The amazing Quran

[Farhana_faz]

assalamualaikum Wr Wb

As explained in the introductory email sent today, this article is a
very comprehensive introduction to the Qur’an & Science series. It may
appear long, but is definitely worth the time and the effort. Hence,
even if you do not undertake any other reading today, make sure you
either read all of this essay today, or save it and read it on your
earliest opportunity! Almost all those (Muslims & Non-Muslims) who have
read it have found it very interesting, and thus it is very highly
recommended, both for learning and to use in dawah to Islam.
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"The Amazing Qur'an"
[by: Gary Miller]
Extracted from: www.salafipublications.com/intranet

And they say, 'Why are not signs sent down to him from his Lord?' Say,
'Indeed, the signs are with Allah, and I am but a clear warner.' But is
sufficient for them that We have sent down to you the Book [i.e. Qur'an]
which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in that is mercy and a reminder to
people who believe".


Calling the Qur'an amazing is not something done only by Muslims, who
have an appreciation for the book and who are pleased with it; it has
been labelled amazing by non-Muslims as well. In fact, even people who
hate Islam very much have still called it amazing.

One thing which surprises non-Muslims who are examining the book very
closely is that the Qur'an does not appear to them to be what they
expected. What they assume is that they have an old book which came
fourteen centuries ago from the Arabian desert; and they expect that the
book should look something like that - an old book from the desert. And
then they find out that it does not resemble what they expected at all.
Additionally, one of the first things that some people assume is that
because it is an old book which comes from the desert, it should talk
about the desert. Well the Qur'an does talk about the desert - some of
its imagery describes the desert; but it also talks about the sea - what
it's like to be in a storm on the sea.

Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a man who was in
the merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim gave him a
translation of the Qur'an to read. The merchant marine knew nothing
about the history of Islam but was interested in reading the Qur'an.
When he finished reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked,
"This Muhammad, was he a sailor?" He was impressed at how accurately the
Qur'an describes a storm on a sea. When he was told, "No as a matter of
fact, Muhammad lived in the desert," that was enough for him. He
embraced Islam on the spot. He was so impressed with the Qur'an's
description because he had been in a storm on the sea, and he knew that
whoever had written that description had also been in a storm on the
sea. The description of "a wave, over it a wave, over it clouds" (Qur’an
24:40) was not what someone who is imagining what a storm on a sea is
like would have written; rather, this was written by someone who KNEW
what a storm on the sea was like. This is one example of how the Qur'an
is not tied to a certain place and time.

Certainly, the scientific ideas expressed in it also do not seem to
originate from the desert fourteen centuries ago.

Many centuries before the onset of Muhammad's Prophethood, there was a
well-known theory of atomism advanced by the Greek philosopher,
Democritus. He and the people who came after him assumed that matter
consists of tiny, indestructible, indivisible particles called atoms.
The Arabs too, used to deal in the same concept; in fact, the Arabic
word dharrah commonly referred to the smallest particle known to man.
Now, modern science has discovered that this smallest unit of matter
(i.e., the atom, which has all of the same
properties as its element) can be split into its component parts. This
is a new idea, a development of the 20th century; yet, interestingly
enough, this information had already been documented in the Qur'an which
states:

" He [i.e., Allah] is aware of an atom's weight in the heavens and on
the earth and even anything smaller than that..."

Undoubtedly, fourteen centuries ago that statement would have looked
unusual, even to an Arab. For him, the dharrah was the smallest thing
there was, so he would not have appreciated what could be smaller than a
dharrah (atom). Indeed, this is proof, that the Qur'an is not outdated.

Another example of what one might expect to find in an "old book" that
touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies or
cures. Various historical sources state that the Prophet gave some
advice
about health and hygiene, yet most of these pieces of advice are not
contained in the Qur'an. At first glance, to the non-Muslims this
appears to be a negligent omission. They cannot understand why Allah
would not
"include" such helpful information in the Qur'an. Some Muslims attempt
to explain this absence with the following argument: "Although the
Prophet's advice was sound and applicable to the time in which he lived,
Allah, in His infinite wisdom, knew that there would come later medical
and scientific advances which would make the Prophet's advice appear
outdated. When later discoveries occurred, people might say that such
information contradicted that which the Prophet had given. Thus, since
Allah would never allow any opportunity for the non-Muslims to claim
that the Qur'an contradicts itself or the teachings of the Prophet, He
only included in the Qur'an information and examples which could stand
the test of time." This is however, not the correct line of reasoning.

When one examines the true realities of the Qur'an in terms of its
existence as a divine revelation, the entire matter is quickly brought
into its proper perspective, and the error in such argumentation becomes
clear and
understandable. It must be understood that the Qur'an is a divine
revelation, and as such, all information in it is of divine origin.
Allah revealed the Qur'an from Himself. It is the words of Allah, which
existed before creation, and thus nothing can be added, subtracted or
altered. In essence, the Qur'an existed and was complete before the
creation of Prophet Muhammad, so it could not possibly contain any of
the Prophet's own words or advice. An inclusion of such information
would clearly contradict the purpose for which the Qur'an exists,
compromise its authority and render it inauthentic as a divine
revelation.

Consequently, there was no "home remedies" in the Qur'an which one could
claim to be outdated; nor does it contain any man's view about what is
beneficial to health, what food is best to eat, or what will cure this
or that disease. In fact, the Qur'an only mentions one item dealing with
medical treatment, and it is not in dispute by anyone. It states that in
honey there is healing. And certainly, I do not think that there is
anyone who will argue with that! (especially since there is now a
substantial body of scientific and academic research which does show the
numerous and varied benefits of honey).

