Muslims tell us that the Quran is a literary miracle. The verses are so eloquent that it cannot come from any human being, neither can it be imitated. Muslims believe only a supernatural being can write something so perfect and beautiful.
Logically, literary eloquence does not imply it is divine. There are numerous works of art, literature, music, poetry, etc that are eloquent, beautiful, inspiring and inimitable. It is irrelevant whether the text of the Quran is beautiful because beauty does not logically imply divine inspiration.
In reality though, many who read the Quran would find it incoherent, disjointed, disorganized, repetitive, jarring, incomprehensible and tiresome.
Muslims will counter by saying, “Well that’s because you don’t know Arabic!”
You mean, the Quran is only a miracle to those who can read and understand Arabic? That does not sound like an impressive miracle at all. It is not a miracle if you need to read, understand, explain, interpret, translate. A miracle is recognized even by the uneducated! A lame man being able to walk again! That’s a miracle! Anyone can see it. Even if they don’t speak his language!
Actually, even those during Muhammad’s time, were not impressed by the Quran. Here is what Allah himself admitted:
“And when Our revelations are recited unto them they say: We have heard. If we wish we can speak the like of this. Lo! this is naught but fables of the men of old.”
Sura 8:31
In other words, the people who heard the Quran first hand, in Arabic, directly from Muhammad’s mouth, did not consider it a miracle! In fact, they disparaged it as fables!
Think about this. Muhammad’s own people rejected it and did not recognize it as a miracle then. Then what would cause anyone else to see it as a miracle?
Don’t forget that those folks spoke the language of the Quran everyday! If anyone can recognize any supposed literary Quranic miracle in Arabic, it would have been them! (By the way, the Arabic of the Quran is not even the Arabic spoken today. The Quran uses Classical Arabic, which no one even uses in daily conversations today.)
Instead, they called him a fraud. “This is a magician and a liar.” (Sura 38:4)
So the argument of literary eloquence as evidence of divine inspiration is a sad fallacy that does not hold water. Neither in the 7th century nor now.
Ali Dashti, the Iranian scholar who studied Islamic theology, history, Arabic and Persian grammar, and classical literature wrote:
“The Qor’an contains sentences which are incomplete and not fully intelligible without the aid of commentaries; foreign words, unfamiliar Arabic words, and words used with other than the normal meaning; adjectives and verbs inflected without observance of the concords of gender and number; illogically and ungrammatically applied pronouns which sometimes have no referent; and predicates which in rhymed passages are often remote from the subjects. These and other such aberrations in the language have given scope to critics who deny the Qor’an’s eloquence. The problem also occupied the minds of devout Moslems. It forced the commentators to search for explanations and was probably one of the causes of disagreement over readings.”
(Ali Dashti, Twenty-Three Years: A study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad, Allen and Unwin, London, 1985, pp. 48-49)
He goes on to say:
“To sum up, more than one hundred Qor’anic aberrations from the normal rules and structure of Arabic have been noted. Needless to say, the commentators strove to find explanations and justifications of these irregularities. Among them was the great commentator and philologist Mahmud oz-Zamakhshari (467/1075-538/1144), of whom a Moorish author wrote: ‘This grammar-obsessed pedant has committed a shocking error. Our task is not to make the readings conform to Arabic grammar, but to take the whole of the Qor’an as it is and make Arabic grammar conform to the Qor’an.’”
Ibid., p. 50
Gerd R. Puin of Saarland University, Germany is a renowned specialist on Arabic calligraphy and Quranic paleography. For decades he has extensively examined numerous Quranic manuscript parchment fragments including the famed and historic Sanaá manuscript.
This is his description of the Quranic text.
“My idea is that the Quran is a kind of cocktail of texts that were not all understood even at the time of Muhammad. Many of them may even be a hundred years older than Islam itself. The Quran claims for itself that it is ‘mubeen’, or clear. But [contrary to popular belief] if you look at it, you will notice that every fifth sentence or so simply does not make sense…the fact is that a fifth of the Quranic text is just incomprehensible. If the Quran is not comprehensible, if it can’t even be understood in Arabic, then it’s not translatable into any language. That is why Muslims are afraid. Since the Quran claims repeatedly to be clear but is not—there is an obvious and serious contradiction. Something else must be going on”.
Learn more:
Is The Quran A Miracle?
When you quotes Surah 8:31, that is what the disbelievers said. It does not mean everyone thought that. The pharisees thought Jesus was a magician, and used satanic powers according to the bible. simple taking their view is correct becuase they are in accordance with ones agenda is unscholarly.
Labid ibn Rabi’ah, one of the famous poets of the Seven Odes, embraced Islam due to the inimitability of the Qur’an. Once he embraced Islam, he stopped composing poetry. People were surprised, for “he was their most distinguished poet”. They asked him why he stopped composing poetry; he replied, “What! Even after the revelation of the Qur’an?”. Pls research up on him,
Ali dashti and G.R. Puin said the Quran is poorly written, both sadly provide no evidence as examples to base their augment upon.
This is nothing but an appeal to authority
How does one reconcile that view with the below testimonies?
• “In making the present attempt to improve on the performance of predecessors, and to produce something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pain to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms which—apart from the message itself—constitutes the Koran’s undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind. Arberry, A. J. (1998). The Koran: Translated with an Introduction by Arthur J. Arberry. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. x.
