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The Quran (Introduction) . Perhaps the first and most immediate impression received by a first time reader of the Quran is that the book does not conform to the normal forms, styles or structures that he/she is used to. To a sceptic, the book offers many confusing issues. In a paper with the title "Is the Qur'an the Word of God?", the sceptic Joseph Smith writes: " ..... The Qur'an, on the other hand, reads more like a jumbled and confused collection of statements and ideas, many of which bear little relationship to preceding chapters and verses. Many scholars admit that the Qur'an is so haphazard in its make-up that it requires the utmost sense of duty for anyone to plough through it!" The German secular scholar Salomon Reinach wrote: "From the literary point of view, the Koran has little merit. Declamation, repetition, puerility, a lack of logic and coherence strike the unprepared reader at every turn. It is humiliating to the human intellect to think that this mediocre literature has been the subject of innumerable commentaries, and that millions of men are still wasting time in absorbing it." (Reinach 1932:176) Others have criticised the symmetry of the Quran. Normally, and in any work, they would expect to find a number of chapters of relatively comparable length, but the Quran contains 114 Suras (chapters) arranged in progressively diminishing lengths! With the exception of the opening Sura (The Key), the longest Suras are placed in the front of the book and the shortest at the end. The variation in size is once again obvious. The longest Sura contains 286 verses (ayat) while the shortest is made up of no more than 3 verses! But that is not all, normally we would expect to find each chapter dealing with one major theme. This is not always the case in the Quran, for although many of the shorter Suras are confined to a single topic or incident, it is not uncommon to find other Suras which deal with most of the subjects of the Quran. Moreover, we often find the topic categorically changed between one verse and its successor. This is another area of confusion to any sceptic. After all, and in any other book, any subject is only introduced after sufficient preparation. The fact that in the Quran a major subject may suddenly, and without any preparation be upon the reader prompts such remarks as "jumbled arrangement of statements" that we have read above. But is the Quran truly a "jumbled arrangement of statements"? Is the Quran in reality a book that lacks logic and coherence? The obvious reply to this question is .... 'it depends on the criteria we employ' ..... If we assess the Quran as we would assess a novel by Dickens or a play by Shakespeare, and proceed to grade the Quran upon whether it conforms to the style in these works, then the Quran would appear to be very odd and in a sense haphazard. After all, these works comprise a beginning, middle and an end. With the Quran this is largely irrelevant, for it is possible to start reading the Quran from any chapter and not feel at all out of touch. But with the same token, if we place a book of logarithms next to a play by Shakespeare and judge it similarly, we would also end up with the conclusion that the book of logarithms is no more than a jumbled and odd book! But does that mean that it really is ? The answer is NO. As a matter of fact, the Quran is no more odd than a play by Shakespeare if the play was placed among a number of books of logarithms and scientific data .. Since the majority of sceptic work available is by Biblical critics, it is also understandable that they have compared the style of the Quran with that of the Bible. In the Bible stories have beginnings and endings within the same chapter. Subjects do not fluctuate between adjacent verses as they do in the Quran, and to a great extent the Bible is more systematic in its style and narration. The same critics are often taken aback by the language of the Quran. Indeed the language of the book is the language of men, however, the meanings expressed are delivered with such assured and absolute authority that it seems to provoce these sceptics for one reason or another! So why is the Quran written in such a fashion? To reply to this question we must consider the following characteristics of the Quran: 1- Scientific Presentation Although the Quran is not a scientific reference, yet the presentation and delivery of information throughout it is often more in the mould of scientific references. If we read a book of physics or chemistry we note their lack of theme presentation. To present a scientific fact, whether it is the number of electrons in various elements or the resistance of semi-conductors, no literary presentation is necessary. The bare facts are simply stated and they stand on the merit of their evidence and not the language of their presentation. This is not the same in a work of literature, that being a novel, a play ... etc. The author is always trying to impress the reader with his/her work. To achieve that purpose the author engages in much preparation, elaboration, phrase ornamentation and witty development of the theme in order to attain the best impact on the reader. With the exception of a few locations where a complete story is told from beginning to end (e.g. the story of Joseph in Sura 12), the Quran is not a collection of tales placed one next to the other. Moreover, although the Quran contains many historical accounts of various people and times, yet the Quran is not a historic reference. Indeed, all these scientific, historic and allegoric references in the Quran are placed there for serving the overall message of the book. Quranic Ayats (verses) present pieces of truths that do away with elaborate presentation and ornate diction. The Quran, being the word of God is truth. God is not in need of elaboration or skillful justification to convince the reader. If the reader is guided by the truth of the Quran, it is to his own good and is not of any benefit to God. In that sense, it is possible to compare the presentation of information within the Quran with that in a scientific reference. Quranic verses (ayat) deliver a truth independent within themselves. Various adjacent verses contain independent truths that are placed side by side. Having said that, it is still necessary for any person studying a specific subject in the Quran to study all the verses in the book that speak of the common theme. These are often found in anumber of Suras and not one single Sura. Many readers have often arrived at false interpretations of Quranic verses simply because they studied one verse in isolation (for more info see the section on 'hints for reading the Quran'). The Quran, although not a scientific reference, yet contains an abundance of scientific information that was not known to man at the time of the revelation of the Quran in the early 7th century (see the section on Science in the Quran). Remarkably, the majority of this information is delivered in a manner that is both reflective and also very accurate in their scientific content. Examples of those are found in such verses as the one that speaks of nuclear reactions inside stars (24:3) or the verse that describes the event of the Big Bang (21:30). 