Quranic Teachings about Satan and about Morality

Some claim that the Quran was the work of the devil.[1]
 Let us examine how much sense (or non-sense) this allegation makes.

If he authored or inspired the Quran, why would Satan
curse himself and call himself the worst enemy of man (Q.35:6; 36:60)?  Why
would Satan command that before reciting the Quran, one must first say:

“…I seek refuge in God from Satan the accursed.” (Quran 16:98)

How could Satan so vehemently condemn himself?  Is it
really acceptable to common sense to hold the view that Satan would ask people
to do good, to be moral and virtuous, to worship none but God, to not follow
Satan or his whispers, and to avoid and struggle against evil?

To hold such a view is clearly repugnant to reason, as
Satan has only undermined himself through this means if he is the author.  Even
the Bible attests:

“And if Satan has risen up against himself and is
divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.” (Mark 3:26)[2]

This argument applies to any “Satanic forces”, be they “evil
spirits”, “deceitful aliens”, etc.

The Quran’s Factual Contents and Scientific Information

Within the Quran are recorded facts about ancient times
that were unknown to Muhammad’s contemporaries and even to historians in the
first half of the 20^th century.  In scores of verses, we also find
references to scientific wonders, some only recently discovered or confirmed,
regarding the universe, biology, embryology, astronomy, physics, geography,
meteorology, medicine, history, oceanography, etc.  Below are some examples of
modern scientific discoveries mentioned in the Quran.

·       
The Lost City of Iram. (Quran 89:7)

·       
Worker bees being female. (Quran 16:68)

·       
Mountains as “stakes” and stabilizers. (Quran
78:6-7)

·       
The spherical shape of the Earth. (Quran 7:54;
36:37; 31:29)

·       
The expanding universe. (Quran 51:47)

·       
The “Big Bang”. (Quran 21:30)

·       
That at one point in time, the whole universe was
nothing but a cloud of “smoke”. (Quran 41:11)

·       
The Quranic description of the development of the
human embryo. (Quran 23:12-14)

Readers who are interested in further examples, are
referred to “The Bible, the Quran and Science” by Maurice Bucaille[3],
“Struggling to Surrender” p.33-38, by Jeffery Lang[4],
“The Quranic Phenomenon” by Malik Bennabi[5],
“The Developing Human”, 3^rd edition, by Keith L. Moore[6],
“A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam”, by I. A. Ibrahim[7],
“The Sources of the Quran” by Hamza Mustapha Njozi[8],
“The Basis of Muslim Beliefs”[9]  and “The
Amazing Quran” by Gary Miller[10], etc.

How many well trained modern scientists and geniuses
with the aid of hi-tech equipment, satellites, telescopes, microscopes and
computers were required to discover the scientific facts mentioned in the Quran,
and over what time span?  Is it even conceivable that any human being over
1,400 years ago could have produced a scripture with such information in it,
let alone a person who had never been educated?

Although the inability of man to encompass all the
mysteries and complexity of creation is mentioned in the Quran (67:3-4), the
revelation nevertheless seems to point to various natural phenomena as if
urging human beings to enquire and verify what is said – again, with such an
attitude of confidence that one can only assume the author is indeed
challenging our disbelief.  To be generous to the skeptic, perhaps one or two
of the scientific revelations were the result of nothing more than a good guess
or coincidence, but how probable could it have been that they all were?

Comparing Quranic statements that deal with the physical
universe with certain scientific notions leads us to discover profound
similarities.  But, more notably, as Dr. Maurice Bucaille observes, the Quran
is distinguished from all other works of antiquity that describe or attempt to
explain the workings of nature in that it avoids mistaken concepts.  For in the
Quran, many subjects are referred to that have a bearing on modern knowledge
without a single statement contradicting what has been established by
present-day science.[11]

Dr. Bucaille goes as far as to conclude his study with
the following remark:

“In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad’s day, it
is inconceivable that many statements in the Quran which are connected with
science could have been the work of a man.  It is, moreover, perfectly
legitimate, not only to regard the Quran as an expression of Revelation, but
also to award it a very special place, on account of the guarantee of
authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which,
when studied today, appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.”[12]

Conclusions

In examining the possible source of the Quran we have
covered the following points:

·       
Muhammad’s being unlettered

·       
Muhammad’s integrity

·       
The Style of the Quran

·       
Discrepancies between the Quran and the Bible

·       
Quranic teachings about Satan and about morality,
and

·       
The Quran’s factual contents and scientific
information

These points were presented to aid us in our “elimination
process” of unacceptable sources or authors of the Quran, as follows:

Muhammad : We might start by eliminating Muhammad
 from the list of possible authors of the Quran.  There is just no way that he could
have authored the Quran in view of points 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 presented above.

Other Arab Poet(s), Scholar(s), etc.: We can also
eliminate any other Arab from the list of possible authors in view of points 2,
3 and 6 (at least).

Some non-Arab: The reasons for the elimination of
any Arab from the list also eliminate any non-Arab scholar, poet or religious
personality.

Christian Monks or Jewish Rabbis (i.e.
Judeo-Christian sources): This alternative source of the Quran is
unreasonable in view of points 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6.

Satan (or other deceitful spirits or aliens, or
anyone on his side, etc.): This option is also unacceptable in view of the
points discussed, especially under 5.

God: In the absence of any more acceptable
alternative as source and author of the Quran, one is more or less forced by reason to accept the Quran for what it claims to be – revelation from God through His
Prophet Muhammad.  This position seems reasonable not just because it is the
only option that cannot be objectively eliminated, but because it is only reasonable to expect that a book with such qualities and contents would come from man’s
Creator and Guide.  Of all the possible sources of the Quran, it is only the last alternative – God – who even claims in the Quran itself to be the author of the
scripture, for the Quran is truly the spoken word of God.

The position, therefore, which holds that God is the
author and source of the Quran still stands, and the challenge (or falsification
test, Q.4:82) remains open to anyone to disprove the Quran’s claim to being
revelation from God.  Having undertaken this task ourselves, the Muslim’s
contention that the Quran is the Word of God appears not just a product of
blind faith but, in fact, a product of very sound and reasoned judgment in light of all the available evidence.  Indeed, after having assessed the evidence, it would be blind faith to contend otherwise!

Note that the evidence for the Divine Authorship of the Quran
is also evidence for the existence of the Divine.  God must exist, unless a
more reasonably acceptable author of the Quran can be found!