| Inimitability of the Quran |
| The Quran is not only unique in the way in which it presents its subject matter, but it is also unique in that it is a miracle itself. By the term "miracle", we mean the performance of a supernatural or extraordinary event which cannot be duplicated by humans. It has been documented that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) challenged the Arabs to produce a literary work of a similar caliber as the Quran, but they were unable to do so inspite of their well-known eloquence and literary powers. The challenge to reproduce the like of the Quran was presented to the Arabs in three stages: I. The Whole Quran: In the Quran, Allah commanded the prophet (pbuh) to challenge all of creation to create a book of the stature of the Quran, "Say: 'if all mankind and the jinn would come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like even though they exerted all their strength in aiding one another'" [17:88] 2. Ten chapters: Next Allah made the challenge much easier by asking those who denied its divine origin to imitate even 10 chapters of the Quran: " Or do they say that he has invented it? Say (to them), 'Bring ten invented soorahs like it, and call your witnesses besides Allah, if you are truthful." The final challenge was to produce even a single chapter to match what is in the Quran, whose shortest chapter is al-Kawthar (3 verses): "And if you all are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, bring a single soorah like it, and call your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful." [2:23] These challenges were not just empty words with no one caring to prove them wrong. Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) call to monotheism, to the abolition of idolatry in all its forms, and to the equality of slaves and their masters threatened the whole socio-economic framework of the Makkan society in general. The position of the ruling Qurayshee tribe from which the Prophet (pbuh) came in particular was put in grave danger. Makkah, the trading center of Arabia, as well as its spiritual center, desperately wanted to stop the spread of Islam. Yet all that the Prophet's opponents had to do to crush the movement was to fabricate a single chapter similar to any one of those the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers were reciting. A number of Qurayshee orators and poets tried to imitate the Quran, but they failed. How could they succeed, when Allah himself was challenging them???!!! They then resorted to offering him vast amounts of wealth, the position of kingship over them, and the most noble and beautiful of their women in exchange for his promise to stop inviting people to Islam. He responded to them by reciting the first thirteen verses of Soorah Fussilat until they begged him to stop. |