Most Common Questions asked by Non-Muslims who have some knowledge of Islam 1. PRESENT QUR?AN IS NOT THE ORIGINAL BUT THAT OF USMAN (r.a.) Question: There were many versions of the Qur?an all of which were burnt by Usman (r.a.) except for one. Therefore is it not true that the present Qur?an is the one compiled by Usman (r.a.) and not the original revelation of God? Answer: One of the most common myths about the Qur?an, is that Usman (r.a.), the third Caliph of Islam authenticated and compiled one Qur?an, from a large set of mutually contradicting copies. The Qur?an, revered as the Word of Allah (swt) by Muslims the world over, is the same Qur?an as the one revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It was authenticated and written under his personal supervision. We will examine the roots of the myth which says that Usman (r.a.) had the Qur?an authenticated. 1. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself supervised and authenticated the written texts of the Qur?an Whenever the Prophet received a revelation, he would first memorize it himself and later declare the revelation and instruct his Companions (R.A. ? Radhi Allahu Taala Anhu) ? May Allah be pleased with him who would also memorize it. The Prophet would immediately ask the scribes to write down the revelation he had received, and he would reconfirm and recheck it himself. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an Ummi who could not read and write. Therefore, after receiving each revelation, he would repeat it to his Companions. They would write down the revelation, and he would recheck by asking them to read what they had written. If there was any mistake, the Prophet would immediately point it out and have it corrected and rechecked. Similarly he would even recheck and authenticate the portions of the Qur?an memorized by the Companions. In this way, the complete Qur?an was written down under the personal supervision of the prophet (pbuh). 2. Order and sequence of Qur?an divinely inspired The complete Qur?an was revealed over a period of 22? years portion by portion, as and when it was required. The Qur?an was not compiled by the Prophet in the chronological order of revelation. The order and sequence of the Qur?an too was Divinely inspired and was instructed to the Prophet by Allah (swt) through archangel Jibraeel. Whenever a revelation was conveyed to his companions, the Prophet would also mention in which surah (chapter) and after which ayat (verse) this new revelation should fit. Every Ramadhaan all the portions of the Qur?an that had been revealed, including the order of the verses, were revised and reconfirmed by the Prophet with archangel Jibraeel. During the last Ramadhaan, before the demise of the Prophet, the Qur?an was rechecked and reconfirmed twice. It is therefore clearly evident that the Qur?an was compiled and authenticated by the Prophet himself during his lifetime, both in the written form as well as in the memory of several of his Companions. 3. Qur?an copied on one common material The complete Qur?an, along with the correct sequence of the verses, was present during the time of the Prophet (pbuh). The verses however, were written on separate pieces, scrapes of leather, thin flat stones, leaflets, palm branches, shoulder blades, etc. After the demise of the prophet, Abu Bakr (r.a.), the first caliph of Islam ordered that the Qur?an be copied from the various different materials on to a common material and place, which was in the shape of sheets. These were tied with strings so that nothing of the compilation was lost. 4. Usman (r.a.) made copies of the Qur?an from the original manuscript Many Companions of the Prophet used to write down the revelation of the Qur?an on their own whenever they heard it from the lips of the Prophet. However what they wrote was not personally verified by the Prophet and thus could contain mistakes. All the verses revealed to the Prophet may not have been heard personally by all the Companions. There were high possibilities of different portions of the Qur?an being missed by different Companions. This gave rise to disputes among Muslims regarding the different contents of the Qur?an during the period of the third Caliph Usman (r.a.). Usman (r.a.) borrowed the original manuscript of the Qur?an, which was authorized by the beloved Prophet (pbuh), from Hafsha (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet?s wife. Usman (r.a.) ordered four Companions who were among the scribes who wrote the Qur?an when the Prophet dictated it, led by Zaid bin Thabit (r.a.) to rewrite the script in several perfect copies. These were sent by Usman (r.a.) to the main centres of Muslims. There were other personal collections of the portions of the Qur?an that people had with them. These might have been incomplete and with mistakes. Usman (r.a.) only appealed to the people to destroy all these copies which did not match the original manuscript of the Qur?an in order to preserve the original text of the Qur?an. Two such copies of the copied text of the original Qur?an authenticated by the Prophet are present to this day, one at the museum in Tashkent in erstwhile Soviet Union and the other at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. 