The Truth About the Quran | Harvard Professor Shady Nasser

Harvard Professor of Islamic Studies Shady Nasser answers 10 questions about the Quran and its history.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:11 0. Do Academics Care About Proving Divine Authorship?
00:06:12 1. Did Muhammad Have/Intend to Have a Physical Quran?
00:11:55 2. Can It Be Confirmed that Today’s Quran was Recited by Muhammad?
00:18:11 3. Can it Be Verified that the First Physical Quran is Identical to Today’s Quran?
00:20:37 4. Can it Be Proven that the Quran Was Accurately Compiled?
00:30:26 5. Was the Quran Invented by Others?
00:36:39 6. Is the Quran Miraculously Unique?
00:40:46 7. Is the Quran Objectively Inimitable?
00:46:13 8. Is the Quran Clear?
00:51:00 9.1 Is the Quran Linguistically Flawless?
00:57:50 9.2 Is the Content Flawless?
01:10:50 10. Who wrote the Quran?

Short Answers:
0. No.
1. Difficult to Say
2. No.
3. Not entirely, but close.
4. No.
5. Difficult to say.
6. No.
7. No.
8. Partially yes, partially no.
9.1. No.
9.2 Hard to say.
10. Depends on what you believe.

[ApostateProphet]

Thanks to Dr. Shady Nasser for this fantastic discussion. I hope to talk to him again. I hope everyone enjoys this and can benefit from it.
The short answers are in the description, the time stamps are here for your convenience:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:11 0. Do Academics Care About Proving Divine Authorship?
00:06:12 1. Did Muhammad Have/Intend to Have a Physical Quran?
00:11:55 2. Can It Be Confirmed that Today’s Quran was Recited by Muhammad?
00:18:11 3. Can it Be Verified that the First Physical Quran is Identical to Today’s Quran?
00:20:37 4. Can it Be Proven that the Quran Was Accurately Compiled?
00:30:26 5. Was the Quran Invented by Others?
00:36:39 6. Is the Quran Miraculously Unique?
00:40:46 7. Is the Quran Objectively Inimitable?
00:46:13 8. Is the Quran Clear?
00:51:00 9.1 Is the Quran Linguistically Flawless?
00:57:50 9.2 Is the Content Flawless?
01:10:50 10. Who wrote the Quran?

[LordXantos]

It is amazing the calm clarity and knowledge of this man. The anger the malice and violence of most Islamic apologists is diametrically opposed to this. This is the difference between those who seek the truth and those who desperately try to hide it. Thanks.

[Freethinker-ojor]

I was going to accept islam.thanks for saving me.

[jobtiesinga]

Great conversation! Fighting Islam with its own sources and history is the best way forward, fighting lies by simply speaking the truth.

[AskForTruth]

This is how we learn. This is the kind of discourse the whole world needs. What a pleasure to watch and listen.

[raulcheva]

Thanks Dr. Shady Nasser and AP, for this very educated information and talk. Keep going!

[thetruthseeker]

Three cheers to professor Shady Nasser. *You are truly an academic* and that is how a true academic presents to his/her own students, grounding them on *methodology* [or 'scientific' approach] not creating blind believers. Your personal beliefs are *irrelevant* but methodology. And these rules applies to all religions, faiths and beliefs. Enjoyed every second of it, brings back memories of my wonderful teachers of my college.

Edit: If anyone doing undergrad studies in humanities this is the way to approach your subject matter. Explain your terminology, set back and move out of your box, ask questions and counter questions, look for or bring primary sources to prove your claims. This a wonderful teacher / student conversation in academic level. Do not follow what your ancestors told you or your clan follows. Yes, apologists having PhDs do so, but not true academics as they guide you for your own conclusions wit myriad of counter questions forcing you to find answers. And this is no exception to Christians, Bible, Hindus, Buddhists or anyone else. Loved it!!!

[AbaseenPodcast]

I really hope this interview will not endanger Dr. Nasser in any way. Such are the days we live in, that one has to make a comment like this.

[squirreleyy]

Sadly most Muslims will hate Prof. Nasser for speaking about the Quran this way. Today's Muslim apologists portray the Quran as a flawless product when it is clear from academia that it is not. At least Muslim scholars in the past were humble enough to admit that they did the best they could to compile the 'word of God'.

[nasserhameed]

Thanks to Dr Shady Nasser for answering such difficult questions honestly. Please be safe.

[MythVisionPodcast]

I love this academic interview AP. This is exactly how things go with my interviews in Judaism and Christianity. I hope a trend develops allowing more people to have critical discussions on this topic more often.

[luiscmrosario]

One of the best people you've had on, i appreciate this video thanks AP

[BLACK.ANGEL.]

5:20 "....and then he started to loose his creativity." = Waraqa Ibn Nawfal, Mo's "inspiration", died!

[AbulkalamAzad-qzvv]

always waited for such scholarly discussion.Thanks AP

[setokaiba]

It's so cool seeing academics like him and Dr Joshua Bowen be questioned on certain things here.

[Bearkw]

Can’t tell you just how much I enjoyed this highly informative discussion!

[benjasamu]

It was funny at the end of the interview, I could tell AP was being polite and not say his trademark phrase, "And stay away from Islam!"

[misterlogik]

As another modern Islamic scholar (Dr Y Qadhi) said ""THE MOMENT WE DO A DEEP DIVE THINGS GET VERY AWKWARD"" with reference to the SIN (Standard Islamic Narrative)
He couldn't be more right.

[InNazareth]

Thank you Dr. Shady Nasser your services are very much appreciated.

[Stardust]

Absolutely brilliant interview Ridvan. Dr Nasser is actually more forthcoming on specific positions than I've seen in other interviews. Liked the short answer long answer approach. As dawahganda types love to mislead and misuse context.