The Qur'an: Who wrote it?

[dawud]

Assalamu 'alaikum

How to start? Perhaps, many have been wondering whether Christianity or Islam has the truth. I study, study, study with an open mind, but to no avail. I still cannot come to an answer. The Holy Ghost has not moved in me yet.

Hmmm, one thing I know! Once you look beyond the differences in rituals and traditions, Christianity and Islam are remarkedly similar. Certainly we share many of the prophets and historical people. What's the difference? Yes, it's not that easy. While the accounts and peoples in both Holy Scriptures are in many cases similar, you cannot believe both books are in total the truth. Both may have a lot of truth, but one book is most definitely wrong in one critical thing. Did Jesus Christ die on the cross for our sins? Or not?

How do we know the answer to that? One book says one thing and the other says the opposite. We weren't there. We can only read two books to discern this truth. We can be the nicest, most helpful, family and community oriented people, full of all possible good deeds, but if we don't believe the scripture that holds the truth.... all is for naught, nothing can ransom our souls. We are of the lost. We must believe.

I have completely read both the Bible and the Qur'an. Both seem like they could be God's word. If you have approached this with an open mind, you can easily agree with me on this. When I read the Qur'an, I feel as if I were reading the same author as the Bible.They both appear to be the truth.

I'm familiar with all the controversies pertaining to Bible corruptions,versions, and errors, but believe that perhaps God has indeed kept his promise of keeping his word pure in the King James Bible. Perhaps. But beyond this, I don't want to discuss anymore of the Christian side in this thread, because I would like to focus on an Islamic question of the Qur'anic authorship.

The Qur'an reads well, and I believe that it is definitely possible to be God's preserved word as it was Given to Muhammad. What was revealed to him is what we have today exactly. As the Qur'an encourages me to reason with all my faculties and consider all the truths that I read in it, there is a test that I would like to put the Qur'an under. I'm sure many of you have seen this test: If God is not the author of the Qur'an, then who is?

I have eliminated most of the possibilities in my mind. Muhammad is not the author. Muslims have put this possibility to rest soundly. There is just wildly too much in the Qur'an to even consider the possibility of Muhammad's authorship. The same reasons that preclude Muhammad, mean that none of his earthly contemporaries could have been the author either. The sheer number of scientific knowledge examples that couldn't have possibly been known in the seventh century clearly demonstrate a supernatural authorship. Perhaps some examples used by Muslims are a bit of a stretch, but, undeniably some examples are clearly proof of this supernatural knowledge. Then who could it be the author? Who?

The obvious answer seems to be the devil, the great deceiver. This is the only possibility left.But, if this is the case, then why is the devil telling believers to be good and charitable and even seek refuge in God from himself? Why is he dividing his own house? He is not building his kingdom this way.... or is he? People that have attempted to refute his authorship have used these explanations which on the surface seem to make sense. My problem is that the devil doesn't have to be "bad", or rather to get you to be "bad." He only needs to deceive you. He only needs to make a counterfeit that resembles God's word as closely as possible, but still deceive you. A person would then serve him, not God.

I stand on the fence. The Qur'an tells me to use reason to tell if it is God's word. I read it and I agree with it. It feels like God's word. But I keep being reminded of one thing. I must believe the right truth to go to paradise, not only do good and charitable deeds. Even though I don't think the devil would ever tell us to do righteous deeds and seek refuge in God from him, it doesn't take away from the "proper" belief issue for me. Virtually all the modern Bibles are corruptions and counterfeits, so is the Qur'an yet one more attempt by the devil to make us go astray from God's word.

I apologize profusely if this seems like an attack on the Qur'an. I wanted to get directly to the point and remove the devil's credentials of any Qur'anic authorship. As the Bible in most modern versions has been corrupted, perhaps we should stick exclusively with verses from the Qur'an. Are there verses that the Lord has taught you about eliminating the devil's authorship? Or perhaps, you can throw new light on the previous reasons listed above. (Devil's house divided and good deeds reasons. ) Any thoughts? Above all, as the Qur'an suggests we should use reason to come to our answer.

I'll start with Qur'an 41:53
Soon will We show them our Signs in the (furthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?

shukran
dawud