Muhammad Messenger

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IntheNameofAllah,TheMostMerciful,TheGiverofMercy

The final messenger sent to mankind was a man born in Makkah named Muhammad ibnAbdillaah (). Although many Westerners generally accept that the likes of Abraham (),Moses()andJesus()wereprophetsofGod,theyhavetroubleacceptingthatMuhammad()wasaprophetofGodtoo.Thishasverymuchtodowiththefactthattheirancestorsdidnotaccept themessageof the finalprophet,and consequently, theydonot regardhimasbeingaprophetofGodeither.This fact is clearly reflected in the books of Western academics, as well as the mainstreamWesternmedia. It isnotuncommon tohearProphetMuhammad ()being referred toas theFounderofIslam,1ormoreovertly,astheprophetMuhammad,whoauthoredtheQuran.2IfitcanbeproventhattheProphetMuhammad()wasanimpostorwhofalselyclaimedtobereceivingdivine revelation, thewholemessageof Islaambecomes invalidated.Once it canbeagreed upon that the author of the Quraan can be taken to beMuhammad himself,3 itbecomes easy todismiss the religionof Islaamasbeing solelyamanmade religious traditionfromthepastthatisbetterleftignored.However,therearemanyconclusiveproofsthatstillexisttodaywhichnullifythesefalseclaims,and establish beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Prophet Muhammad () was a truthfulMessengerofGod,andthathefulfilledtheresponsibilitythatwasentrustedtohimasaprophet.Anobjective studyof theProphetMuhammads () life,ofhis truthfulness and excellence in

1BernardLewis,TheCrisisofIslam,TheNewYorkTimes,April6,2003.2CarrieA.Moore,Commonthreadsamongdifferentfaiths,DeseretNews,March1,2003.3QueenslandHumanist, Journalof theHumanist SocietyofQueensland Inc.,Vol. 35No. 1, January2001.

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character,ofthevictoryandaidthatwasgiventohimandthosewhofollowedhimclosely,andofthemiraclesheperformedallactasevidencesofthetruthfulnessofhisprophethood.

IInnffoorrmmaattiioonnAAbboouuttFFuuttuurreeEEvveennttssaassaaPPrrooooffooffPPrroopphheetthhooooddAmongstthemanythingsthatprovethetruthfulnessoftheProphetMuhammadsprophethoodarethesubjectsthathespokeaboutregardingunseenorfutureevents.Thefollowingisashortlist of some of the many prophecies foretold by the Prophet Muhammad (), each of themcorrelatingwithobservablehistoricalphenomena.Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad () spoke about how the rightly guided caliphate of hisCompanionswouldlastforthirtyyears,whereinhe()said:TheCaliphateuponthepropheticway(willbeforaperiodof)thirtyyears,thenAllaahwillgivetherealmorHisrealmtowhomeverHepleases.SaidSaeed(IbnJamhaan):Safeenahsaidtome:AbuBakrruledoveryoufortwoyears,Umarten,UthmaantwelveandAlee,assuch.4TheProphet()alsoinformedhisdaughterFaatimah()thathewoulddie,andthatshewouldbe the first from his family to depart this life after his death. Aaishah (), thewife of theProphet (),related,TheProphet ()called forhisdaughterFaatimahduringhissickness inwhichhedied,andwhisperedsomethingtoher;thenshecried.Afterwardshecalledforher,andwhispered something to her; then she laughed. Said Aaishah: I asked Faatimah about this,wherein she said: The Prophet ()whispered tome, and toldme that hewould die in thesicknessinwhichhediedfrom,soIcried.Followingthis,hewhisperedtomethatIwouldbethefirst from his family to follow him, so I laughed.5 This occurred, just as the Prophet ()informeditwould.

