How can we answer those who attempt to judge The Divine Authorship of
the Qur'an under the guise of impartial judgement or objective reasoning?
In His Name, glory be to Him
There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Judging the Qur’an impartially?
Eleven years ago someone asked me: “You regard the Qur’an as highly
exalted and radiant. Study it for once in an objective manner and see
whether it is so radiant and exalted!”
Answer
Objective reasoning means impartial judgment or not taking sides, but the
objective reasoning which you and your disciples suggest is, in fact, taking
the part of those in opposition to the Qur’an; not impartiality but an
attitude of temporary unbelief. This is really so because to suppose the
Qur’an the work of a human being and to build an argument on this
supposition is to side with unbelief or falsehood.
The person retorted:
Then, accept it as neither the Word of God nor the work of a human being!
Answer:
That is not justifiable either, for, if some item of property is disputed
between two parties, it is deposited in the hands of a trusted third party,
provided that the two parties are in reasonable proximity to each other.
However, if the parties are quite far apart, the property is left, until the
dispute is settled, in the possession of the one who already holds it ń the
matter is not left undecided.
The number of people who have accepted the Qur’an as the Word of God over
fourteen centuries amounts to billions. So it falls upon those in opposition
to it to prove, if they can, that it is the work of a human being, not upon
the Muslims to prove it to be the Word of God.
To follow the analogy through, if the Qur’an may be regarded as a
priceless piece of property, there is an infinite distance between its
present owner—God—and its claimant—man. So the matter cannot be left
undecided as there cannot be, in this case, a third party into whose custody
it may be entrusted. That being so, it should be left in the “hands” of God.
Second, the number of people who have accepted it as the Word of God over
fourteen centuries amounts to billions. So it falls upon those in opposition
to it to prove, if they can, that it is the work of a human being, not upon
the Muslims to prove it to be the Word of God. If its opponents are able to
refute all the proofs that the Qur’an is the Word of God, only then can it
justifiably be argued whether it is the Word of God or the work of a human
being. Otherwise, not!
Therefore, O Satan! Who would dare to pull out that brilliant Qur’an from
the Greatest Throne of God onto which it is fixed with thousands of “nails”
of decisive proofs? Despite you, O Satan, the people of truth and justice
deal with the issue by just reasoning and strengthen their belief in the
Qur’an through even the least of those decisive proofs. As for those who are
taken in by you and your disciples, it is very difficult for them to get out
of the darkness of unbelief into the light of belief. This requires a proof
as strong as all the “nails” with which the Qur’an is fixed to the Greatest
Throne of God, once it has been cast to the ground by supposing it to be the
work of a human being. It is because of this that many people are deceived
by you into that false pretence of “objective” reasoning and ultimately lose
their faith.
The person insisted:
The Qur’an resembles the word of a human being in that it follows the
style of human speech or conversation. If it were the Word of God, it should
be extraordinary in all its aspects. As God’s artistry cannot be likened to
what is human, His Word likewise should not resemble human speech!
Answer
Our Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, was a human being; except
for his miracles and states of prophethood, all his acts and attitudes
originated in his humanity. Like all other human beings, he was subject to
and dependent upon the creational and operational laws of God; he suffered
from cold, felt pains and so on. He was not extraordinary in all his acts
and attitudes, and set an example to mankind through his conduct. If he had
been extraordinary in his conduct and attitudes, he could not have been an
absolute guide in every aspect of life and the mercy for all the worlds
through all his states. In the same way, the Wise Qur’an is a leader to
conscious beings, a director to mankind and the jinn, a guide to men of
perfection, and an instructor to truth-seeking people. For that reason, it
needs to be in the style of human speech and conversation: for mankind and
the jinn take out of it their supplications, they learn from it their
prayers, they converse about their affairs in its terms and they derive from
it the principles of good conduct. In short, every believer adopts it as the
authorized recourse or reference on all his affairs. If, by contrast, it had
been like the Word of God which the Prophet Moses heard on Mount Sinai, no
one could have borne to hear it, let alone adopt it as a recourse. One of
the five greatest Messengers of God, namely the Prophet Moses, upon him be
peace, was able to hear only a few pieces of that Word and asked, “Is this
Your speech?” God answered, “I have the power of all tongues and languages.”
The person continued:
Many persons give voice in the name of religion to almost the same
subjects as those in the Qur’an. So, is it not possible for a human being to
produce the like of the Qur’an?
Answer
• First of all, a religious man voices the truth for the love of religion
and in the name of God’s commandments; he never lies against God. He would
never venture so far as to imitate God and speak on his own for fear of the
Qur’anic threat, Who is greater in wrongdoing than the one who lies against
God! (39:32)
• It is by no means possible for a man to succeed in doing such a thing
for a man can only imitate another one of nearly the same level. Only those
of the same species can take each other’s form; only those of nearly the
same level can pretend to each other’s level. However, it is very difficult,
even in this case, for them to deceive people for long as their pretensions
and false display will certainly give them away sooner or later in the sight
of perceptive people.
