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The amazing Quran Calling the Quran amazing is not something done only by
Muslims, who have an appreciation for the Book and who are pleased with it; it
has been labeled amazing by non-Muslims as well. In fact, even people who hate
Islam very much have still called it amazing. One thing which surprises non-Muslims who are examining the
Book very closely is that the Quran does not appear to them to be what they
expected. What they assume is that they have an old book which came fourteen
centuries ago from the Arabian desert; and they expect that the book should look
something like that - an old book from the desert. And then they find out that
it does not resemble what they expected at all. Additionally, one of the first
things that some people assume is that because it is an old book which comes
from the desert, it should talk about the desert. Well, the Quran does talk
about the desert - some of its imagery describes the desert; but it also talks
about the sea - what it's like to be in a storm on the sea. Some years ago, the story came to us in Toronto about a man
who was in the merchant marine and made his living on the sea. A Muslim gave him
a translation of the Quran to read. The merchant marine knew nothing about the
history of Islam but was interested in reading the Quran. When he finished
reading it, he brought it back to the Muslim and asked, "This Muhammad, was he a
sailor?" He was impressed at how accurately the Quran describes a storm on a
sea. When he was told, "No, as a matter of fact, Muhammad
Smaller than the atom: Many centuries before the onset of Muhammad's
In honey there is healing Another example of what one might expect to find in an "old
book" that touches upon the subject of health or medicine is outdated remedies
or cures. Various historical sources state that the Prophet
At first glance, to the non-Muslims this appears to be a
negligent omission. They cannot understand why Allaah would not "include" such
helpful information in the Quran. Some Muslims attempt to explain this absence
with the following argument: "Although the Prophet's
However, when one examines the true realities of the Quran in
terms of its existence as a divine revelation, the entire matter is quickly
brought into its proper perspective, and the error in such argumentation becomes
clear and understandable. It must be understood that the Quran is a divine
revelation, and as such, all information in it is of divine origin. Allaah
revealed the Quran from Himself. It is the Speech of Allaah, nothing can be
added, subtracted or altered. There was no "home remedies" in the Quran which one could
claim to be outdated; nor does it contain any man's view about what is
beneficial to health, what food is best to eat, or what will cure this or that
disease. In fact, the Quran only mentions one item dealing with medical
treatment, and it is not in dispute by anyone. It states that in honey there is
healing. And certainly, I do not think that there is anyone who will argue with
that! Not from Muhammads's
If one assumes that the Quran is the product of a man's mind,
then one would expect it to reflect some of what was going on in the mind of the
man who "composed" it. In fact, certain encyclopedias and various books claim
that the Quran was the product of hallucinations that Muhammad
It is common knowledge that Muhammad
Yet Muhammad
Test of falsification A truly scientific approach to the Quran is possible because
the Quran offers something that is not offered by other religious scriptures, in
particular, and other religions, in general. It is what scientists demand. Today
there are many people who have ideas and theories about how the universe works.
These people are all over the place, but the scientific community does not even
bother to listen to them. This is because within the last century the scientific
community has demanded a test of falsification. They say: "If you have theory,
do not bother us with it unless you bring with that theory a way for us to prove
whether you are wrong or not." Such a test was exactly why the scientific community listened
to Einstein towards the beginning of the century. He came with a new theory and
said: "I believe the universe works like this; and here are three ways to prove
whether I am wrong!" So the scientific community subjected his theory to the
tests, and within six years it passed all three. Of course, this does not prove
that he was great, but it proves that he deserved to be listened to because he
said: "This is my idea; and if you want to try to prove me wrong, do this or try
that." This is exactly what the Quran has - falsification tests. Some are old
(in that they have already been proven true), and some still exist today. Basically it
states: "If this book is not what it claims to be, then all you have to do is
this or this or this to prove that it is false." Of course, in 1400 years no one
has been able to do "This or this or this, "and thus it is still considered true
and authentic. I suggest to you that the next time you get into dispute with
someone about Islam and he claims that he has the truth and that you are in
darkness, you leave all other arguments at first and make this suggestion. Ask
him: "Is there any falsification test in your religion? Is there anything in
your religion that would prove you are wrong if I could prove to you that it
exists - anything?" Well, I can promise right now that people will not have
anything - no test, no proof, nothing! This is because they do not carry around
the idea that they should not only present what they believe but should also
offer others a chance to prove they're wrong. However, Islam does that. A
perfect example of how Islam provides man with a chance to verify its
authenticity and "prove it is wrong" occurs in the 4th chapter. And quiet
honestly, I was surprised when I first discovered this challenge. Allaah Says
(what means): “Then do they not reflect upon
