# In what sense is the Quran a miracle? *Is the Quran's language miraculous, and how, if there are multiple versions? The guest's linguistic miracle and Mufti Abu Layth's three senses* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/s/23/ - Date: 2020-06-19 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Dr. Shehzad Saleem | the Preservation of the Quran & the Problem of Qira'at | MindTrap with Mufti#26 (1:42:47–1:46:43) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2BcGWatU5g&t=6167s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/ **Topics:** Prophethood and miracles; How to read the Quran; Guest conversations **Question as asked:** Do you believe the Quranic language to be miraculous, and how can there be multiple versions if it is miraculous? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The guest says the Quran's miracle is linguistic, a composition that cannot be emulated, not mathematical. Mufti Abu Layth adds that for him it is a miracle in the subjective experience of reading it, in its civilisational impact and in its literary symmetry, not in bending the laws of nature or in scientific foreknowledge. ## Longer summary A viewer asks whether the Quran's language is miraculous and how there can be multiple versions if so; Mufti Abu Layth adds whether the guest thinks numerical or mathematical claims reflect this. The guest says he does not think the mathematical relationships do; the miracle is linguistic: the way the language is employed, the verses set apart and the discourse progresses speaks for itself that it cannot be a human composition, and the philosophy and the language in which it is couched have a cumulative effect that makes it a piece of literature that cannot be copied or emulated, so its miraculous nature rests on its linguistic aspect. Mufti adds his own answer, given when asked before: the Quran is a miracle depending on what one means, in three senses: the subjective, sublime experience of reading it; its impact as the backbone of a civilisation; and its linguistic composition, including symmetries such as the equal mention of dunya and akhirah or of believers and disbelievers spread across the whole text rather than juxtaposed, symmetry being one of the highest forms of aesthetic beauty, so that anyone who thought the Prophet invented it would have to credit him with incomprehensible genius. He does not regard claims of scientific foreknowledge, such as embryology, as the miracle, calling them amazing but not necessary, and says it is a miracle not in the sense of bending the laws of nature. ## Sources and names cited - Dr Shehzad Saleem (guest) - dunya - akhirah - miracles never defy God's laws; they have causes within nature ## Transcript (machine tier, 1:42:47–1:46:43) [1:42:33] actual verse of rajim is there right okay somebody's asked okay I'll take some people are saying don't ignore the Facebook questions I'm not because I've got both of them open here YouTube Facebook if the Quranic language do you believe it to be miraculous and how are there multiple versions if it is miraculous I mean do you you know people say the quran is a miracle is there a miracle and and why how so because people today are asking this question I know that could be an incredibly detailed I understand that and but I mean are they some pointers you would just put out straight away do you feel [1:43:13] like some people say numerical value they say mathematical matrices they say you know that do you feel these things also reflect that or not I would not say I don't think so that the mathematical relationship and solve the other thing these people have said I think it's it's it's a linguistic miracle the way this the language has been employed the way it has been arranged the way verses have been set apart and the way the whole discourse progresses it speaks for itself that it cannot be a human composition so you see but you speak about a miracle you actually say something which is beyond human approach and it does look like the Quran when it [1:43:52] speaks of the philosophy it speaks off the language in which that philosophy is couched the manner in which certain details are presented so that has a cumulative effect to make it a piece of literature in which of course it cannot be copied it cannot be it cannot be emulated in any sense of the word so it's miraculous nature actually depends on its linguistic aspect in which it's a miracle himself I mean and those people in my response just to kind of add to doctor Saab where I had been asked about is the Quran a miracle I had said yes it [1:44:31] is a miracle but it's it's not a miracle in in the sense it depends what we mean by miracle to me I've said yes it is miracle on a number of factors one is a subjective experience that a person has when reading the Quran that is sublime that kind of the impact it has to how it has motivated and served as the backbone of a civilization is nothing short of a miracle now in these senses I've said that the quran is a miracle [1:45:09] not in the sense that like some people are saying look it proves something scientific therefore only God could have come up with something that speaks about let's say I don't know the aspect of embryology or they're saying this could not have been understood by anybody to me those parts are amazing yes but they're not necessary I wouldn't say that is the miracle per se I would say the miraculous nature is more one to do with the subjective to to do with the social aspect of what it did with Islam and it continues to do and three I would say I have been wowed and from the linguistic perspective by certain things [1:45:49] like I have been won by the composition of course and its impact but even certain things like how the Quran like when people have looked at it today and they've said that by the way it has an equal mention of let's say dunya and akhira spread out over the Quran it has an equal mention of those of belief and those of this belief spread out not like juxtapose because that would be that would be easy if I said you know by the way dunya an out here because I'm saying I'm together but if you take the whole Quran it reflects a you know a balance still this meson that you can find I feel that if you do hold let's say with these kind of things this symmetry [1:46:28] because symmetry is one of the highest forms of aesthetic beauty in this world if you do feel that this was invented by the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu listen but a certain let's say non-muslims would feel okay was the invention of Muhammad's a Larson then it would mean that he was you know of a genius beyond comprehension so that that's to me that to just get this soul spot-on in place I find that Wow so in this sense well a miracle not in the sense that is bending ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment f2BcGWatU5g/s/23. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/f2bcgwatu5g/s/23/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.