Abū Muhammad b. al-Qurtubī versus Abū 'Alī al-Rundī: An Andalusī polemic on the modes of transmission of the Qur'an

This contribution deals with Abū 'Alī al-Rundī's (d. 616/1219) refutation of Abū Muhammad b. al-Qurtubī's (d. 611/1214) views on the modes of transmission of the Qur'an and the qirā'āt ('variant readings'). It is the last in a series of texts on this topic included by Ahmad al-Wansharīsī (d. 914/1509) in his famous fatwā collection, al-Mi'yār al-mu'rib. The two Andalusī scholars had similar academic profiles and vied for recognition as the foremost authority on Qur'an readings in Malaga, which during the Almohad period was home to a large number of eminent 'ulamā'. Asked whether he thought that the Qur'an, in its variant readings, should be transmitted with an isnād, from one person to the next, Ibn al-Qurtubī had apparently replied in the affirmative. In the text under discussion, al-Rundī aims to destroy the arguments of his arch-rival, whom he describes in scathing terms. He argues that the Qur'an has always been transmitted through tawātur (that is, by a multitude of trustworthy people) which alone guarantees sound knowledge. The refutation not only reflects the state of Qur'anic Studies in al-Andalus at the time, but also the acrimonious relations between two important scholars.