Linguistic Miracle of the Quran (Video)

Contrary to popular belief not all the Arabs believed the Qur’an was of a the highest literary standard. The Qur’an itself attests to those who said it was the ramblings of a madman or a poet full of myths and fairytales. Al-Razi, one of the great scholars of the Islamic Golden Age said the Qur’an was inferior to many works of contemporary poets and writers. Here are more quotes:

  • Al-Jaʿd ibn Dirham, tutor to the Umayyad Caliph Marwan, said “The Qur’an’s eloquence is not a miracle and people can do the like of it and better.”[ref]Mustafa Sadiq al-Rafiì, “The Miraculous Nature of the Qurʾān and the Prophetic Rhetoric.” Page 160.[/ref]
  • The Mu’tazilite scholar Abu Musa said “People are able to produce the like of the Qurʾān as regards eloquence, and composition and rhetorical beauty.”[ref]Al-Baghdadi, “The Difference Between the Groups” Page 164–165; and
    al-Shahrastani, “The Book of Sects and Creeds”, 1/68–69.[/ref]
  • The 11th century Sunni scholar Abu al-Qushairy said: “We do not claim that everything in the Qurʾān is in the highest rank of eloquence.”[ref]Al-Baghdadi, “The Difference Between the Groups” Page 164–165; and al-Shahrastani, “The Book of Sects and Creeds”, 1/68–69.[/ref]
  • Ibn al-Rawandi (former Mu’tazilite scholar) (d. 910 ad) said “Indeed the Qurʾān is not the speech of a wise god. In it are contradictions and mistakes and passages that are in the realms of the absurd.”[ref]Quoted from Dr. Abd al-Rahman Badawi, from “History of Disbelief in Islam” page 216.[/ref]

Writing in the mid-700s, John of Damascus mocked the Qur’an as a bizarre mishmash of heretical Christian teachings that Muhammad had cobbled together. Even Voltaire, who lauded Islam warmly when it suited his satirical ends (like belittling the Catholic Church or Jews), dismissed the Qur’an as full of contradictions, absurdities and patent scientific falsehoods.7 Though he counted Muhammad as the most sincere of men (indeed one of the ‘great men’ who changed the course of history), Thomas Carlyle described the Qur’an as impenetrably befuddling, ‘insupportable stupidity, in short.’

Even Voltaire, who lauded Islam warmly when it suited his satirical ends (like belittling the Catholic Church or Jews), dismissed the Qur’an as full of contradictions, absurdities and patent scientific falsehoods.7 Though he counted Muhammad as the most sincere of men (indeed one of the ‘great men’ who changed the course of history), Thomas Carlyle described the Qur’an as impenetrably befuddling, ‘insupportable stupidity, in short.’[ref]Misquoting Muhammad, Jonathan Brown[/ref]

The Quran has some parts which are eloquent and beautiful.  And it has some parts that sound strange and akward.  Yet the Quran’s biggest miracle claim is the language.  How can someone the proof of divinity is in the language, when language is such a subjective issue.

al-Razi wrote,

“You claim that the evidentiary miracle is present and available, namely, the Koran. You say: ‘Whoever denies it, let him produce a similar one.’ Indeed, we shall produce a thousand similar, from the works of rhetoricians, eloquent speakers and valiant poets, which are more appropriately phrased and state the issues more succinctly. They convey the meaning better and their rhymed prose is in better meter. … By God what you say astonishes us! You are talking about a work which recounts ancient myths, and which at the same time is full of contradictions and does not contain any useful information or explanation. Then you say: ‘Produce something like it’?”
Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi

It is not at all true that the Arabs were amazed by the language of the Quran and thought it was from God.

A chapter (surah) like it

I am working on a longer response to this, but here is the argument:

وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah , if you should be truthful. (2:23)

قُل لَّئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَىٰ أَن يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا

Say, “If mankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants.” (17:88)

And here is one Surah like it.

