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THE QUR’AN AS THE GREATEST
AND ETERNAL MIRACLE OF MUHAMMAD
The
greatest and the eternal miracle of God’s Messenger is
the Wise Qur’an, which itself encompasses hundreds of
proofs of his Prophethood, and whose miraculousness of
forty different aspects has been proved. Referring the
reader to another treatise concerning the miraculousness
of the Qur’an, we will here mention only a few
significant points in this respect.
First
point
Question
The
miraculousness of the Qur’an lies mainly in its
eloquence, which can be comprehended only by one
discerning scholar out of a thousand. Should it not be
however, the right of every class of people to grasp a
glimpse of this miraculousness according to their
capacity of understanding?
Answer
The
Wise Qur’an has a different kind of miraculousness
relating to each class of people. It indicates its
miraculousness to each of them in a different, unique way.
To the men of eloquence and rhetoric, it shows the
miraculousness of its extraordinary eloquence; to poets
and orators, it displays the miraculousness of its
uniquely exalted style, one which cannot be imitated
although it is liked by everyone. The passage of time
cannot have any effect on its freshness, so it is always
new. Its metrical and rhythmic prose and its verse have
the greatest nobility and charm.
To
soothsayers and foretellers, the Qur’an exhibits the
aspect of its miraculousness which consists of the reports
it gives concerning the Unseen. To historians and
chroniclers, it shows its miraculousness by giving
information about the nations of bygone ages, as well as
the conditions and events of the future, of the
intermediate world and of the Hereafter. To social and
political scientists, it presents the miraculousness of
its sacred principles which comprise the supreme Sacred
Law of Islam. As for those who are engaged in the
knowledge of God and Divine laws of nature, the Qur’an
shows them the miraculousness of the sacred Divine truths
that it contains. And to those following a spiritual way
to sainthood, it manifests the profound, manifold meanings
in its verses that rise in successive motions like waves
of the sea. In short, the Qur’an shows its
miraculousness of forty different aspects to every level
of understanding or class of learning, by opening to each
a different window. Even those masses who have only ears
to give to the Qur’an and drive a very limited degree of
meaning from it agree that the Qur’an never sounds like
other books. Any ordinary person who listens to the
Qur’an says, ‘This Qur’an is either below other
books in degree-which is utterly impossible, and cannot be
claimed even by its enemies-or above them all and
therefore is a miracle.’ Now, we will explain the aspect
of the miraculousness of the Qur’an which is perceived
by that ordinary person who simply listens to the
Qur’an.
The
miraculous Qur’an emerged with a challenge to the whole
world and stirred up in people two kinds of feelings:
Under
the influence of these two strong feelings, millions of
books have been written in Arabic, and they are still at
hand. Whoever listens to even the most eloquent and
rhetorical of them will certainly say that the Qur’an
does not sound like any of them at all. This means that
the Qur’an is not of the same degree as them; it is
either below them all-an utter impossibility claimed by no
one, not even by Satan-or above all other books that have
ever been written.
There
is another miraculous aspect of the Wise Qur’an which it
shows to the illiterate, namely that its recitation does
not bore anyone. Any common illiterate man, even though he
does not comprehend its meaning, would undoubtedly say
when he listens to the Qur’an, ‘If I hear a most
beautiful and most well-known couplet two or three times,
it starts to bore me. But this is not the case for the
Qur’an; the more I listen, the more pleasant it becomes.
It cannot be the composition of man.’
The
Qur’an has a miraculousness to show even to children
trained in learning it by heart. Despite its many similar
verses and passages that might cause confusion, the
Qur’an is easily committed to memory by children who
cannot retain for long even a single passage of other
matter.
For
even the ill and those lying on their death beds, who are
disturbed by the slightest noise, the recitation and sound
of the Qur’an becomes as sweet and comforting as the
water of Zamzam, thus displaying another aspect of
its miraculousness.
