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Calling the Qur'an amazing is not something
done only by Muslims, who have an appreciation for the book and who are
pleased with it; it has been labeled amazing by non-Muslims as well. In
fact, even people who hate Islam very much have still called it amazing.
Introduction
One thing which surprises non-Muslims who are examining the book very
closely is that the Qur'an does not appear to them to be what they expected.
What they assume is that they have an old book which came fourteen centuries
ago from the Arabian desert; and they expect that the book should look
something like that - an old book from the desert. And then they find out
that it does not resemble what they expected at all. Additionally, one of
the first things that some people assume is that because it is an old book
which comes from the desert, it should talk about the desert. Well the
Qur'an does talk about the desert - some of its imagery describes the
desert; but it also talks about the sea - what it's like to be in a storm on
the sea.
Merchant Marine
Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a man who was in the
merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim gave him a
translation of the Qur'an to read. The merchant marine knew nothing about
the history of Islam but was interested in reading the Qur'an. When he
finished reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked, "This
Muhammad, was he a sailor?" He was impressed at how accurately the Qur'an
describes a storm on a sea. When he was told, "No as a matter of fact,
Muhammad lived in the desert," that was enough for him. He embraced Islam on
the spot.
He was so impressed with the Qur'an's description because he had been in a
storm on the sea, and he knew that whoever had written that description had
also been in a storm on the sea. The description of "a wave, over it a wave,
over it clouds" (Surah Nur, 24:40) was not what someone imagining a storm on
a sea to be like would have written; rather, it was written by someone who
knew what a storm on the sea was like. This is one example of how the Qur'an
is not tied to certain place and time. Certainly, the scientific ideas
expressed in it also do not seem to originate from the desert fourteen
centuries ago.
The Smallest Thing
Many centuries before the onset of Muhammad's prophethood, there was a
well-known theory of atomism advanced by the Greek philosopher, Democritus.
He and the people who came after him assumed that matter consists of tiny,
indestructible, indivisible particles called atoms. The Arabs too, used to
deal in the same concept; in fact, the Arabic word dharrah commonly referred
to the smallest particle known to man. Now, modern science has discovered
that this smallest unit of matter (i.e., the atom, which has all of the same
properties as its element) can be split into its component parts. This is a
new idea, a development of the last century; yet; interestingly enough, this
information had already been documented in the Qur'an (Surah Saba', 34:3)
which states:
"He [i.e., Allah] is aware of an atom's weight in the heavens and on the
earth and even anything smaller than that..."
Undoubtedly, fourteen centuries ago that statement would have looked
unusual, even to an Arab. For him, the dharrah was the smallest thing there
was. Indeed, this is proof, that the Qur'an is not outdated.
Honey
Another example of what one might expect to find in an "old book" that
touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies or
cures. Various historical sources state that the Prophet (s) gave some
advice about health and hygiene, yet most of these pieces of advice are not
contained in the Qur'an. At first glance, to the non-Muslims this appears to
be a negligent omission. They cannot understand why Allah would not
"include" such helpful information in the Qur'an. Some Muslims attempt to
explain this absence with the following argument: "Although the Prophet's
advice was sound and applicable to the time in which he lived, Allah, in His
infinite wisdom, knew that there would come later medical and scientific
advances which would make the Prophet's advice appear outdated. When later
discoveries occurred, people might say that such information contradicted
that which the Prophet (s) had given. Thus, since Allah would never allow
any opportunity for the non-Muslims to claim that the Qur'an contradicts
itself or the teachings of the Prophet (s), He only included in the Qur'an
information and examples which could stand the test of time." However, when
one examines the true realities of the Qur'an in terms of its existence as a
divine revelation, the entire matter is quickly brought into its proper
perspective, and the error in such argumentation becomes clear and
understandable.
It must be understood that the Qur'an is a divine revelation, and as such,
all information in it is of divine origin. Allah revealed the Qur'an from
Himself. It is the words of Allah, which existed before creation, and thus
nothing can be added, subtracted or altered. In essence, the Qur'an existed
and was complete before the creation of Prophet Muhammad (s), so it could
not possibly contain any of the Prophet's own words or advice. An inclusion
of such information would clearly contradict the purpose for which the
Qur'an exists, compromise its authority and render it inauthentic as a
divine revelation.
Consequently, there was no "home remedies" in the Qur'an which one could
claim to be outdated; nor does it contain any man's view about what is
beneficial to health, what food is best to eat, or what will cure this or
that disease. In fact, the Qur'an only mentions one item dealing with
medical treatment, and it is not in dispute by anyone. It states that in
honey there is healing. And certainly, I do not think that there is anyone
who will argue with that!
Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Qur'an
If one assumes that the Qur'an is the product of a man's mind, then one
would expect it to reflect some of what was going on in the mind of the man
who "composed" it. In fact, certain encyclopedias and various books claim
that the Qur'an was the product of hallucinations that Muhammad underwent.
If these claims are true - if it indeed originated from some psychological
problems in Muhammad's mind - then evidence of this would be apparent in the
Qur'an. Is there such evidence? In order to determine whether or not there
is, one must first identify what things would have been going on in his mind
at that time and then search for these thoughts and reflections in the
Qur'an.
It is common knowledge that Muhammad (s) had a very difficult life. All of
his daughters died before him except one, and he had a wife of several years
who was very dear and important to him, who not only proceeded him in death
but died at a very critical period of his life. As a matter of fact, she
must have been quite a woman because when the first revelation came to him,
he ran home to her, afraid. Certainly, even today one would have a hard time
trying to find an Arab who would tell you, "I was so afraid that I ran home
to my wife." They just aren't that way. Yet Muhammad (s) felt comfortable
enough with his wife to be able to do that. That's how influential and
strong woman she was. Although these examples are only a few of the subjects
that would have been on Muhammad's mind, they are sufficient in intensity to
prove my point.
The Qur'an does not mention any of these things - not the death of his
children, not the death of his beloved companion and wife, not his fear of
the initial revelations, which he so beautifully shared with his wife -
nothing; yet these topics must have hurt him, bothered him, and caused him
pain and grief during periods of his life. Indeed, if the Qur'an was a
product of his psychological reflections, then these subjects, as well as
others, would be prevalent or at least mentioned throughout.
Scientific Approach to the Qur'an
A truly scientific approach to the Qur'an is possible because the Qur'an
offers something that is not offered by other religious scriptures, in
particular, and other religions, in general. It is what scientists demand.
Today there are many people who have ideas and theories about how the
universe works. These people are all over the place, but the scientific
community does not even bother to listen to them. This is because within the
last century the scientific community has demanded a test of falsification.
They say, "If you have theory, do not bother us with it unless you bring
with that theory a way for us to prove whether you are wrong or not."
Such a test was exactly why the scientific community listened to Einstein
towards the beginning of the century. He came with a new theory and said, "I
believe the universe works like this; and here are three ways to prove
whether I am wrong!" So the scientific community subjected his theory to the
tests, and within six years it passed all three. Of course, this does not
prove that he was great, but it proves that he deserved to be listened to
because he said, "This is my idea; and if you want to try to prove me wrong,
do this or try that."
This is exactly what the Qur'an has - falsification tests. Some are old (in
that they have already been proven true), and some still exist today.
Basically it states, "If this book is not what it claims to be, then all you
have to do is this or this or this to prove that it is false." Of course, in
1400 years no one has been able to do "This or this or this," and thus it is
still considered true and authentic.
Falsification Test
I suggest to you that the next time you get into dispute with someone about
Islam and he claims that he has the truth and that you are in darkness, you
leave all other arguments at first and make this suggestion. Ask him, "Is
there any falsification test in your religion? Is there anything in your
religion that would prove you are wrong if I could prove to you that it
exists - anything?" Well, I can promise right now that people will not have
anything - no test, no proof, nothing! This is because they do not carry
around the idea that they should not only present what they believe but
should also offer others a chance to prove they're wrong. However, Islam
does that.
A perfect example of how Islam provides man with a chance to verify it
authenticity and "prove it wrong" occurs in the 4th chapter. And quiet
honestly, I was very surprised when I first discovered this challenge. It
states (Surah An-Nisa, 4:82):
"Do they not consider the Qur'an? Had it been from any other than Allah,
they would surely have found therein much discrepancy."
This is a clear challenge to the non-Muslim. Basically, it invites him to
find a mistake. As a matter of fact, the seriousness and difficulty of the
challenge aside, the actual presentation of such a challenge in the first
place is not even in human nature and is inconsistent with man's
personality. One doesn't take an exam in school and after finishing the
exam, write a note to the instructor at the end saying, "This exam is
perfect. There are no mistakes in it. Find one if you can!" One just doesn't
do that. The teacher would not sleep until he found a mistake! And yet this
is the way the Qur'an approaches people.
Ask Those Who Have Knowledge
Another interesting attitude that exists in the Qur'an repeatedly deals with
its advice to the reader. The Qur'an informs the reader about different
facts and then gives the advice: "If you want to know more about this or
that, or if you doubt what is said, then you should ask those who have
knowledge." This too is a surprising attitude. It is not usual to have a
book that comes from someone without training in geography, botany, biology,
etc., who discusses these subjects and then advises the reader to ask men of
knowledge if he doubts anything. Yet in every age there have been Muslims
who have followed the advice of the Qur'an and made surprising discoveries.
