Misconception: Muhammad (PBUH) Wrote The Quran
In addressing this misconception, it is interesting to note that no other religious scripture claims the direct word of Almighty in toto as clearly and as often as the Holy Qur’an. As the Qur’an clearly says: “If had been written by man, you would have found many discrepancies therein”. At the time the Qur’an was revealed, the Arabs recognized that the language of the Qur’an was unique and that it was distinctly different from the language normally used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Arabs of that time, by the way, were known for their beautiful poetry and Muhammad was known to be an illiterate man! The Qur’an clearly says that Muhammad was unable to read and write, so if this wasn’t true, certainly his contemporaries would have protested and rejected him. However, there are no reports of this. Certainly, there were people who rejected Muhammad’s message, just like other prophets were rejected, but none for this reason. On the contrary, Muhammad, peace be upon him, had thousands of loyal followers and the results of their efforts spread Islam from Spain to China in just over a century! It is also interesting to note that even though the Qur’an is not poetry, the Arabs more or less gave up writing poetry after it was revealed. It could be said that the Qur’an is the piece of Arabic literature par excellence – and Muhammad’s contemporaries realized that they couldn’t outdo it. Additionally, it is easy to prove that Muhammad did not possess a great deal of the knowledge that is expounded in the Qur’an: such as knowledge of historical events, previous prophets, and natural phenomena. The Qur’an says in several places that Muhammad and his people did not know these things – so, again, if this wasn’t true, certainly his contemporaries would have rejected his claims. Suffice it to say that not only is the Qur’an the most memorized and well-preserved scripture on earth, but it is also unequaled in eloquence, spiritual impact, clarity of message, and the purity of its truth.