Is the Holy Quran the Speech of God Almighty or the Creation of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)? – Part 1

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 15 June 2023 Is The Quran The Divine Speech Of Allah Or A Human Creation That Was Copied From Earlier Books? Main Points: 1. Disbelievers and polytheists of Makkah first slandered the Quran, but Jews and Christians later repeated it despite attesting to its accuracy in the heavenly books, Taurah and Injeel (Old and New Testaments). 2. Prophets were granted miracles to guide mankind and address the problems of the nations they were sent to, making it clear that what they saw was beyond human capability. 3. The Quranic challenge provided the anti-Islamic movement with a golden opportunity to create verses or Surahs that resembled the Quran, but they were unsuccessful. 4. The challenge of the Holy Quran was intended for all people, including humans and jinn, especially those who opposed Islam. 5. The Quran is the speech of Allah and will remain so until the Day of Judgement. ------ The disbelievers and polytheists of Makkah were the ones who first made this slander against the Quran. Allah clarified all of their questions in the Quran. Due to their obstinacy and arrogance, certain Jews and Christians later just repeated this slander despite having attested to the accuracy of this holy book in the heavenly books such as Taurah and Injeel, and even today, some of their followers still do so consciously or unknowingly. The following verses are just a few of the many times the Qur'an itself mentions how disbelievers and polytheists have slandered it. “And whenever Our verses are recited to them they say, “Yes, we have heard – if we wanted we could also say something like this – these are nothing but stories of former people!” [8:31] “What! They dare say that “He has fabricated it”? Say “Therefore bring ten fabricated chapters like these, and call on everyone you can other than Allah, if you are truthful. So [O Muslims], if they are unable to reply to this challenge of yours, then know well that it is sent down only with the knowledge of Allah; and that except Him, there is no real God; so will you now accept?” [11:13-14] “And when it is said to them, “What has your Lord sent down?” they say, “The tales of former people.” [16:24] “[they say] Indeed this promise was given to us and before us to our forefathers – this is nothing but stories of earlier people.” [23:83] “And among them is one who listens to you [O Prophet]; and We have put covers upon their hearts so they may not understand it, and deafness in their ears; and (even) if they see all the signs, they will not believe in them; to the extent that when they come to you to debate with you, the disbelievers say, “This is nothing but stories of former people.” [6:25] Allah Almighty sent prophets at different times in history to guide mankind in the right course. The Prophets (peace be upon them) were granted miracles in response to the demands and requirements of people as well as to address the problems of the nations to which they were sent. They performed miracles that went beyond the pinnacle of human perfection and at a very high level, making it simple for the nations to understand that whatever they were seeing was beyond the scope of human capability and that whoever was presenting it must be doing so on behalf of Allah. For instance, Greek medicine was well-known during the lifetime of the Prophet Jesus (Hazrat Isaa peace be upon him), therefore he was granted a number of miracles, including the healing of the blind and lepers, raising the dead, producing birds out of clay, prescience, a table of food from heaven, and others. Hazrat Musa (Moses peace be upon him) lived in an era when sorcery and magic were well-known and inspiring. The art of magic was at its height, and people's standing in society was decided by magic. When Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) received the miraculous staff (a walking stick) of Moses in such circumstances, the magicians shouted out that it had to be from Allah and fell on their knees in the presence of Allah after witnessing the miracles. The Holy Qur'an was sent to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as a divine sign and confirmation of his prophethood. It is a living miracle of Allah. When the Arabs, who were proud of their eloquence and rhetorical language, referred to this Quran as human speech and legends of former peoples, Allah Almighty challenged them to create even one such Surah or Verse. Allah says: “Or do they claim, “He made it up!”? Tell them ˹O Prophet˺, “Produce one surah like it then, and seek help from whoever you can—other than Allah—if what you say is true!” (10:38) “Say, (O Prophet) “If all humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Quran, they could not produce its equal, no matter how they supported each other.” (17:88) “Or do they say, “He made this (Quran) up!”? In fact, they have no faith. Let them then produce something like it, if what they say is true!" (52:33-34) “Or do they say, “He has fabricated this (Quran)!”? Say, (O Prophet) “Produce ten fabricated surahs like it and seek help from whoever you can—other than Allah—if what you say is true!” (11:13) “And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a Surah like it and call your helpers other than Allah, if what you say is true." (2:23) The entire Qur'an is made up of 114 little and large surahs. The word "a surah" is employed as a common noun in the text above to convey the idea that even the smallest surah is up for the challenge. This challenge serves as a reminder that if you have any doubts about the Quran's status as the revealed speech of God Almighty, or you think it was created by the Prophet or another person, you must be able to construct an example of the smallest surah, if not the greatest surah or the ten surahs. If you are successful in achieving this, you will undoubtedly be correct in saying that this is also the word of a human being. The first interlocutors of this Quranic challenge were all of the eloquent and rhetorical poets and orators of Arabia who had the highest level of eloquence in their Arabic language and whose offspring after offspring had a familiarity with eloquent Arabic poetry. The Quranic challenge provided the anti-Islamic movement with a golden opportunity because it pushed them to create even the tiniest verse or Surah that resembled a verse or a Surah of the Quran. The anti-Islamic movement that used to make every attempt to cast doubt on the truthfulness of the Quran was repeatedly challenged in this regard. However, they were unable to think of even the smallest phrase or word that resembled a verse from the Quran, despite their greatest attempts. Then, in the verse that followed, the Quran warned them: “But if you are unable to do so—and you will never be able to do so—then fear the Fire fuelled with people and stones, which is prepared for the disbelievers.” (2:24) This was the challenge of the Holy Quran. For whom? This challenge was intended for all people, including humans and jinn, but in particular for the learned men and orators and Arabic language experts of Arabia who used to consider others to be illiterate in the face of their language, for the people who opposed Islam vehemently, such as Abu Jahl, Abul Lahab and Ka'b bin Ashraf. This challenge also has some order to it. They were challenged to first create something that resembled the entire Qur'an; then, if they couldn't, to offer just 10 surahs that did; and last, if they couldn't even manage that, to present just one verse. The idea was that if the Prophet (peace be upon him) actually did create the Quran, as they claim, then if their claim is supposed to be true, then the Prophet—despite being an Ummi—is presenting such a miraculous book, whereas they are fluent in Arabic and eloquent, so they must present at least one verse similar to a verse of the Quran, if not one Surah, ten Surahs, or something similar of the entirety of the Quran. History, however, attests to the fact that they were unable to answer, and even modern Arab poets and experts are unable to produce anything that is equivalent to the Quran, and they will remain unable to do so until the Day of Judgement. This strengthens the Quran's position as the speech of Allah, which it already has and always will have. (To Be Continued) ------ A regular columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a classical Islamic scholar [Aalim, Faazil and Mutakhassis Fi al-Adab al-Arabi wa al-Ulum al-Shariah] with a Sufi background and an English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. URL: https://newageislam.com/debating-islam/holy-quran-god-creation-prophet-part-1/d/129997 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism