Quran as a miracle

The
Arabs of the 6th and 7th centuries CE were masters of the Arabic
********************************. Eloquence and rhetoric were their
lifeblood. The liveliness that marked their gatherings, the gaiety of
their fairs, and the virtues of which they boasted, all found expression
through poetry and literature. They were so proud of their literary
accomplishments that they disdainfully dubbed all the other peoples of
the world as “’Ajam” or “Dumb.” It was in this atmosphere that there
appeared on the scene an unlettered person, Muhammad . He presented before them an oration, and declared it to be the Word of Allaah, which claimed (what means):
“If
mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of
this Quran, they could never produce the like thereof, even if they
backed up one another.” [Quran 17:88]
Such a proclamation was an amazing thing. It came from a person who had
never learned anything from the renowned poets and scholars of the time,
had never recited even a single piece of poetry in their congregations,
and never attended the company of soothsayers. And far from composing
any poetry himself, he did not even remember the verses of other poets.
This proclamation, repeated several times in the Quran, was therefore
the greatest challenge to their literary expertise, and at the same time
a fatal stab at their polytheist creed and beliefs. Following this, a
hush fell over the whole galaxy of these stirring orators and fiery
poets. Not a soul stepped forward to accept the challenge of producing
the like of the Quran. They persecuted the Prophet
called him insane, a sorcerer, poet and soothsayer, but failed utterly
in composing even a few sentences like the Quranic verses. To this day,
the challenge has remained unmet, although throughout history and even
in modern times, many people have made feeble attempts to do so.
In Prophecies
Among other things, the Quran contains prophecies of future events, many
of which have come to pass. We reproduce here a discussion of one such
prophecy, which was fulfilled within the lifetime of the Prophet
Muhammad .
While the Prophet
was still in Makkah, after having been entrusted with prophethood, and
was being subjected to all sorts of persecutions by the Makkan
idolaters, exactly at the same time the two great powers of Rome and
Persia were involved in repeated wars. The Romans were beaten,
vanquished and suffered a great loss in men and material. At last, the
Romans were so utterly exhausted that, far from being in a position to
launch a counter-attack, they could not even take a firm stand anywhere.
This situation was a matter of jubilation for the pagans of Arabia, as
they identified the Persians, being fire-worshippers, with themselves
and the Romans, as “people of the Book,” with the Muslims. In their
eyes, the dominance of the Persians, presaged their own victory and the
defeat of the Muslims. It was under these circumstances that these
initial verses of the chapter called Ar-Room (The Romans) were revealed
(which mean):
“…The
Romans have been defeated, in the land close by. And after (this)
defeat of theirs, they will soon be victorious within a few years. To
Allaah belongs the command before and after and on that day the
Believers will rejoice in Allaah’s help…” [Quran 30:2-4]
For those who were aware of the military situation concerning the Romans
and Persians, this prediction was absolutely incredible. In fact, the
Persians kept marching forward until they reached the city walls of the
Roman capital, Constantinople. The renowned historian Edward Gibbon has
commented on this prediction thus:
“When this prophecy was made, no prediction could be more unbelievable
because the initial twelve years of Heraclius were evidently declaring
an end to the Roman Empire.” [Fall of the Roman Empire, v.5, p.73-74]
But exactly seven years after his first defeat, the Roman emperor
sallied forth from the capital and inflicted crushing defeats on the
Persians at several places, and after that the Roman armies were
victorious everywhere.
Meanwhile, a large number of Muslims had migrated to Al-Madeenah and
their wars with the idolaters of Makkah had already begun. The day on
which 313 ill-equipped Muslims were decisively beating their enemy --
1000 heavily armed Makkan warriors -- at the battlefield of Badr, came
the news that the Romans had defeated the Persians. It was then realized
that the Quranic verse, (which means): “…on that day the Believers will rejoice in Allaah’s help” [Quran 30: 4-5] was meant to denote the twin happiness of the Romans’ victory as well as their own victory at Badr.