If one assumes that the Qur'an is the product of a man's mind, then one
would expect it to reflect some of what was going on in the mind of the
man who "composed" it. In fact, certain encyclopedias and various books
claim
that the Qur'an was the product of hallucinations that Muhammad
underwent. If these claims are true - if it indeed originated from some
psychological problems in Prophet Muhammad's mind - then evidence of
this would be apparent in the Qur'an. Is there such evidence? In order
to determine whether or not there is, one must first identify what
things would have been going on in his mind at that time and then search
for these thoughts and
reflections in the Qur'an.


It is common knowledge that Muhammad had a very difficult life, as far
as worldly standards are concerned. All of his off-spring except one
daughter, i.e. 4 daughters and 2 sons died during his life. He had a
wife of several
years who was very dear and important to him, and who also preceded him
in death at a very critical period of his life. As a matter of fact,
she must have been quite a remarkable woman because when the first
revelation came to our Prophet, he ran home to her afraid and worried.
Certainly, even today one would have a hard time trying to find an Arab
who would tell you, "I was so afraid and worried that I ran home to my
wife." They just aren't that way. Yet Muhammad felt comfortable enough
with his wife to be able to do that. That's how influential and strong a
woman she was. Although these examples are only a few of the subjects
that would have been on Muhammad's mind, they are sufficient in
intensity to prove my point. The Qur'an does not mention any of these
things - not the death of his children, not the death of his beloved
companion and wife, not his fear of the initial
revelations, which he so beautifully shared with his wife - nothing;
yet, these topics must have hurt him, bothered him, and caused him pain
and grief during periods of his reflections, then these subjects, as
well as others, would be prevalent or at least mentioned throughout.

A truly scientific approach to the Qur'an is possible because the Qur'an
offers something that is not offered by other religious scriptures, in
particular, and other religions, in general. It is what scientists
demand. Today there are many people who have ideas and theories about
how the universe works. These people are all over the place, but the
scientific community does not even bother to listen to them. This is
because within the last century the scientific community has demanded a
test of falsification. They say, "If you have theory, do not bother us
with it unless you bring with that theory a way for us to prove whether
you are wrong or not."

Such a test was exactly why the scientific community listened to
Einstein towards the beginning of the century. He came with a new theory
and said, "I believe the universe works like this; and here are three
ways to prove whether I am wrong!". So the scientific community
subjected his theory to the tests, and within six years it passed all
three. Of course, this does not prove that he was correct, or that he
was great, but it does prove that he deserved to be listened to because
he said, "This is my idea; and if you want to try to prove me wrong, do
this or try that." This is exactly what the Qur'an has - falsification
tests. Some are old (in that they have
already been proven true), and some still exist today. Basically it
states, "If this book is not what it claims to be, then all you have to
do is this or this or this to prove that it is false." Of course, in
1400 years no one has been able to do "This or this or this, " and thus
it is still considered true and authentic. I suggest to you that the
next time you get into dispute with someone about Islam and he claims
that he has the truth and that you are in darkness, you leave all other
arguments at first and make this suggestion. Ask him, "Is there any
falsification test in your religion? Is there anything in your religion
that would prove you are wrong if I could
prove to you that it exists - anything?" Well, I can promise right now
that people will not have anything - no test, no proof, nothing! This is
because they do not carry around the idea that they should not only
present what they believe but should also offer others a chance to prove
they're wrong. However, Islam does that. A perfect example of how Islam
provides man with a chance to verify it authenticity and "prove it
wrong" occurs in the 4th chapter. And quiet honestly, I was surprised
when I first discovered this challenge. It states:

"Do they not consider the Qur'an? Had it been from any other than Allah,
they would surely have found therein much discrepancy."

This is a clear challenge to the non-Muslim. Basically, it invites him
to find a mistake. As a matter of fact, the seriousness and difficulty
of the challenge aside, the actual presentation of such a challenge in
the first place is not even in human nature and is inconsistent with
man's personality. One doesn't take an exam in school after finishing
the exam, write a note to the instructor at the end saying, "This exam
is perfect. There are no mistakes in it. Find one if you can!". One just
doesn't do that. The teacher would not sleep until he found a mistake!
And yet this is the way the Qur'an approaches people. Another
interesting attitude that
exists in the Qur'an repeatedly deals with its advice to the reader. The
Qur'an informs that reader about different facts and then gives the
advice: "If you want to know more about this or that, or if you doubt
what is said, then you should ask those who have knowledge." This too is
a surprising attitude. It is not usual to have a book that comes from
someone without training in geography, botany, biology, etc., who
discusses these subjects and then advises the reader to ask men of
knowledge if he doubts anything.

