Do You Know This Book?
06-07-2008 corrections
Of all the acclaimed masterpieces that the world has seen,
nothing can be compared to the book known as the Qur’an. Millions have become
Muslims upon simply hearing a verse from this amazing book, yet still the
majority knows nothing of it.
The Qur’an is the Final Revelation from the Creator to humanity. It was revealed
in the year 610CE to the Prophet Muhammad (saw), and completed over a period of
23 years. These 23 years of revelation resulted in a book which comprised of 114
chapters and 6,666 verses. All of this was to become the primary source of law
for the whole of mankind to live and die by.
The impact of this book is such that Allah says:
“Had We [1] revealed this Qur’an upon a mountain, surely
you would have seen it humble itself and crumble out of the fear of Allah. Such
are the parables We put forward to mankind so that they may reflect” (Surah
Al-Hashr 59:21)
However, it seems as if the hearts of the people have become harder than the
mountains which tower above us. When the Qur’an is recited or even mentioned,
people turn away with disgust. In the West, this is primarily due to the
negative exposure from the media. It has resulted in many non-Muslims not even
wanting to hear the name of this amazing book. Muslims too, have become
hardhearted because of the cultural influences of the West. Many young Muslims
perceive the Qur’an to be nothing more than an old wrapped up book, which comes
off the highest shelf once a year during Ramadan!
If people were to truly reflect upon this book, they would realise that nothing
in this world is quite the same. So why should this claim be accepted over
others? Why should the Qur’an be given precedence over the likes of the Bible,
the Gita[2] or the Granth Sahib[3]? The following reasons will insha Allah give
an indication as to why this book deserves the attention of all humanity.
Preservation
“There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve
centuries with so pure a text”. Writing 200 years ago, these are the words of
the famous English critic of Islam, Sir William Muir. But as Muslims we do not
need Williarn Muir to tell us this: 1,400 years ago, the Muslims accepted this
reality when Allah revealed to them:
“Indeed it is We who have sent down the reminder (the
Qur’an), and indeed it is Us who shall preserve it” (Surah Al-Hijr 15:9)
These words have proved true to this very day. From the moment the first words
were revealed to Muhammad (saw), to this very day, every single letter and word
of the Qur’an has remained unchanged.
Before Islam, all the revelations sent were not given this divine assurance.
This is why we find that books like the Bible are riddled with interpolations
and inaccuracies. It is well known that man has tampered with the Bible to the
extent that annually different versions are produced to suit trends and
desires[4]. In fact this has been going on for so long that it is almost
impossible to see what of the words of the Creator are left, if any!
With the Qur’an it is the exact opposite. The contents of this amazing book are
stored in the hearts of millions of Muslims worldwide. Children as young as 12
have memorised the entire book in its original language, Arabic. There is no
other religious scripture on earth which is orally preserved in its original
language by so many and over such a period of time, without having been tampered
somewhere along the line. The Bible is a prime example of this. Many Christians
believe that English is the divine language of the Bible. However Jesus (as)
spoke Aramaic. From Aramaic, his life-story was translated into Hebrew. From
Hebrew it was translated into Greek. From Greek to Latin, and then finally from
Latin to English!
There has not been a single vicar, priest or layman in recorded history who has
even memorised the Bible in English, let alone the Aramaic! As Muslims we
believe the Qur’an can only be in the language it was revealed in, i.e. Arabic.
Anything else is a translation and not the divine words of the Creator. A true
test of this divine preservation would be to burn all the books and manuscripts
in existence, to see which can return as it was. The Qur’an would be the only
book which would return in its original form, letter for letter, word for word.
Many Christians say that the Qur’anic claim of preservation needs to be
backed-up by manuscript evidence. For us this is not a necessary criteria, but
in order to quell the doubts, the Muslims have ample proof. Two copies of the
Qur’an are in existence which date back to the Third Caliph Uthmaan (ra), 20
years after the death of the Prophet (saw) These two copies are to be found in
the Topkapi museum, Istanbul, Turkey and in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Tashkent
copy is thought to have been the personal copy of the Caliph as it still
contains stains of his blood, which was shed when he was murdered whilst reading
it. Any copy of the Qur’an which is compared to these copies, will show that
there is not a single difference between what we have today and what was in
existence 1,400 years ago. Thus Allah’s promise holds true.
