Book of Signs
"Between our hands, there is a book which is unique in its authenticity and faultless, undoubted about its correctness as it is first revealed,
This book is the Qur'an." Michel Heart (American researcher) in his well known book "Top 100"
1. The Qur'an is Unique.
Vone Hammer (orientalist) in the preface of his translation of the Qur'an says:
"Qur'an is not only the constitution of Islam; it is the peak of the Arabic eloquence. Its amazing diction witnesses that it is a revelation from God and that these words can never be from a human source. Mohammed has spread his power by the miracle of eloquence."
Why the Qur'an is Unique?
Only One Version – Arabic: There are no different versions of the Qur'an in the Arabic language, only different translations, but none of these would be considered to hold the value and authenticity of the original Arabic version.
Memorized by Millions – Entirely: An important thing in the Qur'an is the memorization and transmission of the actual "Recitation" just as it came to Prophet Mohammad, from the Almighty God (Allah) through the Angel Gabriel, and was learned and memorized by his companions and passed it down to their followers and continued in this way until we see today, over ten millions Muslims who have committed the entire Qur'an to memory. This is not a small feat. How many other works of literary value have been memorized and passed down through many generations in its original language, without a single change?
Each Muslim Has "Qur'an" Memorized: All Muslims have memorized a portion of the Qur'an in the Arabic language, Many Muslims have memorized large portions of the Qur'an from one tenth to one half to all of the entire Qur'an, and all in the original Arabic language. It should be noted, there are over one and a half billion Muslims worldwide and only about 15% are Arab, all the rest are learning the Qur'an in Arabic as a second language.
Qur'an Challenges Readers: The Qur'an makes the clear challenge. If you are in doubt about it, then bring a book like it, bring ten chapters like it and then finally, to bring one single chapter like it. 1,400 years - and no one has been able to duplicate its beauty, recitation, miracles and ease of memorization. Qur'an says:
“And if you are in doubt in that which we revealed to our worshiper, then produce a chapter of the like thereof, and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah, if you are truthful.” (Surah:2,Verse:23)
2. Qur'an is a Book of Signs
One thing which surprises non-Muslims who are examining the Qur'an is that it does not appear to them to be what they expected. What they assume is that they have an old book which came fourteen centuries ago from the Arabian Desert. While they found that Qur’an speaks about history, geography, botany, biology, embryology, meteorology, astronomy, geology and oceanography subjects and then advises the reader to ask men of knowledge if he doubts anything.It also speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at its time of revelation. There are plenty of references to knowledge in the Qur'an:
“If you want to know more about this or that, or if you doubt what is said, then you should ask those who have knowledge.”
“Read! In the name of your Lord who created - Created the human from something which clings. Read! And your Lord is Most Bountiful - He who taught (the use of) the Pen, Taught the human that which he knew not.”
[Surah:69,verse:1-5]
“...Allah will raise up to (suitable) ranks (and degrees) those of you who believe and who have been granted knowledge.” [Surah:58, verse:11]
The next lines present some of The Qur'an signs; only to have knowledge.
· The Sun and the Moon
"It is He who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for her; that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) He explains His Signs in detail, for those who understand?" [Surah:10,verse:5]
In Arabic, the light from the sun is described by the word “deyaa” meaning splendor, shining. This means that the source of light is coming from the sun itself. On the other hand, the word used to describe the moon’s light is “noor” which is a cool light that illuminates. Scientific discovery has revealed confirmations to these phenomena.
· Seas and Rivers
The Qur'an speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier.
“He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition.” [Surah:25, verse:53]
Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers, which has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water.
This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipments to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet; rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).
· Clouds
“Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, and then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it.…” [Surah:24,verse: 43]
Scientists found that clouds go through the following steps to produce rain: The clouds are pushed by the wind, then Joining, and then Stacking. Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipments like planes, satellites, computers, balloons and other equipments to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure.
· Fingerprints
“Does man think that we cannot assemble his bones? Nay, we are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers.”[Surah:75, verse:3-4]
Unbelievers argue regarding resurrection taking place after bones of dead people have disintegrated in the earth and how each individual would be identified on the Day of Judgment. Almighty Allah answers that He can not only assemble our bones but can also reconstruct perfectly our very fingertips. But why does the Qur’an, while speaking about determination of the identity of the individual, speak specifically about fingertips?
In 1880, fingerprinting became the scientific method of identification, after a research done by Sir Francis Golt. No two persons in the world can ever have exactly the same fingerprint pattern, not even identical twins. That is the reason why police forces worldwide use fingerprints to identify criminals.
3. Ethics in the Qur'an.
Qur'an contains Moral guidelines, Laws of God, Rules of Islamic Faith. In form of: moral directives, legal prescriptions, exhortations, admonitions, condemnations, warnings, good tidings, words of consolation. Qur'an also speaks about the ethics that Muslim should follow; It orders Muslims to be good to people. This will be obvious in next lines illustrate some ethics with the reference of it in the Qur'an
· Always respond to a Greeting with a better one à(4:86)
· Do not be Arrogant or Proudà (31;18)
· Be Humble and Speak softly "(31:19)
· Invite to God with Wisdom and Kindness à (16:125)
· Be Kind to Your Parents à (17:23,24)
· Suppress Anger and Forgive People à (3:133,134)
· Counter Evil with Good à (41:34) & (13:22)
· Do not say Bad Things à (14:26)
· Do not insult the Idolaters à (6:108)
· Do not make Fun of Others, or call Them Names à (49:11)
· Do not be Suspicious, or Spy on One Another, or Backbite à (49:12)
· Do not be Racist à (49:13)
By: Nouran Radwan.
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