Responses to Jamal Badawi's "Radio Al-Islam Channel RA 200"

"Source of the Qur'an I - Internal Evidence"


Introduction

In this segment, Dr. Badawi attempts to convince us that the internal evidence found in the Qur'an proves that Muhammad is not the author. We are led on a journey of circular reasoning as Dr. Badawi quotes numerous passages from the Qur'an which stress the truth and divine origins of the book. I have studied the Scriptures of many religions and I have never read a Scripture which claimed to be anything but true! In fact, I have yet to read a non-fiction book of any variety which claims to be false. Another problem with examining the internal evidence from the Qur'an is that this book contains many Internal Contradictions.

Host: How do we know who the author of the Qur'an is?

Jamal Badawi: There are writings on this subject. We can start with a simple logical thing. Everybody knows that the Qur'an was uttered by a man named Muhammad, there is no argument. The question is what is the source? There are three possibilities: Muhammad was the author, Muhammad borrowed it from someone else, the third is that it is from Allah.

Actually, there is some argument concerning the evolution of the Qur'an over time. However, for sake of argument, I will take the position that Muhammad borrowed the themes of the Qur'an from Pagan, Jewish, Christian, and Zoroastrian sources.

Host: What about internal evidence?

Jamal Badawi: Evidence in the Qur'an about its source. The essence of this is that the Qur'an was a direct revelation from God. The first revelation when Muhammad was in the cave at Hira he was told to recite, it was an order to read in Sura 96. The Suras begin with Bismillah. There are many passages that the Qur'an came from God Sura 56:80 Sura 57:16 Sura 25:1, Sura 4:105 and 3:3, Sura 16:44, Sura 15:9, and Sura 26:193-194:

With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth- To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish.

We cannot accept the Qur'an as divine with only one witness and without divine proof such as prophecy or divine signs. As a Christian, I cannot accept the truth of the Qur'an based on its own statements of self promotion. The Bible tells us:

Isaiah 41:21-23:

"Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your arguments," says Jacob's King. "Bring in [your idols] to tell us what is going to happen. Tell us what the former things were, so that we may consider them and know their final outcome. Or declare to us the things to come, tell us what the future holds, so we may know that you are gods. Do something, whether good or bad, so that we will be dismayed and filled with fear.

Deuteronomy 18:21-22,

You may say to yourselves, "How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?" If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Exodus 10:1-2

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD."

Host: What about the style of the Qur'an, does it seem that Allah is speaking and not Muhammad?

Jamal Badawi: There is not even a single passage which gives the impression that the author is a human. The address is from the creator to the creation. God speaks in the first person and imperatives such as say. Sura 15:26:

We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape;

The imperative is in about 340 places. Suras 112, 113, and 114.

There is no passage which appears to be of human origin? What about Sura 27:92?:

For me, I have been commanded to serve the Lord of this city, Him Who has sanctified it and to Whom (belong) all things: and I am commanded to be of those who bow in Islam to Allah's Will,-

Who is speaking in this passage? It cannot be God!

It is also somewhat ironic that Dr. Badawi cites Sura 15:26 which claims that God made us from sounding clay. Other passages in the Qur'an say that man was made from a blood clot [96:1-2], water [21:30, 24:45, 25:54], dust [3:59, 30:20, 35:11], nothing [19:67] and this is then denied in 52:35, earth [11:61], a drop of thickened fluid [16:4, 75:37]. So, from what were we made? This is clearly an internal inconsistency!

Host: Are there any passages that negate human sources of the Qur'an?

Jamal Badawi: The Qur'an says that it is from God, there is corroborating evidence Sura 17:88:

Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.

The Qur'an tells those that have doubts about Muhammad being the source in Sura 7: 203:

If thou bring them not a revelation, they say: "Why hast thou not got it together?" Say: "I but follow what is revealed to me from my Lord: this is (nothing but) lights from your Lord, and Guidance, and mercy, for any who have faith."

