Authenticity of the Glorious Qur'an
the holy qur'an was presented to the people of arabia by the holy prophet muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. it was presented in parts over a period of 23 years of his prophetic life. the book presents itself as the word of allah and the holy prophet also presented it as such.
the muslims believe that the holy qur'an, being the revealed word of allah, is the cornerstone of their faith. they get their philosophy, beliefs and laws from this book it is the basic source of the islamic faith. it is the word of allah revealed to his messenger, muhammad, peace be upon him, who read it out before the world loud and clear. not only did he recite it to the people of arabia, he also made elaborate arrangements to ensure that its contents be preserved and his companions should learn it by heart and should also write it down. the holy prophet's stress on the supremacy of the book of allah, over all other sources of knowledge, was unequivocal and categorical.
the holy qur'an has reached us through tawatur:
the holy qur'an has reached us through the process of tawatur (historical continuity and perpetuation achieved through transfer from generation-to-generation) when we say that the qur'an has reached us through tawatur, we imply that so many people in every generation conveyed it to the next and so on that there can be no doubt about its authenticity. it was not transmitted by a few persons in one generation to a few persons in the next. it was handed over by the entire generation to the next generation. the generation of the companions witnessed the revelation and compilation of the holy qur'an during the life of the holy prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and then handed it over to the next generation and so on.
its certainty has far exceeded the need for any debate. in the presence of established history, we would not accept any individual reports and rumors to the contrary. for instances a report in one of the history books that claims that akbar the great never ruled in india, would not be considered by us. the fact that akbar the great ruled over india for half a century is so established, that any odd report to the contrary would be simply ignored. so is the case of the holy qur'an. since it has achieved the status of tawatur, no odd report would affect its credibility.
when generations and generations of people without interruption hold the qur'an as the one and only version of the divine guidance received from the holy prophet, such reports would not infringe upon its authenticity. the evidence for the qur'an is so overwhelming, involving millions of people, that it would simply override any odd reports that may be found anywhere.”
excerpted, with slight modifications, from http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/quran/0005.htm
in the light of the above, dear brother, it’s clear that all what non-muslims say or fabricate against the glorious qur’an is totally groundless, for the authenticity of the qur’an is not only upheld by muslims but confirmed by non-muslims as well, as will be clarified in the following:
“attesting to the qur'an’s authenticity, in his best-seller book the bible, the qur’an and science the french researcher, historian, scientist dr. maurice bucaille writes:
"thanks to its undisputed authenticity, the text of the qur’an holds a unique place among the books of revelation, shared neither by the old nor the new testament. in the first two sections of this work (meaning his book), a review was made of the alterations undergone by the old testament and the gospels before they were handed down to us in the form we know today. the same is not true for the qur’an for the simple reason it was written down at the time of the prophet; we shall see how it came to be written, i.e. the process involved . . .. as the revelation progressed, the prophet and the believers following him recited the text by heart, and it was written down by the scribes in his following. it therefore starts off with two elements of authenticity that the gospels do not possess."
professor hitte also writes: "biblical text has been subjected to editorial and amendatory treatment, but not the qur’anic ... in its phonetic and graphic reproduction, as well as in its linguistic form, the qur’anic text is identical with its celestial original. "
the qur’an is unique in consistency, harmony, intelligence and rationality:
the qur’an is the book without inconsistencies; one part of its text, (or doctrine) does not clash with the other. in fact, it sets the absence of contradiction, irrationality, and incoherence, as one of the criteria for checking the authenticity of any divine revelation. it states "do they not ponder the qur’an (with care)? had this book been from anybody but allah, you would have found much inconsistencies.” (surat an-nisa:82).
because contradictions and inconsistencies call for the negation of one part, which is in conflict with the other and this automatically invalidates portions of the book. in turn that makes it difficult for a man to remain true to any one value, thereby creating mental conflict, emotional and spiritual instability. "skip some, follow some," “pick and choose" and "no absolutes" become the pattern. and these exercise an extremely damaging influence upon a truth-conscious, rational man with regard to belief in allah and with regard to the credibility of the book itself. and it leads to dilemmas where sincere minds become "disjointed" and "disenchanted," eventually steering them away from the book or turn them into hypocrites.
dr. maurice bucaille, who had absolutely no reason to favor one book, especially that of islam, over the others (if anything, as human nature is, he would only favor the books of his own religion, but not the qur’an) attests to the qura’nic claim in his book. "the quran ... is not only free from contradictions in its narrations, the sign of various human manipulations to be found in the gospels, but provides a quality of its own for those who examine it objectively and in the light of science i.e. its complete agreement with modern scientific data.”
the book may be great but what is its impact on the people, you might ask. if no impact it has any significance. how true! the qur’an is unique in terms of its blitzing impact, also.
there have been many other religious books and revelations before the qur’an. but of these, only the holy qur’an had the most electrifying impact upon the people. its lightning-like rapidity, in a short few decades, reached the hearts and minds of the masses of several continents, transforming the lives of idolaters, alcoholics, exploiters, abusers, perverts, into men and women of pristine monotheism, of highest virtue and piety. call it what you may - the most sensational spiritual revolution, or the spiritual blitzkrieg, the revolution of which the mankind had never witnessed before. to this very day, no other religion comes even close to matching qur’an's record of the spectacular impact on lives of masses.
Proving the Qur’an is the Word of God
to prove that the qur’an is the word of allah, you do not have to indulge into futile discussions or philosophical dialect. you have at your disposal a “living material evidence,” the qur’an itself. starting with the null hypothesis, i.e., assuming that the qur’an is not the word of god, one should ask himself: could a human being in the seventh century write such a book? or does there exist—up till today—any book that is claimed to match the qur’an?
let us examine the qur’an more closely. starting with the content, could the knowledge therein have been within the reach of any human source, i.e., the prophet muhammad, his contemporaries, or the whole human civilization and for several centuries ahead? how could a book revealed at that point of history refer —in precise terms—to scientific phenomena and historical events—prior and subsequent—that were unknown or misunderstood before their subsequent verification?
these qur’anic references cover such wide spectrum of topics as the nature of space, relativity of time, the shape and motion of the earth, the role of mountains, water for life, the water cycle, the sources of rivers and groundwater, sea depths, embryology, hygiene and proper health practices, prophecies fulfilled (after revelation), etc.
as to the form of the qur’an—i.e., linguistic and literary features—any strict comparative analysis identifies the qur’an to be not only superior to any other text—preceding or following, including the sayings of the prophet himself, who received and delivered the revelation—but also to be a perfect, flawless and the most eloquent composition. this perfection can be witnessed and proved on the levels of the individual words (semantics), sentence (grammar and rhetoric), and whole surahs (chapters).
thorough examination of the qur’an shows that each of these elements was selected and phrased in the most appropriate manner to fulfill the most precise meaning and most effective impact, whether cognitive, psychological, passionate, or phonic, on the reader or listener. the qur’an challenges mankind, arabs and non-arabs, to the end of time, to produce anything like or compared to itself. and so it is proved.
all that said can in itself be enough to answer your second question as to the existence of allah almighty. if the qur’an is the true undisputed word of allah, then it follows that whatever is in it is the absolute unquestionable truth.
over the millennia, philosophers’ attempts to agree, through abstract arguments alone, on the existence of god, his attributes, and the way he interacts with his creatures, have all been futile. the human mind can only observe, measure, compare, correlate, and hence theorize, within the limited capacities created in man, and no more.
our senses have limits. for example, we can see only those bodies emanating light in the wavelength range of 0.4 to 0.7 microns, and can hear only those sounds in the frequency range of 2500 to 4000 cycle per second. in time and space our perception is limited by the velocity of light, since the visible universe is so wide as to be measured in billions of light years. this means that what we will ever see—however advanced our technology is—are only images from the far-deep past. also, what we can see is essentially no more than an extremely minute fraction of the real existence.
we can know allah as the creator and sustainer of this universe through his detectable creation. the harmonious “intelligent” physical systems in our bodies and other biological species (plant or animal), in matter in general (viewed at the sub-atomic or cosmic levels) boldly manifest the purposeful design, endless diversity, and sustainable precise running of all these systems. allah only is the one god who can consistently create and sustain such a marvelous, harmonious universe like this. praise be to him!
abstract philosophical thinking alone could never and can never conclusively prove or disprove the presence and attributes of god. proving the existence of god is and should always be beyond the reach of human philosophy. philosophy cannot—in itself—produce or create knowledge, but only through concrete observations together with sensible percepts can it offer any sound conclusion.
Could the Qur’an be a Copy of the Bible?
there is an old ridiculous fallacy, that muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) copied the bible, a fallacy copied from some ignorant arab pagans against the prophet during his lifetime. they were stunningly challenged by the grandeur of the divine revelation. to face the challenge, they strived hard to push away the coming light that was gradually penetrating the makkan society and radiating outwards to arab tribes coming to makkah for trade or pilgrimage, threatening to penetrate the arab peninsula and the whole middle east and world, and engulf their absurd beliefs and challenge their tribal sovereignty to extinction.
closing their ears and minds from hearing and accepting the qur’an, and being also ignorant of the bible, the nearest forgery to proclaim was that the qur’an was being borrowed from the bible or some biblical source. however, at that time, christianity was almost totally out of the scene of makkah. in the arab peninsula, christian presence was confined to three locations: among the tribes of al-heerah in the northeast near iraq, the roman-occupied kingdom of bani ghassan in the northwest, and the abyssinian reign of yemen, far away from makkah. jewish presence was mainly in enclave settlements in and around madinah.
