Canonisation du Coran… par le Coran ?

The Qur’ân is specific in that it proclaims its own canonization in the Qur’ânic text itself. A study of this affirmation reveals a strong and organized argument for the canonical authority of Muhammad’s recitations. How does such a unified argument fit with the traditional process of canonization by the early Muslim community, most particularly as analyzed by J. Wansbrough and A.-L. de Prémare? By distinguishing between the fixing of the established text and the accepting of the authority of the text as the two components of this process, I suggest that the affirmation of the authority of Muhammad’s recitations preceded its effective authority, and thus preceded the process of fixing the text. Thus this affirmation in the Qur’ân should not be regarded as the result of the canonization but as its cause.