| Raise Awareness - Tips For Writing Good Letters | | | |
| Put yourself in the shoes of a presenter, reporter or editor. They are more receptive to constructive criticism than they are to pressure. Don't just demand that the media promote Islam and Muslim images -- but rather, to be factual, impartial, and honest. Always ask yourself what would make the report better? Show the news agency not only what's wrong with their story, but how there is a more balanced alternative. One way to do this is by showing how their competitors reported the story more fairly. This is the difference between complaining and constructive criticism. |
"And there are those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, announce to them a most grievous penalty (when) on the Day of Qiyaamah heat will be produced out of that wealth in the fire of Jahannam, then with it they will be branded on their foreheads and their flanks and backs. (It will be said to them) This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves, taste then the treasure that you had been hoarding." Surah Taubah: 34.
| Why Do We Refer to Science and Scientific Facts When Explaining Certain Islamic Truths? |
| The Koran declares: “Those who truly fear God, among His servants, are those who have knowledge .” The reason why we refer to science and scientific facts when explaining our religion is that some people are determined that they will never accept anything other than scientific facts. Materialists and anti-religious people have sought to exploit science as a means of defying religion and use its prestige to spread their thinking. By this means, they have distorted and corrupted the minds of a great number of people. Therefore, using the same materials we have to show that science and technology are not contradictory to our religion. In other words, as opposed to materialists who evaluated matter in their own way and thus went astray, we have to evaluate the same matter and lead people to the right path. I personally do not disapprove of this kind of argument. On the contrary, I hold that believers should be well versed in such facts in order to fight back against materialism and atheism. For, the verses of the Koran urge us to reflect and study, they direct us to observe the stars and galaxies. They impress upon us the Magnificence of the Creator. They exhort us also to wander among human beings and direct our attention to the miraculousness of our organs and physical creation. From the world of atoms to the largest beings, from man’s first being on the earth to his leaving it, the Koranic verses place the whole creation before our eyes. Touching upon a multitude of facts, the Koran tells us that those who truly fear God, among His servants, are those who have knowledge (al-Fatir, 35.28), and so encourages us to seek ‘ilm, to reflect and to research. However, it should always be borne in mind as a first condition that all these reflections and research must comply with the spirit of the Koran. Otherwise, while claiming to be following the advice and command of the Koran, we shall in fact be departing from it. Science and the facts it presents can and should be used to expound Islamic facts. Science and the facts it presents can and should be used to expound Islamic facts. But if we use them to show off our knowledge or to impress others with our authority, whatever we say does not influence its hearers in the right way, if at all. Words and arguments in themselves bright and persuasive lose their effectiveness on account of the intention in our hearts: they get as far as the listeners eardrums and no further. Similarly, if our argument aims at silencing people instead of persuading them, we shall ourselves have blocked the listeners’ way to understanding and so fail to achieve our goals. However, if we try to persuade with a full and proper sincerity, those who do need such arguments to believe will receive their portion and benefit from it even if we ourselves do not notice this happening. Sometimes an argument sincerely presented in this way, even if you felt at the time it was ineffective, may in reality be far more beneficial to the listeners than another when you spoke rather more freely and eloquently. Our primary aim when introducing science and scientific facts must be to win the pleasure of God, and we must present them according to the level of the listeners. It is not correct to regard science as superior in some way to religion, or to present substantial Islamic issues with this attitude as if to justify religion or reinforce its credibility by means of modern scientific facts. It is not correct to regard science as superior in some way to religion, or to present substantial Islamic issues with this attitude as if to justify religion or reinforce its credibility by means of modern scientific facts. This attitude is incorrect because it implies that we ourselves have doubts about the truths of Islam and are, or to speak, in need of science. Equally incorrect is it to accept science or scientific facts as absolute, as the decisive criteria for the authenticity or supra-human origin of the Koran, and so place them in a position which confirms the Koran. This is not only absurd, it is abhorrent and by no means to be permitted or tolerated. Such arguments and allusions to science have at best a secondary, supportive use and may be of value in that they open a door onto a way which, otherwise, certain people simply would not know exists. Science is to be used as an instrument of awakening or stirring some minds which, otherwise, might remain asleep or unmoved. Science is to be used therefore as an instrument of awakening or stirring some minds which, otherwise, might remain asleep or unmoved. We may think of it as a dusting brush with which to brush the dust off the