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The Prophet () told hisCompanions towait for the eventual coming of a piousman fromYemen,namedUwaysalQarnee.Truetohismessage,theyawaitedhiscomingafterthedeathoftheProphet(),andusedtoaskafterhim,untileventuallyhewasfound.Jaabir(),oneoftheProphetsCompanions,narrated:WhenthereinforcementsfromamongstthepeopleofYemencame tohim, Umar ibnalKhattaabused to ask them, Is thereamongstyou (amannamed)UwaysibnAamir?(Thisoccurred)untilsuchtimeashecameuponUways.Umarsaid,AreyouUways ibn Aamir?He replied,Yes. Umarsaid:From (theprogeny)ofMuraad, thenQarn?Hesaid,Yes.Umarsaid:Didyouhaveleprosythatyouwerecuredfrom,exceptforaspotthesizeofaDirham?Uwaysreplied:Yes.Umarsaid:Isyourmotherstillalive?Uwaysreplied,Yes.Umarsaid:IheardtheMessengerofAllaah()say,ThereshallcomeuponyouUwaysibnAamirwiththereinforcementsofthepeopleofYemen,fromMuraad,thenfromQarn.Hehadleprosy,butwascuredofit,exceptforaspotthesizeofaDirham.Hehasamotherwhomhetreatskindly.IfhesworebyAllaah,Allaahwouldfulfilhisoath.SoifyoucangethimtoaskAllaahforyourforgiveness,thendoso.(Umarthensaid):SopleaseaskAllaahformyforgiveness,andUwaysaskedAllaahtoforgivehim.

4RelatedbyAbuDaawood(vol.12,p.397)(See:ShaykhMuqbilibnHaadeealWaadiee,asSaheehulMusnadminDalaailanNubuwwah,MaktabahSanaaalAthariyyah,p.638)5RelatedbyalBukhaaree(no.3623)

Section:Messengers:MuhammadTheFinalMessenger 2


ThenUmarsaidtohim:Wheredoyouwant(totravel)?Uwaysreplied:AlKoofah.6Umarsaid:ShouldInotwritetoitsgovernorforyou?Uwaysreplied:ThatIbefromamongsttheanonymousismorebelovedtome.7Furthermore, theProphet ()prophesied thathisCompanion, Abdullaah ibnBusr(),wouldlive foronehundredyears,whenhe ()puthis fingerupon Abdullaahsbeautyspot,saying,Surely,youshallliveforacentury.8ThistookplaceastheProphet()said.AbuHurayrah(),afamousCompanion,saidthefollowingtotheProphet():OMessengerofAllaah,Ihearmanyahaadeeth9fromyou,butIforgetthem.TheProphet()said:Spreadyourgarmentout.SoIspreaditout.Hethenscoopeditup,andsaid,Embraceit.SoIembracedit,andIneverforgotanythingafterthat.10AnyonewhoopensupthebooksofhadeethtodaywillfindthattheCompanionwhorelatedthemostnarrationsisAbuHurayrah;averifiablefact.

PPeeaaccee,,SSeeccuurriittyyaannddJJuussttiicceeAmongstthefutureeventsthattheProphet()spokeaboutwasthetriumphofIslaam,suchasitsspreadtoYemen.HereferredtothiswhentheMuslimswereonlyasmall,persecutedbandliving inMakkah,notyethavingemigrated toMadeenah.TheCompanionscomplained to theProphet () about the suffering theywere experiencing at thehandsof the tribeofQuraysh,saying,WillyounotaskAllaahtohelpus?WillyounotinvokeAllaahforus?TheProphet()answeredbytellingthemabouthowtheformerfollowersoftheprophetshadsufferedgreatly,andhowthisdidnotcausethemtoturnbackfromtheirreligion.He()thensaid:ByAllaah,thisaffair(religion)willcertainlybecompleted(andtriumph),untilaridershallsetout fromSanaatoHadramout, not fearing anything except Allaah or a wolf, lest it harm his sheep.However, you arehasty.11ThishadeethcontainstheprophecythatIslaamwouldspreadtoYemen,whichiteventuallydid,even though the communityofbelievers at the timeof this hadeethwereweak and limited innumberwhilestayinginMakkah.Secondly,thishadeethalsoillustrateshow,whenimplementedcorrectly, Islaambrings aboutpeace, security and justice in the land, as itdid inYemen, andelsewhereinIslaamichistory.

