Picture this: you are walking back home from a busy day and you see a blind person trying to cross the highway. No one notices him except you. You rush to help and guide him safely across. You did what any compassionate person would do.
In life we are also blind in a way. We are thrown into existence and we do not have any clear vision of why. We don't even know where we are heading to after this life. God's guidance would provide answers to the questions that blind us from knowing why we are here, what we are supposed to do and where we are going. Since God is the source of all goodness, and He is the most compassionate, revealing guidance to humanity is an inevitable expression of His nature.
In the same way, when we make a mobile phone, a car or laptop, we provide the buyer with a manual or some sort of instructions. We don't want people to learn the hard way or damage their new expensive 'toy' by misusing it. Since God created this world and everything in it, then it makes sense that God would tell us why he created us.
He also provided us with everything we have from the air we breathe, fruits we eat to the family and friends we have. God provided us all for our physical needs so why would he not provide us when it comes to our existential and spiritual needs? As humans we want to know the purpose of life, what happens to us after death, what is the right way to live, what is right and wrong and we want to know more about God. Clearly, God is central to our existence and therefore it makes sense he would want to communicate and guide us.
The question arises, with so many differing religions and religious books out there which one do we follow? Surely they all can't be right, so maybe they are all wrong? It is easy to simply reject all religious texts and say God has revealed nothing and all religions are wrong. Well this is partly true as there are a lot of contradictory and man-made religions out there.
However, it is illogical to conclude that God has not revealed anything at all as we have good reasons to believe that God would send us guidance. It would be better to keep an open mind and look for evidence or test the religious books before we pass judgement. Many may turn out to be false, but there may be one that will pass the test.
This short booklet aims to show how based on objective rational criteria, the Qur'an is the word of God.
Test the Message
Any rational person would agree that to assess whether a particular book has been revealed by God, it has to pass some kind of test. Without actual verification, any book can make the claim of being revealed by God. For the test to be taken seriously it has to be based on rational criteria that are objective.
These rational criteria should include:
- The concept of God must be clear, coherent and rational. A God who is imperfect, human like is irrational and doesn't satisfy the heart and mind. The message about our relationship with God should be clear and logical too.
- It should be internally and externally consistent. If a book says on page 20 that giving charity is good then on page 340 it says giving charity is bad, that would be an internal inconsistency. Additionally, if the book says that the moon is made out of cheese, then that would be an external inconsistency. A book from God can't have these inconsistencies.
- It must have signs that show it is from God. The revelation must contain something that indicates it is from the Divine.
1. Concept of God in the Quran
If a book says God is a big human being in the sky with a long white beard, you could safely assume that this book is not from God. This is because reason leads us inevitably to conclude that God must be external to the universe and independent.
The Qur'an's view on God is intuitive, rational and logically coherent:
"Say, 'He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot none nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.'" — The Qur'an, Chapter 112, Verses 1-4
God is One. You cannot have two unlimited powers co-existing, unless one of them limits their power. God, by definition is not limited – nothing external poses any restrictions on Him – therefore He is one. God is the only deity worthy of worship and devotion.
God is eternal. God is uncreated. If God were created, He would require a Creator. A thing that requires a creator cannot be God. God is the sole creator, owner and sustainer of everything in existence. Nothing takes place without His permission.
No one is comparable to Him. God is the creator and so does not resemble the creation in any way. When something creates another thing, it does not become that thing. When a carpenter creates a chair, he doesn't become a chair. By greater reason, God did not become the universe when He created it. Creation is distinct and disjoined from the Creator.