the Qur’an? If it had been from [any] other than Allaah, they would have found
within it much contradiction.” [Quran 4:82] This is a clear challenge to the non-Muslim. Basically, it
invites him to find a mistake. As a matter of fact, the seriousness and
difficulty of the challenge aside, the actual presentation of such a challenge
in the first place is not even in human nature and is inconsistent with man's
personality. One doesn't take an exam in school and after finishing the exam,
write a note to the instructor at the end saying: "This exam is perfect. There
are no mistakes in it. Find one if you can!" One just doesn't do that. The
teacher would not sleep until he found a mistake! And yet this is the way the Quran approaches people. Another
interesting attitude that exists in the Quran repeatedly deals with its advice
to the reader. The Quran informs that reader about different facts and then
gives the advice: "If you want to know more about this or that, or if you doubt
what is said, then you should ask those who have knowledge." This too is a
surprising attitude. It is not usual to have a book that comes from someone
without training in geography, botany, biology, etc., who discusses these
subjects and then advises the reader to ask men of knowledge if he doubts
anything.
Yet in every age there have been Muslims who have followed the advice of the Quran and made surprising discoveries. If one looks to the works of Muslim scientists many centuries ago, one will find them full of quotations from the Quran. These works state that they did research in such a place, looking for something. And they affirm that the reason they looked in such and such a place was that the Quran pointed them in that direction. For example, the Quran mentions man's origin and then tells the reader, "Research it!" It gives the reader a hint where to look and then states that one should find out more about it. This is the kind of thing that Muslims today largely seem to overlook - but not always, as illustrated in the following example. A few years ago, a group of men in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia collected all of the verses in the Quran which discuss embryology - the growth of the human being in the womb. They said: "Here is what the Quran says. Is it the truth?" In essence, they took the advice of the Quran, Allaah Says (what means): “So ask the people of the message [i.e. former scriptures] if you do not know.” [Quran 16:43]Only has been divinely
revealed They chose, as it happened, a non-Muslim who is a professor
of embryology at the University of Toronto. His name is Keith Moore, and he is
the author of textbooks on embryology - a world expert on the subject. They
invited him to Riyadh and said: “This is what the Quran says about your subject.
Is it true? What can you tell us?” While he was in Riyadh, they gave him all of
the help that he needed in translation and all of the cooperation for which he
asked. And he was so surprised at what he found that he changed his textbooks.
In fact, in the second edition of one of his books called "Before We Are
Born...", about the history of embryology, he included some material that was
not in the first edition because of what he found in the Quran. Truly this
illustrates that the Quran was ahead of its time and that those who believe in
the Quran know what other people do not know. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Keith Moore for a
television presentation, and we talked a great deal about this - it was
illustrated by slides and so on. He mentioned that some of the things that the
Quran states about the growth of the human being were not known until thirty
years ago. In fact, he said that one item in particular - the Quran's
description of the human being as a "leech-like clot" ('alaqah) at one
stage - was new to him; but when he checked on it, he found that it was true,
and so he added it to his book. He said: "I never thought of that before," and he went to the
zoology department and asked for a picture of a leech. When he found that it
looked just like the human embryo, he decided to include both pictures in one of
his textbooks. Dr. Moore also wrote a book on clinical embryology, and when he
presented this information in Toronto, it caused quite a stir throughout Canada.
It was on the front pages of some of the newspapers across Canada, and some of
the headlines were quite funny. For instance, one headline read: "SURPRISING
THING FOUND IN ANCIENT BOOK"! It seems obvious from this example that people do
not clearly understand what it is all about. As a matter of fact, one newspaper
reporter asked Professor Moore, "Don't you think that maybe the Arabs might have
known about these things - the description of the embryo, its appearance and how
it changes and grows? Maybe there were not scientists, but maybe they did
something crude dissections on their own - carved up people and examined these
things." The professor immediately pointed out to him that he [i.e.,
the reporter] had missed a very important point - all of the slides of the
embryo that had been shown and had been projected in the film had come from
pictures taken through a microscope. He said: "It does not matter if someone had
tried to discover embryology fourteen centuries ago, they could not have seen
it!" All of the descriptions in the Quran of the appearance of the embryo are of
the item when it is still too small to see with the naked eye; therefore, one
needs a microscope to see it. Since such a device had only been around for
little more than two hundred years, Dr. Moore taunted, "Maybe fourteen centuries
ago someone secretly had a microscope and did this research, making no mistakes
anywhere. Then he somehow taught Muhammad
Although the aforementioned example of man researching
information contained in the Quran deals with a non-Muslim, it is still valid
because he is one of those who is knowledgeable in the subject being researched.