truth, and the desire for truth, which lie hidden in unstirred consciences. By contrast, if we set out from the position that science is the absolute, we shall end up seeking to fit the Koran and Hadith to it, and where the Koran and Hadith disagree with science we shall be the instigators of doubt and corruption. The Koran and Hadith are true and absolute. Science and scientific facts are true as long as they are in agreement with the Koran and Hadith Our position must be clear, and it is this: the Koran and Hadith are true and absolute. Science and scientific facts are true as long as they are in agreement with the Koran and Hadith, and are false inasmuch as they differ or lead away from the truth of Koran and Hadith. Even the definitely established scientific facts cannot be pillars to uphold the truths of iman (faith). They can and should only be accepted as an instrument to give us ideas or to trigger us to reflect. God it is Who establishes the truths of iman in our conscience. To expect that that takes place, or could take place, through science is a grave error: iman comes by Divine guidance, and only by Divine guidance. Anyone who fails to grasp this is in an error from which it is hard to recover. Because, while he is trying to look for and gather evidence from the universe, he will attempt to make it speak eloquently in the Name of God, and thus he himself will always remain as a servant to nature and as a nature worshipper, though unaware of being so. He will study and speak of flowers, of the verdancy and spring of nature, but not the least greenness or bud of iman will sprout in his conscience. In his lifetime, he may never feel the existence of God within his consciousness. In appearance, he will be free from worshipping nature, but in reality that is what he will be doing throughout his lifetime. A man is mu’min owing to the iman he holds in his heart, not to the heaps of knowledge in his head. A man is mu’min owing to the iman he holds in his heart, not to the heaps of knowledge in his head. After a person has got as far as he can in understanding by means of evidence objective and subjective, he must rid himself of dependence on the outer circumstances and qualities and conditions of all such evidence if he is to proceed at all in making spiritual progress. When he abandons that dependence and walks in the way of his heart and conscience within the light and guidance of the Koran, then, as God wills, he may find the enlightenment he is looking for: as the German philosopher, Kant, said: “I felt the need to leave behind all the books I read in order to believe in God.” Undoubtedly, the grand book of the universe, the book of the true nature of man, and the books that comment on these, have their proper place and significance. Undoubtedly, the grand book of the universe, the book of the true nature of man, and the books that comment on these, have their proper place and significance. But, after man makes use of them, he should be rid of them and live with his iman, as it were, face to face. What we are here saying may seem abstract to those who have not gone deep into the experience of faith and conscience. But those souls whose nights are bright with devotion and who acquire wings through their longing to aspire to their Lord will understand. |
| Why Does the Koran not Mention Scientific and Technological Developments Explicitly, So That Even the Most Recalcitrant Unbelievers Would Feel Compelled to Affirm It, and Our Minds Be Eased? |
| Religion is for examination, a test and trial offered by God so that in the area of competition elevated spirits and base ones may be distinguished from each other. Just as raw materials are put in the fire so that diamond and coal, gold and earth, separate out from one another, so too, in this arena of trial the Divine obligations are for testing conscious beings and putting them to a competition so that the precious ‘ore’ in the ‘mine’ of human potential may be separated from the dross. Since the Koran was sent for man to be perfected through trial in this abode of testing, in this arena of competition, for sure it will only allude to the future events pertaining to the world, which everyone will witness in due course of time, and will only open the door to reason to a degree that proves its argument. If it had mentioned them explicitly, then the purpose for testing men would have been meaningless. Simply, the truth of the Divine obligations or proposals would have been as evident as if inscribed with stars on the face of the skies. Then everyone would be left no alternative other than affirming them. There would be no competition, the testing and trial would mean nothing. A spirit like coal would remain together with, and appear to be of the same degree as, a spirit like diamond.37 In short: The Koran is wise. It affords everything a position in proportion to its value. Thus, one thousand three hundred years ago, the Koran saw the progress man would realize and its fruits which were then hidden in the darkness of the Unseen, the future, and showed them in a form better than we see and shall see. That means the Koran is the Word of One Who sees at the same instant all time and all within it. All that we have explained so far is only one gleam of the Koran’s miraculousness which shines on the ‘face’ of the miracles of the Prophets. |
| In Addition to Prophetic Miracles, Are There Other Examples of the Koran's Reference to Scientific Discoveries? |
| The formation and the developmental phases of an embryo in the uterus What the Koran reveals about the formation and the developmental phases of an embryo in the uterus is striking: O mankind! if you have a doubt about the Resurrection, (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like cloth, then out of a lump of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (what We will) to you. (22:5) In another verse, the development is explained in greater detail, and the distinct phases more clearly em¬phasized: |
