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A Miracle, Not Magic

Allah’s final message to humanity comes from outside the common realm of our understanding. The Qur’an is His greatest miracle bestowed upon His final messenger, Muhammad (ﷺ) – and these ineffable words are undoubtedly not the work of a man.

Introduction

Even from a panoptic view, the lens of our human experience will never be able to comprehend the miraculous message woven together in the pages of the Qur’an. Through it, life is enlarged with meaning, darkness turns to light.

The Qur’an creates a profound sense of wonderment to all that come in contact with its divine speech. Deniers dubbed it “magic”, believers deemed it a gift; Allahﷻ called it a clear Book.

قَدۡ جَآءَكُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ نُوۡرٌ وَّكِتٰبٌ مُّبِيۡنٌ ‏

There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear Book. (5:15)

God’s Unaltered Words

The speech of Allahﷻ is precise and inimitable; it forms the most beautiful composition. Its rhythm and flow of eloquent words is like poetry and prose, its repetition of stanzas and exquisite lyricism is unique and unparalleled, its content is nothing heavy or complicated, yet the depth of its message is necessary, forcing one into a reflective state. 

Every single word in the Qur’an is a treasure – within each surah and verse contains a personal message that is valuable to every human being. It is a love letter from our Beloved, communicating His beautiful words to us. Ultimately, to experience the miracles of the Qur’an and allow its message to illuminate our hearts, we have to approach it with sheer humility and a fresh mind; unlearning anything we may think we already know.

Allah ﷻ specifically created the Arabic language of the Qur’an; it was chosen by Him as the precise language to convey deep and intricate subjects in just a few words. The richness of its language is so impactful that even the Arabs, who were masters in poetry, were spellbound by its eloquence. Its words are unlike anything they have heard before – nothing bore resemblance to its verses; no Arabic literature could rival it.

The Effect of Recitation

In the stillness of the night, when the Prophet (ﷺ) would recite the beautiful words of the Qur’an, the idol worshippers of Makkah would eavesdrop outside of his house. They remained there until dawn appeared, secretly mesmerized and completely captivated, though their inherent denial forced them to ridicule its sacred text as poetry. 

As the Word began spreading, the polytheists sent Walid ibn al-Mughira, a leader of the Quraysh and the father of Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was an influential and well-respected man to address the Prophet (ﷺ). Walid had in-depth knowledge of the Arabic language, as he himself was a renowned poet in the Arabian Peninsula.

Walid, who had not heard the words of the Qur’an, approached the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was sitting at the ka’aba one day, and requested, “Recite for me some of your poetry!” The Prophet (ﷺ) denied saying, “It is not poetry, but rather the word of Allah”, and went on to recite some verses to him.

For the first time in his life listening to the Qur’an, Walid was left startled by its eloquence. The verses (40:1-3) recited by the Prophet (ﷺ) caused him to shudder to the point that he ran away; he reflected on them and did not return to the people of Quraysh that night.

The following day, when the people of Quraysh asked his opinion, whether he thought the Prophet (ﷺ) was a clairvoyant, possessed, a poet or a sorcerer, Walid denied all of it and described what he had heard:

واللہ لقد سمعت منہ کلاما ما ھو من کلام الانس ولا من کلام الجن وان لہ لحلاوۃ و ان علیہ لطلاوۃ وان اعلاہ لمثمر وان اسفلہ لمغدق وانہ لیعلموا ولا یعلی علیہ وما یقول ھذا بشر

“By Allah! I have heard such a speech from him as can neither be the speech of a mortal, nor of Jinn. It has sweetness and elegance. Its upper part is fruit-bearing, and its lower part causes water to flow. Its beauty, no doubt, surpasses the beauty of all speeches, and cannot be superseded. It is not the speech of any human being.”

Hearing a man of Walid’s stature praising the divine Word, the Prophet’s arch nemesis, Abu Jahl, grew worried. Abu Jahl stomped over to Walid, implying that he was senile at his old age, while inventing a lie that he came bearing bribes from the people of Quraysh who feared that Walid had turned to Islam.

Walid felt insulted by the confrontation, “How can the Quraysh think this? I swear by Lat and `Uzza, I am not in need of their food. Do they not know that I am superior to them in abundance of wealth?” he said, while fearing his waning popularity amongst his people.

While both Abu Jahl and Walid found no explicit reason to discredit the Prophet (ﷺ), they conspired to stop more people from following him. After contemplating, Walid perpetuated false excuses, “I think he is certainly a magician.” In a repulsive manner, he exclaimed, “Do you not see how his speech separates husband from wife, brother from brother and father from son? As soon as a person embraces the faith, he begins to hate his unbelieving mother, father and other relatives.”

Guidance is Given

The undeniable miracle of the Qur’an was displayed when Allahﷻ exposed Walid’s hidden feelings in these verses of Surah Muddaththir:

ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا ‎﴿١١﴾‏ وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَّمْدُودًا ‎﴿١٢﴾‏ وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا ‎﴿١٣﴾‏ وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا ‎﴿١٤﴾‏ ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ ‎﴿١٥﴾‏ كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا ‎﴿١٦﴾‏ سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا ‎﴿١٧﴾‏إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ ‎﴿١٨﴾‏ فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ‎﴿١٩﴾‏ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ‎﴿٢٠﴾‏ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ‎﴿٢١﴾‏ ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ ‎﴿٢٢﴾‏ ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ ‎﴿٢٣﴾‏ فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ ‎﴿٢٤﴾‏ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ ‎﴿٢٥﴾‏ سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ ‎﴿٢٦﴾

Leave Me with the one I created alone. And to whom I granted extensive wealth. And children present [with him]. And spread [everything] before him, easing [his life] Then he desires that I should add more. No! Indeed, he has been toward Our verses obstinate. I will cover him with arduous torment. Indeed, he thought and deliberated. So may he be destroyed [for] how he deliberated. Then he considered [again]; Then he frowned and scowled; Then he turned back and was arrogant, and said, “This is not but magic imitated [from others]. This is not but the word of a human being.” I will cast him into Hell-fire. (74:11-26)

Allahﷻ revealed, that although Walid obviously pondered on Islam and was convinced by the miraculous nature of the Qur’an, he attributed a lie claiming that it was magic. His words had no validity, and out of his arrogance in acknowledging the truth, he remained unguided.

Allahﷻ gives us the Qur’an as a fundamental foundation of our existence. But true guidance only comes from Allahﷻ. Only He can facilitate our understanding of this miraculous revelation and allow us to unlock its deeper meaning.

وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱهۡتَدَوۡاْ زَادَهُمۡ هُدٗى وَءَاتَىٰهُمۡ تَقۡوَىٰهُمۡ

And those who are guided – He increases them in guidance and gives them their righteousness. (47:17)

Beyond magical, the Qur’an is the greatest blessing Allah has conferred upon His Prophet(ﷺ) – and as his ummah, we become beneficiaries of this blessing. To ensure its true words are embedded in our hearts, we need to seek guidance from Allah to intensify our iman, and surrender ourselves completely to its message. This, is the defining component that strengthens our connection to Allah.