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Copyright © By Dr. Adel Elsaie, Book Title: "Please Revise the Bible, Again" |
1.2 Simple proof for the Authenticity of the Quran
Prophet
Muhammad has been accused with all sorts of lies. One of the accusations of the
Pagans in Makkah that he had secret Christian and Jewish companions that taught
him the Jewish and Christian history. Past and present critics of Islam enjoy
this theory of secret companions. If this theory holds, we would like to add
other names to these “secret” companions such as the American astronomer Vesto
M. Slipher, Dr. Edwin Hubble, and Professor Alan Guth among many other
astronomy and physics scholars.
In 1912 the American astronomer Vesto M. Slipher (1875-1969), working at
the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, discovered the "red shift," which
paved the way to the Big Bang, one of the greatest discovery in the twentieth
century.
Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) studied at the Yerkes Observatory, and in
1917, received a doctorate in astronomy from the
Professor Alan H. Guth, of
MIT introduced the inflation theory that explained a number of puzzling features
of the conventional Big Bang in 1998. It accounts for the fact that the closely
packed infant universe expanded neither so slowly that gravity could crush it
back into nothingness, nor so fast that it could thin out before galaxies and
stars could form. The inflation theory proposed a fine balance of the density
of the universe. Too much density would close the universe round on itself and
collapse; too low density would open out the universe uncontrollably.
The Big Bang and expansion of the universe are considered the most
awesome discoveries of the twentieth century. The evidences the Big Bang and
expansion of the universe are so powerful to the extent that they are
considered a fact. The discussions of cosmologists are focusing now on the
mechanism and the factors that affect this expansion.
The Quran refers to the Big Bang in one short Ayah (verse}, presenting
an accurate outline to the conditions that led to creating the universe:
Surah (chapter) 21, Ayah (verse) 30 "Do not the unbelievers see
that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation)
before We clove them asunder?"
In the above
Ayah, Allah declares clearly that the universe (the skies and the earth) was
joined together, and then Allah caused it to explode. There is a very important
choice of words in the original Arabic text whose translation is given above.
The Arabic word “ratq” translated as
"joined together" means "mixed in each, blended" in Arabic
dictionaries. It is used to refer to two or more different substances that make
up a whole. The phrase "We clove them asunder" is the verb “fataqa” in Arabic and implies that
something comes into being by tearing apart or destroying the structure of “ratq.” In this Ayah, skies and earth are
at first subject to the status of “ratq”
and then they exploded. Intriguingly, cosmologists speak of a "cosmic egg" that consisted of all
the matter in the universe prior to the Big Bang. In other words, all the
heavens and earth were included in this egg in a condition of “ratq.” This cosmic egg exploded
violently causing its matter to “fataqa“ and in the process created the structure of
the whole universe.
The accuracy of the Arabic words of such divine description of starting
the universe is well beyond comprehension. A cosmic fact was revealed to an
unlettered Arab that took humanity one thousand and four hundred years to
discover. This Ayah addresses the unbelievers with an overwhelming challenge.
No one can claim that Muhammad had knowledge of spectroscopic observations or
he had instruments to measure red shifts of distance galaxies. Also, he was not
a genius mathematician. This Ayah, as with many of the scientific miracles in
the Quran, addresses the unbelievers in a strong challenge. If they could not
use their intuition to figure out the existence and the uniqueness of One
Creator and to believe in the authenticity of the Quran, then they can listen
to an unlettered Arab explaining the creation of the universe.
Allah refers to the expanding universe in the following verse:
Surah (chapter) 51, Ayah (verse) 47 "We have built the
firmaments with might and we indeed have vast power."
The above
translation does not reflect the actual meaning of the Ayah. Any Arab speaking
person will translate the above verse as follows:
"We have built the skies with might and we
indeed are expanding (them)"
The Arabic
verb used means continually expanding, and refers to the previous noun that is
the skies. Other translations of this verb include "width and
generosity", and "to make them wider." One of the translations
called "The choice" or in Arabic "Montakhab", stated
clearly its Arabic meaning that the universe is expanding.
The fact
is that Allah described the expansion of the universe in a short sentence.
Muhammad stated this fact that took humanity ages to discover and measure. Who
told him that? This fact could not be envisioned in the seventh century and
authored by an unlettered Arab when he had no previous knowledge about
cosmology. It must have been a divine inspiration from the Creator of the
Universe!
The fact is the Quran is authentic and
valid for all times, ages, and places. The above two verses confirm this fact,
when these verses were understood and validated after 14 centuries of the
revelation. It is now obvious the powerful statement of the Quran which states:
Surah (chapter) 15, Ayah (verse) 9 “We have, without doubt, sent
down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”
The purity
of the Arabic text of the Quran through fourteen centuries is a foretaste of
the eternal care with which Allah’s Truth is guarded through all ages. Allah’s
Pure and Holy Truth will never suffer eclipse in any time or in any place.
Unlike the Bible, in the present day, millions of Muslims (Arabs and non-Arabs)
memorize the whole Arabic text of the Quran by heart. Some of them have been
able to memorize the entire Quran by the age of ten. This is a simple and yet
an overwhelming fact. Not only did God preserve the Arabic text of the Quran,
but also the style of reciting the Quran by today’s Muslims is exactly the same
style of recitation as that of Muhammad himself. Muslims, when reading verses
of the Quran, stop where the Messenger of Allah stopped, and continue where he
continued. One may really wonder about the strength of God’s promise to
preserve the Quran in writing as well as in reading. When one recites the
Quran, one is reading the authentic Words of the Only God, with the exact
reading style of Muhammad, the greatest man ever lived. This is definitely an
enormous spiritual experience.
The Quran
was introduced to Prophet Muhammad to humanity as a revelation from God. At
this point we have a tremendous challenge. We have only two choices:
It is now your option to pick up one of the above two choices. You be the judge.