Posted by Paul The Qur'aan repeatedly speaks of "clear signs" (plural) that attended and validated the ministry of the prophets, and that unbelievers were (are) condemned because they continued in unbelief in spite of these clear signs (10:13, 64:6, etc.) However, the Qur'aan does not seem to enlighten us as to what those signs were. Of course, we are all familiar with the many signs that accompanied Moses, Elijah, etc, and later Jesus, but what clear signs accompanied Muhammad? Some have asserted to me that the Qur'aan itself is Muhammad's clear sign, and then proceed to tell of numerical codes etc. which were not discovered by Muslims until 1968, and could hardly therefore be a sign to the people of Muhammad's day! In any case, to say the the Qur'aan itself is the sign of the man who brought it to the people is obviously a piece of circle-reasoning. The whole point of, for example, Jesus' virgin birth, his raising the dead, etc. was to prove that he was not a charlatan, but rather that he came from God and that his message could therefore be trusted (John 3:2). Logic demands that the signs and the message be distinct. Obviously, those references to "clear signs" refer to specific authenticating miracles in Muhammad's case also. Can anyone help me find out what they were? Many thanks for indulging my ignorance with whatever help you can give me. - Paul
on March 25, 2002, 2:41 am
I am not a Muslim, just an occassional reader of the Qur'aan, and am hoping someone can help me with something that confuses me somewhat.
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