The Prophet of Mercy Website

 Allah willed that the miracle of the last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) should be of a kind that was different from the miracles of the other messengers. Allah could have sent down a physical miracle that would have dazzled those who saw it:
"If we will, we could send down to them from the heaven a sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility." (Qur'an 26:4)
If Allah had willed, he could have sent down from the heaven an overwhelming sign which they could not have disputed and they would have had no choice but to believe, and they would have had to express their submission to it in a physical manner "...to which they would bend their necks in humility" (Qur'an 26:4), as if this posture would have become permanent. But Allah willed that the miracle of this final message should be a sign, mighty, overwhelming and non-vanquishing, so he made its sign the Qur'an, a complete way of life, a miracle in every aspect.

It is miraculous in its semantic construction, its artistic order and its literary style, consistent in its quality and level; it does not vary and its quality does not change, as if the case with the work of human beings, where the work of a single individual may be of a higher or lower standard, stronger or weaker. But the semantic quality of this Qur'an remains consistent, in one style, on one level, unchanging. This indicates that it comes from a source not subject to change.

It is miraculous in terms of its intellectual ideas and in the harmony and complementary nature of its parts. There is nothing coincidental and nothing of a haphazard nature. All its instructions and laws come together in a harmonious and complementary fashion, encompassing all of human life, offering fulfilment and motivation without any of them going against human nature or falling short in guiding it. All of them are tied to one focal point, in such harmony that no human experience could produce such a thing. There has to have been some unlimited knowledge, not subject to the constraints of time and space, that produced such comprehensive guidance and organized it in such a manner.
It is miraculous in the ease with which it penetrates hearts and souls, turning their locks and opening their doors in such a moving and effective manner, how it approaches problems in an amazing and simple way, and guides and controls (people) in the gentlest way, without any complexities, contortions or contradictions.

Allah, the all-glorious, all-powerful, willed that this Qur'an should be the miracle of this message. He did not will that an overwhelming material sign should be sent down, to which people would bend their necks in humility which would force them to submit. That is because this final message is a message which is open to all the nations and to all generations. It is not a message which is restricted to the people of one time or one place. So it is appropriate that its miracles should likewise be open to all, near and far, to every nation and every generation. In the case of overwhelming miracles, it is only those who see them who "bend their necks"; after that they simply become stories that are told, not something real to be witnessed. But the Qur'an, more than thirteen centuries later, is still an open book and a clearly-defined path, from which the people of this age take that which will direct their lives – if they decide to take it as their guide –and will fulfil their needs, and ultimately lead them to a better world, a loftier horizon, and a greater destiny. And those who come after us will find things that we did not find, because it gives every seeker that which will fulfil his needs, without detracting from it in the slightest; rather it is constantly regenerated.

Source: Al-Ashqar, Umar S., The Messengers and the Messages, IIPH, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2003, p. 185-187.

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