❀❀❀ ِسُورَةُ فقۤ ❀❀❀

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

فقۤ {١
إنَّا خَلَقْنَا الدَّجَاجَ خَلْقًا {٢
وَسَلَقْنَا الْبَيْضَ سَلْقًا {٣
وَأَطْلَقْنَا مَعَ الرَّعْدِ بَرْقًا {٤
وَجَعَلْنَا الجَوَّ طَلْقًا {٥
فَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِآياتِنَا شَنَقْنَاهُ شَنْقًا {٦
ثُمَّ خَنَقْنَاهُ خَنْقًا {٧
وَمَنْ يَطْرُقْ بَابَ فَاسِقَةٍ طَرْقًا {٨
وَيَفْعَلْ فِي بَيْتِهَا فِسْقًا {٩
حَرَقْنَاهُ فِي النَّارِ حَرْقًا {١٠
إنَّ عَذَابَنَا هُوَ الْأَبْقَى {١١
وَإنَّ عَدُوَّنَا هُوَالْأَشْقَى {١٢
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِبَرِيقِ الدِّينَارِ {١٣
وَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِنَهِيقِ الْحِمَارِ {١٤
إنَّي أنَا اللهُ الخَالِقُ الْقَهَّارُ {١٥
فَأَطِيعُونِي وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ {١٦
وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا لَا يَنْفَعُ فِيهِ دِرْهَمٌ وَلَا دُولَارٌ {١٧
يَوْمَ يُقْذَفُ بِالْكُفِّارِ فِي النَّارِ {١٨
فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَبْرًا وَمَا لَهُمْ مِنْ فِرارٍ {١٩
أَمَّا الَذِينَ اتَّقَوْا رَبَّهُمْ فَإنهم هُمُ الأَخْيَارُ {٢٠
لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ {٢١
وَصَنَادِيقُ وِيسْكِي وَرَاقِصَاتٌ بِلَا خِمَارَ {٢٢

❀❀❀❀ Surat Fa Qaaf ❀❀❀❀

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful,

1. Faa’ Qaaf
2. Verily, We created the chicken a (wonderful) creation,
3. And We boiled the eggs, a boiling,
4. And We sent with thunder, lightning
5. And We made the air fresh
6. As for he who denies our signs, We shall hang him a hanging,
7. And choke him, a choking
8. As for he who knocks on the door of a harlot, a knocking
9. Then commits in her house; philandering
10. We shall burn him in the fire, a burning
11. Indeed our punishment it is the abiding
12. Indeed our enemy he is the most wretched.
13. For I swear by the glitter of the Dinar
14. And I swear by the braying of the Ass
15. Indeed I am Allah the Creator, the Conqueror
16. So obey me and do not be of the unbelievers
17. And fear a day when no Dirham will benefit nor will a Dollar
18. The day the unbelievers will be cast into the fire
19. And they shall not be able to bear it nor escape
20. As for those who feared their Lord, they are the best
21. They shall have gardens under which run rivers
22. And crates of whiskey and dancing girls with no veil

Author Hassan

Here is another:

Surah Atheism

By science and reason we depend. To be revived is Atheism the sublime! (1)

A book we’ve written and bestowed as Arabian and have recited it lyrically. To show the ones who’ve strayed from the path that which has been to revealed to them was a book man-made, ironically. (2)

And the oppressors whom have mislead the People and interpreted in their Book craftily (3)

And they (oppressors, aka sheikhs imams) said: They should offer to us, those liars who’ve rejected our miraculous verses, a book written identically! (4)

For when they (challengers) said that [we replied]: For there is no difficulty for us to state statements equally (5).

Have the believers in the Quran assumed that we shall never come up with a contender, more than deservedly? (6)

Surely we are more than capable of coming with something counter to what came to them, yet superior intellectually. (7)

Do they not see that they fight about the Quran with contradictions and fusses extensively? (8)

Did your [beloved] friend/companion not claim that “verily, the sun has taken via the Earth an orbit, periodically? (9)

And: “Verily, your Lord descends in the last third of the night, and the last third of the night has oscillated on this Earth endlessly.” (10)

And when you [Muslims] were confronted with knowledge from the scientists/scholars; demonstrating the [Quran’s] error regarding the night and day, and how: “The Earth has taken around the Sun a course, orbiting routinely” (11)

For instead, you rejected them [scientists]; and thus a faction amongst you [exmooses] believed in them, and each departed with what they hold and preached with it nightly and daily. (12)

And you [Muslims] wove in ‘The Book’ [Quran] weaves to produce by it financial gain and veneration for it, immutably (13).

