IS THE QURAN GOD’S WORD?

By Nazim Mangera

“Do they not ponder over the Quran? Had it been from other than Allah, they surely would have found many discrepancies in it.” (Quran 4:81-82)

If you have faith in the fact that this universe has been created by an absolutely powerful entity and that He is the one who has sent the human being to accomplish some particular mission, how then is it possible to fathom that He, having created man, would leave him in total darkness, without telling him why he came to this world, what his duties were, where he was destined to go and how could he realize the true purpose of his life?

After all, how is it possible that the being that created such a mind-boggling system composed of the moon, the sun, the sky, the earth, the stars and the planets, would remain unable to institute some arrangement of communication with his servants, through which human beings could be given guidance about the purpose of their lives?

If there is faith in the ultimate wisdom of Almighty God (known as Allah in Arabic), then admitting that He did not forsake his servants in the dark will become all the more necessary. Thus, this regular system of guidance is known as: The Noble Quran. Providing cogent evidence on the truthfulness and veracity of the Quran is like providing proof on the brightness of the sun. Nevertheless, if the following paragraphs are read with an open mind (as pre-conceived notions can impair ones search for the truth) then it will become fairly easy to realize the truthfulness of the Quran.

First of all, let us picture to ourselves and consider the era and period in which the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam was born in Saudi Arabia. This was such a period that the world was deprived from the existence of any prophet for 100’s of years. The pristine teachings of the previous prophets were being defaced and obliterated. The distorters and tamperers had badly mutilated the religious dogmas of the previous prophets. The plague of polytheism and idolatry had become universal. It was a fanatical reign of tyranny and barbarity. The scholars of the previously revealed divine scriptures were restlessly awaiting the arrival of the final prophet.

The specific condition of the Arabian Peninsula was that the art of poetry was the heart and soul of the Arabian society. Poetry had become their second nature. The natural liking and literary taste for Arabic prose and poetry had become a part and parcel of their daily lives. Eloquence and rhetoric ran in their veins like blood. The pomp and splendor of their parties and meetings, the beautification and colorfulness of their fairs, the means for their pride and conceit, the medium for broadcasting and publications was entwined with Arabic poetry and prose. Their smallest children would articulate such eloquent poetry that the litterateurs and poets would be left dumbfounded. Some of the most blazing poetry ever scribed on paper was written and uttered in this era. In short, Allah had favored the dwellers of this blessed land with the inherent mastery over eloquence and rhetoric in which they had surpassed the rest of the world. They had so much pride over it that to them, the rest of the non-Arabic speaking world was known as ‘Ajami’: mute and unable to speak.

In such conditions and environment the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam is born. For 40 years, he grows up in his small city in such a manner that even the smallest children affirm to his truthfulness, piety, and justness. He spends 40 years in his city in an exemplary manner that the residents of Makkah watch his childhood as well as his teenage years and in this whole duration of 40 years, no person finds a reason to lift their finger against any personal trait of his. No breathing person is found or exists who can narrate event the smallest of his mistakes. Instead, because of his impeccable behavior he is famously knows as “The Truthful” and “The Trustworthy” in Makkah.

Then in this long duration of 40 years, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihe Wasallam grows up in such a manner that he naturally likes seclusion. He has no habit of frequenting any plays, festivals or carnivals. He does not enroll in any educational institution. He acquires no formal education from any place of learning. He does not learn how to read or write. He can not even write his own name. Contrary to popular custom, he never says any line of poetry. He never sits with any fortune-teller, magician, or astrologer. He has no acquaintance with any Jewish or Christian scholars. Then, when he reaches the age of 40, when he reaches middle-age, an age when usually the time to acquire knowledge ceases, at this age, such amazing mind boggling, full of eloquence words come out from his mouth that in front of it, the poets and literates have to submit and fall down in submission to it. He starts blazing with such poetry and such knowledge and science that the philosophers have to lower their necks in front of it. The Quran foretells the occurrence of such events which never crossed the minds of fortune tellers and astrologers, and the events eventually turnout to be 100% true.

Then because of the doubt of the Arab poets, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) announces a challenge for the whole world in general and for the illustrious poets of the Arabian Peninsula in particular:
"Then let them produce the speech like thereof (the Quran) if they are truthful." (Quran-Chapter 52: Verse 34)

If no poet is ready to take up this challenge of producing something like the Quran, then the huge building of poetry erected by their forefathers will come crashing down face first and their whole collection of century’s old customs and narrations will be buried in the ground for eternity. That is why this announcement in reality was a huge challenge to their literary strength. The announcement was a severe open blow to their faith. It was a message of an open challenge in the name of tribal help. This was a brazen call to their sense of honor. Such a daunting challenge that no poet with a keen sense of honor could sit comfortably.

But what happens? What was their reply to this open challenge? After this public announcement, a shocking pindrop-silence permeates the gatherings and assemblies of the fiery orators and poets.

No one steps forward to take up this challenge. The Quran announces for the second time:
“Or do they say, "He (Prophet Muhammad SAW) invented it (the Quran)?" Say: "Bring then ten invented chapters like unto it, and call whomsoever you can, other than Allah (to your help), if you speak the truth!" (11:13)

The silence in the courts of the poets ensues as usual. Then another challenge is put forward:
“Or do they say: "He (Muhammad SAW) has forged it?" Say: "Bring then a chapter like unto it, and call upon whomsoever you can, besides Allah, if you are truthful!" (10: 38)
O Poets! O Lovers of Arabic poetry and prose! Come up with something which resembles even the smallest of chapters in opposition to the Quran. But the Arab poets could not even come up with even a few sentences.

Let us think for a second that the tribe whose condition is such that Abdul Qahir Jurjani says that if the Arab poets learned that in the farthest corner of the world a person was overtly arrogant over his eloquence and rhetoric, the Arab poets would not desist from vehemently criticizing and openly taunting the person in their poetry. Can it be ever fathomed that such magnanimous poets, after repeated open challenges, would sit quietly and would not muster the courage to step up and take up the challenge? The prolonged silence of the Arabian poets cannot be interpreted in any other way than this that the sons of Arabic poetry and prose were rendered helpless to take up the Quranic challenge. The Quran coaxed them on several occasions but even then there was no movement in their veins of sense of honor. Instead, they left no stone unturned in oppressing and tyrannizing Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) They heckled him, called him insane, branded him as a sorcerer, labeled him as a poet and soothsayer, but they could not muster the intellect to put forward even a few sentences like the Quran. As for those who tried to take up the Quran’s challenge, they have been a target of mockery and ridicule till now for their feeble attempts.

Just as the human’s incapability to create the skies and the earth and to rain water from the skies is a clear cut proof that these are solely the doings of Allah, similarly the humans inability to put forward verses similar to the word of God is a clear sign that these are the words of Allah and not the words of any beings.
The Noble Quran challenges all of humanity for the final time:
“And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down (i.e. the Quran) to Our slave (Muhammad Peace be upon him), then produce a chapter of the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides Allah, if you are truthful.
But if you do it not, and you can never do it then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.” (Noble Quran - 2:23-24)

“Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.” (Noble Quran-17:88)

The greatest poets and writers of the world, Mutanabbee, Sadi, Shakespeare, Hafiz, Milton, and others all at one time or another in their lives went through a rigorous process of education and training to fine-tune their literary skills. But the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), as I have mentioned before, did not even know how to read or write, and was never interested in learning the arts of eloquence and poetry.

Whoever cogitates and ponders over these facts cool headedly and calmly without any bias and prejudice cannot arrive to any other conclusion but to the following that: The Quran is God's Word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj7sExS-UKw