Misconception: Muhammad wrote the Qur.aan

In addressing this misconception, it is interesting to note that no other religious scripture claims to be the direct word of Almighty God in total and as clear and as often as the Holy Qur.aan.

As the Qur.aan clearly says: "if had been written by man, you would have found many discrepancies therein".

At the time the Qur.aan was revealed, the Arabs recognised that the language of the Qur.aan was unique and that it was distinctly different from the language normally used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Arabs of that time, by the way, were known for their beautiful poetry and Muhammad was known to be an illiterate man!

The Qur.aan clearly says that Muhammad was unable to read and write, so if this wasn't true, certainly his contemporaries would have protested and rejected him. However, there are no reports of this. Certainly there were people who rejected Muhammad's message, just like other prophets were rejected, but none for this reason. On the contrary, Muhammad, peace be upon him, had thousands of loyal followers and the results of their efforts spread Islaam from Spain to China in just over a century!

It is also interesting to note that even though the Qur.aan is not poetry, the Arabs more or less gave up writing poetry after it was revealed. It could be said that the Qur.aan is the piece of Arabic literature par execellance, and Muhammad's contemporaries realised that they couldn't out do it.

Additionally, it is easy to prove that Muhammad did not possess a great deal of the knowledge which is expounded in the Qur.aan: such as knowledge of historical events, previous prophets and natural phenomenon. The Qur.aan says in several places that Muhammad and his people did not know these things, so again, if this wasn't true, certainly his contemporaries would have rejected his claims. Suffice it to say that not only is the Qur.aan the most memorised and well preserved scripture on earth, it is also unequalled in eloquence, spirtual impact, clarity of message and the purity of its truth.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad