The challenge provided by the Qur’an

The Islamic viewpoint is that the Qur’an is not only unique in the way in which it presents its subject matter, but it is also unique in that it is a miracle in itself (“miracle”, meaning the performance of a supernatural or extraordinary event which cannot be duplicated by humans). It has been documented that the Prophet Muhammad challenged the Arabs to produce a literary work of a similar caliber as the Qur’an. The Arabs were unable to do so in spite of their well-known eloquence and literary abilities. The challenge to reproduce the Qur’an was presented to the Arabs and mankind in three stages:

The First Stage

A challenge is made to all of mankind to create a book of the stature of the Qur’an,

“Say: ‘If all mankind and the jinn would come together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce it’s like even though they exerted all and their strength in aiding one another.’” (Qur’an 17:88)

The Second Stage

Next, a challenge is made, asking those who denied the divine origin of the Qur’an to imitate ten surahs of the Qur’an:

“Or do they say that he has invented it? Say (to them), ‘Bring ten invented surahs like it, and call (for help) on whomever you can besides Allah, if you are truthful.” (Qur’an 11:13)

The Third Stage

This final challenge was to produce a single surah to match what is in the Qur’an:

“And if you all are in doubt about what I have revealed to My servant, bring a single surah like it, and call your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful.” (Qur’an 2:23)

The shortest chapter of the Qur’an is Surah al-Kawthar (Chapter 108) which consists of three verses.

A number of Qurayshee orators and poets tried to imitate the Qur’an, but failed (see Banu Quraish). Attempts to forge chapters of the Qur’an have been made throughout the ages, yet none have withstood close scrutiny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qur’an

Verse (3:20)

(3:20) And if they remonstrate with you, tell them: ‘I have submitted my whole being to Allah, and so have those who follow me.’ And ask the People of the Book as well as those who follow no heavenly Scripture: ‘Have you also submitted (to Allah)?’ *18 If they have submitted to Him, they are indeed on the right way but if they deviate from submitting to Allah, then your duty is merely to deliver the message. Allah observes the affairs of His servants.

Commentary

*18. The Prophet (peace be on him) is asked to tell them in effect: I and my followers have embraced the original, unadulterated Islam which is the true religion enjoined by God. Tell us, now, if you are prepared to give up the accretions introduced by your forefathers, and embrace this original, true religion?’

(3:11) (To them shall happen) the like of what happened to the people of Pharaoh, and those before them. They rejected Our signs, so Allah seized them for their sins. Allah indeed is severe in punishment.

(3:7) It is He Who has revealed the Book to you. Some of its verses are absolutely clear and lucid, and these are the core of the Book. *5 Others are ambiguous.

(3:7) It is He Who has revealed the Book to you. Some of its verses are absolutely clear and lucid, and these are the core of the Book. *5 Others are ambiguous. *6 Those in whose hearts there is perversity, always go about the part which is ambiguous, seeking mischief and seeking to arrive at its meaning arbitrarily, although none knows their true meaning except Allah. On the contrary, those firmly rooted in knowledge say: ‘We believe in it; it is all from our Lord alone.’ *7 No one derives true admonition from anything except the men of understanding

