Didn't Muhammad write the Qur'an or borrow from the earlier scriptures?

Opponents of Islam sometimes allege that Muhammad himself wrote the Qur'an or that he copied or adapted it from previous scriptures. but it is known that the prophet's contacts with Jews and Christians was negligible before his emigration from Makkah, and after it his role was that of a teacher, openly inviting the Jews and Christians to accept Islam while pointing out how they had diverged from the true monotheism taught by their prophets.

It is true that there are some similarities between the qur'an and the bible, but this does not indicate that later prophets plagiarized from former ones. it merely reflects the common source, which is the creator of mankind, and the continuance of his basic message of monotheism. moreover, there was no Arabic version of the bible in existence at the time of prophet Muhammad. the earliest Arabic version of the old testament is that of r. saadias gaon of 900 ce - more than 250 years after the death of prophet Muhammad. and the oldest Arabic version of the new testament was published by Erpenius in 1616 ce - about 1000 years after his death.

Historically and logically, it cannot be established that there was any human source for the qur'an or that the messenger of Allaah learned it from the Jews or Christians. his enemies kept a close watch on him hoping to find confirmation of their claim that he was a liar. but they could not point to a single instance when the prophet might have had secret meetings with people of other faiths.

It was a sign of Muhammad's Prophethood that he was illiterate. thus, he could not be credited with composing or editing the revelations, and suspicion that he learned what he preached from earlier scriptures is eliminated. at the time the Qur'an was revealed, his contemporaries among the Arabs, known for linguistic eloquence, acknowledged that its language was unique and distinctly different from the speech of Muhammad, a man they knew well. the Qur'an states that the prophet was an unlettered man, so if that had not been true, his opponents would surely have exposed him. there is, however, not a single report to this effect, and no one denied his illiteracy. at the same time, no one denied that the Qur'an was unequaled in eloquence, impact and clarity, including those who rejected its message.

It is not difficult to verify that Muhammad did not possess knowledge of many things mentioned in the qur'an, such as historical events, natural phenomena and future occurrences. the kind of information he conveyed could not have been obtained through reading and research, so it was obviously something that could only have come directly from the creator. the Qur'an states in several places that Muhammad and his people did not know these facts, so had it been otherwise, his adversaries would have capitalized on that claim to discredit him. Пп1у recently, within the last two centuries, have advancements in research technology led to the discovery of facts that were mentioned in the Qur'an by the unlettered prophet over fourteen centuries ago. here are a few examples:

1. The creation of the universe from a single entity and of life from water: "have those who disbelieved not considered that the heavens and the earth were a joined entity, and we separated them and made from water every living thing?" [1]
2. All creation is based on duality, made up of pairs, counterparts or opposites: "and of all things we created two mates." [2]
3. The different natures of the sun and moon: "it is he [allah] who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases - that you may know the number of years and account [of time]." [3]
4. The rotation of the earth: "he created the heavens and earth in truth. he wraps the night over the day and wraps the day over the night.” [4]
5. The expansion of the universe: "and the heaven we constructed with strength, and indeed, we are [its] expander." [5]
6. The sun is not stationary but moves in a specific direction for a limited term: "and the sun runs [on course] toward its stopping point." [6]

These are words recited by Muhammad, the unlettered prophet. the Qur'an addresses recently established scientific facts with the precision of a scientist. could the most highly literate, well read or scholarly man of that period, or even of the centuries that followed, possibly have come up with anything similar?

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Footnotes:

[1]  qur'an, 21:30.

[2]  qur'an, 51:49. in contrast, god is one, with no counterpart and nothing resembling him in any way.

[3]qur'an, 10:5. other verses (25:61 and 71:16) refer to the sun as a burning lamp.

[4]  qur'an, 39:5. the alternate "wrapping" of sunlight and darkness is caused by the earth's turning in one direction.

[5]  qur’an 51:47. the creator refers to himself in the plural form which denotes power, grandeur and majesty

^[6]qur'an, 36:38. the sun, as a tiny member of this vast universe, is progressing within it toward a final destination, which indicates an end to the present creation.

Why should Muhammad be the Final Prophet? Haven't there been others after him?

Prophethood is not something acquired by a person who proves himself worthy, nor is it granted in recognition of piety. Prophethood is an office to which god appoints a man in order to fill a particular need. the Qur'an mentions four conditions under which prophets were sent to the world:

1. When no prophet had ever been sent to a people before and no divine message had reached them
2. when the message of an earlier prophet had been forgotten by the people or the teachings of former prophets had been altered with time
3. when a second prophet was needed to assist a first one
4. when a people had not yet received complete instruction from god

In each of these cases a prophet was appointed to convey divine revelation, updating previous messages and correcting deviations that man had introduced into the religion of god.

