16. THE AMAZING QUR’ᾹN (2)

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab r.a. was one of those who opposed the Prophet in the early period of Islam, but suddenly he became his ally and a defender of Islam. One day before his conversion, he set out to kill the Prophet, but on his way he met someone who had probably converted to Islam and told him that his sister Fatimah and her husband had accepted Islam.  

‘Umar went to his sister’s house and found her reading the Qur’an. He beat her mercilessly, until he was bleeding. She became bold and defiant, and said, “Umar, you can do whatever you like, but you cannot turn our hearts away from Islam.”  He was amazed with his sister’s persistent, and when he read the verses her sister had read before he accepted Islam. The verses run as follows:

طه. مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى. إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى. تَنْزِيلًا مِمَّنْ

خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَى. الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى. لَهُ مَا

فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَى (طه:1-6)

Ṭā Ḥā. We have not sent down the Qur’an unto you to cause

 you distress. But only as a Reminder to those who fear Allah.   Revelation from Him Who created the earth and the high

 heavens. The Most Glorious rose over the (Mighty)

 Throne. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens

 and all that is on the earth, and all that is between

 them, and all that is under the soil. (Q. 20:106)

          The word Ṭā-Hā (طه), like other letters of the alphabet at the beginning of some sῡrahs, (such as A.L.M., A.L.R.)  is not translated, and considered one of the miracles of the Qur’an, and none but Allah Alone knows its meaning. However, some classical Qur’an commentators said that the word Ṭā-Hā in Syriac according to Ibn ‘Abbās , Qatādah, and Sa‘īd ibn Jubayr means “O man”, whereas according to ‘Ikrimah and al-Ḍaḥḥāk  it was from Nabatean language, also meaning “O man.” Al-Ṭabarī (d. 320/923) said that the word Ṭā-Hā meaning “O man” had been used in Acre (a seaport in Palestine). The poet Mutammim ibn Nuwayrah (d. 30/650), one of the ṣaḥābah (companions of the Prophet), used the word ṭāhā meaning “O man” in his poems, such as the following line:

هَتَفْتُ بِطَهَ فِي القِتالِ فَلَمْ يُجِبْ ... فَخِفْتُ عَلَيْهِ أنْ يَكونَ مُوَائِلا

I shouted [to him] “O man” in the fighting, but he did not

 answer, so I feared for him that he might have collapsed.

         The idolaters of the Quraysh said that the Qur’an was sent to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. only to distress him. Therefore, Allah revealed to deny this allegation and states that instead, it is a Reminder for people who fear Allah. However, ‘Umar had distress his sister for accepting Islam.

          The contents of the above verses are: the Qur’an is a Reminder to the Muslims, coming from Allah Who created the heavens and the earth. Everything belongs to Him, on the earth, in the heavens, and what is between the heaves the earth, and what is under the soil.

          Beside the deep meanings of these verses, most of their endings rhyme together sounding ā like poetry.  No wonder that after reading the above verses, ‘Umar said, “This is not the words of human beings, I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”  When he met the Prophet in the house of al-Arqam the Prophet s.a. held him, saying, “Is not this the time for you (to accept Islam?)” ‘Umar answered, “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and you are His Messenger.” On hearing this statement of ‘Umar, those who were present shouted “Allah Akbar” (Allah is Great).

          The Qur’an was revealed in the era where Arabic poetry reached the highest standard of eloquence. The wise saying of the pre-Islamic Arabs was “The beauty of man lies in the eloquence of his tongue.” It is the ability to express oneself forcefully and elegantly. But poetry was esteemed more than prose. Once a year they held a general assembly at the ‘Ukāz where they recited their poems competing among themselves to get the first honour to be the best poet of the year. It was the biggest market in pre-Islamic Arabia. Its approximate location is Southeast of Makkah between Makkah or Nakhlah and Ṭā’if in Hawāzin territory.  Poets came to this place to recite their best poetry, as the best poetry would be hung at the door of the Ka‘bah in honour of the poet. The collection of these ancient Arabic poetry is called al-Mu‘allaqāt (lit. “things hung”, i.e., poetries hung at the door of the Ka‘bah).

