HOW THE QURAN WAS REVEALED

We are disturbed about an important aspect of the childhood of Mohammed. In the "Siratu'l Rasul" (vss. 105-106) of Ibn Hisham, we are told that the husband of Mohammed's nurse, Halimah, fancying that something very serious was coming upon young Mohammed, said to her:

Of his childhood we know only a few facts, but one of them is that, when he was quite a young boy, living in the desert with his foster parents, a peculiar incident occured. The story is told differently by various authorities, but Muslim's account is based on a Tradition handed down from Anas (ibn Malik):

We realize that both reports describe the same incident. We cannot doubt that supernatural powers guided Mohammed. When we observe the evidence of Mohammed's behaviour and the circumstances under which he received the messages, supernatural guidance can hardly be denied.

Furthermore, it is beyond doubt that Mohammed was deeply troubled by his first revelations (Siratu'l Rasool vs. 156). One Hadis goes so far as to state that he even contemplated suicide. He also doubted his calling during a period of silence (Fatra).

Before the revelations came to Mohammed. "he saw prophetic dreams and heard unseen voices and calls" (Mishkat IV. page 354).

The experience of his first revelation is equally impressive:

We know how this continued, but it is nevertheless striking to hear the words of the Hadis:

On his coming home he said to Khadijah:

Reading the oldest historical account about the first revelation in Hira (Siratu'l Rasool vs. 152), we feel uneasy, for the entire experience is removed from reality, being a dream. Gabriel, the angel who transmitted the revelations, "came to me, said the apostle of God while I was asleep....". After reporting the conclusion of the revelation, we read on (vs. 153) that he awoke from his sleep. This is identical to the experience of the night journey from Mecca to the Masjid al-Aqsa (which was not in existence at that time!) on Buraq. Mu'awiya ibn Abu Sufyan said that this was a vision and Aisha used to say "The Apostle's body remained where it was, but God removed his spirit by night." (ibid. vss. 265-266) (See also vs. 151).

Strangest of all to us is the test which Khadija, the first wife of Mohammed, applied to identify the source of the first revelation. She asked Mohammed to notify her whenever the messenger should appear again. This time it obviously did not happen in a dream. Upon his notification that Gabriel had come, she said: "Get up, O son of my uncle and sit by my left thigh'. The apostle did so, and she said: 'Can you see him?' 'Yes,' he said." This was repeated on her right thigh with like result. After that she asked him to sit in her lap with the same result. Now "she disclosed her form and cast aside her veil while the apostle was sitting in her lap (according to 'Abdullah ibn Hasan' she made the apostle of God 'come inside her shift') whereupon Gabriel departed." (ibid. vs.154). The report ends with Khadija being satisfied that it must have been an angel and not Satan. We have to ask the question: What did Khadija know about Satan and angels, at least at that stage, and what did she know about Allah?

It is surprising that even straight after the first revelation Khadija said:

Other Hadis mention that when inspiration was sent down to him, Mohammed's countenance changed and he was troubled at the happening. He also became very heavy, so that his camel, if he was sitting on it, went down. Zaid-ibn-Thabith reported that:

If we look at all these by no means scanty Hadis, a picture begins to form. Anyone acquainted with spiritist phenomena sees certain happenings that can be expected at any "good" seance or with a "good" medium. Occult phenomena in childhood; day dreams; the hearing of voices and calls; nightly devotions; extreme persperation during trances and the subsequent exhaustion and swoonlike condition - even the ringing of bells, is not uncommon. Most interesting is the materialization or "forming" of the man who talked with Mohammed and also the condition that looked like intoxication. Anyone being in a real and reasonably deep trance has that look. (On many occasions the writer has witnessed this himself.) All this will also explain the aversion of Mohammed to the crucifixion of Jesus, the symbol of the cross and the God-provided atonement.

Speaking of the returning Jesus (Mahdi): he will destroy the "myth of the cross", "destroy the cross", or "break the cross". (Mishkat IV, page 80 ff.).

It is related by Waqidi that

All this speaks of a very deep rift between the Biblical revelation and the Quranic one.

Revelation in the sense we understand it, is the making known of something that was hidden before. It concerns truth and wisdom from God, which man needs to be directed in life. Animals are equipped with an instinct that guides them. They are not equipped to make moral decisions. Consequently, man turns to God - and God reveals all we need to know about Himself and His purpose and plan with His creation. To us it is plain mockery, when we read in a certain instance of revelation that:

If the Quran is nazil, no trace of human hand (character of writer; objectives; culture, traceable similarity to existing cults; emotion, etc.) should be noticeable, but in fact the character, objectives, aims and personal affairs of Mohammed and the context of his time are very clearly detectable.

Mohammed was also criticized by his contemporaries for copying:

Rouzat al Ahbab (Hadis):

According to the Siratu'l Rasool ("Life of the Prophet") Mohammed had among his companions, a Persian called Salman. It is said that some of the Prophet's opponents spoke of this Persian as having assisted him in the composition of the Quran. The answer to this accusation is recorded in Sura 16:105:

It was the custom for poets to hang their compositions upon the Ka'aba. The seven "Moallaqat" were so exposed by Imra'ul Cays. We are told that Fatima, the Prophet's daughter, was repeating as she went along, the verse:

Just then, she met the daughter of Imra'ul Cays, who cried out:

Imra'ul Cays' poetry is so apparently similar in style and diction to the Quran, that many Muslim scholars held it to be poetry existing within the heavenly tablet from all eternity. ("Sources of Islam", page 9).

Ibn-Hisham further relates:

The sad fate of Nadr (or Nadir) which resulted from his frankness in voicing his opinion about Mohammed is recorded on page 119.

In addition, we refer to the chapter: "The Sources of Islam" regarding this subject.

QUESTION: How can one be sure that a revelation comes from God - and not from another source? Are there any objective evidences showing the divine origin of the Quran?


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