Complex sentence: John Burton states that medieval-era Islamic texts claiming that the Quran was compiled after the death of Muhammad were forged to preserve the status quo; the final version of the Quran, states Burton, was compiled while Muhammad was still alive.
Split into simpler sentences: John Burton states that medieval era Islamic texts claiming the Quran was compiled after the death of Muhammad were forged to preserve the status-quo. The final version of the Quran, states Burton, was compiled while Muhammad was still alive.