One
of the almost forty classes of people to whom the Qur’an
shows its miraculous qualities without depriving any of
them, is those who can see but have no hearing and no
means for learning. For instance, in the copy of the
Qur’an written by the calligrapher Hafiz ‘Uthman, many
related words are in a position to correspond to each
other on different pages. If the sheets beneath the phrase
their dog being the eighth are pierced in Sura al-Kahf
(the Chapter of the Cave), with a slight deviation it will
go through the word Qıtmir in Surah al-Fatir, thus
giving the name of the dog. Similarly, the words mukhdarun
and mukhdarin (they will be brought before us) in Sura
al-Saffat correspond both to each other and to the one
occurring in Surah Ya sin twice, one below the other. The
word mathna (in pairs) occurs three times in the
Qur’an; that the two of them correspond to each other
one being at the beginning of Sura al-Fatir, the
other towards the end of Sura Saba’ cannot be a
mere coincidence. There are numerous examples of this kind
in the Qur’an; in some cases, the same word occurs
almost in the same place in five or six pages. I once saw
a copy of the Qur’an in which were written in red ink
similar passages facing each other on two facing pages. I
then concluded that this was an indication of a different
kind of miracle. Later I came to notice that there are
many more passages on varying pages significantly facing
each other. Since the verses and chapters of the Qur’an
were arranged upon the instruction of the Prophet himself,
upon him be peace, and the Qur’an was later copied
through Divine inspiration, its design and calligraphy
bear the indications of a kind of miracle. If, however,
there are some slight, observed deviations, they are
actually the results of human errors; were they arranged
in the most proper manner, they could coincide perfectly.
Furthermore,
on each of the suras (chapters) of great or medium
length which were revealed in Madina, the word Allah
is repeated in a very significant manner, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, or eleven times on both sides of a
sheet, or on the two facing pages, thus displaying a
beautiful and significant numerical proportionate. (1,2,3)
Second
point
As
the art of magic was widespread at the time of the Prophet
Moses, upon him be peace, the miracles with which he was
endowed were of the same nature, and as the practice of
medicine was in demand at the time of Jesus, upon him be
peace, the miracles he worked were of the same kind.
Similarly, when Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings,
was raised as a prophet, four crafts enjoyed popularity in
the Arabian peninsula: first, eloquence and fluency in
writing and speaking; second, poetry and oratory; third,
soothsaying and divination; fourth, knowledge about the
events of the past and about cosmology.
When
the miraculous Qur’an came, it challenged the experts in
these four fields.
1.
It brought the men of eloquence to their knees
before it. They all listened to the Qur’an in
total admiration.
2.
It shocked the poets and orators so that they bit
their fingers in amazement. It caused them to bring
down their most celebrated Seven Poems written in
gold and hung on the wals of the Ka’ba.
3.
It silenced the soothsayers and magicians. By making
them forget their knowledge of the Unseen and
causing their jinn to be expelled from the heavens,
it put an end to soothsaying.
4.
It saved from myths and fabrications those who had
knowledge of the history of previous nations and of
cosmological facts, and instructed them in the
reality of past events and in illuminating facts of
creation.
These
four groups, as a result, went on their knees before the
Qur’an in absolute astonishment and awe, and became its
students. None of them ever made an attempt to challenge
with even a chapter of it.
A
possible question
How
do we know that nobody has ever been able to dispute
with the Qur’an, and that such a challenge is not
possible at all?
Answer
Had
it been possible to challenge the Qur’an, somebody would
certainly have attempted to do it. Actually, such a
challenge was directly needed by the opponents of the
Qur’an, since, first of all, they felt their religion,
life and properties in danger; they would all have thought
themselves saved by any kind of challenge. So, had it ever
been possible to challenge the Qur’an, they would
certainly have tried it, and there were lots of
unbelievers and hypocrites ready to advertise it widely,
just as they spread all kinds of malicious propaganda
against Islam. If they had succeeded with any kind of
challenge, their success would have been recorded with
exaggeration in the books of history. Now all the books of
history are out in the open; none of them contains
anything other than a few non-sensical lines of Musaylima
al-Kadhdhab (the Liar), a false claimant to Prophethood.
They never dared any challenge, although the Wise Qur’an
challenged them continuously for twenty-three years in a
way that provoked and annoyed them:
Come
on, and produce a like of this Qur’an by means of
an unlettered man like Muhammad, the Trustworthy! If
you can not do that, let it not be an unlettered
man, but the most knowledgeable and one well-versed
in writing. If you cannot do that either, let it not
be one person, but gather all your learned and
eloquent ones to help each other; also invoke the
aid of your gods and goddesses upon whom you rely.
This too you cannot do; make use of all the books of
the highest eloquence that have ever been written,
and let all the unbelievers to come until Doomsday
make use of your experiences in their attempt. Still
you have not been able to score any success, try to
produce the like of only ten chapters of the
Qur’an, not of the whole of it. If you see that
you are unable to match any ten chapters of the
Qur’an truly and in all respects, then make a
composition from baseless stories and imaginative
tales to match only the metrical verse and eloquence
of the Qur’an. Even this you cannot do, so bring
about the equal of only one chapter. If you are
still unsuccessful, let it not be a long one;
suffice it to produce the like of any short one!