If one looks to the works of Muslim scientists of many centuries ago, one
will find them full of quotations from the Qur'an. These works state that
they did research in such a place, looking for something. And they affirm
that the reason they looked in such and such a place was that the Qur'an
pointed them in that direction.
For example, the Qur'an mentions man's origin and then tells the reader,
"Research it!" It gives the reader a hint where to look and then states that
one should find out more about it. This is the kind of thing that Muslims
today largely seem to overlook - but not always, as illustrated in the
following example.
Embryology
A few years ago, a group of men in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia collected all of the
verses in the Qur'an which discuss embryology - the growth of the human
being in the womb. They said, "Here is what the Qur'an says. Is it the
truth?" In essence, they took the advice of the Qur'an: "Ask the men who
know." They chose, as it happened, a non-Muslim who is a professor of
embryology at the University of Toronto. His name is Keith Moore, and he is
the author of textbooks on embryology - a world expert on the subject. They
invited him to Riyadh and said, "This is what the Qur'an says about your
subject. Is it true? What can you tell us?"
While he was in Riyadh, they gave him all the help that he needed in
translation and all of the cooperation for which he asked. And he was so
surprised at what he found that he changed his textbooks. In fact, in the
second edition of one of his books, called Before We Are Born... in the
section about the history of embryology, he included some material that was
not in the first edition because of what he found in the Qur'an was ahead of
its time and that those who believe in the Qur'an know what other people do
not know.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Keith Moore for a television
presentation, and we talked a great deal about this - it was illustrated by
slides and so on. He mentioned that some of the things that the Qur'an
states about the growth of the human being were not known until thirty years
ago. In fact, he said that one item in particular - the Qur'an's description
of the human being as a "leech-like clot" ('alaqah) at one stage (Surahs
al-Hajj 22:5; al-Mu'minun 23:14; and Ghafir 40:67) - was new to him; but
when he checked on it, he found that it was true, and so he added it to his
book. He said, "I never thought of that before," and he went to the zoology
department and asked for a picture of a leech. When he found that it looked
just like the human embryo, he decided to include both pictures in one of
his textbooks.
Although the aforementioned example of man researching information contained
in the Qur'an deals with a non-Muslim, it is still valid because he is one
of those who is knowledgeable in the subject being researched. Had some
layman claimed that what the Qur'an says about embryology is true, then one
would not necessarily have to accept his word. However, because of the high
position, respect, and esteem man gives scholars, one naturally assumes that
if they research a subject and arrive at a conclusion based on that
research, then the conclusion is valid.
Skeptic's Reaction
Dr. Moore also wrote a book on clinical embryology, and when he presented
this information in Toronto, it caused quite a stir throughout Canada. It
was on the front pages of some of the newspapers across Canada, and some of
the headlines were quite funny. For instance, one headline read: "SURPRISING
THING FOUND IN ANCIENT PRAYER BOOK!" It seems obvious from this example that
people do not clearly understand what it is all about. As a matter of fact,
one newspaper reporter asked Professor Moore, "Don't you think that maybe
the Arabs might have known about these things - the description of the
embryo, its appearance and how it changes and grows? Maybe they were not
scientists, maybe they did some crude dissections on their own - carved up
people and examined these things." The professor immediately pointed out to
him that he [i.e., the reporter] had missed a very important point - all of
the slides of the embryo that had been shown and that had been projected in
the film had come from pictures taken through a microscope. He said, "It
does not matter if someone had tried to discover embryology fourteen
centuries ago. They could not have seen it!"
All of the descriptions in the Qur'an of the appearance of the embryo are of
the item when it is still too small to see with the eye; therefore, one
needs a microscope to see it. Since such a device had only been around for
little more than two hundred years, Dr. Moore taunted, "Maybe fourteen
centuries ago someone secretly had a microscope and did this research,
making no mistakes anywhere. Then he somehow taught Muhammad (s) and
convinced him to put this information in his book. Then he destroyed his
equipment and kept it a secret forever. Do you believe that? You really
should not unless you bring some proof because it is such a ridiculous
theory." In fact, when he was asked, "How do you explain this information in
the Qur'an?" Dr. Moore's reply was, "It could only have been divinely
revealed!"
