On the Original Meaning of the Qurʾanic Term al-shayṭān al-rajīm

Abstract

This article seeks to reconsider the meaning(s) of the phrase al-shayṭān 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 Qurʾan 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.