If a Non-Muslim asks you “How do you know Quran is a word of God?” What would be your reply?
When a Non-Muslim asks us a question about Islam we have to give a logical answer and explanation. If we simply refer Quran, wht Quran says about itself, it will not work, obviously a non-muslim will be a non believer in Quran as well. They would accept only logical answers and we should reply on the basis of Logic and reasoning only. As we all know Quran was revealed 1400 years ago on our beloved Prophet Mohammad PBUH, from a non muslim point of view, it is a logical question that, either Quran is the word of God or was it written by our Prophet Mohammad PBUH, since he was the one who brought that Quran to all of us.
Fourteen hundred years back at the time of the revelation of Quran, humanity was not that civilized, matured, developed and scientifically advanced as it is today, there are many things that were not been discovered, which have been discovered now after lengthy and difficult exploration, research, advancements and use of modern equipment and tools. But God Almighty has told us about them in the Quran, 1400 years ago, such as the stages of embryonic development, the nature of the oceans, expansion of universe and existence of water on earth etc. 1400 years ago obtaining knowledge in such areas was absolutely not possible for anyone. It would make you or anyone realize that this kind of knowledge could only be possible to come from God Almighty, who is all knowing, creator of every thing in universe and earth.
GOD’s Claim in Quran- [Quran 41:53] We shall show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves, until, it will become clear to them that whatever the Quran had told them was based on truth.
In order to give some valid arguments to a non-muslim we can use following SIX major evidences to prove that the Quran was not written by Prophet Muhammad PBUH or any other man whatsoever and these are words of GOD and a true book by God Almighty.
1 – Biological Evidence – Embryology: [Quran- 86:5-7] Let man see what he was created from. He was created from gushing liquid issuing from between the backbone and the ribs.
[Quran 23:12-14] We created man from an essence of clay, then We placed him as a drop of fluid in a safe place, then We made that drop into a clinging form, and We made that form into a lump of flesh, and We made that lump into bones, and We clothed those bones with flesh, and later We made him into other forms –– glory be to God, the best of creators!
Only 60 years ago, researchers confirmed that human does not come into existence all at once, but rather passes through stages of development one after another. Not Only Quran describes the stages of human development in the womb in the following ayahs, please also note that Allah, in Quran, has also given us the origination of these reproductive fluids in the following ayahs. These ayahs advise us to observe how we were created– to see that human was created from an ejected liquid coming from between the backbone and the ribs. These verses are not only an anatomical description of the region where reproductive fluids are produced and emitted; but also describe each stage of embryological development and creation of man.
2 – Geographical Evidence – Deep Ocean Darkness: [Quran- al-Noor 24:40] Or (the state of a disbeliever) is like the darkness in a vast deep sea, overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, darkness upon darkness: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it! And he for whom Allah has not appointed light, for him there is no light.
God Almighty is giving us an example of a believer in a believing process, that before getting a firm belief in GOD, a person is in darkness which is so dark that one can not even see his own hand, a darkness like deep sea, a sea which has darkness under deep water, which is topped by another darkness above it and again topped by waves over waves. It is a complete description of an in depth knowledge of the nature of a sea.
With regard to the many statements in the Quran concerning the sea, some of these facts were not discovered until very recently, and many of them are still unknown. For example, the above deep water darkness facts were discovered after hundreds of marine stations had been set up, and after images had been taken by satellites. In the past when we could not dive to a depth of more than twenty meters because we didn’t have special equipment & tools. But now we can dive to the bottom of the ocean, using modern equipment, and we find intense darkness at a depth of two hundred meters, where you can not even see your own hand, whereas Quran has highlighted this darkness fifteen centuries ago.
3 – Astronomical Evidence – Expansion of Universe: [Quran 51:47] And it is We who have built the universe with power; and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it
The Quran also describes the expansion of the universe as per above verse in the year 609-632. It was not discovered until 1925, when Edwin Hubble provided evidence of receding galaxies, that the expanding universe came to be accepted as a scientific fact.
4 – Planetary Evidence – Existence of water on earth: In another verse, the Quran says that water originally came from the skies (above the clouds) in the form of ice. There are mountains in the skies- comets and meteors- that have ice inside them; those mountains could fall on Earth making a very bright flash:
[Quran 24.43] Can’t you see that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes them into a pile? Then you see rain come out from within? And He sends down from skies heaven mountains with ice inside them; that strike whomever He wishes or miss whoever He wishes; Its flash almost blinds you.
[Quran 23.18] And We sent down water from the heaven in proper quantity, and we made Earth is dwelling, and We are Able to take it away.
The scientists have discovered that water on Earth came from outer space, particularly from ice in comets and meteors. When those comets enter our atmosphere, the heat generated on entry vaporizes this ice into the atmosphere. Above ayahs of Quran highlighting these facts that could not have been known by mankind at the time of revelation of Quran.
5 – Planetary Evidences – Stability of Earth: [Quran- Sûrat An-Naba’- verse 6-7] Have we not made the earth as a bed*and the mountains as pegs?
