The Role of Non-Muslim Scholars in Quranic Literature: In the Context of Pakistan and India

Abstract

Studying interfaith intellectual exchanges, colonial heritage, and postcolonial scholarly dynamics is facilitated by the participation of non-Muslim scholars in Quranic studies in the socioreligious spheres of Pakistan and India. This study analyzes the role played by non-Muslim scholars, linguists, and translators in Quranic interpretation, translation, and literary critique in South Asia since the colonial period, including Orientalists, Hindu reformers, and modern secular intellectuals. It examines how local discourses on Islamic, identity, and religious diversity have been impacted by their works, which often are subject to philological rigor, comparative religious paradigms, or missionary purposes. Non-Muslim scholars' Quranic interpretations (e.g., Christian linguists or Hindu scholars) have sometimes created debates about authenticity and representation within Pakistan, where Islam is central to the nation's identity, but also stimulated complicated interfaith discussions. In India, secular academies have allowed researchers such as K. S. Singh (anthropologist) or Rita Joshi (literary critic) to research the socio-cultural influence of the Quran, quite often transgressing communal borders. The tensions between academic objectivity and religious sensitivity, accusations of "outsider" perspectives, and allegations of Orientalist bias are addressed in the research. This research displays how South Asian non-Muslim scholarship on the Quran challenges and reinforces Islamic studies by investigating significant texts, institutional roles, and public responses. It achieves this by emphasizing the complex relationship between scholarship, faith, and identity within the region.