| What is the Relation of Human Attainments of Learning and Scientific Progress With the Divine Names? |
| In describing all the attainments of learning and scientific progress, and wonders of technology with which man has been endowed because of his vast potential under the title of ‘the teaching of the Names’, the verse quoted above alludes to a fine point which is as follows: |
| Does the Koran Have Reference to Scientific and Technological Developments? If It Does, How? | |
| In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Not a thing, fresh or withered, wet or dry, but it is in a Manifest Book. (6:59) According to one interpretation, the Manifest Book is the Koran. This verse states that everything, wet or dry, is found in it. Is that really so? Yes, everything is found in it, but everyone cannot see that everything therein as the things are found at different levels. The Koran contains all things, either in the form of seeds, or of nuclei, or of summaries, or principles, or signs, and they are found either explicitly or implicitly, or allusively, or vaguely, or suggestively. One or other of these forms is preferred according to occasion, in a way fitting for the purposes of the Koran and in connection with the requirements of the context. For example: |
| How Does the Koran Approach "Natural" Phenomena and Why Does He Mention Insignificant-Seeming Events As If They Have Great Importance? | |
| In the Name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. When We said unto the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves before Adam,’ they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. (2:34) God commands you to sacrifice a cow. (2:67) Yet after all this your hearts were hardened and become like rocks or even harder. (2:74) In the wise Koran there are many apparently insignificant events behind each of which is hidden a universal principle, and which are presented as the tip of a general law. For example, the verse, "(He) taught Adam the names of all of them [the things]. (2:31)" mentions that Adam was taught ‘the names’ as a miracle of his to demonstrate his superiority over the angels in being favored with God’s vicegerency on the Earth—improving the Earth and using things in accordance with the rules God has laid. This is, in appearance, a small and particular event but it constitutes a tip of a universal principle which is as follows: |
| Does the Koran Contain Everything? |
| • Being a Book describing man and the universe, the Koran contains ‘everything’. It declares: With Him are the keys of the Unseen. None but He knows them. And He knows what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls but with His Knowledge, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, nothing of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a Manifest Book. (al-An‘am, 6.59) Ibn Mas‘ud says that the Koran provides information on everything but we may not be able to see everything in it. Ibn ‘Abbas, known as the Interpreter of the Koran and the Scholar of the Ummah, asserts that if he loses the rein of his camel, he can find it by means of the Koran. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, a significant scholar who lived in Egypt in the 15th century, explains that all sciences or branches of knowledge are to be found in the Koran. |
| Does the Koran Contain Everything? |
| • Being a Book describing man and the universe, the Koran contains ‘everything’. It declares: With Him are the keys of the Unseen. None but He knows them. And He knows what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falls but with His Knowledge, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, nothing of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a Manifest Book. (al-An‘am, 6.59) Ibn Mas‘ud says that the Koran provides information on everything but we may not be able to see everything in it. Ibn ‘Abbas, known as the Interpreter of the Koran and the Scholar of the Ummah, asserts that if he loses the rein of his camel, he can find it by means of the Koran. Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, a significant scholar who lived in Egypt in the 15th century, explains that all sciences or branches of knowledge are to be found in the Koran. • How can a book of medium size and which contains reiterations contain everything we need about life, sciences, conduct, creation, the past and future and so on? As is known, the Koran is a book of medium size and due to certain purposes it makes reiterations. So, how can it contain everything we need about life, sciences, conduct, creation, the past and future and so on? Before proceeding to explain this important matter, we should point out that in order to benefit from the Koran, which addresses all time and space and all levels of understanding from philosophers to sociologists and psychologists, from physicists to biologists, from lawyers to Traditionists and from spiritual guides to educationists, one should be prepared to benefit from it. A student of the Koran should, first of all, have firm belief in the Koran and does his utmost to practice it in his daily life. Second, he must try to refrain from sins as much as possible. Thirdly, the Koran declares that a man has only that for which he makes effort (al-Najm, 53.39), so, in order to benefit from the Koran, a student of the Koran should, in the manner of a good, experienced diver searching for coral or of a deep-sea explorer, dive into the ‘ocean’ of the Koran and, with no tiredness and boredom, he should continue his research until death. Fourthly, understanding the Koran requires a good command of the Arabic language and sufficient knowledge about all the branches of natural and religious sciences. Therefore, a good interpretation of the Koran demands the cooperation of scientists from all the fields of natural and sociological sciences and religious scholars—experts on the Koranic commentary, Hadith, fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), theology and spiritual sciences. Fifthly, while reciting and studying it, a student of the Koran should regard him as the first addressee of the Koran. He should be conscious of the fact that every verse of the Koran addresses each of its students directly. If we consider, for example, its verses telling of the past events or the stories of the Prophets and their peoples as, simply, an account of certain historical events which has nothing to say to us, we cannot benefit from the Koran. We should know that with all of its verses, the Koran addresses us directly and describes us to ourselves. • According to its nature, significance, worth and place in existence, everything has a place of its own in the Koran According to its nature, significance, worth and place in existence, everything has a place of its own in the Koran: The Koran contains every thing but not in the same degree. The Koran pursues four purposes: it seeks to prove the existence and Unity of God, Prophethood and bodily resurrection and concentrates on worship of God and justice. In order to realize its purposes, the Koran draws our attentions to God’s acts in the universe, His matchless art displayed through creation, the manifestations of His Names and Attributes and the magnificent, perfect order and harmony in existence. Also, it mentions certain historical events, lay down the rules of personal and social good conduct and morality and the principles of a happy, harmonious social life. Again, it explains how we must worship our Creator and what we must do in order to please Him. The Koran also gives much account of the other life and expounds how we can gain eternal happiness and be saved from eternal punishment. • Everything is found in the Koran, but everyone cannot see every thing in it since the things are found at different levels. The verse above (al-An‘am, 6.59) states that everything, wet or dry, is found in it. Is that really so? Yes, everything is found in it, but everyone cannot see every thing in it since the things are found at different levels. The Koran contains all things, but since the basic duty of the Koran is, as mentioned above, to teach about the perfections, essential qualities and acts of God and the duties and the status and affairs pertaining to the sphere of servanthood to God, it contains them either in the form of seeds or nuclei or summaries or as principles or signs, and they are found either explicitly or implicitly, or allusively, or vaguely, or suggestively. One or other of these forms is preferred according to occasion, in a way fitting for the purposes of the Koran and in connection with the requirements of the context. For example: As the result of man’s progress in science and industry, some scientific and technological wonders such as planes, electricity, motor vehicles, and means of radio and telecommunication have come into existence and taken the most prominent position in the material life of mankind. • The Koran’s viewpoint of life and the world is completely different from the modern one The Koran’s viewpoint of life and the world is completely different from the modern one. According to the Koran, the world is a guest-house. Man is a guest with many duties who will stay there for a short time only, and he is charged with preparing all the necessities for eternal life. He will give priority to the most urgent and important of his duties. Therefore, whatever is designed and used mostly for worldly purposes, it will have very little share in servanthood to and worship of God, which is founded upon love of truth and otherworldliness, and therefore it will have a place in the Koran according to its merit. • If the Koran had mentioned future events and scientific developments explicitly, then the purpose for testing men would have been meaningless Religion is for examination, a test and trial offered by God so that in the area of competition elevated spirits and base ones may be distinguished from each other. Just as raw materials are put in the fire so that diamond and coal, gold and earth, separate out from one another, so too, in this arena of trial the Divine obligations are for testing conscious beings and putting them to a competition so that the precious ‘ore’ in the ‘mine’ of human potential may be separated from the dross. Since the Koran was sent for man to be perfected through trial in this abode of testing, in this arena of competition, for sure it will only allude to the future events pertaining to the world, which everyone will witness in due course of time, and will only open the door to reason to a degree that proves its argument. If it had mentioned them explicitly, then the purpose for testing men would have been meaningless. Simply, the truth of the Divine obligations or proposals would have been as evident as if inscribed with stars on the face of the skies. Then everyone would be left no alternative other than affirming them. There would be no competition, the testing and trial would mean nothing. A spirit like coal would remain together with, and appear to be of the same degree as, a spirit like diamond. • Again, the Koran addresses all times and places and all levels of understanding. It is the commonalty in every community and in every age that constitute the great majority of people. Therefore, in order to guide everyone to truth and to its basic purposes, the Koran follows a style and language which is understandable to everyone. Again, the Koran addresses all times