by Gary Miller
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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. 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 Muhammad 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. Aninevitably, 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
givesomeone 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.
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 Muhammed'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 after
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 I various angles from which one
can approach the | Qur'an have undoubtedly been subjective in nature; I 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 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 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:
"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:
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!
"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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