✦ A Realistic Perspective on Comparing the Qur’an with Shakespeare
It is often asserted that William Shakespeare, the renowned English poet and playwright, is the greatest literary figure in the English language and an icon of creative excellence. Consequently, some argue that if Shakespeare could produce uniquely styled poetry and prose as a human, then the Qur’an could also be human-authored. However, this argument has critical flaws. The uniqueness of the Qur’an cannot be assessed by the standards of Shakespeare’s literary genius, as even minds of such caliber fail to grasp the distinctive nature of the Qur’an.
❖ The Unique Literary Structure of the Qur’an
While Shakespeare’s poetry and prose gained acclaim for aesthetic beauty, his literary structure was not unprecedented. He primarily used iambic pentameter — a five-part metrical pattern. In contrast, the Qur’an presents a unique linguistic and structural form that no human has ever been able to replicate. The Qur’an’s uniqueness can be analyzed from two angles:① Rational Deduction
② The Philosophy of Miracles
✿ Rational Deduction
Rational deduction is a logical process of drawing conclusions based on evidence or assertions. Regarding the Qur’an’s uniqueness, Eastern and Western scholars have unanimously stated:“The Arabs failed to produce anything comparable to the Qur’an.”
From this assertion, the following conclusions can be drawn:
◄ The Qur’an cannot be a creation of an Arab human:
Despite being linguistic masters of their time, the Arabs failed to respond to the Qur’an’s challenge. Even they admitted it could not be of human origin.
◄ The Qur’an could not have originated from a non-Arab:
Since the Qur’an is in Arabic and mastering its eloquence demands a deep command of the language, it cannot logically stem from a non-Arab source.
◄ The Qur’an is not authored by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
This is substantiated by the following points:
◈ The Prophet ﷺ was an Arabic speaker, yet no Arab expert could match the Qur’an’s style.
◈ Throughout his life, opponents never attributed the Qur’an to him as a composition.
◈ During his prophethood, the Prophet ﷺ endured severe personal trials — the death of his children and wife, social boycott, and the persecution of companions — yet the tone of the Qur’an remained consistently divine, never shifting to reflect personal anguish.
◈ Revealed over specific occasions, the Qur’anic verses never required revision.
◈ The Prophet’s ﷺ own sayings (Hadith) were in a style distinctly different from the Qur’an. It defies human nature for a person to express themselves in a completely separate literary form for over two decades.
◄ The Qur’an cannot be the speech of another creature:
The concept of jinn or other beings is derived from the Qur’an itself. Thus, attributing the Qur’an to them necessitates first proving their existence independently.
◄ The Qur’an is from God:
This is the most logical explanation, as all other possibilities fail under scrutiny.
✔ The Philosophy of Miracles
The term miracle is derived from the Latin word “miraculum”, meaning “something astonishing.” Generally, a miracle is perceived as a violation of natural laws. However, philosopher William Lane Craig defines a miracle as a reality beyond nature’s productive capacity.❀ The Qur’an as a Miracle
The literary structure of the Qur’an defies conventional rules of Arabic grammar and rhetoric. Despite their expertise, Arabic scholars have failed to replicate it. British Orientalist Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot wrote:“As far as elegance of style is concerned, no effort has ever succeeded in equaling it.”
(F. F. Arbuthnot. 1885. The Construction of the Bible and the Koran. London, p. 5)
This substantiates that while the Qur’an is in Arabic, it does not conform to Arabic literary norms. Its structure is so inimitable that it cannot be the product of human effort.