In Science and History
Apart from prophecies, the Quran has pointed out many scientific and
historical facts which were not only unknown at that time, but could not
even be imagined given the development of civilization. Entire books
have been written (by both Muslims and non-Muslims) confirming the
correspondence of scientific discoveries to the truths expressed in the
Quran. Again, we suffice here with two examples:
The Quran has stated that as Fir’awn (Pharaoh) was drowning in the sea
he made a confession of faith orally, just to save his life. In
response, Allaah Said (what means):
“What!
Now? And indeed before this you did rebel and were of the corrupt. So
this day We shall rescue you with your body that you may be a sign to
those who come after you.” [Quran 10: 91-92]
At the time of revelation of this verse, and even centuries afterwards,
nobody knew that the body of Fir’awn had been preserved, but it has been
discovered only recently and is preserved in a museum at Cairo.
The Quran has stated (what means): “And of everything We have created pairs that you may take heed.” [Quran 51: 49]
When this verse was revealed, the general concept was that male and
female pairs existed only among human beings and animals or in some
vegetation. However, with the advancement of science, the Quranic
reality is becoming manifest that male and female pairs exist in
everything. In some instances they are termed as male and female, and
elsewhere as positive and negative, as electron and proton, or neutron
and positron. In another verse, the Quran has also clarified that the
occurrence in pairs in many other things is still unknown to people. It
says (what means):
“Glorified
be He Who created pairs of all things which the earth grows, and of
themselves (humans), and of that which they know not.” [Quran 36: 36]
A Miracle For Us!
Looking back through history, it has been observed that the prophets,
may Allaah exalt their mention, were sent with miracles that reflected
the society and knowledge of the people they were sent to. Thus, Moosaa
(Moses) was sent with a staff that truly turned into a snake, baffling the trickster magicians of the Pharaoh. ’Eesaa (Jesus)
was given the power to cure diseases and give life to the dead,
astonishing the Jewish doctors who felt proud of their limited knowledge
of healing, and who had begun to disregard and deny the supernatural
powers of God.
Similarly, the Quran was an immediate miracle for the Arabs so many
years ago, since it challenged and far surpassed the limits of their
literary expression. Unlike the miracles of previous prophets, which
were only applicable for a limited time, to this day the Quran -- the
Final Testament given to the Last Prophet
-- is still a relevant miracle for humanity and will remain so as long
as the world exists. We live in an age of science and technology, of
knowledge, logic, and reason. Yet, in spite of all the human advancement
in every sphere of life, the principles of the Quran have not been
proven wrong nor have they become “out-of-date.” This is really the
great miracle of the Quran, it has proven itself a timeless, universal
message for humankind, relevant to every facet of our life — be it
politics, economics, ethics, science, literature, arts or entertainment.
In fact, even non-Muslim scholars have admitted that the entire
“Western” civilization today, thriving from the “rebirth of humanity”
(i.e. the “Renaissance”), would not have been so, had it not been for
the message brought by Muhammad . As the celebrated English writer, Robert Briffault, says in The Making of Humanity:
“The ideas of freedom for all human beings, of human brotherhood, of the
equality of all men before the law of democratic government, by
consultation and universal suffrage, the ideas that inspired the French
Revolution and the Declaration of Rights, that guided the framing of the
American Constitution and inflamed the struggle for independence in the
Latin-American countries were not inventions of the West. They find
their ultimate inspiration and source in the Holy Quran. They are the
quintessence of what the intelligentsia of medieval Europe acquired from
Islam over a period of centuries through the various societies that
developed in Europe in the wake of the Crusades in imitation of the
brotherhood associations of Islam. It is highly probable that but for
the Arabs, modern European civilization would never have arisen at all,
it is absolutely certain that but for them, it would never have assumed
that character which has enabled it to transcend all previous phases of
evolution.”