Hello Eddy,
I grew up in a place where education is the main source to find answers.
Those sources are the schools we attend from 5 years old to the end of University in our twenties.
There is little or no education about how religions explain life and the universe therefore we don't see this universe the way a Muslim do.
For you is easy to see everything pointing to God, for us is easy to see everything pointing to natural evolution.
It is hard to go from one side to the other without some credible and tangible reasons if not facts.
Those examples you mentioned by "Charisma" were answered in an indirect response.
She stated some biological intricacies are hard to explain without the existence of God (a quick paraphrased version).I said, since I don't believe in God at the moment I can only believe those intricacies have to be explained by natural evolution but of course I cannot provide any details how that happens.
I understand what you mean regarding education. Evolution theory is taught to children regardless of what their faith is. Still, God has blessed the human being with intellect and natural disposition to realise His existence. The Qur'an calls mankind to use this intellect and reflect over this universe, and provides many reasons and arguments as to why we should believe. The case for God’s existence is straightforward, easy to comprehend and supported by logic and sound reasoning. It does not require any special training to arrive at the truth; the evidence and arguments are accessible to all people regardless of their level of education. Such is a manifestation of the wisdom and mercy of the Creator, who created the world so that He would be known.
The Quran cannot be the objective reason to believe Islam is true.
That is like me saying "I'm the fastest man on earth" How do I know? Because I say so.
The way I see it, the Quran is only the beginning but it has to be proven to be the word of Allah.
If you believe by faith then the problem is solved for you but those who didn't grow up withing a Muslim culture have a hard time believing even with a lot of effort.
Muslims argue that the Qur'an
is an objective reason to believe Islam is true. We are not asking you to take our word for it, rather there are numerous evidences supporting this fact which can be appreciated by all people regardless of their religious background, culture, location or era.
Out of God's mercy and wisdom, He has sent Prophets to guide mankind and He has supported them with miracles and signs to prove their prophethood. The (main) miracle of the Final Messenger, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, is the Qur'an, which will remain a miracle for all generations no matter when or where they live. The Qur'an is set apart from all other books in that it cannot be rivalled or imitated.
During the time of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, the Arabs had reached the peak of eloquence and tribes would compete with each other to produce the most skilled and eloquent poet. Due to this pride that was prevalent among the Arabs, God revealed the Qur'an in an Arabic that was so eloquent that the Arabs could clearly see it was a miracle from their Creator. On top of this, God challenged them to bring forth anything similar to the Qur'an yet they themselves admitted that they could never match the Qur'an. This challenge has remained down throughout history, but not one person has been able to produce anything like it. If it were the word of a human being, some people would have been able to produce something like it or close to it. The eloquence and beauty of the Qur'an is so great that it is considered to be the ultimate authority and reference work for Arabic rhetoric, grammar and syntax, even by non-Muslim Arabs. Moreover, orientalists who have studied the Qur'an have acknowledged the literary excellence of the Qur'an.
The literary aspect of the Qur'an is perhaps the strongest and most apparent of its miraculous nature. But, there are many other facets from which the Qur'an is miraculous. For example:
- The stories and accounts of the nations and prophets of old, since the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had no recourse to such information.
- The predictions which occurred in the Qur'an and which later came true.
- The perfect belief of Monotheism - the attribution of all that befits God and the negation of all that does not befit Him, and the call of the Creator to the created to worship Him. All of this is not possible for a human to bring forth unless he was inspired by God.
- The laws that the Qur'an came with and the morals and conduct that it called for. All of this leads to the betterment of life in this world and in the Hereafter. The perfection of a set of laws that can be applied to any society at any time and place is humanly impossible, and the Law of Islam is the only example of such a set of laws.
- The fact that it has been protected and remained unchanged: every letter of it was transmitted by thousands from thousands down throughout history, and not one letter of it was altered. If any person tried to alter anything in it, or add something or take something away, then he would be exposed straight away, because God is the One Who has guaranteed to preserve the Qur'an, unlike the case with other divinely-revealed Books.