Geology
One of Professor Moore's colleagues, Marshall Johnson, deals extensively
with geology at the University of Toronto. He became very interested in the
fact that the Qur'an's statements about embryology are accurate, and so he
asked Muslims to collect everything contained in the Qur'an which deals with
his speciality. Again people were very surprised at the findings. Since
there are a vast number subjects discussed in the Qur'an, it would certainly
require a large amount of time to exhaust each subject. It suffices for the
purpose of this discussion to state that the Qur'an makes very clear and
concise statements about various subjects while simultaneously advising the
reader to verify the authenticity of these statements with research by
scholars in those subjects. And as illustrated by the previous examples of
embryology and geology, the Qur'an has clearly emerged authentic. [Qur'an
and Scientific Knowledge]
You Did Not Know This Before!
Undoubtedly, there is an attitude in the Qur'an which is not found anywhere
else. It is interesting how when the Qur'an provides information, it often
tells the reader, "You did not know this before." Indeed, there is no
scripture that exists which makes that claim. All of the other ancient
writings and scriptures that people have do give a lot of information, but
they always state where the information came from.
For example, when the Bible discusses ancient history, it states that this
king lived here, this one fought in a certain battle, another one had so may
sons, etc. Yet it always stipulates that if you want more information, then
you should read the book of so and so because that is where the information
came from. In contrast to this concept, the Qur'an provides the reader with
information and states that this information is something new. Of course,
there always exists the advice to research the information provided and
verify its authenticity. It is interesting that such a concept was never
challenged by non-Muslims fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, the Makkans who
hated the Muslims, and time and time again they heard such revelations
claiming to bring new information; yet, they never spoke up and said, "This
is not new. We know where Muhammad got this information. We learned this at
school." They could never challenge its authenticity because it really was
new!
In concurrence with the advice given in the Qur'an to research information
(even if it is new), when 'Umar was caliph, he chose a group of men and sent
them to find the wall of Dhul-Qarnayn. Before the Qur'anic revelation, the
Arabs had never heard of such a wall, but because the Qur'an described it,
they were able to discover it. As a matter of fact, it is now located in
what is called Durbend in the Soviet Union.
Proof of Authenticity: An Aproach
It must be stressed here that the Qur'an is accurate about many, many
things, but accuracy does not necessarily mean that a book is a divine
revelation. In fact, accuracy is only one of the criteria for divine
revelations. For instance, the telephone book is accurate, but that does not
mean that it is divinely revealed. The real problem lies in that one must
establish some proof of the source the Qur'an's information. The emphasis is
in the other direction, in that the burden of proof is on the reader. One
cannot simply deny the Qur'an's authenticity without sufficient proof. If,
indeed, one finds a mistake, then he has the right to disqualify it. This is
exactly what the Qur'an encourages.
Once a man came up to me after a lecture I delivered in South Africa. He was
very angry about what I had said, and so he claimed, "I am going to go home
tonight and find a mistake in the Qur'an." Of course, I said,
"Congratulations. That is the most intelligent thing that you have said."
Certainly, this is the approach Muslims need to take with those who doubt
the Qur'an's authenticity, because the Qur'an itself offers the same
challenge. And inevitably, after accepting it's challenge and discovering
that it is true, these people will come to believe it because they could not
disqualify it. In essence, the Qur'an earns their respect because they
themselves have had to verify its authenticity.
An essential fact that cannot be reiterated enough concerning the
authenticity of the Qur'an is that one's inability to explain a phenomenon
himself does not require his acceptance of the phenomenon's existence or
another person's explanation of it. Specifically, just because one cannot
explain something does not mean that one has to accept someone else's
explanation. However, the person's refusal of other explanations reverts the
burden of proof back on himself to find a feasible answer. This general
theory applies to numerous concepts in life, but fits most wonderfully with
the Qur'anic challenge, for it creates a difficulty for one who says, "I do
not believe it." At the onset of refusal one immediately has an obligation
to find an explanation himself if he feels others' answers are inadequate.
In fact, in one particular Qur'anic verse which I have always seen
mistranslated into English, Allah mentions a man who heard the truth
explained to him. It states that he was derelict in his duty because after
he heard the information, he left without checking the verity of what he had
heard. In other words, one is guilty if he hears something and does not
research it and check to see whether it is true. One is supposed to process
all information and decide what is garbage to be thrown out and what is
worthwhile information to be kept and benefitted from immediately or even at
a later date.
One cannot just let it rattle around in his head. It must be put in the
proper categories and approached from that point of view. For example, if
the information is still speculatory, then one must discern whether it's
closer to being true or false. But if all the facts have been presented,
then one must decide absolutely between these two options. And even if one
is not positive about the authenticity of the information, he is still
required to process all the information and make the admission that he just
does not know for sure. Although this last point appears to be futile, in
actuality, it is beneficial to the arrival at a positive conclusion at a
later time in that it forces the person to at least recognize, research and
review the facts.
