Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-1Introduction


Islam
is not the name of some unique religion presented for the first time by
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who should, on that account be called the
founder of Islam.
The
Qur'an states that Islam - the complete submission of man before his
one and only Unique Creator - is the one and only faith and way of life
consistently revealed by God to humankind from the very beginning. Noah,
Solomon, David, Abraham, Moses, Isaac and Jesus - prophets who appeared
at different times and places - all propagated the same faith and
conveyed the same message of Tawheed (Oneness of God), Risaalat
(Prophethood) and Aakhirah (the Hereafter). These prophets of God were
not founders of different religions to be named after them. They were
each reiterating the message and faith of their predecessors.
However,
Muhammad (pbuh) was the last Prophet of God. God revived through him
the same genuine faith which had been conveyed by all His Prophets. This
original message was earlier corrupted and split into various religions
by people of different ages, who indulged in interpolations and
admixture. These alien elements were eliminated by God, and Islam - in
its pure and original form - was transmitted to humankind through
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Since
there was to be no messenger after Muhammad (pbuh), the Book revealed
to him (i.e. the Qur'an) was preserved word for word so that it should
be a source of guidance for all times.
The miracle of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), i.e. the Qur'an, is for all times


All
the previous Prophets of God were sent only to their people and their
nation and their complete message was meant for a particular time
period. Therefore the miracles they performed such as parting of sea by
Prophet Moses (pbuh), giving life to the dead by Prophet Jesus (pbuh),
etc. convinced the people of that time but these miracles cannot be
analyzed and verified by us today.
Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) is the last and final Messenger of God, sent for the
whole of humankind and the message he delivered is for eternity. The
Qur'an says:
"We sent you (Prophet Muhammad) not but as a mercy for all creatures." (Al-Qur'an 21:107)


Therefore
the miracle of the last and final Messenger should also be everlasting,
examinable and verifiable by people of all ages, after its revelation.
Though Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) performed several miracles as are
mentioned in the Hadith (recorded traditions, sayings and actions of the
Prophet), he never emphasized them. Though we Muslims believe in these
miracles we only boast of the ultimate miracle given to him by Almighty
God, which is the Qur'an.
Al-Qur'an
is the miracle of all times which proved itself to be a miracle 1400
years ago and which can be reconfirmed today and forever. In short, it
is the Miracle of Miracles.
Many
people have a misconception that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the founder
of the religion of Islam. However, Islam is in existence since the
first man (Prophet Adam) first set foot on earth. Since then, Almighty
God sent several prophets and revelations, the last in this chain being
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Qur'an.
Three options regarding authorship of the Qur'an


Probably,
the only point of agreement amongst those who have the slightest
knowledge of the Qur'an irrespective of whether they are Muslims or not,
is that the Qur'an was recited for the first time by a man who was born
in Makkah in Arabia in the 6th century (C.E.) by the name of Muhammad
(pbuh).
Regarding the sources of the Qur'an there can be three basic assumptions for a non-Muslim:

a) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself was the author of the Qur'an; consciously, sub-consciously or unconsciously.

b) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) learnt it from other human sources or copied or adopted from previous scriptures or revelations.

c) Qur'an has no human author but it is a word for word revelation from God.
Muhammad (pbuh) was not the author of the Qur’an


1. Muhammad (pbuh) never claimed the authorship of the Qur’an


It
is highly abnormal to challenge the testimony of someone who disclaims
responsibility for producing a great work, whether literary, scientific
or other. Yet this is precisely what orientalists and others, who are
suspicious about the origins of the Qur'an, do when they claim that
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the author of the Glorious Qur'an.
Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) never ever claimed responsibility for originating it.
He honestly said that it was Allah who revealed this Scripture to him.
To think otherwise is illogical because it would mean that he was
telling a lie.
From
history we learn that between his youth and the prophetic mission that
commenced at the age of 40, he had never been known to lie. He was so
well known for his truthfulness, honesty and chastity that he was given
the title "Al-Ameen" i.e. "The trust worthy" by friends and foes alike.
Then why should he lie at the age of 40 while claiming to be a messenger
of God?
It
is interesting to note however, that although many of the Meccan Pagans
rejected Islam and regarded the Prophet as a liar, they nevertheless
trusted him and deposited their valuables with him for safe-keeping.
This is apparent from the fact that when the Prophet decided to leave
Makkah to foil an assassination attempt on him, he left the valuables
with Hazrat Ali (R.A.) to distribute it to the rightful owners.
Once
when Abu Sufiyan, one of the pagan chiefs of Makkah, went to Emperor
Heraclius to ask for his support against the Prophet, on being
questioned whether the Prophet had been accused of lying, prior his to
claim to be a Prophet or whether he had betrayed his trust, Abu Sufiyan
the arch enemy of the Prophet had to answer "No". Thus even his
opponents acknowledged his sincerity, truthfulness and honesty.
What
logical reason can a person think of, for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to
lie while stating that he was a Prophet and not the author of the
Qur'an?


Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-2
In
the previous article, we analyzed and discussed the probability of
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) being the author of the Qur'an based on whether
he claimed to be its author. Let us now analyze some more probabilities
given by skeptics of why Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) could have written such
a Book without claiming its authorship.
2. Material gain as the motive


Some
may argue that Muhammad (pbuh) falsely attributed the Qur’an to God and
called himself a Prophet for material gain. I do agree that there are
several people who falsely claim to be prophets, saints and preachers
for material benefits and thus become rich and lead luxurious lives.
Muhammad’s
(pbuh) financial position was better off before than after the
announcement of his Prophethood. At the age of 25, he married Khadija
(ra), who was a very rich and wealthy businesswoman, 15 years before he
claimed Prophethood. His financial position and life standard after
claiming Prophethood was unenviable.



a. One of the wives of the Prophet (pbuh), Ayesha
(R.A.) narrates that a month or two would go by without fire being lit
in their house because there was nothing to cook. They survived on dates
and water. Sometimes this diet was supplemented with goat’s milk from
the people of Madinah. (According to Riyad-As-Saliheen by An-Nawawi,
Hadith no. 492)
b.
This was not just a temporary sacrifice but a way of life. This was at a
time when Muhammad (pbuh) could have lived like a king, if he so
wanted. There was a sort of discontent and protest by those close to him
as to why should they live in poor condition when they could avail of
all the luxuries. The Prophet was disturbed with their discontent and a
revelation came commending him to tell his wives:
‘O
Prophet! Say to your Consorts: "If it be that you desire the life of
this world and its glitter then come, I will provide for your enjoyment
and set you free in a handsome manner. But if you seek Allah and His
Messenger and the Home of the Hereafter, verily Allah has prepared for
the well-doers amongst you a great reward.”’
(Al-Qur'an 33:28-29)


This evidence is also recorded in Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim.


c.
Abu Zarr (ra) and Abu Hurairah (ra), the companions of the Prophet
(pbuh) narrated that Muhammad (pbuh) never kept back any gifts and
provisions secured for future use, but spent what he had on the poor and
needy.
(According to Riyad-As-Saleheen, Hadith No. 465 and 466)


d.
Inspite of the victories and achievements of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),
at the time of his death, he was in debt, and his shield was in the
hands of a Jewish citizen of Madinah as a co-lateral for his debt.
(According to Riyad-As-Saleheen, Hadith No. 504)


e.
If Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would have actually been the author of the
Qur’an and would have lied for material gains, that it is a book of God,
he would have never mentioned in the same Qur’an:
“Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say:



‘This is from Allah’ to traffic with it for a miserable price! Woe to
them for what their hands do write and for the gain they make thereby.”
(Al-Qur'an 2:79)This verse rebukes those persons who changed the
previous Revealed scriptures, or authored books with their own minds and
said, “this is from God” for their personal material benefit. If
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had himself written the Qur’an, there were
chances that at some point of time he would have been exposed, be
considered the biggest hypocrite (God forbid), and would be cursing
himself in his own book, which is illogical.
3. DESIRE FOR STATUS, POWER, GLORY AND LEADERSHIP:


Is it possible that Muhammad (pbuh) might have claimed Prophethood in order to attain Status, Power, Glory, and Leadership?


a.
Muhammad (pbuh) has universally been acknowledged as one of the most
successful leaders in human history. A Christian scholar Michael H. Hart
has given a list of what he considers the hundred most influential men
in history, from Adam to the present time, along with a list of reasons
for his ranking, in his book ‘The 100 – a Ranking of the Most
Influential Persons in History’. This unbiased Christian scholar placed
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on top of the list. He concluded the biography
with the words, “It is this unparalleled combination of secular and
religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad (pbuh) to be
considered the most influential single figure in human history”.
b.
A man with his qualities could claim leadership and assume power even
without claiming Prophethood. Moreover, his character suggests that he
was neither a power monger, nor a glory seeker. The desire to enjoy
status and power is usually associated with good food, fancy clothing,
magnificent places, monumental palaces, colourful guards and
indisputable authority. Despite his social standing as a Prophet and
heavy responsibility as a statesman, Muhammad (pbuh) used to milk his
goat, mend his clothes, repair his shoes and help with the household
work. His life was an amazing example of simplicity and humility. He sat
on the floor. He went to the market to shop with no guards or
provisions and accepted invitations to dine with the poor and ate
graciously whatever was served.
c.
He talked and listened patiently to anyone who approached him. So much
so that the Qur’an says that his detractors complained saying:
“O! He listens to everyone.” (Al-Qur'an 9:61)


d.
Once a representative of pagans named Utbah came to the Prophet (pbuh)
and said that if he gave up preaching the message of the Qur’an, they
would make him the wealthiest man in the community and their leader with
absolute power or even crown him as the king, if he wanted. The only
concession they wanted from Muhammad (pbuh) in return was to give up the
new claim that ‘there is no god but one Universal God of all people’.
If the Prophet (pbuh) was a seeker after power, glory and wealth, he
would not have missed this golden opportunity. However he rejected the
proposal using the verses that were revealed to him from Allah in
Al-Qur'an 41:1-38.
e.
Later another approach was made to the Prophet (pbuh) from delegation
of the pagan nobles. The Prophet (pbuh) refused to compromise on the
divinely inspired message which he had been sent with to deliver saying:
“I did not bring this message on my own, nor in pursuit of your money
or respect or leadership. God has sent me as a messenger to you and has
given me a book, the Qur’an….”
f.
On another occasion, they tried to persuade him through his beloved
uncle Abu Talib to accept worldly power and prestige in return for
giving up his Prophetic Mission. He said, “Oh! My uncle, if they put the
sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand, in order that I
should give up this mission of mine, I will never do it until I die in
defence of this truth, or God decides whatever He Pleases.”
g.
The death of Muhammad’s (pbuh) most beloved son Ibrahim (ra) coincided
with the eclipse of the sun and people regarded it as a miracle from God
that the heaven and the earth were mourning at the death of Ibrahim.
Muhammad (pbuh) was very angry with them and said:
“The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life of someone but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah”.