Yet in every age there have been Muslims who have followed the advice of
the Qur'an and made surprising discoveries. If one looks to the works of
Muslim scientists if many centuries ago, one will find them full of
quotations from the Qur'an. These works state that they did research in
such a place, looking for something. And they affirm that the reason
they looked in such and such a place was that the Qur'an pointed them in
that direction. For example, the Qur'an mentions man's origin and then
tells the reader, "Research it!" It gives the reader a hint where to
look and then states that one should find out more about it. This is the
kind of thing that Muslims today largely seem to overlook - but not
always, as illustrated in the following example. A few years ago, a
group of men in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia collected all if the verses in the
Qur'an which discuss embryology - the growth of the human being in the
womb. They said, "Here is what the Qur'an says. Is it the truth?" In
essence, they took the advice of the Qur'an: "Ask the men who know."
They chose, as it happened, a non-Muslim who is a professor of
embryology at the University of Toronto. His name is Keith Moore, and he
is the author of textbooks on embryology - a world expert on the
subject. They invited him to Riyadh and said, "This is what the Qur'an
says about your subject. Is it true? What can you tell us?" While he was
in Riyadh, they gave him all of the help that he needed in translation
and all of the co-operation for which he asked. And he was so surprised
at what he found that he changed his textbooks. In fact, in the second
edition of one of his books, (the book is titled "Before we are
born...") in the second edition about the history of embryology, he
included some material that was not in the first edition because of what
he found in the Qur'an. Truly this illustrates that the Qur'an was ahead
of its time and that those who believe in the Qur'an know what other
people do not know.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Keith Moore for a television
presentation, and we talked a great deal about this - it was illustrated
by slides and so on. He mentioned that some of the things that the
Qur'an states about the growth of the human being were not known until
thirty years ago. In fact, he said that one item in particular - the
Qur'an's description of the human being as a "leech-like clot" ('alaqah)
at one stage - was new to him; but when he checked on it, he found that
it was true, and so he added it to his book. He said, "I never thought
of that before," and he went to the zoology department and asked for a
picture of a leech. When he found
that it looked just like the human embryo, he decided to include both
pictures in one of his textbooks. Dr. Moore also wrote a book on
clinical embryology, and when he presented this information in Toronto,
it caused quite a stir throughout Canada. It was on the front pages of
some of the newspapers across Canada, and some of the headlines were
quite funny. For instance, one headline read: "SURPRISING THING FOUND IN
ANCIENT BOOK!"! It seems obvious from this example that people do not
clearly understand what it is all about. As a matter of fact, one
newspaper reporter asked Professor Moore, "Don't you think That maybe
the Arabs might have known about these things - the description of the
embryo, its appearance and how it changes and grows? Maybe there were
not scientists, but maybe they did something crude dissections on their
own - carved up people and examined these things."

The professor immediately pointed out to him that he [i.e., the
reporter] had missed a very important point - all of the slides of the
embryo that had been shown and had been projected in the film had come
from pictures taken through a microscope. He said, "It does not matter
if someone had tried to discover embryology fourteen centuries ago, they
could not have seen it!". All of the descriptions in the Qur'an of the
appearance of the embryo are of the item when it is still too small to
see with the eye; therefore, one needs a microscope to see it. Since
such a device had only been around for little more than two hundred
years, Dr. Moore taunted, "Maybe fourteen centuries ago someone secretly
had a microscope and did this research, making no mistakes anywhere.
Then he somehow taught Muhammad and convinced him to put this
information in his book. Then he destroyed his equipment and kept it a
secret forever. Do you believe that? You really should not unless you
bring some proof because it is such a ridiculous theory." In fact, when
he was asked "How do you explain this information in the Qur'an?" Dr.
Moore's reply was, "It could only have been divinely revealed."

Although the aforementioned example of man researching information
contained in the Qur'an deals with a non-Muslim, it is still valid
because he is one of those who is knowledgeable in the subject being
researched. Had some layman claimed that what the Qur'an says about
embryology is true, then one would not necessarily have to accept his
word. However, because of the high position, respect, and esteem man
gives scholars, one naturally assumes that if they research a subject
and arrive at a conclusion based on that research, then the conclusion
is valid. One of Professor Moore's colleagues, Marshall Johnson, deals
extensively with geology at the University of Toronto.

He became very interested in the fact that the Qur'an's statements about
embryology are accurate, and so he asked Muslims to collect everything
contained in the Qur'an which deals with his speciality. Again people
were very surprised at the findings. Since there are a vast number
subjects discussed in the Qur'an, it would certainly require a large
amount of time to exhaust each subject. It suffices for the purpose of
this discussion to state that the Qur'an makes very clear and concise
statements about various subjects while simultaneously advising the
reader to verify the authenticity of these statements with research by
scholars in those subjects. Undoubtedly, there is an attitude in the
Qur'an which is not found anywhere else. It is interesting how when the
Qur'an provides information, it often tells the reader, "You did not
know this before." Indeed, there is no scripture that exists which
makes that claim. All of the other ancient writings and scriptures that
people have, do give a lot of information, but they always state where
the information came from.

For example, when the Bible discusses ancient history, it states that
this king lived here, this one fought in a certain battle, another one
had so may sons, etc. Yet it always stipulates that if you want more
information, then you should read the book of so and so because that is
where the information came from. In contrast to this concept, the Qur'an
provides the reader with information and states that this information is
something new. Of course, there always exists the advice to research
the information provided and verify its authenticity. It is interesting
that such a concept was never challenged by non-Muslims fourteen
centuries ago. Indeed, the Makkans who hated the Muslims, and time and
time again they heard such revelations claiming to bring new
information; yet, they never spoke up and said, "This is not new. We
know where Muhammad got this information. We learned this at school."

They could never challenge its authenticity because it really was new!
In concurrence with the advice given in the Qur'an to research
information (even if it is new), when 'Umar was Caliph of the Muslims in
the 7th centiry CE, he chose a group of men and sent them to find the
wall of Dhul-Qarnayn. Before the Qur'anic revelation, the Arabs had
never heard of such a wall, but because the Qur'an described it, they
were able to discover it. As a matter of fact, it is now located in what
is called Durbend in Central Asia. It must be stressed here that the
Qur'an is accurate about many, many things, but accuracy does not
necessarily mean that a book is a divine
revelation. In fact, accuracy is only one of the criteria for divine
revelations.


For instance, the telephone book is accurate, but that does not mean
that it is revealed from God. The real problem lies in that one must
establish some proof of the source the Qur'an's information. The
emphasis is on the reader.