• Suppose the counterfeiter is greatly inferior in rank to the one he
tries to imitate. If, for example, an ordinary man were to pretend to the
knowledge of Avicenna or a shepherd were to make himself appear to be a
king, he would most certainly do nothing other than lay himself open to
ridicule.
• Is it at all possible that a firefly could make itself appear as a star
to observers for a thousand years? Can a fly make itself appear as a peacock
for a year? Also, is it at all conceivable that an ordinary private could
pretend to be a famous marshal and occupy his chair for a long time without
giving himself away?
• Likewise, is it possible for a slandering, lying man of unbelief to
sustain for a lifetime, before the discerning, a false display of the
loyalty, truthfulness and conviction of a most pious man?
If all these “ifs” are indeed inconceivable and if they are all
unacceptable to any intelligent man, then how can one suppose the Qur’an to
be the work of a human being? To do so would mean regarding that Manifest
Book, which has been like a star of truths or a sun of perfection radiating
the lights of truths in the sky of the Muslim world for centuries, as—God
forbid!—a collection of falsehoods invented by—God forbid!—a counterfeiter!
It would also mean that those who were in his company for twenty-three years
and followed him for fourteen centuries were not aware of his real identity
and, although he was—God forbid!—like a firefly, knew and believed him to be
a radiant, star-like source of truths! This is the most inconceivable of
suppositions and you, O Satan, cannot deceive any sensible man into such an
inconceivable supposition even if you were a hundred times more advanced in
your devilish craft! What you can manage, however, is to deceive people into
looking at the Qur’an and the Prophet from a very great distance and see
those star-like objects as fireflies.
• To suppose the Qur’an to be the work of a human being would also mean
that a most bright, true and comprehensive criterion of the human world,
miraculous of exposition and which brings well-being to that world, is—God
forbid!—the product of an unlettered individual. It would mean—God
forbid!—pretence and counterfeiting always appeared to even great intellects
and exalted geniuses as earnestness, sincerity and purity of intention! It
is surely the most inconceivable of allegations. Further, to accept it would
mean regarding as reality an inconceivable supposition. It would mean that a
most illustrious and virtuous being who, throughout his life, displayed and
preached conviction, truthfulness, trustworthiness, sincerity, earnestness
and uprightness in all his states, his words and his actions, and who
brought up many truthful persons was—God forbid!—a mean and most
discreditable rascal, wholly insincere and the foremost in unbelief. That is
so great a delirium that even Satan would be ashamed to conceive it.
• There is not a third alternative in this matter because, if the Qur’an
is supposed as the work of a human being, it must be something so far
debased as if it had fallen the distance from heaven to earth. It would
change from being a collection of truths into a source of superstitions. And
the rank of the one who brought that wonderful decree—the Qur’an—would
likewise be degraded from being a source of perfection to—God forbid!—the
greatest cheat; that must follow if he is—God forbid!—not a Messenger of
God. For the one who lies in the name of God is the meanest of people. It
follows that such a supposition is as inconceivable as always seeing a fly
as, and imagining it to have the qualities of, a peacock. Only an
intoxicated man, moreover insane from birth, could regard such suppositions
as possible.
• The Qur’an directs the Muslim community which includes, among its
members (and this has been witnessed for fourteen centuries past) the
greatest and most magnificent division of the children of Adam. The Qur’an
holds that community in such an order and under such a discipline as to
enable them to conquer both worlds—this one and the next. It has equipped
them both materially and spiritually, and instructed and educated them in
all rational, moral and spiritual matters according to the intellectual
capacity of each of their individuals. It has also purified them and
employed each member of their bodies and each of their senses and faculties
in its most proper place. As for the Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace and
blessings) who brought the Qur’an from God, he also brought to mankind the
laws of God exemplified by his attitudes and actions throughout his life. He
instructed mankind through his actions throughout his life and through his
sincere practice of the principles of truth. He showed and established
through his sincere and reasonable sayings the ways of true guidance and
well-being; and he is, as testified by his whole life and good conduct, the
most knowledgeable of God and the most fearful of His punishment. He also
established his splendid rule of perfection over half of the globe and
one-fifth of mankind. He truly became, through world-famous manners and
world-admired actions as a prophet, statesman, commander, spiritual and
intellectual guide, father, husband, friend, and so on, the pride not only
of mankind but also of the whole creation. Such being the case, to suppose
the Qur’an as the work of a human being would mean that it is—God
forbid!—the worthless fabrication of—God forbid!—a dishonest liar who did
not recognize God and felt no fear of Him! This is, again, the most
inconceivable of suppositions and therefore, O Satan, you cannot deceive
into such a supposition any sensible and sound-hearted man, even if you were
a hundred times more powerful in your devilish tricks!
Satan retorted:
How can I fail to deceive! I have actually deceived the majority of
mankind including the foremost in rational thought and led them to deny both
the Qur’an and Muhammad!
