God's Testimony

GOD’S TESTIMONY

Picture this: you are walking back home from a busy day and you see a blind person trying to cross the highway. No one notices him except you. You rush to help and guide him safely across. You did what any compassionate person would do.

In life we are also blind in a way. We are thrown into existence and we do not have any clear vision of why. We don’t even know where we are heading to after this life. God’s guidance would provide answers to the questions that blind us from knowing why we are here, what we are supposed to do and where we are going. Since God is the source of all goodness, and He is the most compassionate, revealing guidance to humanity is an inevitable expression of His perfect good nature.

In the same way, when we make a mobile phone, a car or laptop, we provide the buyer with a manual or some sort of instructions. We don’t want people to learn the hard way or damage their new expensive ‘toy’ by misusing it. Since God created this world and everything in it, then it makes sense that God would tell us why he created us. God created a universe with the right set of life-sensitive physical laws to permit our existence.

He also provided us with everything we have from the air we breathe, fruits we eat to the family and friends we have. God provided us all with for our physical needs so why would he not provide us when it comes to our existential and spiritual needs? As humans we want to know the purpose of life, what happens to us after death, what is the right way to live, what is right and wrong and we want to know more about God. Clearly, God is central to our existence and therefore it makes sense he would want to communicate and guide us.

The question arises, with so many differing religions and religious books out there which one do we follow? Surely they all can’t be right, so maybe they are all wrong? It is easy to simply reject all religious texts and say God has revealed nothing and all religions are wrong. Well this is partly true as there are a lot of contradictory and man-made religions out there.

However, it is illogical to conclude that God has not revealed anything at all as we have good reasons to believe that God would send us guidance. It would be better to keep an open mind and look for evidence or test the religious books before we pass judgement. Many may turn out to be false, but there may be one that will pass the test.

This short booklet aims to show how based on objective rational criteria, the Qur’an is the word of God. Now this would not mean that the Qur’an is the only revelation that God has revealed to humanity. Islam teaches that God has been revealing guidance and scripture to His messengers throughout time and the Qur’an is simply the last and final revelation.

Let’s test the message

Any rational person would agree that to assess whether a particular book has been revealed by God, it has to pass some kind of test. Without actual verification, any book can make the claim of being revealed by God. For the test to be taken seriously it has to be based on rational criteria that are objective. That means that the means we use to decide whether a book is from God or not must be applicable to any religious book. It can’t just be based on personal and individual feelings, emotions, intuitions and experience, but should be something that can be applied by everyone, everywhere.

These rational criteria should include:

1. The concept of God must be clear, coherent and rational. A God who is imperfect, human like is irrational and doesn’t satisfy the heart and mind. The message about our relationship with God should be clear and logical too. It wouldn’t make sense for a book of God calling for worship and devotion to other than God.

2. It should be internally and externally consistent: If a book says on page 20 that there giving charity is good then on page 340 it says giving charity is bad, that would be an internal inconsistency. Additionally, if the book says that the moon is made out of cheese, then that would be an external inconsistency. A book from God can’t have these inconsistencies.

3. It must have signs that show it is from God. The revelation must contain something that indicates it is from the Divine.

We will apply these criteria to the Qur’an, which will help us test if it really is God’s revelation.

1. Concept of God in the Quran

If a book says God is a big human being in the sky with a long white beard, you could safely assume that this book is not from God. This is because reason leads us inevitably to conclude that God must be external to the universe and independent. A human, regardless of form, is a dependent being. This is because it has limited physical qualities such a size, shape and colour. All things with limited physical qualities are dependent because there were external factors that gave rise to their limitations. God is not “physical” and is independent, because He created the universe. Therefore, nothing with limited physical qualities can be God. God is the creator of all creation so logically he must be different and distinct from creation. God is not like the creation and also can’t be inside the creation.

The Qur’an’s view on God is intuitive, rational and logically coherent. The following verses are one of the most oft recited passages from the entire Qur’an, where God introduces Himself to us:

“Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begets none nor was He begotten. There is none comparable to Him.’” (The Qur’an, Chapter 112, Verses 1-4)

This passage of the Qur’an was revealed as a response to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he was asked about the nature of God. On an initial reading you get a clear understanding of what is being said and you will conclude that this idea of God makes perfect sense:

God is One.