makkah being devoid of any real source of biblical information, the pagans of the time could find no better candidate than a non-arab roman blacksmith boy earning his living there. they claimed that he was the source of the qur’an, dictating it to muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) out of his meagre biblical education! the mockingly fabricated fallacy soon faded away among the pagans themselves. years later, in the peak of the fierce hostilities of the jewish tribes of al-madinah, and amidst their repeated attempts to defame the prophet, spread rumors and work out plots to eradicate islam, no such claim (i.e., that the qur’an copied the bible) was ever raised.
on the contrary, the jews were keeping their scriptures away from the muslims, specially those prophesizing and supporting the new message. it is also significant that there was no single arabic translation of the bible till the tenth century ce, i.e., three centuries after the prophet’s death. the available texts of the bible were either in syrian, greek, or hebrew. if the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could have any direct access to the jewish or christian scriptures, he would have quoted them, being in dire need to challenge his opponents.
the only other reported encounters of the prophet with christian sources were on two occasions. at the early age of twelve, during a trip with his uncle abu talib among a trade caravan to ash-sham, they casually met baheerah, a syrian monk who reportedly could identify in the boy muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) signs of expected prophethood foretold in the old scriptures.
similarly, when the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) received the first few verses of the revelation, his worried wife khadijah brought him to her relative waraqah ibn nawfal. being a christian convert with some knowledge of the hebrew scriptures, he assured the prophet that the revelation he received was genuinely divine. waraqah passed away shortly thereafter; the revelation continued for 23 years.
now let us examine the two texts, the qur’an and the bible. the qur’an was revealed over 23 years in installments to match multitudes of events, issues, and queries, which were finally compiled into surahs, each having a homogeneous flowing narration. on the other hand, the bible is a collection of 58 (plus 16 disputed) books written by several human authors and groups. these books were originally not intended to be holy scriptures, but were selectively made so by the ecumenical councils of the church, several centuries after christ.
an academic or even casual hand-on examination by an impartial sound intellect could never fail to witness the deep contrast between the superb text and context of the qur’an, compared to the fallible human texts comprising the bible books.
further, the qur’an has vehemently unveiled the christian and jewish distortions of the original messages of moses and jesus (peace be upon them). the original injeel and torah are no longer available. please read, for example, the qur’anic correction and reply to the biblical distortions:
- abraham was a jew: 2:140; 3:65
- allah tired from act of creation— allah forbid: 50:38
- jesus the son of god— allah forbid: 9:30; 5:17
- trinity: 5:72-73
- sanctifying the church: 3:64
- solomon blaspheming: 2:102
- the first qiblah: 3:96
- forbidden foods: 3:93
could a copy (i.e., the qur’an, according to the allegation) correct the claimed original (i.e., bible)?
knowledge-wise, the qur’an was proven to refer to and be precisely compatible with facts of science evolving over 14 centuries, a living proof of the authenticity of the qur’an. this is contrasted to contradictions between the human bible and science.
a few examples of these contradictions are: the allegory of the primordial waters, the creation of light before the creation of the stars producing them, the existence of day and night before creation of the earth, and creation of the earth before the sun, that the world was created only 5,766 years ago, and similar historically untenable descriptions and estimation of the time of the flood.
again, could the qur’an “learn” from the bible?
there are, of course, points of agreement between the qur’an and the bible, e.g., the main aspects of the stories of prophets. that is natural as far as the original source of information being the same, divine revelation of allah through his messengers teaching essentially the same message. but here again, in the stories of the prophets we witness the profound differences between the qur’anic narrations and those of the bible. compare for example: the story of prophet joseph in the qur’an (12:4-102) and the bible (genesis 37-45). here, the brief to-the-point yet lively objective qur’anic narration to emphasize advice and exhortations can be contrasted to the marginal details listed in the lengthy “once-upon-a-time” style of the bible.
while the qur’an gives due respect and reverence to the prophets as allah’s chosen inviolable human beings, radiating his guidance to their contemporaries and future generations, the bible frequently portrays them dishonorably. consider for example:
genesis 9:20-24: noah being drunk and appearing naked in front of his sons
exodus 32:3-4: aaron shaping a golden calf for the israelites to worship
1 kings 11:9-10: solomon worshiping false gods
2 samuel 11:4-5: david committing adultery
genesis 19:31-36: lot committing incest with his two daughters
once again, could the bible be the “source” and the qur’an the “copy”?
in recent times, christian missionaries and orientalists, disguised in the cloaks of scholarly research, reproduced the same old thwarted fallacy of the ancient pagans and strived to spread it among the naïve and scantly-educated muslim masses. the targeted audience are those sectors unaware of the real nature and context of the bible (as a collection of human works with all the ensuing defects) and, more importantly, are ignorant of their own inimitable book, the qur’an.
