The Amazing Qur'an
by Gary Miller
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 labelled
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 Mohammed, 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, Mohammed lived in the desert," that was enough for him. He
embraced Islam on the spot. He was so impressed with the Qur'ans 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 Mohammed’s prophet hood, 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 Muhammad, 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 encyclopaedias and various books clam that the
Qur'an was the product of hallucinations that Muhammad underwent. If these
claims were true - if it indeed originated from some psychological problems in
Muhammad's mind - then evidence of this would be apparent in the Qur'an. Is
there such evidence? In order to determine whether or not there is, one must
first identify what things would have been going on in his mind at that time and
then search for these thoughts and reflections in the Qur'an.
It
is common knowledge that Muhammad 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 Muhammad felt comfortable enough with his wife to be able to do
that. That's how influential and strong woman she was.
Although
these examples are only a few of the subjects that would have been on Muhammad's
mind, they are sufficient in intensity to prove my point. The Qur'an does not
mention any of these things - not the death of his children, not the death of
his beloved companion and wife, not his fear of the initial revelations, which
he so beautifully shared with his wife - nothing; yet, these topics must have
hurt him, bothered him, and caused him pain and grief during periods of his
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 speciality. Again people were very surprised at the
findings. Since there are a vast number subjects discussed in the Qur'an, it
would certainly require a large amount of time to exhaust each subject. It
suffices for the purpose of this discussion to state that the Qur'an makes very
clear and concise statements about various subjects while simultaneously
advising the reader to verify the authenticity of these statements with research
by scholars in those subjects. And as illustrated by the 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 him 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 recognise, 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 realise 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 behaviour 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 behaviour 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 fulfil the Qur'anic revelation if he
(i.e., Muhammad) was not truly the messenger of Allah? How could he possibly
have been so confident as to give someone 10 years to discredit his claim of
prophet hood? 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 prophet hood 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 seem 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 hi delusion, he lied to and misled people. There is a name for
this in psychology. It I 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 o his delusions by reading the Qur'an. In essence, it is therapy. It
literally cure 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
Encyclopaedia.
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 t explain away the Qur'an. Indeed, the Qur'an is a problem for
the Catholic Church. I 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 the 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 bee 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 defence
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 non-existent. 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; if 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 Qur’an’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
marvelled 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 realise that, in the
process of travelling, he moved across a time zone. Yet, because it is the words
of Allah, the All-Knowing, the Qur'an recognises and acknowledges such a
phenomenon. In an interesting verse it states that when history comes to an end
and the Day of Judgement 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 sceptic 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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