Can it not be claimed that the Qur'an’s has been but the composition of Muhammad (pbuh) himself ?
Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) had lived in the light of history. It was through him that the world first heard of the Qur'an. As such, all that may be asserted by those who do not accept the Divine status of the Qur'an is that it is the composition of Muhammad(pbuh). There are however, certain facts that must be understood as the premises for this discussion. It can only be on the foundations of these premises that the question as to whether the authorship of the Qur'an can be attributed to prophet Muhammad(pbuh) can be discussed.
One : Muhammad(pbuh) had been, upto the age of forty, the most favoured man among the Arabs. It was because he had claimed that the Qur'an was Divinely inspired and that the commandments within it are to be adhered to, that he was hated; osctracized; and forced to flee from his hometown.
Two : Even among his hardest opponents there was unanimity about the truthfulness of Muhammad(pbuh). It is difficult, therefore, to believe that after living forty years of his life with the greatest truthfulness, he should venture to declare a falsehood in the name of the Lord Creator and that he should have risked his own life for the sake of its propagation.
Three : Men of letters were accorded a high status in Arabia. There was not the slightest dissenting opinion among any, as regards the lofty position of the Qur'an in its viability as a literary creation. If he had ventured to claim the Qur'an as his own work, he would have gained great respectability and status amongst the Arabs.
Four : There are references in the Qur'an which have criticized certain of the actions of Muhammad(pbuh) himself.
Five : There are also other references in the Qur'an which reproache Muhammad(pbuh) in the strongest possible terms.
It should be in the light of these facts that the pros and cons of the argument that the Qur'an is the work of Muhammad(pbuh) should be examined.
Indeed, if a work of great literary merit is composed and is then attributed to the name of God, there must necessarily exist vested interests that lurk beneath. To expose those vested interests will then be the duty of the critics. It will be on the basis of such an exposition alone that the truth of the claim can be ascertained.
In composing the Qur'an, could it not have been the intention of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve for himself the worldly benefits that may accrue in establishing himself as the messenger of God?
It is greatly probable that Muhammad(pbuh), who had grown up an orphan, was exposed to considerable hardships in life. However, with his marriage to the business woman, Khadeeja (r), it is also probable that there was, naturally, a considerable rise in his standard of living. As the husband of Khadeeja, the possibility that he would have been prone to the constraints of a financial kind is remote indeed. The marriage of Muhammad(pbuh) to Khadeeja took place fifteen years before his attaining to prophethood. This means that it was only after fifteen years of his having led a life of financial security that Muhammad(pbuh) came on to the scene with the claims that he was a messenger of God and that the Qur'an constituted the word of God. If the attainment of wordly profits was his motive, his financial position should have become stronger after he made the claim. But what was it that actually transpired?
Says Aysha (r), the wife of the prophet, "As there was no food cooked in our house, the cooking place would go without a fire being lit for one or two months at a stretch. Ours was a diet of dates and water. Some times it would be the milk of goats and the dried shells of dates which those from Madinah would bring us."
Aysha was once recalling the past days to a person. The subject of narration was the difficulties which the prophet and his family endured after the migration. She then talked of an occasion in which they worked in the house in total darkness. "Was not there a lamp?" enquired the person. She then replied thus: "If the oil to burn the lamp was in our possession, instead of burning it, we would have drank it to satisfy our hunger."
This by no means, was the situation that was prevalent only in the first years of the prophet’s mission. For even after Muhammad(pbuh) had assumed the position of the powerful sovereign of a vast empire his condition was not very much different. Let the inner sanctum of the ruler of the Islamic empire be described in the words of Umar (r), his own companion:
"I never saw anything save three pieces of leather in a corner and a little barley in the room of the prophet. I wept at this. The prophet asked, ‘Why is it that you cry?’ I said: "O messenger of Allah! How will I hold back my tears? I see the imprint of the palm leaves on thine own body. I am also aware of the contents of this room.O messenger of Allah! Beseech Allah for the ample means of thine own sustenance. For, while the rulers of the Persian and Roman people - the Chosroes and the Caesars - live in the luxury of gardens beneath which rivers flow, the chosen messenger of Allah should live in abject poverty and hunger!’ When he heard this reply of mine, the prophet, who had been reclining on a pillow, now sat up and then said, ‘Oh Umar! Are you still in doubt concerning this matter ? The comforts and provisions of the Hereafter are much better than the comforts and provisions of this wordly life. The unbelievers enjoy their share of the good things in this life. As for our share, it has been reserved for the life Hereafter.’ Forthwith did I implore the prophet thus, ‘O Messenger of God! Pray for my forgiveness for I have, indeed, erred.’"