Commentary
*5. Muhkam means that which has been made firmly and perfectly. The muhkam verses mentioned here are those Qur’anic verses which are embodied in clear and lucid language and whose meaning is not liable to any ambiguity and equivocation. The words of these verses are clear pointers to their true meaning and, therefore, it is difficult to subject them to arbitrary interpretation. Such verses form the core of the Holy Book; they are the verses which fulfil the true purpose for which the Qur’an was revealed, and they invite the whole world to Islam. They embody admonition and instruction as well as the refutation of erroneous doctrines and the elucidation of the Right Way. They also contain the fundamentals of the true faith; teachings relating to belief, worship and morality, and mandatory duties and prohibitions. These are the verses which will guide the genuine seeker after Truth who turns to the Qur’an in order to find out what he ought and ought not to do.
*6. ‘Ambiguous’ verses are those whose meaning may have some degree of equivocation. It is obvious that no way of life can be prescribed for man unless a certain amount of knowledge explaining the truth about the universe, about its origin and end, about man’s position in it and other matters of similar importance, is intimated to him. It is also evident that the truths which lie beyond the range of human perception have always eluded and will continue to elude man; no words exist in the human vocabulary which either express or portray them. In speaking about such things, we necessarily resort to words and expressions generally employed in connection with tangible objects. In the Qur’an, too, this kind of language is employed in relation to supernatural matters; the verses which have been characterized as ‘ambiguous’ refer to such matters.
At best, such expressions may serve to either bring man close to or enable him to formulate some view of reality, even if it is a faint one. The more one tries to determine the precise meaning of such verses, the more their ambiguities proliferate, and the more one is confronted with choosing between several plausible interpretations. All this is likely to alienate one progressively further away’ from the Truth instead of bringing one closer to it. Those who seek the Truth and do not hanker after the satisfaction of their egocentric quest for exotic superfluities, will be satisfied with the dim vision of reality derived from these verses. They will concentrate their attention instead on the clear and lucid ‘core’ verses of the Qur’an. It will be left to those who are either out to make mischief and mislead people or who have an abnormal passion for superfluities to devote their attention to hair-splitting discussions about the contents of the ‘ambiguous” verses.
*7. This might give rise to an unnecessary problem: How can people believe in ‘ambiguous’ verses when the contents of these cannot be grasped?
The fact is that a reasonable person will believe that the Qur’an is the Book of God through his reading of its clear and lucid verses, rather than by learning fanciful interpretations of the ambiguous verses. Once so convinced, he is not likely to be worried by doubts and anxieties caused by the ambiguities of the verses concerned. One who seeks the Truth is satisfied with the obvious meaning of these verses, and wherever he encounters complications and ambiguities he abstains from pursuing their solution too far. Instead of wasting his time splitting hairs, he is content to believe in the things laid down in the Book of God, without seeking to know them precisely and in detail. He turns his attention, in the main, to questions of a practical nature.

Answering misconceptions and false claims about some Hadith regarding Women

http://www.answering-christianity.com/karim/mistranslations_of_hadiths.htm

Ten Misconceptions About Islam

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/notislam/misconceptions.html

Women Equality in Quran and Hadith

The Qur’an and Sunnah repeat over and over again that Allah only favors one person over another based on that person’s awareness, consciousness, fear, love, and hope of Allah (the Arabic word is difficult to translate: Taqwa). All other criteria are excluded: gender, ethnic group, country, ancestry, etc.

Given that Allah does not favor one gender over the other in His attention to us (and it helps to remember that Allah is neither male nor female), we can now address the differences between the genders in Islam. First, men and women are not the same as we know. The Creator states in the Qur’an (translation),

[3:36]…and the male is not like the female…

Men and women are different in their composition, and in their responsibilities under Islam. However, both are bound by obligations to one another, especially the following important one which must be understood in any discussion on men and women. From the Qur’an (translation),

[24:32] And marry those among you who are single and those who are fit among your male slaves and your female slaves; if they are needy, Allah will make them free from want out of His grace; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing.

In this verse, the Creator emphasizes that marriage is to be vigorously pursued by the Muslims: the state of being single is not to be maintained. With this in mind, we can begin to understand the four reasons cited above for the nonetheless erroneous conclusion.

Men and women are different in their responsibilities towards the families that they are strongly encouraged to set up. Women are not obligated to work, whereas men are obligated. The man must provide for the family, but the woman does not have to spend out of her money for it, though she gets a reward for doing so.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/notislam/misconceptions.html

Quranic Quotes regarding Women

[4:124] If any do deeds of righteousness – be they male or female – and have faith, they will enter Paradise, and not the least injustice will be done to them.

[33:35] For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for truthful men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward.

Hadith Links

http://www.al-islam.com/eng/

http://www.lib.utah.edu/middleeast/virtuallibraries.html

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