An lrrefutable Sign of God
Looking for God? Get Reasonable!
Humankind has the advantage of having been sent a sign and evidence from their Lord which is irrefutable. It is His final revelation, the Qur’an. This scripture was revealed in the Arabic language to Prophet Muhammad over 1400 years ago. It has extraordinary literary qualities unique language, style and content. Free of any geographical, historical or scientific error, the Qur’an’s appeal is direct and its message clear. It does not seek to incite emotions but relies upon the intellect and good sense of the reader or listener, often repeating the phrase, “Will you not give thought?”
It is impossible to read the Qur’an in Arabic and not be moved by its logic and sensitive appeal. It follows clear reasoning and cites evidences from the created universe, from history and from the human soul to establish not only the existence of God but also His uniqueness and absolute perfection. Non-Arabs have embraced Islam after being affected by certain translated passages, despite the fact that the translation is no more than a shadow of the original.
These features are what make the Qur’an inimitable; and its inimitability confirms that it was not a product of human authorship. It is unique in two aspects: the message it contains and the manner in which it is presented; or to put it in modern terminology, its form and content. Over the centuries and from the time it was revealed, humanity has not been able to match either one. In addition to its extraordinary content, the Qur’an’s literary style is beyond any human’s capability to produce (However, the Qur’an has no resemblance to soothsaying, as the Encyclopedia Bn’tannica falsely and deliberately suggests. An essential feature of soothsaying is obscurity, while clarity is among the hallmarks of the Qur’an. We say “deliberately” because its editors surely know that there are dozens of translations of the Qur’an by Westerners during the last centuries into every major European language; yet no translator ever complained of obscurity in it or suggested it could be from a soothsayer). Every translator admits that he can never achieve the powerful appeal, beauty, sublimity, eloquence and soothing effect of the original. It is not uncommon to see some among an Arabic audience moved to tears when the Qur’an is properly recited. Besides religious guidance, the Qur’an contains hundreds of verses that speak of the universe, its components and phenomena, and nothing in it contradicts any established scientific fact.
Muhammad never claimed its authorship. It was a sign of his prophethood that he was an illiterate man so he could not be accused of composing or editing the revelations. This fact also eliminates suspicion that he plagiarized from earlier scriptures. And much of the information is of a nature that could not have been obtained 1400 years ago through reading or research; rather, it had to come from another source. The Qur’an declares that it is indeed the speech of God (And is considered to be one among His eternal attributes), revealed to His final prophet through the angel Gabriel.
In several passages the Qur’an challenges those who allege that it is the Prophet’s own composition to produce something similar to it. One example occurs soon after its opening chapter:
“And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our servant, then produce a chapter the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful [in your allegation]. But if you do not and you will never be able to then fear the Fire, whose fuel is humans and stones, prepared for the unbelievers” (2:23-24)
This is a remarkable challenge. Every non-believing translator, Arab and non-Arab, feels frustrated, troubled and infuriated by a challenge as long-standing as this; but they are all helpless in face of it and prefer not to speak publicly of the challenge – as If it was not there. If any of the hundreds of Western orientalists who have produced massive encyclopedias, indices, dictionaries and histories of Arabic literature could respond to this challenge, they would surely have done so rather than utilizing dishonest means in an attempt to blacken the face of Islam and its Prophet and prevent the entry of Islam into their lands. All they had to do, and all they still have to do, is to produce a few lines similar to the Qur’an in form and content; but they fail to do it.
Thus, the Qur’an is clear confirmation of God’s existence. While it is indeed problematical to prove His existence in philosophical terms, here is something that is existent and tangible. If skeptics are unable to refute the Qur’an’s challenge, then it would be logical for them to seriously consider its source.
Author : Syed Iqbal Zaheer