Refuting the Suspicion that Says: Muhammad didn't Receive any Revelation
the suspicion:
1) muhammad did not receive revelations. he believed that he did but it was some kind of mental disorder set off by a traumatic event in his life. even though he did not show any signs earlier, there is evidence to show that this is scientifically possible.
2) muhammad did receive revelations, but not from god. there are other spiritual powers, namely satan and his minions, which try to ensnare souls. often, their messages appear very good and harmless and even seem to be complying with god, but in reality they are traps for the faithful.
the answer:
anyone who has read the words of the qur'an along with some of the traditions of the prophet (peace be upon him) knows that he sincerely believed that he was a prophet of god. though you may dismiss him as mad or inspired by satan, nevertheless he could not have been intentionally lying to those around him. he was a passionate believer in god; he was genuinely convinced that god would help him in his mission – this is an undeniable fact to those who have even a cursory knowledge of his life.
if we agree to rule out the possibility of his lying, then the next logical objection to his authenticity as a prophet of god is that he was deluded. as you logically summarize, he was either mentally ill or beguiled by satan. let us look at these two possibilities in detail.
was he mad?
certain orientalists have proposed the suggestion that muhammad (peace be upon him) was mad, and they cite certain fictitious traditions that hint at his suffering from epilepsy in defense of their claims. the purported revelations, they explain, were nothing more than the ramblings of a delusional madman. in fact the arab pagans around the prophet also accused him of madness, as allah mentions in surah 15, verse 6:
*{and they [the arab pagans] say, ‘o you to whom the reminder has been revealed! you are most surely insane!’}*
if the product of this “madness” were anything other than the glorious qur’an, there might be some weight to the claim. but as it stands, the question must be asked: could a madman produce a seemingly perfect text? in fourteen hundred years of intense scrutiny and examination, not a single contradiction, grammatical flaw, or comparable imitation has ever been found.
could a madman inadvertently compose a text that stood as the foundation of the most successful and extensive empires ever to grace the earth? could a madman write a book that has united peoples of hundreds of different languages and races for over fourteen centuries? a text that directly generated radically original systems of government, economics, human rights, and scholarship that stood the test of time and have subsequently inspired the rules and governing systems by which we live today?
to call the qur’an the product of insanity is no less implausible than a group of monkeys jumping on a keyboard and producing an unflawed copy of webster’s unabridged dictionary. furthermore, the qur’an itself challenges such accusations through its self-declared inimitability (i’jaz). allah says in surah 2, verses 23 thru 24:
*{and if you are in doubt as to that which we have revealed to our servant, then produce a chapter like it and call on your witnesses besides allah if you are truthful. but if you do it not – and you can never do it – then be on your guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the unbelievers.}*
furthermore, if we believe in the existence of an all-powerful and controlling god, then we have to acknowledge that he would be in control the mind of a “madman” in the middle of the arabian desert. as a believer in god, you have to admit that he willed and allowed for muhammad to speak every verse of the qur’an, and thereupon god allowed for these verses to travel around the world and win the hearts of billions of muslims. if you are going on the assumption that the qur’an is “misguidance,” then god’s willing its existence coupled with its colossal influence on mankind makes the satanic-ploy theory more likely than its being a random creation of the mind of a madman.
an english speaker must bear in mid that the miracle of the qur’an is in the arabic original. in fact, the qur’an only exists in arabic; english versions are in reality translations of the meanings of the qur’an. additionally, it would be appropriate at this point to mention the innumerable scientific miracles scattered throughout the qur’an. as this issue has been dealt with extensively in previous answers on our site, please refer to the following link for a detailed and astounding presentation: miracles of the qur’an
was it satan?
the second logical objective to the qur’an’s divine origins is the possibility that it is the work of satan. christians have traditionally argued that the qur’an was intended by satan to be a means of leading astray the masses from god’s imminence, personified in jesus (peace be upon him). the christians have (incorrectly) held the islamic concept of god to be wholly transcendent, i.e. the muslim god is seen by them as completely impersonal, as he lacks a human facet like that which jesus represents to the christian tradition.
allah says in surah 50, verse 16:
*{we verily created man and we know what his soul whispers to him, and we are nearer to him than his jugular vein.}*
if we examine the satanic-ploy argument objectively, it proves to be extremely feeble. the qur’an calls only to deeds that are good. among many other things, it incites its reader to belief in god, trust and reliance on him, prayer, god-consciousness at all times, sincerity of intention, charity, kindness to orphans and the needy, graciousness to our parents, justice and fairness among people, truthfulness and good business ethics, chastity, cleanliness, etc.