and places and all levels of understanding. It is the commonalty in every community and in every age that constitute the great majority of people. Therefore, in order to guide everyone to truth and to its basic purposes, the Koran follows a style and language which is understandable to everyone. As an ordinary man of the lowest intellectual level can benefit from the Koran, a greatest scientist, no matter to which branch of science he belongs to, also benefits from the Koran. This is also why the Koran usually uses a symbolical language and frequently resorts to metaphors, allegories, comparisons and parables. Those who are well-versed in knowledge (Al ‘Imran, 3.7) know how to approach the Koran and benefit from it and conclude that the Koran is the Word of God. If the Koran had mentioned modern scientific and technological discoveries, the people of earlier times would not have been able to understand them and therefore been deprived of benefiting from the relevant verses of the Koran. Also, sciences are in constant advance and what is regarded today as true may appear tomorrow as wrong or, by contrast, what we see today as wrong, may be proved to be true in the future. • God Almighty has endowed man with intellectual faculties, so in many of its verses the Koran urges man to use those faculties of him and study nature and events. God Almighty has endowed man with intellectual faculties, so in many of its verses the Koran urges man to use those faculties of him and study nature and events. If, therefore, the Koran had mentioned, say, modern scientific and technological discoveries or everything pertaining to life, nature, history and man himself, it would have been meaningless that man is created as the best pattern of creation endowed with many intellectual faculties. For he would not have been able to use those faculties and improve them. • If the Koran had mentioned explicitly whatever we like it to do so, then it would have been a book with hundreds of thousands of pages impossible to read If the Koran had mentioned explicitly whatever we like it to do so, then it would have been a book with hundreds of thousands of pages and therefore we would not be able to recite it completely to benefit from its spiritual enlightenment. Also, it would give us great boredom to recite. This is contrary to the reason of its revelation and the purposes it pursues. |
| When Modern Science Agrees with the Qur'an? |
| We refer to many branches of science and scientific facts today and use them to analyze various things and events—even religious matters. We refer to them, either one at a time or in groups, to provide evidence of God's Existence and Oneness to those who need such evidence. Similarly, when looking at science in the light of the Qur'an, we point out that it contains information about the nature of things that agrees with modern scientific findings. Consider medicine. I once read a book called Medicine is the Niche of the Faith. It really is so, and we must acknowledge God when studying our bodily existence and development. For instance, the Qur'anic description of the embryo corresponds exactly to what we know today. Furthermore, the Qur'an does not contain a single statement on this matter that modern science can criticize. How could an unlettered desert Arab living more than 1,400 years ago know such facts, which were discovered recently by X-rays and other sophisticated equipment only after many centuries of intensive scientific research? We use such Qur'anic statements to argue for the Qur'an's Divine origin. This, in turn, corroborates the truth of Muhammad's Prophethood. We refer to science and scientific facts when explaining Islam because some people are determined to reject anything that is not "scientific." Materialists and those opposed (or indifferent) to religion have sought to exploit science to defy religion and use its prestige to spread their thinking. Many people have followed their lead, which means that we have to use the same tools of science and technology to show that they do not contradict Islam and to lead people to the right path. I agree with such an argument. Muslims should be well-versed in scientific facts to refute the claims of materialists and atheists. Many Qur'anic verses urge us to reflect and study, to observe the stars and galaxies. They impress upon us the Creator's magnificence, and exhort us to travel and observe the miraculousness of our organs and creation. The Qur'an's verses place all of creation before our eyes. Touching upon a multitude of facts, it tells us that those who truly fear God, among His servants, are those who have knowledge (35:28), and so encourages us to seek knowledge, [1] to reflect and research. However, remember that the first condition for all such activities is that they comply with the spirit of the Qur'an, lest we begin departing from it. Our knowledge of science and its facts can and should be used to expound Islamic facts, not to impress others or silence their arguments. Our primary aim must be to win the pleasure of God and make sure that our audience understands the points we are making. It is wrong to regard science as superior to religion and to seek to justify substantial Islamic issues and Islam as a whole through modern scientific facts. Such attempts show that we have doubts about Islam and thus need science to reinforce our own belief. It is also wrong to accept science or scientific facts as absolute, for such things are subject to change. At best, they only support what the Qur'an says. In no way can the unchangeable and eternal Qur'an be confirmed by that which is changeable and temporary. Given this, Muslims should use science only as a tool to awaken sleeping or confused minds. Science and scientific facts are true only as long as they agree with the Qur'an