2- Challenge of the Quran The Quran is not a book of poems, yet much of it is written in a semi-poetic manner. It is not uncommon to find thirty or more consecutive verses ending in rhyme (e.g. the last 35 verses of Sura 78). However, an important matter must be clarified here. For many centuries, the Arab Muslims have claimed that the challenge made by God in verses like 2:23 and 17:88 is related to producing a book that matches the poetic style of the Quran. . "If you have any doubt regarding what We revealed to our servant, then produce one sura like these, and call upon your own witnesses against God, if you are truthful." 2:23 . "Say, "If all the humans and all the jinns banded together in order to produce a Quran like this, they could never produce anything like it, no matter how much assistance they lend one another." 17:88 . But is the challenge of the Quran really a poetic challenge? To reply to this question, we must first analyse the feasibility of such a challenge. First, we must find out whether it is possible to set some criteria for resolving the outcome. What criteria must we use to compare the poetic style of the Quran to that of any other book? What are the deciding factors that would lead us to decide that one book is superior to the other from a poetic point of view ? Would it be the number of rhymes? Would the total number of different words used be a deciding factor? Should we consider the diversity or frequency of the allegorical phrases? should we count the metaphors ...... Or what ? Immediately, we are faced with a major dilemma! Immediately, we realise that it is hard enough to compare two works by the SAME author with any degree of practicality, like Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth, let alone the Quran with any other book? It is just not possible. For although one can just say "I like Hamlet more" or "I like Macbeth more", yet at the end of the day it is not possible to say which is a superior work. Equally, it is not possible to determine which of Mozart's piano works is the most superior? We cannot ! Different people will always have different favourites. It will soon be apparent that with respect to any two works of art, whether they are novels, symphonies or a sculptures, and because of the lack of a measuring devices and criteria, it is NOT possible to determine in any practical sense which is the superior one. It all depends on the individual taste of different people. Consequently, we find that this was very much the verdict of all those who had to give an opinion regarding the poetic claim of the superiority of the Quran. All the Muslims would say that the Quran is the most superior book with regards to poetic fluency, and all non-Muslims would say otherwise. Who is to decide the outcome? Is it rationally possible to arrive at a conclusive outcome? The answer is once again NO. The next question is whether God in His infinite wisdom would really give us a challenge in the Quran when He knows that this challenge cannot be resolved? Once again the answer is NO. It was not until the year 1974, when an Egyptian chemist, Dr. Rashad Khalifa discovered the true meaning of the challenge of the Quran. Dr. Khalifa discovered that the whole Quran was coded with the number 19 in such an intricate manner that it presented a miraculous structure that is easy to see but impossible to duplicate. Mathematics, being the ultimate science, cannot be refuted or disclaimed. Any field of science is based on a collection of theories current to our present knowledge and understanding. Scientific theories are being assessed and re-assessed all the time, their accuracy depending on our current understanding and also on the efficiency of the current measuring devices. But not so in mathematics! No one is likely to come up tomorrow or next century and discover that 1 + 2 = 4 ! No one is likely to come up tomorrow and discover that the sum of two positive numbers is a negative number! This is the reason why God has chosen mathematics to present mankind with a visible proof of His existence and the proof that the Quran is His word. The challenge from God is simply to duplicte the numerical miracle of the Quran. Within the numerical structure of the Quran we witness a total defiance of all the laws of probabilities. For detailed information about the miracle and the challenge please go to: . . The Quran, like all other divine Scriptures contains God's law, not only the laws that prescribe the rituals and practices of worship, but also the means to attain righteousness. The Quran always offers firm and straightforward solutions, and is not interested in half solutions. If more than one solution is offered it is always to make allowance for difficult or unusual situations. The Quran presents man with the invitation to accept God spiritually as well as intellectually. The invitation to reflect on God's signs and revelations is well pronounced throughout the Quran. The Quran condemns dogmatic and unverified convictions, in 17:36 we are given an invitation to believe only in what we have verified for ourselves. While numerous other verses invite us to reflect on God's infinite signs found in the universe around us : "You shall not accept any information, unless you verify it for yourself. I have given you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brain, and you are responsible for using them." 17:36 "In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who utilise their minds" 3:190 "Why do they not study the Quran carefully? Do they have locks on their minds?" 47:24 "They remember God while standing, sitting, and on their sides, and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth .........." 3:191 "We will show them our proofs in the horizons, and within themselves, until they realize that this is the truth. Is your Lord not sufficient as a witness of all things?" 41:53 These verses particularly the last one, confirm that God has given us proofs of His existence, in the Quran and also in the whole universe. This intellectual call for accepting God is in contrast to the predominantly spiritual route advocated throughout the New Testament. Consequently the call of "Just have faith" that is echoed in many Churches today, is replaced in the Quran by a call to read, reflect and verify. Sadly, some traditional Muslims who have yet to accept the great miracle of the Quran, find it hard to accept that God has given us a concrete and scientific proof of His existence in the Quran. Sadly, this only exposes their ignorance with the Quran, and particularly the following verse: "O people, a proof has come to you from your Lord; we have sent down to you a profound beacon (Quran)." 4:174 The link between the proof and the Quran in the same verse is self indicative. . Back to "QURAN" page . |
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