On the Original Meaning of the Qur'anic Term al-shaytān al-rajīm

摘要

This article seeks to reconsider the meaning(s) of the phrase al-shaytān al-rajīm. It surveys the controversy surrounding the meaning of rajīm in this context and argues two points: first, that by the time the phrase was employed in the Qur'an its original meaning had been forgotten, and second, that the original meaning of the term was related to Satan's role as a heavenly accuser.