Pick-Up 059: The Miracle (2)
Peace be upon you, dear friends,
“I don’t see how a book can be a miracle.” some might say.
That is an interesting/valid question but before I attempt an answer I have to ask: have you actually read it or read a translation of it? I mean saying that this Book is from God is a BOLD claim, don’t you think? Wouldn’t you want to at least examine it for yourself?
I'jaz al Quran which can be translated to the inimitability of the Quran is the belief that the Quran has a miraculous quality, both in content and in form, that no human speech can match. The inimitability challenge originates in the Quran itself for those who doubt its divine authorship. In different parts of the Book, we find the suggestion to produce a text like it, or even ten chapters…or even a single chapter. The challenge has not been met to this day. The Quran states in chapter 15, verse 88:
“قُلْ لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَىٰ أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا”
«Say: "If all mankind and Jin would come together with a view to producing the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like even though they were to exert all their strength in aiding one another!"»
At the time of the prophet (pbuh), there was a thriving poetic tradition. Poetry and poets were highly acclaimed by their tribes. There is a whole theory behind classical Arabic poetry, that you can look up, with its rigorous structure, rhymes, meters, and so on. Arabs were ahl al lougha or the people of language, known for being eloquent and expressing themselves in artistic ways. And so, Mohamed (pbuh) had brought, in spite of being illiterate, a perfect text that was superior to anything that the poets and orators had ever written or heard. They were astonished by its beauty and uniqueness. It’s not poetry though as it doesn’t bind itself to the bonds of verse nor is it prose. Its bonds are unusual therefore it’s neither verse nor prose. It’s a unique literary form: the Quran.
Non-Muslim and Muslim Scholars do not differ on the fact that the Quran is an authority in Arabic literature and has had an unparalleled influence. The Arabic language reached its utmost capacity of expression after the Book was revealed.
There is a second challenge within the Quran; it suggests finding a single contradiction within it. If indeed there is one, we no longer can consider it to be the word of God. God is Perfect and so is His word. The Quran states in chapter 4, verse 82:
“أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِنْدِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا”
“Will they not then ponder on the Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah they would surely have found in it much contradictions.”
Concerning this challenge, in particular, I saw some websites that have tried to do that, and honestly, I don’t need to be a scholar nor a Quranic exegesis expert to see that they failed miserably. I actually found it to be funny! Verses taken out of context, no research on tafasir or exegesis, and sometimes going as far as sneakily altering the words of the translation which is pathetic. But again why would you trust my word over theirs anyways. Read the Book yourself!
The Quran also presents us with what we can call a pack of evidence and in which we find accurate accounts of future predictions, stories of past communities and prophets, and scientific truths that could not possibly be known 14 centuries ago at the time of revelation...
To be continued…
🎥 The Sphere of video
Be on the lookout for a new video on my channel to be released this week, God willing…
💭 This Week’s Quote
“Do not recognize the truth in the mouth of certain men, but first recognize the truth and then you will recognize who are truthful.”
― Ali Ibn Abi Taleb.
Thanks for Reading!
Thoughts and feedback on the newsletter or on anything covered within are always welcome, just hit reply. Hope you enjoyed this. As always, I appreciate you.
Stay curious and have a great week. 🤟
Meriem.
Photo of a 16th century Koran folio from Iran.