- The ease by which it is memorised, and this is known by experience and observance. Muslims everywhere memorise the Qur'an, many millions memorising the entire Qur'an from cover to cover, such that Huffaẓ (those who have memorised the entire Qur'an by heart) are ubiquitous within the Muslim community. It is not uncommon to find children as young as six or seven or younger who have completed their memorisation of the entire Qur'an. If all the books in the entire world were to be lost or destroyed, the Qur'an would still be recovered letter for letter as it is preserved in the hearts of so many millions. This is in contrast to all other religious books, for none of them are memorised like the Qur'an.
- The deep meanings that are present in it, and the fact that a reader never tires of reading the Qur'aan, no matter how many times he has heard it or read it. This is in contrast to any other book, since a person cannot read it more than a few times without it gelling monotonous and mundane.
- It is free from any shortcoming, error or contradiction, despite it having been revealed over a period of 23 years and in different circumstances. If the Qur'an were not the word of God, there would be some contradictions and shortcomings in it.
- The scientific facts in the Qur'an: although the Qur'an is not primarily devoted to a discussion of science, its references to subjects of a scientific nature conform exactly to modern science, and the Qur'an imparts knowledge that was unknown during the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. These descriptions are free from retroactive ideas that plagued humanity from the earliest of times.
I read a lot about Muhammad. The fact he was illiterate doesn't mean much in this case.
I don't need to know how to read or write if I'm just dictating verbally something I heard in the market.Whether he got the message from God or other sources is irrelevant and a waste of time doubting it.
The truth will eventually show itself.
The truth is what we look for.
The fact that he was illiterate is an evidence of his truthfulness.
Before receiving revelation, he had no prior knowledge of religion or any previously sent Message. Revelation then came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with the Quran which mentioned most of the accounts found in the previous scriptures, telling us about these events in the greatest detail as if the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم witnessed them. It was not possible for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to come across this information in the detailed manner that is mentioned in the Qur'an. Moreover, it was prophecised in previous Scriptures that an unlettered Prophet would come, therefore some of the People of the Book saw that these prophecies applied in totality to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, which led them to embrace Islam.
There are numerous other evidences regarding the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم such that the unbiased researcher will be forced to conclude that he could only be receiving Revelation from God. Here follow some examples:
- Before becoming a Prophet, Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was well-known to his own people for 40 years to be trustworthy and reliable, an honest man, a person of integrity, who did not lie. It was due to this reason they named him "Al-Ameen", or "The Trustworthy". The Qur'an therefore appealed to them to look at his life and try to understand. How could he tell lies against God, when he did not tell lies against human beings? One should also bear in mind the vast amount of teachings in Islam (including verses in the Qur'an) which condemn lying. See for example verse 10:17 ('Who does more wrong than those who fabricate lies against Allah or deny His revelations? Indeed, the wicked will never succeed.') Such verses strengthen Muhammad's صلى الله عليه وسلم claim to Prophethood because if he invented the Qur'an, he would be calling himself a criminal and calling for damnation upon himself. When he ascended the Mount of Safa and gathered many of the people, he said, 'If I inform you that cavalrymen are proceeding up the side of this mountain, will you believe me?' They replied, 'We have never experienced any lie from you.'
- An example of the honesty and integrity of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is when the sun eclipsed on the day that his son, Ibrahim, died. The people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrāhīm. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said, “The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e., birth) of anyone. Rather, they are two of the signs of Allah, by which He instills fear in His slaves. When you see the eclipse, pray and invoke Allah.” Had the Prophet ﷺ been an imposter, this would have been the perfect opportunity to capitalize on such a credibility booster. These coinciding events opened an extremely convenient window for self-promotion, and yet, the Prophet ﷺ would not even let others interpret this as the skies being saddened for Ibrāhīm. Though hurting from the tragic loss, he ﷺ ascended the pulpit, dismissed the false interpretation, and established that eclipses follow nothing but the universal laws of God.
