|
THE
MIRACULOUSNESS OF THE QURAN
ARISING
FROM ITS PREDICTIONS
The
news which the Quran gives concerning
the past
Although
as unanimously agreed, it was
communicated by an unlettered,
trustworthy one, the wise Quran mentions
in a solemn, powerful manner, the
important experiences of the Prophets
from the time of Adam to the Time of
Happiness, and the main aspects of their
mission. The information it gives about
those important past events usually
coincide with the commonly agreed
descriptions of the previous Scriptures,
while it corrects the points on which
their corrupted forms disagree. This
means that the Quran has an all-seeing
vision penetrating the whole of the past
better than the previous Scriptures. The
information the Quran gives about the
past is not something rational, but it
may be traditional. Tradition is usually
particular to lettered persons, whereas,
as unanimously agreed by friend and foe
alike, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be
peace and blessings, was completely
unlettered (and, what is more, there was
no one in his environment to tell him
about the past). While the stories of
the previous Prophets are mostly
mentioned in the suras that were
revealed in Makka, there was no one in
Makka who knew about them. Furthermore,
traditions are partly founded on hearsay
and usually, far from giving exact
information, true and false are mixed up
in them. But the Quran speaks about past
events in such a manner that it
describes them as if seeing them: it
gives an eye-witness account. It
extracts the kernel of a long series of
events and presents its argument through
that kernel. The extracts, summaries and
indications in the Quran therefore
demonstrate that the One Who presents
them is actually seeing all the past in
all its dimensions. For just as a
substantial summary or a fine extract or
a telling example shows the skill or
expert knowledge of one in a certain
field, so too, the chief points and main
themes the Quran chooses out of certain
events demonstrate that the One Who
chooses them, has an all-encompassing
knowledge of the whole of the events and
is describing them-if one may so express
it- with an extraordinary skill.
The
predictions of the Quran
.There
are many categories of predictions. One
category is particular to men of
sainthood and spiritual unveiling. For
instance, Muhy al-Din ibn al-‘Arabi
found many predictions in sura al-Rum,
beginning with, Alif Lam Mim. The
Romans have been vanquished
(30.1-2). Imam Rabbani discovered the
signs of many future events in the muqatta’at,
the individual, disjunctive letters at
the beginning of certain suras.
In fact, for the scholars studying the
inner aspects and esoteric meanings of
the Quran and of creation, the Quran is
full of predictions from beginning to
the end. However, I will only point to
the category which everyone can see. Of
many varieties of this category, I will
concentrate on only one and be content
with mentioning some examples, without
going into detail.
The
wise Quran says to the noble Messenger
of God, upon him be peace and blessings:
So
be you patient: surely God’s
promise is true. (30:60)
You
shall enter the Holy Mosque, if
God wills, in security, your heads
shaved, your hair cut short, not
fearing. (48:27)
It
is He who has sent His Messenger
with the guidance and the religion
of truth, that He may uplift it
above every religion. (48:28)
The
Romans have been vanquished in the
nearer part of the land; and,
after their vanquishing, they
shall be the victors in a few
years. To God belongs the Command.
(30:3-4)
So
you shall see, and they will see,
which of you is the demented.
(68:5-6)
Or do they say, ‘He is a a poet for
whom we await what fate will bring. Say:
‘Await! I shall be waiting with you.’
(52:30-31)
God will protect you from men. (5:67)
If you are in doubt concerning that We
have sent down on Our servant, then
bring a sura like it, and call your
witnesses, helpers, apart from God, if
you are truthful. If you do not -and you
will never do it-then fear the fire...
(2:23-4)
Say: ‘If the Last Abode with God is
yours exclusively, and not for other
people, then long for death-if you speak
truly.’ But they will never long for
it. (2:95)
We shall show them Our signs in the
outer world and in themselves, till it
is clear to them that it is the truth.
(41:53)
Say: ‘If men and jinn banded together
to produce the like of this Qur’an,
they would never produce its like, not
though they backed one another.’
(17:88)
God will assuredly bring a people He
loves, and who love Him, humble towards
the believers, mighty and dignified
against unbelievers, men who struggle in
the path of God, not fearing the
reproach of any reproached. (5:54)
Say: ‘All praise be to God. He shall
show you His signs and you will
recognize them.’ (27:93)
Say: ‘He is the All-Merciful. We
believe in Him, and in Him we put all
our trust. Assuredly, you will soon know
who is in manifest error.’ (67:29)
God has promised those of you who
believe and do righteous deeds that He
will surely make you successors in the
land, even as He made those who were
before them successors, and that He will
surely establish their religion for them
that He has approved for them, and will
bring them, after their fear, into
security. (24:55)
All
of the predictions made in the verses
above came true. Therefore, if a person
who was subject to the severest
criticisms and objections, in whom even
a single fault was certain to lead to
the failure of his cause, makes
predictions so unhesitatingly and
confidently of himself and in so serious
a manner, it shows without doubt that he
speaks not of himself but of what he
receives from his Eternal Teacher.
The
information the Quran gives about the
Unseen, Divine truths,
the
realities pertaining to the Hereafter;
and truths of creation
The
Quran’s explanations of Divine
truths and its statements about the
realities of creation which solve the
mystery of creation and disclose the
meaning of the universe, are among the
most important news or information it
gives concerning the Unseen. For it is
beyond the mental capacity of man to
advance in a straight direction amidst
the paths of misguidance and reach those
truths or realities of the Unseen. The
deep, endless disagreements between
schools of philosophy and scientists
show explicitly that even the greatest
geniuses of science and philosophy are
unable to find out even the least of
those truths by unaided reasoning. With
souls purified, hearts refined, spirits
evolved, and intellects perfected by the
Quran, mankind was able to perceive
and accept those truths and realities,
and then could not help but remark: May
God bless the Quran!
As
for the events, states, conditions, and
stages of the Hereafter, including the
life of the grave, no human mind can
discover and perceive them by itself.
However, it can penetrate and comprehend
them in the light of the Quran as if
seeing and observing them plainly. You
may refer to The Tenth Word where we
have elaborated how right and true are
the Quran’s explanations of that
Unseen world of the Hereafter.
|
|
