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THE
QURAN’S ARGUMENT AGAINST SATAN
AND HIS PARTY ABOUT ITS DIVINE
AUTHORSHIP
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 Quran impartially?
Eleven
years ago someone asked me: “You
regard the Quran 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 Quran; not
impartiality but an attitude of
temporary unbelief. This is really so
because to suppose the Quran 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!
Answer:
That
is not justifiable either, for, if some
item of property is disputed between two
parties, it is deposited in the hands of
a trusted third party, provided that the
two parties are in reasonable proximity
to each other. However, if the parties
are quite far apart, the property is
left, until the dispute is settled, in
the possession of the one who already
holds it ñ the matter is not left
undecided.
The
number of people who have accepted
the Quran as the Word of God over
fourteen centuries amounts to
billions. So it falls upon those in
opposition to it to prove, if they
can, that it is the work of a human
being, not upon the Muslims to prove
it to be the Word of God
To
follow the analogy through, if the Quran
may be regarded as a priceless piece of
property, there is an infinite distance
between its present owner-God-and its
claimant-man. So the matter cannot be
left undecided as there cannot be, in
this case, a third party into whose
custody it may be entrusted. That being
so, it should be left in the “hands”
of God. Second, the number of people who
have accepted it as the Word of God over
fourteen centuries amounts to billions.
So it falls upon those in opposition to
it to prove, if they can, that it is the
work of a human being, not upon the
Muslims to prove it to be the Word of
God. If its opponents are able to refute
all the proofs that the Quran is the
Word of God, only then can it
justifiably be argued whether it is the
Word of God or the work of a human
being. Otherwise, not!
Therefore,
O Satan! Who would dare to pull out that
brilliant Quran from the Greatest
Throne of God onto which it is fixed
with thousands of “nails” of
decisive proofs? Despite you, O Satan,
the people of truth and justice deal
with the issue by just reasoning and
strengthen their belief in the Quran
through even the least of those decisive
proofs. As for those who are taken in by
you and your disciples, it is very
difficult for them to get out of the
darkness of unbelief into the light of
belief. This requires a proof as strong
as all the “nails” with which the
Quran is fixed to the Greatest Throne
of God, once it has been cast to the
ground by supposing it to be the work of
a human being. It is because of this
that many people are deceived by you
into that false pretence of “objective”
reasoning and ultimately lose their
faith.
The
person insisted:
The
Quran resembles the word of a
human being in that it follows the
style of human speech or
conversation. If it were the Word
of God, it should be extraordinary
in all its aspects. As God’s
artistry cannot be likened to what
is human, His Word likewise should
not resemble human speech!
Answer
Our
Prophet, upon him be peace and
blessings, was a human being; except for
his miracles and states of prophethood,
all his acts and attitudes originated in
his humanity. Like all other human
beings, he was subject to and dependent
upon the creational and operational laws
of God; he suffered from cold, felt
pains and so on. He was not
extraordinary in all his acts and
attitudes, and set an example to mankind
through his conduct. If he had been
extraordinary in his conduct and
attitudes, he could not have been an
absolute guide in every aspect of life
and the mercy for all the worlds through
all his states. In the same way, the
Wise Quran is a leader to conscious
beings, a director to mankind and the
jinn, a guide to men of perfection, and
an instructor to truth-seeking people.
For that reason, it needs to be in the
style of human speech and conversation:
for mankind and the jinn take out of it
their supplications, they learn from it
their prayers, they converse about their
affairs in its terms and they derive
from it the principles of good conduct.
In short, every believer adopts it as
the authorized recourse or reference on
all his affairs. If, by contrast, it had
been like the Word of God which the
Prophet Moses heard on Mount Sinai, no
one could have borne to hear it, let
alone adopt it as a recourse. One of the
five greatest Messengers of God, namely
the Prophet Moses, upon him be peace,
was able to hear only a few pieces of
that Word and asked, “Is this Your
speech?” God answered, “I have the
power of all tongues and languages.”
The
person continued:
Many
persons give voice in the name of
religion to almost the same
subjects as those in the Quran.
So, is it not possible for a human
being to produce the like of the
Quran?
Answer:
First of all, a religious man
voices the truth for the love of
religion and in the name of God’s
commandments; he never lies
against God. He would never
venture so far as to imitate God
and speak on his own for fear of
the Quranic threat, Who is
greater in wrongdoing than the
one who lies against God!
(39:32)
It is by no means possible for a
man to succeed in doing such a
thing for a man can only imitate
another one of nearly the same
level. Only those of the same
species can take each other’s
form; only those of nearly the
same level can pretend to each
other’s level. However, it is
very difficult, even in this
case, for them to deceive people
for long as their pretensions
and false display will certainly
give them away sooner or later
in the sight of perceptive
people.
Suppose the counterfeiter is
greatly inferior in rank to the
one he tries to imitate. If, for
example, an ordinary man were to
pretend to the knowledge of
Avicenna or a shepherd were to
make himself appear to be a
king, he would most certainly do
nothing other than lay himself
open to ridicule.