(Sahih Bukhari Vol. 2, Hadith No. 152)


h.
Are these the characteristics of a power-hungry or a self-centered man?
What could justify such a life of suffering and sacrifice, even after
he was fully triumphant over his adversaries? What could explain the
humbleness and nobility, which he demonstrated in his most glorious
moments when he insisted that success is only due to God’s help and not
due to his own genius?


Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-3
UNITY AND LIBERATION OF THE ARABS:


The
theory that Muhammad (pbuh) had authored the Qur’an in order to unite
and liberate the Arabs is very difficult to defend for those who
postulate and propound it….
a)
There is not a single verse in the Qur’an calling for the unity or
liberation specifically of the Arab nation. In fact the Qur’anic concept
of Ummah i.e. nation is ideologically against any manifestations of
nationalist tendencies. The Qur’an recommends unity of the whole human
kind on the criteria of truth. According to the Glorious Qur’an in surah
Hujuraat chapter 49 verse 13 :
“O
mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female,
and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other (not
that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the
sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has
full knowledge and is well-acquainted (with all things).” (49:13)



The criteria for judgment in the sight of Allah for unity is not
based on caste, colour, sex, wealth, nationality, political affiliation
or blood ties but on “Taqwa” i.e. God – consciousness, piety and
righteousness.
b) In
practice this sometimes meant the separation of father & son,
brother & brother, and husband and wife etc. According to surah
Taubah chapter no. 9 verse 24
“Say:
If it be that your fathers, yours sons, your brothers, your mates, or
your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the commerce in which you
fear a decline; or the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you
than Allah or His Messenger, or the striving in his cause; then wait
until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the
rebellious.” (9:24)
c)
The unity that prevailed in Arabia after the triumph of Islam was
ideological, and meant for the whole world, and that unity is strongly
encouraged by the Qur’an. For instance in Surah Al Imran chapter 3 verse
103 Allah commands:
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves;” (3:103)


d) Had
the unity of the Arabs been Muhammad’s main consideration, he would
have gladly accepted the offer to be the King of Arabia and use his
power and influence to build a unified Arabia.
e)
There are several verses in the Qur’an which contradict the idea that
Muhammad’s (Pbuh) motive was to build Arab Nationalism. According to
Surah Al Imran Chapter 3 verse 42 :
Behold ! the angels said : “O Mary ! Allah has chosen you and purified you; chosen you above the women of all nations. (3:42)


Why
should Muhammad, an Arab, say that Mary, the mother of Jesus (Pbuh) who
was a Jewish, be chosen as above the women of all nations? Such an
honour is not to be found even in the Christian Bible. There is a
complete chapter, Surah Mariam chapter 19 of the Qur’an, which is named
after Mary, the mother of Jesus (Pbuh).
There
is no book or Chapter named Mary in the whole Bible. Why should Prophet
Muhammad (Pbuh) provoke the Arabs by praising the Jews who were hostile
to the Arabs by saying that a Jewish is chosen above the women of all
nations? If he wanted to foster Arabs Nationalism, he would have
preached the Superiority of the Arab nation and chose any other Arab
woman i.e. his own mother, his wife or his own daughter as above the
women of all nations. The answer is given in the following verses of
Surah Al Imran chapter 3 verse 44 :
This is part of the tidings of the things unseen which We reveal unto you (O Apostle!) by inspiration;


The Prophet had no choice, whether to praise the Jewess or not, since it was an inspiration - a revelation from Almighty God.


f)
The Arab unity theory is also incapable of a satisfactory explanation
due to the following type of verses which are repeated several times in
the Qur’an. For e.g. Surah Baqarah Chapter 2 Verse 47 :
O
Children of Israel ! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed
upon you, and that I preferred you to all others (for My Message).
(2:47)

MORAL REFORMATIONSome may put forward moral reformation as a probable motive for Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) to have allegedly compiled the Qur’an.



a) Moral reformation is a noble objective which could be
achieved without resorting to unmoral means like deceit and lies. The
reason for his choice of unmoral means to build a moral society is not
logical.



The Qur’an designates lying against God as the wicked deed in the sight of Allah (swt).
b) One
of the objectives of the Qur’an and of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was
indeed moral reformation but not only of Arabia but of the whole world.
If
the Prophet would have falsely claimed that the Qur’an is from God,
when he himself allegedly was its author, he would not have mentioned
all these verses in the Qur’an. He would have instead written somewhat
similar to what saint Paul had mentioned in the Bible in the New
Testament in the Book of Romans chapter 3, verse 7 which says “If my lie
glorifies the truth of God, then I am not a sinner.”
This
verse in the Bible implies that God requires falsehood to prove he is
great. However as per Islam, God is truly Great, and therefore He does
not require support of falsehood to prove that He is Great.
Unlike
some other religions, in Islam, the means are not separated from the
ends. If you want justice, you should get it by being just and through
fair and just means. If you want truth, you get it by being truthful.
Therefore the means (i.e. the path taken) has to fit with the end
result.
Many
people only consider the end result and not the explanation or the way
or means to that result. Sometimes a person may have the truth but to
prove that truth, he uses a false argument. For e.g., if a person says
2+2=4, though he is speaking the truth, if asked for an explanation for
his answer, he says because my teacher had taught it. The answer is
correct but the means i.e. the explanation is wrong. Suppose, if the
teacher would have taught 2+2=5 then the person would have been wrong.
The explanation should be true on its own merit, irrespective who has
said it. For e.g. If you take 2 coins and add another 2 coins to them
and if you count the total number of coins, the total number of coins is
four. Therefore 2+2=4.
If
you use false argument for the truth, the other person may use the same
false argument to prove his untruth. He may argue that because your
teacher said 2+2=4 and you believe in it, my teacher said that a person
in order to lead a luxurious life is entitled to rob. Therefore I am
justified if I rob.
Similarly it is illogical to say that I refuse to use the telephone as it was invented by Alexander Graham Bell who was a liar.




Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-4



Moral Reformation :
The Qur’an says: Who
can be more wicked than one who invents a lie against Allah or says “I
have received inspiration” when he has received none or (again) who says
“I can reveal the like of what Allah has revealed?” (Al-Qur’an 6:93)
This verse prescribes the most humiliating punishment for such liars. If
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the author of the Qur’an, was he
deceitfully ascribing it to God and describing himself as the most
wicked man? Had he been the author of the Qur’an, there was every
possibility that his fabrication might one day be uncovered and get him
into trouble.
a)
A similar warning is given in the Qur’an in the following verse: “And
if the messenger were to invent any sayings in Our name We should
certainly seize him by his right hand And We should certainly then cut
off the artery of his heart: Nor could any of you withhold him (from Our
wrath).” (Al-Qur’an 69:44-47) There are several such verses in the
Qur’an e.g. Al-Qur’an 42:24 & 16:105.
b)
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not deliver the whole Qur’an at one
sitting. He recited it piecemeal over a period of about 23 years during
which any question would be answered. The Qur’an says: “If you ask about
things when the Qur’an is being revealed they will be made plain to
you” (Al-Qur’an 5:101) People took this opportunity to ask a wide range
of questions covering subjects like intoxicants, gambling, charity, new
moon, menstruation, spoils of war, or even historical figures like
Zulqarnain. Therefore the Qur’an mentions in several places “They ask
thee concerning such and such matter. Say: it is so and so”. In no way
could Muhammad (pbuh) have known in advance the questions he would be
asked, thus perfectly matching his reformation purposes for which he had
set out to write the Qur’an. It would be foolish for a Prime Minister
who wants to talk about the transportation facility in his country to
call a press conference and invite the press to ask any question. They
may choose to inquire about the food situation or even about political
prisoners.
c)
There is sufficient proof in the Qur’an against this moral reformation
theory because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself is corrected by the
Qur’an in several places. Once while Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was deeply
engrossed, trying to convince the teachings of Islam to pagan Quraish
leaders of Makkah, a poor Muslim blind man, Abdullah Ibn Umm-Makhtum
interrupted the discussion because he wanted to learn the Qur’an. The
Prophet (pbuh) did not appreciate this interruption, which was evident
by his frowning. Although the prophet (pbuh) did not say a word yet a
revelation was consequently sent which is preserved forever in the
Qur’an. “The (Prophet) frowned and turned away because there came to him
the blind man (interrupting). But what could tell you but that
perchance he might grow (in spiritual understanding)? Or that he might
receive admonition and the teaching might profit him?” (Al-Qur’an
80:1-4) Anyone besides the Prophet (pbuh), whether saint or sinner,
would not have been questioned so. But he, whose gentle heart ever
sympathized with the poor and affected, got new light from above, and
without the least hesitation published this revelation in the Qur’an.
Subsequently every time he met this blind man, he received him
graciously and thanked him that on his account, God had remembered him.
There are several similar verses in the Qur’an e.g. in response to
Prophet’s (pbuh) oath of not taking honey, Al-Qur’an 66:1 was revealed.
In context of revenge of Hamzah (ra) death, Al-Qur’an 16:126 was
revealed. In context of prisoners of war for ransom, Al-Qur’an 8:67 was
revealed. When Prophet (pbuh) had prayed for a hypocrite, Al-Qur’an 9:84
was revealed.
Epileptic Theory :Some
of the people agree that the Prophet (pbuh) was sincere and truthful
but allege that he was suffering from epilepsy and during his epileptic
seizures he recited what later became the Qur’an. Some writers have
compared description of the Prophet (pbuh) when he received revelations
with that of epileptic seizures. In actual fact they were far from
similar. From the hadith i.e. tradition we learn that the Prophet (pbuh)
received the revelation in one of the following conditions:
I. In the Form of a ringing Bell.