And regarding the ones who lied [Muslims: emulating Quranic hate style], for they became stubborn and boastful, and they said: “How can we say that [science is true] and we have revealed to us from The Prophet his sacred methods, frequently and repeatedly?” (14)

Look at how they have disputed amongst their affairs when ‘they are the pious’; and adopted divergent paths, their ideals left cleft asunder. Surely, they are a People that do not wish to contemplate critically. (15)

And they erected between themselves and the ones who do not support them (Kuffar) a barrier, veiled separately (16).

And they [Muslim scholars] said: “Do not get persuaded by them [seculars]; for they spread nothing except deceit; spun maliciously!” (17).

Did you not blame the [pre-islamic] ancients when they said: “Do not entertain the Quran”? Have you today come to lay such claim, identically? (18)

For surely you have falsified and rejected science and the [secular] scholars when they offered their opinions, antithetically (19).

For when Science & Reason eventually prevailed; the truth became apparent and you said: “For these are truths that have existed in the Book [Quran], preserved & written previously! (20)

For then they will definitely say: “What came with you is distinctly wrong from what came to us. Say: “Yes! Indeed, and your prevention of the masses to hear anything of it [science, reason, facts] proves that, evidently!”/s (21).

Translated from this youtube video by Havtho[ref]Reddit: Surah Al-Atheism[/ref]

 

Also see:

13 thoughts on “Linguistic Miracle of the Quran (Video)

  1. Sameer,the ignorance in this video is ridiculous in many ways.The miraculous nature of the Qur’anic composition is objective and testable but the blind cannot see the sun even at its zenith.Everything about the Qur’aan is miraculous and many objective non-Muslims have come to affirm its linguistic uniqueness as well as many Muslims throughout the epochs.If you have some others who do not agree you are simply dealing with the reality of the human beings-diverse for many reasons including ignorance,prejudice,arrogance,vanity,etc.

    As for mistakes,contradictions,etc in the Qur’aan that is so so absurd.The examples he claimed here only proves his ignorance or ulterior motives.

    1. What is absurd about the examples he provided (accept the stattements themselves), and what ulterior motives do they prove (besides exposing Muhammad in all his glory).

      1. It is simple some of sameer things that can explain by science, comparing with science weather science deny those things without own interpretation, also does science have solid evidence to reject, also does science claim to know everything about those things.
        Above what I discuses those are few fundamentals of understanding any subject like Quran.

        Another thing I mention that whether science know every thing. Today we know scientists have lot of theory about particular subject. So to say that this part of the Quran doesn’t go with the current science that surely not that it will be final statement. But what Quran say we believe the final statement. So today may science deny the things in the quran but it is possible that science will confirm those. After all when we talk about science it based on evidence because science do not know everything. But when talk about CREATOR then we know he knows everything. In that sense we should not check Quran with science rather we should check science with Quran. If there is contradiction with both then we should depend on the Quran because science is changing.

  2. Biruni, Avicenna stated:

    Or from Muhammad ibn Zakariyyab al-Razi, who meddles in metaphysics and exceeds his competence. He should have remained confined to surgery and to urine and stool testing—indeed he exposed himself and showed his ignorance in these matters.

  3. If you are not a son of a bitch and also want to tell truth then accept my challenge. I give my challenge at the bottom of my comment.

    About linguistic miracle , Sameer got wrong. Because when Allah says produce a sura like it then he also says take help without Allah. If you think it is my opinion then just go the very verse where the challenge and read the whole verse and also next verse. It is clear in the sura your friend wrote, that is made with the help of the Quran. So I have to say Sameer your friend fail to produce a sura by his own.

    @CHALLENGE why don’t you go Saudi Arab as a Muslim and say one of atheist accept the challenge and make a sura like the Quran. Then you ask any scholar in Saudi Arab why that sura doesn’t like the Quran.