One cannot simply deny the Qur'an's authenticity without sufficient
proof. If, indeed, one finds a mistake, then he has the right to
disqualify it. This is exactly what the Qur'an encourages. Once a man
came up to me after a lecture I delivered in South Africa. He was very
angry about what I had said, and so he claimed, "I am going to go home
tonight and find a mistake in the Qur'an." Of course, I said,
"Congratulations. That is the most intelligent thing that you have
said." Certainly, this is the approach Muslims need to take with those
who doubt the Qur'an's authenticity, because the Qur'an itself offers
the same challenge. And inevitably, after accepting its challenge and
discovering that it is true, these people will come to believe it
because they could not disqualify it. In essence, the Qur'an earns their
respect because they themselves have had to verify its authenticity.


However it must be noted that just because one cannot explain something
does not mean that one has to accept someone else's explanation. But if
you refuse other peoples’ explanations then the burden of proof falls
back on you, and now you have to find a feasible explanation. This
general theory applies to numerous concepts in life, but fits most
wonderfully with the Qur'anic challenge, for it creates a difficulty for
one who says, "I do not believe it", since he now has to find a feasible
source for this book! In fact, in one particular Qur'anic verse which
I have always seen mistranslated into English, Allah mentions a man who
heard the truth
explained to him. It states that he was derelict in his duty because
after he heard the information, he left without checking the verity of
what he had heard. In other words, one is guilty if he hears something
and does not research it and check to see whether it is true. One is
supposed to process all information and decide what is garbage to be
thrown out and what is worthwhile information to be kept and benefited
from at a later date. One cannot just let it rattle around in his head.
It must be put in the proper categories and approached from that point
of view. For example, if the information is still speculatory, then one
must discern whether it's closer
to being true or false. But if all of the facts have been presented,
then one must decide absolutely between these two options. And even if
one is not positive about the authenticity of the information, he is
still required to process all of the information and make the admission
that he just does not know for sure. Although this last point appears to
be futile, in actuality, it is beneficial to the arrival at a positive
conclusion at a later time in that it forces the person to at least
recognize, research and review the facts. This familiarity with the
information will give the person "the edge" when future discoveries are
made and additional information is presented.
The important thing is that one deals with the facts and does not simply
discard them out of empathy and disinterest.

The real certainty about the truthfulness of the Qur'an is evident in
the confidence which is prevalent throughout it; and this confidence
comes from a different approach - "Exhausting the Alternatives." In
essence, the Qur'an states, "This book is from God; if you do not
believe that, then what is it?" In other words, the reader is challenged
to come up with some other explanation. Here is a book made of paper and
ink. Where did it come from? It says it is a divine revelation; if it is
not, then what is its source? The interesting fact is that no one has
with an explanation that works. In fact, all alternatives have bee
exhausted.


As has been well established by non-Muslims, these alternatives
basically are reduced to two mutually exclusive schools of thought,
insisting on one or the other. On one hand, there exists a large group
of people who have researched the Qur'an for hundreds of years and who
claim, "One thing we know for sure - that man, Muhammad, thought he was
a prophet. He was crazy!" They are convinced that Muhammad (SAW) was
fooled somehow. Then on the other hand, there is another group which
alleges, "Because of this evidence, one thing we know for sure is that
that man, Muhammad, was a liar!" Ironically, these two groups never seem
to get together without contradicting. In fact, many references on Islam
usually claim both theories. They start out by saying that Muhammad
(SAW) was crazy and then end by saying that he was a liar. They never
seem to realize that he could not have been both!

For example, if one is mad and deluded and really thinks that he is a
prophet, then he does not sit up late at night planning, "How will I
fool the people tomorrow and deceive them, so that they think I am a
prophet?" He truly believes that he is a prophet, and he trusts that
the answer will be given to him by revelation. As a matter of fact, a
great deal of the Qur'an came in answer to questions. Someone would ask
Muhammad (SAW) a question, and the revelation would come with the answer
to it. Certainly, if one is crazy and believes that an angel put words
in his ear, then when
someone asks him a question, he thinks that the angel will give him the
answer. Because he is crazy, he really thinks that. He does not tell
someone to wait a short while and then run to his friends and ask them,
"Does anyone know the answer?" This type of behaviour is characteristic
of one who does not believe that he is a prophet. What the non-Muslims
refuse to accept is that you cannot have it both ways. One can be
deluded, or he can be a liar. He can be either one or neither, but he
certainly cannot be both! The emphasis is on the fact that they are
unquestionably mutually exclusive personal traits.


The following scenario is a good example of the kind of circle that
non-Muslims go around in constantly. If you ask one of them, "What is
the origin of the Qur'an?" He tells you that it originated from the mind
of a man who was crazy. Then you ask him, "If it came from his head,
then where did he get the information contained in it? Certainly the
Qur'an mentions many things with which the Arabs were not familiar." So
in order to explain the fact which you bring him, he changes his
position and says, "Well, maybe he was not crazy. Maybe some foreigner
brought him the information. So he lied and told people that he was a
prophet." At this point then you have to ask him, "If Muhammad was a
liar, then where did he get his confidence? Why did he behave as though
he really thought he was a prophet?" Finally backed
into a corner, like a cat he quickly lashes out with the first response
that comes to his mind. Forgetting that he has already exhausted that
possibility, he claims, "Well, maybe he wasn't a liar. He was probably
crazy and really thought that he was a prophet." And thus he begins the
futile circle again, going round and round and not getting the correct
explanation, which is that the Qur’an is from God and is God’s speech.