          Pre-Islamic poetry was full of boasting and reviling, describing   the joys of battle, the struggle for mastery, the flashing of swords in the battle, the perils of long journeys, the noble horses and camels. One of the seven Mu'allaqāt poems prized as the best examples of pre-Islamic Arabian verse was the long poem (qaṣīdah) of ‘Imru’ al-Qays who was born in the early 6^th century. It contains his lamentation over the ashes of a long deserted encampment which had been the home of his beloved one, as follows:

قِفَا نَبْكِ مِنْ ذِكْرَى حَبِيبٍ ومَنْزِل   *   بِسِقْطِ اللِّوَى بَيْنَ الدَّخُولِ فَحَوْمَلِ

فَتُوْضِحَ فَالمِقْراةِ لَمْ يَعْفُ رَسْمُها   *   لِمَا نَسَجَتْهَا مِنْ جَنُوبٍ وشَمْألِ

Stop, oh my friends, let us pause to weep over the

remembrance of my beloved. Here was her abode on the

edge of the sandy desert between Dakhūl and Hawmal.

The traces of her encampment are not wholly obliterated

even now;  For when the South wind blows the sand

over them the North wind sweeps it away.

The only poet whose poetry was included in the Mu‘allaqat was Labīd ibn Rabī‘ah al-‘Ᾱmirī (d. 41/662) who cited poetry in both pre and post Islamic eras. One line of his poetry was appreciated by the Prophet s.a.w. who considered it the most correct one  among the sayings of the poets, is as follows:

الا كل شي‏ء ما خلا الله باطل *  وكل نعيم لا محالة زائل

Indeed, everything except Allah is futile, and every

 comfort will most certainly come to an end.

What the poet means here is the worldly comfort, not the bliss in Paradise.      

          When the ruler of Kufah requested him to recite some of his poems, he cited sῡrat al-Baqarah, and said after reciting it, “Allah has given me this surah replacing my poems after I have become Muslim.” He lived a long life, 140 years old. At the age of 102 he accepted Islam, and since then he swore that he would never write pagan poetry again.

          One example of the eloquence of the Qur’an is the following verse, containing three orders and three prohibitions as admonition to the Muslims:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى

عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ (النحل:90)  

Verily, Allah orders justice and kindness, and giving

(help) to the relatives, and He forbids immoral sins,

and evil and tyranny. He admonishes you, so that

perhaps you may take heed (Q. 16:90)

           The above verse contains Allah’s orders to do three things and to avoid three things. He orders us to do ‘adl. It means justice, fairness, impartiality, honesty. That means Allah prohibits us from doing its opposite, namely, ẓulum, injustice, unfairness, partiality and dishonesty. Allah orders us to do iḥsān, doing good deeds (for Allah’s sake alone). It means Allah prohibits us from doing bad deeds. Doing good things includes doing voluntary good deeds, such as giving charity to the needy. If you have to pay zakat $10 000 and you give $15 000, giving the extra $5 000 amount is called iḥsān. If you have to feed one poor person as fidyah (ransom) because you are too weak to fast, but you feed two poor persons, then feeding the extra one person is called iḥsān. When the angel Jibrīl asked Prophet Muhammmad s.a.w., “What is iḥsān?” He wanted the Prophet’s companions to hear and learn from his answer. He said,

أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ

 (رواه البخاري ومسلم وغيرهما)

You worship Allah as if you see Him, but if you cannot (worship

Him as if you( see  Him, verily, (be sure that) He sees you.

(Reported by Bukhari and Muslim and others)

          This is not the definition of iḥsān, but the ultimate example of it. The companions of the Prophet knew the meaning of iḥsān, namely, doing good deeds, but they did not know the best example of it, i.e., worshiping Allah as if we see Him. We are created by Allah to worship him. Allah says,   (وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (الذاريات:56             " And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)" So, we want to worship Allah the best way we can, and the Prophet s.a.w. told us how to do it. This is the purpose of our lives. But if we cannot achieve this kind of iḥsān, although we keep trying it, we remain at the level required when we pray, namely, to worship Allah with certainty that He sees us worshiping him. Even this level is not easy to keep, as when we pray our mind may keep wondering, and we have less concentration.