II. Sometimes when the revelation came even though it was very cold his brow would be streaming with perspiration.

III. Sometimes he would look perturbed.

IV. Sometimes he would become very heavy while receiving revelations.
“These
descriptions in no way bear resemblance to the medical symptoms of
epilepsy. Epilepsy is a sudden and recurrent disturbance in the mental
function or movement of the body, or both.” Its symptoms include
“complete or partial loss of consciousness, accompanied by muscular
spasms or convulsions or by more complex behaviour. 70% of patients
suffer their first attack before the age of 20 and in some types of
epilepsy attacks diminish as the patient enters adulthood.
There are 4 main types of epilepsy.


a. Grand Mal Epilepsy or ‘the big sickness’

b. Petit Mal Epilepsy or ‘the little sickness’

c. Focal Seizures

d.
Psycho-Motor Seizures The Prophet’s description when he received the
revelation clearly indicates that he did not suffer from the epilepsy of
any form.
Grand Mal Epilepsy


This form of epilepsy shows the following symptoms:


1. Generalized convulsions preceded by a complete loss of consciousness, a loud scream and falling to the ground;


2.
A stiffening of the body (including the respiratory system sometimes)
and jerking movements in all four extremities of the body. In some cases
the tongue can get bitten because of a tightening in the muscle of the
face;
3. At the end of the attack the patient is totally disorientated, confused, sleepy, sick;


4.
The patient will have no recollection of what happened during the
seizure or immediately afterwards. The Prophet (Pbuh) did not suffer
from any of these symptoms during his life, and most importantly, he
remembered everything that had happened to him during the time when the
revelation was given to him and recited what he had been commanded to
memorize.
Petit Mal


Petit
Mal occurs in children and dies out during early adulthood. An attack
consists of a very brief episode of unresponsiveness lasting no more
than 15 seconds usually. Since the Prophet (pbuh) first received
revelation at the age of 40, and each period of revelation lasted a few
minutes, it is impossible that the Prophet (pbuh) suffered from this
malady.
Focal and Psycho-motor seizures


Focal
seizures originate in a particular area of the brain and the seizure
affects those parts of the body controlled by that part of the brain. An
attack may show symptoms of jerking in particular extremities or as
numbness and trembling in those extremities; the seizure can spread
throughout the brain resulting in generalized convulsions.
Psycho-motor
seizures are set off by an emotional, sensory or psychical aura - that
is an unpleasant odour, taste or illusion about size and distance which
causes intense fear. The patient becomes unresponsive and can do strange
things such as suddenly walking off. The seizure lasts 1-3 minutes and
after recovery, the patient will have no memory of the attack itself or
the aura, which caused it in the first place. Again, these symptoms are
totally dissimilar from what the Prophet (pbuh) experienced, and was
seen to experience by his family and companions when receiving the
Qur’an.
The causes of Epilepsy Epilepsy
is not a disease, it is a syndrome and therefore there is not usually
one specific cause behind it. The actual syndrome is created through the
malfunction of nerve cells in the brain where the neurons release or
discharge excessive electrical energy causing thereby intense
excitability in the cells - resulting in a loss of consciousness and
convulsions. The reason for this abnormal behaviour in the nerve cells
of an individual epileptic can be complex; there is no single cause
normally. However in 50% of cases a primary or contributing factor for
the syndrome can be identified. Such factors include injury at birth or
later; congenital defects (e.g. Cerebral Palsy); infectious diseases
such as Meningitis which attack the nerve tissue, parasitic infections,
brain tumours, shock etc. An attack can also be brought on as a result
of withdrawal from alcohol or barbiturates; extreme emotional distress,
or fatigue. The Prophet (pbuh) had none of these problems and therefore
did not have epilepsy either. He was known to be in perfect physical and
mental health. Although he went through extremely exhausting and
stressful times, he displayed a great deal of fortitude. The Qur’an is
such an amazing, unchallengeable and glorious book, that one Muslim
psychiatrist has said that if it was indeed the work of an epileptic,
“I’d like to see more of these epileptic people!”


Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-5
RELIGIOUS ILLUSION THEORY


Those who profound the religious illusion theory and the subconscious theory assume that the Qur’an had actually originated from Muhammad's (Pbuh) knowledge, imagination, experiences and environment, although he himself was not aware of this fact. Some of such non-believers even allege that he was crazy (God Forbid).


This theory is refuted easily. The
Prophet preached a consistent message for about 23 years. It is
unlikely that a crazy person or a visionary feeding of his own
sub-conscious, would be able to be so consistent.
Secondly
a visionary would not be able to falsely convince himself for 23 years
that he was receiving a scripture from divine sources, when it was actually originated within himself.
The Qur’an contains so much information which could not have originated from a human being's mind, whether crazy, conscious or subconscious.


A. One such example is Surah Kahf chapter 18 of the Qur’an which was revealed in reply to the questions posed by the mushriks (polytheists) of Makkah, in consultation with the people of the Book, in order to test Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). These questions were :-


i. Who were the sleepers of the cave ?

ii. What is the real story of Khizar ?

iii. What do you know about Zulqarnain ?
As these three questions concerned the history of the Jews and Christians and were unknown in Hijaz, a choice of these were made to test whether the Prophet (pbuh) possessed any source of knowledge of the hidden and unseen things. The Prophet (pbuh) replied, ‘tomorrow I will tell you’. However,
when they came for the answers, he had to put them off day by day until
15 nights had passed and still he had received no revelation of any
kind. The people of Makkah taunted him, and he was distressed and sad that he received no Divine help, which he longed for. It was after fifteen days from the time that the questions were posed that Archangel Gabriel brought him a revelation that gave him the answers to these questions. The long wait he had to endure was explained in Al Qur'an 18:23-24)



Nor say of anything,

I shall be sure to do

So and so tomorrow”-

Without adding

“If Allah wills”.
The delay of this revelation although painful to the Prophet (pbuh) was in reality on added strength. Those pagans of Quraish who mere in two minds were convinced that had the Prophet (pbuh) invented the earlier revelations then there was no reason to delay this latest one, especially when so much was at stake. It is difficult to conceive how religious illusion could have helped him to state the correct replies which silenced his critics.


Besides these types of information there are several other sets of information in the Qur’an which no human mind could have produced at that time in human existence, whether consciously, sub-consciously or unconsciously.


FOR INSTANCE THE QUR’AN CONTAINS :


a) Historical facts and events which were not known to the Prophet (pbuh) or his contemporaries e.g. about Zulkarnain, city of Ihram.


b) Several prophecies about the future which have come true.


c) Several scientific facts which were unknown and only discovered hundreds of years after the revelation of the Qur’an.


II. THE QUR’AN PLAGIARIZED FROM THE BIBLE:



Many critics state that while Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself was not the author of the Qur’an he learnt it from other human sources or plagiarized it, i.e. copied or adapted from previous scriptures or revelations.
1. MUHUMMAD (PBUH) LEARNT THE QUR’AN FROM A ROMAN BLACKSMITH WHO WAS A CHRISTIAN:


Some pagans accused the Prophet (pbuh) of
learning the Qur’an from a Roman Blacksmith, who was a Christian and
lived in the outskirts of Mecca. The Prophet very often use to go and
watch him do his work. A revelation of the Qur’an was sufficient to
dismiss this change. The Qur’an says :
“We know indeed that they say,

“It is a man that teaches him.”

The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign,

while this is Arabic, pure & clear.”

(Al Qur'an 16:103)
How
could a person whose mother tongue was foreign and could hardly speak
little but of poor broken Arabic be the source of the Qur’an which is
pure, eloquent, fine Arabic? To believe that the blacksmith taught the Prophet (pbuh), the Qur’an, is somewhat similar to a Chinese immigrant to England, who did not know proper English, taught Shakespeare.
2. MUHAMMAD (PBUH) LEARNT THE QUR'AN FROM WARAQA - THE RELATIVE OF KHADIJAH (R.A.)


Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) contact with the Jewish and
Christian scholars was very limited. The most prominent Christian was
an old blind man called Waraqa Ibn-Naufal who was a relative of the
Prophet’s first wife Khadijah (R.A.). He, although of Arab descent was a convert to Christianity and was very well versed with the New Testament. The Prophet (pbuh) met him only twice, first when Waraqa was worshipping at the Ka'aba, (before the prophetic Mission) and he kissed the Prophet’s forehead affectionately. The second was when the Prophet (pbuh) went
to meet Waraqa after receiving the first revelation. Waraqa died 3
years later and the revelation continued for about 23 years.
3. PROPHET’S RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS WITH THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS:-


It is true that the Prophet (pbuh) did have religious discussions with the jews and christians but these discussions
took place in Madinah more than 13 years after the revelation of the
Qur’an had started. The allegation that these jews and Christians were
the source is the reverse, since in these discussions Prophet Muhammad
(Pbuh) was the teacher inviting them to embrace Islam and pointing out
that they deviated away from their true teaching of Monotheism. Several
of them later embraced Islam.
4. PROPHET LEARNT THE QUR’AN FROM JEWS AND CHRISTIANS THAT HE MET OUTSIDE ARABIA:


All historical records available show that Muhammad (pbuh) had made only three trips outside Makkah before his Prophethood.


i) At the age of 6 he accompanied his mother to Madinah.

ii) Between the age of 9 & 12, he accompanied his uncle Abu – Talib on a business trip to Syria,

iii) At the age of 25, he led Khadija’s (R.A) caravan to Syria.
It
is highly imaginary to assume that the Qur’an resulted from the
occasional chats and meetings with the Christians or Jews from any of
the above three trips.


Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-6
5. LOGICAL GROUNDS TO PROVE THAT THE PROPHET DID NOT LEARN THE QUR’AN FROM JEWS OR CHRISTIANS:


The
day-to-day life of the Prophet (Pbuh) was an open book for all to see.
In fact a revelation came asking people to give the Prophet some privacy
in his own home. If the Prophet (pbuh) had been meeting people who told
him what to say as a revelation from God, this would not have been
hidden for very long.
The
extremely prominent Quraish nobles who followed the Prophet and
accepted Islam were wise and intelligent men who would have easily
noticed anything suspicious about the way in which the Prophet brought
the revelation to them – more so since the Prophetic mission lasted 23
years.
The
enemies of the Prophet kept a close watch on him in order to find proof
for their claim that he was a liar – they could not point out even a
single instance when the Prophet may have had a secret rendezvous with
particulars Jews and Christians.
It
is inconceivable that any human author of the Qur’an would have
accepted a situation in which he received no credit whatsoever for
originating the Qur’an.
Thus, historically and logically it cannot be established that there was a human source for the Qur’an.


6. MUHAMMAD (PBUH) WAS AN ILLITERATE


The
theory that Muhammad (Pbuh) authored the Qur’an or copied from other
sources can be disproved by the single historical fact that he was
illiterate.
Allah testifies Himself in the Qur’an


And
you were not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor were
you (able) to transcribe it with your right hand: in that case, indeed,
would the talkers of vanities have doubled.”
(Al Qur’an 29:48)


Allah
(swt) knew that many would doubt the authenticity of the Qur’an and
would ascribe it to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh). Therefore Allah in his
Divine Wisdom chose the Last and Final Messenger to be an ‘Ummi’ i.e.
unlettered, so that the talkers of vanity would not then have the
slightest justification to doubt the Prophet. The accusation of his
enemies that he had copied the Qur’an from other sources and rehashed it
all in a beautiful language might have carried some weight, but even
this flimsy pretence has been deprived to the unbeliever and the cynic.
Allah reconfirms:


“Those
who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find
mentioned in their own (Scriptures) in the Law and the Gospel”
(Al Qur’an 7:157)


The prophecy of coming of the unlettered Prophet (Pbuh) is also mentioned in the Bible in the book of Isaiah:


“And the book is delivered to him that is not learned “


(Isaiah 29:12)


The
Qur’an testifies in no less than four difference places that the
Prophet (Pbuh) was illiterate. It is also mentioned in Al-Qur’an 7:158
and 62:2.
7. ARABIC VERSION OF THE BIBLE WAS NOT PRESENT :


This
Arabic version of the Bible was not present at the time of Prophet
Muhammed (Pbuh). The earliest Arabic version of the old Testament is
that of R. Saadias Gaon 900 C.E. - more than 250 years after the death
of our beloved Prophet. The oldest Arabic Version of the new testament
was published by Erpenius in 1616 C.E. - about a thousand years after
the demise of our Prophet.
8. SIMILARITIES IN THE QUR’AN AND THE BIBLE DUE TO COMMON SOURCE :


Similarities
between the Qur’an and the Bible does not necessarily mean that the
former has been copied from the latter. In fact it gives evidence that
both of them are based on a common third source, all divine revelations
came from the same source - the one Universal God. No matter what human
changes were introduced into some of these Judeo-Christian and other
older religious scriptures that had distorted their originality, there
are some areas that have remained free from distortion and thus are
common to many religions.
It
is true that there are some similar parallels between the Qur’an and
the Bible but this is not sufficient to accuse Muhammad (Pbuh) of
compiling or copying from the Bible. The same logic would then also be
applicable to teachings of Christianity and Judaism and thus one could
wrongly claim that Jesus (Pbuh) was not a genuine Prophet (God forbid)
and that he simply copied from the old testament.
The
similarities between the two signify a common source that is one true
God and the continuation of the basic message of Monotheism and not that
the later Prophets have plagiarized from the previous Prophets.
If
some one copies during an examination, he will surely not write in the
answer sheet, that he has copied from his neighbour or Mr. XYZ. Prophet
Muhammad (Pbuh) gave due respect and credit to all the previous Prophets
(Pbut). The Qur’an also mentions the various revelations given by
Almighty God to different Prophets.
9. MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN THE TAURAH, ZABOOR, INJEEL AND QUR’AN


Four revelations of Allah (swt) are mentioned by name in the Qur’an: the Taurah, the Zaboor, the Injeel and the Qur’an.


Taurah, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Moosa (a. s.) i.e. Moses (Pbuh).


Zaboor, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Dawood (a. s.) i.e. David (Pbuh).


Injeel, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Isa (a. s.) i.e. Jesus (Pbuh).


‘Al-Qur’an’, the last and final Wahi i.e. revelation given to the last and final Messenger Muhammed (Pbuh).


It
is an article of faith for every Muslim to believe in all the Prophets
of God and all revelations of God. However, the present day Bible has
the first five books of the old Testament attributed to Moses and the
Psalms attributed to David. Moreover the New testament or the four
Gospels of the New testament are not the Taurah, the Zaboor or the
Injeel, which the Qur’an refers to. These books of the present day Bible
may partly contain the word of God but these books are certainly not
the exact, accurate and complete revelations give to the Prophets.
The
Qur’an presents all the different Prophets of Allah as belonging to one
single brotherhood; all had a similar prophetic mission and the same
basic message. Because of this, the fundamental teachings of the major
faiths cannot be contradictory, even if there has been a considerable
passage of time between the different prophetic missions, because the
source of these missions was one: Almighty God, Allah. This is why the
Qur’an says that the differences which exist between various religions
are not the responsibility of the Prophets, but of the followers of
these Prophets who forgot part of what they had been taught, and
furthermore, misinterpreted and changed the scriptures. The Qur’an
cannot therefore be seen as a scripture which competes with the
teachings of Moses, Jesus, and the other Prophets (Pbut). On the
contrary, it confirms, completes, and perfects the messages that they
brought to their people.
Another
name for Qur’an is the ‘The Furqan’ which means the criteria to judge
the right from the wrong, and it is on the basis of this Qur’an that we
can decipher which part of the precious scriptures can be considered to
be the word of God.


Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-7
SCIENTIFIC COMPARISION BETWEEN QUR’AN AND BIBLE: CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE IN SIX DAYS:


According
to the first book of Bible Genesis chapter no. 1, the universe was
created in six days, and each day is defined as a twenty-four hours’
period.
However,
the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaam’.
‘Ayyaam’ is the plural of ‘Yaum’ which has two meanings: firstly, a
standard twenty-four hours’ period i.e. a ‘day’ and secondly this Arabic
word also means a stage, a period or an epoch consisting of a very long
period of time. Here the Qur’an refers to the creation of the heavens
and the earth in six long periods or epochs, which the scientists have
no objection to. According to science the creation of the universe has
taken billions of years, which contradicts with the concept of creation
given in the Bible, which states it took six earth days of twenty-four
hours.
10. SUN CREATED AFTER THE DAY:The Bible says in Genesis chapter 1 verses 3 to 5 that the phenomenon of day and night was created on the first day of creation.


The
light circulating in the universe is the result of a complex reaction
in the stars, which according to the Bible Genesis chapter 1 verses 14
to 19, was created on the fourth day. It is illogical to mention the
result that is the light (the phenomenon of day and night) was created
on the first day of Creation when the cause or source of the light was
created three days later, as has been mentioned in the Bible. Moreover
the existence of evening and morning as elements of a single day is only
conceivable after the creation of the earth and its rotation around the
sun.
However,
the Qur’an does not give this unscientific sequence. To say that
Muhammad (pbuh) copied the creation of the universe from the Bible and
missed out copying this unscientific sequence is absurd.
11. CREATION OF THE EARTH, THE SUN AND THE MOON:We
are aware that the earth and the moon emanated from their original
star, the sun. However, according to the Bible, in the book of Genesis
chapter 1 verses 9 to 13, the earth was created on the third day of
creation, and according to verses 14 to 19 the sun and the moon were
created on the fourth day of creation. This biblical sequence of
creation of the earth before the creation of the sun is contrary to the
established idea about the formation of the solar system.
12. VEGETATION CREATED ON THE THIRD DAY AND SUN ON THE FOURTH:According
to the book of Genesis, Chapter 1 Verses 11 to 13, vegetation was
created on the third day along with seed bearing grasses, plants and
trees, and sun was created on the fourth day (verses 14-19). How is it
scientifically possible for vegetation to have appeared on earth without
the presence of the sun?
If
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was indeed the author of the Qur’an and he
merely copied from the Bible, how did he manage to avoid the factual and
scientific errors that the Bible contains?
The Qur’an does not contain any statements, which are incompatible with the scientific facts.



SUN AND THE MOON BOTH EMIT LIGHT?

According to the Bible, both the sun and the moon emit their own light.
Genesis Chapter 1 verse 16 says “And God made two great lights: the
greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.”
Today,
science tells us that the moon does not have its own light. This
confirms the Qur’anic concept that the light of the moon is a reflected
light. To say that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) 1400 years ago corrected
these scientific errors in the bible and then copied the “corrected
passages” onto the Qur’an is to state the impossible.
13. ADAM (PBUH), THE FIRST MAN ON EARTH, LIVED 5800 YEARS AGO:If
one studies the genealogy of the first man on earth i.e. Adam (pbuh),
through to Abraham and Jesus (peace be upon them), as stated in the
Bible, one would come to the conclusion that Adam (pbuh) appeared on the
earth approximately 5800 years ago. Check it out for yourself:



i) 1948 years between Adam and Abraham (pbut)

ii) Approximately 1800 years between Abraham and Jesus (pbut)

iii) About 2000 years from Jesus (pbuh) till today.
These figures are further confirmed by the fact that the Jewish calendar is currently on or about 5800 years old.


