– Dr. Waquar Anwar
The Qur’an is a miracle. It presents itself as such, challenging the Arabs and to all human beings to imitate and produce something like it. The Qur’an was revealed in the Arabic language which the Arabs claimed to have a command both in prose (oration) and poetry.
At the time when Allah commenced revealing the messages of the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, the Arabic language was at the pinnacle of its development both in prose, mostly in the form of oration, and poetry. The Arabs had mastered the linguistic expressions in their language and it came naturally to them. Their poetry was a great tool for articulation of their feelings of love, hate, persuasion, elevate the spirit, war cries, denunciation of enemies and the like.
The mastery over the language was more among Bedouins as compared to city-dwellers. They had a genuine pride in their expertise in their language. Allah commenced the revelation of the verses of the Qur’an in this backdrop. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, presented the verses of the Qur’an as divine, stating that they were being revealed to him by Allah. It was open to the Arabs to verify the verses from all the linguistic angles like clarity of message, beauty of composition, unique structure and a superb style, which was hitherto not known to them. It was a wonder in their own area of expertise. The Qur’an challenged them either to produce something like this if they can do so individually or jointly or accept that it is a miracle from Allah to His Prophet.
The Qur’an threw this open challenge at least four times in Makkah and one time after Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, migrated to Madinah, as under:
“Or do they (the disbelievers) say, ‘he made it up?’ Say: ‘bring then a Sura of its like, and call (for your help) anyone you can, besides Allah, if it is that you speak the truth!” (10:38)
“Say: ‘If the entire mankind and jinns were to get together or produce (something) like this Qur’an, they could not produce (anything) like it, even if they tried altogether with help and support.” (17:88)
“Or they say, ‘he has forged it,’ say: then you bring ten Suras made up, similar to it, and call anyone you can (to help), other than Allah! If you speak the truth.” (11:13)
“Or do they say: ‘He made up (the Message).’ No they have no faith. Let them produce words (discourse) like it, if they are telling the truth.” (52:33-34)
“And you are in doubt about what We have revealed to our servant (the Prophet), the produce a Sura like the one here; and call your witness (or helpers), if you are truthful, besides Allah. But if you cannot – And surely you cannot….” (2:23-24)
Allah made the task of the disbelievers very simple. If they opined that the Qur’an was not being revealed by Allah, rather it was being produced by Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, or by any other person, they could have accepted the challenge and brought their comparative version, disproving the Prophet ﷺ and his message in one go. The revelation was in their own language, the Arabic, which they had mastery over. They failed miserably although the challenge was repeated five times in different stages of the revelations. They could not do so because the Qur’an is a miracle. In fact, one person named Musaylma, who falsely claimed to be a prophet, did produce some verses claiming to be revealed to him by Allah. However, his efforts became a laughing stock for the quality he produced. The Arabs despite their claim of eloquence of their tongue both in prose (oratory) and poetry dare not engage in this foolishness as they knew well it was not possible.
Time and again the disbelievers accepted the inimitability of the verses of the Qur’an and their inability to produce anything like this. Walid, son of Mughira, a rich chieftain and scholar and renowned poet of the Arabic language, heard the verse of the Qur’an, “Allah commands justice, the acts of kindness, and generosity towards relatives, and He forbids all shameful deeds, injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that you may receive guidance.” (16:90). Walid was taken aback and exclaimed: “I swear by Allah, it has both sweetness and grace. The least of it is abundant and the highest of it is fruitful, no human beings could have said this.”
It is reported that once a Bedouin heard a man recite the verse, “Proclaim what you are commanded” (15:94). He immediately went into prostration and said that he did so because of the fine Arabic of the verse.
Another Bedouin heard the verse, “When they had despaired of him, they secluded themselves in private consultation” (12:80) and said, “I testify, that no human is capable to compose these words.”
An Arabic knowing Byzantine general heard the recitation of the Qur’an from a Muslim prisoner and was impressed by its message. The verse that impressed him most was, “Those who obey Allah and His Messenger, and fear Allah, and is conscious/mindful of Him, will truly triumph.” (24:52). He was so much moved by the message that he right away proceeded to Madinah, met Caliph Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and accepted the faith.
Once Al-Asmay, a great Arab grammarian and scholar, praised a female servant for her eloquence. She replied that she is not eloquent rather the expression was worthy to be used for the words of Allah and she recited, “We inspired the mother of Musa: ‘Suckle your child, but when you fear for his life cast him into the river and be not fearful nor grieve, for We shall restore him to you and make him one of the Messengers.” (28:7). It is interesting to note that this verse contains two instructions, two prohibitions and two pieces of good tidings which the future had in store for the mother of Musa.
It is obvious that the beauty of the Arabic text of the verses and their impacts on the persons who first heard them, as described above, cannot be fully appreciated through their translations in other languages, including English. The impact on the Arabs who were primarily addressed by Allah through His Messenger ﷺ and their failure to produce anything like this shows the inimitability of the Qur’an, which is a miracle showing the truth of the prophethood of Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace.
The phrases and expressions used in the Qur’an contain many layers of meanings, while the flow of the language is unique and unparalleled. The Qur’an tells the story of previous generations and their prophets and repeats parts of the story at different places. The story of Prophet Yusuf, may Allah bestow peace to him, whose full story is contained in one Sura, is an exception. Every piece of story at different places serves different purpose and is aligned with the message at that place. Despite their repetition, they appear original everywhere, like pearls sewed beautifully wherever suitable. The story of Yusuf, may Allah bestow peace to him, in Sura 12 mentioned fully, is a beauty in itself.
In addition to throwing challenges to the Arabs to produce anything like the revelation being sent, the Quran, at several places, rebuked the disbelievers and warned them about the consequences of their refusal to accept the faith in the Book and the Prophet ﷺ. In this fashion their mischiefs have been exposed.
The deniers of the message of the Qur’an were dumbfound and they resorted to sheer stubborn, illogical and shameful behaviour. Some of the statements of the unbelievers were as under:
“How can we follow one human being from among us? We would then truly be misguided and insane.” (54:24)
“Those who have rejected the Message of the Prophet, say, ‘This is a forgery which this man himself has devised, and some others have helped him at it.’ What a cruel injustice and an impudent lie!” (25:4)
“And they say: ‘Tales of the ancients, which he has caused to be written: and they are dictated before him morning and evening.” (25:5)
“They say: ‘Our hearts are under veils, (concealed) from that to which you invite us, and in our ears in a deafness, and between us and thee is a screen: so you do whatever you want, and so shall we.” (41:5)
“The deniers of the Truth say: “Do not give ear to the Qur’an and cause interruption when it is recited; thus perhaps you will gain the upper hand.” (41:26)
The Arabs to whom the message of the Qur’an was initially revealed had two options. Either accept that the Qur’an is divinely revealed and not authored by the Prophet ﷺ or accept the challenge of producing anything like this. Those who accepted the miracle of the Qur’an joined the Prophet as believers. The unbelievers, instead, rejected without any sound basis and resorted to obstinate conducts as is obvious from the above-mentioned verses of the Qur’an. Their such disgraceful reactions were simply an admission of their failure to accept the challenge of the Qur’an. This is a strong testimony that this miraculous Book is Divine, revealed by Allah to His servant Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace.