As has already been mentioned, there is much information contained in
the Qur'an whose source cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allah.
For example, who told Muhammad about the wall of Dhul-Qarnayn - a place
hundreds of miles to the north? Who told him about embryology? When
people assemble facts such as these, if they are not willing to
attribute their existence to a divine source, they automatically resort
to the assumption someone brought Muhammad the information and that he
used it to fool the people. However, this theory can easily be disproved
with one simple question: "If Muhammad was a liar, where did he get his
confidence? Why did he tell some people out right to their face what
others could never say?" Such confidence depends completely upon being
convinced that one has a true divine revelation. For example, the
Prophet (SAW) had an uncle by the name of Abu Lahab. This man hated
Islam to such an extent that he used to follow the Prophet around in
order to discredit him. If Abu Lahab saw the Prophet (SAW) speaking to a
stranger, he would wait until they parted and then would go to the
stranger and ask him, "What did he tell you? Did he say, 'Black.'? Well,
it's white. Did he say, 'Morning.'? Well, it's night." Abu Lahab hated
Islam so much that he faithfully said the exact opposite of whatever he
heard Muhammad (SAW) and the Muslims say. However, about ten years
before Abu Lahab died, a little chapter in the Qur'an was revealed about
him. It distinctly stated that he would go to the Fire (i.e., Hell).
In other words, it affirmed that he (i.e. Abu Lahab) would never become
a Muslim and would therefore be condemned forever. For ten years all Abu
Lahab had to do was say, "I heard that it has been revealed to Muhammad
that I will never change - that I will never become a Muslim and will
enter the Hellfire. Well I want to become a Muslim now. How do you like
that? What do you think of your divine revelation now? I have proved I
wrong!" But he never did that. And yet, that is exactly the kind of
behaviour one would have expected from him since he always sought to
contradict Islam, and go against the Qur’an! In essence, Muhammad (SAW)
said, "You hate me and you want to finish me? Here, say these words, and
my message is finished. Come on, say them!" But Abu Lahab never said
them. Ten years! And in all that time he never accepted Islam or even
became sympathetic to the Islamic cause. How could Muhammad possibly
have known for sure that Abu Lahab would fulfil the Qur'anic revelation
if he (i.e., Muhammad) was not truly the messenger of Allah? How could
he possibly have been so confident as to give someone 10 years to
discredit his claim of Prophethood? The only answer is that he was
Allah's messenger; for in order to put forth suck a risky challenge, one
has to be entirely convinced that he has a divine revelation.


Another example of the confidence which Muhammad (SAW) had in his own
Prophethood and consequently in the divine protection of himself and his
message is when he left Makkah and hid in a cave with Abu Bakr during
their emigration to Madeenah. The two clearly saw people coming to kill
them, and Abu Bakr was afraid. Certainly, if Muhammad (SAW) was a liar,
a forger and one who was trying to fool the people into believing that
he was a prophet, one would have expected him to say in such a
circumstance to his friend, "Hey, Abu Bakr, see if you can find a back
way out of this cave." Or "Squat down in that corner over there and keep
quiet." Yet, in fact, what he said to Abu Bakr clearly illustrated his
confidence. He told him, "Don’t worry! Indeed Allah is with us, and
Allah will save us!"

Now, if one knows that he is fooling the people, where does one get this
kind of attitude? In fact, such a frame of mind is not characteristic of
a liar or a forger at all. So, as has been previously mentioned, the
non-Muslims go around and around in a circle, searching for a way out -
some way to explain the findings in the Qur'an without attributing them
to their proper source. On one hand, they tell you on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday, "The man was a liar," and on the other hand, on Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday they tell you, "He was crazy." What they refuse to
accept is that
one cannot have it both ways; but they insist on both because they need
both excuses to explain the information in the Qur'an.


About seven years ago, I had a Christian priest (minister) over to my
home. In the particular room which we were sitting there was a Qur'an on
the table, face down, and so the minister was not aware of which book it
was. In the midst of a discussion, I pointed to the Qur'an and said, "I
have confidence in that book." Looking at the Qur'an but not knowing
which book it was , he replied, "Well, I tell you, if that book is not
the Bible, it was written by a man!" In response to his statement, I
said, "Let me tell you something about what is in that book." And in
just three to four minutes I related to him a few things contained in
the Qur'an. After just those three or four minutes, he completely
changed his position and declared, "You are right. A man did not write
that book. The Devil wrote it!" This was his attitude! Indeed,
possessing such an attitude is very unfortunate, and totally stupid -
for many reasons. For one thing, it is a very quick and cheap excuse. It
is an instant exit out of an uncomfortable situation. As a matter of
fact, there is a famous story in the Bible that mentions how one day
some of the Jews were witnesses when Jesus raised a man from the dead.
The man had been dead for four days, and when Jesus arrived, he simply
said, "Get up!" and the man arose and walked away. At such a sight, some
of the Jews who were watching said disbelievingly, "This is the Devil.
The Devil helped him!" Now this story is rehearsed often in churches all
over the world, and people cry big tears over it, saying, "Oh, if I had
been there, I would not have been as stupid as the Jews!" Yet
ironically, these people do exactly what the Jews did when in just three
minutes you show them only a small part of the Qur'an and all they can
say is, "Oh, the Devil did it. The devil wrote that book!" Because they
are truly backed into a corner and have no other viable answer, they
resort to the quickest and cheapest excuse available. Another example
of people's use of this weak stance can be found in the Makkans'
explanation of the source of Muhammad's message. They used to say, "The
devils bring Muhammad that Qur'an!" But just as with every other
suggestion made, the Qur'an gives the answer. One verse in particular
states:

"And they say, 'Surely he is possessed [by jinn], 'but it [i.e., the
Qur'an] is not except a reminder to the worlds."

Thus it gives an argument in reply to such a theory. In fact, there are
many arguments in the Qur'an in reply to the suggestion that devils
brought Muhammad (SAW) his message. For example, in the 26th chapter
Allah clearly
affirms:

"No evil ones have brought it [i.e., this revelation] down. It would
neither be fitting for them, nor would they be able. Indeed they have
been removed far from hearing."

