Dr. Gary Miller
Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 62 | Size: 1 MB
One thing which surprises non‐Muslims who
are examining the book very closely is that the Quran 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; and
they expect that the book should look something like that ‐ an old book
from the desert. And then they find out that it does not resemble what
they expected at all. Additionally, one of the first things that some
people assume is that because it is an old book which comes from the
desert, it should talk about the desert. Well the Quran does talk about
the desert ‐ some of its imagery describes the desert; but it also talks
about the sea ‐ what it’s like to be in a storm on the sea.
Honey:
Another example of what one might expect
to find in an “old book” that touches upon the subject of health or
medicine is outdated remedies or cures. Various historical sources state
that the Prophet (PBUH) gave some advice about health and hygiene, yet
most of these pieces of advice are not contained in the Quran. At first
glance, to the non‐ Muslims this appears to be a negligent omission.
They cannot understand why Allah would not “include” such helpful
information in the Quran. Some Muslims attempt to explain this absence
with the following argument: “Although the Prophet’s advice was sound
and applicable to the time in which he lived, Allah, in His infinite
wisdom, knew that there would come later medical and scientific advances
which would make the Prophet’s advice appear outdated. When later
discoveries occurred, people might say that such information
contradicted that which the Prophet (PBUH) had given. Thus, since Allah
would never allow any opportunity for the non‐Muslims to claim that the
Quran contradicts itself or the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH), He only
included in the Quran information and examples which could stand the
test of time.” However, when one examines the true realities of the
Quran in terms of its existence as a divine revelation, the entire
matter is quickly brought into its proper perspective, and the error in
such argumentation becomes clear and understandable.
It must be understood that the Quran is a
divine revelation, and as such, all information in it is of divine
origin. Allah revealed the Quran from Himself. It is the words of Allah,
which existed before creation, and thus nothing can be added,
subtracted or altered. In essence, the Quran existed and was complete
before the creation of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), so it could not possibly
contain any of the Prophet’s own words or advice. An inclusion of such
information would clearly contradict the purpose for which the Quran
exists, compromise its authority and render it inauthentic as a divine
revelation.
Consequently, there was no “home
remedies” in the Quran which one could claim to be outdated; nor does it
contain any man’s view about what is beneficial to health, what food is
best to eat, or what will cure this or that disease. In fact, the Quran
only mentions one item dealing with medical treatment, and it is not in
dispute by anyone. It states that in honey there is healing. And
certainly, I do not think that there is anyone who will argue with that!
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Quran:
If one assumes that the Quran is the
product of a man’s mind, then one would expect it to reflect some of
what was going on in the mind of the man who “composed” it. In fact,
certain encyclopedias and various books claim that the Quran was the
product of hallucinations that Muhammad underwent. If these claims are
true ‐ if it indeed originated from some psychological problems in
Muhammad’s mind ‐ then evidence of this would be apparent in the Quran.
Is there such evidence? In order to determine whether or not there is,
one must first identify what things would have been going on in his mind
at that time and then search for these thoughts and reflections in the
Quran.
It is common knowledge that Muhammad
(PBUH) had a very difficult life. All of his daughters died before him
except one, and he had a wife of several years who was very dear and
important to him, who not only proceeded him in death but died at a very
critical period of his life. As a matter of fact, she must have been
quite a woman because when the first revelation came to him, he ran home
to her, afraid. Certainly, even today one would have a hard time trying
to find an Arab who would tell you, “I was so afraid that I ran home to
my wife.” They just aren’t that way. Yet Muhammad (PBUH) felt
comfortable enough with his wife to be able to do that. That’s how
influential and strong woman she was. Although these examples are only a
few of the subjects that would have been on Muhammad’s mind, they are
sufficient in intensity to prove my point.
The Quran does not mention any of these
things ‐ not the death of his children, not the death of his beloved
companion and wife, not his fear of the initial revelations, which he so
beautifully shared with his wife ‐ nothing; yet these topics must have
hurt him, bothered him, and caused him pain and grief during periods of
his life. Indeed, if the Quran was a product of his psychological
reflections, then these subjects, as well as others, would be prevalent
or at least mentioned throughout.
Origin of the Universe and Life:
An interesting characteristic of the
Quran is how it deals with surprising phenomena which relate not only to
the past but to modern times as well. In essence, the Quran is not and
old problem. It is still a problem even today ‐ a problem to the
non‐Muslims that is. For everyday, every week, every year brings more
and more evidence that the Quran is a force to be contended with ‐ that
its authenticity is no longer to be challenged! For example, one verse
in the Quran (Surah al‐Anbiya 21:30) reads:
“Do not the
unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together,
then We clove them asunder, and made from water every living thing? Will
they not then believe?”
Ironically, this very information is exactly what they awarded the 1973 Noble Prize for ‐ to a couple of unbelievers.
The Quran reveals the origin of the
universe ‐ how it began from one piece ‐ and mankind continues to verify
this revelation, even up to now. Additionally, the fact that all life
originated from water would not have been an easy thing to convince
people of fourteen centuries ago. Indeed, if 1400 years ago you had
stood in the desert and told someone, “All of this, you see (pointing to
yourself), is made up of mostly water,” no one would have believed you.
Proof of that was not available until the invention of the microscope.
They had to wait to find out that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the
cell, is made‐up of 80% water. Nonetheless, the evidence did come, and
once again the Quran stood the test of time.
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Contents:
Introduction
Merchant Marine
The Smallest Thing Honey Prophet Muhammad (s) and the Quran
Scientific Approach to the Quran
Falsification Test
Ask Those Who Have Knowledge
Embryology
Skeptic’s Reaction
Geology
You Did Not Know This Before!
Proof of Authenticity: An Approach
Exhausting the Alternatives
The Critic’s Trail
A Revelation ‐ Abu Lahab
The Flight
An Encounter with a Minister
The Source of the Quran
Mythomania
New Catholic Encyclopedia
Testimony of an Intellectual
Burden of Proof on the Critic Origin of the Universe and Life
More on Falsification Test
People of the Book
A Mathematical Approach
The Female Bee
The Sun
Time Zones
Conclusion
Addendum 2: ‘ Iram
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