Is there any god besides Allah?
In verses 60, 61, 62, 63 and 64 of Surah An-Naml, this frequently asked question is answered in three verses with the phrase “lâ ilâhe illallah”, meaning “There is no god but Allah”; in thirty verses, the phrase “lâ ilâhe illâ hû”, meaning “there is no god but He”; in three verses, the phrase “lâ ilâhe illâ ene”, meaning “there is no god but I”; and in one verse, the phrase “lâ ilâhe illâ ente”, meaning “there is no god but you”.
In verse 22 of Surah al-Anbiya’ it is also stated: “If there were gods other than Allah in the heavens and on earth, the order of the heavens and the earth would certainly have been disrupted.”
The miracles of the Qur’an as understood through modern science and technology
Miracle: This is the noun form of the word ‘mucize’, which means ‘that which leaves one powerless’. It refers to extraordinary events that leave people powerless to produce anything similar.
A miracle is a divine event that manifests through the prophets. Therefore, extraordinary phenomena displayed by certain individuals are not termed miracles.
The Qur’an is the greatest miracle of the Prophet Muhammad. The verses of the Qur’an themselves challenge claims that it is the work of a human being. Allah has supported every prophet with miracles relating to the most widespread and advanced topics of their time. The perfect syntax, stylistic coherence, its prophecies regarding the past and future, and the fulfilment of these prophecies are the strongest proofs that the Qur’an is a revelation from Allah.
Looking at the Qur’an as a whole, it cannot be described as a science book. However, the fact that the meaning of certain verses has been revealed through modern science and technology clearly demonstrates that it is a miracle from Allah. We shall explain some of these verses by way of example.
The Qur’an and historical texts are in agreement that the Messenger of Allah had received no formal education. In verse 4 of Surah Al-Ankabut: “You were not one who read any book before this, nor did you write with your own hand”, and in verse 6 of Surah Al-A’la: “We shall teach you, and you shall not forget”. The fact that events mentioned in the Torah are described in greater detail in the Qur’an, and that the Qur’an contains numerous astronomical phenomena which could not have been known with the science and technology of that time but have been revealed by modern science and technology, constitutes a great miracle.
In verse 47 of Surah Al-Zariyat, it is stated: ‘We have built the heavens firmly and are expanding them’. This statement contains knowledge that would have been impossible for anyone without any training in astronomy to possess, even given the knowledge and technology of that time. The expansion of the universe was only discovered in the 1920s.
In verse 32 of Surah Al-Anbiya, it is stated: “We have made the heavens a protective canopy”. It was only in the last century that it was discovered that the atmosphere protects our world from harmful rays and meteoroids roaming freely in space.
In verse 125 of Surah Al-An’am: “it will suffocate you, as if you were climbing into the sky”, this expression describes the distress one would feel, as if suffocating, whilst climbing into the sky. It was impossible for the Messenger of Allah to have known this situation—which only those attempting to travel into space could understand—given the science and technology of that time.
In verse 40 of Surah An-Nur: “from the depths of the vast seas, with a wave above it and a wave beneath it” is mentioned. The depths of the seas and the waves lying one beneath the other have only been discovered through modern science and technology.
In verse 38 of Surah Yâ-Sîn, it is stated that the sun flows towards the place where it will find its rest. It has only been understood in the last century that the sun moves through its own galaxy alongside its satellites. In the following 39th verse of the same surah, it is stated that the moon revolves in the orbits assigned to it, whilst the very next verse states that it is impossible for the sun to collide with the moon. With the science and technology available 1,416 years ago, it was impossible for any human being to know these facts.
In verse 25 of the Surah al-Hadid, it is stated: “ve enzelâ’l hadidi” (We sent down iron). Modern science and technology have proven that the element iron does not originate from the Earth, but came from outside, having been sent down. It was impossible to know this fact at the time the Qur’an was revealed, given the science and technology of that era.
In verse 16 of Surah Nuh, it is stated that the moon is nûr, meaning a reflector, whilst the sun is sirâc, meaning a lamp, a source of light and heat; in verse 5 of Surah Yunus, it is stated that the sun’s light is distinct from the moon, which is merely nûr, meaning a reflector. The fact that the sun is a source of heat and light, whilst the moon is not a source of heat or light but merely reflects the sun’s light, is a piece of astronomical knowledge that has only recently been proven.