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WhiletheCompanionsweresufferinginMakkah,agreatbattletookplacebetweentheRomansand thePersians, inwhich thePersiansdefeated theRomans. Since theQurayshworshippedidols, theywerepleased that thepolytheisticPersianshaddefeated theRomans.The following

6AformercityinIraq7RelatedbyMuslim(no.6172)8RelatedbyAhmad(vol.4,p.189)(See:DalaailanNubuwwah,p.646)9Propheticalnarrations10RelatedbyalBukhaaree(no.3648)11RelatedbyalBukhaaree(no.6943)



hadeethmentions thedefeatof theRomansand the revelationofhow theRomanswouldsoondefeatthePersians:WhenAllaahsentdownthisverse(regardingtheRomandefeat),AbuBakrasSiddeeqwouldcalloutinthedirectionsofMakkah:

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AleefLaamMeem.12TheRomanshavebeendefeated.Inthenearerland,andthey,

aftertheirdefeat,willbevictorious.Withinthreetonineyears.

[30:15]

SomepeoplefromtheQurayshsaidtoAbuBakr:Thatisbetweenusandyou;yourcompanion[theProphet]claimsthatRomeshalldefeatPersia,inthreetonineyears.Shouldwenotplaceabetwithyouregardingthis?AbuBakrsaid:Certainly!Andthatwasbeforetheprohibitiononbetting.AbuBakrand thepolytheistsagreedupon thebet,and theysaid toAbuBakr:(Exactly)howmanyyearsdoyoumakethethreetonineyears;designatebetweenusandyou,somethinginthemiddle,whichwillleadtoatermination(ofagreement).Accordingly,theyagreeduponsixyears.

Thesixyearspassedbefore(theRomans)victory,sothepolytheiststookAbuBakrsshareofthewager. When the seventh year began, the Romans defeated the Persians, and the Muslimscensured Abu Bakr for designating the amount to be six years. Said Abu Bakr: (I did this)becauseAllaah theMostHigh said, within three tonineyears.At that time,manypeopleembracedIslaam.13Similarly,theProphet()informedhisCompanionsthataftertheextremelytryingBattleoftheTrench, theQurayshwouldno longerattack theMuslims inMadeenah,and that theMuslimswouldnowbetheonestoattacktheQuraysh,whereinhe()said:Now,weshallattackthem,andtheyshallnotattackus;weshalladvancetowardsthem.14Certainly,thisoccurredastheProphet()said,asalHaafithibnHajaralAsqalaaneenotedinhisepicwork,FathulBaaree:Andhereinisasignfromamongstthesignsofprophethood,forhe()performed the lesserHajj (inMakkah) the followingyear, inwhich theQurayshpreventedhimfromapproachingtheKabah.Followingthis,anarmisticewasreachedbetweenthem,until

12ThetruemeaningoftheselettersthatprecedesomeofthechaptersintheQuraanisknownonlytoAllaah.13RelatedbyalBukhaareeinatTaareekhalKabeer(vol.8,p.139)(See:DalaailanNubuwwah,p.642)14RelatedbyalBukhaaree(no.4110)



theQurayshbroke the treaty.And thiswas the cause for the conqueringofMakkah,and thisaffairoccurredashe()stated.15ThiseventualconqueringofMakkahappearedtotheProphet(),whenhewasshownadreaminwhichheandhisCompanionsenteredMakkah,havingtheirheadsshavedandhaircutshort,whicharefromtheritesoftheHajj:

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)z= y s ( $srB z _s)u 3y t)k= ut #u$ t !$# u!$ x

s9$6 s% $[sGs y79s (#n= s? y y s IndeedAllaahshallfulfillthevisionthatHeshowedtoHisMessengerintruth.Certainly,you

shallentertheSacredMosque[inMakkah],ifAllaahwills;secure,(some)havingyourheadsshaved,and(some)havingyourhaircutshort,withoutfear.Heknewwhatyouknewnot,andHegrantedbesidesthatanearvictory.

