Author: Dr. Noor Mohammad Mohibi
The Quran: A Miracle Beyond Time—A Study of Its Miraculous Nature (part 121)
The Birth of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) Under Such Circumstances
In such an environment, which was considered poor in terms of knowledge and culture, the Noble Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in the blessed city of Makkah. His birth took place in the year famously known as the “Year of the Elephant.” From the very beginning, the life of the Prophet (PBUH) was accompanied by hardships and deprivation that deeply influenced the formation of his character.
His father, Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib, passed away before the Prophet (PBUH) was born, and thus he came into the world as an orphan. Only a few years later, his mother, Aminah bint Wahb, also passed away. As a result, the Prophet (PBUH) was deprived of the care and presence of both parents during his childhood and came under the guardianship of his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, and later his uncle, Abu Talib.
These circumstances show that the Prophet (PBUH) was not in a privileged position financially or socially to benefit from special educational or cultural opportunities. His family was not wealthy, and the society around him lacked educational and research institutions.
The Youth of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Absence of Educational Opportunities
Youth is the most important stage in the formation of a person’s intellectual and academic character. During this period, people usually acquire knowledge through formal education. However, such conditions did not exist for the Noble Prophet (PBUH).
At that time, there were neither schools in Makkah nor teachers who taught various sciences. Society itself showed little interest in formal education. The Noble Qur’an describes the Arab society of that time with the term “Ummi,” meaning a people largely unfamiliar with reading, writing, and organized learning.
Likewise, the Prophet (PBUH), like most people of his time, never studied in any school and did not receive formal instruction from any teacher. He was mostly occupied with daily responsibilities such as trade and supporting his family. In his youth, he became renowned for his honesty, trustworthiness, and purity of character. For this reason, the people of Makkah knew him by the title “Al-Amin” (the Trustworthy).
The Miracle of the Unlettered Prophet (PBUH)
Under such circumstances, one of the greatest wonders in history occurred. Allah the Almighty sent a prophet who neither read nor wrote, yet a book was revealed to him that was unparalleled in eloquence, rhetoric, depth of meaning, and comprehensiveness of teachings.
The fact that the Prophet (PBUH) was “Ummi” (unlettered) is itself among the greatest proofs of the divine origin of the Noble Quran. A person who never attended school, never studied under teachers, and never read books could not independently produce a work that would astonish great scholars, thinkers, and literary masters in both language and meaning.
The Noble Qur’an is not only unmatched in the beauty of its language and literary structure, but it also contains a comprehensive system of moral, social, legal, and educational teachings. It calls humanity toward justice, honesty, responsibility, respect for the rights of others, and avoidance of oppression and corruption, while also presenting principles for organizing social and political relations.
The Distinguished Character of the Prophet (PBUH) and Its Impact on Society
Although the Noble Prophet (PBUH) could neither read nor write, his moral and human character held a very high status among the people of Makkah. Honesty, trustworthiness, justice, and good conduct were among his outstanding qualities. Even his enemies acknowledged his purity and truthfulness.
Before Prophethood, the Prophet (PBUH) lived in Makkah for nearly forty years. During this period, he did not undertake long scholarly journeys or maintain extensive contact with major cultural centers. He only made two short commercial journeys to Syria, which did not provide opportunities for acquiring extensive knowledge.
Nevertheless, when the Noble Qur’an was revealed to him, words flowed from his tongue whose content, structure, and depth of meaning appeared far beyond human capability. This drew the attention of many people and led them to reflect on the source of this speech.
The Challenge of the Noble Qur’an and the Inability of Its Opponents
One of the remarkable characteristics of the Noble Qur’an is its call to “Tahaddi” (challenge). The Qur’an repeatedly invites its opponents that if they doubt its divine origin, they should produce a book like it or even a single chapter comparable to it.
This challenge was presented at a time when Arab society had reached the peak of literary and linguistic excellence, and many distinguished poets and orators lived among them. Yet none of them was able to produce anything equal to the Qur’an in eloquence, rhetoric, and depth of meaning.
The inability of the opponents to respond to this challenge is regarded as one of the greatest proofs of the miraculous nature of the Noble Qur’an. Had the Qur’an been a human creation, the eloquent poets and writers of Arabia would certainly have been able to produce something similar.
In summary, by examining the historical, geographical, and cultural conditions during the time of the revelation of the Qur’an, it becomes clear that the emergence of such a book in that environment was truly extraordinary and beyond ordinary human capability. A land that was intellectually and culturally underdeveloped, a society lacking educational systems and centers of learning, and a prophet who had no formal education all indicate that the source of the Noble Qur’an cannot merely be human.
For this reason, many non-Muslim thinkers have also regarded the Noble Qur’an as a unique phenomenon in human history—a book that appeared under seemingly impossible circumstances yet succeeded in bringing about a tremendous transformation in human history and laying the foundation for a great civilization.
Therefore, the Noble Qur’an is considered not only from a religious perspective but also from historical, literary, and cultural viewpoints to be the most significant and influential book in human history—a book whose study and research continue to remain a living and inspiring subject for scholars and researchers around the world. [1]
To be continued…
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References:
[1]. A summary from the tafsir Ma’arif al-Qur’an regarding the interpretation of Verse 23 of Surah Al-Baqarah.
