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Quranic Teachings about Satan and about Morality
Some claim that the Quran was the work of the devil.[1] Let
us examine how much sense (or non-sense) this allegation makes.
If he authored or inspired the Quran, why would Satan curse
himself and call himself the worst enemy of man (Q.35:6; 36:60)? Why
would Satan command that before reciting the Quran, one must first say:
“…I seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed.” (Quran
16:98)
How could Satan so vehemently condemn himself? Is it
really acceptable to common sense to hold the view that Satan would ask people
to do good, to be moral and virtuous, to worship none but God, to not follow
Satan or his whispers, and to avoid and struggle against evil?
To hold such a view is clearly repugnant to reason, as Satan
has only undermined himself through this means if he is the author. Even
the Bible attests:
“And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.” (Mark 3:26)[2]
This argument applies to any “Satanic forces”, be they “evil
spirits”, “deceitful aliens”, etc.
The Quran’s Factual Contents and Scientific Information
Within the Quran are recorded facts about ancient times that
were unknown to Muhammad’s contemporaries and even to historians in the first
half of the 20thcentury. In scores of verses, we also find references to
scientific wonders, some only recently discovered or confirmed, regarding the
universe, biology, embryology, astronomy, physics, geography, meteorology,
medicine, history, oceanography, etc. Below are some examples of modern
scientific discoveries mentioned in the Quran.
· The Lost
City of Iram .
(Quran 89:7)
· Worker bees
being female. (Quran 16:68)
· Mountains
as “stakes” and stabilizers. (Quran 78:6-7)
· The
spherical shape of the Earth. (Quran 7:54; 36:37; 31:29)
· The
expanding universe. (Quran 51:47)
· The “Big
Bang”. (Quran 21:30)
· That at one
point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of “smoke”. (Quran
41:11)
· The Quranic
description of the development of the human embryo. (Quran 23:12-14)
Readers who are interested in further examples, are referred
to “The Bible, the Quran and Science” by Maurice Bucaille[3],
“Struggling to Surrender” p.33-38, by Jeffery Lang[4],
“The Quranic Phenomenon” by Malik Bennabi[5],
“The Developing Human”, 3rd edition, by Keith L. Moore[6],
“A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam”, by I. A. Ibrahim[7],
“The Sources of the Quran” by Hamza Mustapha Njozi[8],
“The Basis of Muslim Beliefs”[9] and
“The Amazing Quran” by Gary Miller[10],
etc.
How many well trained modern scientists and geniuses with
the aid of hi-tech equipment, satellites, telescopes, microscopes and computers
were required to discover the scientific facts mentioned in the Quran, and over
what time span? Is it even conceivable that any human being over 1,400
years ago could have produced a scripture with such information in it, let
alone a person who had never been educated?
Although the inability of man to encompass all the mysteries
and complexity of creation is mentioned in the Quran (67:3-4), the revelation
nevertheless seems to point to various natural phenomena as if urging human
beings to enquire and verify what is said – again, with such an attitude of
confidence that one can only assume the author is indeed challenging our
disbelief. To be generous to the skeptic, perhaps one or two of the
scientific revelations were the result of nothing more than a good guess or
coincidence, but how probable could it have been that they all were?
Comparing Quranic statements that deal with the physical
universe with certain scientific notions leads us to discover profound
similarities. But, more notably, as Dr. Maurice Bucaille observes, the
Quran is distinguished from all other works of antiquity that describe or
attempt to explain the workings of nature in that it avoids mistaken
concepts. For in the Quran, many subjects are referred to that have a
bearing on modern knowledge without a single statement contradicting what has
been established by present-day science.[11]
Dr. Bucaille goes as far as to conclude his study with the
following remark:
“In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad’s day, it is
inconceivable that many statements in the Quran which are connected with
science could have been the work of a man. It is, moreover, perfectly
legitimate, not only to regard the Quran as an expression of Revelation, but
also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of
authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which,
when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.”[12]
Conclusions
In examining the possible source of the Quran we have
covered the following points:
· Muhammad’s
being unlettered
· Muhammad’s
integrity
· The Style
of the Quran
· Discrepancies
between the Quran and the Bible
· Quranic
teachings about Satan and about morality, and
· The Quran’s
factual contents and scientific information
These points were presented to aid us in our “elimination
process” of unacceptable sources or authors of the Quran, as follows:
Muhammad : We might start by eliminating Muhammad
from the list of possible authors of the Quran. There is just no
way that he could have authored the Quran in view of points 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6
presented above.
Other Arab Poet(s), Scholar(s), etc.: We can also
eliminate any other Arab from the list of possible authors in view of points 2,
3 and 6 (at least).
Some non-Arab: The reasons for the elimination of any
Arab from the list also eliminate any non-Arab scholar, poet or religious
personality.
Christian Monks or Jewish Rabbis (i.e. Judeo-Christian
sources): This alternative source of the Quran is unreasonable in view of
points 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.
Satan (or other deceitful spirits or aliens, or anyone on
his side, etc.):This option is also unacceptable in view of the points
discussed, especially under 5.
God: In the absence of any more acceptable alternative
as source and author of the Quran, one is more or less forced by reason to accept
the Quran for what it claims to be – revelation from God through His Prophet
Muhammad. This position seems reasonable not just because it is the only
option that cannot be objectively eliminated, but because it is only reasonable
to expect that a book with such qualities and contents would come from man’s
Creator and Guide. Of all the possible sources of the Quran, it is only
the last alternative – God – who even claims in the Quran itself to be the
author of the scripture, for the Quran is truly the spoken word of God.
The position, therefore, which holds that God is the author
and source of the Quran still stands, and the challenge (or falsification test,
Q.4:82) remains open to anyone to disprove the Quran’s claim to being
revelation from God. Having undertaken this task ourselves, the Muslim’s
contention that the Quran is the Word of God appears not just a product of
blind faith but, in fact, a product of very sound and reasoned judgment in
light of all the available evidence. Indeed, after having assessed the
evidence, it would be blind faith to contend otherwise!
Note that the evidence for the Divine Authorship of the
Quran is also evidence for the existence of the Divine. God must exist,
unless a more reasonably acceptable author of the Quran can be found!
Footnotes:
[1] See Norman Daniel’s Islam and the
West: the Making of an Image, UK :
Edinburgh University Press, 1989, p.83, 94, etc.
[2] Cited in H.M. Njozi, The Sources of
the Quran: A Critical Review of the Authorship Theories, Saudi Arabia :
WAMY Publications, 1991, p.96
[3] Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, the
Quran and Science, Indianapolis :
American Trust Publications, 1978
[5] Malik Bennabi, The Quranic
Phenomenon, transl. A.B. Kirkary, Indianapolis :
American Trust Publications, 1983
[7] I.A. Ibrahim, A Brief Illustrated
Guide to Understanding Islam, Houston: Darussalam Publishers, 1997
[8] H.M. Njozi, The Sources of the
Quran: A Critical Review of the Authorship Theories, Saudi Arabia : WAMY Publications,
1991
[9] Gary Miller, The Basis of Muslim
Beliefs, Kuala Lampur: Prime Minister’s Department - Islamic Affairs Division,
1995
[10] (http://users.erols.com/ameen/amazingq.htm)
[11] Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, the
Quran and Science, Indianapolis :
American Trust Publications, 1978
[12] [76] ibid., p.163.
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