You cannot have two unlimited powers co-existing, unless one of them limits their power. God, by definition is not limited – nothing external poses any restrictions on Him – therefore is He one. God is the only deity worthy of worship and devotion. God is the One, this oneness cannot be tampered with in any way, meaning you cannot divide Him into parts. Although other religions also say God is one what makes Islam unique is that God alone is the only one worthy of worship. While other religions may claim belief in one God they do not commit to singling out God for worship. The Quran makes it clear that God alone should be worshiped and supplicated to.

God is eternal. God is uncreated. If God were created, He would require a Creator. A thing that requires a creator cannot be God. God is the sole creator, owner and sustainer of everything in existence. Nothing takes place without His permission. God is the only one that can provide for all our needs and therefore in truth; He is the only one we are completely dependent upon. Reflecting upon the true understanding of the oneness of God should completely change the way we understand reality and how we function in life.

This realisation is sufficient to remove all stress and worry from our lives, as we are no longer deluded into thinking that things around us or even ourselves have any intrinsic power. Once we understand the truth that all power belongs to God, who is truly in charge and is the only one that can help us, then there is no longer any fear or worry. We realise that we are in the care of the best of protectors when we acknowledge our maker and sustainer is God.

No one is comparable to Him. God is the creator and so does not resemble the creation in any way. When something creates another thing, it does not become that thing. When a carpenter creates a chair, he doesn’t become a chair. By greater reason, God did not become the universe when He created it. Creation is distinct and disjoined from the Creator. No one has the power, care, love, power, majesty and wisdom of God. Humans have limited quantities that are deficient but God’s attributes are perfect.

2. Internally and Externally Consistent

The Qur’an maintains that a key criterion for a book to be from God is that it cannot have discrepancies.

“Do they not consider the Qur’an (with care)? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” (The Qur’an, Chapter 4, Verse 82)

We invite you to read the Qur’an for you self and ponder on its verses. As an encouragement, we want to highlight the timeless nature of the book. The Qur’an uses a language that can be appreciated and understood by anyone, at any period of time. Even though it was revealed in the 7th century, it has an ability to address various levels of intellect, at various times, while describing the natural phenomena and encouraging the reader to reflect on the physical world.

The way the Qur’an achieves this is by choosing words that have a range of meanings that can be used to describe and point to the natural world. These words can relate to past and present broad understandings of the natural world as well as evoking spiritual and moral insights. It does not mean the Quran will agree with every single scientific theory but it has the ability to engage with various audiences, whether the 7th century or the 21st century, and remain valid.

This should surely make one think about who authored this book. A Divine book should have the ability to speak to humanity during any era. It cannot just make sense during one period of time and not during another. To do so would be a discrepancy!

Although the Qur’an describes many aspects of the natural world and universe that are mostly consistent with our present understandings it is not a book of science. It is true that there have been direct conflicts between revelation and scientific conclusions, however history has shown that science revises its conclusions. Believing this does not make one anti-science. Imagine how little progress we would make if scientists were not allowed to challenge past conclusions; There would be none!

Science is not a collection of eternal facts and was never meant to be. Until the 1950s all physicists, including Einstein, believed that the universe was eternal; all the data supported this, and this belief conflicted with the Qur’an since Qur’an explicitly states that the universe had a beginning. New observations made physicists drop the ‘steady state’ model of an eternal universe and replace that with the Big Bang Model. Therefore, science came into line with the Qur’an.

The same thing happened with the Qur’anic view of the sun. The Qur’an states that the sun has an orbit; astronomers disagreed, saying it was stationary. This was the most direct contradiction between observations of scientists and the Qur’an. After the discovery of the Hubble telescope, astronomers revised their conclusions and found the Sun was orbiting around the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. The Quran may contain statements that seem to contradict some scientific theories, but there is nothing in these Qur’anic statements that are either impossible or fundamentally contradictory.

The Qur’an does not go into details concerning natural phenomena. Most of the things it refers to can be understood and verified with the naked eye. The main objective of verses that point towards the natural world is to highlight God’s metaphysical power and wisdom rather than elucidating scientific details which can change over time. The Quran is a book of signs, not science. The fact that natural phenomena have a power and wisdom behind them is a timeless reality.