          Allah orders us to give help to our relatives. That means He prohibits us from forgetting, ignoring and abandoning them. We do not choose our father, our mother, our brother and sister. We cannot say that he or she is my former father, my former mother, my former brother, my former sister. This family tie is and should remain unbreakable in Islam. What if they are not good parents, brother or sister, or even if they are not Muslims? Bad luck! Yet, we should keep being good with them, as it is Allah’s command to do so.

          Allah prohibits us from three things: faḥshā’ immoral things,  munkar, evil, and baghy, injustice, tyranny. The word faḥshā’ is something to do with immorality, such as adultery which was commonly practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia. At that time there was no conjugal fidelity. The husbands were indifferent about infidelity of their wives. There was no stain of illegitimacy for the children of prostitutes. Adultery was tolerated except of a person from another line of ancestry; this was usually punished with death.  When it was revealed,

(الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ  ... (البقرة:146

Those to whom We gave the Scripture (Jews and

Christians) recognize him (Muhammad s.a.w.)

as they recognize their sons… 2:146; 6:20)

‘Umar r.a. asked ‘Abdullah ibn Sallām (a converted Jewish scholar) whether he recognized Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. as he recognized his own son, he replied, “Yes, and even more … I recognize him, although I do not know anything about his mother’s story.” He did not know whether his wife was faithful to him or not.

          In modern age, the condition of immorality in pre-Islamic era called the Jāhiliyyah (ignorance) seems similar. For example, in 2011 the illegitimate births in the 27 Union of European counties were 39.5%. In 2009, it was 41%. In Latin America where the highest rate of illegitimacy is between 55 and 74 %. In fact, the institution of marriage is being in jeopardy, especially in the Western world.   

          Allah prohibits us from doing munkar, namely, reprehensible, detestable, and objectionable action. The word literally means “that which is not recognized as good”, so that it becomes “denied, unacknowledged, abominable.” It is, then, anything bad according to Islam is munkar and ḥarām which a Muslim has to avoid, such as, lying, slandering, cheating, backbiting, and drinking alcohol.

          Allah prohibits us from doing baghy, namely, tyranny and oppression. These are the last of the three things prohibited in the above verse; the other two are evil and immoral deeds. These three prohibitions are preceded by three injunctions, namely, justice, iḥsān, translated as “kindness” in the above verse, and giving help to relatives. Then the verse concludes with “He admonishes you, so that

 perhaps you may take heed.” 

          One day the linguist and poet al-Aṣma‘ī (d.740/121) heard a Bedouin girl citing a poem,

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِذَنْبِي كُلِّهِ ... قَبَّلْتُ إِنْسَانًا بِغَيْرِ حِلِّهِ

مِثْلَ الْغَزَالِ نَاعِمًا فِي دَلِّهِ ... فَانْتَصَفَ اللَّيْلُ وَلَمْ أُصَلِّهِ

I ask Allah’s forgiveness for all my sins,

I have kissed a man without his disposal,

like a gazelle tender in his  flirtation,

then midnight come without

doing my night prayer

he said to her:! قَاتَلَكِ اللَّهُ مَا أفصحك  “May  Allah fight you! [an expression indicating blame as well as praise], how eloquent you are!”

        She said, “Is it considered eloquent compared to Allah’s saying,

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ... where in one verse we find two commands, two prohibitions, and two promises of good tidings?” The verse meant by this Bedouin girl runs as follows:

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِي

وَلَا تَحْزَنِي إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (القصص:7)

And We inspired the mother of Moses (telling): “Suckle him,

 but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and

 fear not, nor grieve. Verily, We shall bring him back to you,

  and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers.  (Q. 28:7)

The two commands are: suckle him and cast him into the river. The two prohibitions are: “do not fear and do not grieve”. The two promises and good tidings are: “We shall bring him back to you, and We shall make him one of Our Messengers”. We notice the internal rhymes in this verse are also in pairs: awḥaynā - mūsā; arḍi‘īhi -fa’alqīhi; khifti - ‘alayhi, walā takhāfī - walā taḥzanī, and rāddūhu -jā‘ilūhu. We also notice that the vowel fatḥah a is used 27 times, including 10 long vowels ā, whereas the kasrah i is used 20 times, including 5 long vowels kasrah ī. Only 7 vowels with ḍammah u, including 3 long vowels ῡ are used in this verse. The proportion between the short vowel a, i, and u in this verse is 27: 20: 5; the proportion in long vowel ā, ī, and ῡ is 10: 7: 3. The easiest vowel to pronounce is a and ā, then i and ī, followed by u and ῡ. Babies start learning to speak by opening their mouths, blowing out air, making sound, then the sound will be ”a” or “ā”, later become “pāpā, bābā, māmā,” then the vowel ”i” follows, and they will say “daddy” and “mummy”, then the vowel  “u” follows. سبحان الله! (CIVIC, 28.04.14)