The accuracy of the Qur’an’s prophecies regarding the future
Verses 2 and 5 of Surah Ar-Rum state: “The Romans have been defeated in a nearby place, but within a few years they will be victorious, and the believers will rejoice at Allah’s granting of victory to the Romans.” It is accepted that Surah Ar-Rum was revealed in Mecca in 618, following the defeat of the Romans. The armies of the Sassanids, the last great Persian dynasty of the Ancient World, crossed the Euphrates in 610 and, without heeding the new Emperor Heraclius’s requests for peace, captured Antioch and Damascus. In 614, they conquered Jerusalem and seized the Christians’ “Holy Cross”. In 619, they also took Egypt and, in 626, advanced to the outskirts of Constantinople alongside the Avars. When news reached Mecca that the Romans had been defeated and that the Sassanids had taken Jerusalem in 614, Ubayy ibn Halef – one of the polytheists who had mocked them – and Abu Bakr entered into a wager for ten camels that the Romans would emerge victorious within three years. Ubayy ibn Halef accepted the wager. Abu Bakr mentioned this wager to the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah, pointing out that the term ‘bid’i sene’ mentioned in the verse referred to a period of 3–9 years, said, “Increase the number of camels and extend the timeframe.” Consequently, they revised the wager with Ubayy ibn Halef to 100 camels in exchange for nine years. They also mutually undertook that, should either party die in the meantime, their heirs would honour the payment. The Romans, having regrouped within nine years, inflicted a decisive defeat on the main Sassanid army at Nineveh in 627, deposing and killing their ruler, Khosrow II. Even the remains of the “Holy Cross” were captured. Heraclius took the spoils, along with the relics, to Constantinople.
Abū Bakr received 100 camels from the heirs of Ubayy ibn Khalaf, who had been killed at the Battle of Badr. The fact that the Qur’an’s prophecies regarding the future have come true exactly as foretold is one of the miracles of the Qur’an. The Prophet’s declaration that the religion of Islam would spread to the East and West, and that Constantinople would be conquered, is also one of his miracles (Bukhari, Manaqib, 25).
The Surah al-Tabbat, revealed concerning the fact that the Messenger of Allah’s uncle, Abu Lahab, and his wife were destined for Hell, is also counted amongst the miracles of the Qur’an, despite having been revealed in the early years of the Prophethood, as Abu Lahab did not embrace faith until his death a few days after the Battle of Badr. Abu Lahab could not even say, “I believe in Allah and in you,” in order to discredit the Qur’an.
Could the Qur’an have been written by a human being?
In verse 88 of Surah Al-Isra’, it is stated: “I swear by Allah that even if all mankind and the jinn were to gather together, they could not produce the like of it”. Indeed, from the time of its revelation to the present day, this claim has never been realised. In verse 82 of Surah An-Nisa’, it is stated: “Had anyone other than Allah written it, there would have been many contradictions in it”. Indeed, every writer recognises this truth. No matter how many times a book is checked, it is never free from error. However, as stated in the second verse of Surah Al-Baqarah: “there is no error in it”. Together with all these verses, the fact that every prophecy it contained has come to pass exactly as foretold since the time of its revelation demonstrates that it could not possibly have been written by human hands.
Why did Allah create us? Why does Allah tolerate so much evil?
In the 56th verse of Surah Al-Zariyat, it is stated that Allah created the jinn and humankind so that they might worship Him. When the Prophet’s cousin, Ibn Abbas, was asked about the meaning of the word “li ya’budûn”—which means “so that they may worship”—he replied: “li ya’rifûn”, interpreting it as “so that they may know”. From this interpretation, we understand that Allah created us so that we might know Him. A step further on, in verse 14 of Surah Az-Zumar, Allah commands: “O My servants who worship Me, fear Me”. Furthermore, in various verses, the commands “Take refuge in Allah”, “Cling tightly to Allah”, “Be dyed with the colour of Allah” guide us towards the purpose of our creation. In the second verse of Surah Mulk, He states: “He has created death and life to test which of you will do better deeds”, thereby urging us to perform good and noble deeds. Allah is not pleased with any of the crimes committed by people who have forgotten or disregarded the reason for their creation, nor with any of the evils they commit, such as theft or bribery. Through the command to “enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil”, He also commands us not to be pleased with such things.
In verse 67 of Surah At-Tawbah, it is stated that the hypocrites ‘command evil and forbid good, are extremely miserly, have forgotten Allah, and that Allah will forget them’; whilst in verse 68, it is stated that ‘they have been promised the fire of Hell, where they will abide for ever’.
Verses 71 and 72 of the same surah state that “believing men and believing women are allies of one another; they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong; they establish prayer and pay zakat; they love Allah and His Messenger; and they are promised Paradises beneath which rivers flow, where they shall dwell for ever.
In today’s world, the sole reason for the suffering of Muslims living in Palestine and East Turkestan is that two billion Muslims remain silent in defiance of Allah’s command. Unfortunately, Christians are showing more support for the Palestinians than Muslims are.
