𝑶𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒍
First benefit: The reason why the miracle of our Prophet ﷺ is also in the field of eloquence is that miracles in every age appear in the area in which its people are most skilled, because they reach the highest possible level in it and stand at the limit of human ability. When they witness something beyond that limit, they know it is from God.
For example, magic in the time of Moses was widespread among its practitioners, and they were highly skilled in it.
When the skilled magicians realized that magic is only illusion showing what has no real existence they then saw the staff of Moses transform into a serpent that swallowed their magic without increasing in size. They immediately understood it was beyond magic and a miracle from God, so they believed in him. Pharaoh, however, being less skilled in this field, thought it was also magic, though greater than that of his magicians. Similarly, medicine was dominant in the time of Jesus ﷺ, and its practitioners were highly skilled.
When they witnessed the revival of the dead and the healing of the blind, they knew through their expertise that these were not within the scope of medicine, but from God. Eloquence reached its peak in the time of the Prophet ﷺ and
was the pride of the Arabs, to the extent that they hung the famous seven poems on the Kaaba as a challenge. When the Prophet ﷺ came with the Qur’an, which all eloquent Arabs were unable to match, it was known with certainty that it was from God.
— Izhar al-Haqq, p. 824
On the argument that Quraysh’s choosing the harder path against the Prophet ﷺ, rather than meeting the Qur’an’s challenge, is evidence of its eloquence
Rahmatullah Kairanawi said:
“How can it be imagined that the eloquent and articulate Arabs numerous as the sands of al-Dahna and the pebbles of al-Batha, renowned for their tribal zeal, pride, competitiveness, and defense of lineage would abandon the easier course of producing something equal to the shortest surah, and instead choose the far harsher path of exile, sacrificing lives and souls, enduring the enslavement of their families and the plundering of their wealth? All the while, their opponent who challenged them publicly continued to proclaim before the masses such statements as:
“Then bring forth a surah like it and call upon whomever you can besides Allah, if you are truthful.” (Qur’an 10:38)
“And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our servant, then produce a surah like it and call your witnesses besides Allah, if you are truthful.
But if you do not and you will never do so then fear the Fire whose fuel is people and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.” (Qur’an 2:23–24)
“Say: If mankind and the jinn gathered together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce its like, even if they assisted one another.” (Qur’an 17:88)
If they believed that Muhammad ﷺ had received assistance from others, then they too could have sought assistance from others, for they were equal to those deniers in knowledge of the language and in the ability to seek help. Yet they did not do so.
Instead, they preferred armed confrontation over literary opposition, and warfare over discourse.
Therefore, the eloquence of the Qur’an must have been an acknowledged fact among them, and they were incapable of matching it.
The most that can be said is that they became divided between those who believed in it and in the One upon whom it was revealed, and those who remained bewildered by the uniqueness of its eloquence.
— Izhar al-Haqq, pp. 790–791.
The Second Benefit: The revelation of the Qur’an in installments and portions, and not all at once, is for several reasons:
The First: The Prophet ﷺ was not from among the literate (people of reading). Had it been revealed to him all at once, he would not have been able to memorize and retain it, and oversight might have occurred.
The Second: Had Allah revealed the Book all at once, they might have relied strictly on the written text, which could lead to negligence in memorization. When He revealed it in installments, its memorization became an established tradition within his nation.
The Third: In the scenario of revealing the Book all at once, all legal rulings would have descended upon the creation simultaneously, which would have heavily burdened them. However, when it was revealed in portions, the obligations descended gradually, making them much easier to bear. This is supported by what was narrated by some of the Companions, who said:
"Allah treated us with ultimate benevolence. Had the Messenger of Allah come to us with this religion all at once, and with the Qur’an all at once, these obligations would have been too heavy for us, and we would not have entered Islam. But he called us to one word, and when we accepted it, we tasted the sweetness of faith. Then, he introduced what followed it, word by word, until the religion was perfected and the Sharia was completed."
The Fourth: Whenever he witnessed Gabriel (peace be upon him), his heart grew stronger through seeing him...
Footnotes for Page 1
= [Carried over from the previous page's footnote regarding Pre-Islamic poetry]: ...All of them represent the most mature forms of pre-Islamic poetry in terms of form and content. These are the long poems that the Arabs named al-Sumut (The Strings/Necklaces), because they are the storehouses of their wisdom, the resting place of their eloquence, and the pinnacle of their poetic imagination. Scholars and men of letters took great interest in them, writing several commentaries on them (Kashf al-Zunun, 2/1740; Al-Mawsu’ah al-Muyassarah, p. 1721; Dairat al-Ma'arif by Wajdi, 6/543).
(1) This aspect is mentioned regarding the verse preceding it, verse 32 of Surah al-Furqan, where Allah the Almighty says: "And those who disbelieve say, 'Why was the Qur'an not revealed to him all at once?' Thus [it is] that We may strengthen thereby your heart. And We have spaced it distinctly."