Is it at all possible that a
firefly could make itself appear
as a star to observers for a
thousand years? Can a fly make
itself appear as a peacock for a
year? Also, is it at all
conceivable that an ordinary
private could pretend to be a
famous marshal and occupy his
chair for a long time without
giving himself away?
Likewise, is it possible for a
slandering, lying man of
unbelief to sustain for a
lifetime, before the discerning,
a false display of the loyalty,
truthfulness and conviction of a
most pious man?
If
all these “ifs” are indeed
inconceivable and if they are
all unacceptable to any
intelligent man, then how can
one suppose the Quran to be
the work of a human being? To do
so would mean regarding that
Manifest Book, which has been
like a star of truths or a sun
of perfection radiating the
lights of truths in the sky of
the Muslim world for centuries,
as-God forbid!-a collection of
falsehoods invented by-God
forbid!-a counterfeiter! It
would also mean that those who
were in his company for
twenty-three years and followed
him for fourteen centuries were
not aware of his real identity
and, although he was-God
forbid!-like a firefly, knew and
believed him to be a radiant,
star-like source of truths! This
is the most inconceivable of
suppositions and you, O Satan,
cannot deceive any sensible man
into such an inconceivable
supposition even if you were a
hundred times more advanced in
your devilish craft! What you
can manage, however, is to
deceive people into looking at
the Quran and the Prophet
from a very great distance and
see those star-like objects as
fireflies.
To suppose the Quran to be
the work of a human being would
also mean that a most bright,
true and comprehensive criterion
of the human world, miraculous
of exposition and which brings
well-being to that world, is-God
forbid!-the product of an
unlettered individual. It would
mean-God forbid!-pretence and
counterfeiting always appeared
to even great intellects and
exalted geniuses as earnestness,
sincerity and purity of
intention! It is surely the most
inconceivable of allegations.
Further, to accept it would mean
regarding as reality an
inconceivable supposition. It
would mean that a most
illustrious and virtuous being
who, throughout his life,
displayed and preached
conviction, truthfulness,
trustworthiness, sincerity,
earnestness and uprightness in
all his states, his words and
his actions, and who brought up
many truthful persons was-God
forbid!-a mean and most
discreditable rascal, wholly
insincere and the foremost in
unbelief. That is so great a
delirium that even Satan would
be ashamed to conceive it.
There is not a third alternative
in this matter because, if the
Quran is supposed as the work
of a human being, it must be
something so far debased as if
it had fallen the distance from
heaven to earth. It would change
from being a collection of
truths into a source of
superstitions. And the rank of
the one who brought that
wonderful decree-the Quran-would
likewise be degraded from being
a source of perfection to-God
forbid!-the greatest cheat; that
must follow if he is-God
forbid!-not a Messenger of God.
For the one who lies in the name
of God is the meanest of people.
It follows that such a
supposition is as inconceivable
as always seeing a fly as, and
imagining it to have the
qualities of, a peacock. Only an
intoxicated man, moreover insane
from birth, could regard such
suppositions as possible.
The Quran directs the Muslim
community which includes, among
its members (and this has been
witnessed for fourteen centuries
past) the greatest and most
magnificent division of the
children of Adam. The Quran
holds that community in such an
order and under such a
discipline as to enable them to
conquer both worlds-this one and
the next. It has equipped them
both materially and spiritually,
and instructed and educated them
in all rational, moral and
spiritual matters according to
the intellectual capacity of
each of their individuals. It
has also purified them and
employed each member of their
bodies and each of their senses
and faculties in its most proper
place. As for the Prophet
Muhammad (upon him be peace and
blessings) who brought the Quran
from God, he also brought to
mankind the laws of God
exemplified by his attitudes and
actions throughout his life. He
instructed mankind through his
actions throughout his life and
through his sincere practice of
the principles of truth. He
showed and established through
his sincere and reasonable
sayings the ways of true
guidance and well-being; and he
is, as testified by his whole
life and good conduct, the most
knowledgeable of God and the
most fearful of His punishment.
He also established his splendid
rule of perfection over half of
the globe and one-fifth of
mankind. He truly became,
through world-famous manners and
world-admired actions as a
prophet, statesman, commander,
spiritual and intellectual
guide, father, husband, friend,
and so on, the pride not only of
mankind but also of the whole
creation. Such being the case,
to suppose the Quran as the
work of a human being would mean
that it is-God forbid!-the
worthless fabrication of-God
forbid!-a dishonest liar who did
not recognize God and felt no
fear of Him! This is, again, the
most inconceivable of
suppositions and therefore, O
Satan, you cannot deceive into
such a supposition any sensible
and sound-hearted man, even if
you were a hundred times more
powerful in your devilish
tricks!
Satan
retorted:
How
can I fail to deceive! I have
actually deceived the majority of
mankind including the foremost in
rational thought and led them to
deny both the Qur’an and
Muhammad!
Answer:
When looked at from a great
distance, the biggest thing can
look as small as a tiny
particle; a star can be
considered as a candle.