This familiarity with the information will give the person "the edge" when
future discoveries are made and additional information is presented. The
important thing is that one deals with the facts and does not simply discard
them out of empathy and disinterest.
Exhausting the Alternatives
The real certainty about the truthfulness of the Qur'an is evident in the
confidence which is prevalent throughout it; and this confidence comes from
a different approach - "Exhausting the alternatives." In essence, the Qur'an
states, "This book is a divine revelation; if you do not believe that, then
what is it?" In other words, the reader is challenged to come up with some
other explanation. Here is a book made of paper and ink. Where did it come
from? It says it is a divine revelation; if it is not, then what is its
source? The interesting fact is that no one has yet come up with an
explanation that works. In fact, all alternatives have bee exhausted. As has
been well established by non-Muslims, these alternatives basically are
reduced to two mutually exclusive schools of thought, insisting on one or
the other.
On one hand, there exists a large group of people who have researched the
Qur'an for hundreds of years and who claim, "One thing we know for sure -
that man, Muhammad (s), thought he was a prophet. He was crazy!" They are
convinced that Muhammad (s) was fooled somehow. Then on the other hand,
there is a group which alleges, "Because of this evidence, one thing we know
for sure is that that man, Muhammad (s) was a liar!" Ironically, these two
groups never seem to get together without contradicting.
In fact, many references to Islam usually claim both theories. They start
out by stating that Muhammad (s) was crazy and then end by saying he was a
liar. They never seem to realize that he could not have been both! For
example, if one is deluded and really thinks that he is a prophet, then he
does not sit up late at night planning, "How will I fool the people tomorrow
so that they think I am a prophet?" He truly believes that he is a prophet,
and he trusts that the answer will be given to him by revelation.
The Critic's Trail
As a matter of fact, a great deal of the Qur'an came in answer to questions.
Someone would ask Muhammad (s) a question, and the revelation would come
with the answer to it. Certainly, if one is crazy and believes that an angel
put words in his ear, then when someone asks him a question, he thinks that
the angel will give him the answer. Because he is crazy, he really thinks
that. He does not tell someone to wait a short while and then run to his
friends and ask them, "Does anyone know the answer?" This type of behavior
is characteristic of one who does not believe that he is a prophet. What the
non-Muslims refuse to accept is that you cannot have it both ways. One can
be deluded, or he can be a liar. He can br either one or neither one, but he
certainly cannot be both! The emphasis is on the fact that they are
unquestionably mutually exclusive personality traits.
The following scenario is a good example of the kind of circle that
non-Muslims go around in constantly. If you ask one of them, "What is the
origin of the Qur'an?" He tells you that it originated from the mind of a
man who was crazy. Then you ask him, "If it came from his head, then where
did he get the information contained in it? Certainly the Qur'an mentions
many things with which the Arabs were not familiar." So in order to explain
the fact which you bring him, he changes his position and says, "Well, maybe
he was not crazy. Maybe some foreigner brought him the information. So he
lied and told people that he was a prophet." At this point then you have to
ask him, "If Muhammad was a liar, then where did he get his confidence? Why
did he behave as though he really thought he was a prophet?" Finally backed
into a corner, like a cat he quickly lashes out with the first response that
comes to his mind. Forgetting that he has already exhausted that
possibility, he claims, "Well, maybe he wasn't a liar. He was probably crazy
and really thought that he was a prophet." And thus he begins the futile
cycle again.
As has already been mentioned, there is much information contained in the
Qur'an whose source cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allah. For
example, who told Muhammad (s) about the wall of Dhul-Qarnayn - a place
hundreds of miles to the north? Who told him about embryology? When people
assemble facts such as these, if they are not willing to attribute their
existence to a divine source, they automatically resort to the assumption
someone brought Muhammad (s) the information and that he used it to fool the
people. However, this theory can easily be disproved with one simple
question: "If Muhammad (s) was a liar, where did he get his confidence? Why
did he tell some people out right to their face what others could never
say?" Such confidence depends completely upon being convinced that one has a
true divine revelation.
A Revelation - Abu Lahab
Prophet Muhammad (s) had an uncle by the name of Abu Lahab. This man hated
Islam to such an extent that he used to follow the Prophet around in order
to discredit him. If Abu Lahab saw the Prophet (s) speaking to a stranger,
he would wait until they parted and the would go to the stranger and ask
him, "What did he tell you? Did he say, 'Black'? Well, it's white. Did he
say 'morning'? Well, it's night." He faithfully said the exact opposite of
whatever he heard Muhammad (s) and the Muslims say. However, about ten years
before Abu Lahab died, a little chapter in the Qur'an (Surah al-Lahab, 111)
was revealed about him. It distinctly stated that he would go to the fire
(i.e., Hell). In other words, it affirmed that he would never become a
Muslim and would therefore be condemned forever. For ten years all Abu Lahab
had to do was say, "I heard that it has been revealed to Muhammad that I
will never change - that I will never become a Muslim and will enter the
Hellfire. Well, I want to become Muslim now. How do you like that? What do
you think of your divine revelation now?" But he never did that. And yet,
that is exactly the kind of behavior one would have expected from him since
he always sought to contradict Islam.
In essence, Muhammad (s) said, "You hate me and you want to finish me? Here,
say these words, and I am finished. Come on, say them!" But Abu Lahab never
said them. Ten years! And in all that time he never accepted Islam or even
became sympathetic to the Islamic cause.
How could Muhammad (s) possibly have known for sure that Abu Lahab would
fulfil the Qur'anic revelation if he (i.e., Muhammad) was not truly the
messenger of Allah? How could he possibly have been so confident as to give
someone 10 years to discredit his claim of prophethood? The only answer is
that he was Allah's messenger; for in order to put forth such a risky
challenge, one has to be entirely convinced that he has a divine revelation.
The Flight
Another example of the confidence which Muhammad (s) had in his own
prophethood and consequently in the divine protection of himself and his
message is when he left Makkah and hid in a cave with Abu Bakr (ra) during
their emigration to Madeenah. The two clearly saw people coming to kill
them, and Abu Bakr was afraid. Certainly, if Muhammad (s) was a liar, a
forger and one who was trying to fool the people into believing that he was
a prophet, one would have expected him to say in such a circumstance to his
friend, "Hey, Abu Bakr, see if you can find a back way out of this cave." Or
"Squat down in that corner over there and keep quiet." Yet, in fact, what he
said to Abu Bakr clearly illustrated his confidence. He told him, "Relax!
Allah is with us, and Allah will save us!" Now, if one knows that he is
fooling the people, where does one get this kind of attitude? In fact, such
a frame of mind is not characteristic of a liar or a forger at all.
So, as has been previously mentioned, the non-Muslims go around and around
in a circle, searching for a way out - some way to explain the findings in
the Qur'an without attributing them to their proper source. On one hand,
they tell you on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, "The man was a liar," and on
the other hand, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday they tell you, "He was
crazy." What they refuse to accept is that one cannot have it both ways; yet
they need both theories, both excuses to explain the information in the
Qur'an.
An Encounter with a Minister
About seven years ago, I had a minister over to my home. In the particular
room which we were sitting there was a Qur'an on the table, face down, and
so the minister was not aware of which book it was. In the midst of a
discussion, I pointed to the Qur'an and said, "I have confidence in that
book." Looking at the Qur'an but not knowing which book it was, he replied,
"Well, I tell you, if that book is not the Bible, it was written by a man!"
In response to his statement, I said, "Let me tell you something about what
is in that book." And in just three to four minutes, I related to him a few
things contained in the Qur'an. After just those three or four minutes, he
completely changed his position and declared, "You are right. A man did not
write that book. The Devil wrote it!" Indeed, possessing such an attitude is
very unfortunate - for many reasons. For one thing, it is a very quick and
cheap excuse. It is an instant exit out of an uncomfortable situation.
As a matter of fact, there is a famous story in the Bible that mentions how
one day some of the Jews were witnesses when Jesus (pbuh) raised a man from
the dead. The man had been dead for four days, and when Jesus arrived, he
simply said, "Get up!" and the man arose and walked away. At such a sight,
some of the Jews who were watching said disbelievingly, "This is the Devil.
The Devil helped him!" Now this story is rehearsed very often in churches
all over the world, and people cry big tears over it, saying, "Oh, if I had
been there, I would not have been as stupid as the Jews!" Yet, ironically,
these people do exactly what the Jews did when in just three minutes you
show them only a small part of the Qur'an and all they can say is, "Oh, the
Devil did it. The devil wrote that book!" Because they are truly backed into
a corner and have no other viable answer, they resort to the quickest and
cheapest excuse available. [Jesus ('Isa) and other Prophets of Allah].
The Source of the Qur'an
Another example of people's use of this weak stance can be found in the
Makkans' explanation of the source of Muhammad's message. They used to say,
"The devils bring Muhammad that Qur'an!" But just as with every suggestion
made, the Qur'an gives the answer. One verse (Surah Al-Qalam 68: 51-52) in
particular states:
"And they say, 'Surely he is possessed [by jinn],' but it [i.e., the Qur'an]
is not except a reminder to the worlds."