And in another place in the Qur'an, Allah instructs us:

"So when you recite the Qur'an seek refuge in Allah from Shaytaan, the
rejected."

Now is this how Satan writes a book? He tells one, "Before you read my
book, ask God to save you from me"? This is very, very tricky.
Indeed, a man could write something like this, but would Satan do this?
Many people clearly illustrate that they cannot come to one conclusion
on this subject. On one hand, they claim that Satan would not do such a
thing and that even if he could, God would not allow him to; yet, on the
other hand, they also believe that Satan is only that much less than
God. In essence they allege that the Devil can probably do whatever God
can do. And as a result, when they look at the Qur'an, even as surprised
as they are as to how amazing it is, they still insist, "The Devil did
this!" Thanks be to Allah, Muslims do not have that attitude. Although
Satan may have some abilities, they are totally inconsequential and
irrelevant compared to the attributes, abilities and powers of Allah,
the Creator of the whole universe. And no Muslim is a Muslim unless he
believes that. It is common knowledge even among non-Muslims that the
Devil can easily make mistakes, and it would be expected that he would
contradict himself if and when he wrote a book. For indeed, the Qur'an
states:

"Do they not consider the Qur'an? Had it been from any other than Allah,
they would surely have found therein much discrepancy".

Along with all these futile excuses given by non-Muslims towards the
origin of the Qur’an, there is another attack too, which seems to be a
combination of the theories that Muhammad (SAW) was crazy and a liar.
Basically, these people propose that Muhammad was insane, and as a
result of his delusion, he lied to and misled people. There is a name
for this in psychology. It is referred to as mythomania. It means
simply that one tells lies and then believes them. This is what the
non-Muslims say Muhammad (SAW) suffered from. But the only problem with
this proposal is that one suffering from mythomania absolutely cannot
deal with facts, and yet the whole Qur'an is based entirely upon facts.
Everything contained in it can be researched and established as true.
Since facts are such a problem for a mythomaniac, when a psychologist
tries to treat one suffering from that condition, he continually
confronts him with facts. For example, if one is mentally ill and
claims, "I am the king of England," a psychologist does not say to him
"No you aren't. You are crazy!" He just does not do that. Rather, he
confronts him with facts and says, "O.K., you say you are the king of
England. So tell me where the queen is today. And where is your prime
minister? And where are your guards? And where is the Palace and the
Crown Jewels?" Now, when the man has trouble trying to deal with these
questions, he tries to make excuses, saying, "Uh... the queen... she has
gone to her mother's. Uh... the prime minister... well he died". And
eventually he is cured because he cannot deal with the facts. If the
psychologist continues confronting him with enough facts, finally he
faces the reality and says, "Oh well, I guess I am not the king of
England after all". The Qur'an approaches everyone who reads it in
very much the same way a psychologist
treats his mythomania patient. There is a verse in the Qur'an which
states:

"Oh mankind, there has come to you an admonition [i.e., the Qur'an] from
your Lord and a healing for what is in the hearts - and guidance and
mercy for the believers."

At first glance, this statement appears vague, but the meaning of this
verse is clear when one views it in light of the aforementioned example.
Basically, one is healed of his delusions by reading the Qur'an. In
essence, it is therapy. It literally cures deluded people by
confronting them with facts. A prevalent attitude throughout the Qur'an
is one which says, "Oh mankind, you say such and such about this; but
what about such and such? How can you say this when you know that?" And
so forth. It forces one to consider what is relevant and what matters
while simultaneously healing one
of the delusions that the facts presented to mankind by Allah can easily
be explained away with flimsy theories and excuses. It is this very sort
of thing - confronting people with facts - that had captured the
attention of many non-Muslims. In fact, there exists a very interesting
reference concerning this subject in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.


In an article under the subject of the Qur'an, the Catholic Church
states, "Over the centuries, many theories have been offered as to the
origin of the Qur'an... Today no sensible man accepts any of these
theories!!" Now here is the ancient Catholic Church, which has been
around for so many centuries, denying these futile attempts to explain
away the Qur'an. Indeed, the Qur'an is a problem for the Catholic
Church. It states that it is revelation, so they study it. Certainly,
they would love to find proof that it is not from God, but they cannot.
They cannot find a viable explanation. But at least they are honest in
their research and do not accept the first unsubstantiated
interpretation which comes along. The
Church states that in fourteen centuries it has not yet been presented
with one sensible explanation. At least it admits that the Qur'an is not
an easy subject to dismiss.

Certainly, other people are much less honest. They quickly say, "Oh, the
Qur'an came from here. The Qur'an came from there." And they do not even
examine the credibility of what they are stating most of the time. Of
course, such a statement by the Catholic Church leaves the everyday
Christian in some difficulty. It just may be that he has his own ideas
as to the origin of the Qur'an, but as a single member of the Church, he
cannot really act upon his own theory. Such an action would be contrary
to the obedience, allegiance and loyalty which the Church demands. By
virtue of his membership, he must accept what the Catholic Church
declares without question and establish its teachings as part of his
everyday routine. So, in essence, if the Catholic Church as a whole is
saying, "Do not listen to these unconfirmed reports about the Qur'an,"
then what can be said about the Islamic point of view? Even non-Muslims
are admitting that there is something to the Qur'an - something that has
to be acknowledged - then why are people so stubborn and defensive and
hostile when Muslims advance the very same theory? This is certainly
something for those with mind a to
contemplate - something to ponder for those of understanding!