one may object: well and good, but it’s all for naught if it calls even to a single evil. it may seem rational for satan to tell us, “pray, give charity, eat pure food, and kill your parents.” however, the qur’an doesn’t slip once; every deed that it calls to can unanimously be considered virtuous by people of all faiths – we urge you to search for yourself. then, why would satan call to belief in god and virtuous deeds?
additionally, allah says in surah 16, verse 98:
*{so when you recite the qur’an, seek refuge with allah from the accursed satan.}*
if we agree on the existence of god, don’t we think that no matter what religion we follow, he will respond to our seeking refuge in him from satan? in other words, why would satan tell us to seek refuge in god from him? even if we had the wrong religion, wouldn’t this weaken his power over us? the verse can only harm him; it serves no benefit to him – why would he include it?
next, let’s look at the state of the world in which muhammad (peace be upon) lived. the arab pagans to whom he originally preached were as far from god as is imaginable. they worshipped stone idols, buried their daughters alive, murdered over a camel’s drinking out of the wrong well, were ruled by the most absurd superstitions, etc. satan had fully deceived them already. why would he start a new religion that clearly brought them closer to god and closer to virtuosity? a christian cannot deny that the pre-islamic pagans were infinitely farther from the christian teachings and ideals than their later-day muslim counterparts.
one may say: but satan brought the arabs slightly closer to god in order to later mislead the rest of the world – it was a sacrifice on the part of satan for the sake of the greater evil. then let’s look at the state of the people who accepted islam after the arabs. the persians, though custodians of a hitherto great civilization, by and large practiced fire-worship; their religious beliefs, rituals, and views on the sanctity of life were no more than a shade better than the desert idol-worshippers. the indians were seeped in countless forms of idol worship, animism, ancestor worship, and religiously-legitimized socioeconomic bigotry. the advent of islam would later lead to a unification, simplification, and reform of the native beliefs of india that now comes under the over-simplified title of hinduism. north africa, though containing many christian enclaves and strongholds many of which would incidentally retain their christian beliefs after the islamic conquests, was de-facto ruled by polytheist tribes of berber and african ethnicity. the later-day turks and mongols also worshipped idols and dead ancestors prior to their adoption of islam.
from a christian perspective, there is no doubt that islam brought the native populations of the aforementioned areas closer to the christian ideal than their previous religions. why wouldn’t satan leave “sleeping dogs lie” and let the people continue on in their religions that epitomized the nadir of misguidance? from strictly a numbers perspective, satan would have clearly mislead more people and would have caused more people to die in the farthest state from the christian ideal had he not “inspired” the qur’an, as the christians hold.
if there are holes in these arguments, please let us know. we respect your question because it is polite yet frank, and more importantly it reflects a logical and sincere quest for the truth. if you are not muslim, we expect you to have misgivings about the qur’an. we are not insulted by your objectives and we hope that more non-muslims would voice their doubts for the sake of arriving at truth.
on a personal note, i am a convert muslim from america who accepted islam in my youth. within the past two years, i have taken up the part-time study of arabic with an experienced teacher, and by allah’s will, i have begun to grasp the meanings of the qur’an in its original language.
i can say from experience that my study has vastly improved my appreciation and understanding of the qur’an, and i would urge anybody who sincerely seeks to prove its authenticity to him or herself to take up the study of arabic. for me, the difference between the original language and the translated meanings is like day and night
Refuting the Suspicion that Says: How could the Illiterate Prophet Learn and Teach the Quran
the “illiterate” is the one that is unable to read or write, and this is something that doesn’t insult the prophet but it is a strong proof that the holy quran is sent to him by allah.
he didn’t read it from other books, but it was an inspiration to him from allah:
“and they say: "tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon." say: "it (this qur'an) has been sent down by him (allah) (the real lord of the heavens and earth) who knows the secret of the heavens and the earth. truly, he is oft-forgiving, most merciful." “ ( al furqa : 5-6)
so how could an illiterate man receipt such eloquent words, challenging by that the arab polytheists that were known by their eloquent and skillful language and couldn’t say even a single verse similar like that in the holy quran.
some jews in addition to that say that the prophet isn’t a jew but from another nation, so he couldn’t be the last chosen prophet by allah, because they consider themselves as being the best and greatest nation chosen by allah to carry all his messages.
first we have to say to those jews that the prophet’s message is for the whole world and is treating all kinds of people equal, as said in the holy quran:
“o mankind! we have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. verily, the most honorable of you with allah is that (believer) who has at-taqwa [i.e. one of the muttaqun (pious)]. verily, allah is all-knowing, all-aware." ( al hujurat: 13)
so being different is not to make one nation superior to the others, but to make all people know each other; and those who are given priority by allah are the most believing in him and following his teachings.
second, the jews have to know that sending the most number of messengers to them, is not because of being better than others, in the contrary, it is because of their bad attitudes, insulting and killing the messengers sent to them.
