Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states:
“Allah, Most High, says, “Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the worlds. With it came down the Spirit of Faith and Truth, upon your heart, that you may admonish, in the perspicuous Arabic tongue.” (Al-Shu`ara’: 192-195). The Qur’an is Kalamu Allah (The Word of Allah). It is Allah’s message for humanity. Allah gave this message to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in order to communicate it to his followers and through them to the world. Why do we say that it is Allah’s Word? How can we be sure and have confidence that it is truly Allah’s word, preserved as it was revealed and nothing was added to it and nothing was changed or lost?
It is important for us to understand this ourselves so that we can explain it to those who are raising questions and doubts about the Qur’an. The subject is very vast and volumes have been written on this subject. Here, I would like to give some basic points to emphasize the nature and authenticity of the Qur’an.
1. Internal Evidence: What does the Qur’an say about itself?
2. The Message: What is the message of the Qur’an? Can it be a man-made message?
3. Miraculous Nature: God gave miracles to His Prophets to prove that they were true Prophets of God. Are there any miracles to prove that the Qur’an is from God?
4. Preservation: How was the Qur’an preserved and protected from any changes?
1. Internal Evidence: There are hundreds of places in the Qur’an where it speaks about itself. It says very clearly that it is Allah Who spoke this message and gave it to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It is His book and no one human or jinn has any power to produce a book like it. Not even a Surah or Ayah like it can be produced. No one can change this Book. Whosoever will ever try to change this Book will fail. Such attempts will be exposed and will be rejected by the followers of this Book.
Allah says in the Qur’an: “The revelation of this Book is from Allah, the Exalted in Power, Full of Wisdom. Verily it is We Who have revealed the Book to thee in Truth: so serve Allah, offering Him sincere devotion.” (Az-Zumar: 1-2) “This Qur’an is not such as can be produced by other than Allah; on the contrary it is a confirmation of (revelations) that went before it, and a fuller explanation of the Book – wherein there is no doubt – from the Lord of the Worlds. Or do they say, ‘He forged it?’ Say: ‘Bring then a Sura like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you can besides Allah, if it be ye speak the truth!’” (Yunus: 37-38) “Say: ‘If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.” (Al-Isra’: 88)
2. The Message: The message of the Qur’an is comprehensive and consistent. There are no contradictions in the
Qur’an. Although the Qur’an was revealed in twenty-three years at different occasions, under different circumstances, its message remained consistent without any contradictions. The Qur’an has used its consistency as an evidence of its truth: “Do they not consider the Qur’an (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” (An-Nisa’: 82)
The message of the Qur’an is a clear proof of its divine origin. The message of the Qur’an is comprehensive and it guides in every aspect of life: individual, family and society, economic, social and political etc. In the Qur’an there is no contradiction:
Between reason and revelation,
Between religion and science,
Between this world and the other world, or
Between the rights of the individuals and the rights of the community.
3. Miraculous Nature: There are many aspects of the miraculous nature of the Qur’an.
a) First of all it came through a person who was unlettered. He did not go to any school or did not learn any books. He was not known among his people as a poet, orator or writer. Then suddenly he started giving them this message. If he was going through some preparation, or had been consulting with some people or taking lessons from someone they would have noted it.
b) Second aspect of its miraculous nature is that more than fourteen hundred years have passed and humanity has not found a single error in this Book. Nothing that has been mentioned in this book – neither in its news and reports nor in its rules and laws – has been proved false, untrue or inaccurate. There are some who tried their best to show some errors in the Qur’an, but they have been easily refuted.
c) The Qur’an is inimitable. It is a masterpiece of Arabic literature in its eloquence, beauty, rhythm and melody. None was able or is able even now to produce a book like it.
d) Its prophecies have been fulfilled and are being fulfilled. It predicted many things in the past and they came true. They are many other future predictions that will happen in their own time.
e) Many Prophets had miracles, but they were time bound. Their miracles do not exist now, but the miracle of the Qur’an is perpetual. It will continue until the end of the world and it is available for all to see.
4. Preservation of the Qur’an: The Qur’an is preserved in various ways:
a) Allah Himself guaranteed its preservation. He says in the Qur’an:
“Indeed, We have revealed the Reminder and indeed We are its Guardians.” (Al-Hijr: 9)
b) It was preserved both through writing and through memorization. We have many ancient manuscripts of the Qur’an available. Moreover, there are millions of people who have memorized the Qur’an. There is no scripture that has been memorized from cover to cover by so many people of so many diverse races and regions of the world.
c) Its language is preserved. For the last fourteen hundred years the basic Arabic grammar and language structure has not changed. There are also millions of people who speak this language daily. Besides, the meanings of its words are also preserved by the Sunnah. Through the Sunnah we know what was meant by its basic terms such Salah, Zakat, Siyam and Hajj etc.
Oh Muslims! It is our duty as Muslims to read the Qur’an regularly, understand its message, follow it with great care and give it to all humanity. May Allah help us. Ameen.”