and hadith. Even definitely established scientific facts cannot uphold the truths of faith; they can be only instruments to give us ideas or to trigger us to reflect. God, not science, establishes the truths of faith in our conscience, for faith comes only by Divine guidance. Those who seek to acquire faith from science may never feel the existence of God within their own consciousness. In reality, they will be nature worshippers, not worshippers of God. We are believers because of the faith in our hearts, not the knowledge in our heads. Objective and subjective evidence can take us only so far. After that, we must drop all such things in order to make any spiritual progress at all. When we follow our heart and conscience within the Qur'an's light and guidance, God may guide us to the enlightenment for which we are looking. As the German philosopher Kant said: "I felt the need to leave behind all the books I read in order to believe in God." [1] In Islamic terms, knowledge is not restricted to religious knowledge, but includes all types of knowledge beneficial to humanity. For us, this certainly includes scientific knowledge. |
| What Was the Divine Wisdom in the Koran's Being Revealed in Stages Over a Period of 23 Years? |
| The Koran was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years, and not as a complete book in one single act of revelation. There is wisdom and a number of reasons for this, which we shall try to explain, insha-Allah. How¬ever, before doing so, let us note that had the Koran not been revealed in this way but, instead, all at once, then those who ask this question would certainly have asked, ‘Why was it sent down as a complete book in one single act of revelation but not in stages over time?’ What is essential in all matters of religion is a sufficient humility and obedience in our attitudes, precisely so that we may understand and come to benefit from Divine decrees and commandments. Otherwise, questions of a similar kind can be asked end¬lessly and, of course, fruitlessly: for example, why is the midday prayer in so many units while the congregational prayer on Friday is a different number? Why is the rate of zakat 2.5 per cent and not 2? The weight and the duration of particular prayers, the rate of the zakat and other mat¬ters of this kind are de¬creed by God, |
| Why Does the Qur'an Not Discuss Scientific Issues That Concern Us Today? |
| The Qur'an was revealed for specific purposes: to make us aware of the Creator, to affirm that He is known through His creation, to direct us to belief and worship, and to order individual and collective life so that we attain real happiness here and in the Hereafter. The Qur'an deals with each subject according to the importance attached to it by God. |
| Why Does the Qur'an Open With Iqra' (Recite, Read)? | |
| The Divine command to proclaim Islam opens with the sublime imperative: iqra'. Usually translated as "recite," it also means to "rehearse aloud" or to "read." It is addressed to humanity, as the Prophet represents humanity in its relationship to God. Iqra' is thus a universal injunction, an opening for each individual to move away from imperfection and toward virtue and happiness both in this world and the next. |
| How Can We Answer Those Who Attempt to Judge the Divine Authorship of the Koran Under the Guise of Impartial Judgment or Objective Reasoning? |
| In His Name, glory be to Him There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Judging the Koran impartially? Eleven years ago someone asked me: “You regard the Koran as highly exalted and radiant. Study it for once in an objective manner and see whether it is so radiant and exalted!” Answer Objective reasoning means impartial judgment or not taking sides, but the objective reasoning which you and your disciples suggest is, in fact, taking the part of those in opposition to the Koran; not impartiality but an attitude of temporary unbelief. This is really so because to suppose the Koran the work of a human being and to build an argument on this supposition is to side with unbelief or falsehood. The person retorted: "Then, accept it as neither the Word of God nor the work of a human being!" |
| How Can We Prove That the Koran is the Word Of God? |
| The amount of people who have believed in the Divine authorship of the Koran since its revelation 14 centuries ago amounts to billions. In the face of such a consensus, especially when considered that each affirmation corroborates the others while negations or denials add nothing to each other, it falls upon those who reject the Divine authorship of the Koran to prove their negation, which is impossible. However, in order to remove the dust of doubt that may come to the hearts and minds of some believers under the influence of both modern trends of skepticism and atheism and followers of other religions, we shall mention only a few of the evidences to establish that the Koran is a word of God. |
| Why Was the Qur'an Revealed Over A Period of 23 Years? | |
| Before I answer this question, let's note that if the Qur'an had been revealed all at once, people would ask: "Why was it sent down all at once and not in stages?" The ultimate answer to such questions lies with God, the All-Wise and All-Knowing. Our decisions are based on a very limited viewpoint, as we are limited creatures. The Divine Decree, on the other hand, considers everything—our moral and spiritual well-being, worldly happiness, future and present—and weaves the whole into a single pattern that is coherent with Grace and Wisdom. Thus, the benefit we derive from the Divine commandments is immeasurable, and the blessing that flows from obeying them is beyond our imagination. And so it is with the method that God chose to reveal the Qur'an |
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