Refuting the Suspicion that Says: The Prophet (PBUH) Learned from Others
refuting this suspicion
all insulters have to know that allah said:
“nor does he speak of (his own) desire.* it is only an inspiration that is inspired.” (an najm: 3-4)
when the following verses were inspired to the prophet, -
“and indeed we created man (adam) out of an extract of clay (water and earth).* thereafter we made him (the offspring of adam) as a nutfah (mixed drops of the male and female sexual discharge) (and lodged it) in a safe lodging (womb of the woman). *then we made the nutfah into a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood), then we made the clot into a little lump of flesh, then we made out of that little lump of flesh bones, then we clothed the bones with flesh, and then we brought it forth as another creation. so blessed be allah, the best of creators.“
(al mu’minoun:12-14) –
the insulters said that the last sentence “so blessed be allah, the best of creators” was dictated to the prophet by “ the writer of the prophet’s inspiration, to whom the prophet dictates all what he gets inspired from the holy quran”!
this is of course a very big lie, for the following reasons:
1st. when the prophet starts receiving allahs words by jebri (pbuh), starts sweating and in a state far away from all around him, and once the inspiration stops, he starts repeating and memorizing what he received. this is proved in all biography books.
2ed. the prophet doesn’t dictate the “inspiration writer” the verses he reeceived, till they are completed.
3ed. the statement “so blessed be allah” is repeated9 times in the holy quran in subjects mainly talking about allah’s creation.
“ surely, his is the creation and commandment. blessed be allah, the lord of the 'alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)! “ ( al a’raaf:55)
“ blessed be he who sent down the criterion (of right and wrong, i.e. this qur'an) to his slave (muhammad ) that he may be a warner to the 'alamin (mankind and jinns).” ( al furqan:1)
“blessed be he who has placed in the heaven big stars, and has placed therein a great lamp (sun), and a moon giving light.” (al furqan:61)
“and blessed be he to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, and with whom is the knowledge of the hour, and to whom you (all) will be returned. " ( az zukhruf:85)
“blessed is he in whose hand is the dominion, and he is able to do all things." ( al mulk:1)
4th. all these reasons show that it is a lie to say that the “inspiration writer” said this statement “so blessed be allah, the best of creators”.
Refuting the Suspicion that Says: Prophet Muhammad has Sins as Mentioned in the Holy Quran
refuting this suspicion
the polytheists took this verse as a proof for their claims that the prophet has sins and the quran proves that!
" that allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future, and complete his favor on you, and guide you on the straight path;” ( al fat’h:2)
those polytheists have to know that muhammad’s biography is an open book for everyone and is very huge; everyone reading it can notice that the writers of this biography wrote everything about the prophet’s life in full details. they wrote all about him; when he is sleeping or awake, when he is fighting or in peace times, his prayers and worships, how he is dealing with people and even his life among his family at home.
and when his companions were reporting his speeches ”hadiths” or doings, they were describing the prophet very accurate; as for example describing the way he was sitting or describing his face impressions when talking, so that we can imagine the whole situation as if we can see him in front of us.
in addition to that, the holy quran shows us the prophet’s high qualities:
“and we have sent you (o muhammad ) not but as a mercy for the 'alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).“ (al anbia’: 107)
“verily, there has come unto you a messenger (muhammad ) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). it grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. he (muhammad ) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to allah, and beg him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter paradise and be saved from the punishment of the hell-fire), for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.“ (at tauba:128)
and then the quran summarizes all his qualities in this verse:
“and verily, you (o muhammad ) are on an exalted standard of character.” ( al qalam:5)
more than this, the holy quran reported to us even the smallest details of the prophet’s feelings and emotions and what is going on inside his thoughts that no one could know except allah.
as for example allah’s order to the prophet to marry zainab bint jahsh (the x-wife of zaid bin haritha that the prophet used to adopt) for the sake of annulling the habit of adoption.
