PROOF OF ISLAM - QURAN: MIRACLE OR FABRICATION?

QURAN: MIRACLE OR FABRICATION?

By Sajid Iqbal, Editor The Revival

The main religions of the world are Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. The followers of each of these religions will claim that they are on the right path and only they will have success in the hereafter. The question is how do we determine who is right?

Well you see each of these religions claims that their scripture is from God and is preserved from the day it was revealed (written) until our time. A religious belief is as authentic as the authenticity of the scripture it follows. So which book is actually the original true word of God? It will be proven to you now without a shadow of doubt that the Quran (Koran) is the literal word of God. By proving this it automatically proves that Muhammad is a true messenger of God and Islam is the only true religion and way of life. Are you ready? Turn your mobile off and sit back for the journey of a lifetime. Open your mind and heart and read with the intention of finding and searching the truth.

What is the Quran?

According to the Muslims the Quran is the literal word of God. It is the record of the exact words revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him (pbuh). It was memorized by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and then dictated to his companions.

The obvious question is that how do we know that what was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was indeed word of God and secondly even if it was how do we know that those exact words are in the Quran of today without any changes or mistakes?

Firstly we will prove that the words revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by God have been preserved in the form of Quran over the last 1400 years. You see there are two modes of preservation historically and that is through writing and memory (oral).

Preservation of Quran through memory

Let’s start from the beginning shall we. The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) through Angel Gabriel; this process of divine revelation continued for 23 years. Here are a few points to note:

1. 'Gabriel used to repeat the recitation of the Qur'an with the Prophet (pbuh) once a year, but he repeated it twice with him in the year he died’. (Transmitted by Abu Hurayrah, collected in Sahih Al-Bukhari, 6.520, translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. )This was to make absolutely sure that every single word was remembered.

2. The Prophet (pbuh) himself used to stay up a greater part of the night in prayers and use to recite Quran from memory.

3. Another point is that the Prophet (pbuh) also listened to the recitation of the Quran from his companions and many of the companions also memorised the Quran. In a nutshell every effort was made to make 100% sure that every single word revealed by God was remembered by the Prophet and then by his companions

4. From the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) till today Muslims recite the Quran from their memory in all of their five daily prayers. Once a year, during the month of Fasting (Ramadan), Muslims listen to the complete recitation of the entire Quran by a Hafiz (memorizer of the entire Quran) It's a tradition among Muslims that before any speech or presentation, marriages, sermons that the Quran is recited.

5. It should be made clear and understood that the Quran is the only book, religious or secular, on the face of this planet that has been completely memorized by millions. These memorizers range from ages 6 and up, both Arabic and non-Arabic speakers, blacks, whites, Orientals, poor and wealthy. Therefore the process of memorization was continuous, from Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) time to ours with an unbroken chain.

Here a couple of interesting quotes from two non-Muslim scholars on the preservation of the Quran through memory:

"The method of transmitting the Quran from one generation to the next by having the young memorize the oral recitation of their elders had mitigated somewhat from the beginning the worst perils of relying solely on written records…". (John Burton, An Introduction to the Hadith, Edinburgh University Press: 1994, p. 27.)

"This phenomenon of Quranic recital means that the text has traversed the centuries in an unbroken living sequence of devotion. It cannot, therefore, be handled as an antiquarian thing, nor as a historical document out of a distant past. The fact of hifz (Quranic Memorization) has made the Qur'an a present possession through the entire lapse of Muslim time and given it a human currency in every generation never allowing its relegation to a bare authority for reference alone." (Kenneth Cragg. The Mind of the Qur'an, George Allah & Unwin: 1973, p.26.)

So, in a nutshell there should be no doubt that the Quran was preserved through memory by the Prophet (pbuh), the companions and then throughout history till today. No single word has been added, changed or deleted.

Written Text of the Quran

Now lets discuss and prove that the words of God were written and preserved by the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions till today.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was very vigilant in preserving the Quran in the written form from the very beginning up until the last revelation. The Prophet (pbuh) himself was unlettered; therefore he called upon his numerous scribes to write the revelation for him. The complete Quran existed in written form in the lifetime of the Prophet (pbuh).