No Mistakes
Man as a creature is fallible. For this reason anything which is produced by him
will naturally have faults. With the Qur’an, such a notion cannot even be
considered as it is from the One Who is Infallible. In fact Allah clarifies this
matter beautifully when he says:
“Do they not consider the Qur’an? Had it been from other
than Allah surely they would have found much discrepancies within it” (Surah
An-Nisa 4:82)
Throughout history many have tried to scrutinise and search the Qur’an for
mistakes and errors. To this day no one has been able to bring a shred of proof
showing that this book is not from Allah. Some Christians have even called it
the work of the Devil because the book affected them so much when they read it!
With other scriptures, contradictions, mistakes and absurdities are constantly
present. When people contrast these ambiguities with the Qur’an, it often
results in the acceptance of this faultless book.
The Arabic Language
Upon hearing Qur’anic recitation, you may be rather startled. Besides hearing
the reciter of the prayer, you often hear people in the background sobbing and
wailing heavily. So what is it that makes these people cry so much? It is
nothing more than the beauty and eloquence of this book which moves millions to
tears. This beauty is expressed in the language of the Arabs. Allah says:
“Indeed We have revealed this as an Arabic Qur’an so that
you may understand” (Surah Yusuf 12:2)
At the time of the Prophet (saw) three modes of expression were used. There was
normal speech, the speech of the soothsayer and poetry. The Arabs were the
masters of their language, and poetry was their cultural highlight. Arabic
poetry is split into 16 categories, each separate from the other. When the
Qur’an was proclaimed to the Arabs it amazed them beyond all limits. It was like
nothing they had ever heard before. It did not fit into the 16 categories of
poetry, nor was it the speech of a soothsayer, and it certainly was not normal
speech. If it was not all these, then it could only be the word of Allah.
The eloquence and majesty of the early chapters of the Qur’an moved many to
tears, and the beautiful Qur’anic Arabic converted millions of Arabs in the
Middle East. Not only did the Qur’an affect the lives of these Arabs, but it
also transformed their culture. Even today, no serious study of the Arabic
language is possible without reference to this book.
The reaction of some pagans was that they accused Muhammad (saw) of being a
soothsayer and a madman. In order to silence them, Allah issued a challenge. At
first he asked them to produce a book like the Qur’an. When it could not be
done, Allah asked them to produce ten chapters like it. When this too could not
be done Allah finally stated:
“And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to
Our slave, then produce a chapter like it” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:23)
The smallest chapter in the Qur’an is only three verses long (Chapter 108). The
pagans at the time of the Prophet (saw) could not even produce something as
small as this, and since then no one else has completed this impossible task.
All of this is in light of the fact that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) could not
read or write, thus refuting those who say that the Qur’an was his own
handiwork.
The Qur’an is the Final book of revelation. After it there will be no more.
However, many have tried to deny this by producing their own new versions of the
Qur’an. Among them have been the two false prophets, Musailama[5] and Ghulam
Ahmed[6]. Many Chapters in the Qur’an are named after animals, such as the Ant,
Spider etc. Musailama tried to copy this, and went about creating a chapter in
his book called the Weasel! In Arabic it is called Al-Wabl and it hardly causes
people to be struck in awe! On the other hand Ghulam Ahmed, the ‘British
stooge’, claimed to receive revelation in cockney English!! Such foolishness
could never compare to the beauty of the Qur’an with its clear and beautiful
Arabic language.
Science
Over the past few decades much interest has been shown in the scientific content
of the Qur’an. Scientific data which has been discovered in recent times, has
been existent in this book for 1,400 years. In fact the very common origin of
this universe is stated clearly by Allah, the Most High:
“Do not the disbelievers see that the heavens and the
earth were joined together, then We parted them. And We made from water every
living thing. Will they then not believe?” (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:30)
This parting of the heavens and the earth is more commonly known to scientists
as the ‘big bang’. It is also a fact that life originated from water and that
every living cell is composed of 85% water. Without water life is impossible.
The mountains of the earth, like icebergs, have roots going deep into the
ground. This ensures that they will not topple with their extreme heights – this
is known as ‘isostasy’. In this way the mountains are like the stakes which are
used to anchor a tent. But this fact is already known to us when Allah says:
“Have We not made the earth an expanse and the mountains
stakes?” (Surah An-Naba 78:6-7)
and
“Allah has cast into the ground mountains standing firm so
that it does not shake with you” (Surah Luqman 31:10)
The embryological data which is found in the Qur’an is astounding. Allah
describes the formation of a baby inside the womb from the very moment the sperm
reaches the ovum, to its formation into a human. This data, which was only
discovered about 30 years ago, has amazed many western scientists. Amongst them
is Dr Keith Moore [7] from the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr Moore is a
recognised authority in embryological circles, with his university text book
being set as a standard text in many universities throughout the world. When Dr
Moore was asked as to how this information in the Qur’an could be explained, he
replied: “It could only have been divinely revealed”.