There
is sufficient evidence from archaeological and anthropological sources
to suggest that the first human being on earth was present tens of
thousands of years ago, and not merely 5,800 years ago as is suggested
by the Bible.
While
the Qur’an too speaks about Adam (pbuh) being the first man on earth,
it does not suggest any date or time-frame for his appearance on earth,
unlike passages from the Bible which are not compatible with science.
14. NOAH (PBUH) AND THE FLOOD:


The
Biblical description of the flood in the book of Genesis chapters 6, 7
and 8 indicates that the deluge was universal and it destroyed every
living being on earth, except those present with Noah (pbuh) in the ark.
This description suggests that the event took place 1656 years after
the creation of Adam (pbuh) or 292 years before the birth of Abraham
(pbuh), when Noah (pbuh) was 600 years old. Thus the flood may have
occurred in the 21st or 22nd century B.C.



This story of the flood conflicts with scientific evidence from
archaeological sources. The eleventh dynasty in Egypt and the third
dynasty in Babylonia were in existence without any break in
civilization, and were unaffected by any major calamity which took place
in the 21st century B.C. This is contrary to the biblical story that
the whole world had been immersed in flood water.
The
Qur’anic presentation of the story of the Noah (pbuh) and the flood
does not conflict with scientific evidence or archaeological data
because, firstly the Qur’an does not give any specific time frame to
this event and secondly the Qur’an does not state that this flood was a
universal phenomenon nor does it state that the flood destroyed all life
on earth. The Qur’an specifically mentions that the flood was a
localized event only involving the people of Noah (pbuh).
It
is illogical to assume that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had borrowed this
story of Noah (pbuh) and the flood from the Bible and corrected the
mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur’an.
15. MOSES (PBUH) AND PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS:The
story of Moses (pbuh) and the Pharaoh of the exodus is very much
similar in the Qur’an and the Bible. Both scriptures agree that the
Pharaoh drowned when he tried to pursue Moses (pbuh) while leading the
Israelites across a stretch of water that they crossed. What is
important to note here is that the Qur’an gives an additional piece of
information in Surah Yunus chapter 10 verse 92.



Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-8
THE QUR’AN IS NOT LIKE A STORY BOOK:


Unlike
other religious scriptures, the Qur’an is unique and distinct from the
human pattern of narration. Every religious book (with the sole
exception of the Glorious Qur’an) follows a narration style and pattern
that is similar to story books. The pattern and style of story books is
somewhat like, ‘Once upon a time .… or ‘the fox and the grapes … the
wolf and the lamb’, etc.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth”.

“In the beginning, was the word”.

“Now it came to pass”

These are similar to typical story book style: ‘so it happened once upon a time’.
All
religious scriptures have a beginning and an end and a human narration
style sequence through out the scripture. The narration presents
historical facts and events in a chronological order. This is how humans
speak and write.
The
Qur’an is a unique book. The first few verses of the Qur’an that were
revealed are the Divine Command “Read. Read in the Name of Thy Lord Who
Created Humankind”. The Qur’an does not start its narration in a story
book form. These verses that were first revealed constitute the 96th
chapter of the Qur’an.
The first chapter of the Qur’an states:

“In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful. (All) praise is (due)
to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Most Gracious Most Merciful. Sovereign of
the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path – The way of those upon whom You have
bestowed favor, not of those whose have evoked (Your) anger or those who
are astray.” [Surah Fatihah 1:1-7]
The second chapter of the Qur’an states:

“Alif Laam Meem. This is the Book; about which there is no doubt, a
guidance for those who fear Allah. Who believe in the Unseen, establish
prayer and spend out of what We have provided for them. And who believe
in what has been revealed to you, (O Muhammad), and what was revealed
before you, and of the hereafter they are certain (in faith). Those are
upon (right) guidance from their Lord and it is those who are
successful. Indeed, those who disbelieve – it is all the same for them
whether you warn them or do not warn them - they will not believe. Allah
has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and over their
vision is a veil; And for them is a great punishment.” [Surah Al-Baqarah
2:1-7]
No other religious book on the earth follows this Divine Pattern and style that is so distinct.


Even
the previous revelations from Almighty God are not present with us in
their original pristine form in which they were revealed.
The
Qur’an is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Arch
Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It was memorized by Muhammad
(pbuh) and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes,
who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114
chapters, Surahs, has been changed over the centuries, so that the
Qur'an is in every detail the unique and miraculous text that was
revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) fourteen centuries ago.
The
Qur’an is the last revealed Word of God. It deals with all the subjects
that concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law,
but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures.
At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human
conduct and an equitable economic system.
The
Qur’an provides guidance for all humankind. It appeals to your mind as
well as to your heart. The Qur’an is addressed to the whole of
humankind. The invitation of the Qur’an is not addressed to the people
of any particular area, race, tribe, colour or language. The Qur’an
always calls upon the "progeny of Adam" or "humankind" to accept Islam.
The specific instructions and injunctions are meant for those who have
come to believe in Islam, and they are always addressed as "those who
believe".
The
purpose of the Qur’an is to guide and not to tell stories, tales or
history. It encourages its readers to ponder, to think. It covers and
includes percepts of belief and conduct, moral directives, legal
prescriptions, exhortation, persuasion, advice, commandments and
admonition, glad tidings and words of encouragement for those who accept
the Truth and undergo sacrifices to upheld it in their lives and who
preach it. It provides arguments and evidence to support its message and
the beliefs and teachings propounded by it. It also has condemnation of
evil-doers, warnings to those who reject the truth, references to past
events and civilizations and to signs of God in the Universe as visible
to humans.
MUHMMAD (PBHU) CANNOT BE A LIAR AND A CRAZY PERSON AT THE SAME TIME:A
large group of people after doing a lot of research say that, “One
thing we known for sure, that man, Muhammad (pbuh) he thought he was a
Prophet, he was crazy!” They are convinced that he was somehow deceived.
And in the end of the same group will tell you “Because of this
evidence, one thing we know for sure, that man, Muhammad (pbuh), was a
liar!” (God forbid). They start by telling you the man was crazy or
deranged and conclude by saying he was a liar. They never seem to
realize a person can never be both, you can either be one of them, crazy
or a liar or none of them, never be both crazy and liar at the same
time.
If
a person is crazy he is of unsound mind and he actually believes that
he is a prophet, therefore he need not lie and all his actions and words
are unintentional. If a person is a liar, he is usually of sound mind
and lies intentionally for certain benefits. Even if a crazy person says
something incorrect, you cannot call him a liar because he himself is
unaware of the fact. Thus a person cannot be both.
MUHAMMAD (PBUH) CAN NOT BE DELUDED AND A FORGER AT THE SAME TIME:


Similarly
another group of people say that the Prophet was deluded and whenever
somebody asked him a question, he thought that an angel put words in his
ears. Later the same group of people would gather enough evidence to
explain that he was a forger. These people fail to realize that a person
can either be deluded or a forger or none of the two but he can surely
never be both at the same time.
A
person who is deluded and thinks he is a prophet, will never hunt for
the answer or enquire with other people, when he is asked a question. He
will think that an angel will put words in his ears and thus reply
immediately irrespective of whether the answer is right or wrong. A
forger on the other hand will search for the best possible answer or
even copy from other sources to prove that he is not a fake prophet.
These critics of the Prophet and of Islam fail to realize that they are
going in circles.
If
you ask them what the origin of the Qur’an is, they will tell you it
came from the imagination of the Prophet’s mind. If you further ask that
how can a man get the sort of information, which no one knew before,
they will say that some foreigner may have given him the information and
he lied that he was the Prophet. On further enquiry that how can a liar
have so much confidence, when he mentions things which were unknown
with so much accuracy, then again they reply that he was crazy. Thus,
they go in circles.
In
response to all such criticism and allegations, the creator states and
reminds the critics and skeptics thus in the Glorious Qur’an in Surah
Al-Aaraf Chapter 7 Verse 184:
“Then do they not give thought?

There is in their companion (i.e. Muhammad) no madness.

He is not, but a clear warner”.



In surah Al-Qalam chapter 68 verse 2:

“You are not, (O Muhammad), by the favour of your Lord, a madman”.



In surah Al-Taqweer chapter 81 verse 22:

“And your companion (i.e. Muhammad) is not (at all) mad.”
MUHAMMAD (PBUH) SUFFERED FROM MYTHOMANIA:Another
people of group come up with a theory that Muhammad (pbuh) was
suffering from mythomania. This is a psychological disorder in which a
person tells lies and then believes in them. The Qur’an talks facts –
things that you can go and look and see that they are true, things you
can verify. The mythomaniac cannot do this. Facts are a problem for him.
Therefore psychologists treat a man suffering from mythomania by
confronting him with facts. If a man is mentally ill and says “I am the
King of England”, the psychologist does not say to him ‘you are crazy’.
The psychologist confronts him with facts:
“You
say you are the King of England, please tell me where is your queen?”
The mythomaniac tries to make excuses. “The queen has gone to her
mother’s house.”
“Where is your Prime Minister?”


“He died.”


“Where are your guards?”