[48:27]

Not onlydid this conquering ofMakkah occur in the samemanner as stated in thisverse, itoccurredwithout the shedding of blood.When theProphet () and hisCompanions enteredMakkah in thisvictoriousmanner,he () forgave allpastdeeds theQurayshhad committedagainst him.As a result of his merciful stance, people entered into the religion of Islaam indroves.Forindeed,theintentbehindthecallofIslaamistomakethewordofAllaahthehighestintheland,whichisthemessagethatnothingdeservestobeworshippedandserved,excepttheOne,TrueGod.Thiswasthemessageofalltheprophets.16TheProphetMuhammads()actionsshowthathis intentionwasnotoneofblindhatredandrevenge,butrather,astrongdesirefortheguidanceofthecreation.

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15AlHaafithibnHajaralAsqalaanee,FathulBaaree,DaarusSalaamarRiyaadh,no.4110,vol.7,p.506.16ThefirstoftheCommandmentsmentionedintheBiblecallsopenlytothesinglingoutofGodinallworship and the rejection of all forms ofpolytheism: You shallhaveno other godsbeforeme.(Exodus20:3)SincethisverseisthefirstoftheCommandments,itwasobviouslythestartingpointofMosescall tohispeople.ThesecondCommandment isalsorelated tomonotheism,while the thirdCommandment,again,prohibitspolytheism:Youshallnotbowdowntothemorservethem.Thenfollow the other Commandments dealing with honouring parents, not killing, not committingadultery,notstealing,etc.Obviously,commandingthepeoplewithmonotheismandprohibitingthemfrompolytheismwasagreatfundamentalofalltheProphets:AndJesusansweredhim:Thefirstofall the commandments is:Hear,O Israel:TheLord ourGod is oneLord. (Mark 12:29)With thepassingoftime,thesefundamentalshavebecomeabandonedbythosewhoclaimtobefollowingtheseprophets.



TheProphet () also spoke about other future events, such as the conquering ofEgypt.AbuTharr()relatedthattheProphet()said:Verily,youshallconquerEgyptwhichisalandinwhichtheymeasure by theQeeraat.Sowhen you conquer it, behave in the best possiblemanner towards itspeople,forverily,theyhaveinviolabilityandkinship(inregardstoyou),17orhesaid,inviolabilityandaffiliationofmarriage(inregardstoyou).Andwhenyouseetwomenquarrellingforthespaceofabrick,departfromthat(place).SaidAbuTharr:Isaw AbdurRahmaan ibnSharahbeel ibnHasnahandhisbrotherRabeeahquarrellingoverthespaceofabrick,soIleftthat(place).18Indeed,theconqueringofEgyptandthisquarrellingincidentbothtranspired,astheMessengerofAllaah()statedtheywould.Elsewhere,theProphet()spokeabouttheconqueringofthewholeArabianPeninsula,whichwouldbe followedupwith theconqueringof thePersians,asappears inahadeethnarratedbyNaafiibnUtbah(),inwhichhereportsthattheProphet()said:YoushallbattleintheArabianPeninsula,andAllaahwillgrantvictorytoyouinthat,thenyoushallbattlePersia,andAllaahwillgrantvictorytoyouinthat.19Thiseventuallyoccurred,exactlyastheProphet()saiditwould.NotonlydidtheProphet()informhisCompanionsaboutthisfutureevent,healsoamazinglyexplained to themwhatwouldresult from thisgreathistoricaloccurrence.AbuHurayrah (),theCompanionwho receiveddivine intervention inaugmentinghisability tomemorizegreatamountsofahaadeeth,reportedthattheMessengerofAllaah()said:WhenChosroes(ofPersia)isruined,thentherewillbenoChosroesafterhim.AndwhenCaesarisruined,thentherewillbenoCaesarafterhim.20