Sura 10:15:

But when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed unto them, those who rest not their hope on their meeting with Us, Say: "Bring us a reading other than this, or change this," Say: "It is not for me, of my own accord, to change it: I follow naught but what is revealed unto me: if I were to disobey my Lord, I should myself fear the penalty of a Great Day (to come)."

The evidence is in the Qur'an that there is no human source.

Once again, it is illogical to prove the Qur'an by citing the Qur'an. Does any Scripture of any of the world's many religions claim to be anything other than the truth? I am a bit suspicious of a book, (or a person for that matter) which is constantly stressing that it is telling the truth. Why did Muhammad constantly "reveal" these quotations? The truth should be either self evident, consistent with earlier revelations, or could be proven through rational methods. The Qur'an claims that it is not from Muhammad or from Pagan sources, yet aside from these denials, the Qur'an offers absolutely no proof, nor does it attempt to make a convincing argument, that it is from God.

Host: What about the Prophet Muhammad, his statements about the source of the Qur'an?

Jamal Badawi: Bukhari and Muslim tells us that Gabriel gave the Qur'an to Muhammad to recite. In Muslim, there is an interesting saying that no Prophet came in the past without God giving them a sign to lead people to believe. Muhammad said that he received a revelation and Muhammad hoped on the Day of Judgement to have the largest group of followers. The signs given to earlier Prophets were metaphysical but as time goes on, only those who say those miracles can come to these conclusions. Since Muhammad is the last Prophet, we can see the miracle that he brought. The Qur'an tells us that Muhammad lived with his people for 40 years before his commission.

Suras 10:16 and 29:48

Say: "If Allah had so willed, I should not have rehearsed it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. A whole life-time before this have I tarried amongst you: will ye not then understand?"

And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.

I am not convinced that the Qur'an is a miracle in any sense of the word. Much of the text of the Qur'an resemble Jewish folklore and Christian apocryphal tales, and we will examine these in other segments.

Host: What is meant by the term revelation?

Jamal Badawi: We cannot fully understand the phenomena of revelation if all that we accept is what we see with our eyes. There are so many things that cannot be explained like telepathy, these are intangible. Revelation is subtle and quick even to bees, it could refer to a subtle sign, it could mean inspiration given to someone who is not a Prophet, or a command to the angels. The most important is what is given to Prophets.

I believe that there is an enormous difference in the teachings of God and the prophecies made by God's Prophets, and the instincts of a honey bee. God gave the bee her instincts in order to survive and propagate the species. God gives us revelation through His Prophets in order for humans (who are made in God's image - unlike the honey bee) to be saved and spend eternity with our Heavenly Father.

Host: How does a Prophet receive revelations?

Jamal Badawi: Sura 42:51:

It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration, or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission, what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise.

There are 3 ways: inspiration and guidance, non direct communication, or sending a messenger like Gabriel.

Host: Which were given to Muhammad?

Jamal Badawi: He was honored by receiving all of them. He received inspiration in the conduct of the affairs of the believers, in the Miraj, God talked to him but not face to face, he received the Qur'an through Gabriel.

This is not true, according to some Traditions. W. St. Clair Tisdall mentions Qisasu'l Anbiya and says:

When he had reached the Lotus of the Boundary, beyond which Gabriel dared not advance with him, the angel Israfil took charge of Muhammad and led him to his own realm, whence the prophet advanced to the very Throne of God, being bidden by God's own Voice not to remove his sandals, since their touch would honour even the court of God. After a few more details, which to ordinary minds seem both puerile arid blasphemous, we are told that Muhammad entered behind the veil , and that God said to him, "Peace be upon thee, and the mercy of God, and His blessing, O Prophet." In these later narratives of the Miraj we find mythology unrestrained by any regard for reason or truth.


Andrew Vargo

Responses to Jamal Badawi's "Radio Al-Islam Channel RA 200"
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