It is the claim that the Qur'an was the creation of Muhammad (pbuh), which he had contrived for his own wordly gains, that is rendered baseless here. For it is, indeed, without foundation to say that the man who had given away the seven dinars, which were his only wordly possession, in charity on his death-bed and who died, thereof, after pawning his armour with a jew, was a man after wealth. Even the New Catholic Encyclopedia has considered baseless the argument that the creation of the Qur'an was due to an excessive love for wealth: "A notion has been created that the religious revolution of Muhammad was driven by a love of wealth. Actual and known facts, however, will contest this notion." (The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, Page 1001)
What is wrong in considering that Muhammad(pbuh) had aimed for worldly authority?
What is it that is meant by the love of power and authority? It is the desire to invest oneself with the authority of a country and to, thereby, lead a life of comfort and luxury. It is true that the prophet had attained to power after having had borne the trials, tribulations and tortures of thirteen years before reaching Medina by adopting exile from his own land. However, his authority was never a path to the life of comfort and luxury. For, who, if any, can ever call a lover of authority, a man who, even when in the position of a ruler, slept his nights on mats of palm leaves, washed his own clothes, stitched his footwear and milked the goats?
Those who actually seek after power and authority are those that desire to stand aloof from, and be respected by, people in the name of that authority. As for the prophet, he was one who had served the people while living as one amongst them. On one occasion, all who were present stood up as the prophet entered the place. The prophet, thereof, ordered against this practice. He said, "Do not stand up in respect even as some amongst the Persians who stand up in respect of others from amongst them."
He advised thus, "Do not praise me as the Christians praised Jesus, the son of Maryam." All this indicates clearly that Muhammad(pbuh) was never one to go after authority.
Furthermore, he was promised authority and power in the early, difficult days at Mecca itself if, and only if, he stopped the propagation of his message. The leaders of the society approached him one day with the intention of enticing him with a proposal. They said, "If it is wealth that thee covet, we will give thee all the wealth that you desire. If it is authority that ye want, we will make obeisance to thee as our king. If it is women of beauty that ye desire we will arrange for your marriage with the women of your own choosing." An offer before which any person would have succumbed! A most tempting offer indeed! Just one word was all that was required. He would then be the most wealthy man in the region. All people of the land would then pay their homage to him as their king. Beautiful women would then dance before him. But this was what the prophet said, " I am in need of neither authority nor wealth. The Lord Creator has appointed me but as a warner to mankind. It is His message which I deliver unto you. Those who accept it can achieve for themselves peace and contentment in this world and eternal salvation in the next. As for those who accept not the Divine message, it is He Himself Who will judge their case."
This incident took place in the early years of the mission at Mecca. If the prophet’s goal was to grab authority by writing the Qur'an and thereby making it accepted that he was, indeed, the messenger of God, why was it that he refrained from the offer of authority that was placed at his feet without his having to undergo any suffering whatsoever? It is amply evident from this that Muhammad(pbuh) never hankered after power or authority. Briefly put, it was never the desire for power which worked behind the composition of the Qur'an.
It is given to understand from numerous references in the Qur'an that Muhammad (pbuh) had himself committed a number of sins. How can this be so ?
This has been the claim of the missionaries who have laboured to assert the Christian contention that all men are sinners. By way of quoting certain verses of the Qur'an completely out of context, they claim that Muhammad (pbuh) had, indeed, been a sinner and it was Jesus Christ alone who never sinned and that it is possible only for Jesus Christ, who had himself never sinned, to save mankind from their sins.
