Question
It was the habit of Muhammad (peace be upon him) to frequently remove himself from the midst of his fellow Arabs and their heathenistic actions and spend many days secluded in the cave of “Hiraa” in the mountains of Makkah where he would pray to God according to the religion of Abraham (peace be upon him)
- My question is how did Muhammad(PBUH) came across the religion of Abraham (peace be upon him) As he was unlearned how can he knew about the religion of Abraham (peace be upon him) in Arab at that time since there was no Arabic Bible existed in the Christian Era?
- I was reading about a Article written by a Christian i.e. description of the Holy Quran at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08692a.htm and found something disturbing. He claimed that :
Suras 103, 91, 106, 101, 95, 102,104, 82, 92, 105, rhapsodies, which may have been composed before Mohammed conceived the idea of a Divine mission, or of a revelation direct from Heaven.” AUTHORSHIP, COMPILATION: It is generally admitted that the Koran is substantially the work of Mohammed. According to the traditionalists, it contains the pure revelation he could neither read nor write, but that immediately afterwards he could do both; others believe that even before the revelation he could read and write; while others, again, deny that he could ever do so. Thus it is uncertain whether any of the suras were written down by the Prophet himself or all delivered by him orally and afterwards writen down by others from memory.
- How can Muslim and History prove that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was really unlearned? Because according the above statement taken from the link article http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08692a.htm that its is unsure that MUHAMMAD (PBUH) war really unlearned or not
- As mentioned in the above text from the Christians article saying:
- Thus it is uncertain whether any of the suras were written down by the Prophet himself
- or all delivered by him orally?
- or afterwards written down by others from memory?
I think you understand this 4th question plz clear out these things for me
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The Article say:
Mohammed’s hearers began by trusting their memories to retain the words of the revelation they had received from him. Later, those who could write traced them in ancient characters on palm leaves, tanned hides, or dry bones. After the Prophet’s death all these fragments were collected. Zaid ibn Thabit, Mohammed’s disciple, was charged by Abu Bekr, the caliph, to collect all that could be discovered of the sacred text in one volume. The chapters were then arranged according to their length and without regard to historical sequence. The revision made twenty years later affected details of language of the text.
What does the above statement mean??? I studied that before the departure of MUHAMMAD (PBUH) the suras were arranged according to his instructions which can be found today as a nut shell volume the HOLY QURAN.. what is the truth??
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was the Sequence of the Quran arranged in the life time of MUHAMMAD (PBUH)
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If not then what does the statement “The revision made twenty years later affected details of language of the text.”
Answer
Answers to your questions follow:
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The “religion of Abraham” was not new to the descendants of Banu Ishmael, in general, or to the tribe of the prophet Muhammad known as the Quraysh, in particular. The rites and rituals, prayers and beliefs had been passed down from generation to generation. However, over time the religion of Abraham was desecrated by some innovations and deviations of his descendents. Although many of the elements survived they no longer possessed the essence within them, not to mention all the additional ideologies that developed over the years. The religion, as it was practiced, became perverse. Its pristine form had become worn from the misuse of the descendants. In other words, the religion was part of the culture of the Quraysh and was commonly practiced by most of the tribe (in its corrupt form, of course). This is how the prophet Muhammad was familiar with the Abrahamic tradition; it was part of his upbringing. Therefore, it should be appreciated that there was no need for an Arabic Bible for him or anyone of his people to be aware of Abraham, his legacy and his message.
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The Christian source you have quoted from is absolutely wrong. Its information is erroneous and misguiding. No fact of history attests to their claim. No source supports their conjecture. Such claims need substantiation and considering the lack of evidence one cannot comment much on such flawed concepts.
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The proof is in historical documents. One may research the Qur’an, Ahadith and other sources all of which contradict the notion the Prophet was able to read and write.
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As stated above, the article carries no weight in terms of fact. For your benefit, however, I’ll elucidate a couple of points. There is nothing in history, documentation or otherwise, that supports the idea that the Prophet wrote any verses of the Qur’an. The entire Qur’an was delivered, memorized, written, placed in order and compiled during the life of the Prophet. In other words the Qur’an was a complete message as it was verbalized by the Prophet and then arranged as a complete book, just as we have it today, upon the instruction of the Prophet. Copies were then made of the original copy and so on.
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The quote, again, is flawed. As has been stated already, the Qur’an was completed, as we have it today, under the Prophet’s direct supervision. There was no revision, after the time of the Prophet (pbuh). No one is authorized to revise the Qur’an. This concept maybe acceptable to other religions, however, it is vehemently objected to by Islam. The Qur’an that was spoken by the prophet Muhammad is the same exact written, read and recited today.
I hope I have clarified the issue
God knows best.