14 Centuries of Waiting
The Quran has some 78,000 words and God in various verses has called on the enemies to get together and bring a book like the Quran instead of making so much efforts and spending so much money and waging wars, etc.
“Say, ‘If all human beings and jinn were to come together to bring the equivalent of this Quran, they could not do so, even if they all were to help each other’”. (Verse 88 of Surah Al-Isra)
But why is it that no one can do it? The mother tongue of many people in the world is not Arabic but there are many non-Muslim Arabs. There are Arab Marxists who vehemently oppose Islam. Why don’t they make an attempt?
Imam Ali (AS) was the most eloquent speaker of Arabic but even in his words, compiled in Nahj al-Balagha, when there is a verse from the Quran, that verse shines outstandingly. Even in the remarks of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) when there is a verse from the Quran, it is more outstanding than his remarks. This is what the miracle of the Quran means. It is the same letters and words but their combination in the verses is such that no one over the past 14 centuries has been able to bring something similar to it.
Moreover, the Quran has been introduced to mankind by a person who was Ummi (unlettered) but the more science advances, the more amazing facts are revealed about how the Quran is a true miracle.
And when there is a contradiction between science and revelation, the fact is that either that science is not real science or what it says is only a theory or our understanding of the revelation may be incomplete.
There are verses in the Quran that talks about events that had not happened during the time of revelation but later came to pass.
When the enemies of the Prophet (PBUH) said he does not have an heir and everything (about Islam) would be finished with his death, the verses of Surah Al-Kawthar were revealed. “I ndeed, We have given you (Prophet Muhammad) Al Kawthar. So pray to your Lord and sacrifice. Surely your enemy is the one who shall be without posterity.”
Soon after Verse 95 of Surah Al-Hijr was revealed, “We suffice you against those who mock,” those who mocked the Prophet (PBUH) were defeated and the religion of the messenger of God spread throughout the world.
Another aspect of the Quran’s miracle is that people’s actions are completed in stages but that is not the case about the verses of the Quran. The verses that were revealed at the beginning of Muhammad’s (PBUH) appointment to prophethood were of equal importance and beauty with those revealed toward the end of his life. And he introduced no changes or reconsiderations to any verses. And also there are no contradictions in the verses of the Holy Quran.
As God says in the Holy Book, “Will they not ponder on the Quran? Had it not come from someone other than God, they would have certainly found therein many contradictions.” (Verse 82 of Surah An-Nisa)