From this perspective some sort of conflict between the Qur’an and scientific conclusions will probably continue, as they are two completely different types of knowledge. A Qur’anic verse which is not in line with current Science may align in the future, likewise a verse which is in line with Science today may be out of line in the future. Neither of these cases is of much significance as the takeaway message of the Qur’anic verses is timelessly relevant to the reader.

Here are some examples to show the expansiveness of the Qur’an:

The Orbits of Planets

“And it is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming.” (The Qur’an, Chapter 21, Verse 33)

At the time of revelation of the Qur’an, the Arabic word in the verse used to describe the motion of the Sun and the Moon, ‘yasbahuna’, which means swimming or floating, would have made sense to the 7th century desert Arabs because they could observe planets with the naked eye. But the word also makes sense to us in the 21st century, as it can relate to today’s scientific findings on celestial mechanics: the orbits of the planets in space. Regardless of the meanings we attach to what we observe, the verse in its most basic form should encourage reflection on the power, wisdom and knowledge that brought this about. Whether one adopts a primitive understanding or a modern one, the objective of the verse is same in both cases.

The Human Embryo

“Then We made the sperm-drop into a clinging clot.” (The Qur’an, Chapter 23, Verse 14)

The Qur’an uses the Arabic word “alaqah” to describe a stage of the development of the human embryo. This word can mean a clinging substance, a leech or a worm, a blood clot, or blood in a general sense. The ancient Greek physicians and ancient Hebrews predating the Qur’anic revelation also described the embryo as a clinging substance and a blood clot. From this perspective it agrees with the predominant scientific view of the time.

Interestingly, this is perfectly in line with our modern understanding of embryology, as this description of the early stages of the developing embryo matches the external and internal appearance of the leech. It is remarkable that in the 7th century, doctors would not have known that the human embryo had this leech-like appearance since this particular view of the embryo can only be observed with microscopes. Is it mere coincidence that these descriptions are so accurate or it is a sign that the source of this knowledge is from God?

When we look at this from a spiritual and meditative dimension the word ‘clinging clot’ is not just about describing a stage of the developing human. The insight that we were once a clot like substance should evoke humility and awe. We are compelled to ask and conclude: who and what put the physical causes in place to ensure I was developed from such a substance? How can I be arrogant when I was once a clinging clot that was dependent on almost an infinite number of variables to ensure I turned into a fully functioning person.

There are many other such examples in the Quran and we invite you to ponder its numerous signs for you self. The Qur’an is a book that encourages reflection and deep thought. We’ve seen that many of the statements in the Qur’an concerning the natural world communicate on various levels and have a range of meanings. The Qur’an has a timeless quality that engages with various audiences, whether 7th century or 21st century, and yet still remains valid.

3. Signposts to God

At this stage you may be thinking that it may not be enough for you that a book to have a rational and logical view on God and be internally and externally consistent to conclusively establish its Divine origins. This last section of the booklet will convey some further reasons why the Qur’an must be from God:

Profound Meaning

The Qur’an is a unique text. It is an ocean of depth of meaning. It’s descriptive and vivid verses draw you in to a different world. Every verse upon an initial reading delivers lessons whilst an in-depth reflection on the verses opens up a treasure trove of wisdom and insights.

The authoritative voice and style compels you to acknowledge its divine origins. Hearing it recited in Arabic has a profound comforting effect on the listener who cannot help but be moved by its beauty and rhythm. The highly respected Arabist, Arthur J. Arberry, once recalled how it was the Qur’an that supported him through a difficult time in his life and how listening to the Qur’an being recited was like listening to the beat of his own heart.

Without a doubt, hearing the Qur’an in its original Arabic language has a profound impact. In this section, we will focus on the depth of the message of the Quran and its meanings. We will see how pondering over the verses can have a life changing impact on us, an outcome nothing short of a miracle.