Zaid (one of the scribes of the Prophet) is reported to have said: 'We use to compile the Qur'an from small scraps in the presence of the Apostle'. (Jalal al-Din Suyuti, 'Al-Itqan fi-ulum al-Quran. I, p. 99.)

It should be pointed out that the Prophet (pbuh), while in Madinah, had about 48 scribes who use to write for him so there was no chance of any error or mistake in the text. (M. M. Azami, Kuttab al-Nabi, Beirut, 1974.)

One of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) Abdullah Ibn 'Umar relates: 'The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "Do not take the Qur'an on a journey with you, for I am afraid that it should fall into the hands of the enemy"' (Muslim, III, No. 4606; also 4607, 4608; Bukhari, 4.233.) This just confirms how much care was taken in preserving the text of the Quran

Besides the official manuscripts of the Quran kept with the Prophet, many of his companions use to possess their own written copies of the revelation. (Jalal al-Din Suyuti, 'Al-Itqan fi-ulum al-Quran. I, p. 62.)

Aisha and Hafsa, the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) had their own scripts written after the Prophet had died. (Imam Malik, Muwatta, tr. M. Rahimuddin, Lahore, 1980, no.307, 308.)

So there should be no doubt that the complete Quran was written down in front of the Prophet by several of his scribes and the companions possessed their own copies of the Quran in the Prophet's (pbuh) lifetime.

Quran in the form of a book

The written material of the Quran in the Prophet's (pbuh) possession were not bounded between the two covers in the form of a book, because the period of revelation of the Qur'an continued up until just a few days before the Prophet's (pbuh) death. The verses however, were written on separate pieces, scrapes of leather, thin flat stones, leaflets, palm branches, shoulder blades and so on. The task of collecting the Qur'an as a book was therefore undertaken by Abu Bakr, the first successor to the Prophet (pbuh).

A committee was formed to under take the task of collecting the written Quranic material in the form of a book. The committee was headed by Zaid bin Thabit, the original scribe of the Prophet (pbuh), who was also a memorizer of the complete Quran.

The compilers in this committee, in examining written material submitted to them, insisted on very strict criteria as a safeguard against any errors.

1. The material must have been originally written down in the presence of the Prophet (pbuh); nothing written down later on the basis of memory alone was to be accepted. (Ibn Hajar, Fath, Vol. IX, p. 10.)

2. The material must be confirmed by two witnesses, that is to say, by two trustworthy persons testifying that they themselves had heard the Prophet (pbuh) recite the passage in question. (Ibn Hajar, Fath, Vol. IX p. 11)

'The manuscript on which the Qur'an was collected, remained with Abu Bakr till he passed away, and then with Umar (the second successor), till he passed away, and finally it remained with Hafsa, 'Umar's daughter (and wife of the Prophet)'. (Bukhari, 6.201.)

So the word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was now compiled and put together in the form of a book- the same exact words of the Quran which we have today.

Usman’s official copy of Quran

Now, in the time of the third Caliph Usman differences in reading the Quran amongst the various different tribes became obvious due to the fact that the Quran was revealed in seven dialects of Arabic. So Usman made an official copy in the Quraishi dialect, the dialect in which the Quran was revealed to the prophet and was memorized by his companions. Therefore this compilation by Usman is not a different version of the Quran (like the Biblical versions) but the same original revelation given to the Prophet (pbuh) by God.



Of the copies made by Uthman, two still exist to our day. One is in the city of Tashkent, (Uzbekistan) and the second one is in Istanbul (Turkey). Below is a brief account of both of these copies:

The copy which Uthman sent to Madina was reportedly removed by the Turkish authorities to Istanbul, from where it came to Berlin during World War I. The Treaty of Versailles, which concluded World War I, contains the following clause:

'Article 246: Within six months from the coming into force of the present Treaty, Germany will restore to His Majesty, King of Hedjaz, the original Koran of Caliph Othman, which was removed from Madina by the Turkish authorities and is stated to have been presented to the ex-Emperor William II". (Fred L. Israel, Major Peace Treaties of Modern History, New York, Chelsea House Pub., Vol. II, p. 1418.)

The second copy in existence is kept in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It came to Samarkand in 890 Hijra (1485) and remained there till 1868. Then it was taken to St. Petersburg by the Russians in 1869. It remained there till 1917. A Russian orientalist gave a detailed description of it, saying that many pages were damaged and some were missing. A facsimile, some 50 copies, of this mushaf (copy) was produced by S.Pisareff in 1905. A copy was sent to the Ottoman Sultan 'Abdul Hamid, to the Shah of Iran, to the Amir of Bukhara, to Afghanistan, to Fas and some important Muslim personalities. One copy is now in the Columbia University Library (U.S.A.). (The Muslim World, vol. 30 (1940), pp. 357-8.)

The Manuscript was afterwards returned to its former place and reached Tashkent in 1924, where it has remained since. (Ahmad von Denffer, Ulum Al-Quran, revised ed., Islamic Foundation, 1994, p. 63.)

A non Muslim historian and scholar states: “There is otherwise every security, internal and external, that we possess the text which Muhammad himself gave forth and used. There is probably no other book in the world which has remained twelve centuries (now fourteen) with so pure a text". (Sir Williams Muir, Life of Mohamet, vol.1, Introduction.)

So there you have it. Due to the fact that the Prophet (pbuh) memorized the entire Quran, had it written down in front of him by his scribes, that many of his companions memorised the entire revelation and in turn possessed their own private copies for recitation proves without a shadow of doubt that we possess the text which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) by God Almighty. Don’t forget that none of the other scriptures were memorised word by word nor written down word by word and preserved till today.

SCIENCE IN THE QURAN

You’re probably thinking now ‘OK lets say that the Quran at the time of Muhammad (pbuh) has been preserved and safeguarded for the last 1400 years and we have the exact same Quran, word by word, amongst us today. How do we know that the Quran is from God and not from Prophet Muhammad? How do we know for sure that it’s not written by man and it is not full of stories, lies and made–up stuff? What’s the guarantee? What’s the proof?

That’s a wicked question but the answer is gonna be awesome. You ready for it?

OK, here goes. Can a book which was revealed 1400 years ago talk about facts, figures and discoveries with incredible detail and accuracy which have only occurred and have been discovered in the early 20th century?

At the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) science and technology did not exist. There were no basic instruments like telescopes, microscope or anything near to science labs. Now you tell me this; how can someone 1400 years ago when the best form of transport was a camel make statements such as the origin of the universe as one entity, the source of milk, the cure of honey, knowledge of deep se currents, the water cycle, black holes, the creation of man, the detail of finger prints, life on other planets, the speed of time, DNA and the list is endless. The only way anyone could have known these 1400 years ago is that it was revealed by God Almighty.

CREATION OF MAN

Let’s take one example of the many scientific discoveries in the Quran for the skeptics out there. The creation of man is discussed in great detail in the Quran. God speaks about the stages of the human in the womb of its mother. ‘And indeed we created man from the elements of dust. Then we put him in a secure place in the form of a cell. Then we made him a being like a hanging nest fixed (in the wall of the uterus). Then we fashioned him a chewed lump. Then we made out of those lumps bones and clothed the bones with flesh. Then gradually out of it, we developed another creature.’ HOLY QURAN. CHAPTER 23, VERSE 14.

Now this verse describes the 7 stages of development of a child in the mother’s womb. However, modern embryology has only within the late 20th century proved that human development occurs in 7 stages:

1. Extracts of clay or elements of earth

2. Zygote- a fertilizing single cell known as Ovum

3. A hanging mass clung to the endometrium of the uterus

4. Development of a chewed lump

5. Development of a skeletal system

6. Development of a muscular system

7. A new creation.

Just look at the incredible accuracy of the words of the Quran describing the creation of man compared to modern science! Let’s see what the great scientists of today have to say about these scientific discoveries in the Quran:

STATEMENTS OF SCIENTISTS ON THE QURAN

Prof. Keith Moore is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto. His books on anatomy and on embryology are used at many medical schools as standard instruction books.