- The message that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم brought testifies to its truth. He brought a Sacred Law whose rulings are full of wisdom and benefit. He also brought teachings that elucidate the utmost refinement of ethics, behaviour and character. Consider the value of what he ﷺ preached, both in terms of its inherent quality and the breadth of its scope. It defined people’s relationships with their Maker, with those around them, even with animals and inanimate objects, and provided timeless wisdom about everything related to their individual or collective well-being. Then consider its consistency; the harmony of such a comprehensive corpus that addresses theology, personal conduct, interpersonal behavior, civil laws, foreign policies, ritual worship, and spiritual perceptions certainly classifies it as uniquely intriguing, if not miraculous. This becomes further evident when contrasted with other doctrines of religion and law that waned in the face of criticism and with the passage of time. The ongoing inability of human beings to devise an ageless system that confers equilibrium and holistic well-being makes us appreciate the message of the Final Prophet ﷺ all the more.
- All good qualities and virtues were perfected in him, something which no one else can attain except the Prophets whom God protected and guided. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was a perfect example of being upright, merciful, compassionate, truthful, brave, generous, distant from all evil character, and ascetic in all worldly matters, while striving solely for the reward of the Hereafter. Moreover, in all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of God. Despite enduring so much loss, pain and suffering, he persevered with hope and in fact became a fountain of mercy and empathy for people, animals and plants alike. Only God could have empowered him ﷺ to have compassion for the heartless, forgiveness for his enemies, and concern for the arrogant. Only God could have kept his heart grateful at times when others could not even be patient, and his heart merciful at times when others could not even be just.
- If one were to allege that Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم claimed Prophethood for fame, glory and status, we would see that what actually occurred was the exact opposite. He was offered wealth and status in exchange for abandoning his call but he refused. For 13 years in Makkah, he and his followers faced torture (which led to the death of some of his followers), ridicule, sanctioning and ex-communication from society. The simple and austere lifestyle of the Prophet ﷺ is a major indication that his mission could not have been self-serving. Despite controlling all of Arabia by the end of his life and having thousands of followers, we find no luxury in any sphere of his life. Rather, we find in his apartment a straw mat that would leave marks on his side, and a hanging leather water skin from which he bathed. For months on end, no fire would be kindled for cooking in his home and his family had to be content with dates and water unless a Companion gifted them some milk.
- The triumphs that God gave him and the spread of the religion he preached, as well as the triumph of this religion over all existing religions in a short period of time. Had he been a liar, God would have humiliated and destroyed him as He did with those before him who falsely claimed Prophethood. He also received special protection and care from God, which kept him safe at times of crisis; if it were not for this protection he would most certainly have been doomed to destruction. None of this could have happened except to one who was truly sent by God.
- Several occasions presented themselves where he could have fabricated revelation. For example, after the first revelation came, people awaited to hear more, but the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not receive anything new for months. The Meccans began making fun of him, ‘His Lord has abandoned him!’ This continued until Chapter 93 was revealed. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could have compiled something and presented it as the latest revelation to end the mockery, but he did not. Also, at one point during his Prophethood, some of the hypocrites accused his beloved wife Aisha of being unchaste. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم could have easily fabricated something to free her of blame, but he waited for many excruciating days, all spent in pain, mockery, and anguish, until revelation came from God freeing her from the accusation.
- On multiple occasions the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prophecised future events and each and every one of them came to pass, just as he ﷺ mentioned. These were pertaining to victory, the removal of the tyrannical kingdoms of Chosroes and Caesar, the establishment of the religion of Islam throughout the earth, signs pertaining to the Day of Judgement and so on.
Thanks for all your help and great links to get me going.
I hope this will be of some help to you. May God guide you to the truth, Aameen.
