Transcript: cRVrMexGapM

Transcript

Imagine a book, clear enough for the simplest mind, yet deep enough for scholars to spend lifetimes thinking about it. A book whose words never get old, and no one has ever created anything comparable: The Quran. The Quran presents a challenge. On the surface, it looks simple, but in reality, it’s impossible. It’s such a challenge that if its enemies had been able to do it, they could have easily removed Islam. Neither Badr (Battle of Badr), nor Uhud (Battle of Uhud), nor Khandaq (Battle of the Trench), no battle would have been needed. We are talking about a challenge that has not been answered for 14 centuries, and is still valid even today. So, what is it? Let’s travel back to that time. Arabia. The land of poetry and eloquence. Masters of language, kings of speech. One day, all of them fell silent. Even the proudest voices trembled. And what made them silent were these verses of the Quran: Am yaqooloona taqawwalahu bal la yu’minoon. Fal ya’too bihadeethin mithlihi in kanoo sadiqeen. “Or do they say, ‘He made this up!’? (meaning the Quran) In fact, they have no faith. Let them then produce a statement like it, if what they say is true!” The message was clear: Respond to the challenge or lose forever. This is really unusual and strange. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the person who delivered this revelation and challenged those people, could not read or write. And had never dealt with poetry or literature in his life. But he challenged that society in the field they are best at. By the end of this video, you’ll see why this challenge remains unanswered and why the Quran stands alone among all books. But before we get to that, what do you think happened after this challenge? The more the Quran repeated its challenge, the more humiliating their silence became. At first, what they needed to do was to bring something equal to the Quran from someone unlettered, just like the Prophet (peace be upon him). But since they couldn’t do that, they were given the chance to bring it from a valid scholar or author. They could use all the books written in the past, gather all their resources, and bring together all the literary figures they had. And beyond all of that, they could even call upon their gods. If they couldn’t match the whole Quran, they were at least asked to match 10 chapters. And if they couldn’t do that, then even just one chapter. Their silence became not just failure, but also shame. What would they do now? It was not just a defeat; it was a crisis. For a culture that prided itself on linguistic mastery, this was the ultimate humiliation. They couldn’t resist it with words, so they were forced to take up the swords and fight in multiple battles. Did you notice a detail here? This challenge is also directed at other religions. It’s clear that the idol worshippers couldn’t get any help from their idols. But many religions like Hinduism, Christianity, and Judaism claim to be based on divine beings. However, no religion, no ideology, no voice could answer. Not in 14 centuries, and not today. This must be a serious question mark for the followers of those beliefs. After all, the one making the challenge is not just a random ideology. It’s a religion that has influenced half the world. A religion that is followed by one-fourth of the world’s population. So, what is it about the Quran that makes it unmatched? Are there really no books among the millions that are equal to it? Scholars say there are 40 different aspects of the Quran’s miraculous nature. Of course, we cannot explore all 40 in just one video. But let us open four doors. Four doors into the Quran’s miracles. First: The Quran’s strong and beautiful use of language. Second: Its amazing depth and wide coverage. Third: The powerful flow in its words. And the fourth: The way it explains secrets of the universe that are only now being discovered. Have you ever thought that even a single letter in the Quran could contain a miracle? We will look at Surah Ya-Sin (Chapter 36). In one ayah (verse), it says: Wash-shamsu tajree limustaqarrin laha. “The sun too runs its determined course laid down for it.” The letter “Lam” (Li) in the Arabic of the ayah (verse) changes everything. Because it adds three different meanings to the same sentence. And by doing so, it provides three critical facts about the sun. One meaning of limustaqarr is “in an orbit.” Which means the sun is moving forward in an orbit. Today, observations really do show that the sun is moving in an orbit within the Milky Way. The second meaning that the letter “Lam” gives is “a destination.” We can also translate the ayah as “moving toward to the point where it will come to an end.” In other words, because the sun’s energy will run out one day, it’s moving until it reaches that end. This also shows the physical and nuclear nature of the sun. The third meaning that the letter “Lam” gives is “cause and effect.” Indeed, the sun’s movement is a reason for stability. Its motion creates a gravitational stability, keeping the planets in their orbits, just like our Earth. When we bring all three meanings together, we see that our Lord has explained the sun from different angles with just one letter. Don’t you