It is confessedly the standard of the Arabic tongue… The style of the Koran is generally beautiful and fluent… and in many places, especially where the majesty and attributes of God are described, sublime and magnificent … He succeeded so well, and so strangely captivated the minds of his audience, that several of his opponents thought it the effect of witchcraft and enchantment. George Sale, The Koran: The Preliminaiy Discourse, London, 1891, p47-48
All those who are acquainted with the Qur’an in Arabic agree in praising the beauty of this religious book; its grandeur of form is so sublime that no translation into any European language can allow us to appreciate it.
Edward Montet, Traduction Francaise du Coran, Paris 1929, Introduction p253.
All of the above are non muslims.
My point is if the Quran was a miracle, as claimed by Muslims today, it must have been recognized as such even by unbelievers.
Sura 8:31 shows it wasn’t recognized as a miracle even during Muhammad’s time by people who spoke and heard the “advanced” classical Arabic all their lives!
You used Jesus’ miracles as comparison. Everyone saw a miracle like Jesus raising the dead or healing the blind. No one, not even the enemies of Jesus, could deny the miracle.
But this isn’t the case with the Quran.
People who heard the Quran first hand, in Arabic, directly from Muhammad’s mouth, did not consider it a miracle! In fact, they disparaged it as fables!
If anyone can recognize any supposed literary Quranic miracle in Arabic, it would have been them!
So the argument of literary eloquence as evidence of divine inspiration is a sad fallacy that does not hold water. Neither in the 7th century nor now.
You accuse me of appealing to authority but you do the same thing!
So what is the conclusion?
There are people who praise the beauty of the Quran and there are people who expose it as incoherent, disorderly, jumbled, muddled and repetitive.
This only underscores my argument that the Quran is not a miracle.
Dear Admin,
I love you, and wish the best for you, that is why I write this to you.
Verses where Jesus was rejected by the naysayers. Nomatter what evidence is presented as proof, people will accept and people will reject. Mtt 5:11 = “Blessed are you when people… falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you”
Here are 2 instances where people tho seeing, they did not see; tho hearing, they did not hear.
1) Matthew 11:20 = When Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
2) John 9:15 = Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. [they call Jesus possessed and a liar due to stubbornness]
3) Exodus 4:21 “I will harden the heart of the pharaoh so he will not let them go” [pharoah rejected the miracle of Moses]
Admin, I do not mean to appeal to authority, previously I have clarified that I, like you, have never studied Classical Arabic before, simply I present counter testimonies to show that one cannot be hasty and conclude from a select few like in this article.
Besides logically speaking it makes no sense for Muhammad to say “Here is a really poorly written Quran – let’s pretend like it isn’t! You deniers who are masters of poetry, produce a chapter like this… no stop laughing at me, it is eloquent! Oi poets accept my poorly written text as divine and pretend like it is extremely eloquent even tho it makes no sense and convert to Islam and be very pious scholars” Then with this ineloquent book, Islam spreads over the enter peninsula with the greatest of poets accepting it and admitting its supernatural origin (we have references of people being in awe of the quran) and the pagan nation becomes monotheistic and closer to the God of Abraham. This narrative makes no sense – out of all the insults they throw at Muhammad PBUH, a clueless and unsure person are one of the least credible. Rather he was a true messenger like the previous ones – and just like any famous person, he will undoubtedly have enemies.
I do not doubt your sincerity. It shows. I can tell that you are a good person and a genuine seeker.
You mentioned your love. I appreciate that. Jesus taught us to love everyone, even those who call us enemies.
However, you must surely know that this isn’t the teachings of Islam.
According to the Quran, Allah loves only those who love him.
Jesus labels this kind of “love” as a tax collector’s love. As long as you pay the tax collector, he loves you.
If you are a true Muslim, you have to follow what Muhammad taught. You said you love me. Your religion says you cannot do that
Allah tells Muslims they are not allowed to befriend Jews and Christians.
“O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust.”
Quran 5:51
Non-Muslims are denigrated in the Quran and insulted as “worst of creatures” (98:6, 8:55); “worst of beasts, deaf and dumb” (8:22); “blind, void of wisdom” (2:171); “diseased” (2:10, 5:52); “eat like animals” (47:12); “unclean, filth” (9:28); “dogs” (7:176); “apes” (2:65); “swine” (5:60); “asses” (74:50).
According to one hadith, if you pass by me on the road, you have to force me into the roadside or ditch. (Sahih Muslim 2167a)
It is sunnah for you to be violent against all non-Muslims.
“O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them…” Qur’an 66:9
Those who denied Jesus said he was possessed using satananic powers as his ally. this does not diminish his miracle – it simply highlights their stubbornness and their laughable intellectual standards.
Read Matt 12:22 onwards.
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.
Yes, the Pharisees said that, and Jesus refuted them. Read the passage.
What was Allah’s challenge to those who disparaged the quran? Write a chapter like it?
Seriously? Come on, be honest. Anyone can make such challenges. Leonardo Da Vinci could have claimed that no one can paint like him. So what? Doesn’t prove that the Mona Lisa is from God.
Again, my point is that Jesus came with clear evidence of miracles. A man born blind can see again. Lazarus dead for 4 days brought to life again.
The Pharisees did not like it but no one can deny that a miracle took place!
There is no miraculous elements in Islam. A man reciting some words he claimed was given to him by some being that no one saw or heard?
What is the evidence for any claim that Muhammad ever made? The entirety of Islam is one man’s words!
Especially self-serving “revelations” should be a warning sign to you, my friend.