100 Proofs That Islam Is True (Part 1): The Everlasting Challenge of the Qur'an
Mufti Faijullah Aman
Introduction
The first way to test whether a religion is true is to examine its foundational scripture. The foundation of Islam is the Qur'an. And the Qur'an presents a proof of its own truth that any person, in any age, can examine for himself. That proof is the challenge of the Qur'an.
What Is the Challenge?
Allah says: "And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our servant, then produce a chapter like it, and call upon your helpers other than Allah, if you are truthful. But if you do not, and you will never be able to..." (Surah al-Baqarah 2:23-24)
He also says: "Say: If all mankind and the jinn gathered together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of it, even if they helped one another." (Surah al-Isra 17:88)
Notice that the Qur'an did not only issue a challenge; it also announced the outcome in advance: "You will never be able to." No human author would dare make such a permanent claim about his own writing.
To Whom Was the Challenge Given?
This challenge was given to a people who were the greatest masters of language and poetry. The Arabs held poetry competitions in their markets and hung the finest poems on the walls of the Ka'bah. Language was their pride and their weapon. They fought wars, spent their wealth, and sacrificed their lives to stop the call of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Yet the easiest path was right in front of them: compose a short chapter of just three verses. That, they could not do.
Walid ibn al-Mughirah, a leader of Quraysh, admitted after hearing the Qur'an that it was neither poetry nor the chant of a sorcerer, and that it carried a remarkable sweetness and beauty. Those in history who tried to imitate the Qur'an, such as the false prophet Musaylimah, became objects of ridicule among the Arabs themselves.
A Man Who Could Not Read or Write
Even more astonishing, the one through whom this Book came was unlettered. He never attended a school and never learned reading or writing from anyone. Allah says: "You did not recite any scripture before it, nor did you write one with your right hand; otherwise the falsifiers would have had cause for doubt." (Surah al-Ankabut 29:48)
Until the age of forty, he was not known for poetry or speeches. Then suddenly words came from his mouth that left an entire nation of master speakers speechless. The only reasonable explanation is that these words were not his own composition.
The Challenge Is Still Open
Fourteen hundred years have passed. Millions of scholars, writers, and even critics of Islam have mastered the Arabic language. Yet no one has produced a work that experts of the language accept as equal to the Qur'an. The challenge is still open, and still unbeaten.
Conclusion
For a sincere seeker of truth, the question is simple: if the Qur'an is a human work, why can no human produce even one chapter like it? And if no one can, then it is the word of a Being beyond humanity. That Being is Allah, and the one who delivered His word is His true Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him).
In the next part, the second proof, in sha Allah.