The Qur'an’s stand has been that all prophets, including Jesus Christ, were exemplary and were men who never sinned. But for the person who goes through the stories of the Bible, it become apparent that Jesus Christ himself, like all the other prophets who had preceded him, was a sinner and not a person to be taken as an exemplar. If the making of wine - the cause of all strife, sorrow, anarchy and poverty as Solomon had described it (Proverbs 23:21-32) - and the providing of it to people constitute a sin it must be conceded that Jesus was a sinner. For Christ had himself done such a thing at the marriage feast in Cana. (John 2:1-10). If abusing and deriding one’s mother, who had given birth to him and raised him to maturity, is a sin, then it must be admitted that Jesus was a sinner. Can it be said that Jesus, who is reported to have said to his mother, "Woman, why do you involve me ?" was one who respected and revered ‘his mother? (John 2:4). If addressing a community with usages like "Ye generation of vipers!" is a sin, Jesus will again end up a sinner. If the destruction of a harmless plant in a fit of uncontrolled personal anger, for a fault that was not its own, is a sin then Christ becomes a sinner yet again. For after all Christ is reported to have caused a fig tree to wither away for no fault of its own. (Mathew 21:19). In reality, however, even though Christ was never a sinner, the Bible actually tends to make a sinner out of that great prophet.
In the life of prophet Muhammad (pbuh), on the other hand, we see nothing of this sort. History is witness to the fact that nobody, not even his greatest antagonists, believed that he committed sins of any kind. Indeed, the number of incidents which serve to show that even the hardest opponents of Islam, like Abu Jahl, had recognized the truthfulness and purity of Muhammad (pbuh), are legion. The statement of Abu Sufyan, one of the chief antagonists of Islam, which he made before Heraclius, the emperor of Rome, is but one amongst them.
Muhammad (pbuh) is the one person who is to stand as the perfect exemplar for all those who are to come up to the Last Day. The truth of the matter, therefore, is that nobody can attribute a single sin to his life. Nevertheless, the Holy Qur'an does correct him on more than one occasion. The incidents wherein he disregarded the blind man and in which he had demanded the disbelievers who had inflicted losses upon him and his followers form a few of these occasions. These are but lapses which, in an ordinary retrospection, would hardly appear to be grievious sins. In the vision of the Qur'an, however, it is not befitting a prophet who is to enlighten humanity, to have even such minor flaws in his character. The Qur'an teaches that such flaws in the conduct of a messenger who is to be the role model for all those who are to come up to the Last Day are, indeed, a grave matter and needs to be corrected as well. In fact, if the Qur'an was to leave such lapses to go uncorrected, it would necessarily mean that doing and saying likewise would then be not incorrect at all. It has been, therefore, that the Qur'an reprimanded the prophet on every such occasion in the strongest possible terms.
It has mainly been three verses of the Qur'an which are misconstrued to show that Muhammad (pbuh) had, indeed, been a sinner. However, an impartial enquiry into the nature of these verses will reveal the personality of the prophet in an even more magnificent light.
1. "Verily We have granted thee a manifest victory: that God may forgive thee thy faults of the past and those to follow; fulfil His favour to thee; and guide thee on the straight way; and that God may help thee with powerful help." (H.Q. 48:1-3)
Here, it is the Arabic term Danb that has been translated to mean ‘fault’. This term does have the meanings of fault, crime, sin and the like. The claim has gone to the effect that since the statement " ..... forgive thee thy faults of the past and those to follow ..." has been used with reference to prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself, even the Qur'an has affirmed that he did, indeed, commit sins.
Here, the faults which are said to have befallen the prophet are clear from the context of the revelation itself. These are the first verses of a chapter that was revealed when the prophet was halfway back home after the treaty of Hudaibiya. There were certain conditions of the treaty that gave the first-impression of defeat and surrender. It is this treaty, however, which was referred to as a "manifest victory" here. Moreover, within the span of a few years it became clear to the companions of the prophet that the treaty was, as the Qur'an had foreseen it, a great and manifest victory, indeed. The treaty of Hudaibiya was solemnized in the sixth year of the Hijra. It was the mistakes in the propagation of the message which the prophet had carried out for the past nineteen years that were reffered to here by the terms ‘faults’. The errors mentioned in the foregoing section are a few among such lapses.