Otherwise, your religion, your lives and properties,
and your families will be at stake both in this
world and in the Hereafter!
With
these eight alternatives, the Qur’an has challenged and
silenced men and jinn, not for twenty-three years, but for
fourteen centuries. Nevertheless, those unbelievers who
lived in the early days of Islam, instead of preferring
the easiest way, that is, open challenge, chose the most
dreadful way-to wage war, endangering their lives and
properties and their families because challenging the
Qur’an was absolutely impossible. Otherwise no man of
wisdom, especially those of the Arabian peninsula of that
time and especially those intelligent men of the Quraysh,
would have had recourse to this most difficult way, if any
literary man among them had been able to bring about the
equal of a single chapter of the Qur’an and thereby save
them from the attacks of the Qur’an.
In
summary, as the famous Jahiz put it, since challenge by
words was impossible, they had to resort to struggle by
the sword.
Question
Some
scholars of discernment have maintained that not a
chapter of the Qur’an, nor a verse, nor a sentence,
nor even a word of it is ever possible to be disputed;
nor has anyone ever been able to do this. This judgment
sounds exaggerated, and is too hard to accept. For there
are many words produced by men, which have some
resemblance to the Qur’an. So, how do you interpret
this judgment?
Answer
There
are two schools of opinion concerning the miraculousness
of the Qur’an:
According
to the prevailing opinion, the eloquence of the Qur’an
and the virtues in its meaning are beyond human capacity.
The
other opinion is that although it is within human capacity
to challenge and compete with a chapter of the Qur’an,
God Almighty prevented it as a miracle of Muhammad, upon
him be peace and blessings. For example, if a Prophet told
a man, who is normally able to stand up, ‘You will not
be able to stand up’, and the man could not then stand
up, it would be considered a miracle of the Prophet. This
school is called the school of ‘Sarfa’, from the
viewpoint of which the All-Mighty prevented men and jinn
from producing even a chapter of the Qur‘an. If He had
not, men and jinn might have put up a challenge against
one chapter. So, according to this view, the scholars who
maintain that even a word of the Qur’an cannot be
challenged are right in their opinion. For, prevented by
the All-Mighty on account of the miraculousness of the
Qur’an, they could not even open their mouths to offer a
challenge; even if they had, they could not have uttered a
word because God was preventing it.
In
the view of the scholars belonging to the first school,
there is, however, a subtle point that the words and
verses of the Qur’an are all interrelated. Sometimes it
occurs that a word is related to ten other occurances,
thus bearing ten relationships and providing ten instances
of eloquence. In another book of mine entitled Isharat
al-I’jaz (The Signs of Miraculousness), which is a
key to the interpretation of the Qur’an, I showed some
examples in this regard drawn from some passages of Sura
al-Fatiha (the Opening Chapter) and from the initial
verses of Sura al-Baqara.
In
a well-ornamented palace, for example, to place a gem that
is of the greatest importance in the decorative pattern,
in the most suitable location on the wall is possible only
after knowing the whole design. Likewise, to place the
pupil of the eye in its correct location entails knowing
all the function of the body and its complex organization,
as well as its relationship with the function of the eye.
In just the same way the foremost among men of exact
science and profound truth have demonstrated numerous
relationships between the words of the Qur’an and the
manifold relationship each word has with some other verses
and expressions. The scholars who have studied the
mysteries of letters have gone even further, and proved
that each letter of the Qur’an bears many inner meanings
the explanation of which might cover pages. Since the
Qur’an is the Word of the Creator of everything, each of
its words may function as the core or heart of an ideal
body around it made of hidden meanings, or as the seed of
such an ideal tree. Thus, there might be among the words
of men some similar to those of the Qur’an, but to place
them properly taking into consideration of all such
relationships as exist between the Qur’anic words calls
for an all-comprehending knowledge.
Third
point
Once
a brief reflection on the miraculous nature of the
Qur’an occurred to my heart. Now I will give below a
translation of that reflection which was then expressed in
Arabic:
Glory
be to God Who Himself witnesses to His Oneness, and
has disclosed the qualities of His grace, majesty
and perfection through the Wise Qur’an, whose six
sides are luminous; neither misgiving nor doubt can
find a way into it. It is supported by God’s
Throne of Sovereignty, from where it holds the light
of revelation. It leads to the happiness of the two
worlds, aiming at the light of Paradise and eternal
bliss. Above it shines the seal of miraculousness,
beneath it lie the pillars of proof and evidence,
and inside it is pure guidance. It urges minds to
seek to confirm it through warnings like Will they
not comprehend and reflect? With the spiritual
pleasures it bestows upon the heart, it makes the
conscience testify to its miraculousness. From which
side or corner, then, could the arrows of doubt
invade such a miraculous Qur’an?
