shaped the Islamic tradition. Early Muslims stressed the Quran's divine origin and nature and praised its mode of revelation in comparison to that of previous scriptures, but they made a distinction between the heavenly Quran and the actual, “earthly” text possessed by the believers. The distinction between the two versions of the Quran, one in heaven and the other the Uthmanic codex, is made quite clearly in a group of traditions dealing with the history of the Quranic text, which describe the way Quranic revelations were compiled into a complete version of the Quran in the prophet's lifetime.

Purpose: This article takes up the view that the Qurʾān was left incomplete as a book and did not take final shape until well after the Prophet’s death. It considers whether this may be deemed valid upon analysis of a type of structural binding occurring in the text. Methodology: The study takes an analytical and historical approach. It examines center-periphery connection between adjacent sūras in various phases of revelation (structural consistency would suggest a single source for the text, whereas inconsistency would imply multiple hands involved in editing). The study furthermore compares results with those from recent statistical and thematic studies. Findings: The research highlights continuity. This accords with recent stylometric analysis of the text, which shows a coherent stylistic trajectory. It also accords with an examination of the theme of jihād in the Qurʾān, which reveals overall consistency and adherence to core principles. Originality: This is the first study to disclose consistency of center-periphery connection in the Qurʾān, strengthening our appreciation of the text’s composition. Furthermore, insofar as this research helps us to perceive links between adjacent sūras, it could aid in textual interpretation. Finally, since the findings call into question the notion that the Qurʾān was arranged later, an updated hypothesis for the early writing and copying of the Qurʾān is presented, taking into account the existence of minor variations in the old codices, the reports about an ʿUthmānic commission issuing a standard text, and the fact that no prototype manuscript has been discovered.

This article challenges the view, common among Western academics since early last century, that the Qurʾān was left incomplete as a book and did not take final shape until well after the Prophet's death. Against this, it highlights an example of structural continuity: that of center-periphery connection between adjacent sūras. This type of connection is identified throughout the phases of revelation, from the early Meccan period to the late Medinan one. The structural consistency illuminated here indicates that one author or authority likely arranged the Qurʾān, a finding in accordance with recent stylometric analysis of the text carried out at Princeton University. It also accords with an examination of the theme of jihād in the Qurʾān, the conclusions of which were presented at the 2017 International Qur'anic Studies Association conference in Boston. Far from suggesting a multiplicity of voices, the doctrine of jihād is characterized by overall consistency and adherence to core principles, pointing to a likely single origin. Next, before the conclusion of the article, an updated hypothesis for the early writing and transmission of the Qurʾān is presented, taking into account the existence of minor variations in the old codices, the reports about an ʿUthmānic commission issuing a standard text, and the fact that no prototype manuscript has been discovered.