The Quran in terms of its’ eloquence and fluency
Eloquence and fluency is meant in this sense that in trying to convey the message, one uses very clear, beautiful, poetic, and meaningful terms. Scholars of Arab literature have noticed these features in all chapters of the Holy Quran.
Looking further into their argument, we have to first see if anyone during the past 1400 years has been able to refute the Quran in bringing even one chapter like that in the Holy Quran? Is it really true that up to this day no one has been able to defeat the Holy Quran? To answer this question, we must refer back to historical accounts. Historians, both Muslim and Non-Muslim, have not recorded any successful accounts of those who tried to defeat the claim of the Holy Quran. This is significant because historical accounts tend to focus greatly on the enemies of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and on the ones who constantly challenged Islam; thus if they had been successful in such a challenge, historians would have definitely recorded it. Likewise we can see that in the contemporary era, not one has succeeded in challenging the Holy Quran.
Why have others remained silent in answering the challenge of the Holy Quran?
Was the reason for remaining silent against the challenge of the Holy Quran due to the incapability and weakness of human beings? Or does it have other reasons? To answer this question, we can first assume three reasons for why people have remained silent in answering the challenge offered by the Holy Quran:
1. It may be due to the fact that the people of this and the previous eras did not have a motive to answer this challenge of the Holy Quran.
2. There was a motive to answer the challenge, but after the revelation of the Holy Quran, Arab literature became weak and eventually diminished. Similarly non-Muslim Arab scholars of literature do not exist in the present day to answer this challenge.
3. Neither of the previous ideas hold true; rather, no one was able to bring a book like the Quran, and thus abandoned the idea completely.
By studying the earliest situations, it is obvious that the appearance of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was when many nations were living with different beliefs. Some were materialistic and denying the existence of any God. Some were idol worshipers, Zoroastrians, Christians and Jews. During that period of time, the Prophet of Islam raised the divine flag, and invited the world to accept Islam, and submit to one God. This invitation to Monotheism denied duality of Zoroastrians, Trinity of Christianity, and the improper attributes of Judaism to Allah and His prophets, and all the bad habits and traditions from the time of ignorance. Yet his submission to Allah presented hostility between the emperors of his time. The Prophet of Islam alone faced those nations nonetheless, with the Holy Quran as his proof of prophecy. With the Quran he challenged all the emperors of his time, the religious scholars of Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and idolaters. Up to now, Islam has continued this way of challenging and has more enemies from before trying to destroy it.
However, it is natural for them to focus on what they can do to destroy Islam and stand against it for the fact that Islam is demolishing them.
They have tried and are trying many ways to wipe out Islam, in order to achieve their goals. They put the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions in an economic siege for three years, which was very hard on the Prophet (PBUH) and his people. The big battles of Badr and Ohod which were caused by the non-believers to destroy Islam, were unsuccessful and since they did not accomplish their ambitions the non-believers became united in the battle of Khandaq to get rid of Islam. They did everything they could to destroy Islam, but their energy was worthless. Wouldn"t it have been much easier for them to come up with a man made verses instead of wasting their time to fight with Islam in some other ways? And if they had made up such verses which were equivalent to the holy Quran, it would have been their proof that Islam is a false religion!
Of course the simplest way to void the Prophet (PBUH) and his book was to stand up against him which was the case from the very beginning of establishing Islam. Therefore amongst the enemies of Islam who made their best to ruin Islam was enough motives to answer the challenge of the holy Quran.
By over viewing the second condition, we must pay attention to the literary roots of Arabs which was going through a revolution. Although eloquence and fluency was a common technique for the time when the Quran was descended, but later on these techniques expanded and flourished continually up to our time. At his time the Arab literacy is more excellent than before and there many new scopes in the relative techniques. We can find many non-Muslim Arab literalists throughout the world. Therefore there are many non-Muslims who are the professionals of eloquence and fluency from the beginning of Islam to now. Occasionally their expertise was to the extent that they have written important reference book in their special field such as linguistics, history, grammar. Let us imagine these literalists had not motive to answer the challenge of Quran, but couldn’t the enemies of Islam who were severely fighting against Islam, ask them to supply their need.
So now that we cannot accept the first two conditions we should accept the third one. No one has been able to answer the challenge the Quran; the only reason could be that they were unable to do so. Therefore the truth of Quran is being proved to all.
Source: roshd.org
Other links:
Was the Quran Revealed according to Seven Harfs?
Unity and Multiplicity in the Themes of the Quran
Some Logical Fallacies Dealt With In the Quran
Scientific exegesis of the Quran—a viable project
Ethical Teachings of the Quran (Part 1)
Ethical Teachings of the Quran (Part 2)
How does the Quran present God?
Rain in the Quran