  4. And those “surahs” are comparable to Quran, you say? That’s like comparing a 5-year old’s ramblings with Shakespeare’s works. Someone told me about your blog and I’ve to find out myself that you’re indeed a joke. What a waste of time.

      1. There is no reasoning with u…….no time to reason with u….u shook my faith when I saw ur blog…….I thought here someone will try to explain stuff passively….but ur explaination of things refutes u actually…what kind of sane man are you????….and what purpose do you have in attacking a religion???? What motivates u? BBC ?? FOX???….OK YOU FOLLOWED ISLAM…..ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM……U LEFT ISLAM I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM….EVEN I AM SORRY FOR U THE PEOPLE WHO ABUSED U AND THREATENED U……I CLEARLY CONDEMN THAT….but when I came here I thought someone might be giving some valid answers….but it looks like u have started attacking Islam…..just look at ur words mate……are those the qualities of a sane man????..can’t u give ur explaination…in a. More polite manner????….now don’t give me the example of Muslims who abused u……ok let’s say they are foolish ……but u man ..u r a learned man…have in depths of everything????…a man with reason…but u actually lose ur own cool and patience……let’s take an example…atheism is a religion ….how will u guide people to it???? Speaking in favour of atheism…by making rational videos……but it looks u decided to attack Islam at its best…….is that how u r going to preach?????…..15yrs of Muslim!!!…15yrs!!!!!!…….beleiving blindly is an another thing……..but still u never had any respect for Islam????? So do you want to say….that everything is wrong in Islam????…or everything is wrong with people who follow it……so u still deny that being religious one cannot lead a happy life?????…..looks like u haven’t seen such examples…..such examples still exist…..and they are not found in talk shows……or in any fancy seminar…….the entire world against Muslim…..!!!!!!……are we all wrong ???…..are we so monstrous?????…did we start the world wars?????…I believe nobody questions that….COME TO ISLAM MY BROTHER……COME TO ISLAM…….DNT EMBARESS YOURSELF…I KNOW HOW U HAVE FELT!!!!!…I KNOW HOW IT FEELS……..BUT STILL U DNT SEE ANY BEAUTY IN ISLAM???…..U HAVE QUESTIONS…..SEARCH THEIR ANSWERS POLITELY BROTHER …..I LOVE YOU ….I SAW UR SITE FOR EVERYTHING U DID ON 15YEARS…..ITS HIGHLY COMMENDABLE!!!!!…WHAT WILL HAPPEN AFTER REJECTING QURAN????….ITS JUST A BOOK RIGHT? For u ??…don’t u find any guud in it?????….or maybe u cud have misunderstood….PLS SEEK UR ANSWRRS….and then again if u don’t get ….u r free to say anything….what harm will come on u if u prostrate ??? It isn’t much??? Doesn’t costs money right.???..what harm will come if u donate some of ur wealth in charity???….what harm will come if u preach guud news to people ???? What harm will come if a woman covers herself…if a religion insists..and also men to lower their gaze???….why religion has boundaries???…….just to guide us……….I hope that doesn’t costs money……….come to the real Islam….don’t follow as people follow..follow as u feel is guud in it……there is a reason behind everything ..u will get the answers only if u seriously want to listen….pls come back to Islam!!!!!.we love u ….I know this is not enough … .but I love u brother. Religion makes me to love people whom even I don’t know……i consider u as my brother…i am sorry if i have attacked u……but i have seen appi too……doesn’t religion calls for universal brotherhood????…?????……..

    1. Hei helen, sura of the chicken is so hilarious. I thought its an actual sura in the quran. If u take out the funny ayats out it definitely sounds like quran. By the way the zulkarnaim story is clearly copied from alexander romance tales. So it cant be the word of god

  5. Ibn al-Rawandi (former Mu’tazilite scholar) (d. 910 ad). Khayyat a Mutazili scholar wrote a book refuting claims of Rawandi. The selective approach of orientalists in translation is sad.

  6. al-Sharif Al-Murtada does not permit the authorship of these books in the first place because he “does not doubt his mistake in writing them, whether he believed them or not,” but in an investigation of fairness, he compared him[Ibn Al Rawandi] to al-Jahiz, who was citing evidence of opponents of religion, and no one said that he embraced these doctrines.

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