Answer
• When looked at from a great distance, the biggest thing can look as
small as a tiny particle; a star can be considered as a candle.
• When considered in a superficial way, vulnerable to distraction and
illusion, an inconceivable thing can appear conceivable.
Once, an old man was scanning the horizon in order to catch sight of the
new crescent of Ramadan. A white hair from his eyebrow which had curved over
his eyes came into his line of vision: deceived by that illusion, he
announced, “I have seen the moon!” However inconceivable it is that a white
hair could be regarded as the crescent, this inconceivability became actual
in the eyes of the old man who was deceived by an illusion while searching
for the crescent in the sky.
• Denial is different from non-confirmation. Non-confirmation is a kind
of indifference and lack of judgment. For this reason, many inconceivable
things may exist unintentionally in non-confirmation. As to denial, it is a
judgment and means the confirmation of non-existence. A man usually gets to
denial through reasoning. A devil like you, O Satan, deprives him of sound
judgment and deceives him into denial. So, O Satan, you have used such
devilish devices as heedlessness, deviation, sophistry, obstinacy, demagogy,
arrogant superiority and conceit, seduction and custom which cause many to
see falsehood as truth and the inconceivable as conceivable. Through them
you have deceived lots of unfortunate people (human in appearance but it is
questionable whether they are so in essence) into unbelief which, in fact,
requires the acceptance of many inconceivable things.
• The Qur’an, besides the merits of it mentioned above, is a book of pure
truths and matchless value. It has become a guide to the saints, scholars of
truth and purity who are like stars in the sky of the human world. It
continually invites the people of every age and race and those seeking
perfection, to truth and love of the truth, truthfulness and loyalty,
trustworthiness and reliability. Through the truths of the pillars of belief
and the principles of the fundamentals of Islam, the Qur’an secures
happiness in both worlds. As for the preacher of the Qur’an, the Prophet
Muhammad (upon him be peace and blessings) is a most trustworthy being, the
foremost and firmest in belief and conviction. This is testified by the
religion and law of Islam which he preached, and demonstrated by his
unanimously acknowledged piety and sincere worship manifested throughout his
whole life. It is required by his laudable virtues, and confirmed by all the
men of truth and perfection. That being the case, to suppose the Qur’an to
be the work of a human being would mean that the Qur’an is—God forbid!—a
collection of fallacies and lies, and the Prophet is—God forbid!—an
unreliable, unbelieving liar without fear of God. This supposition is the
most dangerous kind of unbelief and the most abominable of deviations and
wrongdoing, which even devils and sophists would be ashamed to conceive.
In short:
Those who have only the power of hearing to appreciate the miraculousness
of the Qur’an acknowledge the Qur’an not to be of the same kind and degree
as all the other books they have heard. The Qur’an is, therefore, either
inferior to them all or superior. No one in the world, even if he be a
devil, can claim that the Qur’an is inferior to the other books, so it
should necessarily be accepted that the Qur’an is superior to them all, and
that it is, thereby, a miracle. That being the case, based on the two
decisive proofs called “dichotomy” and “reductio ad absurdum” we openly
declare:
O Satan! and O you disciples of Satan! The Qur’an is either the Word of
God manifested through the Highest Throne of God and His Highest Name,
or—God forbid!—the fabrication of an unbeliever who does not recognize and
fear God. Even you, O Satan, cannot claim the truth of the second
alternative; you were not, and will not, be able to voice such an
allegation. If this is so, then the Qur’an is, of necessity and undoubtedly,
the Word of the Creator of the universe, since, as explained and proved
above, there is not a third alternative in this matter.
Likewise, Muhammad (upon him be peace and blessings) is either a
Messenger of God, and the most perfect of the Messengers and superior to all
other creatures, or he must be regarded as—God forbid!1—a man of unbelief.
He must then be regarded as of the lowest nature since he lied against God
without recognition of Him and of His punishment. This is, O Satan, an
allegation which has been, and will be, made by neither the philosophers of
Europe nor the hypocrites of Asia, in whom you place great trust. Since
there is no one in the world who will heed and accept such an allegation,
even the most corrupt of those philosophers and most unscrupulous of the
hypocrites are bound to admit that Muhammad was a very wise man and of
exemplary good conduct.
Finally, there are again only two alternatives in this matter. As in the
case of the Qur’an, the second is inconceivable and acceptable to no one.
Then Muhammad upon him be peace and blessings) is, self-evidently and of
necessity, the Messenger of God, and the most perfect of the Messengers, and
superior to all other creatures, even if you, O Satan, and your party are
averse.
Upon him be blessings and peace to the number of angels, human beings and
the jinn!
1. Since the Qur’an mentions such a supposition in order to refute the
unbelief and bad language of unbelievers, I felt justified in mentioning it,
though fearfully and with aversion, only as a most impossible supposition to
show how groundless and false are the assertions of the misguided. |
