Amazing Qur'an
by: Daim Hussain
Daim Hussain is 22 years
old and lives in Holland
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.
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.
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 Muhammed, 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, Muhammed 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" 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 a certain place and time. Certainly, the
scientific ideas expressed in it also do not seem to originate from the
desert fourteen centuries ago.
Many centuries before the onset of
Muhammed'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 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.
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 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 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, 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 Muhammed, 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!
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 clam that the Qur'an was the
product of hallucinations that Muhammed underwent. If these claims are
true - if it indeed originated from some psychological problems in
Muhammed'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 Muhammed had
a very difficult life. All of his daughters died before him except one,
and he had a wife of several years who was dear and important to him,
who not only proceeded him in death 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 Muhammed 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
Muhammed'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 psychological
reflections, then these subjects, as well as others, would be prevalent
or at least mentioned throughout.
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. 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 surprised when I first discovered this challenge. It
states:
"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 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. Another interesting attitude that exists in the
Qur'an repeatedly deals with its advice to the reader. The Qur'an
informs that 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 if 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. A few years ago, a group of men in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia collected all if 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 of 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 second edition 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. Truly this
illustrates that 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 - 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. 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 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 there were
not scientists, but maybe they did something 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 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 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."!
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. 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 specialty. 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 Qur'an has clearly emerged authentic. 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. 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 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. An 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 benefited from 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 of 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 of 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.
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 with an explanation that works. In
fact, all alternatives have bee exhausted. As has been well established
by non-Muslims, these alternatives basically are reduces 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, thought he was a prophet. He was crazy!" They are
convinced that Muhammad (SAW) was fooled somehow. Then on the other
hand, there is another group which alleges, "Because of this evidence,
one thing we know for sure is that that man, Muhammad, was a liar!"
Ironically, these two groups never seem to get together without
contradicting. In fact, many references on Islam usually claim both
theories. They start out by saying that Muhammad (SAW) was crazy and
then end by saying that 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. As a matter of fact, a great
deal of the Qur'an came in answer to questions. Someone would ask
Muhammad (SAW) 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 be either
one or neither, but he certainly cannot be both! The emphasis is on the
fact that they are unquestionably mutually exclusive personal 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 circle 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
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 the
information and that he used it to fool the people. However, this theory
can easily be disproved with one simple question: "If Muhammad 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. For example, the Prophet (SAW) 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 (SAW) speaking to a stranger, he would wait until they parted
and then 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 (SAW) and the Muslims say. However, about ten years before Abu
Lahab died, a little chapter in the Qur'an was revealed to 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 a 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
(SAW) 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 possibly
have known for sure that Abu Lahab would fulfill 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 suck a risky challenge, one
has to be entirely convinced that he has a divine revelation.
Another example of the confidence which
Muhammad (SAW) 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 during their emigration to Madeenah. The two
clearly saw people coming to kill them, and Abu Bakr was afraid.
Certainly, if Muhammad (SAW) 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 refuse to accept is that one cannot have it both ways;
yet they need both excuses to explain the information in the Qur'an.
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 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 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. 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 other suggestion made, the Qur'an gives the answer.
One verse 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 (SAW) his message. For
example, in the 26th chapter Allah 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."
And in another place in the Qur'an, Allah
instructs us:
"So when you recite the Qur'an seek
refuge in Allah from Shaytaan, 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, 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:
"Do they not consider the Qur'an? Had it
been from any other than Allah, they would surely have found therein
much discrepancy."
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 (SAW) 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 (SAW) suffered from. But the only problem with this
proposal is that one suffering from mythomania absolutely cannot deal
with 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 which states:
"Oh 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, "Oh 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
the facts presented to mankind by Allah can easily be explained away
with flimsy theories and excuses. 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? 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 mind a to contemplate -
something to ponder for those of understanding!
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, repute 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. For 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!" 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 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. 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.
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
members of each religion, but rather, it summarizes the relationship
between the two groups of people as a whole. In essence, the Qur'an
states that the Christians will always treat the Muslims better than the
Jews will treat the Muslims. Indeed, the full impact of such a statement
can only be felt a~er careful consideration of the real meaning of such
a verse. It is true that many Christians and many Jews have become
Muslims, but as a whole, the Jewish community is to be viewed as an avid
enemy of Islam. Additionally, very few people realize what such an open
declaration in the Qur'an invites. In essence, it is an easy chance for
the Jews to prove that the Qur'an is false - that it is not a divine
revelation. All they have to do is organize themselves, treat the
Muslims nicely for a few years and then say, "Now what does your holy
book say about who are your best friends in the world - the Jews or the
Christians? Look what we Jews have done for you!" That is all they have
to do to disprove the Qur'an's authenticity, yet they have not done it
in 1400 years. But, as always, the offer still stands open!