The
mythomaniac, due to his inability to deal with facts, is eventually
cured if you keep putting enough facts in front of him. Finally he faces
the reality and says “I guess I am not the King of England”.
Similarly,
the Qur’an approaches its readers by confronting them with facts and
thus heals them of their delusions. The Qur’an poses questions: “O human
being – you say so and so, but then what about such and such? Do you
say this when you know that . . .?” Thus the Qur’an forces you to face
reality and thus heals your delusions.
UNKNOWN INFORMATION IN THE QUR’AN:The
Qur’an has a unique way of informing its reader that “you did know this
before”. There is no other scripture which I know of that has this
unique style. There are ancient writings and scriptures that give a lot
of information but they tell you where the information came from. The
Qur’an on the other hand says “Here is the information which you did not
have before. Check on it, you will see that it is true”. For example
see Surah Hud chapter 11 verse 49:
“That
is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, (O Muhammad).
You knew it not, neither you nor your people, before this. So be
patient; indeed the (best) outcome is for the righteous.”
Similarly Qur’an says in Surah Yusuf chapter 12 verse 3:


“We
relate to you, (O Muhammad), the best of stories in what We have
revealed to you of this Qur’an, although you were, before it, among the
unaware.”
It
is interesting that no one ever stood up and said “you are grossly
mistaken, O Muhammad (pbuh). I am an Arab like you and I knew about
these stories and these facts even before this revelation”.
If
Muhammad was ignorant and others were aware of facts and events, it
would be a suicidal risk to quote them in such a manner so boldly,
challenging the enemies that they were ignorant about it. Yet no one
challenged Muhammad (pbuh) about these verses.
THE QUR’AN IS A DECEPTION:Those
who cannot disprove that Qur’an is a revelation, came up with a bright
idea that it is a deception. If it is a deception, what is its origin?
What does it deceive us about? Wherein lays the deception? But none can
point out a single deception. Because there is no deception!
WE MAKE FALSE DECISIONS AND FOOL OURSELVES BY STICKING TO IT:Some
people make a decision without thinking or reasoning. For example ‘I
believe this man is my enemy, but I have no reason or proof for my
belief. The moment I meet him, I treat him like my enemy. When he finds
the way I treat him, he reacts and behaves like my enemy, then I tell
myself, that I was right! See he acts like my enemy”. This is a sort of
self-fulfilling reinforcement. It reinforces my belief. Here because of
my initial wrong belief, I influenced certain things to take place which
should not have them placed normally. Based on the things which took
place, I falsely convinced myself that I was initially correct. In short
we make false decisions and fool ourselves by sticking to them.
REVELATION IS COMPLEMENTED BY REASON:According
to the Qur’an, revelation is complemented by reason. The Qur’an says
this is a revelation, as sure as the fact that you can discuss with one
another i.e. talk and exchange views between the people. If revelation
is superior to reason and logic, then how are we to decide which book
that claims to be a revelation is true and which is false? Imam Ghazali
rightly said “Faith and Reason should not come in conflict for both are
given by Allah.”

THE QUR’AN ENCOURAGES DISCUSSION:Many
Muslims believe that the Qur’an does not encourage any discussion and
thus refrain from any talk or conversations concerning Islam or the
Qur’an. However the Qur’an encourages discussion and reasoning.
Surah Al-Nahl chapter 16 verse 125 states:


“Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction; and argue with them in a way that is best.”


For
most of the questions of doubt that humans can think of in relation to
the claims and teachings of the Qur’an, the answers are given in the
Qur’an. The Arabic word ‘Qaalu’ which means ‘they say’ is mentioned in
the Qur’an 332 times and the Arabic word ‘Qul’ which means ‘say’ is also
mentioned 332 times in the Qur’an.
EXHAUSTING THE ALTERNATIVES:There
is an approach that is known as ‘Exhausting the Alternatives’. The
Qur’an says that it is a revelation from the Creator of all that exists.
If for some reason you do not believe in it, then what is it?
You
have to give some explanation. It is paper and ink, where did it come
from? It says that it is a revelation. If not then what is its source of
origin? Where did it come from? Whatever answers people have given
since the time the Qur’an was revealed have all been disproved. Some may
say Muhammad (pbuh) was the author, whether for material gains, power,
glory, unity of the Arabs or for moral reformation. All these answers
fail to prove their points. Some may say he copied the Qur’an from some
other source, while other may say that he was a liar and a crazy person.
All of these are ideas without a logical explanation. The alternatives
have been exhausted.
The
Qur’an earns your respect because you cannot disqualify it. The Qur’an
gives the answer that it is a revelation from God Almighty. In Surah Al –
Jathiyah, chapter 45 verse 1 and 2:
“Ha Meem. The revelation of the book is from Allah, the exalted in Might, the Wise.”


The Glorious Qur’an reconfirms that it is a revelation from Almighty God in several verses:


In Surah Al-Anam chapter 6 verse 19

In Surah Al-Anam chapter 6 verse 72

In Surah Yusuf chapter 12 verse 1 & 2

In Surah Taha chapter 20 verse 113

In Surah Naml chapter 27 verse 6

In Surah Al-Sajdah chapter 32 verse 1-3

In Surah Yasin chapter 36 verse 1-3

In Surah Al-Zumar chapter 39 verse 1

In Surah Ghafir chapter 40 verse 2

In Surah Jathiyah chapter 45 verse 2

In Surah Al-Rahman chapter 55 verse 1-2

In Surah Al-Waqiah chapter 56 verse 77-80

In Surah Al-Insan chapter 76 verse 23Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-9
FALSIFICATION TEST :


The scientific community adopts the following approach. Many people come up with new theories but the scientific community does not even bother to listen to them. Scientists have a reason for doing so - they say, “if you have a theory, do not bother me with it unless you bring with that theory a way to prove that you and the theory are wrong’. This is called as a Falsification test.


This is the same
reason why they paid attention to Albert Einstein towards the beginning
of the century. He came up with the new theory and said, ‘I think the
universe works like this and these are three ways to prove me wrong’. Scientists subjected his theory to tests and within 6 years it passed the tests,
which he offered. This does not prove that he is great but it proves
that he deserves to be paid attention to, because of the falsification
tests, which accompanied his theory.
The Qur’an too offers its readers several falsification tests. Some of these were only meant for the past, yet others for all times. The Qur’an says that if it is not what it claims then all you have to do is this or that, to prove that it is false.


I have not come across this unique falsification test presented in
any other religious scriptures. The next time you discuss with anyone
regarding religion, ask them, ‘Is there any thing in your religion which
throws up a challenge and says that if I could do this or that I prove that your religion and the scripture wrong ?
I doubt if anyone else would have anything such as a falsification test
to offer. A person should not only present his belief but should also
offer the other person a chance to prove the belief wrong. The Qur’an gives several such opportunities to prove it wrong. Some such falsifications tests offered by the Qur'an are :
A. THE STORY OF ABU LAHAB :The Prophet (Pbuh) had an uncle who was known by the nick name ‘Abu Lahab’ which means ‘Father of the flame’ because of his fiery temper. This uncle was one of the Staunchest enemies of the prophet and of Islam.


He
used to follow the Prophet and whenever saw him speaking to a stranger,
he would wait till they parted and then ask the Stranger, ‘What did
Muhammad (Pbuh) tell you ? Did he say black? Its white! Did he say morning? Its night!’ He used to state the exact opposite of what the Prophet said.
There is a chapter in the Qur’an called Surah Al-Lahab i.e. chapter 111 named after Abu Lahab. This chapter prophesied that Abu Lahab and his wife will perish in the hell fire - implying he will never become a Muslim and therefore will enter the hell fire.


This Surah was revealed 10 years before Abu Lahab died as an unbeliever in the battle of Badr. Many of Abu Lahab's friends and other disbelievers accepted Islam in the span of 10 years since this Surah was revealed. Abu Lahab
was very intelligent and one of the staunchest enemy of Islam who was
always eager to try and prove that the Qur’an was false and was of human
invention. All that Abu Lahab had to do to prove the Qur'an and Surah Abu Lahab wrong was state ‘I am a Muslim’ - the Qur’an would have been proved wrong. He did not have to behave like a Muslim. Even if he falsely, for name sake say that he was a Muslim, the Qur’an would have been proved wrong in the eyes of men. It is as though the Prophet was telling Abu Lahab you hate me, you want to finish me, here say these words, ‘I am a Muslim’ and I am finished ! Come on say them! Imagine Abu Lahab had 10 years to think over it but yet he never uttered this statement. No logical person will ever put such a claim in his book. The Qur'an is a revelation and not the handiwork of the Prophet.
B. THE JEWS WILL NOT SEEK DEATH :In Surah Baqarah chapter 2 verse 94 & 95


”Say (O Muhammad), “If the home of the Hereafter with Allah is for you alone and not the (other) people, then wish for death, if you should be truthful."


" But never will they wish for it, ever, because of what their hands have put forth. And Allah is knowing of the wrongdoers."


When the Jews came to the Muslims to have a confrontation, they said the last home with Allah, i.e. paradise, is especially meant for the Jews only and not for anyone else.


The Qur’an ask the Jews to seek death, if they were sincere and spoke the truth. The Qur’an continues and says that they (the Jews) will never seek death, because of the sins that they have committed. The only thing that Jews had to do at the time of Prophet (Pbuh) in order to win the argument and to prove the Qur’an wrong was to call for their own death. Even if any one of the Jews would have opted to say, "I beseech the Lord for my death" just for namesake, not that he actually had to die, the Qur’an would have been proved false. It was so easy to prove the Qur’an wrong.


The Qur’an continues in Surah Al-Baqrah chapter 2 verse 96

“ And
you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life - (even)
more than those who associates others with Allah. One of them wishes
that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove
him in the least from the (coming) punishment that he should be granted
life. And Allah is seeing of what they do.”
C. CHRISTIANS WILL BE CLOSER TO MUSLIMS THAN THE JEWS :There are certain falsification tests in the Qur’an, which are even applicable today and for all times. The Quran says in Surah Al-Maidah, Chapter 5 verse 82


“You
will surely find the most intense of the people in animosity towards
the believers (to be) the Jews and those who associate others with
Allah, and you will find the nearest of them in affection to the
believers those who say "We are Christians. That is because among them
are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant.”
The Qur’an says that between the two groups of people - the Christians and the Jews - the Christians as a whole will treat Muslims better than the Jews as a whole will treat Muslims. There are several Jews who have accepted Islam while some others are good to Muslims, but as a whole community, the Jews will never be better than the Christians in their treatment of Muslims.


Today
the Jews have a good opportunity to prove the Qur’an wrong. They have
to organize themselves and decide as a whole that for a couple of years they will treat the Muslims kindly and better than what the Christian do. They can then ask the Muslims: "Who are your best friend in the world ? The Jews or the Christians ?" The Jews have not done so as yet, but the offer still stands open to them and they can still prove the Qur’an false by doing so - but they never will.
D. PRODUCE A SURAH LIKE IT :Muslims and non Muslims alike acclaim that best Arabic literature available on the face of the earth is the Glorious Qur’an. Its language is rich, noble and eloquent.


When the pagans alleged that Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) had committed forgery and thus produced the Qur'an, the Qur’an immediately challenged them and offered them a falsification test.


