The
Qur'an Challenge You
- Find A Mistake -
A
truly scientific approach to the Qur'an is possible because the Qur'an offers
something that is not offered by other religious scriptures, in particular, and
other religions, in general. It is what scientists demand. Today there are many
people who have ideas and theories about how the universe works. These people
are all over the place, but the scientific community does not even bother to
listen to them. This is because within the last century the scientific
community has demanded a test of falsification. They say, "If you have
theory, do not bother us with it unless you bring with that theory a way for us
to prove whether you are wrong or not."
Such
a test was exactly why the scientific community listened to Einstein towards
the beginning of the century. He came with a new theory and said, "I
believe the universe works like this; and here are three ways to prove whether
I am wrong!". So the scientific community subjected his theory to the
tests, and within six years it passed all three. Of course, this does not prove
that he was great, but it proves that he deserved to be listened to because he
said, "This is my idea; and if you want to try to prove me wrong, do this
or try that." This is exactly what the Qur'an has - falsification tests.
Some are old (in that they have already been proven true), and some still exist
today. Basically it states, "If this book is not what it claims to be,
then all you have to do is this or this or this to prove that it is
false." Of course, in 1400 years no one has been able to do "This or
this or this, " and thus it is still considered true and authentic. I
suggest to you that the next time you get into dispute with someone about Islam
and he claims that he has the truth and that you are in darkness, you leave all
other arguments at first and make this suggestion. Ask him, "Is there any
falsification test in your religion ? Is there anything in your religion that
would prove you are wrong if I could prove to you that it exists – anything ?"
Well, I can promise right now that people will not have anything - no test, no
proof, nothing ! This is because they do not carry around the idea that they
should not only present what they believe but should also offer others a chance
to prove they're wrong. However, Islam does that. A perfect example of how
Islam provides man with a chance to verify it authenticity and "prove it
wrong" occurs in the 4th chapter. And quiet honestly, I was surprised when
I first discovered this challenge. It states:
"Do
they not consider the Qur'an ? Had it been from any other than Allah, they
would surely have found therein much discrepancy."
This
is a clear challenge to the non-Muslim. Basically, it invites him to find a
mistake. As a matter of fact, the seriousness and difficulty of the challenge aside,
the actual presentation of such a challenge in the first place is not even in
human nature and is inconsistent with man's personality. One doesn't take an
exam in school after finishing the exam; write a note to the instructor at the
end saying, "This exam is perfect. There are no mistakes in it. Find one
if you can !". One just doesn't do that. The teacher would not sleep until
he found a mistake ! And yet this is the way the Qur'an approaches people.
Another interesting attitude that exists in the Qur'an repeatedly deals with
its advice to the reader. The Qur'an informs that reader about different facts
and then gives the advice: "If you want to know more about this or that,
or if you doubt what is said, then you should ask those who have knowledge."
This too is a surprising attitude. It is not usual to have a book that comes
from someone without training in geography, botany, biology, etc., who
discusses these subjects and then advises the reader to ask men of knowledge if
he doubts anything.
Yet
in every age there have been Muslims who have followed the advice of the Qur'an
and made surprising discoveries. If one looks to the works of Muslim scientists
if many centuries ago, one will find them full of quotations from the Qur'an.
These works state that they did research in such a place, looking for
something. And they affirm that the reason they looked in such and such a place
was that the Qur'an pointed them in that direction.
By Gary Miller