History
The Qur’an is a book of historical accuracy. One accuracy
which has corrected the mistakes of many Christians and historians, is the fate
of the Pharaoh who drowned in the Red Sea whilst pursuing Moses. The Biblical
story would have us believe that the matter ended when the Pharaoh drowned. But
the Qur’an explains further. When he was drowning the Pharaoh confessed his
faith in Allah. But it was too late, and Allah promised him:
“This day We shall preserve you in your body, so that you
may be a sign for those who come after you. But indeed many of mankind are
heedless of Our signs” (Surah Yunus 10:92)
In 1898 the tombs of various pharaohs were discovered in the Valley of the
Kings, in Egypt. In 1975 Dr Maurice Bucaille, an eminent French surgeon was
allowed to examine the mummified bodies of Rameses II and the pharaoh who had
pursued Moses - Merneptah. Dr Bucaille discovered that Merneptah had received
very violent blows to several parts of his body and had suffered a massive heart
attack. Amazingly, these are the results which occur when someone dies from
drowning! Thus Allah had saved the body of the transgressing pharaoh as a sign
for all humanity.
For those who say that Muhammad (saw) knew his history and wrote it in the
Qur’an, the following shall prove otherwise. In the year 615CE the Roman army
was defeated by the Persians. About this event Allah revealed:
“The Romans have been defeated in the lowest land, but in
a few years they shall be victorious again, within three to nine years. The
decision of the matter, before and after, is only with Allah” (Surah Ar-Rum
30:24)
The words of Allah proved true as the Persians were defeated at the battle of
Issus, 7 years later in 622CE. There is no possible way that Muhammad (saw)
could have known (if he wrote the Qur’an) that the Romans would be victorious.
In fact he also did not know that the ‘lowest land’ at which the battle was
fought was literally that. The battle in 615CE was fought on the shores of the
Dead Sea, the lowest point below sea level on earth, at 1,300ft.
A book with these credentials could only be from the Creator of the heavens and
the earth. A book which we need to acquaint ourselves with. A book . . .
“... which has been revealed to you (O’ Muhammad) so that
you may lead mankind out of the darkness and into the light” (Surah
lbrahim 14:1)
Footnotes
1 The word ‘WE’ does not mean that there is more than one God. Rather it is a
plural of respect which gives Allah grandeur over His creation.
2 The Baghwad Gita is one of the Hindu scriptures.
3 The Guru Granth Sahib is the Sikh scripture
4 The most recent version of the Bible is the ‘Politically Correct Version’!!
5 Musailama claimed prophethood just before the death of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu
‘alaihi wa sallam). He was from the region of Yamaamah in Arabia and from the
tribe of Haneefah.
6 Ghulam Ahmed was born in 1840 in Qadian, India. He claimed prophethood at the
request of his imperialist masters, the British Government.
7 Besides Dr Moore, there have been many other famous Western scientists who
have accepted Islam. One of the most prominent was the famous French
oceanographer, Jacques Yves Cousteau who has recently passed away. Cousteau was
amazed at the accuracy of the Qur’anic statements regarding underwater activity
and thus embraced Islam. As a result of his death, Cousteau’s life achievements
have been highlighted in the Western media. However his acceptance of Islam was
conveniently absent from the news-reports.
Regarding failure, we don’t know what failure is. The real failure is in these agent regimes who betray their religion and their nation. The nation discovered their betrayal, their corruption and their cooperation with the enemies of Islam. The large percentage of non-participation in the last elections, and the large opposition to the government’s policies by the people, and the death of hundreds of youths in the ocean because of the clandestine immigration, and the repeated popular intifada, which the last one happened in Achlaf, and the proportion of the poverty and unemployment indices, and the growing union strikes, and the gap that grows day after day between the people and the government. These are all indicators of a real failure that becomes an emerged feature of all the governments of the Islamic Maghreb that are agents. If it is necessary to have a failure, then surely our failure is that we are for a long time unable to win the martyrdom and join our brothers who preceded us on the road of sacrifice and martyrdom: “O Lord! (they say), let not our hearts deviate now after thou guided us, but grant us mercy from thee: from thou art the grantor of bounties without measure.” (Chapter 3, Verse 7).
Submitted by a Mujahid