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Sarah Ansari, Ali Usman Qasmi. Questioning the Authority of the Past: The Ahl al-Quran Movements in the Punjab., The American Historical Review, Volume 118, Issue 5, December 2013, Pages 1505–1506, https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/118.5.1505
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Like other forms of knowledge, religious knowledge is a function of who produces it, how, and in what political, social, cultural, and—importantly—historical contexts. As knowledge (presumed or otherwise) underpins authority, how to define religious authority, what it takes to be acknowledged as a religious authority, and what interpretive powers accrue to religious authorities are also questions that confront Muslims—just as they challenge adherents of other religions the world over. As Ali Usman Qasmi's study highlights, by looking closely at the ideas and activities of the Ahl al-Qurʾan (People of the Quran)—that is, “a disparate set of movements and ideologues—dating from the late nineteenth century onwards in South Asia—associated with those who uphold the Quran as the only [emphasis added] sacred text which Muslims need to follow in matters of their beliefs and practices” (p. 2)—the critical reassessment and questioning of texts has been key to how certain followers of Islam have interpreted their faith. Indeed, as Qasmi puts it, over the course of the past one hundred years or so, “Ahl al-Qurʾan movements … [have] carved out a distinct discursive space where new ideas about the Prophet and the authority of his words and actions could be discussed and its relevance vis-à-vis [the] Quran as a binding source of religious guidance could be estimated” (p. 3).