All of the examples so far given
concerning the various angles from which one can approach the Qur'an
have undoubtedly been subjective in nature; however there does exist
another angle, among others, which is objective and whose basis is
mathematical. It is surprising how authentic the Qur'an becomes when one
assembles what might be referred to as a list of good guesses.
Mathematically, it can be explained using guessing and prediction
examples. For instance, if a person has two choices (i.e., one is right,
and one is wrong), and he closes his eyes and makes a choice, then half
of the time (i.e., one time out of two) he will be right. Basically, he
has a one in two chance, for he could pick the wrong choice, or he could
pick the right choice. Now if the same person has two situations like
that (i.e., he could be right or wrong about situation number one, and
he could be right or wrong about situation number two), and he closes
his eyes and guesses, then he will only be right one fourth of the time
(i.e., one time out of four). He now has a one in four chance because
now there are three ways for him to be wrong and only one way for him to
be right. In simple terms, he could make the wrong choice in situation
number one and then make the wrong choice in situation number two; OR he
could make the wrong choice in situation number one and then make the
right choice in situation number two; OR he could make the right choice
in situation number one and then make the wrong choice in situation
number two; OR he could make the right choice in situation number one
and then make the right choice in situation number two. Of course, the
(only instance in which he could be totally right is the last scenario
where he could guess correctly in both situations. The odds of his
guessing completely correctly have become greater because the number of
situations for him to guess in have increased; and the mathematical
equation representing such a scenario is 1/2 x 1/2 (i.e., one time out
of two for the first situation multiplied by one time out of two for the
second situation).
Continuing on with the example, if the
same person now has three situations in which to make blind guesses,
then he will only be right one eighth of the time (i.e., one time out of
eight or 1/2 X 1/2 X 1/2). Again, the odds of choosing the correct
choice in all three situations have decreased his chances of being
completely correct to only one time in eight. It must be understood that
as the number of situations increase, the chances of being right
decrease, for the two phenomena are inversely proportional.
Now applying this example to the
situations in the Qur'an, if one draws up a list of all of the subjects
about which the Qur'an has made correct statements, it becomes very
clear that it is highly unlikely that they were all just correct blind
guesses. Indeed, the subjects discussed in the Qur'an are numerous, and
thus the odds of someone just making lucky guesses about all of them
become practically nil. If there are a million ways for the Qur'an to be
wrong, yet each time it is right, then it is unlikely that someone was
guessing. The following three examples of subjects about which the
Qur'an has made correct statements collectively illustrate how the
Qur'an continues to beat the odds.
In the 16th chapter the Qur'an mentions
that the female bee leaves its home to gather food.l2 Now, a person
might guess on that, saying, "The bee that you see flying around - it
could be male, or it could be female. I think I will guess female."
Certainly, he has a one in two chance of being right. So it happens that
the Qur'an is right. But it also happens that that was not what most
people believed at the time when the Qur'an was revealed. Can you tell
the difference between a male and a female bee? Well, it takes a
specialist to do that, but it has been discovered that the male bee
never leaves his home to gather food. However, in Shakespeare's play,
Henry the Fourth, some of the characters discuss bees and mention that
the bees are soldiers and have a king. That is what people thought in
Shakespeare's time - that the bees that one sees flying around are male
bees and that they go home and answer to a king. However, that is not
true at all. The fact is that they are females, and they answer to a
queen. Yet it took modern scientific investigations in the last 300
years to discover that this is the case.
So, back to the list of good guesses,
concerning the topic of bees, the Qur'an had a 50/50 chance of being
right, and the odds were one in two.
In addition to the subject of bees, the
Qur'an also discusses the sun and the manner in which it travels through
space. Again, a person can guess on that subject. When the sun moves
through space, there are two options: it can travel just as a stone
would travel if one threw it, or it can move of its own accord. The
Qur'an states the latter - that it moves as a result of its own
motion.'3 To do such, the Qur'an uses a form of the word sabaha to
describe the sun's movement through space. In order to properly provide
the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the implications of
this Arabic verb, the following example is given. If a man is in water
and the verb sabaha is applied in reference to his movement, it can be
understood that he is swimming, moving of his own accord and not as a
result of a direct force applied to him. Thus when this verb is used in
reference to the sun's movement through space, it in no way implies that
the sun is flying uncontrollably through space as a result of being
hurled or the like. It simply means that the sun is turning and rotating
as it travels. Now, this is what the Qur'an affirms, but was it an easy
thing to discover? Can any common man tell that the sun is turning? Only
in modern times was the equipment made available to project the image of
the sun onto a tabletop so that one could look at it without being
blinded. And through this process it was discovered that not only are
there three spots on the sun but that these spots move once every 25
days. This movement is referred to as the rotation of the sun around its
axis and conclusively proves that, as the Qur'an stated 1400 years ago,
the sun does, indeed turn as it travels through space.