Prof. Moore has said: "It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur'an about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammed from God or Allah because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Mohammed must have been a messenger of God or Allah."

Dr. E. Marshall Johnson, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA. Author of over 200 publications.

“The Qur'an describes not only the development of external form but emphasizes also the internal stages - the stages inside the embryo of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science...If I was to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I do today and describing things, I could not describe the things that were described... I see no evidence to refute the concept that this individual Muhammad had to be developing this information from some place... so I see nothing in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved..."

Dr. T.V.N. Persaud. Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy, Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, and Associate Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author and editor of 25 books, has contributed 31 chapters to publications, and has published over 180 scientific papers. In 1991 he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. He says:

"Muhammad was a very ordinary man, he couldn't read, didn't know how to write, in fact he was an illiterate... we are talking about 1400 years ago, you have some illiterate person making profound statements that are amazingly accurate, of a scientific nature... I personally can't see how this could be mere chance, there are too many accuracies and like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind reconciling that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which lead him to these statements."

After a study which lasted ten years, the famous French physician Maurice Bucaille addressed the French Academy of Medicine in 1976 and expressed the complete agreement of the Qur'an and established findings of modern science. He presented his study on the existence in the Qur'an of certain statements concerning physiology and reproduction.

“It is impossible to explain how a text produced at the time of the Qur'an could have contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times."

Need I say more? The scientific statements and discoveries in the Quran 14 centuries ago are an undeniable miracle and testification that the Quran is the literal word of God that Muhammad is His true Messenger and Islam is the true religion of God.

Did Prophet Muhammad write the Quran?

It should be obvious by now after reading the above that in no way did Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) write the Quran. But here are a few more points to prove this logically:

1. First, he was unlettered! How can an unlettered person come up with such a rich, poetic, intellectual, and inspiring text that it rocked the entire Arabia? Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) never went to school! No one taught him. He had no teacher of any kind in any subjects. How can he have the knowledge of all the science, astronomy, cosmology, embryology, oceanography, etc?

2. Arabic language had never been so rich in expression, poetic value, vocabulary, and variety in literature, as it was in the time of Quran. At a time like this, Quran came and exceeded the best of Arabic in all aspects of the language: poetry, literature, expression, etc. Any classical Arabic speaker would appreciate the unbeaten, unchallenged, and unmatched beauty of the language of Quran. An unlettered man is simply not capable of writing such a book.

3. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) had no reason to come up with something like Quran, and cause the entire society of Arabia to become his enemy. Why would he do something like that? Why would he write something going against almost all of the norms of the society, and lose his family, relatives, friends, and other loved ones, and not to mention all the wealth he lost.

4. Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years! A very long time! Is it possible for someone to maintain the same exact style of Arabic speech, as demonstrated in Quran, for over 23 years?

This should clearly prove that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is definitely not the author of the Quran. A famous non-Muslim historian and scholar confirms this by stating:

"Well then, if the Koran were his own [Muhammad's] composition other men could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they could not), then let them accept the Koran as an outstanding evidential miracle" Mohammedanism, H. A. R. Gibb, Oxford University Press, p. 42

CONCLUSION

Well it should be obvious to all now that the Quran is the word of God. It is the book of Truth. The book of guidance for Mankind. It has been preserved through memory and through written form over the last 1400 years.

The Quran is scientifically proven to be the word of God as it clearly and accurately states many facts and discoveries which have only been made and discovered recently.

It is confirmed and approved by great modern Western scientists that the Quran could not have been written by any human and can only be the word of God. Now you should have no doubt that Quran is God’s word. Prophet Muhammad is His Final Prophet and Islam is the true religion of God and complete way of life.

So now pick up the Quran and read it, try to understand it and then act upon its teachings.

This article is from The Revival's first website, where its publication date was not recorded. The date shown above is approximate.