"Mun'im Sirry has given us a comprehensive and dispassionate overview of recent academic debates on the nature and origins of the Qur'an and the early Muslim community. In a time when scholars of the subject are often not in close dialogue with one another across schools, or are dismissive of other methodologies, his wide-ranging and closely argued survey is essential." Juan Cole Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan, USA "Sirry celebrates the vibrancy of Qur'anic/early Islamic Studies and exemplifies that vibrancy. Extraordinarily useful, this work examines the early history and development of the Islamic narrative. Sirry traces how different lines of thought about early centuries of Islam cross and diverge. He embodies a middle way by fully inhabiting each position as he considers them. He shows a monumental grasp of scholarly positions and how to organize and map them.

Breathtaking in its scope, he finds common ground between the traditionalists and revisionists." David Penchansky Professor of the Hebrew Bible, University of St. Thomas, USA "By introducing us to the complex traditionalist and revisionist scholarship, this book offers a critical and erudite exploration of conflicting theories about the emergence of Islam. [It is a] much-needed and timely work that will be of interest to specialists as well as to general readers and students." Mehdi Azaiez Professor of Islamic Studies, Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium.