doubtless some record of it would have been kept by astronomers, and the moon would
still bear marks of it. But such is not the case. Again, had the moon been split, that
would have been no proof of Muhammad's being an apostle. For (1) it would not be evident
that he had done the deed (which even the Qur'an does not ascribe to him); and (2)
injuring part of God's creation would not of itself suffice to prove a Divine
commission. How different would such a deed have been from the miracles of mercy wrought
by Christ and testified to in the Qur'an itself: raising the dead, opening the eyes of the
blind, healing the lepers, &c. (Surahs V., Al Maidah, 110; III., Al 'Imran, 43).
Nor again can the Qur'an itself be considered a miracle. All Arabic scholars are not
agreed that its style is superior to that of the Mu'allaqat or to that of the Maqamat of
Al Hariri, although the fact that Muhammadans have for ages regarded it as of Divine
composition has, by many people, caused it to be deemed the model of the best Arabic style1.
But even if we acknowledge its style to