Thus it gives an argument in reply to such a theory. In fact, there are many
arguments in the Qur'an in reply to the suggestion that devils brought
Muhammad (s) his message. For example, in the 26th chapter Allah (SWT)
clearly affirms:
"No evil ones have brought it [i.e., this revelation] down. It would neither
be fitting for them, nor would they be able. Indeed they have been removed
far from hearing." (Surah ash-Shu'ara 26:210-212)
And in another place (Surah an-Nahl 16:98) in the Qur'an, Allah (SWT)
instructs us:
"So when you recite the Qur'an seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the
rejected."
Now is this how Satan writes a book? He tells one, "Before you read my book,
ask God to save you from me?" This is very, very tricky. Indeed, a man could
write something like this, but would Satan do this? Many people clearly
illustrate that they cannot come to one conclusion on this subject. On one
hand, they claim that Satan would not do such a thing and that even if he
could, God would not allow him to; yet, on the other hand, they also believe
that Satan is only that much less than God. In essence they allege that the
Devil can probably do whatever God can do. And as a result, when they look
at the Qur'an, even as surprised as they are as to how amazing it is, they
still insist, "The Devil did this!"
Thanks be to Allah (SWT), Muslims do not have that attitude. Although Satan
may have some abilities, they are a long way separated from the abilities of
Allah. And no Muslim is a Muslim unless he believes that. It is common
knowledge even among non-Muslims that the Devil can easily make mistakes,
and it would be expected that he would contradict himself if and when he
wrote a book. For indeed, the Qur'an states (Surah an-Nisa 4:82):
"Do they not consider the Qur'an? Had it been from other than Allah, they
would surely have found therein much discrepancy."
Mythomania
In conjunction with the excuses that non-Muslims advance in futile attempts
to justify unexplainable verses in the Qur'an, there is another attack often
rendered which seems to be a combination of the theories that Muhammad (s)
was crazy and a liar. Basically, these people propose that Muhammad was
insane, and as a result of his delusion, he lied to and misled people. There
is a name for this in psychology. It is referred to as mythomania. It means
simply that one tells lies and then believes them. This is what the
non-Muslims say Muhammad (s) suffered from. But the only problem with this
proposal is that one suffering from mythomania absolutely cannot deal with
any facts, and yet the whole Qur'an is based entirely upon facts. Everything
contained in it can be researched and established as true. Since facts are
such a problem for a mythomaniac, when a psychologist tries to treat one
suffering from that condition, he continually confronts him with facts.
For example, if one is mentally ill and claims, "I am the king of England,"
a psychologist does not say to him "No you aren't. You are crazy!" He just
does not do that. Rather, he confronts him with facts and says, "O.K., you
say you are the king of England. So tell me where the queen is today. And
where is your prime minister? And where are your guards?" Now, when the man
has trouble trying to deal with these questions, he tries to make excuses,
saying "Uh... the queen... she has gone to her mother's. Uh... the prime
minister... well he died." And eventually he is cured because he cannot deal
with the facts. If the psychologist continues confronting him with enough
facts, finally he faces the reality and says, "I guess I am not the king of
England."
The Qur'an approaches everyone who reads it in very much the same way a
psychologist treats his mythomania patient. There is a verse in the Qur'an
(Surah Yunus 10:57) which states:
"O mankind, there has come to you an admonition [i.e., the Qur'an] from your
Lord and a healing for what is in the hearts - and guidance and mercy for
the believers."
At first glance, this statement appears vague, but the meaning of this verse
is clear when one views it in light of the aforementioned example.
Basically, one is healed of his delusions by reading the Qur'an. In essence,
it is therapy. It literally cures deluded people by confronting them with
facts. A prevalent attitude throughout the Qur'an is one which says, "O
mankind, you say such and such about this; but what about such and such? How
can you say this when you know that?" And so forth. It forces one to
consider what is relevant and what matters while simultaneously healing one
of the delusions that facts presented to mankind by Allah can easily be
explained away with flimsy theories and excuses.
New Catholic Encyclopedia
It is this very sort of thing - confronting people with facts - that had
captured the attention of many non-Muslims. In fact, there exists a very
interesting reference concerning this subject in the New Catholic
Encyclopedia. In an article under the subject of the Qur'an, the Catholic
Church states:
"Over the centuries, many theories have been offered as to the origin of the
Qur'an... Today no sensible man accepts any of these theories!!"
Now here is the age-old Catholic Church, which has been around for so many
centuries, denying these futile attempts to explain away the Qur'an.
Indeed, the Qur'an is a problem for the Catholic Church. It states that it
is revelation, so they study it. Certainly, they would love to find proof
that it is not, but they cannot. They cannot find a viable explanation. But
at least they are honest in their research and do not accept the first
unsubstantiated interpretation which comes along. The Church states that in
fourteen centuries it has not yet been presented a sensible explanation. At
least it admits that the Qur'an is not an easy subject to dismiss.