By the term ‘faults’ which appears in this verse is not meant any sin or crime that is of a punishable nature; it has only been errors or failings that have proceeded from the natural limitations of a very human kind. It has only been the errors due to the violations of an etiquette so lofty of standards, as befitting the code of conduct of the messengers of God, that has been intended here.
Here, there is an issue of particular significance. Going by the claims of the critics it has been contructed that the Qur'an is the composition of Muhammad (pbuh). In that case, will it not then give the impression that he has, of himself, openly admitted, albeit through the Qur'an, that he did, indeed, commit mistakes? How can this be explained away? An individual is accepted by all, including his opponents, in society as truthful and honest. Then he proceeds to admit that he has committed mistakes in a book that he has apparently written himself for the attainment of his own interests. How can this ever be sensible? It is simply the fact that the Qur'an is not the composition of the prophet which is once again brought to the fore.
In reality, it is the Lord Creator Himself who declares that Muahmmad (pbuh) was at fault and that he was forgiven. The prophet had, moreover hastened towards being as even more grateful person to the Merciful One who had so graciously forgiven him his faults. Indeed, it was asked of the prophet who had so engaged himself in his nightly prayers as to get his feet all swollen up: "Has not Allah forgiven thee all thy sins of the past as well as the future?" Forthwith came the prophets response: "Should I not be a grateful servant then?"
2. "So be thou (O Muhammad) patient. Verily, the promise of Allah is true. And be thou engaged in seeking forgiveness for thy sins and in glorifying your Lord in the evenings and at dawn" (H.Q. )
3. "Know, therefore, that there is no god but God, and ask forgiveness for thy fault, and for the men and woman who believe: for God knows how ye move about and how ye dwell in your homes." (H.Q. 47:19)
It is the duty of every believer to strive to the best of his, or her capacity for the cause of the divine religion. In this aspect, too, his role model is the prophet. Indeed, a Muslim cannot be the one who says, "I have tried to the best of my ability" and then withdraws. For it will always be the anxiety that ‘I have not yet accomplished the task that the Creator has entrusted to me’ which will be foremost in his mind. While recognizing the very real possibility of his committing mistakes he should ever go forward with the prayer, "Lord, forgive me the failings to which I have succumbed while moving ahead in Thy cause" always on his lips. This will be a demonstration of his deep sense of humility. In this way any pride in his accomplishments can also be done away with.
This is the implication of the statement "ask forgiveness for thy fault" made to the prophet. Even the prophet himself, who had laboured in the cause of God much more than anyone else, had no right, whatsoever, to take pride in his own achievements. In the midst of all his labour and toil in the cause of God; it was, nevertheless, his lot to repent unto his Lord and to earnestly beseech His forgiveness. Then what would be the condition of the others? These verses have sought to teach humility. They do not at all mean that Muhammad (pbuh) sinned. After all, this was why the prophet said, "I seek forgiveness from Allah one hundred times each day." Nobody ever said that this meant he committed one hundred sins every day.
What are the evidences in favour of the Qur'an being a Divine Sripture?
Given below is a list of some of the evidences in support of the Divine nature of the Qur'an:
1. It , itself, declares that it is a Divine Scripture
2. It remains unchanged upto the Last Day.
3. The path of right conduct that it prescribes is faultless.
4. It is practicable.
5. The history that it teaches is unadulterated and honest.
6. Its literature is incomparable.
7. The prophecies made in it can be seen to have come true.
8. The references in it to the varied phenomena of nature, as representing the signs of God, are free of controversies.
9. There is no reference, whatsoever, of an unscientific nature in it.
10. It is free of all contradictions.
11. None has been able to face the challenge it poses when it calls forth all, and any, to produce an equivalent of at least one of its chapters.
12. The person who was appointed with it in the world was himself of a truthful and selfless nature.