(i) In Surah Al-Isra chapter 17 verse 88


“Say : “If mankind and the Jinns gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants."


The Qur’an repeats the challenge to produce a work like the Qur’an in Surah Tur Chapter 52 verse 34


(ii) Later the falsification test was made easier in Surah Hud chapter 11 verse 13


“Or
do they say, "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring ten Surahs like it that
have been invented and call upon (for assistance) whoever you can
besides Allah, if you should be truthful.”
(iii) The Qur’an repeats the challenge and further simplifies the falsification test in Surah Yunus chapter 10 verse 38.


CRITERIA FOR PRODUCING A SURAH LIKE IT :The criteria for producing a surah like the Qur’an are as follows: since the Qur’an is in Arabic, the Surah so produced should also be in Arabic, which should be equivalent in standards to that of the Qur’an.


(i) The Qur’an maintain throughout the highest possible standard of in its speech.


(ii) The Language of the Qur’an is most clear, meaningful, intelligible, unsurpassable and miraculous.


(iii) It does not deviate from the truth and still maintains its eloquence, rhythm and style unlike human poetry and literature.


(iv) The Qur’an repeat several information in difference styles and by passages and narrations of varying sizes, all being of a very high

standard that one cannot be preferred to another
(v) The Qur'an encompasses a vast range of meaning in a surprisingly small number of words without losing its charm and majesty.


(vi) The Ability
of the Qur’an to address a multitude of people. The same verse of the
Qur’an is appreciated by an intelligent person as well

as a common man.
“Or do they say, “He invented it ? " Say: “Then bring forth a Surah like it, and call upon (for assistance) whoever you can besides Allah, if you should be truthful."



Even this easy challenge was unmet and thus the pagans had no ground to say that Prophet Muhammad had presented the Qur'an through forgery.
Finally the Qur’an put forward a falsification test, which is the easiest of all. In Surah Al-Baqarah chapter 2 verse 23 and 24.


“And
if you are in doubt about what We have sent down (i.e. the Qur'an) upon
our servant, then produce a Surah like thereof and call upon your
witnesses (i.e. supporters) other than Allah, if you should be truthful.
But
if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire,
whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.”
(2:23-24)


The
Qur’an says ‘Mim Mislihi ‘ i.e. somewhat similar, it does not say
‘Mislihi’ i.e. exactly similar, like in the previous challenge.
Certain Surahs of the Qur’an hardly contain three verses which consist of only a few words. Not
that people did not take up the challenge, the best poets of Arabia at
that time tried their level best but they miserably failed. Some of what they produced has been preserved in historical books to show that they were the laughing stock. They did not have a rhythm similar to verses of the Qur’an. The context of this verses were trivial, they contained no wisdom and were hilarious.
This is yet a
standing challenge and a falsification test which is unanswered for the
past 1400 years and will not be answered till eternity.
The Qur'an does not contain a single contradiction.


The Qur’an also gives a falsification test in Surah Nisa chapter 4 verse 82 which any one in the world can try.



“Do
they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from (any) other than
Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction."
Today
if any one wants to prove that the Qur’an is not the word of God, he
just has to point out a single contradiction in the Qur’an.
There are many unbelievers who tried to point out several alleged contradiction in the Qur’an but all of their attempts were either out of context, mistranslations or misquotations. A maulana who may be an expert in the historical knowledge of Qur’an and Islam but who is not very well versed in the field of science, and is asked regarding an alleged scientific mistake in the Qur’an, he may not be in a position to clarify it. This does not indicate that the Qur’an contains a scientific discrepancy and is thus not the word of God.


The Qur’an says in Surah Furqan chapter 25:59, ‘Ask the person who is well – acquainted' meaning ask the person who has knowledge about that field. Similarly,
if you want to enquire about the scientific knowledge mentioned in the
Qur’an, you should ask a scientist. Similarly if you ask me a question
regarding Arabic recitation of the Qur’an or if you point out a
grammatical mistake in the Qur’an, I may not be able to answer your
question because I am just a student in the field of Arabic.
Because I am unable to clarify the alleged Arabic mistake in the Qur’an that does not prove that Qur’an contains mistakes and is not the word of God.


The Qur’an says ‘Ask the person who is well acquainted with’. Thus you should enquire with a Qari who is an expert in recitation of the Qur’an or a person who is an expert in Arabic grammar.


If
you pose medical and scientific questions related to the Qur’an, I may
be in a better position to clarify, not that I claim to be an expert in
the field, but because I have studied medicine for over five years before obtaining the MBBS degree.

Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-10
In
the nine articles that have appeared in this series, we have disproved
and confuted all the allegations of disbelievers and critics regarding
the origin of the Qur’an. The Qur’an earns your respect because you
cannot disqualify it. The Qur’an is of Divine Origin. It is a revelation
from the Creator of the humankind.



QURANIC CONCEPT OF GOD:
EVERY THEIST SHOULD AGREE THAT QUR’AN IS THE WORD OF GOD : No
logical person who believes in the existence of God can deny that
Qur’an is God’s word after being presented all these proofs (please
refer all nine articles in this series). To the atheist who does not
believe in the existence of god, the question, “is the Qur’an the God’s
word?” is baseless. He does not believe in God, therefore such a
question does not arise in his mind.
C0NGRATULATIONS TO ATHEISTS: The
first thing I would like to do, on meeting an atheist is say
‘congratulations’. Most of those who believe in some concept of god have
blind faith or belief. Many a person is a Christian, because his father
is a Christian; many others are Hindus because their parents are
Hindus. Many Muslims are Muslims simply because their parents are
Muslims. A vast majority of the people in the world blindly follow the
religion of their parents. An atheist, on the other hand, even though he
may be belong to a religious family, uses his intellect while denying
the existence of God because he / she disagrees with the qualities of
God that he has learnt in his religion or from his parents.
Muslims
may question me: “Zakir, why do you congratulate an atheist?” The
reason that I congratulate an atheist is because he agrees with the
first part of the Shahaadah i.e. Islamic creed which reads ‘Laa ilahaa’
i.e. ‘there is no God’. Half the job is already done. Now the only part
left for such a person today is ‘illallah’ i.e. ‘except Allah’. Whereas
with others, one has to first remove the wrong concepts of god they have
in their minds, and then put the concept of the one true God.
LOGICAL CONCEPT OF GOD: My
first question to the atheist is “what is the definition of God?” For a
person to say there is no God, he should know what the meaning of God
is. Suppose I hold a book and say ‘this is a pen’. The opposite person
should know the definition of a pen for him to refute and say that it is
not a pen. Even if he does not know what I am holding in my hand, for
him to say that this is not a pen, he should at least know what does a
pen mean. In a similar manner, for an atheist to say ‘there is no god’,
he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God is
derived from the surroundings in which he lives or has been brought up.
The deity that people worship has human qualities and hence he does not
believe in such a god. Similarly, a Muslim too does believe in such
false gods.
If
a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion that preaches
terrorism, a religion that does not give rights to women, a religion
that contradicts science, in this limited sense that non-Muslim is
correct to reject his notion of Islam. The problem is that he has a
wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but
at the same time, it is my duty as a Muslim to present the correct
picture of Islam to that Non-Muslim. It is up to us to remove
misconceptions and explain that Islam is a merciful religion, that it
gives equal rights to women, it does not conflict with logic, reason and
science – and once we do so, that non-Muslim may InshaAllah accept
Islam.
Similarly,
an atheist rejects the false models, notions and concepts of god. It is
the duty of every Muslim to present the correct concept of God.
CONCEPT OF GOD ACCORDING TO SURAH IKHLAAS : The best definition, of Almighty God, that you can find in the Qur’an is in Surah Ikhlaas, Chapter 112 verse 1-4

“Say he is Allah, the one and only.

the eternal, the absolute.

He begets not, nor is He begotten

And there is none like Him”.

(112:1-4)
The word ‘assamad’
is difficult to translate. It means that absolute existence can be
attributed only to Allah, all other existence being temporal or
conditional. It also means Allah is not dependant on any person or thing
but all persons and things are dependent on Him.
This
is a four-line definition of Almighty God according to Qur’an. If any
candidate claims to be God and satisfies this definition, we Muslims
have no objection in accepting such a candidate as god. This Surah Ikhlaas is the acid test – it is the ‘Furqan’
or the criteria to judge between the One True God and the false
claimants to divinity. Whichever deity that any human being on the face
of this earth worships – if that deity fulfils these four criteria then
such a deity is none else than the one true God.
For
example, if some one says that Bhagwaan Rajneesh or ‘Osho’ is Almighty
God, lets put Rajneesh to test. The first criteria is ‘Qul hu Allahu Ahad’ i.e. “say he is Allah, one and only”.
a. It is the touch stone of Theology



Surah Ikhlaas
i.e. Chapter 112 of the Glorious Qur’an is the touchstone of Theology.
‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus ‘Theology’ means
‘study of God’ and Surah Ikhlaas is the touchstone of the study of God.
If
you want to purchase or sell your gold jewellery, you would first
evaluate it. Such an evaluation of gold jewellery is done by a goldsmith
with the help of a touchstone. He rubs the gold jewellery on the touch
stone and compares its colour with rubbing samples of gold. If it
matches with 24 Karat gold he will tell that your jewellery is 24 Karat
pure gold. If it is not high quality pure Gold, he will tell you its
value whether 22 Karats, 18 Karats or it may not be gold at all. It may
be fake because all that glitters is not gold.
Similarly Surah Ikhlaas
(Chapter 112 of the Qur’an) is the touchstone of theology, which can
verify whether the deity that you worship is a true God or a false God.
Thus, Surah Ikhlaas
is a four-line definition of Almighty God according to the Qur’an. If
any one claims to be, or is believed to be Almighty God, and satisfies
this four-line definition, we Muslims will readily accept that deity as
God. This Chapter of the Glorious Qur’an, Surah Ikhlaas, is the acid test. It is the ‘Furqan’ or
the criterion to judge between the one True God and false claimants to
divinity. Hence, whichever deity any human on earth worships, if such a
deity fulfills the criteria specified in this Chapter of the Qur’an,
then this deity is worthy of worship and is the One True God.
b. Is Bhagwan Rajneesh God?