Certainly, other people are much less honest. They quickly say, "Oh, the
Qur'an came from here. The Qur'an came from there." And they do not even
examine the credibility of what they are stating most of the time.
Of course, such a statement by the Catholic Church leaves the everyday
Christian in some difficulty. It just may be that he has his own ideas as to
the origin of the Qur'an, but as a single member of the Church, he cannot
really act upon his own theory. Such an action would be contrary to the
obedience, allegiance and loyalty which the Church demands. By virtue of his
membership, he must accept what the Catholic Church declares without
question and establish its teachings as part of his everyday routine. So, in
essence, if the Catholic Church as a whole is saying, "Do not listen to
these unconfirmed reports about the Qur'an," then what can be said about the
Islamic point of view? If even non-Muslims are admitting that there is
something to the Qur'an - something that has to be acknowledged - then why
are people so stubborn and defensive and hostile when Muslims advance the
very same theory? This is certainly something for those with a mind to
contemplate - something to ponder for those of understanding!
Testimony of an Intellectual
Recently, the leading intellectual in the Catholic Church - a man by the
name of Hans - studied the Qur'an and gave his opinion of what he had read.
This man has been around for some time, and he is highly respected in the
Catholic Church, and after careful scrutiny, he reported his findings,
concluding, "God has spoken to man through the man, Muhammad." Again this is
a conclusion arrived at by a non-Muslim source - the very leading
intellectual of the Catholic Church himself!
I do not think that the Pope agrees with him, but nonetheless, the opinion
of such a noted, reputed public figure must carry some weight in defense of
the Muslim position. He must be applauded for facing the reality that the
Qur'an is not something which can be easily pushed aside and that, in fact
God is the source of these words.
As is evident from the aforementioned information, all of the possibilities
have been exhausted, so the chance of finding another possibility of
dismissing the Qur'an is nonexistent.
Burden of Proof on the Critic
If the book is not a revelation, then it is a deception; and if it is a
deception, one must ask, "What is its origin? And where does it deceive us?"
Indeed, the true answers to these questions shed light on the Qur'an's
authenticity and silence the bitter unsubstantiated claims of the
unbelievers.
Certainly, if people are going to insist that the Qur'an is a deception,
then they must bring forth evidence to support such a claim. The burden of
proof is on them, not us! One is never supposed to advance a theory without
sufficient corroborating facts; so I say to them, "Show me one deception!
Show me where the Qur'an deceives me! Show me, otherwise don't say that it
is a deception!"
Origin of the Universe and Life
An interesting characteristic of the Qur'an is how it deals with surprising
phenomena which relate not only to the past but to modern times as well. In
essence, the Qur'an is not and old problem. It is still a problem even today
- a problem to the non-Muslims that is. For everyday, every week, every year
brings more and more evidence that the Qur'an is a force to be contended
with - that its authenticity is no longer to be challenged! For example, one
verse in the Qur'an (Surah al-Anbiya 21:30) reads:
"Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined
together, then We clove them asunder, and made from water every living
thing? Will they not then believe?"
Ironically, this very information is exactly what they awarded the 1973
Noble Prize for - to a couple of unbelievers.
The Qur'an reveals the origin of the universe - how it began from one piece
- and mankind continues to verify this revelation, even up to now.
Additionally, the fact that all life originated from water would not have
been an easy thing to convince people of fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, if
1400 years ago you had stood in the desert and told someone, "All of this,
you see (pointing to yourself), is made up of mostly water," no one would
have believed you. Proof of that was not available until the invention of
the microscope. They had to wait to find out that cytoplasm, the basic
substance of the cell, is made-up of 80% water. Nonetheless, the evidence
did come, and once again the Qur'an stood the test of time.
More on Falsification Test
In reference to the falsification tests mentioned earlier, it is interesting
to note that they, too, relate to both the past and the present. Some of
them were used as illustrations of Allah's omnipotence and knowledge, while
others continue to stand as challenges to the present day. An example of the
former is the statement made in the Qur'an about Abu Lahab. It clearly
illustrates that Allah, the Knower of the Unseen, knew that Abu Lahab would
never change his ways and accept Islam. Thus Allah dictated that he would be
condemned to the Hellfire forever. Such a chapter was both an illustration
of Allah's divine wisdom and a warning to those who were like Abu Lahab.
People of the Book
An interesting example of the latter type of falsification tests contained
in the Qur'an is the verse which mentions the relationship between the
Muslims and the Jews. The verse is careful not to narrow its scope to the
relationship between individual membe
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