5. Diacritical marks were added for non-Arabs The original manuscript of the Qur?an does not have the signs indicating the vowels in Arabic script. These vowels are known as tashkil, zabar, zair, paish in Urdu and as fatah, damma and qasra in Arabic. The Arabs did not require the vowel signs and diacritical marks for correct pronunciation of the Qur?an since it was their mother tongue. For Muslims of non-Arab origin, however, it was difficult to recite the Qur?an correctly without the vowels. These marks were introduced into the Quranic script during the time of the fifth ?Umayyad? Caliph, Malik-ar-Marwan (66-86 Hijri/685-705 C.E.) and during the governorship of Al-Hajaj in Iraq. Some people argue that the present copy of the Qur?an that we have along with the vowels and the diacritical marks is not the same original Qur?an that was present at the Prophet?s time. But they fail to realize that the word ?Qur?an? means a recitation. Therefore, the preservation of the recitation of the Qur?an is important, irrespective of whether the script is different or whether it contains vowels. If the pronunciation and the Arabic is the same, naturally, the meaning remains the same too. 6. Allah Himself has promised to guard the Qur?an Allah has promised in the Qur?an : We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly Guard it (from corruption). [Al-Qur?an 15:9]2. DOES ISLAM PROMOTE VIOLENCE? Question: Doesn?t Islam promote violence, bloodshed and brutality since the Qur?an says that Muslims should kill the kuffar where ever they find them? Answer: A few selected verses from the Qur?an are often misquoted to perpetuate the myth that Islam promotes violence, and exhorts its followers to kill those outside the pale of Islam. 1. Verse from Surah Taubah The following verse from Surah Taubah is very often quoted by critics of Islam, to show that Islam promotes violence, bloodshed and brutality: Kill the mushriqeen (pagans, polytheists, kuffar) where ever you find them. [Al-Qur?an 9:5] 2. Context of verse is during battlefield Critics of Islam actually quote this verse out of context. In order to understand the context, we need to read from verse 1 of this surah. It says that there was a peace treaty between the Muslims and the Mushriqs (pagans) of Makkah. This treaty was violated by the Mushriqs of Makkah. A period of four months was given to the Mushriqs of Makkah to make amends. Otherwise war would be declared against them. Verse 5 of Surah Taubah says: But when the forbidden months are past, then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practise regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is oft-forgiving, Most merciful. [Al-Qur?an 9:5] This verse is quoted during a battle. 3. Example of war between America and Vietnam We know that America was once at war with Vietnam. Suppose the President of America or the General of the American Army told the American soldiers during the war: Wherever you find the Vietnamese, kill them. Today if I say that the American President said, Wherever you find Vietnamese, kill them without giving the context, I will make him sound like a butcher. But if I quote him in context, that he said it during a war, it will sound very logical, as he was trying to boost the morale of the American soldiers during the war. 4. Verse 9:5 quoted to boost morale of Muslims during battle Similarly in Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 5 the Qur?an says, Kill the Mushriqs where ever you find them, during a battle to boost the morale of the Muslim soldiers. What the Qur?an is telling Muslim soldiers is, don?t be afraid during battle; wherever you find the enemies kill them. 5. Shourie jumps from verse 5 to verse 7 Arun Shourie is one of the staunchest critics of Islam in India. He quotes the same verse, Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 5 in his book ?The World of Fatwahs?, on page 572. After quoting verse 5 he jumps to verse 7 of Surah Taubah. Any sensible person will realise that he has skipped verse 6. 6. Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 6 gives the answer Surah Taubah chapter 9 verse 6 gives the answer to the allegation that Islam promotes violence, brutality and bloodshed. It says: If one amongst the pagans ask thee for asylum,grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah; and then escort him to where he can be secure that is because they are men without knowledge. [Al-Qur?an 9:6] The Qur?an not only says that a Mushriq seeking asylum during the battle should be granted refuge, but also that he should be escorted to a secure place. In the present international scenario, even a kind, peace-loving army General, during a battle, may let the enemy soldiers go free, if they want peace. But which army General will ever tell his soldiers, that if the enemy soldiers want peace during a battle, don?t just let them go free, but also escort them to a place of security? This is exactly what Allah (swt) says in the Glorious Qur?an to promote peace in the world.Answer: Islam is a strictly monotheistic religion. It believes in and adheres to uncompromising monotheism. It believes that God is one, and unique in His attributes. In the Qur?an, God often refers to Himself using the word ?We?. But this does not mean that Islam believes in the existence of more than one God. Two types of plural In several languages, there are two types of plurals, one is a plural of numbers to refer to something that occurs in a quantity of more than one. The other plural is a plural of respect. a. In the English language, the Queen of England refers to herself as ?We? instead of ?I?. This is known as the ?royal plural?. b. Rajiv Gandhi, the ex-Prime Minister of India used to say in Hindi Hum dekhna chahte hain. We want to see. ?Hum? means ?We? which is again a royal plural in Hindi. c. Similarly in Arabic, when Allah refers to Himself in the Qur?an, He often uses Arabic word Nahnu meaning ?We?. It does not indicate plural of number but plural of respect. Tawheed or monotheism is one of the pillars of Islam. The existence and uniqueness of one and only one God is mentioned several times in the Qur?an. For instance in Surah Ikhlas, it says : Say He is Allah the One and Only. [Al-Qur?an 112: 1]Question: Why do certain Surahs in the Qur?an begin with Alif Laam Meem, Haa Meem, Yaa Seen. What is the significance of such terms or phrases? Answer: 1. Abbreviated Letters Alif Laam Meem, Ya Seen, Ha Meem?, etc. are known as Al-Muqattaat i.e. the abbreviated letters. There are 29 letters in the Arabic Alphabet (if hamza and alif are considered as two letters) and there are 29 surahs i.e. chapters in the Glorious Qur?an that have the abbreviated letters prefixed to them. These abbreviated letters some times occur alone, sometimes in a combination of two letters and sometimes in a combination of three, four or five letters. a. Three surahs are pre-fixed with only one letter: (i) Surah Sad chapter 38 with Sad (ii) Surah Qaf chapter 50 with Qaf (iii) Surah Nun or Qalam chapter 68 with Nun b. The combination of two letters occurs in 10 surahs: Three of them occur only once each: (i) Surah Ta Ha chapter 20 has Ta Ha (ii) Surah Al Naml starting with chapter 27 has Ta Seen (iii) Surah Ya Seen chapter 36 has Ya Seen Ha Meem occurs in seven consecutive Surahs from Surah 40 to Surah 46: (i) Surah Ghafir or Al-Mu?min chapter 40 (ii) Surah Fussilat or Ha Meem chapter 41 (iii) Surah Al Shura chapter 42 (iv) Surah Al Zukhruf chapter 43 (v) Surah Al Dukhan chapter 44 (vi) Surah Al Jathiyah chapter 45 (vii) Surah Al Ahqaf chapter 46 c. There are three combinations of three letters each occurring in 14 surahs. Alif Laam Meem occurs in six surahs (i) Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 (ii) Surah Ali ?Imran chapter 3 (iii) Surah Al ?Ankabut chapter 29 (iv) Surah Al Rum chapter 30 (v) Surah Luqman chapter 31 (vi) Surah Al Sajdah chapter 32 Alif Laam Ra occurs in six consecutive surahs: Surah 10 to Surah 15: (i) Surah Yunus chapter 10 (ii) Surah Hud chapter 11 (iii) Surah Yusuf chapter 12 (iv) Surah Al Rad chapter 13 (v) Surah Ibrahim chapter 14 (vi) Surah Al Hijr chapter 15 Ta Seen Meem occurs in two Surahs: (i) Surah Al-Shura chapter 26 (ii) Surah Al-Qasas chapter 28 d. Combination of four letters occurs twice: (i) Surah Aaraf chapter 7: Alif Laam Meem Sad (ii) Surah Anfal chapter 8: Alif Laam Meem Ra e. Combination of five letters occurs twice: (i) Surah Maryam chapter 19 begins with Kaf Ha Ya Ayn Sad (ii) Surah Al-Shura chapter 42 begins with Ha Meem Ayn Seen Qaf Surah Al-Shura chapter 42 has a double combination of abbreviated letters one set of two letters followed by one set of three letters. 