The Proof of Prophethood

The scholars of Islam have proven by various methods that
Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) is Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Prophet. We will
explain some of them:
Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm) proclaimed that he was the
Prophet and displayed mu’jizas to prove his word. This fact has
been transmitted up to the present time with tawâtur, i.e., with
unanimity. The greatest mu’jiza is the Qur’ân al-kerîm.
The Qur’ân al-kerîm is mu’jiz, that is, no one can produce its
equivalent. He challenged: “Go ahead and say the like!” Famous
poets of Arabia did their best, but could not say the like. The 34th
âyat of Sûrat at-Tûr declared: “Then, say the like of it”. The 13 th
âyat of Sûrat al-Hûd declared: “Tell them: ‘Now you try and say
ten sûras like the sûras of the Qur’ân, which you suppose I said by
myself!’ ” The 23rd âyat of Sûrat al-Baqara declared: “If you have
any doubts about [what We have stated in] the Qur’ân, which We
have revealed to Our slave [Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), you,
too, try and say one sûra like it! For doing this, ask for help from
all those you trust. You will not be able to say one sûra like it!” In
those days, the Arabs used to have a special interest in poetry.
There were many poets among them. They used to organize
poetry contests and were proud of the winners. They all cooperated
to compose a short sûra that would resemble those of the
Qur’ân al-kerîm. They strove hard. Before taking these poems to
Muhammad (’alaihi ’s-salâm), they compared them with a sûra in
the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Because they could see the eloquence in the
sûra, they were ashamed of their own poetry and could not take
them to Resûlullah (’alaihi ’s-salâm). Nonetheless, they could not
find a solution other than giving up opposition through knowledge
and taking up coercive measures. They drew swords and attacked
Muslims. They decided to kill Resûlullah (’alaihi ’s`salâm). They
attempted to fulfill the plot they had prepared to this end, but, as
everybody reads in history, they suffered an ignominious defeat. If
after being challenged so defiantly by Muhammad (’alaihi ’ssalâm)
and after striving collectively they had been able to say
something as laconic and as eloquent as one of the sûras, they
would have read it to him and made a clamour. That inordinate
action of theirs would have become a general topic of conversation
and would have been recorded in history. It would have become as
famous as an orator’s being killed on a platform. Their failure
openly shows that the Qur’ân al-kerîm is mu’jiz and that it is not
human words.
Question: “The poets outside of Mecca might not have heard
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