?The Words of a Human
Although
it is proven that the text of the Quran has remained intact till today, how are
we sure that that the words actually originated from God and not some other
source? This takes us to look at the authenticity, authority, or source of the
Quran
Concerning
the authorship of the Quran, Muslims believe that it was revealed verbatim
(i.e. word for word) by God, to Muhammad, may God praise him.
Non-Muslims, however, who do not support this view, can have no differences
with Muslims concerning the fact that the Quran was at least first witnessed to
be uttered by Muhammad, a Meccan Arab in the 7th century CE and, as
proved above, there have been no changes to the records of his utterances since
then.
Muslims’
claim of “internal evidence” for the divine authorship of the Quran, i.e. from
statements to that effect in the Quran itself (e.g. Quran 4:82; 6:19; 6:92; 27:6; 45:2, etc.), is
understandably looked upon with skepticism, as nearly anyone can quote passages
from his or her scripture that claim the scripture in question is revelation
from God
We
are therefore forced by reason and objectivity to look elsewhere for “external
evidence” of the Quran’s divine source or authority. The simple proposed
structure for the presentation of this “external evidence” is an elimination
process, where we get to the answer of the question – “Who is the author of the
Quran? – by eliminating all alternative answers to this question which are definitely
implausible. In other words, the definite or (at least) most probable author or
source of the Quran is identified by eliminating unacceptable alternative
candidates
There
are various contradictory views and opinions held by some non-Muslims as to the
source of the Quran. The following list of “possible” authors reflects the main
theories
^
^
1) Muhammad
2)
Some other Arab poet(s), scholars, etc
3) Some non-Arab scholars, or poets or religious
personalities
4) Monks or Rabbis i.e. from the Bible or
Judeo-Christian sources
5) Satan or other deceitful “spirits” or “aliens”,
etc
6) God
We
may now proceed to examine from a closer study of the Quran and history how
plausible these theories are
Muhammad:
Unlettered and Uneducated
The fact that
Muhammad could neither read nor write (Quran 29:48) is well known and uncontested
by even his non-Muslim contemporaries and present day historians. He had no schooling
or teacher of any kind. He had never been known to compose oral poetry or
prose. The Quran, with its all-embracing laws and freedom from all
inconsistencies, has its greatness acknowledged even by non-Muslim scholars
Its
contents treat social, economic, political and religious legislation, history,
views of the universe, living things, thought, human transactions, war, peace,
marriage, worship, business, and everything relating to life - with no contradicting
principles
The Quran has never
been edited or revised as it was never in need of any revision or correction. How
were such vast subject areas expounded upon with such precision by a 7th
century Arab with no formal education or even the ability to read what scant
material there may have been in his environ
ment on such topics? Where and when has history ever produced an illiterate and uneducated author of such a scripture
Muhammad’s known Integrity
Muhammad’s
sincerity, truthfulness and integrity were so well known that he was even
nicknamed “Al-Ameen” (The Trustworthy) by his pre-Islamic
community
Not a single lie is recorded against him, and
many modern Western Orientalists have themselves admitted that contrary to any
deliberate deception, that the Prophet had a profoundly sincere conviction that
it was revealed to him by God Himself is undeniable
If
his integrity had been in question, and he was supposed to have been motivated
by the desire for personal glory to produce the Quran, why then would he
disclaim authorship and instead claim it was from God, especially when the
pagan Meccans had conceded that no one could produce such a scripture (Quran
2:23-24, 17:88, etc.), but only marvel at it ? t
His
enemies even offered him kingship over Mecca and any riches he desired if only
he would stop reciting. If it was true that he desired his personal glory and
leadership, why would he decline the offer when it was presented to him and
instead prefer a life of humility, simplicity, persecution, sanctions, and even
hostile attack by those who felt threatened by the Message of One God?
In
addition, how reasonable is it to believe that unlettered Muhammad would author
the Quran for personal benefit and then within the Quran correct and
reprove
himself ? For example
“He frowned and turned away when the blind man came to him…” Quran 80:1-2
And
also
“…And you did fear men, though God is more deserving that you
should fear Him” Quran 33:37
There
are other verse you may refer to, such as chapter18,
verse 23-24, and others. Why would he embarrass himself when he could
simply omit or favorably modify such verses in the Quran? They were
certainly not to his advantage if his goals were power and prestige. The
existence of such verses only proves that Muhammad was indeed a truthful and sincere
Messenger of God
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