(2) Gabriel is pronounced Jibril: He is the bearer of revelation to the Prophets. He is the one who brought tidings of Prophethood to Muhammad ﷺ when he was in the Cave of Hira. He used to descend upon him with the Holy Qur’an throughout the duration of the prophetic mission. Sometimes he would appear to him in the form of a handsome man, and the Companions would see him. He is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an by several names: Gabriel (3 times), the Holy Spirit (Ruh al-Qudus) 4 times, and the Trustworthy Spirit (al-Ruh al-Amin) once. He is also mentioned in the story of glad tidings to Mary regarding Jesus with the wording "Our Spirit" (Ruhana) 3 times. Among his titles are: Gabriel the Trustworthy, the Trustworthy of Revelation, the Keeper of Holiness, the Greatest Law (al-Namus al-Akbar), and the Peacock of the Angels—far be it from Allah to have any partners, and exalted is He...
Page Number: 825.
Thus, he became more capable of fulfilling what he was tasked to bear, enduring the hardships of prophethood, and tolerating the harm inflicted by his people.
The Fifth: Since the miraculous nature of the Qur'an (I'jaz) was established even though it was revealed in installments, if they had been capable of mimicking it, they would have been required to produce something similar in installments as well.
The Sixth: The Qur’an used to be revealed according to their questions and the events that occurred among them. Consequently, they grew in insight because informing them about the unseen was added to its linguistic eloquence.
The Seventh: Because the Qur’an was revealed in portions, and the Prophet ﷺ challenged them from the very beginning, it was as if he challenged them with every single portion (Najm) of the Qur’an. When they failed to oppose it portion by portion, their inability to oppose the whole text became even more self-evident. Thus, through this methodology, it was definitively proven that the people were utterly incapable of countering it.
The Eighth: The medium of ambassadorship between Allah and His prophets to convey His speech to them is a grand and monumental office. Had the Qur’an been revealed all at once, the cessation of this office from Gabriel (peace be upon him) would have occurred immediately. However, since it was revealed in installments, that grand office remained active.
The Third Benefit: The reason for repeating the exposition of Monotheism (Tawhid), the details of the Day of Resurrection, and the stories of the Prophets in multiple places:
Because the Arabs included polytheists and dualists who denied these matters, while other non-Arabs...
Footnotes for Page 2
= [Continued from the previous page's footnote regarding Gabriel]: ...The third hypostasis of the divine Trinity according to Christians; he shares with the Father and the Son (Jesus) in divinity. According to them, all divine attributes apply to him, such as knowledge, creation, and influence in the universe, making him worthy of worship. (Al-Qamus al-Islami, 1/576 and 2/589; Qamus al-Kitab al-Muqaddas, pp. 245 and 414; Al-Mawsu’ah al-Arabiyyah al-Muyassarah, pp. 612 and 888; Dairat Ma'arif al-Qarn al-Ishrin, 7/653).
Page Number: 826.
some of them—like the people of India, China (1), and the Magians—were similar to the Arabs in their denial. Others, like the proponents of the Trinity, vacillated between extremes and negligence regarding these beliefs. For the sake of validation and emphasis, the exposition of these matters was repeated.
There are also other reasons for the repetition of the stories:
Among them: The miraculous nature of the Qur’an is also manifested through its eloquence. The challenge was issued based on this standard. Thus, the stories were repeated using different expressions—sometimes concise (Ijaz), sometimes elaborate (Itnab)—while maintaining the highest tier of eloquence in every single variation. This was done so people would recognize that the Qur’an is not the speech of humans, because achieving this mastery is beyond human capability.
Among them: To prevent them from claiming: "The eloquent words used were specifically suited for this story, but other words would not fit it." Or from saying: "Every eloquent person has a specific style they can master—some excel at elaboration while others excel at conciseness; therefore, a lack of ability in one form does not mean a total lack of capability." Alternatively, they might say: "The scope of eloquence is narrow when it comes to explaining historical accounts, and what was produced by you occurred merely by chance or coincidence." Therefore, when the stories were repeated using both conciseness and elaboration, no excuse remained for these three pretexts.
Footnotes for Page 3
(1) China: A large country in East Asia characterized by its distinct demographic traits. Its northern borders connect with Mongolia and the republics of the Soviet Union. In the 3rd century BC, the Great Wall of China was built on its northern borders to prevent Mongol incursions into China. China was known to the Arabs during the Pre-Islamic period (Jahiliyyah) and Islam through trade relations with its neighbor, India. Many Muslim merchants settled in China and intermarried with its inhabitants. Today, it contains four major religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam. It is currently ruled by Communists, and its capital is Beijing. (Mu'jam al-Buldan, 3/440; Al-Qamus al-Islami, 4/386; Al-Mawsu’ah al-Arabiyyah al-Muyassarah, p. 1139; Dairat Ma'arif al-Qarn al-Ishrin, 5/597).
Page Number: — 827 —
“ᴍᴀʏ ᴀʟʟᴀʜ ʀᴇᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏʟᴀʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀʜʟᴜꜱ ꜱᴜɴɴᴀʜ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄʟᴀʀɪꜰɪᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ꜰᴀʟꜱᴇʜᴏᴏᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀʏ ʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴜꜱ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴ, ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡ.”