Had some layman claimed that what the Quran says about embryology is true, then
one would not necessarily have to accept his word. However, because of the high
position, respect, and esteem man gives scholars, one naturally assumes that if
they research a subject and arrive at a conclusion based on that research, then
the conclusion is valid. One of Professor Moore's colleagues, Marshall Johnson, deals
extensively with geology at the University of Toronto. He became very interested
in the fact that the Quran's statements about embryology are accurate, and so he
asked Muslims to collect everything contained in the Quran which deals with his
specialty. Again people were very surprised at the findings. Since there are a
vast number of subjects discussed in the Quran, it would certainly require a
large amount of time to exhaust each subject. It suffices for the purpose of
this discussion to state that the Quran makes very clear and concise statements
about various subjects while simultaneously advising the reader to verify the
authenticity of these statements with research by scholars in those subjects. As illustrated, the Quran has clearly emerged authentic.
Undoubtedly, there is an attitude in the Quran which is not found anywhere else.
It is interesting how when the Quran provides information, it often tells the
reader: "You did not know this before." Indeed, there is no scripture that
exists which makes that claim. All of the other ancient writings and scriptures
that people have, do give a lot of information, but they always state where the
information came from. For example, when the Bible discusses ancient history, it
states that this king lived here, this one fought in a certain battle, another
one had so many sons, etc. Yet it always stipulates that if you want more
information, then you should read the book of so and so because that is where
the information came from. In contrast to this concept, the Quran provides the
reader with information and states that this information is something new. Of
course, there always exists the advice to research the information provided and
verify its authenticity. It is interesting that such a concept was never
challenged by non-Muslims fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, the Makkans who hated
the Muslims, time and time again they heard such revelations claiming to bring
new information; yet, they never spoke up and said: "This is not new. We know
where Muhammad got this information. We learned this at school." For instance, the telephone book is accurate, but that does not mean that it is divinely revealed. The real problem lies in that one must establish some proofs of the source the Quran's information. The emphasis is on the reader. One cannot simply deny the Quran's authenticity without sufficient proof. If, indeed, one finds a mistake, then he has the right to disqualify it. This is exactly what the Quran encourages. Once a man came up to me after a lecture I delivered in South Africa. He was very angry about what I had said, and so he claimed: "I am going to go home tonight and find a mistake in the Quran." Of course, I said: "Congratulations. That is the most intelligent thing that you have said." Certainly, this is the approach Muslims need to take with those who doubt the Quran's authenticity, because the Quran itself offers the same challenge. An inevitably, after accepting its challenge and discovering
that it is true, these people will come to believe it because they could not
disqualify it. In essence, the Quran earns their respect because they themselves
have had to verify its authenticity. An essential fact that cannot be reiterated
enough concerning the authenticity of the Quran is that one's inability to
explain a phenomenon himself does not require his acceptance of the phenomenon's
existence or another person's explanation of it. Specifically, just because one cannot explain something does
not mean that one has to accept someone else's explanation. However, the
person's refusal of other explanations reverts the burden of proof back on
himself to find a feasible answer. This general theory applies to numerous
concepts in life, but fits most wonderfully with the Quranic challenge, for it
creates a difficulty for one who says: "I do not believe it." At the onset of
refusal, one immediately has an obligation to find an explanation himself if he
feels others' answers are inadequate. In fact, in one particular Quranic verse
which I have always seen mistranslated into English, Allaah mentions a man who
heard the truth explained to him. It states that he was derelict in his duty
because after he heard the information, he left without checking the verity of
what he had heard. In other words, one is guilty if he hears something and does
not research it and check to see whether it is true. One is supposed to process all information and decide what is
garbage to be thrown out and what is worthwhile information to be kept and
benefited from at a later date. One cannot just let it rattle around in his
head. It must be put in the proper categories and approached from that point of
view. For example, if the information is still speculatory, then one must
discern whether it's closer to being true or false. But if all of the facts have
been presented, then one must decide absolutely between these two options. And
even if one is not positive about the authenticity of the information, he is
still required to process all of the information and make the admission that he