“and (remember) when you said to him (zaid bin harithah; the freedslave of the prophet) on whom allah has bestowed grace (by guiding him to islam) and you (o muhammad too) have done favour (by manumitting him) "keep your wife to yourself, and fear allah." but you did hide in yourself (i.e. what allah has already made known to you that he will give her to you in marriage) that which allah will make manifest, you did fear the people (i.e., muhammad married the divorced wife of his manumitted slave) whereas allah had a better right that you should fear him. so when zaid had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), we gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them). and allah's command must be fulfilled. “ ( al ahzab: 37)
note: the almighty allah annuls the habit of adopting for the sake of protecting relationships. so allah’s ordering the prophet to marry zaid’s x-wife, is to show all muslims in the first place that zeid is not the prophet’s son….but of course in case that he were his son, it would be forbidden to marry the x- wife of one’s son..
from all previous we can see that the prophet’s biography is so detailed and the holy quran speaks even about the hidden details that no one know except allah, and nothing is written in both quran and sunna about any sins committed by the prophet.
those insulters who accuse muhammad(pbuh) that he has sins, are completely blind and hard- hearted because they did not notice the rest of suraht al fat’h that is all about stabilizing the believers and the prophet promising them that they’ll be supported soon and that their victory is very near. so if the prophet were full of sins – as they claim- how would allah promise him victory and show him the right path to follow.
but now lets explain the word “sin” in the verse:
“that allah may forgive you your sins of the past and the future “ ( al fat’h:2)
what is meant by the word “sin” hear is not the meaning that all people know: to commit mistakes and wrong doings, because allah gave all prophets infallibility especially prophet muhammad (pbuh). this fact is known by all prophets’ followers except those who change the words of allah in their holy books especially the jews who are well known in killing and insulting all messengers sent to them.
the “sins” that the quran talks about, are mistakes might be done by a prophet but are no sins that are known to us anyway.
and in addition to all that, muhammad’s reputation before his legation was a very clean one; muhammad was respected by all people; he was honest, moral, with a pure soul and was thus known as “as sadek al ameen” the faithful….
after all that, how dare those insulters to say that muhammad(pbuh) is a sinner!!
“no knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. mighty is the word that comes out of their mouths [i.e. he begot (took) sons and daughters]. they utter nothing but a lie.“
( al kahf:5)
The Infallibility of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Attitude of the Holy Quran towards it
there are some who do not admit the infallibility of the prophet, and they depend on some evidence as for example the chapter of (abasa (he frowned) :chapter no.80 ) and also when the prophet (pbuh) flattered his wives and the holy verse descended from allah to order him to stop that.
- the reply on this suspicion
the infallibility of the prophet (pbuh) and the infallibility of all messengers (pbut) should be understood in the limits of the position of the messenger and the purpose of the message, that the messenger is a human being who is inspired by allah; which means that in spite of his human qualities, he has a special contact with the heaven by inspiration. so this task needs some characteristics which are found by the almighty allah in all messengers chosen for this task to balance between their human characteristics and their position and special task which they are demanded for.
the messenger is commissioned to tell ,call for, and fight for applying and setting the message up. and people were ordered to obey the messenger as apart of obeying allah (glory be to him):
"obey allah and obey the messenger" (an nissa’: 59)
"he who obeys the messenger (muhammad), has indeed obeyed allah" (an nissa’:80)
" say (o muhammad to mankind): "if you (really) love allah then follow me (i.e. accept islamic monotheism, follow the qur'an and the sunnah), allah will love you "( aal imraan:31)
"say (o muhammad): "obey allah and the messenger (muhammad)” (aal imraan:32)
so the infallibility of the messengers in what they tell about ِallah is necessary for believing and trusting the divine call which the messengers are chosen to fulfill.
the nature of mind besides won’t believe in this message unless the sender of the message chooses the trustful messenger in order to make his message believable and truthful. so allah chooses carefully his messengers whom he qualifies by infallibility to add more truth and trust upon the divine call. and this infallibility at the same time is the evidence that this call is right.
in order to express the general point of view of the islamic nation in the necessity of the infallibility of all messengers in what they tell about the almighty allah ,imam mohammed abdo says:-
“....and these necessary things that must found in messengers are: their high innate, wise minds, truthfulness, integrity in telling what they are commanded, infallibility against what disgraces their reputation, good looking bodies and that their souls are so linked with the divine greatness that their inner feelings can not control them .
out of the wisdom of the almighty creator- who created man upon the base of education and guidance-he left one important quality -out of his generosity - for the people whom he chose from his creatures to carry his message. so he favors his messengers by high sense innate and raises their souls high to reach the perfection in order to be ready for receiving and keeping the secrets of the divine lights of knowledge.
by this knowledge allah permits his messengers to know some of the future and what will happen to people in the future. the messengers live among people in a high rank; they are in life as they are not from its people, they are not like the people in their contacting and telling about the heaven, but in the same time they have their human sides e.g. they eat, sleep, drink, forget-except in addressing about allah and his teachings-, get sick, get harmed, get oppressed and may get killed.
infallibility, like a miracle, is one of the necessities of the message’s trustfulness and the wisdom of the one who sent all messengers (peace be upon them).the messenger is like any ordinary man, physically his body is like all other people, and as a diligent person he is making consultations, making up his mind, thinking and choosing between many choices in matters that no divine inspiration is given to him. here he has to act according to his human side; so he may be right and may be wrong.
but he is infallible in the topics and cases which are inspired to him from the almighty allah, because if he may forget or be wronged in such cases, people will doubt his message. so infallibility is an original characteristic and a necessary condition in all messengers (peace be upon them).
