The Qur’an An Abiding Wonder
The Qur’an —The Prophet’s Miracle
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Qur’anic times. Whereas purely theoretical,
analogical proof was all that the world had known
prior to this, the Qur’an introduced empirical,
scientific reasoning. And to crown all its
achievements, the Qur’an expressed all this in a
refined literary style, which proved imperishable in
times to come.
There was an ancient Arab saying that ‘the sweetest
poem was the one with the most lies.’ The Qur’an
changed this, introducing a new mode of ‘articulate
speech’ (55:4) based on verifiable facts rather than
on hypothetical fables. Now Arabic followed the
Qur’an’s lead. Pre-lslamic Arabic literature was
collected and compiled, keeping the preservation
and understanding of the language of the Qur’an in
mind. Great departments of learning, facilitating
understanding of the Qur’an and explaining its
orders and prohibitions came into existence. The
learning of Arabic grammar, syntax and etymology,
Islamic theology and traditions, as well as Qur’anic
studies, were all aimed at helping us to understand
the message of the Qur’an. Even the subjects of
history and geography were originally taken up as
part of the Arabs’ attempt to understand and