When considered in a superficial
way, vulnerable to distraction
and illusion, an inconceivable
thing can appear conceivable.
Once,
an old man was scanning the
horizon in order to catch sight
of the new crescent of Ramadan.
A white hair from his eyebrow
which had curved over his eyes
came into his line of vision:
deceived by that illusion, he
announced, “I have seen the
moon!” However inconceivable
it is that a white hair could be
regarded as the crescent, this
inconceivability became actual
in the eyes of the old man who
was deceived by an illusion
while searching for the crescent
in the sky.
Denial is different from
non-confirmation.
Non-confirmation is a kind of
indifference and lack of
judgment. For this reason, many
inconceivable things may exist
unintentionally in
non-confirmation. As to denial,
it is a judgment and means the
confirmation of non-existence. A
man usually gets to denial
through reasoning. A devil like
you, O Satan, deprives him of
sound judgment and deceives him
into denial. So, O Satan, you
have used such devilish devices
as heedlessness, deviation,
sophistry, obstinacy, demagogy,
arrogant superiority and
conceit, seduction and custom
which cause many to see
falsehood as truth and the
inconceivable as conceivable.
Through them you have deceived
lots of unfortunate people
(human in appearance but it is
questionable whether they are so
in essence) into unbelief which,
in fact, requires the acceptance
of many inconceivable things.
The Quran, besides the merits
of it mentioned above, is a book
of pure truths and matchless
value. It has become a guide to
the saints, scholars of truth
and purity who are like stars in
the sky of the human world. It
continually invites the people
of every age and race and those
seeking perfection, to truth and
love of the truth, truthfulness
and loyalty, trustworthiness and
reliability. Through the truths
of the pillars of belief and the
principles of the fundamentals
of Islam, the Quran secures
happiness in both worlds. As for
the preacher of the Quran,
the Prophet Muhammad (upon him
be peace and blessings) is a
most trustworthy being, the
foremost and firmest in belief
and conviction. This is
testified by the religion and
law of Islam which he preached,
and demonstrated by his
unanimously acknowledged piety
and sincere worship manifested
throughout his whole life. It is
required by his laudable
virtues, and confirmed by all
the men of truth and perfection.
That being the case, to suppose
the Quran to be the work of a
human being would mean that the
Quran is-God forbid!-a
collection of fallacies and
lies, and the Prophet is-God
forbid!-an unreliable,
unbelieving liar without fear of
God. This supposition is the
most dangerous kind of unbelief
and the most abominable of
deviations and wrongdoing, which
even devils and sophists would
be ashamed to conceive.
In
short:
Those
who have only the power of hearing to
appreciate the miraculousness of the Quran
acknowledge the Quran not to be of
the same kind and degree as all the
other books they have heard. The Quran
is, therefore, either inferior to them
all or superior. No one in the world,
even if he be a devil, can claim that
the Quran is inferior to the other
books, so it should necessarily be
accepted that the Quran is superior
to them all, and that it is, thereby, a
miracle. That being the case, based on
the two decisive proofs called “dichotomy”
and “reductio ad absurdum” we openly
declare:
O
Satan! and O you disciples of
Satan! The Quran is either the
Word of God manifested through the
Highest Throne of God and His
Highest Name, or-God forbid!-the
fabrication of an unbeliever who
does not recognize and fear God.
Even you, O Satan, cannot claim
the truth of the second
alternative; you were not, and
will not, be able to voice such an
allegation. If this is so, then
the Quran is, of necessity and
undoubtedly, the Word of the
Creator of the universe, since, as
explained and proved above, there
is not a third alternative in this
matter.
Likewise,
Muhammad (upon him be peace and
blessings) is either a Messenger
of God, and the most perfect of
the Messengers and superior to all
other creatures, or he must be
regarded as-God forbid!1-a
man of unbelief. He must then be
regarded as of the lowest nature
since he lied against God without
recognition of Him and of His
punishment. This is, O Satan, an
allegation which has been, and
will be, made by neither the
philosophers of Europe nor the
hypocrites of Asia, in whom you
place great trust. Since there is
no one in the world who will heed
and accept such an allegation,
even the most corrupt of those
philosophers and most unscrupulous
of the hypocrites are bound to
admit that Muhammad was a very
wise man and of exemplary good
conduct.
Finally,
there are again only two
alternatives in this matter. As in
the case of the Qur’an, the
second is inconceivable and
acceptable to no one. Then
Muhammad upon him be peace and
blessings) is, self-evidently and
of necessity, the Messenger of
God, and the most perfect of the
Messengers, and superior to all
other creatures, even if you, O
Satan, and your party are averse.
Upon
him be blessings and peace to
the number of angels, human
beings and the jinn!
1.
Since the Quran mentions such a
supposition in order to refute the
unbelief and bad language of
unbelievers, I felt justified in
mentioning it, though fearfully
and with aversion, only as a most
impossible supposition to show how
groundless and false are the
assertions of the misguided.
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