G.J.O. Moshay - Anatomy of the Quran

Islam is no longer a religion we can ignore in America or elsewhere in the Western world. It must be thoroughly studied by both Christians and Muslims. The best way to start is by examining the Muslim's `bible,' the Qur'an.

the Qur'an has 114 chapters called `suras.' Each chapter is numbered and given names such as: The Bee, The Spider, The Cow, Maryam, The Jinn, The Cave, Muhammad, Joseph, etc. This author uses chapter numbers rather than the names.

this book quotes several translations of the Qur'an. However, the primary two are: Interpretation of the Meanings of the Noble Qur'an in the English Language, by Dr. Muhammad Taq-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan, 1985; and 7be Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary by Yusuf A. Ali (1938).

Sometimes, when looking for a reference in the Qur'an, you may need to check a few verses before or after the verse number cited. This is because verse numbers sometimes vary in some translations.

Also, various editions of English translations of the Qur'an translate words differently. For instance, the same Arabic word can be translated "apostle," "messenger," or "prophet." Sometimes, two different editions of the same translation interchange these and other words.

It is the hope of the author that this book will motivate Christians to share the love of Jesus with Muslims and inspire the Muslim reader to reconsider his ways.

To all earnest seekers of truth Especially To all Muslim friends Yearning for the truth That leads to Heaven's route and hope as Time ends. And to the memory of my friend's mother Deborah who is now with the Lord.

For an average Muslim, there is no dispute about the prodigy and matchlessness of the literary quality of the Qur'an. For him, that is the greatest evidence of the divine origin of the book. In the collection of Islamic tradition, Mishkat'ul Masabih, the editor wrote:

the Qur'an says of itself:

"And this Qur'an is not such as could ever be produced by other than Allah (Lord of the heavens and the earth), but it is a confirmation of (the revelation) which was before it [i.e. the Taurkt (Torah), and the Injil (Gospel), etc.], and a full explanation of the Book... wherein there is no doubt from the Lord of the Alamin (mankind, jinns, and all that exists).

Again we read:

Most of Muhammad's listeners were illiterate. But how does a modern historian or literary man react to these claims? The Muslim Students Association at the University of California says on their website:

"Prophet Muhammad (saas) was the final Messenger of Allah to humanity, and therefore the Qur'an is the last Message which Allah has sent to us. Its predecessors such as the Torah, Psalms, and Gospels have all been superseded. It is an obligation - and blessing - for all who hear of the Qur'an and Islam to investigate it and evaluate it for themselves. Allah has guaranteed that He will protect the Qur'an from human tampering, and today's readers can find exact copies of it all over the world. The Qur'an of today is the same as the Qur'an revealed to Muhammad (saas)." (Emphasis mine).

Are Muslims ready for such an investigation and evaluation of the Qur'an? It is a challenge we must take up.

Proof of Prophet-hood

scriptures.5lhe Jews demanded signs, miracles and an accurate foretelling of the future as proof of his claim of prophet-hood. When God told Israel, through Moses, that He would give them a special prophet like Moses, He told them how to recognize him, and how to identify a false prophet:

"But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.

"And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken?

"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass,

So the Jews had a reason to demand signs and accurate prophecies to authenticate Muhammad's claims. But Muhammad said he had no such power.

"So, how do we believe you?" they asked. "God has shown us how we can prove a claim of being `the Prophet' foretold in Deuteronomy 18:18; prove yourself."' Muhammad replied that his "sign" or "miracle" is the Qur'an itself (even though the Qur'an was not yet complete as a book at that time). Verses of the Qur'an are called Ayat, which means signs, evidences, verse, lessons, revelations, laws, etc).

It is in this regard that a South African based Islamic teacher, Ahmed Deedat, wrote a pamphlet, AlQur'an, the Ultimate Miracle. Deedat claims that he has proved `mathematically' that the Qur'an descended from heaven, and is free from human instrumentality.

Now we have to examine the Qur'an to discover the miracle of its origin. Moreover, if the Qur'an is the major miracle Muhammad performed-the basic proof of his prophet-hood-then the validity of Islam stands or falls on the authenticity of the book. That is why a sincere Muslim needs to be patient and examine analytically what is being presented here. Sentiment won't help us.

Many Muslim historians say that Muhammad was illiterate, an unlettered man. the argument is that if the man was not learned, and such a book came through him, it must have been a great miracle indeed. Qur'an translator and commentator, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, explaining this miracle, says Muhammad:

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He had said that "everyone" could test the accuracy of the Qur'an then, i.e. at the time of Muhammad. The question is: How could everyone test the accuracy of Muhammad's knowledge of the scriptures if the standard scriptures against which such a test could be made were already lost?

Ali says, "everyone can test now (Muhammad's) perfect knowledge of the scriptures." If everyone can test Muhammad's knowledge (as shown in the Qur'an) now, why are many Muslims today vehemently opposed to a scrutiny of the Qur'an? Why do they regard critics of the Qur'an as enemies of Islam? Are they saying that anybody who really believes in Islam must not examine the Qur'an? they warn their followers not to read the Bible, except the quotes they extract to prove or disprove a claim.

In this book we shall test this knowledge of Muhammad, as displayed in the Qur'an, and call on every sincere lover of truth to relax and let us do the testing together.

If we can test Muhammad's knowledge, against what will we test? Of course, against the scriptures (that is, the Bible) that was in existence before he came.

But as we have hinted earlier, some Muslims who are afraid of such testing will say, "Oh, the Bible has been changed," or "the original Bible no longer exists." Such a claim is very cheap because it does not encourage scholarship. If the book the Qur'an came to confirm had been changed or is lost, against what then are we going to test the accuracy of the Qur'an? Allah tells Muhammad: