The Miracle Of The Qur'an

This matters because pre-Islamic Arabia placed extraordinary value on poetry, eloquence and mastery of language; skilled poets were highly respected. Yet the unlettered Prophet began conveying words of remarkable linguistic power, rhetorical precision, rhythm, structure and depth - neither conventional poetry nor ordinary prose - challenging the very people most qualified to evaluate Arabic eloquence.

The Qur'an issued a direct challenge: "And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our servant, then produce a surah like it..." (2:23) - he was not claiming to be a talented speaker but declaring the words were the revelation of Allah. Its preservation, profound message, theological coherence, transformative power and linguistic character all form part of the case for its divine origin: "It is not the word of a poet - little do you believe" (69:41).

For Muslims the Qur'an remains the enduring miracle: the revelation conveyed by the unlettered Prophet.