With respect to the structure of Earth, scientists have now discovered that the mountains are so important for the stability of earth, as mountains contribute in fixing earth crust because of their long and deep pegs. These facts could not have been known by mankind 1400 hundred years ago at the time of revelation of Quran.
6 – Archaeological Evidence – Preservation of Pharaoh’s corpse (Feron Body) In Quran, God Almighty clearly informed us that he drowned Ramses II, the Egyptian Pharaoh (FERON) during the time of the Prophet Moses, and then preserved his dead body for the generations to come in humanity to learn a lesson and acknowledge as a sign of existence of GOD almighty. This information was given by the Quran 1400 years ago while the mummy was not discovered until 1898, i.e. about 200 years ago, and until a few decades ago the entire mankind including Muslims did not know that the ancient Egyptians had mummified their pharaohs. Qur’an explicitly established that his body was recovered after drowning, while the Christians’ Gospel (Matthew and Luca) narrated only the story of Pharaoh when he was chasing Prophet Musa PBUH without mentioning the fate of his body at all. let’s take a look at the ayah;
[Qur’an, 10:90-92] We brought the tribe of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his troops pursued them out of tyranny and enmity. Then, when he was on the point of drowning, he [Pharaoh] said: “I believe that there is no god but Him in Whom the tribe of Israel believes. I am one of the Muslims”. “What, now! When previously you rebelled and were one of the corrupters? Today we will preserve your body so you can be a Sign for people who come after you. Surely many people are heedless of Our Signs.”
The information that Pharaoh’s corpse would serve as a sign for later generations may be regarded as an indication that his body would not decay. On display in the Royal Mummies Chamber of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a mummified body believed to be that of this tyrant. In all likelihood, Pharaoh’s body floated to shore after being drowned, was found and mummified by the Egyptians, and then carried to a previously prepared burial chamber.
Conclusion – Quran reports of matters of the unseen related to past, present and future, which no human being could speak of independently, no matter how advance his knowledge is, especially at that time which is regarded as primitive in terms of technology and modern tools.
There are many Scientific knowledge of the unseen mentioned in Quran- above are just few examples. Thinking about many of these Ayahs, and from where our beloved prophet Muhammad PBUH came from, and the year it was; it is absolutely impossible that he could have known about these things, because scientists have only found out about them within the last few decades ago with very complicated and advanced technological methods. If we read and analyze these ayahs and many other ayahs, it will become very clear that these statements must have come to our beloved prophet Muhammad PBUH from God Almighty, since this knowledge was not discovered or known to the mankind until recently i.e. many centuries later- All these prove beyond doubt that Quran is a divine revelation and not a man-written book.
Faith & Quran-Based Arguments- May not be acceptable by Non-Muslims:
There are some more very common arguments available among Muslims which are very strong and carry weight but for a non-muslim point of view these are matters of FAITH and may not be acceptable for a non-muslim, for example the following arguments
1- Quran’s Preservation– Muslims believe that God sent many revelations to humanity throughout history, and over time they underwent changes from their original form. However, God chooses to preserve His message to humanity in His final revelation, the Quran. Yet, one might wonder, its been 1400 years since Quran’s revelation; how beautifully its done and which evidence supports the claim that the Quran has never been modified? Allah promises in the Quran
[Quran 15:9] We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly Guard/preserve it (from corruption).
2- Quran’s Poetic Oration – [Quran 29:48] You never recited any Scripture before We revealed this one to you; you never wrote one down with your hand.
The Quran was revealed at a time when the Arabs excelled in oral poetry. However, despite his intelligence, our beloved Prophet pbuh was not skilled in composing poetry. Yet, when the Quranic verses were recited, they stunned even the most acclaimed poets in the society. Deeply moved by the rhythmic tone, literary merit and penetrating wisdom of the Quran, many converted to Islam.
3- Quran’s Universality & Message– The Quranic message is relevant to every nation and era – another proof that the Quran is truly the Word of God. Intending for this Book to remain a source of guidance, inspiration, wisdom and healing for all of humanity, God Almighty has designed its message to transcend the bounds of time. In a world starved of love and compassion, the Quran’s universal message provides the solution to the collective despair of the humanity and human condition.
[Quran 38:29] This is a blessed Book which We sent down to you, for people to ponder over its message, and for those with understanding to be reminded.
4- Quran is a Book of Allah – All Knowing for any field- a guidance for each and every aspect of Deen-way of life* No matter from which perspective you approach Quran, you would find relevant guidance. For instance, if you are a psychologist, you would be amazed at the description and features of our psychology, our nature and our Fitrat in such concise manner with so much wisdom and knowledge that you would realize that this is truly the words of our creator- someone who has created us and who knows us inside out. As per Quran human nature is hasty and was created with an impatient nature- (Refer 21:37 & 17:11). We as Human beings are impatient, and complain quickly (refer 70:19-21) and tend to be ungrateful (Refer 100:6-8; 89:15-16; 80:17) and forgetful (refer 2:286; 20:115; 6:44 and 5:13-14).