"nor does he speak of (his own) desire. it is only an inspiration that is inspired". (an-najm 3,4)
the messenger’s utterances are not the human ones; it means that his orders are the orders of allah, so obeying him is obeying allah and without infallibility messengers can not get such high rank.
the exertions of the prophet (pbuh) in the cases that he doesn’t get the solution inspired were a result of his human abilities and making up his mind so he may be right and may be wrong as it happen to all people. so we see how his companions -may allah be pleased with them - in many cases ask muhammad (pbuh) -before giving their points of view- whether his point of view or his exertion .. etc is inspired to him or not . if he says that it is a divine inspiration they obey him with no question, because here obeying him is obeying allah who asks him to tell his orders.
for the orders of allah, messengers are infallible in telling them, that they are just tellers where there is no place for committing mistakes. and the companions obeyed the orders of the messenger blindly even if they can not understand the near benefits from these orders, because they know that the knowledge of allah- the source of inspiration- is unlimited but their knowledge is limited; they may not understand the wise reasons behind these laws but the almighty allah only knows.
but when the messenger tells his companions that his exertion expresses his own point of view and it is not inspired to him, at once they give their points of view. they think and correct his decisions if he is mistaken because here he depends only on his human qualities which may be right or wrong.
there are a lot of examples in the books of sonna and in the biography of muhammad which prove that he changed his opinion when he found that there is on better than his’;e.g. when they wanted to choose the place of their camp in the battlefield of badr:
(it happened that there was a well in the battlefield it was called badr and the messenger (pbuh) chose to camp behind the well. then one of the companions called elhabab ibn almunther came and asked the messenger if their position was chosen by allah or it was just his opinion, the messenger replied that this was his opinion. alhabab said that it was a bad position and they should put the well in their back to drink from it and prevent quraish from drinking from it; and so they did. many other examples; as their point of view in the captives of the battle of badr and their point of view in making peace with some of those who were from the allies against the muslims in the battle of the trench.........etc.
allah wants for muhammad to be the model and the example for the whole nation to follow:
"indeed in the messenger of allah (muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the meeting with) allah and the last day and remembers allah much".( al-ahzâb: 21 )
and because allah does not want for the people to take a wrong prophetic exertion as a model, he sent the inspiration to correct and even blame the prophet for his wrong exertions and choices e.g.
"(the prophet) frowned and turned away*because there came to him the blind man (i.e. ‘abdullâh bin umm-maktûm, who came to the prophet while he was preaching to one or some of the quraish chiefs)*and how can you know that he might become pure (from sins)?*or he might receive admonition, and the admonition might profit him?* as for him who thinks himself self-sufficient, to him you attend; what does it matter to you if he will not become pure (from disbelief: you are only a messenger, your duty is to convey the message of allâh).but as to him who came to you running,and is afraid (of allâh and his punishment).of him you are neglectful and divert your attention to another,"
(abasa:1-10 )
"o prophet! why do you ban (for yourself) that which allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? and allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful. allah has already ordained for you (o men), the dissolution of your oaths. and allah is your maula lord, or master, or protector, etc.) and he is the all-knower, the all-wise. and (remember) when the prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his wives (hafsah),so when she told it (to another i.e. 'aishah), and allah made it known to him, he informed part thereof and left a part. then when he told her (hafsah) thereof, she said: "who told you this?" he said: "the all-knower, the all-aware (allah) has told me".
( at-tahrîm :1-3 )
"it is not for a prophet that he should have prisoners of war (and free them with ransom) until he had
made a great slaughter (among his enemies) in the land. you desire the good of this world (i.e. the money of ransom for freeing the captives), but allah desires (for you) the hereafter. and allah is all-mighty, all-wise. were it not a previous ordainment from allah, a severe torment would have touched you for what you took."
(al-anfâl :67-68 )
the infallibility of the messenger (may peace and prayers of allah be upon him) is a necessary condition in order to prove the truth of the message and to gain confidence on the divine call. and without this infallibility there will not be any difference between the messenger and any other reformer or wise man. and so there will not be any difference between the invincible and infallible inspiration and the human philosophies and achievements which may be right or wrong. without infallibility the message become as the human utterances but with the infallibility the message becomes the utterances of allah -glory be to him-who is giving his words to the infallible person (all prophets & messengers).so the infallibility of the teller proves the infallibility of the message, and it is also the condition that proves the wisdom of the one who chose the messenger, sent and inspired him this message.