The issue is clear: if the book is not a revelation, then it is a
deception; and if it is a deception, one must ask, "What is its origin"
And where does it deceive us?" Indeed, the true answers to these
questions shed light on the Qur'an's authenticity and silence the bitter
unsubstantiated claims of the unbelievers. Certainly, if people are
going to insist that the Qur'an is a deception, then they must bring
forth evidence to support such a claim. The burden of proof is on them,
not us! One is never supposed to advance a theory without sufficient
corroborating facts; so I say to them, "Show me one deception! Show me
where the Qur'an deceives me! Show me, otherwise, don't say that it is a
deception!" An interesting characteristic of the Qur'an is how it deals
with surprising phenomena which relate not only to the past but to
modern times as well. In essence, the Qur'an is not an old problem. It
is still a problem even today - a problem to the non-Muslims that is.
For everyday, every week, every year, brings more and more evidence that
the Qur'an is a force to be contended with - that its authenticity is no
longer to be challenged! For example, one verse in the Qur'an reads;

"Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined
together, then We clove them asunder, and made from water every living
thing? Will they not then believe?"

Ironically, this very information is exactly what they awarded the 1973
Noble Prize for - to a couple of unbelievers. The Qur'an reveals the
origin of the universe - how it began from one piece - and mankind
continues to verify this revelation, even up to now. Additionally, the
fact that all life originated from water would not have been an easy
thing to convince people of fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, if 1400
years ago you had stood in the desert and told someone, "All of this,
you see (pointing to yourself), is made up of mostly water," they would
have laughed at you, and no one would have believed you. Proof of that
was not available until the invention of the microscope. They had to
wait to find out that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the cell, is
made-up of 80% water. Nonetheless, the evidence did come, and once again
the Qur'an stood the test of time. In reference to the falsification
tests mentioned earlier, it is interesting to note that they, too,
relate to both the past and the present. Some of them were used as
illustrations of Allah's omnipotence and knowledge, while others
continue to stand as challenges to the present day. An example of the
former is the
statement made in the Qur'an about Abu Lahab. It clearly illustrates
that Allah, the Knower of the Unseen, knew that Abu Lahab would never
change his ways and accept Islam. Thus Allah dictated that he would be
condemned to the Hellfire forever. Such a chapter was both an
illustration of Allah's divine wisdom and a warning to those who were
like Abu Lahab.


An interesting example of the latter type of falsification tests
contained in the Qur'an is the verse which mentions the relationship
between the Muslims and the Jews. The verse is careful not to narrow its
scope to the relationship between individual members of each religion,
but rather, it summarizes the relationship between the two groups of
people as a whole. In essence, the Qur'an states that the Christians
will always treat the Muslims better than the Jews will treat the
Muslims, on the whole. Indeed, the full impact of such a statement can
only be felt after careful consideration of the real meaning of such a
verse. It is true that many Christians and many Jews have become
Muslims, but as a whole, the Jewish community is to be viewed as an avid
enemy of Islam. Additionally, very few people realize what such an open
declaration in the Qur'an invites. In essence, it is an easy chance for
the Jews to prove that the Qur'an is false - that it is not a divine
revelation. All they have to do is organize themselves, treat the
Muslims nicely for a few years and then say, "Now what does your holy
book say about who are your best friends in the world - the Jews or the
Christians? Look what we Jews have done for you! So now, your precious
book has been proven wrong!" That is all they have to do to disprove
the Qur'an's authenticity, yet they have not done it in 1400 years.
But, as always, the offer still stands open!


All of the examples given about the various angles from which one can
approach the Qur'an have undoubtedly been subjective in nature; however
there does exist another angle, among others, which is objective and
whose basis is mathematical. It is surprising how authentic the Qur'an
becomes when one assembles what might be referred to as a list of good
guesses. Mathematically, it can be explained using guessing and
prediction examples.
For instance, if a person has two choices (i.e., one is right, and one
is wrong), and he closes his eyes and makes a choice, then half of the
time (i.e., one time out of two) he will be right. Basically, he has a
one in two chance, for he could pick the wrong choice, or he could pick
the right choice. Now if the same person has two situations like that
(i.e., he could be right or wrong about situation number one, and he
could be right or wrong about situation number two), and he closes his
eyes and guesses, then he will only be right one fourth of the time
(i.e., one time out of four). He now has a one in four chance because
now there are three ways for him to be wrong and only one way for him to
be right. In simple terms, he could make the wrong choice in situation
number one and then make the wrong choice in situation number two; OR he
could make the wrong choice in situation number one and then make the
right choice in situation number two; OR he could make the right choice
in situation number one and then make the wrong choice in
situation number two; OR he could make the right choice in situation
number one and then make the right choice in situation number two. Of
course, the ONLY instance in which he could be totally right is the last
scenario where he could guess correctly in both situations. The odds of
his guessing completely correctly have become greater because the number
of situations for him to guess in have increased; and the mathematical
equation representing such a scenario is 1/2 x 1/2 (i.e., one out of two
for the first situation multiplied by one out of two for the second
situation).


Continuing on with the example, if the same person now has three
situations in which to make blind guesses, then he will only be right
one eighth of the time (i.e., one time out of eight or 1/2 X 1/2 X 1/2).
Again, the odds of choosing the correct choice in all three situations
have decreased his chances of being completely correct to only one time
in eight. It must be understood that as the number of situations
increase, the chances of being right decrease, for the two phenomena are
inversely proportional.

Now applying this example to the situations in the Qur'an, if one draws
up a list of all of the subjects about which the Qur'an has made correct
statements, it becomes very clear that it is highly unlikely that they
were all just correct blind guesses. Indeed, the subjects discussed in
the Qur'an are numerous, and thus the odds of someone just making lucky
guesses about all of them all the time become practically nil. If there
are a million ways for the Qur'an to be wrong, yet each time it is
right, then it is unlikely that someone was guessing. The following
three examples of subjects about which the Qur'an has made correct
statements collectively illustrate how the Qur'an continues to beat the
odds.