Some people say that Bhagwan Rajneesh or Osho Rajneesh is Almighty God. Please note my words; I have stated that some people
say that Bhagwan Rajneesh is Almighty God. Once during a
question-answer session there was a Hindu gentleman who misunderstood my
statement. He said that Hindus do not worship Rajneesh as God. I am
aware that Hinduism does not consider Rajneesh to be God. Rajneesh has
followers, who are converts to his philosophy / ideology, but who were
originally followers of various different religions.
Let us put this candidate Bhagwan Rajneesh to the test of Divinity as prescribed by Surah Ikhlaas, the touchstone of Divinity.


(i) The First Criterion is ‘Qul hu Allah hu ahad’
–‘say, He is Allah one and only’. Is Rajneesh one and only? We know
several such fake god-men and claimants of divinity amongst humans.
Several are found in our country, India. Rajneesh is surely not one and
only. Not as a human and not even as a human claimant to godhood.
However, some disciples of Rajneesh may still state that Rajneesh is
unique and that he is one and only.
(ii) Let us analyze the second criterion ‘Allah hus samad’
– ‘Allah the Absolute and Eternal’. Is Rajneesh absolute and eternal?
We know from his biography that he suffered from diabetes, asthama, and
chronic backache. He alleged that the U.S.A. government gave him slow
poison while he was in their jail. Imagine! Almighty God being
poisoned! Moreover, all are aware that Rajneesh died and was cremated /
buried. So Rajneesh was neither eternal, nor absolute
(iii) The third Criteria is ‘Lam ya lid wa lam yu lad’
– ‘He begets not, nor is begotten’. However, Rajneesh was begotten.
He was born in Jabalpur in India. Like all humans, he too had a mother
and a father. Later on they chose to become his disciples.
Rajneesh
was a very intelligent person. In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. He
established a town in Oregeon and named it ‘Rajneeshpuram’. It seems
that he took America for a ride for the U.S. government arrested him and
later deported him out of America in 1985. So Rajneesh returned to
India and started a ‘Rajneesh Neosanyas commune in Pune in India which
was later renamed the ‘Osho commune’.
If
you visit this ‘Osho commune’ in Pune you will find it written on his
tombstone, “Osho - never born, never died, only visited the planet earth
between 11th Dec. 1931 to 19th Jan 1990”. They conveniently forget to
mention on this tombstone that Rajneesh was not given a visa for 21
different countries of the world. Imagine Almighty God visiting the
earth and requiring a visa! The Arch Bishop of Greece had said that if
Rajneesh was not deported they would burn his house and those of his
disciples.
(iv) The fourth test is so stringent that none besides the One True God, Allah (swt), can pass it. ‘Wa lam ya kullahu kufuwan ahad’
which means, ‘there is none like Him’. The moment you can imagine or
compare the candidate or claimant to godhood to anything, this candidate
is not god. Neither can you have a mental picture of God.
We
know that Rajneesh was a human being. He had one head, two hands, two
feet, and a white flowing beard. The moment you can think or imagine
what the claimant to godhood is, he or she is not god.
Suppose
someone says, “God is a thousand times as strong as Arnold
Schwarzenegger”. Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the strongest men on
earth. He was given the title ‘Mr. Universe’. The moment you can
compare Almighty God to anything, whether it is a 1000 times stronger or
a million times stronger, whether it be Darasingh or Kingkong, the
moment you can compare the claimant to godhood to anything, he is not
God. ‘Wa lam ya kul lahu kufwan ahad’ ‘there is none like Him.’Is The Qur'an God's Word? – Part-11
ATTRIBUTES OF GOD


TO ALLAH BELONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAMES:


(i) The Qur’an mentions in Surah Isra Chapter 17 Verse 110:


Say: “Call upon Allah, or

Call upon Rahman;

By whatever name ye call

Upon Him, (it is well):

For to Him belong

The Most Beautiful Names

(Al Qur’an 17:110)
You
can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should
not conjure up a mental picture. The Qur’an gives no less than 99
different attributes to Almighty God. Some of these are Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem, Al-Hakeem;
Most Gracious, Most Merciful and All Wise. Ninety nine different names /
attributes and the crowning one, the hundredth one is Allah. To Allah
belongs the most beautiful names – the Qur’an repeats this message in:



(i) Surah Al Aaraf Chapter 7 Verse 180

(ii) In Surah Taha Chapter 20 Verse 8

(iii) In Surah Al Hashr Chapter 59 Verse 23 and 24
NAME ALLAH PREFERED TO THE WORD ‘GOD’The
Muslims prefer calling Allah (swt) with His Name Allah, instead of the
English word ‘God’. The Arabic word Allah is pure and unique, unlike the
English word God which can be played around with.
If
you add ‘s’ to God, it becomes ‘gods’ that is plural of God. Allah is
one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to God,
it becomes ‘‘goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male
Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add father to God, it
becomes godfather’. “He is my Godfather” means that “he is my
guardian”. There is nothing like ‘Allah Abba’ or ‘Allah father’ in Islam. If you add mother to God it becomes ‘godmother’, there is nothing like ‘Allah Ammi’
or ‘Allah Mother’ in Islam. If you put tin before God, it becomes
tin-god i.e. a fake God, there is nothing like ‘tin Allah’ or ‘fake
Allah’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any
mental picture nor can it be played around with. Hence, the Muslims
prefer the name Allah when referring to the Almighty Creator. But
sometimes while speaking to non-Muslims we may have to use the
inappropriate word God for Allah.
QURAN AND MODERN SCIENCEThese
methods of proving the existence of God to an atheist may satisfy some
but not all. Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence
of God. I do agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let
us use the scientific knowledge that we have to prove the existence of
God and simultaneously also prove that Qur’an is a revelation of God.
If
a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or
heard of before is shown to an atheist or any other person and then
asked a question, who is the first person who will be able to tell the
mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will
reply ‘the Creator of that object’. Some may say ‘the Producer’ while
other may say ‘the manufacturer’. Whatever answer the person gives, keep
it in your mind, the answer will always be either ‘the Creator’, ‘the
Producer’, ‘the manufacturer’ or somewhat of the same meaning i.e. the
person who has made it or created it. Do not grapple with words, for
whatever answer he gives the meaning will be the same; therefore accept
it.
SCIENTIFIC FACTS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN:

THEORY OF PROBABILITY: In
Mathematics, there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you
have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the
chances that you will choose the right one is half i.e. one out of the
two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct, similarly if
you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1
out of 2) i.e. ½. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that
you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. ½. But the
chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half x half ( ½ x
½ ) which is equal to ¼. i.e. 50% of 50% i.e. equal to 25%. If you toss
a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times
is ( ½ x ½ x ½ ) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12.5%.
A
dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number
between 1 and 6, the chances that your guess will be correct are 1/6. If
you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be
correct in both the throws is ( 1/6 x 1/6 ) which is equal to 1/36. If
you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three
guesses are correct is ( 1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6 ) is equal to 1/216 that is
less than ½ a percent.
Let
us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a
person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an,
which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all
the guesses being correct.
At
the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was
flat. There are several other options for the shape of the earth. It
could be triangular; it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal,
heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Let’s assume there are about 30
different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it
is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct
is 1/30.
The
light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an
rightly says it is a reflected light. If it was a guess, the chances
that it will be correct is ½ and the probability that both the guesses
i.e. the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light
is 1/30 x ½ = 1/60.
Further
the Qur’an also mentions every living thing made up of water. The
options are say about 10,000. Every living thing can be made up of
either wood, stone, copper, aluminium, steel, silver, gold, oxygen,
nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete etc. The Qur’an rightly
says that every living thing is made up of water. Therefore if it’s a
guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the
probability of all the three guesses i.e. earth is spherical, light of
moon is reflected, every living thing is created from water being
correct is 1/30 x ½ x 1/10,000 = 1/600,000 which is equal to about
.00017%.
The
Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known at that
time. Only in three options the result is .00017%. I leave it up to you
the intellectual audience to work out the probability if all the
hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all the
guesses being correct and not a single wrong. It is beyond human
capacity to have all the guesses correct without a single mistake, which
in itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of
the Qur’an is divine.
QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE: Let
me remind you that Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S.C.I.E.N.C.E.’
but a book of ‘signs’ – S.I.G.N.S. i.e. a book of ayaats. The Qur’an
contains more than 6000 ayaats that is ‘signs’ out of which more than a
thousand speak about science. For Muslims, the Qur’an is the ‘Furqaan’
i.e. the criteria to judge right from wrong and it is the ultimate yard
stick which is more superior to scientific knowledge. But for an
educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate
test, which he believes in. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist,
I try to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and while it
was revealed 1400 ago, it contains the scientific knowledge that was
discovered recently. Therefore at the end of the discussion, we both
come to the same conclusion that God, though superior to science, does
not conflict with it.
CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE QURAN: The
only logical answer to the question, who could have mentioned all these
scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly
the same answer as was initially given by the atheist or any person, to
the question who is the first person who will be able to tell the
mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR,’ the Producer, the
Manufacturer. Another name in the English Language for this Creator,
Producer, Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents, is ‘God’
or more appropriately in the Arabic Language is ‘Allah’.
SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD: Francis
Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge
of science makes you an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes
you a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God,
but they are not eliminating God.
If you translate this act – of rejecting false models and wrong notions of God – into Arabic, it is ‘La ilaaha illal lah’ which means “there is no god, but God”.


“There is no god (god with a small ‘g’ that is fake deities), but God (with a capital ‘G’)


Surah Fussilat chapter 41 verse 53:


“Soon
will we show them our signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth),
and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is
truth. Is it not enough that thy lord doth witness all things?” (41:
53)
And
Our Final Call is – All praises are for the One and Only God and
Creator Allah, who alone is worthy of devotion, complete submission and
worship. I declare that there is no other deity or god besides Allah. I
also declare that Prophet Muhammad is the Last and Final Messenger of
Allah.