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We live in a time inwhichmanyMuslimshaveweakened inpracticing their religion as it isintendedtobepracticed.ForoveramillenniumaftertherevelationoftheQuraan,MuslimswereturningtoIslaamastheirsourceofguidance.However,astimepassed,manyMuslimsfellintoneglect,suchthatthereligiousandworldlyaffairstheyhadexcelledinchangedfromasituationof strength to one of weakness. Although Islaam is the second most prominent religionpopulationwiseintheworldtoday,thisgreatnumberofadherentshasnotaidedtheMuslimstoovercometheirweaknessesorproblems.Onthecontrary,coalitionsofnationsarenowabletobandtogetherunderagreeduponpretextsandassaultMuslimcountriesatwill.Thesecoalitionsofthewillingdescendupontheseweaknationsbyusingshockandawe tactics,and then collectivelyproceed todevour thenaturalresourcesofthenations,splittingupthebootyamongstthemselves.

17 The renowned scholar azZuhree (d.124H) said: The kinship (referred to) is that themother of(Prophet) Ishmael is from the Egyptians. (Related by alHaakim (vol.2, p.553) See: Dalaail anNubuwwah,p.521)18RelatedbyMuslim(no.6174)19RelatedbyMuslim(no.6930)20RelatedbyalBukhaaree(no.2907)



ProphetMuhammad()spokeaboutthisexactsituationtohisCompanions,whenhesaid,Itisabouttohappenthatthenationsinviteoneanothertocomeuponyou,justasthoseinvitedtoamealcometogethertoeatfromadish.Sosomeonesaid,Isthatbecauseofoursmallnumberonthatday?Hesaid,Rather,onthatdayyouwillbemany,butyouwillbelikethewastefoamfounduponfloodwater.AndAllaahwill remove the fear of you from the hearts of your enemies andwill castweakness into yourhearts.21Thesefewaforementionedexamplesofprophesy,alongwiththecountlessotherprophesiesandmiracles that were performed, constitute decisive proof that Muhammad () was a truemessengerofGod,likethosebeforehim.

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AlthoughProphetMuhammad ()was grantedmany kinds ofmiracles, the greatestmiraclegrantedtohimwastheeternalmiracleoftheQuraan.TheQuraan contains a challenge tomankind that if they are in doubt as regards the divineoriginsof thisbook, that theymay try either individuallyor collectively toproduce evenonechapterofitslike.Thischallengewasgiveninthreestages.Firstly,thepaganArabsandmankindingeneralwerechallengedtoproducethelikeoftheQuraanasawhole:

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Ortheysay,Heforgedit.Say:Bringyouthentenforgedchapters

likeuntoit,andcallwhomsoeveryoucanotherthanAllaah(toyouraid),ifyouspeakthetruth.[11:13]

Infulfillingthischallenge,theQurayshcouldhaveputanendtoProphetMuhammads()call.Theywouldnothaveneeded to try toenticehim to leavehismissionbyofferinghimwealth,leadershipandmarriage.Likewise,thewarstheywagedontheProphet()andhiscompanionscouldhavebeenaverted,hadtheyandtheirlinguisticexpertsbeenabletorisetothischallenge.The finalchallenge issuedwas toproduce the likeofonlyonechapterof theQuraan.SooratulKawthar is the shortestchapter in theQuraan,beingonly threeverses long.Consequently, thefinalchallengeissuedtomankindistoreproduceonlythreeversesthataresimilartothoseoftheQuraan:

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AndifyouareindoubtconcerningthatwhichWehavesentdowntoOurservant,thenproduceachapterofthelikethereof;andcallyourwitnessesandhelpersbesidesAllaah,if

youaretruthful.[2:23]

HamiltonGibb, the famousArabist from theUniversityofOxford,stated that theQuraan isaliterarymonumentthatstandsbyitself,addingthatitisaproductionuniquetotheArabicliterature,havingneitherforerunnersnorsuccessorsinitsownidiom.