المراجع:

المكتبة الشاملة

تفسير إبن كثير
تفسير الطبري
تفسير القرطبي
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimacy_(law)
https://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198002/the.fair.at.ukaz.htm
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/'Ukaz

15. THE AMAZING  QUR’ᾹN (1)

          History keeps repeating itself. Fourteen centuries ago, Khālid ibn al-Walīd under his leadership ensured the victory of the Makkkan army over the Muslim army led by the Prophet in the Battle of Uḥud in 3/625. Four years later, in 7/629 Khālid ibn al-Walīd came to Madinah and went to the Prophet and converted to Islam. Since then, he became the defender of Islam and the Prophet’s general in his campaigns due to his mastership in warfare. He was called as his epithet, “Sayf al-Islām”, “the Sword of Islam.”

In our modern time we have Dr. Garry Miller who had accepted the challenge of the Qur’ān in 1977.  One year later he became Muslim, the defender of the Qur’ān and a propagator of Islam worldwide. He conducted many debates, discussions, speeches, and one of his main topics is the wondrous nature of the Qur’ān as evidence of its divine origin.

A person among the audience at the end of his speech about the amazing Qur’ān asked him why he used the term “amazing” for the Qur’ān instead of the “Noble” Qur’ān (القرآن الكريم) as the title of his topic. He answered that this title “amazing” was originally from non-Muslim scholars who were amazed with the Qur’ān, although they did not believe in it as divine revelation. He said that in the Qur’ān itself this expression is found. What he meant is the following Qur’ānic verse:

قُلْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ اسْتَمَعَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَقَالُوا إِنَّا سَمِعْنَا قُرْآنًا عَجَبًا (الجن:1)

Say (O Muhammad): “It has been revealed to me that

 a group  jinn listened (to this Qur’an). They said: ‘Verily, we have

heard a wonderful Recitation (this Qur’an)!…’” (Q. 72:1)

This wonderful recitation is itself the amazing Qur’ān. Dr. Miller also said that besides “Noble” the term the “Glorious” (مجيد) is also attributed to the Qur’ān, as mentioned by the Qur’an itself, as follows:

بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَجِيدٌ. فِي لَوْحٍ مَحْفُوظٍ (البروج:21-22)

Nay! This is a Glorious Qur’an. (Inscribed) in

The Preserved Tablet (Q. 85:21-22)

Dr. Miller also mentioned the term “Holy” مُقَدَّس) , sacred) which is originally from “wholely” is attributed to the Bible, not to the  Qur’ān. This term is attributed to the Valley Ṭuwá where Allah spoke to Prophet Moses (Musa a.s.), as follows:

إِنِّي أَنَا رَبُّكَ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى (طه:12)

“Verily, I am your Lord! So take off your shoes; you

are in the sacred valley, Tuwa.” (Q. 20:11-12)

هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَى. إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى ( النازعات: 15-16)

Has there come to you the story of Musa (Moses)?

When His Lord called him in the sacred

 valley of Tuwa (Q. 79:15-16)

        Before introducing the introduction of his book The Amazing Qur’an, Dr. Miller said: “Calling the amazing Qur’an is not something done by Muslims, who have an appreciation for the book who are pleased with it; it has been labelled amazing by non-Muslims as well. In fact, even people who hate Islam very much have still called it amazing.”