The Qur’an makes a bold claim in the Opening lines of the 2^nd Chapter:

Alif, Laam, Meem. This is the Book, without any doubt, a guidance for those conscious of God

Hypothetically, if we were to lose all the books of the world, by throwing them into the sea for instance, the only book we could resurrect entirely word-for-word would be the Qur’an – and, amazingly, it could be done simultaneously in every country of the world within twenty-four hours.

Linguistic Miracle

The Qur’an was revealed in Arabia to the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. This period was known as an era of literary and linguistic perfection. The 7th century Arabs were socialised into being a people who were the best at expressing themselves in their native tongue. They would celebrate when a poet rose amongst them. The cultivation of poetic skills and linguistic mastery was everything for them. It was their oxygen and life-blood; they could not live or function without the perfection of their linguistic abilities.

However, when the Qur’an was recited to them, they lost their breath; they were dumbfounded and stunned by the silence of their greatest experts. They could not produce anything like the Qur’anic discourse.

“And if you are in doubt about this book we have sent to our servant than produce one chapter like it.” (The Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 23)

The verse above issues a challenge to produce a chapter like it (of the 114 chapters- smallest being just 3 verses) and daringly calls for the linguistic experts of any era to imitate the Qur’an’s linguistic and literary features. The tools needed to meet this challenge are the finite grammatical rules, literary and linguistic devices, and the twenty-eight letters that comprise the Arabic language; these are independent and objective measures available to all. The fact that it has not been matched since it was first revealed does not surprise most scholars familiar with the Arabic language and of the Qur’an.

A powerful argument that supports the assertion that the 7th century Arabs failed to imitate the Qur’an relates to the socio-political circumstances of the time. Central to the Qur’anic message was the condemnation of the immoral, unjust and evil practices of the 7th century Meccan tribes. These included the objectification of women, unjust trade, polytheism, slavery, hoarding of wealth, infanticide and the shunning of orphans.

The Meccan leadership was being challenged by the Qur’anic message, and this had the potential to undermine their leadership and economic success. In order for Islam to stop spreading, all that was needed was for the Prophet’s adversaries to meet the linguistic and literary challenge of the Qur’an.

The fact that Islam succeeded in its early, fragile days in Mecca testifies to the fact that its primary audience was not able to meet the Qur’anic challenge. No movement can succeed if a claim fundamental to its core is explicitly proven false. The fact that the Meccan leadership had to resort to extreme campaigns like warfare and torture to attempt to extinguish Islam demonstrates that the easy method of refuting Islam—meeting this Qur’anic challenge— miserably failed.

Navid Kermani, an expert in Islamic studies, makes this point clear: “Obviously, the Prophet succeeded in this conflict with the poets, otherwise Islam would not have spread like wildfire.”

It is well known that the people best placed to attempt to meet the challenge of the Qur’an were the 7th century Arabs. Their failure shows that the best people could not meet the challenge, the possibility of anyone doing so today is even less remote. When one understands this completely it is one of the most powerful arguments supporting the Divine origin of the Qur’an.

Reflect and Ask

If a book really is from God, then pondering on its verses and thinking deeply about the meanings behind them would make it clear if it is man-made or divine. The Qur’an is like a mirror, the state of your heart is reflected back to you when you read its verses.

“Will they not contemplate the Quran? Do they have locks on their hearts?” (The Qur’an, Chapter 47, Verse 24)

The Qur’an is the most influential book in the world. The way that it impacts the daily lives of billions is unprecedented. Only a book from God can create an influence that is long lasting and meaningful on the human psyche. God is the creator of human beings and he knows what triggers and moves them. In the grand scheme of things, whatever is said or written about the Qur’an will always fall short in describing and exploring its words and their meanings:

“Say, ‘If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the like of it as a supplement.’” (The Qur’an, Chapter 18, Verse 109)

Ultimately to discover if a book really is from God, you need to ask the Creator Himself. Prayer can be done by anyone at any time, if you really want to know if the Qur’an is from God, just ask Him. God will never reject the call of someone that wants to have a relationship with Him:

“When My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided.” (The Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 186)

The Qur’an is indeed God’s testimony to us humanity.

God is loving, forgiving and merciful, He gives guidance to whoever seeks it sincerely – Think, Reflect and Ask for Guidance.

Download the Final Testimony of God- The Qur’an, in your preferred language.