think using words in such a powerful way is a miracle? And while science is only now discovering these facts, the Quran had already mentioned them 14 centuries ago. That is another miraculous side. If even a letter holds so much meaning, imagine losing the chance to explore the whole book. You read a verse you thought you already knew, but then a new meaning appears. Like finding hidden treasure in front of you. There are many other letters in the Quran that also carry deep meanings by themselves. Now, let’s see another example. Not a single word in the Quran is chosen randomly. Every word is always the wisest choice among all possibilities. For example, let’s look at this ayah (verse): Wa la’in massathum nafhatun min ‘adhabi Rabbik… “If they were touched by even a breath of your Lord’s punishment…” The rest of the ayah talks about the effect of this punishment. One of the amazing uses of language here is this: It shows the power of the punishment by describing even the smallest part of it. This helps the reader imagine how strong the full punishment is. And the interesting part is that every word used in the ayah points to something small, light, or tiny. Just as the overall purpose of the verse. For example, La’in means “if.” So, instead of clearly saying “when this happens,” a doubtful expression like “if” is used. That points to something light. And the other word massathum means “to touch.” So instead of saying that the punishment directly comes upon them, a word is used that means “even if it just lightly touches.” Next word is nafhatun, means “a breeze.” It says that even the smallest breeze would be too much for them to bear. Again, a very small amount is used. Among heavier options to describe pain, the lightest word in the Arabic language, ‘adhab (punishment), was chosen. And finally, instead of using one of Allah’s names that expresses His might, the verse says Rabb (Lord), the one who nurtures. It carries a feeling of mercy, doesn’t it? So again, there is a sense of softening. That means every single word was chosen as the best possible option to serve the main purpose. If just a breeze is enough to crush them, what about the full punishment? Don’t you think this is a very unique approach? Thousands of scholars have explained how each word in the Quran was chosen with such care. The last example under this topic is about what the Quran intentionally leaves open-ended. There is incredible wisdom not only in the words it says, but also in the things it doesn’t say. For example, look at this ayah (verse): Wa ulaa’ika humul muflihoon. “And those will be the successful.” The ayah talks about the salvation of the believers. But it used the word “successful.” So, what is that success? This is not said clearly. So that everyone can understand it in their own way. By doing so, the ayah encourages all kinds of people. For example, for some people, success means being saved from Hell. That person will do what is commanded in this ayah to be saved from the Hellfire. For others, success means reaching Paradise (Jannah). For some, it means meeting Allah in the Hereafter. And for others, it may mean being saved from problems in this world and so on. Its meaning depends on what each person needs. And this makes the encouragement even stronger. Moreover, success might mean something different for you five years later. In this way, the ayah keeps renewing your hope as if you are reading it for the first time. To do this, the Quran doesn’t use extra sentences or words or a letter. It simply chooses to use a word that is open-ended. When we look at all three examples, we see how the Quran’s choice of ambiguous words, and even each word and letter it uses, can carry profound and vast meanings. Now, just imagine what the full sentences and ayahs (verses) can express. That’s why thousands of tafsir (exegesis) books have been written about the Quran’s verses. You cannot find any other book in the world that even comes close to this. This is exactly where another miraculous side of the Quran becomes clear. Our second point: Its amazing depth and wide coverage. What does wide coverage mean? It means the Quran is not just about prayer or worship. It’s a book that speaks about everything. It takes you on a journey from the world of plants and animals into human psychology. It talks about society, law, diplomacy, science, even the stars above us. It tells the stories of past nations, and it gives news about the future. News that has already come true. It covers a wide timeline. From the creation of the universe all the way to the Day of Judgment. And also the eternal life that follows. A verse on family may serve as law advice today, and guidance on purifying the soul tomorrow. Another one: Interest is banned, and injustice fades. Or hatred, envy, racism. These are the problems humanity failed to solve for centuries. Yet the Quran gives answers in a few lines. Every time you open it, you expect to find more. And indeed, each time it gives more. And here is the amazing part: While the topics are so deep, the way it explains them is simple enough for anyone to understand. So, can you find this kind of wide coverage in any other book? Think of human experts. One dedicated his life to law. Another