A few years ago, a book was published consisting of four or five volumes. It included selected articles of well-known modern Orientalists regarding the Holy Quran. Many things were said in these articles, one of which was a strange claim that there are morphological and syntactical errors in the Holy Quran. This claim was presented with considerable emphasis.
When this book was newly published, I had the opportunity to visit a Western country. There, I met a person who was more sympathetic towards Muslims compared to other non-Muslims. We talked for several days. One day, while mentioning this book, he said that there are morphological and syntactical errors in the Holy Quran and emphasized this point as well. Hearing this, I was very surprised.
I asked them when the oldest grammar book of the English language was written. They said they did not know. I said, let’s find out from someone else. When I asked someone, they told me that this book was written about two hundred or a little over two hundred years ago. I then asked, if there is a conflict between the English grammar book and Shakespeare’s works, would you consider Shakespeare wrong or the author of the grammar book?
They replied that surely the author of the grammar book must have written it incorrectly. To this, I said that the oldest grammar books of the Arabic language were written about two hundred years after the revelation of the Quran, and they were authored by non-Arabs. If there had been any grammatical error in the Quran, the disbelievers of Mecca, the polytheists, and the entire Arab world would not have remained silent about it; rather, they would have made it a major issue. The eloquent Arabs, who remained silent in response to the challenge of the Quran, would have pointed out this error. But never did any Arab writer or poet say that any style of the Quran was contradictory to the Arabic language and grammar.
Then I further clarified to them that the oldest grammar of the Urdu language was written by a Western author, Dr. Gul Christ. Gul Christ’s grammar is considered the oldest grammar of Urdu. I said that Urdu is what Mirza Ghalib wrote, no matter what Gul Christ says. Even if Mirza Ghalib’s writing goes against Gul Christ’s rules, it will be said that Gul Christ misunderstood. Mirza Ghalib’s poetry will not be wrong because of any statement by Gul Christ. Similarly, Urdu is what Zauq or Mir Taqi Mir wrote. If any major expert of Urdu has written something against them, it will be wrong.
Similarly, the Arabic language is the same as that which is described in the Holy Quran. Arabic is that which came from the blessed tongue of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Both enemies and followers recognized it as the highest standard of Arabic. Those who bowed their heads before the literary miracle of the Quran acknowledged its eloquence. According to this principle, the language of the Holy Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet is the original, standard, and authentic Arabic. If anything contrary is written in any grammar book, it is incorrect.
An Incident of a King of India Before the Arrival of Muhammad bin Qasim
According to Chach Nama, before the arrival of Muhammad bin Qasim, a king of India was advised by an astrologer that if he performed a certain immoral act, his kingdom could be preserved. It was written in ancient books that whoever performed such an immoral act would gain kingship. When the king heard this, he said that this was a difficult task, and if he did it, what would people say? The astrologer or minister reassured him that people would say nothing. However, the king was doubtful.
The minister conducted an experiment in front of the king. He brought a large sheep whose wool was very long. A special spice was applied to the wool, which made it grow even longer, and the sheep’s body began to appear as large as an elephant. The minister advised the king to take this strange sheep to the city to show the people. When the sheep was shown in the city, the entire city was drawn to it. Everywhere, the talk was about a strange kind of sheep whose body was the size of an elephant. This became the topic of conversation, and no other work was done in the city all day, to the extent that even the markets closed.
The next day, when the sheep was taken again through the city’s streets, half the people came, and on the third day, no one came. The minister, whose name was Budhiman, told the king that the same would happen to him. People would talk a lot on the first day, less on the second, and be silent on the third.
The Strategy of the Westerners
Some people believe that perhaps the Westerners have read the advice of the cunning astrologer, because from time to time they arrange such incidents. The incidents of blasphemy against the Prophet that occur occasionally are not mere coincidences but are carried out with planning. Those nations that rule the world and are aware of the inner emotions of Muslims have established research institutions for this purpose. They spend enormous amounts of money to understand the emotions of Muslims and future strategies.
The purpose of repeatedly repeating such incidents is to bring out the hidden emotions within Muslims. Their estimate is that a day may come, God forbid, when blasphemy against the Prophet occurs and Muslims do not express any reaction. When that day comes, they will move to their next phase, in which they will implement the plans they have made to completely eliminate the love and attachment of Muslims.
Furthermore, for the past two centuries, there has been a continuous effort to engage Muslims in such unnecessary issues that keep dividing them further and weaken their practical strength.
Issues Raised in the Nineteenth Century
In this context, it is noteworthy that certain questions about the Seerah of the Prophet were raised which had never been raised among Muslims before, and these emerged in the nineteenth century. The question is, why did these issues arise specifically in the nineteenth century? This can be understood by the fact that during this period, the East India Company had established its rule in India. The British had mobilized certain Hindu groups to attack Muslim beliefs, such as the Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj. These groups did not arise on their own but were established for a specific purpose.
The question also arises as to why these groups started attacking Muslims only in the nineteenth century? The answer is that someone had prepared them for this purpose; otherwise, these attacks could have happened earlier as well. Muslims faced decline several times, they became politically weak in the Indian subcontinent multiple times, and many times their rule was on the verge of ending but survived, yet such movements and objections were raised only during the British era.
All these events and movements seem to be part of an organized plan, the purpose of which was to weaken the love and reverence that Muslims have for the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Courtesy of Iqaz