The influenceoftheKoranonthedevelopmentofArabicLiteraturehasbeen incalculableandexerted in many directions, states Gibb. Its ideas, its language, its rhymes pervade allsubsequentliteraryworks ingreateror lessermeasure.Itsspecific linguisticfeatureswerenotemulated,eitherinthechanceryproseofthenextcenturyorinthelaterprosewritings.

Going a step further, Professor Gibb actually concedes the following: No man in fifteenhundredyearshaseverplayedonthatdeeptonedinstrumentwithsuchpower,suchboldness,andsuchrangeofemotionaleffectasMohammaddid.22

ProfessorGibbmade these conclusions after researching the linguisticwonderof theQuraan.However, it seems surprising thatGibbdidnot tiehis findingswith the challenge that exists

22HamiltonGibb,IslamAHistoricalSurvey,OxfordUniversityPress,1980,p.28.(QuotedfromIslamicAwareness:WhatIsTheChallengeOfTheQuranWithRespectToArabicProse&Poetry?)



within theQuraan,whenheconcluded thatMuhammad ()was theonewhoachievedalloftheseincredibleaccomplishments.Afterall,canGibbthinkofanexampleinanylanguageofabookthatchallengesallofmankindtoreproducethelikeofonlyapartofit?Furthermore,couldGibb thinkofanyotherbook in theworld thatexpertscoulddeemasbeinganunsurpassabledisplayofgreatnessinthatparticularlanguage?Couldthispossiblybeacoincidence?Forthesereasons,itseemssurprisingthatGibbsadmissionthattheQuraanhasneitherforerunnersnorsuccessorsdoesnot leadhim to even consider thepossibility that this challenge really camefromtheCreatorandKnowerofallthings.

Similarly, it seems surprising that after affirming thewonders of theQuraan,ProfessorGibbwouldascribethesewonderstosomeoneheknowswasanilliteratemanwhohadnevershownanykindofliteraryorientationorexpertisebeforehebegantoreceiverevelation.

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Neitherdidyou(OMuhammad)readanybookbeforethis,nordidyouwriteanybookwithyourrighthand.Inthatcase,indeed,

thefollowersoffalsehoodmighthavedoubted.[29:48]

Ibn Katheer (d.774H, 1372CE), the renowned commentator on theQuraan, spoke about thisincrediblechallenge,sayingthattheArabsofthattimewerethemosteloquentofnations,andtheywerechallengedwiththistaskseveraltimesoverinMakkahandMadeenah.Thischallengewas givenwhile theMuslims experienced the severity of the paganArabs enmity and theirhatredfor thereligionofIslaam. Inspiteof this, theywerenotable tomeet thischallenge.Forthisreason,Allaahsaid:

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ButifyoucannotdothisandyouwillneverdoitthenfeartheFirewhosefuelismenandstones,preparedforthosewhodisbelieve.

[2:24]

In addition, youwill never is a negation of this ever being able to happen in the future,namely,thatyouwillneverbeabletodoit.Thisisanothermiracle,beingthattheProphet()conveyedtheseverses(fromAllaah)aboutthisdecisiveanddefiniteinformationinadvance,freeoffear,thatthisQuraancanneverbeequalledwithanythingelseinanyage.



Thismatterhasalreadyoccurred,asnobodyhasbeenabletoequaltheQuraanuptothistime;nor is itpossible for this tobedone. How could thisbemade feasible for anyonewhen theQuraan is theactual speechofAllaah, theCreatorofall things?How could the speechof thecreationresemblethespeechoftheCreator?23

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AnotheraspectoftheinimitabilityoftheQuraanistheclaimitcontainsthatitwillbeprotectedfromchange forever. Ifonewere to recollectallof thedifferentkindsofbooks thathaveeverbeenwrittenfromtheearliestoftimes,woulditbepossibletothinkofanyotherbookthatclaimsitwillbepreservedforever?