        In his introduction Dr. Miller states that non-Muslims who examine the Qur’ān being from the desert of Arabia 14 century ago expect to find it talking about the desert. To their surprise it talked also about the sea. It describes what is like a storm in the sea. Dr. Miller talked about a merchant marine who knew nothing about Islam. One day he borrowed the translation of the Qur’ān from a Muslim, and then returned it after reading it. He was impressed with the accurate description of a storm on a sea, so asked: “This Muhammad, was he a sailor?” When he got the answer: “As a matter of fact, Muhammad lived in the desert,” he embraced Islam on the spot, because he had been in a storm on the sea, and the Qur’an’s description of it must have been from God. This verse runs as follows:

أَوْ كَظُلُمَاتٍ فِي بَحْرٍ لُجِّيٍّ يَغْشَاهُ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ

سَحَابٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا

 وَمَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُورًا فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ نُورٍ (النور:40)

 

Or [the state of disbeliever] is like the darkness in

 a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by

 waves, topped by dark clouds, (layers of) darkness

 upon darkness: if a man stretches out his hand, he

 can hardly see it! And he for whom Allah has not

 appointed light, for him there is no light. (Q. 24:40)

       Scientific discovery found the existence of a wave below the surface of the ocean, so that we have two kinds of wave here, one above the other. This is the scientific interpretation of the above verse.

This is how the Qur’ān portrays the state of disbeliever; without guidance, they are in the dark, darkness upon darkness. This is the opposite condition of the believer mentioned in the previous verse, namely, verse 35 mentioning the condition of the true believer, who receives guidance, i.e.,  “light upon light” (نُوْرٌ عَلَى نُوْر). These verses are in sūrat al-Nūr (Light).

        Dr. Miller mentions the theory of atomism advanced by the Greek philosopher, Democritus, assuming that matters consist of tiny particles called atoms which are indestructible and indivisible. Last century modern science discovered that this atom can be split into   component parts. The Qur’an has mentioned it earlier, as follows:

لَا يَعْزُبُ عَنْهُ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي

الْأَرْضِ وَلَا أَصْغَرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ... (سبأ:3)

… He [Allah] is aware of an atom’s weight in the heavens

 and on the earth, and even smaller than that … (Q. 34:3)

                  Another amazing thing noticed by Dr. Miller is the absence of the Prophet’s advice about health and hygiene in the Qur’ān. For example, it is not included in the Qur’ān الحَبَّة السَّوْدَاء ,  black caraway (L. nigella sativa), known in the Muslim world as habbatussauda,  one of the Prophetic Medicine (الطِّبُّ النَّبّوِيّ)  which is still being used and sold as food supplement to strengthen immune system and as medicine to treat various ailments.  الْحِجَامة (ḥijāmah, cupping) is still being practiced, especially in Indonesia, called bekam, is not mentioned in the Qur’ān. Allah did not want to include the Prophet’s advice and medical treatment which could be outdated. He includes only one medical treatment which nobody would argue against it, namely, honey which will never be outdated. Allah says:

 يَخْرُجُ مِنْ بُطُونِهَا شَرَابٌ مُخْتَلِفٌ أَلْوَانُهُ فِيهِ شِفَاءٌ لِلنَّاسِ

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ ( النحل:69)

There comes from their [bees’] bellies, a drink of varying

 colour wherein is healthy for men. Verily, this is indeed

 a sign for a people who think (Q. 16:69)  

Honey is said to have been used to preserve the mummies because it absorbs the liquid needed by bacteria to survive, and therefore it  kills them.

In Shakespeare’s time, it was believed that bees flying around were males. He mentioned about it in his play Henry the Fourth that bees were soldiers who answered the call of their king. The Qur’ān says that they are females instead of males, as in the following verse:

وَأَوْحَى رَبُّكَ إِلَى النَّحْلِ أَنِ اتَّخِذِي مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا

وَمِنَ الشَّجَرِ وَمِمَّا يَعْرِشُونَ (النحل:(68)  

And your Lord inspired the bees, saying,

 “Take you inhabitants in the mountains and in the

 trees and in what they erect. (Q. 16:68)  

 Dr. Keith More, professor of embryology in the University of Toronto was invited to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to find out if what the Qur’ān says about the subject. Dr. Miller interviewed him later for a television presentation. He said that some of the things stated in the Qur’ān, such as the growth of fetus were not known until thirty years ago. The description of human being at one stage as “leech like clot” mentioned in the Qur’ān (Q. 22:5; 23:14, and 40:67) was new to him and after he found out that it was true he added it in his book with the picture of both the fetus and the leech. When he was asked: “How do you explain this information in the Qur’ān?” He replied: “It could only have been divinely revealed!” Yet, he did not embrace Islam.

