What The Qur'an Teaches: Accusations With No Semblance of Proof

By: Sayyid Qutb

Arab News,

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
Blessed is He who from on high bestowed upon His servant the standard to discern the true from the false, so that it might be a warning to all the worlds. He to whom belongs the dominion over the heavens and the earth, and who begets no offspring, and has no partner in His dominion. It is He who has created all things and ordained them in due proportions. Yet, some choose to worship, instead of Him, deities that cannot create anything but are themselves created, and do not have it in their power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to, themselves, and have no power over death, life or resurrection.
The unbelievers say: ‘This (Qur’an) is nothing but a lie which he has devised with the help of other people. In truth, it is they who have perpetrated an inequity and a falsehood.
(The Standard, Al-Furqan: 25: 1-4)

The surah begins with glorifying God and makes clear that He revealed the Qur’an to serve as a warning to mankind throughout the world, in all generations. It describes the Qur’an as the standard which separates truth from falsehood. It then makes clear that all sovereignty over the universe belongs to God alone, who has no partners. It also mentions that He is the Creator of all things, giving every type and everyone of His creatures their due proportions so that they could all survive and fulfil their functions in the overall system of creation. Day by day, human knowledge uncovers more and more of the elaborate system that gives every creature their measures. With such increased knowledge we appreciate even better the significance of the Qur’anic statement: “It is He who has created all things and ordained them in due proportions.”
The unbelievers at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not understand anything of this. Hence they persisted with their unbelief. “Yet, some choose to worship, instead of Him, deities that cannot create anything but are themselves created, and do not have it in their power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to, themselves, and have no power over death, life or resurrection.”
Their false deities are deprived of the most essential characteristics of Godhead. Thus, they “cannot create anything,” while God has created everything, and those false deities “are themselves created.” Their servants create them in the sense that they make them, if they are statues or idols, while God creates them, in the sense of bringing them into existence, if they are angels, devils, humans or some other object of God’s making. Furthermore, they “do not have it in their power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to, themselves,” let alone doing so to others. Someone who might not be able to bring himself benefit may still be able to cause harm, but even this is out of the hands of such false deities. Hence, this is mentioned first as the easiest thing to do. It is then followed by other qualities that only God can have: “(they) have no power over death, life or resurrection.” If these deities cannot cause a living thing to die, or bring to life anything dead, or bring someone to life after death, what characteristic of Godhead could they have? How could these idolaters ascribe divinity to such beings?
It is a case of straying far from the truth to an extent that makes it unsurprising that they could make singular claims against the Prophet. Their claims against God are even more singular and more impudent. Could there be anything worse than that a human being should claim that God has partners when it is God who has created him as well as everything else in the universe and who controls all affairs? The Prophet was asked: “Which is the most cardinal sin?” His reply was: “That you should claim that God has equals, when it is He who has created you.” (Related by Al-Bukahri and Muslim).
Having shown how they fabricate such allegations against God, who is limitless in His glory, the surah refers to their impudent claims against God’s Messenger, replying to them in a way that shows how false and absurd it all is. “The unbelievers say: ‘This (Qur’an) is nothing but a lie which he has devised with the help of other people. In truth, it is they who have perpetrated an inequity and a falsehood. And they say: ‘Fables of ancient times which he has caused to be written down, so that they might be read out to him morning and evening.’ Say: ‘This (Qur’an) is bestowed from on high by Him who knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth. He is indeed Much-Forgiving, Merciful.’”
It was a most blatant lie that the unbelievers of the Quraysh said when they knew deep at heart that it had absolutely no basis. Their elders who instructed them to circulate these lies were fully aware that the Qur’an which Muhammad (peace be upon him) recited could not have been authored by a human being. They actually felt this as they were remarkable in their appreciation of fine poetic style. They could not stop themselves from being influenced by the Qur’an. Moreover, they knew Muhammad (peace be upon him) long before his prophethood, and they were aware that he was exemplary in his honesty: he never told a lie, broke a promise, or breached a trust. How could he, then, invent a lie against God, attributing to Him words which He did not say?
But they were stubborn in their attitude, motivated by fear for their social status that relied on their religious position. Hence, they resorted to such tactics, making false allegations that could be accepted by ordinary people who might not have similar literary talent. Hence they claimed that the Qur’an was “nothing but a lie which he has devised with the help of other people.” It is said that those other people were three foreign slaves, or even more. It is such an absurd allegation. If a man could, with the help of others, devise this Qur’an, or invent it, what could stop them from producing, with the help of others, a similar Qur’an to refute Muhammad’s argument? He repeatedly challenged them and they could not take up the challenge.
This is the reason why the surah does not make any argument to refute their absurd allegations. Instead, it gives its clear judgment on their statements: “They have perpetrated an inequity and a falsehood.” It is an act of injustice against the truth, Muhammad and themselves. Moreover, it is a blatant falsehood.