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Verily,itisWewhosentdowntheQuraan,andindeed,Wewillguardit(fromcorruption).

[15:9]

Incredibly enough, theQuraan that exists todaydoesnotdiffer from oneplace to another. IfanyonetriedtochangealetteroftheQuraanandthishasbeenattemptedMuslimchildrenallovertheworldwouldbeabletocorrectthatindividual.Becauseofitswonderfulstructureandharmoniousnature,anonArabspeakercanmemorizethewholebookinmonths:

9 . ys .e%# 9 t#u )9 $# $t o s)s9 u AndWehaveindeedmadetheQuraaneasytounderstandandremember;

thenisthereanythatwillreceiveadmonition?[54:17]

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In his book entitled Islam,AlfredGuillaume speaks about the inimitability of theQuraan,albeitthroughasomewhatdetractingview:

TheQuranisoneoftheworldsclassicswhichcannotbetranslatedwithoutgraveloss.Ithasa rhythmofpeculiarbeautyandacadence thatcharms theear.ManyChristianArabs speak of its style with warm admiration, and most Arabists acknowledge its

23AlHaafith ImaadudDeen IbnKatheer alQurashee,Tafseer alQuraan alAtheem,DaarulAndalus,p.104105.



excellence.When it isreadaloudorrecited ithasanalmosthypnoticeffect thatmakesthe listener indifferent to its sometimes strange syntax24 and its sometimes, to us,repellentcontent.Itisthisqualityitpossessesofsilencingcriticismbythesweetmusicofits language that has given birth to the dogma of its inimitability; indeed itmay beaffirmedthatwithintheliteratureoftheArabs,wideandfecundasitisbothinpoetryandinelevatedprose,thereisnothingtocomparewithit.25

AlthoughGuillaume iswilling toaffirm the inimitabilityof theQuraan toacertaindegree,heseemsunwillingtoaffirmthegreatestaspectofthemiracleoftheQuraan;itscontent.SpeakingaboutwhatheviewsastheQuraanssometimesrepellentcontent,GuillaumehassuccessfullypassedoverthegreatestaspectoftheQuraanicmiracle,aboutwhichAllaahsaid:

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aguidancetothosewhofearandkeeptheirdutytoAllaah.[2:2]

TheQuraanguidespeople toeverything theCreatorknows isbest forHiscreation,and leadspeople away from those things He knows are detrimental to them. Regarding the guidancecontainedwithin theQuraanandhow somepeopleattempt toplacedoubtupon itsprecepts,Shaykh AbdurRahmaan asSadee (d.1956CE, 1376H), the late scholar of Islaam, posed thefollowing importantquestions:Are they equal, thatwhich themessengers commandedwith,suchastruthfulnessinspeechandactionandsincerityofpurposetoGodandtheenjoiningofgoodnessandkeepingfamilyties,thefulfilmentoftherightsofneighbours,acquaintancesandworkersorthecommandingofwhatopposesthat?Andaretheyequal,thecommandingwithjustice,kindnessandbenevolence,aidingrelatives,theforbiddingofindecency,abominationand

24The syntax thatGuillaume is referring tohere is in fact one of the components of the linguisticmiraclesoftheQuraan.OnlythosewhoaretrulywellgroundedinthedetailsoftheArabiclanguagewouldbeabletounderstandtheamazingimplicationsofsay,thechangesofverbtensethatoccurintheQuraan.ThesesubtletieshaveescapedGuillaumeandmanyorientalistswhohavenotgraspedtheintricaciesof theArabic language enough to realize themiraculoususeof syntax that exists in theQuraan.Had it been otherwise, those who were present at the time of the linguistic peak of the ArabiclanguageintheseventhcenturywouldhaveattackedtheQuraanonthisbasiswhentheywerebeingchallengedtoequal it.Instead, ithasbeenattemptedby latergenerationsofpeoplewhose languageskills areweaker than thosewhowerepresentduring these linguistic golden years, some of thembeingnonnativespeakers.25AlfredGuillaume,Islam,PenguinBooks,1990(Reprinted),pp.7374.(QuotedfromIslamicAwareness:WhatIsTheChallengeOfTheQuranWithRespectToArabicProse&Poetry?)