After god's message was completed through revelation to Muhammad and its preservation guaranteed, there was no further need for messengers to convey revelation; only for teachers and reformers to remind people of what god had revealed.[1] from the time of Muhammad's Prophethood, conditions in the world have been conducive to the transmission of god's message to all civilizations, making the appointment of additional prophets unnecessary. this final message has undergone no amendment or alteration by man; not a single word has been added to it or deleted from it.

If god intended to send another prophet after Muhammad, he would have made that fact clear in the Qur'an or commanded his messenger to declare that a prophet would follow him. but the Qur'an clearly affirms that god has now completed his divine mission through prophet Muhammad.[2] therefore, the office of Prophethood has been canceled, enabling the world to unite in allegiance to the final prophet and obedience to god. for everyone who accepts Muhammad as the divinely appointed final messenger will seek instruction only within the message he conveyed.

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Footnotes:

[1]  the Qur’an states: “Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the messenger of Allaah and seal [i.e., last] of the prophets.” (33:40)

[2]  god stated therein: “this day i have perfected for you your religion and completed my favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (5:3)

Do Muslims worship Muhammad?

Islam is based on uncompromising monotheism. god alone is to be Worshipped and nothing else, so Muslims cannot worship Muhammad or any other human being.[1] like all prophets he was a man, and despite his extraordinary accomplishments he never claimed divine status. rather, he always maintained that he was human like everyone else, that he poke nothing of his own accord, and that the Qur'an was a message from god, revealed to him by god, to whom alone belongs all glory and praise. he never took personal credit for any success. all the principles he taught, the legislation he pronounced, and the great achievements for which he could have attained personal renown and advantage were attributed to the guidance and support of god alone.

Muslims strive to follow the example of prophet Muhammad. additionally, Islam teaches Muslims to respect all of god's prophets and messengers. however, respecting and loving them does not mean Worshipping them, for all forms of worship must be directed only to the creator.

Muhammad was himself a devout Worshipper of god. he gave away everything he obtained in charity, fasted often, and would spend a great portion of the night in prayer. he was constantly aware of his lord, remembering him in every situation, and his words of praise and supplication reflected the highest degree of sincerity and servitude. his entire life was dedicated to the cause of god. he called on people to worship god alone, and insisted that they refer to him as merely a servant of god, telling his followers, "do not exaggerate in praise of me as the Christians did with Jesus, son of Mary. i am only his servant, so say, 'the servant of Allaah and his messenger.''

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Footnotes:

[1]the basis for this misconception actually comes from the early orientalists who called Islam "Mohammedanism," implying that Muslims worship Muhammad 

Who was Muhammad?

Muhammad Bin Abdullaah was a descendant of Prophet Abraham through his son, Ishmael, [1] and was from the prominent Arab tribe of Quraysh. he was not the founder of Islam but its final prophet and the last messenger sent by god to the world as a mercy to mankind. every detail of his private life and public speech has been documented and carefully preserved up to the present day.

During the 23-year period of his Prophethood, he changed the entire Arabian peninsula from paganism to worship of the one true god, from tribal warfare to national unity, from anarchy to disciplined living, from barbarism to the highest standard of moral excellence. at the time of his death most inhabitants of Arabia and the southern regions of Iraq and Palestine had voluntarily embraced Islam. to posterity he left a creed of pure monotheism that included comprehensive legislation based on a balanced system of moral values.

No other man in history excelled in so many different aspects of life. he not only taught and established the religion but founded a state, initiated numerous political and social reforms, built a powerful and dynamic society, and completely revolutionized the realm of human thought and behavior - all within just over two decades.

His coming was foretold in previous scriptures, and he was described therein. the honest and open-minded among the Jews and Christians recognized him from those descriptions and believed in his message. but the message he communicated was not meant for a particular people, place or period; it was a global message. Muhammad was appointed to instruct all of mankind and invite humanity to the same objective as did the prophets before him: the worship of god alone without associates or intermediaries.

There is explicit evidence for the Prophethood of Muhammad. as the revelation descended upon him, his companions noticed certain effects on his body; however, he never lost consciousness or showed any signs of illness. his life was protected by god during times of severe danger throughout the entire period of his Prophethood until the divine message was complete. like the prophets before him, Muhammad was supported with miracles, but by far the greatest of them was the Qur'an, an eternal miracle containing evidences for people of intellect for all time to come.

Prophet Muhammad was chosen by the creator of the universe and of mankind to invite all people to correct beliefs and follow the pure way of life preferred by him, and to demonstrate the measures and methods leading to his acceptance. he spared no effort and no sacrifice in carrying out this duty for the benefit of mankind. through him, god made known truth from falsehood and wisdom from error. and through him he showed man how to attain eternal paradise. thus, prophet Muhammad directed humanity to the one divine source of values and rules of conduct.

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Footnotes:

^[1]isaac, another son of abraham, was the ancestor of the children of israel, among whom a number of prophets were raised.