The
Quran contains many prophecies that have
been fulfilled, but in this discussion,
we will limit ourselves to only five.[1]
The first two prophecies are noteworthy:
unlike any other world scripture, the Quran
prophesizes its own preservation under divine
care, and we will demonstrate how it actually
occurred.
The
Protection of the Quran from Corruption
The
Quran makes a claim no other religious text
makes, that God Himself will keep its text
safe from alteration. God says:
Behold,
it is We Ourselves who have gradually revealed
this reminder, and, behold, it is We who
shall truly guard it [from all corruption].
(Quran 15:9)
The
Ease of Memorizing the Quran
God
has made the Quran easy to memorize:
And
in truth We have made the Quran easy to
remember; who, then, is willing to take
it to heart? (Quran 54:17)
The
ease with which Quran is memorized is inimitable.
There is not a single scripture or religious
text in the world that is as easy to memorize;
even non-Arabs and children commit it to
memory easily. The entire Quran is
memorized by almost every Islamic scholar
and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Muslims,
generation after generation. Almost
every Muslim has some portion of the Quran
memorized to read in his prayers.
The
Twofold Prophecy
Before
the rise of Islam, the Romans and the Persians
were two competing superpowers. Romans
were led by Heraclius (610,641 CE), a Christian
Emperor, whereas the Persians were Zoroastrians
led by Khosrow Parviz (reigned 590,628 CE),
under whom the empire achieved its greatest
expansion.
In
614, the Persians conquered Syria and Palestine,
taking Jerusalem, destroying the Holy Sepulcher
and the True Cross carried to Ctesiphon.
Then, in 619, they occupied Egypt
and Libya. Heraclius met them at Thracian
Heraclea (617 or 619), but they sought to
capture him, and he rode madly back to Constantinople,
hotly pursued.[2]
The
Muslims were grieved by the Roman defeat
as they felt spiritually closer to Christian
Rome than Zoroastrian Persia, but the Meccans
were naturally buoyed up by the victory
of pagan Persia. To Meccans, the Roman
humiliation was a sinister omen of the defeat
of the Muslims at pagan hands. At
the time Gods prophecy comforted the faithful:
The
Romans have been defeated - in a land close
by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat
of theirs, will soon be victorious- within
ten years. With God is the Decision,
in the past and in the future: on that Day
shall the believers rejoice with the help
of God. He helps whom He will, and
He is the Mighty, the Most-Merciful.(Quran
30:2-4)
The
Quran made a prophecy of two victories:
(i)
The future Roman victory within ten years
over Persians, something unimaginable at
the time
(ii)
The joy of the faithful on a victory over
the pagans
Both
of these prophecies actually occured.
In
622, Heraclius left Constantinople as prayers
rose from its many sanctuaries for victory
over the Persian Zoroastrians and the reconquest
of Jerusalem. He devoted the next
two years to campaigns in Armenia.
In 627, he met the Persians near Nineveh.
There, he killed three Persian generals
in single combat, killed the Persian commander,
and scattered the Persian host. A
month later, Heraclius entered Dastagird
with its stupendous treasure. Khosrow
was overthrown by his son, who made peace
with Heraclius. Returning to Constantinople
in triumph, Heraclius was hailed as a hero.[3]
Also,
in the year 624 AH, Muslims defeated the
Meccans in the first and decisive Battle
at Badr.
In
the words of an Indian scholar:
a
single line of prophecy was related to four
nations and the fate of two great empires.
All this proves the Quran to be the Book
of God.[4]
The
Prophecy of Pagan Defeat
The
Quran predicted the defeat of unbelievers
in Mecca while Prophet Muhammad and his
followers were still being persecuted by
them:
Or
do they (the Meccan disbelievers) say: We
are a great multitude, and we shall be victorious?
Their multitude will be defeated,
, and they shall turn their backs [in flight]!
(Quran 54:45)
The
prophecy was revealed in Mecca, but was
fulfilled at the Battle of Badr, two years
after the Prophets migration to the city
of Medina.
The
Fate of Specific Individuals
Waleed
bin Mugheera was a staunch enemy who openly
ridiculed the Quran:
Then
said he: This is nothing but magic, derived
from of old; this is nothing but the word
of a mortal! (Quran 74:24-25)
The
Quran prophesized he will never accept Islam:
Soon will I cast him into Hell-Fire! And
what will explain to thee what Hell-Fire
is? It leaves naught nor doesit
spare aught. (Quran 74:26-28)
Waleed
died in a state of disbelief as prophesized
by the Quran.
Also,
concerning Abu Lahab, a fiery opponent of
Islam, the Quran foretold he will die opposing
the religion of God:
May
the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and [indeed]
he has perished. His wealth and gains
will not profit him. He will be plunged
in flaming Fire. (Quran 111:1-3)
Specifically,
three prophecies were made about Abu Lahab:
(i)
The conspiracies of Abu Lahab against the
Prophet would not succeed.
(ii)
His wealth and children would not benefit
him.
(iii)
He would die opposing Gods religion and
enter the Fire.
Abu
Lahab also died in a state of disbelief
as prophesized by the Quran. Had Waleed
or Abu Lahab
accepted Islam even outwardly,
they would have disproved its prophecies
and thus its heavenly source!
In
addition, Abu Lahab had four sons, two of
whom died at a young age during his lifetime.
The other two sons and a daughter
embraced Islam and frustrated his hopes!
Finally, he died of a plague; people would
not touch his body out of fear of contamination
and dumped mud and stones on him where he
died to make it his grave.
A
key foundation to believing that a scripture
is actually a revelation of God is internal
truth, whether it be in regards to occurrences
in the past, to come in the future, or in
contemporary ages. As one can see,
there are many prophecies mentioned in that
which is to come, some of which were fulfilled
in the Prophets lifetime, or have been fulfilled
since his death, while others are yet to
appear.
Footnotes:
[1]
For
more Quranic prophecies please see Mercy
For the Worlds, by Qazi Suliman Mansoorpuri,
vol.3, p. 248 - 313.
[2]
Heraclius. Encyclopędia Britannica
from Encyclopędia Britannica Premium
Service.
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HERE
