The Qur'an and Its Study. Adnan Zarzour
describes itself in the following terms: ‘It is indeed a sublime Book; no falsehood can ever touch it openly or in a stealthy manner. It is bestowed from on High by One Who is Wise, Worthy of Praise’ (41: 41–42). This means that no falsehood or error can attach to the Qur’an with regard to its references of what took place in earlier times, and to what it refers to of future events.
i.God says: ‘And so after We had destroyed those earlier generations, We gave Moses the book providing insight for mankind, as a guidance and grace, so that they may reflect. You certainly were not present on the western side of the mountain when We issued the Commandments to Moses, nor were you one of those who witnessed [those events]. But We raised up many generations, and long was their span of life. Nor did you dwell among the people of Madyan, reciting Our revelations to them. Rather, it is We Who send messengers. Nor indeed were you present on the slopes of Mount Sinai when We called out [to Moses]. Rather, it is an act of your Lord’s mercy so that you may warn people to whom no warner has come before you, so that they may perchance reflect’ (28: 43–46).
As a preliminary to the story of Mary, God says: ‘This is an account of something which remained beyond the reach of your perception and We now reveal to you. You were not present with them when they cast lots as to which of them should have charge of Mary; nor were you present when they contended about it with one another’ (3: 44).
The Qur’anic verses that speak of the distant past of humanity and give numerous minute details, particularly in the history of earlier prophets such as Abraham, Joseph and Moses (peace be upon them all) serve as clear evidence that the Qur’an is Divine revelation. This becomes even clearer when we remember that all subsequent historical studies, up to the present day, have not unearthed anything that contradicts the Qur’anic accounts in any way. They never will.
ii.The same may be said about the future events foretold in the Qur’an, such as its mention of the Byzantines’ victory and the defeat of the Quraysh: ‘Defeated have been the Byzantines in the lands close-by; yet despite this their defeat, they will gain victory within a few years. All power of decision belongs to God before and after. And on that day the believers will rejoice in God’s support’ (30: 2–5). ‘Their hosts will be routed, and they will turn tail and flee’ (54: 45).
iii.The Qur’an also goes beyond the law of time and place in speaking about numerous events that took place during the period of its revelation. For example, Abu Lahab, the Prophet’s uncle, was very hostile to Islam. Several years prior to his death, the Qur’an said in reference to him: ‘He shall have to endure a flaming fire’ (111: 3). That statement, read out in the open, was a clear verdict meaning that Abū Lahab would remain hostile to Islam for the rest of his life and would never change his attitude. How could anyone have predicted this, particularly when we realise that many of those who adopted a similarly hostile attitude to Islam later realised its truth and accepted it? Abū Lahab could easily have claimed, even hypocritically, that he accepted Islam. Had he done so, people would have said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was making wild claims about future events. Far be it from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to do so. It is only because the Qur’an is revelation from God Almighty, Who knows everything in all ages and times, that such a statement could be made. The future of Abū Lahab was told at the time by God Who knows what is in people’s minds and hearts, and knows who will respond to His guidance and who will reject it. Subsequent events confirmed what the Qur’an foretold and Abū Lahab remained an unbeliever to the end of his life. The same may be said about the Qur’anic statement concerning al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah: ‘I will cast him into the scorching fire’ (74: 26). There are many similar statements about future events in the Qur’an.
We need not say much about the breadth and scope of the topics tackled by the Qur’an. This, however, serves as firm evidence confirming that the Qur’an was revelation from on High. The Qur’an refers to a wide range of facts that science and human knowledge, only acquired over the centuries, have confirmed. Hence, many people today refer to these as miraculous. Hence, they now speak about the scientific miracle of the Qur’an, or its legislative miracle, in addition to its inimitable style and to its discourse about what lies beyond the realm of human perception. Reference may be made to studies by specialists in embryology, medicine, astronomy, botany, geography, oceanology, humanities, ethics and other specialities. Books have been written addressing all this, as well as numerous papers submitted to seminars and conferences. We need only to bear this in mind in order to realise the great breadth of Qur’anic topics, and how the Qur’an provided information that was many centuries ahead of human discovery. We then realise that Muhammad (peace be upon him) who never told a lie was only the means to transmit absolute truths known only to God, and that the Qur’an he passed on to humanity was revelation from on High, which he received through the Holy Spirit.
God says: ‘By the star when it sets. This fellow-man of yours has not gone astray, nor is he deluded. He does not speak out of his own fancy. That [which he delivers to you] is nothing less than a revelation sent down to him’ (53: 1–4).
49.We may say in brief that the existence of the universe requires an explanation that tackles its role, the interconnection between its parts, its being subject to the law of cause and effect and the perfection of its laws and phenomena. The human mind cannot accept that the force that ensures that everything in the universe moves in its right direction so as to make an integrated and coherent world, with all its inanimate, plant and animate objects, is a self-generating blind force.
50.M. ‘Abduh, Risālat al-Tawḥīd, in the edition of ‘Abduh’s Complete Works, vol. 3, p. 328.
51.Both the other two methods combine subtlety with speed, but the first of these two involves audible sound while the other is given through Gabriel, the angel of revelation. Hence, the Qur’anic verse mentions revelation again in connection with this method.
52.Related by al-Bukhārī, Hadith no. 2; Muslim, Hadith no. 2333.
53.Zayd reports: ‘The Prophet received revelations when his thigh was next to my thigh, and I felt it too heavy and feared that it might crush my thigh.’ Related by al-Bukhārī’s Ṣaḥīḥ, Chapter 8 of the Book on Prayer.
54.A. Badawi, Difā‘ ‘an al-Qur’an, pp. 159–160.
55.‘He experienced something that was absolutely extraordinary, and heard something the like of which he had never heard before. He was an Arab and fully aware of what Arabs said. The shock that he experienced was awareness of the gulf that existed between what he heard on this occasion and what he used to hear his people say, or what he himself said.’ This comment is made by Maḥmūd M. Shākir, a distinguished contemporary scholar, on this point.
56.The Prophet’s status as God’s servant is mentioned in the context of the Prophet’s own miracle that took him on his night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem, and from there to Heaven and back to Makkah on the same night. That miracle took him beyond the two dimensions of time and place, and he was given what was not given to any other prophet. God says: ‘Limitless in His glory is He Who transported His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah] to the Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem]’ (17: 1). ‘He then drew near, and came close, until he was two bow-lengths away, or even closer, and revealed to God’s servant what he revealed’ (53: 8–10).
57.M. Draz, Al-Naba’ al-Aẓīm, p. 120. English edition: The Qur’an: An Eternal Challenge, p. 108.
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The Revelation of the Qur’an and Why it was Revealed in Parts
1. Revelation and Sending Down
The Qur’an refers to its being bestowed from on High either by derivations of the root waḥy, which means revelation, or the root nuzūl, which means sending down. Waḥy is mostly associated with the Qur’an being vouchsafed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), or his being addressed by it, or his reception of it. In other words, it mostly pertains to the relation between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Qur’an. Nuzūl is largely associated with reference to the Qur’an as a fact that has been sent down by the One Who knows all that is hidden in the heavens and the earth, or refers to the parties of the process of revelation: God Almighty, Gabriel who brings