Thank you for your
challenging question.
In fact, there are different ways to prove that the
Qur'an is the word of God, which has always been true
and has never been subjected to change or distortion.
These proofs can be classified into three types: the way
the Qur'an was transmitted throughout the centuries,
some challenging verses within the Qur'an itself, and
the periodic, modern-day discoveries in the universe
that were first mentioned in the Qur'an more than
fourteen centuries ago.
Unlike the Bible and Old Testament that have been
subject to innumerable translations, doubtful and
spurious transmissions, and corruptions at the hands of
clerics up till now (with the “gender sensitive”
versions coming out these days), the Qur'an was
transmitted to us in an unprecedented and unique manner
according to rigorous rules of transmission. The Qur'an
was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
via the angel Gabriel, and the Prophet subsequently
memorized the whole scripture.
Thousands of the Companions of the Prophet learned the
Qur'an directly from the Prophet (pbuh). They memorized
it and were known in Islamic history as huffaadh
(the memorizers and preservers of the Qur'an). Moreover,
a number of Companions wrote it down during the lifetime
of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and it was compiled
in its entirety immediately after his death.
The following generation of Muslims learned the Qur’an
directly from the Companions. Thus the chain of teaching
and learning through direct contact continued
systematically, methodically, and meticulously until the
present age.
Additionally, several of the Companions of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) were appointed as scribes
to record the words of the revelation directly from the
Prophet himself on parchment, leather, or whatever else
was available. The most famous of these scribes was Zayd
ibn Thabit, who also memorized the entire Qur’an, and he
formed with the others a community of huffaadh
that can be compared to academic societies of our
present time.
We know the Qur’an was recorded in totality during the
lifetime of the Prophet (pbuh) and the different
surahs (chapters) personally arranged by him. Many
copies of the text were used for study and teaching,
even in Mecca before the Hijrah, the migration to
Medina.
The entire Qur’an was written down during the lifetime
of the Prophet Muhammad, and trusting the fact that many
scholars knew it by heart, it was not collected in one
volume. It was personally arranged by him, and the
Muslims memorized it in the same order. The companion
Uthman reported that whenever a new verse was revealed,
the Prophet would immediately call a scribe to record
it. He would instruct the person to put the specific
verse or verses in a particular chapter.
Furthermore, every year during the month of Ramadan, the
Prophet would recite the whole Qur’an from beginning to
end in its present-day arrangement, and everyday people
could hear it from his own lips in the mosque. Its
sequence is no mystery. Many of the Companions not only
memorized it completely, they also wrote it down and
even added commentary (tafseer) on their own
personal copies. When the Prophet passed away, the whole
Qur’an was already written down, but it was not yet
compiled in book form.
During the rule of the first Caliph Abu Bakr, there was
a rebellion among some distant Arab tribes that resulted
in a series of fierce battles. In one particular battle,
a number Companions who had memorized the Qur’an were
killed. The Companion Omar worried that the knowledge of
the Qur’an was in danger, thus he convinced Abu Bakr
that the Qur’an should be compiled into book form as a
means of preserving it once and for all.
Zayd bin Thabit was entrusted with this important task.
Zayd followed strict methods in his compilation and had
dozens of other huffaadh recheck his work to
ensure its accuracy. Abu Bakr, who had also committed
the entire Qur’an to memory, approved of the final
product. After Abu Bakr passed away, the copy was passed
to the Caliph ‘Omar, and then Uthman.
However as the Muslim world expanded into lands where
the people spoke Arabic as a second language, the new
Muslims had a difficult time learning the correct
pronunciation of the text. The Caliph Uthman consulted
other Companions, and they agreed that official copies
of the Qur’an should be inscribed using only the
pronunciation of the Quraysh tribe, the Arabic dialect
that the Prophet spoke.
Zayd bin Thabit was again given this assignment, and
three other huffaadh were assigned to help him in
the task. Together, the four scribes borrowed the
original, complete copy of the Qur’an, duplicated it
manually many times over, and then distributed them to
all of the major Muslim cities within the empire. Two of
these copies still exist today: one is in Istanbul and
the other in Tashkent.
One must keep in mind that in traditional learning in
the Arab world, transmission was based upon an oral
tradition as well as a written one; the Arabs (and later
all Muslims) excelled in accurately reporting scripture,
poetry, aphorisms, etc. through the generations without
change. Similarly, the chain of huffaadh was
never broken, and thus the Qur'an today has reached us
in two forms: the memorized version transmitted through
the scholarly chain, and the written version based upon
the Companions’ initial recording.
If the Qur’an had been changed, there would be huge
discrepancies between these two today, as the Qur’an has
reached isolated (and sometimes illiterate) communities
through the memorized form of transmission without the
written form to correct it. No such discrepancies have
ever been recorded or reported. In other words, isolated
village A in African Mali and isolated village B in
Afghanistan will both produce contemporary huffaadh
reciting the same words of the Qur’an, though they did
not learn from a similar printing of the scripture nor
has there ever been a concerted international effort to
rectify would-be discrepancies.
Allah has said in the Qur’an that He alone will protect
His book, and indeed He has kept His promise. The Qur’an
that we read today contains the same exact words that
were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) over 1400 years ago. This is quite a miracle,
especially when you consider that no other group of
people can say that their book has not been subject to
change by the time it reached the present generation.
Only the Qur’an has survived through the centuries
unchanged, and the language in which it was revealed,
classical Arabic, still enjoys practical usage around
the world. While classic English of the 14th century can
be understand by very few native English speakers, the
Qur’an can be understood by the vast majority of
Arabic-speaking Muslims. When compared to other
scriptures, the Qur’an is unique in these two respects.
Furthermore, from the prolific arts that have
accompanied Qur’anic learning and transmission, we can
learn of the auspiciousness and honor with which the
Muslims have traditionally held the Qur’an. The visual
arts of calligraphy and binding, and the vocal art of
recitation represent examples of such arts, and from
them we can see that veracity of transmission would be
understood as a fundamental aspect of Qur’anic
reverence.
As regards the proofs within the Qur'an itself, they can
be found in the following Qur’anic challenges:
Surah 4, verse 82:
*{Do they not then meditate on the
Qur’an? And if it were from any other than Allah,
they would have found in it many a discrepancy.}*
Surah 17, verse 88:
*{Say: If men and jinn should
combine together to bring the like of this Quran,
they could not bring the like of it, though some of
them were aiders of others.}*
And Surah 2, verse 23:
*{And if you are in doubt as to that
which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce
a chapter like it and call on your witnesses besides
Allah if you are truthful.}*
Regarding your reference to the scientific miracles in
the Qur’an, they are too numerous to mention in depth.
We refer you to the following links for a more detailed
analysis:
Miracles of the Qur’an
Be Convinced
From all dimensions, the Qur'an will never cease to be a
miracle until the last day. We hope our brief analysis
of its transmission and compilation has been
satisfactory.
Thank you for your question, and please keep in touch.
Useful links:
What is the Qur’an?
Authenticity of the Qur’an and the Bible |