The Anonymous Quran
- philhoraia
- Feb 24, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 10, 2023
In this post we shall be looking at the authorship of 'the' Quran. Whom does it ascribe authorship to? We come across references to 'sending down', but what does this expression imply? In S 4:82 we read:
Do they not ponder on the Quran? Had it been from other than Allah they would have found therein much discrepancy.
This passage that speaks of 'pondering', something that Muslims tend not to do, we read: "Had it been from [min 'indi'] other than Allah they would have found therein much discrepancy." How many of us have given a book as a birthday or Christmas present? Someone might ask: 'Whom is it from?' We would say: 'It's from me.' Did we write it? No, we merely gave it. And if Allah were narrating, should it not read: 'Had it been from other than me'? Surely it's the author speaking of Allah. And following the formulation of the verse, because the Quran does not agree with the Bible, we may conclude that it is not from Allah, in any sense.
Let's ponder on the 'sending down' passages. We shall look at S 2:23 as an example.
And if you are in doubt about what we have sent down upon our slave then bring a surah of the like of it and invoke your witnesses instead of Allah if you are truthful.
Now, if I were working in a hotel and a sandwich were asked for, I might send it down to a lower floor by dumb waiter. Did I necessarily make it? No, I simply sent it down. Which brings me to S 25:33.
And they do not bring you a similitude but we have brought you the truth and the best tafsir.
Presumably the 'truth' and the 'best tafsir' refer to 'the' Quran. If it was sent down, why was it brought?
If I bring someone a sandwich, have I necessarily made it?
We shall now refer to S 69:40 and S 81:19. We are told that 'it', presumably 'the' Quran, is a messenger's speech. If it is a messenger's speech, how might it be Allah's? Unless we are to understand that Allah is being called a messenger. Muslims will see in this word 'someone who is sent' and object; but Allah is called a wakil 'an agent' elsewhere.
The 'messenger' verses are treated of here: A Messenger’s Speech?
If 'the' Quran's being 'sent down' implies authorship, then what should we make of S 2:97?
Say: He who was an enemy to Jibril, he sent it down upon your heart with Allah’s permission, confirming what is in front of it and as guidance and good news for the believers.
Ambiguously composed, me thinks. Was it the enemy to Jibril who sent it down or Jibril?
Allah supposedly sent down the Torah and the Injil.
S 3:3 He has sent down upon you the book with truth confirming what is in front of him and he sent down the Torah and the Injil
Does that imply that Allah wrote them?
We may as well also ponder on passages that speak of things being 'given'.
Musa was 'given' a book, supposedly the Torah, and the Furqan.
S 2:53 And when we gave Musa the Book and the Furqan; perhaps you will be guided.
I've given many a book as a present but I didn't write one of them.
We do read that Allah (we presume) wrote something in some tablets, but there's no internal evidence that they were the Ten Commandments. Besides, the word used for 'tablets' is in the Arabic plural, so three or more.
S 7:145 And we wrote for him in the tablets-- of everything an exhortation and an explanation for everything. So take them with strength and command your people to take the best of them. I shall show you the home of the fasiqun.
S 5:46 And we sent on their tracks Isa son of Maryam, confirming what is in front of him of the Torah, and we gave him the Injil. Therein is guidance and light and confirming what is in front of him of the Torah and guidance and exhortation for the fearers.
If Muslims want to speak of the 'anonymous' Gospels then why did Allah give Isa an anonymous Injil, and Musa an anonymous Torah?
The reader will have noticed that I have put 'the' in quotation marks before 'Quran'.
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