transgressionagainst thecreationwithregards to theirblood,possessionsandhonour;and thecooperatinguponvirtueandpiety,orthecommandingofwhatopposesthat?26

ThecausesforGuillaumescommentthatsomeoftheQuraancontainsrepellentcontentcanbesourcedbacktotwo importantmatters.Firstly,Guillaumeusedthetermsometimesbecause,quite often, the content of theQuraanmight agreewith the human values that his societyalreadylivesby.ThosematterscontainedwithintheQuraanthatcontradicttheseeverchanginghumanvalueswillthenbedeemedtobefromaformertime,andthusrepellent.However,doesnottheconsistentchangingofvaluesnecessitatethatacontinuousseriesoferrorsisbeingmadeinformingtheseethics?

AnothermatterthatmightcauseGuillaumetodislikepartsoftheQuraanisthewaytheCreatorchallenges thereader toreconsider theirbeliefswithstrong, factualand logicalargumentation.ThepersuasivenessoftheQuraanisreferredtointhefollowingverse:

# s? z | mr& u d, ys9 $$/ y7 s_ ) @ sVy/ y7t ?'t u Andnoexampledotheybring(toopposeortofindfaultinyouorinthisQuraan),

butWerevealtoyouthetruth(againstthatexample),andthebetterexplanationthereof.

[25:33]

Somepeopleareabletorecognizethesefactualargumentsasbeingremediesthataremercifullyputforwardtohealpeoplesheartsofanymisunderstandingsormisconceptionstheyandtheirsocietiesmighthold.Othersfindthatbeingaddressedinthisfashionposesathreattothem,astheyfeeltheirsystemsofbeliefarebeingchallenged,andthusresentthat:

t = j9 u qu u !$ x u #u)9 $# z it u $ t

#Y$| yz ) t= 9 $# t u WesenddownoftheQuraanthatwhichisahealingandamercytothosewhobelieve;

anditincreasesthewrongdoersnothingbutloss.[17:82]

Oneoftheproblemswiththosewhoclaimtobeadherentsoffreedomandliberalismisthattheyareoftennotveryopentoreconsideringcertainconclusionstheymighthavealreadydrawn.Theclaimtobeingliberalistnecessitatesthatanindividualbeopenmindedandreadytochangeanypreconceived notions once convincing proof is provided to substantiate something new ordifferent.Peoplewho claim tobeopen and liberaloftenbecomevery sensitive and intolerant

26Shaykh AbdurRahmaanasSadee, alAdillatulQawaatiwalBaraaheen fee IbtaalUsoolilMulhideen,DaarulMinhaaj,pp.3940)



whenvalid criticismof theirbeliefs ismade.Refusing to consider somethingbefore it isevenbroughtforwardisasignofinsularity,notliberalism.

BeyondsomeoftheclearsignstheQuraancontainswhichindicatethatitcouldneverhavecomeaboutbyanymannevermindanilliterateonethegreatestcomponentoftheQuraanicmiraclecanbefound intheguidance itoffersmankind.Thereaderwillbeabletoweighuptheproofsandevidencesitoffersininvalidatingallmanmadebeliefsandideologies,andwhetherornotitactuallyisaneternalmiracleasatimelesscriterioninjudgingbetweenrightandwrong.

Islam - The Religion of All Prophets


The Coming of a Righteous Man Peace, Security and Justice The Victory of the Romans The Changing Faces of Great Empires Coalitions of the Willing

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