The all-encompassing and miraculous nature of the Holy Qur’an has left many of its secrets unveiled. Scientists and scholars with special capabilities through successive ages have uncovered some miracles in it which have remained unknown to those before them until the advancement of knowledge made it possible for these scholars and scientists to discover the ever renewing miracles of the Qur’an.
About the age when the Qur’an was revealed, Sheikh Muhammad Mutwali Al-Sha’rawi said: “It was an age characterized by people with natural command of the Arabic language and, therefore, none of them asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the meaning of [Alif Laam Meem] or the meaning of [ha meem Ain Seen qaaf], for instance, and none of them asked why these separate letters were placed at the beginning of certain Suras of the Qur’an. Hence, those who believed in the message of the Prophet (peace be upon him) believed in the Qur’an as an absolute truth that contains the message revealed unto the Prophet (peace be upon him).”
“Even those who did not believe in the message of Islam did not ask any question of this type because they knew, as masters of Arabic not as learners of the rules of the language, that these letters constitute the language of the Qur’an. They left no stone unturned in their attempt to find something that belittles the message and proves that Muhammad had brought some unreasonable words unknown to them, but they failed.”
If we ask why the opponents of the message of Islam had not criticized these separate letters at the beginning of certain Suras, Sheikh Sha’rawi will answer: “There is no doubt that the disbelievers were impressed by these letters even though they did not believe in them or find in them something that could be criticized. Neither the believers, nor the disbelievers asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the meanings of these letters although the disbelievers were keen on directing the harshest criticism to him. When they found out that they could not challenge the Qur’an, they said to each other, (Do not listen to this Qur’an, but talk at random in the midst of its (reading) that you may gain the upper hand.) [Qur’an 41:26]”
As is clear in the above verse, the disbelievers asked each other not to listen to the Qur’an because by merely listening to it they would certainly be impressed by the words of truth revealed by Allah. As such, they admitted that the Qur’an was capable of convincing them or at least abating their opposition of the message of Islam. Had the Qur’an not had any effect on the listener, the disbelievers would not have bothered to listen or not to listen to it, and some orientalists would not have done everything they can to misinterpret some of its verses.
The Qur’an is so named because it is read and it is a Book because it is written. It has been the Will of Allah to preserve it intact in people’s minds and in writing. An orientalist once said about the Holy Qur’an, “Every verse of it is read as originally revealed unto Muhammad.”
It should be noted that when we define something from the academic point of view, we usually say that it begins at a certain point and ends at a certain point. By setting these denominations, we can say that the Qur’an begins with Surat Al-Fateha and ends with SuratAl-Naas. Moreover, scholars define it as “the Word of Allah revealed in Arabic unto the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and communicated to us by consensus; reciting it is an act of worship; and it is miraculous and challenging even by the shortest Surah of it.”
But what about the characteristic that distinguishes the Qur’an from other divine books? Sheikh Al-Sha’rawi said:
“The Torah is from Allah and so is the Gospel and the other divine books. All of them are divine and revealed to the Prophets by Allah. However, there is a clear difference between the Qur’an and any other book revealed to any Prophet before Muhammad. All the previous books contained the law that people should abide by while the Qur’an contained both the law and the miracle that signifies that Muhammad is the true Messenger of Allah.”
Let us have a comparative look at the Torah and the Qur’an. The Torah was the law chosen by Allah for the Jews to follow but the miracle was a different thing; it was the stick which ate up all the ropes and sticks that the magicians were throwing. The same applies to the Gospel and Jesus. The Gospel was the law set down for the Christians while the miracle was something different, namely healing lepers or raising the dead from their tombs with the permission of Allah. However, the Qur’an is a way of life and a miracle at the same time. It is a way of life for all people at all times and places and an eternal miracle. Why? Sheikh Al-Sha’rawi replies: “The books revealed by Allah unto previous Prophets as the laws that should be followed by people in their lives meant that a complementing and final message is going to be revealed unto the last Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, the Qur’an is both a way of life and a miracle that establishes the eternal way chosen by Allah for his creatures to the Day of Judgment. It was a miracle and a guide at the time of the Prophet and a miracle and a guide at all times that follow. The followers of the Prophet Muhammad has then the right to say that our Prophet Muhammad and his miracle is the Qur’an.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I have been given five merits which no Prophet before me was given: Allah made me victorious by inspiring awe (and fear in my enemies) for a distance of one month’s journey; the earth has been made a place of prostration for me, and a substance of purification and thus any one wishes to pray can do that whenever the time for prayer is due; war booty has been made lawful for me; every prophet was sent only to his nation, but I have been sent to all mankind and I have been given the right of intercession (on the Day of Judgment ).”
The Qur’an, as a miracle and a way of life, has made its light continue bright to this time and will continue so until the Day of Judgment.