to astronomy. A third to psychology. Each is a genius in their own field. But you wouldn’t ask the lawyer to explain the secrets of space. Or the astronomer to map the depths of the human soul. This is a fundamental human limitation. But the Quran speaks with authority in every aspect of life. As the centuries pass, its value is understood even more. And while everything in this world gets old with time, the Quran only becomes fresher, more relevant, more powerful. And the Prophet who delivered it to us was a man who could not read or write, peace and blessings be upon him. Of course, this clearly shows once again that no one can bring anything equal to this book. And the Quran does all this without ever sounding like a dry encyclopedia. And that brings us to the third topic: The Quran’s powerful flow of words. What do I mean? For example, in Suratul An’am, one of the ayah says: “Whoever He wills to lead astray, Allah makes their chest tight and constricted, as if they were climbing up into the sky.” In the ayah, there is this expression: Ka’annama yassa’adu fis-sama. It sounds like someone struggling to catch their breath. When saying yassa’adu, it becomes harder to pronounce. By the way, in those times, people didn’t know that as you go higher, oxygen decreases and breathing becomes more difficult. And when we think about that too, we see that this same ayah also contains a scientific miracle. Or take Suratul Qamar. The last letter of the word Qamar is Ra. If you look carefully, you’ll see that the surah (chapter) has 55 ayahs (verses). And without exception, every single ayah ends with the letter Ra. In Arabic, Qamar means Moon. And if you look at the shape of the letter Ra, what it reminds you of is exactly this: a crescent moon. A well-known example is Surah An-Nas. It talks about sneaky whispers of the devil. And the way its verses are pronounced reminds you of whispering. Bismillah hir rahman nir rahim. Qul a’oodhu birabbin-naas. Malikin-naas. Ilahin-naas. Min sharril waswaasil khannaas. Alladhee yuwaswisu fee sudoorin-naas. Minal jinnati wan-naas. The way Shaytan (Satan) secretly speaks to the heart can even be felt through the sound of the words. The sound harmony of the Quran has been regarded as a separate area of study. If anyone has doubts about the flow of the Quran, he can listen to it online for just five minutes. He will feel it in his heart. There are people who have read the whole Quran hundreds of times, and each time they start again without getting bored. Always with the same spiritual joy. Can you take any other book, read it again and again, and still always start with the same excitement? After a while you would get tired of it. And it’s not just reading. There are millions of people who have memorized the whole Quran. Yes, all 600 pages. There have even been five-year-old kids who have memorized it. That’s not a joke. And do you know what the most amazing part is? Allah does all of this using the same letters and words that we use everyday. But He arranges them in such a perfect way that even the greatest masters of language had to admit: “This cannot be the speech of a human being. Surely it’s from God alone.” And finally, let’s now move on to our fourth topic: Scientific explanations in the Quran. Let’s take a quick look. Surah Adh-Dhariyat, ayah 47: The expansion of the universe. Surah Al-Hadid, ayah 25: The fact that iron was sent down from the sky. Surah Az-Zumar, ayah 6: The development of a baby in the womb through three stages of darkness. Surah An-Nur, ayah 40: The existence of darkness in the depths of the ocean. Surah An-Naba, ayah 12: The layers of the atmosphere. Surah Al-An’am, ayah 125: The change in air pressure at higher altitudes. Surah An-Nahl, ayah 68: The gender of the honey-making bees. Surah Ar-Ra’d, ayah 3: The existence of male and female in plants. Surah Al-A’raf, ayah 57: The weight of clouds. Surah Al-Qiyamah, ayah 4: The uniqueness of human fingerprints. Surah Al-Hijr, ayah 22: The fertilizing role of the winds. And many more. Who could ever do such a thing? For example, Aristotle is one of the most well-known names in history. He influenced many people. He spoke about various subjects in different fields of science. But more than 70% of his scientific claims go against today’s science. The Quran, however, did not repeat his claims. Or take Isaac Newton, known as the father of modern physics. He supported the idea of a static universe. Today’s science, on the other hand, says that the universe is constantly expanding. Just like the Quran said. So what I’m trying to say is this: At that time, speaking about such topics was like walking through a minefield. In short, we can sum it up like this: For hundreds of years, countless scientists tried to climb a mountain. And when they finally reached the top, they realized that the Quran had been there all along. And the fact that the Quran didn’t fall into a single mistake is a clear sign that nothing can match it. If you think this is just a human speech, then bring a book that holds the same depths in every letter. Since the Quran has issued a challenge, let’s end by giving it the final word: “Then do they not reflect upon the Quran, or are there locks upon their hearts?”