2. Meanings of these abbreviated letters The meaning and purpose of these letters is uncertain. There have been a variety of explanations offered by Muslim scholars through the ages. A few among them are: i. These letters might be abbreviations for certain sentences and words for instance, Alif Laam Meem means Ana-Alahu -a?Laam or Nun meaning Noor (light), etc. ii. These letters are not abbreviations but symbols and names of Allah or something else. iii. These letters were used for rhyming. iv. These letters have some numerical significance as the semitic letters also have numerical values. v. These letters were used to attract the attention of the Prophet (and later his audience). Several volumes have been written on the significance of these abbreviations. 3. Best explanation of abbreviated letters: Of all the explanations given by various scholars, the one which is authentic and also supported by Tafsir of Ibne-Kathir, Zamakshari and Ibne-Taiymiyah is the following: The human body is composed of various fundamental elements that are found in nature. Clay and dust are composed of the same fundamental elements. Yet it would be absurd to say that a human being is exactly the same as the dust. We can all have access to the elements that are found in the human body, and add a few gallons of water, which is the constitution of the human body. We know the elements in the human body and yet we are at a loss when asked the secret of life. Similarly the Qur?an addresses those people who reject its Divine authority. It tells them that this Qur?an, is in your own language, and over which the Arabs took pride. It is composed of the same letters that the Arabs used to express themselves most eloquently. The Arabs were very proud of their language and Arabic was at its peak when the Qur?an was revealed. With the letters Alif Laam Meem, Yaa Seen, Ha-Meem, etc., (in Engllish we would say A, B, C, D) the Qur?an challenges mankind to produce a Surah at least somewhat similar to the Qur?an in beauty and elegance, if they doubt its authenticity. Initially, the Qur?an challenges all the men and jinn to produce a recital like the Qur?an and adds that they would not be able to do it even if they backed each other. This challenge is mentioned in Surah Isra chapter 17 verse 88 and in Surah Tur chapter 52 verse 34. Later the Qur?an repeats the challenge in Surah Hud chapter 11 verse 13 by saying produce ten surahs like it and later in Surah Yunus chapter 10 verse 38 produce one surah like it and finally the easiest challenge is given in Surah Al-Baqarah chapter 2 verses 23 and 24. And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Surah like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah if your doubts are true. But if ye cannot ? and of a surety ye cannot ? then fear the fire whose fuel is men and stones ? which is prepared for those who reject faith. [Al-Qur?an 2:23-24] To compare the skill of two artisans, they must be given samples of the same raw material and their performance evaluated in performing the same task. If they are tailors they must be provided with the same fabrics. The raw materials of the Arabic language are these letters Alif Laam Meem, Ya Seen (in English it is A, B, C, D, etc.) The miraculous nature of the language of the Qur?an does not lie only in the fact that it is the Word of Allah, but also in the fact that although made up of the same letters in which the pagan Arabs took pride, it has not been rivalled. The Arabs are noted for their rhetoric ability, eloquence and meaningful expression. Just as the constituents of the human body are known to us and can be obtained by us, the letters comprising the Qur?an, such as Alif Laam Meem are known to us, and used frequently to formulate words. Life cannot be created by us, even if we possess knowledge of the constituents of the human body. Similarly we cannot capture the same eloquence and beauty of expression that we find in the Qur?an, despite knowing the letters that constitute the Qu?ran. The Qur?an thus proves its Divine origin. 4. Miraculous quality of Qur?an mentioned immediately after these broken letters Therefore immediately after these broken letters are mentioned in the Qur?an, the following verses speak about the miracle of the Qur?an, and its authority e.g. in Surah Baqarah Chapter 2 verse 1-2: Alif Laam Meem. This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah. [Al-Qur?an 2:1-2]
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 15:47:30 +0000
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