just does not know for sure. Although this last point appears to be futile, in actuality, it is beneficial to the arrival at a positive conclusion at a later time in that it forces the person to at least recognize, research and review the facts. This familiarity with the information will give the person "the edge" when future discoveries are made and additional information is presented. The important thing is that one deals with the facts and does not simply discard them out of empathy and disinterest. The real certainty about the truthfulness of the Quran is
evident in the confidence that is prevalent throughout it; and this confidence
comes from a different approach - "Exhausting the Alternatives." In essence, the
Quran challenges the reader to come up with some other explanation. Here is a
book made of paper and ink. Where did it come from? It says it is a divine
revelation; if it is not, then what is its source? The interesting fact is that
no one has with an explanation that works. As has already been mentioned, there is much information
contained in the Quran whose source cannot be attributed to anyone other than
Allaah. For example, who told Muhammad
Confidence of prophethood For example, the Prophet
In other words, it affirmed that he would never become a
Muslim and would therefore be condemned forever. For ten years all Abu Lahab had
to do was to say: "I heard that it has been revealed to Muhammad that I will
never change - that I will never become a Muslim and will enter the Hellfire.
Well I want to become a Muslim now. How do you like that? What do you think of
your divine revelation now?" But he never did that. And yet, that is exactly the
kind of behavior one would have expected from him since he always sought to
contradict Islam. Another example of the confidence which Muhammad
Now, if one knows that he is fooling the people, where does one get this kind of attitude? In fact, such a frame of mind is not characteristic of a liar or a forger at all. So, as has been previously mentioned, the non-Muslims go around and around in a circle, searching for a way out - some way to explain the findings in the Quran without attributing them to their proper source. On one hand, they tell you on Monday, Wednesday and Friday: "The man was a liar," and on the other hand, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday they tell you: "He was crazy." What they refuse to accept is that one cannot have it both ways; yet they need both excuses to explain the information in the Quran . Did the Devil do it About seven years ago, I had a minister over to my home. In
the particular room which we were sitting there was a copy of the Glorious Quran
on the table, face down, and so the minister was not aware of which book it was.
In the midst of a discussion, I pointed to the Quran and said: "I have
confidence in that book." Looking at the Quran but not knowing which book it
was, he replied, "Well, I tell you, if that book is not the Bible, it was
written by a man!" In response to his statement, I said: "Let me tell you
something about what is in that book." And in just three to four minutes I
related to him a few things contained in the Quran. After just those three or
four minutes, he completely changed his position and declared, "You are right. A
man did not write that book. The Devil wrote it!" Indeed, possessing such an attitude is very unfortunate - for
many reasons. For one thing, it is a very quick and cheap excuse. It is an
instant exit out of an uncomfortable situation. As a matter of fact, there is a
famous story in the Bible that mentions how one day some of the Jews were
witnessed when Jesus
Another Example of people's use of this weak stance can be
found in the Makkans' explanation of the source of Muhammed's
Thus it gives an argument in reply to such a theory. In fact,
there are many arguments in the Quran in reply to the suggestion that devils
brought Muhammad
And in another place in the Quran, Allaah Says (what means): "So when you recite the Qur’an, [first] seek refuge in Allaah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy].” [Quran 16:98]. Now is this how Satan writes a book? He tells one: "Before you read my book, ask God to save you from me.” This is very, very tricky.Indeed, a man could write something like this, but would Satan do this? Many people clearly illustrate that they cannot come to one conclusion on this subject. On one hand, they claim that Satan would not do such a thing and that even if he could, God would not allow him to; yet, on the other hand, they also believe that Satan is only that much less than God. In essence they allege that the Devil can probably do whatever God can do. And as a result, when they look at the Quran, even as surprised as they are as to how amazing it is, they still insist, "The Devil did this!" Thanks be to Allaah, Muslims do not have that attitude. Although Satan may have some abilities, they are a long way separated from the abilities of Allaah. And no Muslim is a Muslim unless he believes that. It is common knowledge even among non-Muslims that the Devil can easily make mistakes, and it would be expected that he would contradict himself if and when he wrote a book. For indeed, Allaah Says (what means): “Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from [any] other than Allaah, they would have found within it much contradiction.” [Quran 4:82]Telling facts not lies In conjunction with the excuses that non-Muslims advance in
futile attempts to justify unexplainable verses in the Quran, there is another
attack often rendered which seems to be a combination of the theories that
Muhammad
For example, if one is mentally ill and claims: "I am the
king of England," a psychologist does not say to him: "No you aren't. You are
crazy!" He just does not do that. Rather, he confronts him with facts and says,
"Okay, you say you are the king of England. So tell me where the queen is today.
And where is your prime minister? And where are your guards?" Now, when the man
has trouble trying to deal with these questions, he tries to make excuses,
saying: Uh... the queen... she has gone to her mother's. Uh... the prime
minister... well he died." And eventually he is cured because he cannot deal
with the facts. If the psychologist continues confronting him with enough facts,
finally he faces the reality and says: "I guess I am not the king of England!" The Quran approaches everyone who reads it in very much the same way a psychologist treats his mythomania patient. Allaah says (what means): “O mankind, there has come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.” [Quran 10:57]. At first glance, this statement appears vague, but the meaning of this verse is clear when one views it in light of the aforementioned example. Basically, one is healed of his delusions by reading the Quran. In essence, it is a therapy. It literally cures deluded people by confronting them with facts. A prevalent attitude throughout the Quran is one which says, "O humanity, you say such and such about this; but what about such and such? How can you say this when you know that?" And so forth. It forces one to consider what is relevant and what matters while simultaneously healing one of the delusions that facts presented to humanity by Allaah can easily be explained away with flimsy theories and excuses.A problem for the Catholic
Church In an article under the subject of the Quran, the Catholic
Church states: "Over the centuries, many theories have been offered as to the
origin of the Quran ... Today no sensible man accepts any of these theories.”
Now here is the age-old Catholic Church, which has been around for so many
centuries, denying these futile attempts to explain away the Quran. Indeed, the
Quran is a problem for the Catholic Church. It states that it is revelation, so
they study it. Certainly, they would love to find proof that it is not, but they
cannot. They cannot find a viable explanation. But at least they are honest in
their research and do not accept the first unsubstantiated interpretation which
comes along. The Church states that in fourteen centuries it has not yet been
presented a sensible explanation. At least it admits that the Quran is not an
easy subject to dismiss. Certainly, other people are much less honest. They quickly
say: "The Quran came from here. The Quran came from there." And they do not even
examine the credibility of what they are stating most of the time. Of course,
such a statement by the Catholic Church leaves the everyday Christian in some
difficulty. It just may be that he has his own ideas as to the origin of the
Quran, but as a single member of the Church, he cannot really act upon his own
theory. Such an action would be contrary to the obedience, allegiance and
loyalty which the Church demands. By virtue of his membership, he must accept
what the Catholic Church declares without question and establish its teachings
as part of his everyday routine. So, in essence, if the Catholic Church as a
whole is saying: "Do not listen to these unconfirmed reports about the Quran,"
then what can be said about the Islamic point of view? Even non-Muslims are
admitting that there is something to the Quran - something that has to be
acknowledged - then why are people so stubborn and defensive and hostile when
Muslims advance the very same theory? This is certainly something for those with
mind to contemplate - something to ponder for those of understanding!
