[Q 11:13] As previously noted, the nature of the Qur'an is so sublime that none can match it or overtake it. There have been attempts ever since the Quranic revelation came to answer its challenges but all have failed to gain any traction. Indeed, the Quranic revelation is the foundation upon which Arabic language sciences formed and flourished. One Arabic Christian poet write:
" I drank from the Nile [river] water, the Shaykh of rivers, it is comparable to tasting the water of Paradise [Maa al Kawthar], a river blessed since ancient times that is [still] sweet, however, it is not comparable to the water of my country." [Eliya Abu al Maadi] [Ft.#1]
The language and style of the poet's composition is clearly Quranic, but also it's motifs. Al Kawthar is a chapter title of the Qur'an, and the traditions say that it is the name of a pond in Paradise, that Prophet Muhammad himself offers such drink from it, that those who drink it will never be thirsty again.[ft.2]
In any case, here- as elsewhere- the Qur'an confidently proclaims that if the opponents can produce something like it [in order to prove that Qur'an is not from Allah], go ahead and try.
In recent years there has been a couple of attempts to answer the Quranic challenge by missionaries. They published a particular book, in Arabic, however they have attempted to market it in the Non Arabic speaking Muslim world.
Why have they done that? Because there is obviously a language gap which they try to take advantage of. However even then, the work, called Al Kitaab al Furqaan, is rightly and widely seen as a foolish production which takes some Islamic sentences , mixes it up with insulting insinuations and awkwardly composed arguments.[ft.3]
The Qur'an, sent to an illiterate society, memorized and recited daily by millions, stands the tests of time.
[14-15] They have challenged the Qur'an because they seek worldly benefit. In another ayah, we read of such people when Allah says "Do you make your wealth by lying about it?" [Q 56:79]. Their challenge will take them no where.
[16] Except, of course, Hell.
[17] Qur'an is serious business. It is not a game. It is a guidance for those with Taqwaaa, and to play with it is to invite trouble.
[18-20] Those who play with the Qur'an and with the Divine message are not the average Joe-Blow walking down the street. Rather, they are the powers that be, forces that have financial and political interests.
It is important to note that when the Qur'an uses terms such as Kufr, they are synonymous with oppression, the usurpation of the rights of others, with having a destructive mindset.
Conclusion
The historical accounts, the morals, and the emphatic aspects of the Qur'an need to be examined, particularly in today's world. The Quranic discourse needs to be a force of influence, calling us to God and to being able to properly identify what is wholesome and what is it's opposite.
Don't take our word for it. Have a look at it for yourself. Think about what you read, and do so deeply. This Book only benefits those who have a healthy or a sincere mindset. It is for the hard worker, not the intellectually lazy.
[Ft.1] The Arabic text of this quotation is given here.
و شربت ما ء النيل شيخ الانهر فكانني قد ذقت ماء الكوثر نهر .تبارك من قديم العصر عذب ، و ولكن لا كماء بلادي ( ايليا ابو الماضي )
[Ft.2] For more on Soorat al Kawthar, see http://shamsuddinwaheed.blogspot.com/2008/04/al-kauthar-legacy-of-prophet_03.html [Al Kauthar: Legacy of the Prophet].
[3] The Furqaan work was allegedly written by two anonymous writers and 'translated' by Anis Shoroosh. The latter, a Christian of Palestinian extraction, has for many years engaged in polemics with Muslims, the most famous examples being his debates with the late Ahmed Deedat and Dr. Shabbir Ally of Canada. In recent years he has lost credibility in Evangelical circles, least of all due to an arrest for fraud and arson in Florida in 2008.
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