The Mathematical Miracle of the Qur’an…
I was surfing in the net and came across a site www.submission.org and found there that some Dr Rashad khalifa who has mathematiclly proved the miracle of the Qur’an has also proved that the ayah 128 and 129 of Surah Al-Taubah are in fact not the ayah of the Qur’an and they have been infiltrated into it at the time of Sayiddna Usman. He has also quoted one historical reference for his claim.
Could you please throw some light on this claim? His followers claim it to be a challenge and due to that they have even accepted him as Messenger of ALLAH.(Naoozo Billah) May Allah bless you and your team
FAIZULLAH KHAN
Reply
I have already given my opinion[1] regarding the fact that there is no such thing as the ‘Mathematical Miracle’ of the Qur’an. The mere fact that the Qur’an has not referred to any such ‘Miracle’ to evidence its divine origin is enough for me to ignore such self proclaimed ‘Miracles’. Had there actually been such a ‘Miracle’ entailed in the Qur’an, it should then, at least, have referred to it as such. ‘Miracles’, as you would agree, are not hidden phenomena, discoverable only after deep research by some experts of a field. On the contrary, a ‘Miracle’ by its very nature should be self-evident for even the commonest of men. The referred phenomena, had it satisfied all its claims, could at best be termed as a ‘Strange’ discovery, obviously not a ‘Miracle’.
However, irrespective of the ‘Miracle’ claim, let us turn to your specific question regarding the claim about the incorrect addition of the last two verses of Surah Al-Taubah into the Qur’an[2].
To begin with, the author of the referred article has given a few of the premises of the historical evidence for his claim in the following words:
Nineteen years after the Prophet Muhammad's death, during the reign of Khalifa `Uthman, a committee of scribes was appointed to make several copies of the Quran to be dispatched to the new Muslim lands. The copies were to be made from the original Quran which was written by Muhammad's hand.
Then, elaborating the issue further, the author writes:
…The Prophet, of course, had written the Quran in its chronological order of revelation (Appendix 23), together with the necessary instructions to place every piece in its proper position.
Then, later on the author adds:
The committee of scribes finally came to Sura 9, and put it in its proper place. One of the scribes suggested adding a couple of verses to honor the Prophet. The majority of scribes agreed. `Ali was outraged. He vehemently maintained that the word of God, written down by the hand of His final prophet, must never be altered.
The following contentions are made in the above quotes:
None of these contentions is evidenced by any reliable source of history. They are based merely on conjecture and unfounded theories. After all, what is the evidence to support that the Prophet (pbuh) wrote the Qur’an in its chronological order only? Why did the Prophet (pbuh) not arrange the Qur’an in its reading order? The Qur’an clearly says that God, Himself, guided the final compilation of the Qur’an, during the life of the Prophet (pbuh). Al-Qiyamah 75: 17 – 18 reads as:
Indeed it is upon Us to compile it [i.e. the Qur’an] and to recite it. Thus, when We have recited it, follow that particular recitation.
Why did the Prophet (pbuh) not prepare copies of the new divine arrangement of the Qur’an? Why was it delayed by the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) till the time of the caliphate of Uthman (over 15 years after the death of the Prophet)? Why did Abu Bakr and Umar ignore this work?
As far as the contention that the majority of the scribes agreed upon adding false verses in the Qur’an is concerned, it not only creates obvious doubts about the reliability of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), which is clearly guaranteed and certified by the Qur’an, but is also clearly against the Qur’an itself, which emphatically declares that God, Himself, shall protect it from all adulterations[3] and that no falsehood can find its way into the Qur’an[4].
The author claims that Ali (ra) resisted the addition of the false verses. Nevertheless, the author fails to inform us regarding how exactly did Ali resist? By sitting at home? By offering prayers with people who had distorted the Qur’an? By doing nothing, even when he was given the reigns of the Muslim Ummah for a significant time?
The question is that can one truly ascribe to the opinion that people like Uthman ibn Affaan, Ubayee ibn Ka`b, Zayed ibn Thaabit etc. would happily agree upon making additions to the Qur’an, keeping in view the fact that the Qur’an itself has placed the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) at the pedestal that the Muslim Ummah has acknowledged during the past fourteen centuries? Can one truly believe that a person like Ali (ra) would silently watch the making of such adulterations and not do any thing about it, except sit in the comfort of his home and offer prayers with those whom the author of the referred article has termed as: “The Enemies of God”?
It is obvious that the whole scenario is falsely fabricated by some narrators and subsequently exaggerated, completely out of all reasonable proportions, by the author of the referred article. It is also obvious that due to the position that the Qur’an holds in Islam, the Prophet (pbuh), and subsequently his companions (ra) gave due importance to the preservation of the Qur’an as well as safeguarded it against all human adulterations[5]. Finally, it is also obvious that narratives reporting all such incidents are a conspiracy of those who, after failing miserably in their efforts to distort the Qur’an itself, tried their fate by distorting the history of the Qur’an.
The Qur’an has always remained clear of all human adulterations and it shall remain so till the end of time. It is not a fallible human claim; it is the promise of the Lord and the Creator of the Universe and all that enjoys existence.
I hope this helps.
Regards,