Recently, the leading intellectual in the Catholic Church - a man by the name of Hans - studied the Quran and gave his opinion of what he had read. This man has been around for some time, and he is highly respected in the Catholic Church, and after careful scrutiny, he reported his findings, concluding: "God has spoken to man through the man, Muhammad." Again this is a conclusion arrived at by a non-Muslim source - the very leading intellectual of the Catholic Church himself! I do not think that the Pope agrees with him, but nonetheless, the opinion of such a noted, repute public figure must carry some weight in defense of the Muslim position. He must be applauded for facing the reality that the Quran is not something which can be easily pushed aside and that, in fact, God is the source of these words. As is evident from the aforementioned information, all of the possibilities have been exhausted, so the chance of finding another possibility of dismissing the Quran is nonexistent. For if the book is not a revelation, then it is a deception; and if it is a deception, one must ask: "What is its origin?" And where does it deceive us?" Indeed, the true answers to these questions shed light on the Quran's authenticity and silence the bitter unsubstantiated claims of the unbelievers. A challenge for all times Certainly, if people are going to insist that the Quran is a
deception, then they must bring forth evidence to support such a claim. The
burden of proof is on them, not us! One is never supposed to advance a theory
without sufficient corroborating facts; so I say to them: "Show me one
deception! Show me where the Quran deceives me! Show me, otherwise, don't say
that it is a deception!" An interesting characteristic of the Quran is how it
deals with surprising phenomena which relate not only to the past but to modern
times as well. In essence, the Quran is not an old problem. It is still a
problem even today - a problem to the non-Muslims that is. For everyday, every week, every year brings more and more evidence that the Quran is a force to be contended with - that its authenticity is no longer to be challenged! For example, Allaah Says, (what means): “Have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and We separated them and made from water every living thing? Then will they not believe?” [Quran 21:30] Ironically, this very information is exactly what they awarded the 1973 Noble Prize for - to a couple of unbelievers. The Quran reveals the origin of the universe - how it began from one piece - and mankind continues to verify this revelation, even up to now.Additionally, the fact that all life originated from water would not have been an easy thing to convince people of fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, if 1400 years ago you had stood in the desert and told someone: "All of this, you see (pointing to yourself), is made up of mostly water," no one would have believed you. Proof of that was not available until the invention of the microscope. They had to wait to find out that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the cell, is made-up of 80% water. Nonetheless, the evidence did come, and once again the Quran stood the test of time. In reference to the falsification tests mentioned earlier, it is interesting to note that they, too, relate to both the past and the present. Some of them were used as illustrations of Allaah's Omnipotence and Knowledge, while others continue to stand as challenges to the present day. An example of the former is the statement made in the Quran about Abu Lahab. It clearly illustrates that Allaah, the Knower of the Unseen, knew that Abu Lahab would never change his ways and accept Islam. Thus Allaah dictated that he would be condemned to the Hellfire forever. Such a chapter was both an illustration of Allaah's Divine Wisdom and a warning to those who were like Abu Lahab. The enmity of the Jews An interesting example of the latter type of falsification tests contained in the Quran is the verse which mentions the relationship between the Muslims and the Jews. The verse is careful not to narrow its scope to the relationship between individual members of each religion, but rather, it summarizes the relationship between the two groups of people as a whole. In essence, Allaah states in the Quran that the Christians will always treat the Muslims better than the Jews will treat the Muslims. Indeed, the full impact of such a statement can only be felt after careful consideration of the real meaning of such a verse. It is true that many Christians and many Jews have become Muslims, but as a whole, the Jewish community is to be viewed as an avid enemy of Islam. Additionally, very few people realize what such an open declaration in the Quran invites. In essence, it is an easy chance for the Jews to prove that the Quran is false - that it is not a divine revelation. All they have to do is to organize themselves, treat the Muslims nicely for a few years and then say: "Now what does your holy book say about who are your best friends in the world - the Jews or the Christians? Look what we Jews have done for you!" That is all they have to do to disprove the Quran's authenticity, yet they have not done it in 1400 years. But, as always, the offer still stands open! Historical miraculousness An engineer at the University of Toronto who was interested in psychology and who had read something on it, conducted, researched and wrote a thesis on Efficiency of Group Discussions. The purpose of his research was to find out how much people accomplish when they get together to talk in groups of two, three, ten, etc. The graph of his findings: people accomplish most when they talk in groups of two. Of course, this discovery was entirely beyond his expectations, but it is very old advice given in the Quran: Additionally, the 89th chapter of the Quran mentions a certain city by the name of Iram (a city of pillars), which was not known in ancient history and which was non-existent as far as historians were concerned. However, the December 1978 edition of National Geographic introduced interesting information which mentioned that in 1973, the city of Elba was excavated in Syria. The city was discovered to be 43 centuries old, but that is not the most amazing part. Researchers found in the library of Elba a record of all of the cities with which Elba had done business. Believe or not, there on the list was the name of the city of Iram. The people of Elba had done business with the people of Iram! Allaah Says (what means): “Say, “I only advise you of one [thing] - that you stand for Allaah, [seeking truth] in pairs and individually, and then give thought." There is not in your companion any madness. He is only a warner to you before a severe punishment.” [Quran 34:46]The Quran continues to beat the
odds All of the examples so far given, concerning the various
angles from which one can approach the Quran, have undoubtedly been subjective
in nature; however there does exist another angle, among others, which is
objective and whose basis is mathematical. It is surprising how authentic the
Quran becomes when one assembles what might be referred to as a list of good
guesses. Mathematically, it can be explained using guessing and
prediction examples. For instance, if a person has two choices (i.e., one is
right, and one is wrong), and he closes his eyes and makes a choice, then half
of the time (i.e., one time out of two) he will be right. Basically, he has a
one in two chance, for he could pick the wrong choice, or he could pick the
right choice. Now if the same person has two situations like that (i.e., he
could be right or wrong about situation number one, and he could be right or
wrong about situation number two), and he closes his eyes and guesses, then he
will only be right one fourth of the time (i.e., one time out of four). He now
has a one in four chance because now there are three ways for him to be wrong
and only one way for him to be right. In simple terms, he could make the wrong choice in situation
number one and then make the wrong choice in situation number two; or he could
make the wrong choice in situation number one and then make the right choice in
situation number two; or he could make the right choice in situation number one
and then make the wrong choice in situation number two; or he could make the
right choice in situation number one and then make the right choice in situation
number two. Of course, the only instance in which he could be totally right is
the last scenario where he could guess correctly in both situations. The odds of
his guessing completely correctly have become greater because the number of
situations for him to guess in have increased; and the mathematical equation
representing such a scenario is 1/2 x 1/2 (i.e., one time out of two for the
first situation multiplied by one time out of two for the second situation).
Continuing on with the example, if the same person now has
three situations in which to make blind guesses, then he will only be right one
eighth of the time (i.e., one time out of eight or 1/2 X 1/2 X 1/2). Again, the
odds of choosing the correct choice in all three situations have decreased his
chances of being completely correct to only one time in eight. It must be
understood that as the number of situations increase, the chances of being right
decrease, for the two phenomena are inversely proportional. Now applying this example to the situations in the Quran, if
one draws up a list of all of the subjects about which the Quran has made
correct statements, it becomes very clear that it is highly unlikely that they
were all just correct blind guesses. Indeed, the subjects discussed in the Quran
are numerous, and thus the odds of someone just making lucky guesses about all
of them become practically nil. If there are a million ways for the Quran to be
wrong, yet each time it is right, then it is unlikely that someone was guessing.
The following three examples of subjects about which the Quran has made correct
statements collectively illustrate how the Quran continues to beat the odds.
In the 16th chapter, the Quran mentions that the female bee
leaves its home to gather food (16:68-69). Now, a person might guess on that,
saying: "The bee that you see flying around - it could be male, or it could be
female. I think I will guess female." Certainly, he has a one in two chance of
being right. So it happens that the Quran is right. But it also happens that
this was not what most people believed at the time when the Quran was revealed.
Can you tell the difference between a male and a female bee? Well, it takes a
specialist to do that, but it has been discovered that the male bee never leaves
his home to gather food. However, in Shakespeare's play, Henry the Fourth, some
of the characters discuss bees and mention that the bees are soldiers and have a
king. That is what people thought in Shakespeare's time - that the bees that one
sees flying around are male bees and that they go home and answer to a king.
However, that is not true at all. The fact is that they are females, and they
answer to a queen. Yet it took modern scientific investigations in the last 300
years to discover that this is the case. So, back to the list of good guesses, concerning the topic of
bees, the Quran had a 50/50 chance of being right, and the odds were one in two.
In addition to the subject of bees, the Quran also discusses the sun and the
manner in which it travels through space. Again, a person can guess on that
subject. When the sun moves through space, there are two options: it can travel
just as a stone would travel if one threw it, or it can move of its own accord.
The Quran states the latter - that it moves as a result of its own motion. To do
such, the Quran uses a form of the word sabaha to describe the sun's movement
through space.
In order to properly provide the reader with a comprehensive
understanding of the implications of this Arabic verb, the following example is
given. If a man is in water and the verb sabaha is applied in reference to his
movement, it can be understood that he is swimming, moving of his own accord and
not as a result of a direct force applied to him. Thus when this verb is used in
reference to the sun's movement through space, it in no way implies that the sun
is flying uncontrollably through space as a result of being hurled or the like.