In the 16th chapter the Qur'an mentions that the female bee leaves its
home to gather food. Now, a person might guess on that, saying, "The
bee that you see flying around - it could be male, or it could be
female. I think I will guess female." Certainly, he has a one in two
chance of being right. So it happens that the Qur'an is right. But it
also happens that was not what most people believed at the time when the
Qur'an was revealed. Can you tell the difference between a male and a
female bee? Well, it takes a specialist to do that, but it has been
discovered that the male bee never leaves his home to gather food.
However, in Shakespeare's play, Henry the Fourth, some of the characters
discuss bees and mention that the bees are soldiers and have a king.
That is what people thought in Shakespeare's time - that the bees that
one sees flying around are male bees and that they go home and answer to
a king. And Shakespeare appeared almost 900 years AFTER the Qur’an was
revealed! However, that is not true at all. The fact is that the bees
flying about are females, and they answer to a Queen. Yet it took modern
scientific investigations in the last 300 years to discover that this is
the case.

So, back to the list of good guesses, concerning the topic of bees, the
Qur'an had a 50/50 chance of being right, and the odds were one in two,
and the Qur’an got it right 1,400 years ago, when people like
Shakespeare got it wrong many many centuries later.

In addition to the subject of bees, the Qur'an also discusses the sun
and the manner in which it travels through space. Again, a person can
guess on that subject. When the sun moves through space, there are two
options: it can travel just as a stone would travel if one threw it, or
it can move of its own accord. The Qur'an states the latter - that it
moves as a result of its own motion. To do such, the Qur'an uses a
form of the word "sabaha" to describe the sun's movement through space.
In order to properly provide the reader with a comprehensive
understanding of the implications of this Arabic verb, the following
example is given. If a man is in water and the verb "sabaha" is applied
in reference to his movement, it can be understood that he is swimming,
moving of his own accord and not as a result of a direct force applied
to him. Thus when this verb is used in reference to the sun's movement
through space, it in no way implies that the sun is flying
uncontrollably through space as a result of being hurled or the like. It
simply means that the sun is turning and rotating as it travels. Now,
this is what the Qur'an affirms, but was it an easy thing to discover?
Can any
common man tell that the sun is turning? Only in modern times was the
equipment made available to project the image of the sun onto a
reflector top so that one could look at it without being blinded. And
through this process it was discovered that not only are there three
spots on the sun but that these spots move once every 25 days. This
movement is referred to as the rotation of the sun around its axis and
conclusively proves that, as the Qur'an stated 1400 years ago, the sun
does, indeed turn as it travels through space.

And returning once again to the subject of good guess, the odds of
guessing correctly about both subjects - the sex of bees and the
movement of the sun - are one in four!


Seeing as back fourteen centuries ago people probably did not understand
much about time zones, the Quran's statements about this subject are
considerably surprising. The concept that one family is having breakfast
as the sun comes up while another family is enjoying the brisk night air
is truly something to be marvelled at, even in modern time. Indeed,
fourteen centuries ago, a man could not travel more than thirty miles in
one day, and thus it took him literally months to travel from India to
Morocco, for example. And probably , when he was having supper in
Morocco, he thought to himself, "Back home in India they are having
supper right now." This is because he did not realize that, in the
process of travelling, he moved across a time zone.

Yet, because it is the words of Allah, the All-Knowing, the Qur'an
recognizes and acknowledges such a phenomenon. In an interesting verse
it states that when history comes to an end and the Day of Judgment
arrives, it will all occurring an instant; and this very instant will
catch some people in the daytime and some people at night. This clearly
illustrates Allah's divine wisdom and His previous knowledge of the
existence of time zones, even though such a discovery was non-existent
back fourteen centuries ago. Certainly, this phenomenon is not something
which is obvious to one's eyes or a result of one's experience, and this
fact, in itself, suffices as proof of the Qur'ans authenticity.

Returning one final time to the subject of good guesses for the purpose
of the present example, the odds that someone guessed correctly about
all three of the aforementioned subjects - the sex of bees, the movement
of the sun and the existence of time zones - are one in eight!

Certainly, one could continue on and on with this example, drawing up
longer and longer list of good guesses; and of course, the odds would
become higher and higher with each increase of subjects about which one
could guess. But what no one can deny is the following; the odds that
Muhammed, an illiterate man, guessed correctly about thousands and
thousands of subjects, never once making a mistake, are so high that any
theory of his authorship of the Qur'an must be completely dismissed -
even by the most hostile enemies of Islam!


Indeed, the Qur'an expects this kind of challenge. Undoubtedly, if one
said to someone upon entering a foreign land, "I know your father. I
have met him," probably the man from that land would doubt the
newcomer's word, saying, "You have just come here. How could you know my
father?" As a result, he would question him, "Tell me, is my father
tall, short, dark, fair? What is he like?" Of course, if the visitor
continued answering all of the questions correctly, the sceptic would
have no choice but to say, "I guess you do know my father. I don't know
how you know him, but I guess you do!" The situation is the same with
the Qur'an. It states that it originates from the One who created
everything. So everyone has the right to say, "Convince me! If the
author of this book really originated life and everything in the heavens
and on the earth, then He should know about this, about that, and so
on." And inevitably, after researching the Qur'an, everyone will
discover the same truths. Additionally, we all know something for sure:
we do not all have to be experts to verify what the Qur'an affirms.
One's iman (faith) grows as one continues to check and confirm the
truths contained in the Qur'an. And one is supposed to do so all of his
life.

May God (Allah) guide everyone close to the truth.