How Do We Understand the Quran’s Miraculous Nature in Scientific and Linguistic Contexts?


Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa

Question

How do we understand the miraculous nature of the Quran in both scientific and linguistic contexts?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

The miracle of the Quran means that creation is incapable of producing something like what the Quran has challenged them with, which demonstrates that this book is the truth and that the Messenger to whom it was revealed is indeed truthful.

The undeniable fact is that the entire Quran is miraculous. Allah challenged people to produce something like even the shortest chapter (sura) of the Quran, but they were left powerless to meet this challenge. [Sa‘id Hawwa, al-Asas fi al-Sunna wa Fiqhuha – al-‘Ibadat fi al-Islam]

Scientific Miracle

The scientific miracle in the Quran refers to the agreement between the cosmic reality that Allah created and the truth revealed in the Quran.

Previous generations lacked this knowledge, and Allah bestowed upon later generations the ability to uncover these details.

These discoveries confirm the precision and truthfulness of what the Quran foretold with such incredible accuracy—details that have only been fully understood in this era of scientific advancement.

Linguistic Miracle

The Quran stands at the highest level of eloquence and literary excellence, unmatched by any other work in Arabic. The Arabs, known for their natural linguistic prowess, recognized the Quran’s superiority and found themselves humbled by its eloquence.

This linguistic miracle remains evident even today for those well-versed in the Arabic language, rhetoric, and literary arts. The more knowledgeable a person is in the nuances of the Arabic language and its eloquence, the better they will appreciate this type of miracle.

Just as scientific discoveries are termed “scientific miracles,” we can also refer to the linguistic miracle of the Quran as a “scientific miracle,” since language itself is a science. [Sa‘id Hawwa, al-Asas fi al-Sunna wa Fiqhuha – al-‘Ibadat fi al-Islam; Tayyar, al-I‘jaz al-‘Ilmi Ila Ayn]

Conclusion

The Quran is a comprehensive legislative constitution that establishes human life in the best and most exemplary way. Its legislative miracle will continue to stand alongside its scientific and linguistic miracles forever. No one can deny that the Quran has profoundly impacted the world, changing the course of history. [Qattan, Mabahith fi ‘Ulum al-Quran]

You can find all of the above in the following books:

  • “Manahil al-‘Irfan” by Zarqani;
  • “Nahw Thaqafa Islamiyya Asila” by ‘Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar;
  • “Mabahith fi I‘jaz al-Quran” by Mustafa Muslim;
  • “‘Ulum al-Quran” by Nur al-Din ‘Itr;
  • “al-I‘jaz al-‘Ilmi Ila Ayn” by Tayyar;
  • “Mabahith fi ‘Ulum al-Quran” by Qattan;
  • “‘Inayat al-Muslimin bi-Ibraz Wujuh al-I‘jaz fi al-Quran al-Karim” by Muhammad al-Sayyid Jibril.

I advise you to refer to Dr. Tayyar’s book, “al-I‘jaz al-‘Ilmi Ila Ayn”, in which he discusses the scientific interpretation and the concept of the Quran’s scientific miracles, offering a balanced perspective on the topic.

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.

[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa

Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.

He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.

He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.

Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.