The Qur’ān was and is still a problem for non-believers. Many recent discoveries were found giving more evidence on the authenticity of the Qur’an. Allah says in the Qur’ān,

أَوَلَمْ يَرَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ كَانَتَا رَتْقًا فَفَتَقْنَاهُمَا

وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ أَفَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (الأنبياء:30)

Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens

and the earth were joined together as one united piece,

then We parted them? And We have made from

water every living thing. Will they

not then believe? (Q. 21:30)

The theory of Big Bang that the origin of the universe was one piece has been stated in the Qur’ān in the above verse. The Qur’ān’s claim that every living thing is made of water, was proved to be true after the invention of the microscope. They found out that cytoplasm which is the basic substance of the cells is made 80% of water.

Science has discovered spots on the sun which move every 25 days indicating that it rotates around its axis. The Qur’ān has mentioned that the sun swims in the space, not just flying uncontrollably in the space, as follows:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِي

 فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ (الأنبياء:33)

And He it is who has created the night and

 the day, and the sun and the moon, each in

an orbit floating [i.e., swimming].  (Q. 21:33)

لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنْبَغِي لَهَا أَنْ تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ

وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ (يس:40)

It is not for the sun to overtake the moon,

 nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float,

[i.e., swimming] each in an orbit (Q. 36: 40)

The word سَبَحَ has two meanings: to float and to swim. Since the sun rotates as if it is swimming, the second meaning, namely, swimming, should be used for these particular verses.

 Dr. Miller mentions about mythomania, a mental disease where a person lies and believes in them. Psychologists treat the mythomaniac with continually confronting him with facts. For example, if he says that he is the king of England, they do not tell him that he is lying, but they ask him: “Where is then the queen, where is the Prime Minister?” Eventually, he is healed of his delusions, because he cannot deal with facts.

When the Prophet s.a.w. was said to have suffered from mythomania by non-Muslims, but the problem is that what he said in the Qur’ān is entirely based upon facts. On the contrary, the Qur’ān states that it contains healing, including mythomania, as follows:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِمَا فِي

الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (يونس:57)

O mankind, there has come to you an admonition

from your Lord [i.e., the Qur’an]  and a healing

for what is in the heart- and guidance and

mercy for the believers.(Q. 10:57)

        By reading the Qur’ān a person can be healed from his delusions because it confronts him with facts. If you say that the Qur’ān is not revelation, then study it, and find the proof that it is not, give viable explanation. If you can’t, you are supposed to admit the truth of what it claims that it is revelation.

          But guidance is only from Allah. He said it five times in the Qur’ān,

... يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ...(البقرة: 142، 213، 272. النور:46. القصص:56)

… He (Allah) guides whom He wills…

(Q. 2:142,213,272; 24:46; 28:56)

          Dr. Miller said that Catholic Church is honest in its statement in the New Catholic Encyclopedia about the origin of the Qur’ān. It states:

Over the centuries, many theories have been

offered as to the origin of the Qur’an ….Today no

 sensible man accepts any of these theories!!

          The Prophet s.a.w. himself could not guide his uncle Abū Ṭālib. When Abū Ṭālib did not want to say the shahādah, that “there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger” before his death, the Prophet said, “By Allah, I will ask forgiveness for you as long as I am not prohibited to.” Then revelation came, as follows:

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ

كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَى... (التوبة:113)

It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe

to ask Allah’s forgiveness for the idolaters, even

though they be of kin… (Q. 9:113)

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُو

 أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ (القصص:56) 

  Verily, you (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like,

 but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows

best those who are guided (Q. 28:56)

          In fact, when we pray, do our devotion to Allah and cite the Fātiḥah, the introductory chapter of the Qur’ān, we ask and keep asking Allah at least seventeen times a day one thing only, guidance, when we say اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ  “Guide us to the  Straight Way.” As a matter of fact, we can say that the whole content of the Qur’an in one word is guidance. Allah said,

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (البقرة:2)

This is the Book (the Qur’ān), whereof there is no

 doubt, a guidance to those who are pious (Q. 2:2)

       
           May Allah keep guiding us to the Right Path. (CIVIC, 21.03.2014)

 

المصادر:

المكتبة الشاملة

تفسير الطبري
Gary Miller. The Amazing Qur’an