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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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