The
miraculous Qur’an includes the content of the
books of all the prophets, all the saints and the
men of monotheism, of varying ways, temperaments and
ages. That is to say, all those men of heart and
intellect mentioned in their books the laws and
fundamentals of the Qur’an in a way to show their
affirmation of them, and became like the roots of
the ‘celestial tree of the Qur’an’.
The
Wise Qur’an is truly a revelation; the Majestic
One Who revealed it demonstrated through the
miracles He created at the hands of Muhammad, upon
him be peace, that it is revelation; the Qur’an
itself shows with its miraculousness that it has
come from the Exalted Throne of God. Lastly, the
anxiety that the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, to whom the Qur’an was revealed,
showed at the beginning of the revelation, his
half-conscious state when receiving revelation and
the sincere respect and devotion he showed to the
Qur’an more than any other-all prove that the
Qur’an is revelation, derived from past eternity
and entrusted to the Prophet, upon him be peace.
The
Qur’an is obviously pure guidance, since unbelief,
which is its opposite, is evidently misguidance. The
Qur’an is of necessity the source of the light of
belief, for the opposite of this light is certainly
darkness.
The
Qur’an is of a certainty the spring of truths,
into which neither imagination nor superstition can
find a way. The truthful world of Islam it shaped
after its revelation, the well-founded law which it
presented and the highest virtues that it manifested
all give evidence that it is completely truthful in
its dealings with the matters of the Unseen as with
the matters of the visible world.
The
Qur’an manifestly and undoubtedly shows the way to
happiness in both worlds and guides man to it;
whoever doubts this, it will suffice for him to read
the Qur’an only once and heed what it says. The
fruits of the Qur’an are perfect and life-giving,
which demonstrates that it is deeply rooted in truth
and true vigor, for the vigor of the fruit indicates
the life of the tree. See, if you want an example,
how many perfect, vigorous and luminous fruits it
has yielded in each century, such as the men of
sainthood, purity and profound learning.
The
Qur’an is, through a conviction and intuition
coming from countless different indications, so
esteemed and sought after by men, jinn and the
angels that when the Qur’an is recited, they
gather around it like moths.
The
Qur’an, besides being revelation, is also
confirmed and fortified by rational proofs, as is
unanimously agreed upon by the most profound men of
logic. In fact, geniuses of philosophy such as Ibn
Sina (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), and
especially the most learned of theology have
unanimously proved the truth of the fundamentals of
the Qur’an with their particular methods of
reasoning. The very nature of man, so long as it
remains unspoiled, affirms the truth of the
Qur’an, for the conscience can be satisfied and
hearts can be at rest only through the light of the
Qur’an.
The
Qur’an is, manifestly and evidently, an
everlasting miracle; it continually unfolds its
miraculousness. It never fades or perishes like
other kinds of miracle, nor does it age with the
passage of time.
The
Qur’an is so inclusive and comprehensive in its
guidance that the Archangel Gabriel and a young
child listen to it side by side, both deriving their
lessons. A most brilliant philosopher like Ibn Sina
sits before the Qur’an knee to knee with an
ordinary reciter of it to receive its teaching; it
might even sometimes occur that the ordinary reciter
drives, by virtue of the purity and strength of his
faith, more benefit than Ibn Sina.
The
Qur’an provides such a penetrating insight through
its guidance that the whole of the universe with all
its aspects, like the pages of a book, can be seen
and comprehended by means of it. Like a watch-maker
who opens the watch in his hand and describes it
down to the smallest part, the Qur’an expounds the
universe with all its spheres and particles. Above
all, it is such a glorious Qur’an that it
announces, There is no deity but God, and declares
the Oneness of God.
O
God, make the Qur’an our companion in the world
and our confident in the grave; our intercessor in
the Hereafter and our light on the Bridge of Sirat;
a veil and protection against Hellfire, a friend in
Paradise, and a guide and a leader to all goodness.
O God, illumine our hearts and graves with the light
of faith and the Qur’an, and brighten the evidence
of the Qur’an for the sake of him whom You sent
down the Qur’an, upon him and his family be peace
and blessings from the Compassionate and Solicitous
One. Amen.
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