It simply means that the sun is turning and rotating as it travels. Now, this is
what the Quran affirms, but was it an easy thing to discover? Can any common man tell that the sun is turning? Only in
modern times was the equipment made available to project the image of the sun
onto a tabletop so that one could look at it without being blinded. And through
this process it was discovered that not only are there three spots on the sun
but that these spots move once every 25 days. This movement is referred to as
the rotation of the sun around its axis and conclusively proves that, as the
Quran stated 1400 years ago, the sun does, indeed turn as it travels through
space. And returning once again to the subject of good guess, the odds of
guessing correctly about both subjects - the sex of bees and the movement of the
sun - are one in four!
Returning one final time to the subject of good guesses for
the purpose of the present example, the odds that someone guessed correctly
about all the two aforementioned subjects - the sex of bees and the movement of
the sun!
Certainly, one could continue on and on with this example,
drawing up longer and longer list of good guesses; and of course, the odds would
become higher and higher with each increase of subjects about which one could
guess. But what no one can deny is the following: the odds that Mohammed
Indeed, the Quran expects this kind of challenge.
Undoubtedly, if one said to someone upon entering a foreign land: "I know your
father. I have met him," probably the man from that land would doubt the
newcomer's word, saying: "You have just come here. How could you know my
father?" As a result, he would question him: "Tell me, is my father tall, short,
dark, fair? What is he like?" Of course, if the visitor continued answering all
of the questions correctly, the skeptic would have no choice but to say: "I
guess you do know my father. I don't know how you know him, but I guess you do!" The situation is the same with the Quran. It states that it
originates from the One Who created everything. So everyone has the right to
say: "Convince me! If the author of this book really originated life and
everything in the heavens and on the earth, then He should know about this,
about that, and so on." And inevitably, after researching the Quran, everyone
will discover the same truths. Additionally, we all know something for sure: we
do not all have to be experts to verify what the Quran affirms. One's faith
grows as one continues to check and confirm the truths contained in the Quran.
And one is supposed to do so all of his life. May God (Allaah) guide everyone
close to the truth. In conclusion I ask you to consider with care the following. Allaah Says (what means): “But they say, “Why are not signs sent down to him from his Lord?” Say, “The signs are only with Allaah, and I am only a clear warner. And is it not sufficient for them that We revealed to you the Book [i.e. the Qur’an] which is recited to them? Indeed in that is a mercy and reminder for a people who believe.” [Quran 29:50-51]
Source: www.islamweb.net [1/2/2009] |
lived in the desert," that was enough for him. He embraced Islam on the spot. He
was so impressed with the Quran's description because he had been in a storm on
the sea, and he knew that whoever had written that description had also been in
a storm on the sea. Allaah Says (what means): “Or
[they are] like darkness within an unfathomable sea which is covered by waves,
upon which are waves, over which are clouds darkness…” [Quran 24:40],
this description was not what someone imagining a storm on a sea to be like
would have written; rather, it was written by someone who knew what a storm on
the sea was like. This is one example of how the Quran is not tied to a certain
place and time. Certainly, the scientific ideas expressed in it also do not seem
to originate from the desert fourteen centuries ago.
of several years who was dear and important to him, who proceeded him in death
at a very critical period of his life. As a matter of fact, she must have been
quite a woman because when the first revelation came to him, he
not his fear of the initial revelations, which he so beautifully shared with his
wife - nothing; yet, these topics must have hurt him, bothered him, and caused
him pain and grief during periods of his psychological reflections, then these
subjects, as well as others, would be prevalent or at least mentioned
throughout. 
during their emigration to Madeenah. The two clearly saw people coming to kill
them, and Abu Bakr
raised a man from the dead. The man had been dead for four days, and when Jesus
arrived, he simply said: "Get up!" and the man arose and walked away. At such a
sight, some of the Jews who were watching said disbelievingly: "This is the
Devil. The Devil helped him!" Now this story is rehearsed often in churches all
over the world, and people cry big tears over it, saying, "If I had been there,
I would not have been as stupid as the Jews!" Yet ironically, these people do
exactly what the Jews did when in just three minutes you show them only a small
part of the Quran and all they can say is: "The Devil did it. The Devil wrote
that book!” Because they are truly backed into a corner and have no other viable
answer, they resort to the quickest and cheapest excuse available.
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