The "Islamic Awareness" team objects to the theory that Salmān the Persian helped Muhammad write his Qur'an and attempts to rescue the Qur'an from this theory.
The "Islamic Awareness" team defends Muhammad and the Qur'an with the following argument:
Salman the Persian did, in fact, first meet Muhammad when he arrived at Yathrib (Medina):
When the Prophet reached Yathrib after his hijrah from Makkah, I was in fact at the top of a palm tree belonging to my master doing some work. My master was sitting under the tree. (Source: "Companions of The Prophet", Vol.1, By: Abdul Wahid Hamid)
It is also true that most of the Qur'an is composed of Meccan Suras. It is also true that most of the information concerning the Prophets are found in the Meccan Suras. However, when we look at the Suras given to us by the "Islamic Awareness" site, we find something interesting. The "Islamic Awareness" team commits a fallacy of an unrepresentative sample because, although most of the information concerning the Prophets are in Meccan Suras, most of the information concerning Jesus are found in Medinan Suras! Only two of the eight passages cited are Meccan: Suras 19:16-40 and 21:90-91. These verses describe the events leading up to the birth of Jesus with details similar to the Christian Apocrypha. The Medinan Suras (3:33-62; 5:72-77; 5:110-120; 4:156-159; 61:14; and 57:27) are clearly in the majority.
Beauty is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, I am more interested in the message than in the style. However, the claim that the Qur'an's style cannot be imitated is simply not true (see this link, and also the whole discussion about the so-called Miracle of the Qur'an).
I also believe it unnecessary to insult the Persians and their ability to learn other languages. Persians are capable of learning Arabic, as well as other languages. Apparently, Salman the Persian was able to learn a sufficient amount of Arabic to enable him to survive in the Hijaz, even more, to become a noted companion of Muhammad. The same Style Over Substance fallacy is found also in their response on the Ten Wise Jews.
The "Islamic Awareness" team constructed another argument based on a number of logical fallacies. Clearly, the majority of the material in the Qur'an concerning Jesus dates from the Medina Period, when Muhammad knew Salman. Does this prove that Salman taught Muhammad information concerning Jesus? No, but it certainly provides support to the theory that Salman may have imparted knowledge to Muhammad, and completely destroys the "Islamic Awareness" team's claims that he could not have influenced Muhammad.
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