And returning once again to the subject
of good guess, the odds of guessing correctly about both subjects - the
sex of bees and the movement of the sun - are one in four!
Seeing as back fourteen centuries ago
people probably did not understand much about time zones, the Quran's
statements about this subject are considerably surprising. The concept
that one family is having breakfast as the sun comes up while another
family is enjoying the brisk night air is truly something to be marveled
at, even in modern time. Indeed, fourteen centuries ago, a man could not
travel more than thirty miles in one day, and thus it took him literally
months to travel from India to Morocco, for example. And probably , when
he was having supper in Morocco, he thought to himself, "Back home in
India they are having supper right now." This is because he did not
realize that, in the process of traveling, he moved across a time zone.
Yet, because it is the words of Allah, the All-Knowing, the Qur'an
recognizes and acknowledges such a phenomenon. In an interesting verse
it states that when history comes to an end and the Day of Judgment
arrives, it will all occurring an instant; and this very instant will
catch some people in the daytime and some people at night. This clearly
illustrates Allah's divine wisdom and His previous knowledge of the
existence of time zones, even though such a discovery was non-existent
back fourteen centuries ago. Certainly, this phenomenon is not something
which is obvious to one's eyes or a result of one's experience, and this
fact, in itself, suffices as proof of the Qur'ans authenticity.
Returning one final time to the subject
of good guesses for the purpose of the present example, the odds that
someone guessed correctly about all three of the aforementioned subjects
- the sex of bees, the movement of the sun and the existence of time
zones - are one in eight!
Certainly, one could continue on and on
with this example, drawing up longer and longer list of good guesses;
and of course, the odds would become higher and higher with each
increase of subjects about which one could guess. But what no one can
deny is the following; the odds that Mohammed an illiterate, guessed
correctly about thousands and thousands of subjects, never once making a
mistake, are so high that any theory of his authorship of the Qur'an
must be completely dismissed - even by the most hostile enemies of
Islam!
Indeed, the Qur'an expects this kind of
challenge. Undoubtedly, if one said to someone upon entering a foreign
land, "I know your father. I have met him," probably the man from that
land would doubt the newcomer's word, saying, "You have just come here.
How could you know my father?" As a result, he would question him, "Tell
me, is my father tall, short, dark, fair? What is he like?" Of course,
if the visitor continued answering all of the questions correctly, the
skeptic would have no choice but to say, "I guess you do know my father.
I don't know how you know him, but I guess you do!" The situation is the
same with the Qur'an. It states that it originates from the One who
created everything. So everyone has the right to say, "Convince me! If
the author of this book really originated life and everything in the
heavens and on the earth, then He should know about this, about that,
and so on." And inevitably, after researching the Qur'an, everyone will
discover the same truths. Additionally, we all know something for sure:
we do not all have to be experts to verify what the Qur'an affirms.
One's iman (faith) grows as one continues to check and confirm the
truths contained in the Qur'an. And one is supposed to do so all of his
life.
May God (Allah) guide everyone close to
the truth.
Supplement
An engineer at the University of Toronto
who was interested in psychology and who had read something on it,
conducted researched wrote a thesis on Efficiency of Group Discussions.
The purpose of his research was to find out how much people accomplish
when they get together to talk in groups of two, three, ten, etc. The
graph of his findings: people accomplish most when they talk in groups
of two. Of course, this discovery was entirely beyond his expectations,
but it is very old advice given in the Qur'an:
Additionally, the 89th chapter of the
Qur'an mentions a certain city by the name of 'Iram (a city of pillars),
which was not known in ancient history and which was non-existent as far
as historians were concerned. However, the December 1978 edition of
National Geographic introduced interesting information which mentioned
that in 1973, the city of Elba was excavated in Syria. The city was
discovered to be 43 centuries old, but that is not the most amazing
part. Researchers found in the library of Elba a record of all of the
cities with which Elba had done business. Believe or not, there on the
list was the name of the city of 'Iram. The people of Elba had done
business with the people of 'Iram!
"Say, 'I exhort you to one thing - that you stand for Allah,
[assessing the truth] by twos and singly, and then reflect.....'
In conclusion I ask you to consider with care the following:
"And they say, 'Why are not signs sent down to him from his
Lord?' Say, 'Indeed, the signs are with Allah, and I am but a clear
warner.' But is sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the
Book [i.e. Qur'an] which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in that is mercy
and a reminder to people who believe."
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