Challenge of the Quran

88th verse of surah of Al-Isra

The challenge of the Quran or Tahaddi (Arabic:تحدی ), in Islamic theology, is the invitation to challenge Islam and the Quran. According to the challenge of the Quran, Allah asked opponents who disbelieved in the mission of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, to challenge it and to produce something like the Quran.

Etymology

The challenge of the Quran is the translation of the Arabic term Tahaddi. The root of Tahaddi is ahda (Arabic: احدی ),^[1] which means inviting people to compete that used to denote in inimitability of the Quran and the incapability of fighting it.

Concept

Idiomatically those who disbelieved in the mission of the prophet were challenged to produce something like the Quran: in spite of their great need, they were incapable to do so.^[2]

Manner of the challenge of the Quran

At a time in history when eloquence was most highly prized, Allah revealed the Quran of miraculous exposition to Prophet Mohammad. Eloquence was the most suitable miracle for him. Also it was notable aspect of the Quran. During descending of Quran, it first challenged the literary figures of the Arabian Peninsula and then all the people throughout the ages and at every level of knowledge and understanding until the judgment Day in the following manner:^[3]

• If you think that a human being wrote the Quran, then let one of your people who are unlettered as is Muhammad produce something similar.
• if he or she cannot do this either, then send your most famous writers or scholars and let them come together and produce the like of the Quran.
• If they cannot, let then work together and call upon all their history, scientist, philosophers, sociologist, theologians and writers to produce something similar.
• if they cannot, let them try leaving aside the miraculous and inimitable aspects of its meaning to produce a work of equal eloquence in word order and composition, regardless of what they produce is true or not.
• If you cannot produce the like of it in equal length, then produce only the like of its 10 chapters (surah).
• If you cannot do this, then produce only one chapter.
• If you cannot do that, produce only a short chapter.

Sarrafah theory

According to Sarrafah theory (rejection) (Arabic:صرفه) when a person decided to challenge to produce something like the Quran, Allah does not let him do this and makes him infirm of purpose, so he does not succeed.^[4]

A variety of challenges in the Quran

Quran includes verses that express this kind of challenge:^[5]

• Challenge to produce a surah from a person like prophet: (Quran 2:23 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})
• Challenge to produce the book that don’t include any dispute: (Quran 4:82 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})
• Challenged to produce one surah of Quran: (Quran 10:38 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})
• Challenged to produce ten surah of the Quran: (Quran 11:13 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})
• Challenged to produce the whole of the Quran: (Quran 17:88 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})
• Challenge to produce a phrase like verses in Quran:^[6] (Quran 52:33 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})
• Challenge for news of invisible world: (Quran 11:49 ^{(Yusuf Ali)})

Range of competitor

According to 88th verse of surah of Al-Isra, Quran invites all of the creatures to challenge to produce something like the Quran that include, mankind and jinns.^[5]

See also

• Criticism of Islam
• Karbala'i Kazem Karimi Saruqi
• Quran and miracles
• Quran and Sunnah
• Quranic literalism
• Quran reading
• Women in the Quran

References

1. Ibn Manzur. Lisān al-ʿArab. Qom Hawza Publication.
2. Julie, Paul; Scott Meisami, Starkey (1998). Encyclopedia of Arabic Literature (1 ed.). Routledge. pp. 654, 876. ISBN 978-0415571135.
3. Unal, Ali (2008). The Qur'an with Annotated Interpretation in Modern English. Tughra Books. p. 1278. ISBN 978-1597841443.
4. Ghazizade, Kadhim (1995). "outlook on Sarrafah (rejection)". beneficial letter 3.
5. Mahmood bin Ad-Dausaree, Mahmood bin Ahmad bin Saaleh (2015). The Magnificence of the Quran (1 ed.). Darussalam. ISBN 978-9960980119.
6. Soltani biyrami, Ismail (2012). "Secret of the kinds of challenging in Quran" (PDF). Quran knowledge (Quran shinakht) 5: 85.