The Qur'an
Challenge You
- Muhammad Was
Not Insane -
In
conjunction with the excuses that non-Muslims advance in futile attempts to
justify unexplainable verses in the Qur'an, there is another attack often
rendered which seems to be a combination of the theories that Muhammad (SAW)
was crazy and a liar. Basically, these people propose that Muhammad was insane,
and as a result of his delusion, he lied to and misled people. There is a name
for this in psychology. It is referred to as mythomania. It means simply that
one tells lies and then believes them. This is what the non-Muslims say
Muhammad (SAW) suffered from. But the only problem with this proposal is that
one suffering from mythomania absolutely cannot deal with facts, and yet the
whole Qur'an is based entirely upon facts. Everything contained in it can be
researched and established as true. Since facts are such a problem for a
mythomaniac, when a psychologist tries to treat one suffering from that
condition, he continually confronts him with facts.
For
example, if one is mentally ill and claims, "I am the king of
England," a psychologist does not say to him "No you aren't. You are
crazy !" He just does not do that. Rather, he confronts him with facts and
says, "O.K., you say you are the king of England. So tell me where the
queen is today. And where is your prime minister ? And where are your guards ?"
Now, when the man has trouble trying to deal with these questions, he tries to
make excuses, saying Uh... the queen... she has gone to her mother's. Uh... the
prime minister... well he died." And eventually he is cured because he
cannot deal with the facts. If the psychologist continues confronting him with
enough facts, finally he faces the reality and says, "I guess I am not the
king of England."
The
Qur'an approaches everyone who reads it in very much the same way a
psychologist treats his mythomania patient. There is a verse in the Qur'an
which states:
"Oh
mankind, there has come to you an admonition [i.e., the Qur'an] from your Lord
and a healing for what is in the hearts - and guidance and mercy for the
believers."
At
first glance, this statement appears vague, but the meaning of this verse is
clear when one views it in light of the aforementioned example. Basically, one
is healed of his delusions by reading the Qur'an. In essence, it is therapy. It
literally cures deluded people by confronting them with facts. A prevalent
attitude throughout the Qur'an is one which says, "Oh mankind, you say
such and such about this; but what about such and such ? How can you say this
when you know that ?" And so forth. It forces one to consider what is
relevant and what matters while simultaneously healing one of the delusions
that the facts presented to mankind by Allah can easily be explained away with
flimsy theories and excuses. It is this very sort of thing - confronting people
with facts - that had captured the attention of many non-Muslims. In fact,
there exists a very interesting reference concerning this subject in the New
Catholic Encyclopedia.
In
an article under the subject of the Qur'an, the Catholic Church states,
"Over the centuries, many theories have been offered as to the origin of
the Qur'an... Today no sensible man accepts any of these theories." ! Now
here is the age-old Catholic Church, which has been around for so many
centuries, denying these futile attempts to explain away the Qur'an. Indeed,
the Qur'an is a problem for the Catholic Church. It states that it is
revelation, so they study it. Certainly, they would love to find proof that it
is not, but they cannot. They cannot find a viable explanation. But at least
they are honest in their research and do not accept the first unsubstantiated
interpretation which comes along. The Church states that in fourteen centuries
it has not yet been presented a sensible explanation. At least it admits that
the Qur'an is not an easy subject to dismiss. Certainly, other people are much
less honest. They quickly say, "Oh, the Qur'an came from here. The Qur'an
came from there." And they do not even examine the credibility of what
they are stating most of the time. Of course, such a statement by the Catholic
Church leaves the everyday Christian in some difficulty. It just may be that he
has his own ideas as to the origin of the Qur'an, but as a single member of the
Church, he cannot really act upon his own theory. Such an action would be
contrary to the obedience, allegiance and loyalty which the Church demands. By
virtue of his membership, he must accept what the Catholic Church declares
without question and establish its teachings as part of his everyday routine.
So, in essence, if the Catholic Church as a whole is saying, "Do not
listen to these unconfirmed reports about the Qur'an," then what can be
said about the Islamic point of view ? Even non-Muslims are admitting that
there is something to the Qur'an - something that has to be acknowledged - then
why are people so stubborn and defensive and hostile when Muslims advance the
very same theory ? This is certainly something for those with mind a to
contemplate - something to ponder for those of understanding !
Recently,
the leading intellectual in the Catholic Church - a man by the name of Hans -
studied the Qur'an and gave his opinion of what he had read. This man has been
around for some time, and he is highly respected in the Catholic Church, and
after careful scrutiny, he reported his findings, concluding, "God has
spoken to man through the man, Muhammad." Again this is a conclusion
arrived at by a non-Muslim source - the very leading intellectual of the
Catholic Church himself ! I do not think that the Pope agrees with him, but
nonetheless, the opinion of such a noted, repute public figure must carry some
weight in defense of the Muslim position. He must be applauded for facing the
reality that the Qur'an is not something which can be easily pushed aside and that,
in fact God is the source of these words. As is evident from the aforementioned
information, all of the possibilities have been exhausted, so the chance of
finding another possibility of dismissing the Qur'an is nonexistent. For if the
book is not a revelation, then it is a deception; and if it is a deception, one
must ask, "What is its origin" And where does it deceive us ?"
Indeed, the true answers to these questions shed light on the Qur'an's
authenticity and silence the bitter unsubstantiated claims of the unbelievers.
Certainly, if people are going to insist that the Qur'an is a deception, then
they must bring forth evidence to support such a claim. The burden of proof is
on them, not us ! One is never supposed to advance a theory without sufficient
corroborating facts; so I say to them, "Show me one deception ! Show me
where the Qur'an deceives me ! Show me, otherwise, don't say that it is a
deception !" An interesting characteristic of the Qur'an is how it deals
with surprising phenomena which relate not only to the past but to modern times
as well. In essence, the Qur'an is not an old problem. It is still a problem
even today - a problem to the non-Muslims that is. For everyday, every week,
every year brings more and more evidence that the Qur'an is a force to be
contended with - that its authenticity is no longer to be challenged !
By Gary
Miller