I have read your article "Was Muhammad the author of the Quran?" I have this one doubt, and I would really appreciate it if you could please write me a specific fatwa. Is 16:103 in the Quran referring to the Roman blacksmith that lived in the outskirts of Makkah? I know that the verse says 'how could he have learned from this man as he speaks foreign Arabic and the Quran is pure Arabic?' but is it not possible that Muhammad took the gist of what the Roman was saying and then authored the Quran in his own words after taking the core meaning from the blacksmith? I know that some will say that Muhammad's Arabic is different from that of the Quran, but if he is the author, then maybe he did that intentionally? Maybe he spoke a different Arabic intentionally so that people would not suspect it? Please help me with these doubts.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The Quran could not possibly have been composed and phrased by the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for the following reasons:

Firstly, the Quran is written in a unique style; none but Allah, The Exalted, is able to compose such a unique discourse, be it the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, or anyone else. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {Say: If humankind and the jinn gathered in order to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like of it, even if they were to each other assistants.} [Quran 17:88]

In fact, the most sworn enemies of Islam and the leaders of the polytheists attested to that fact in a moment of honesty. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that Al-Waleed ibn Al-Mugheerah came to the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who recited the Quran to him. Al-Waleed was deeply moved and what he heard had a visible effect on him. When the news of this incident reached Abu Jahl, he went to Al-Waleed's house and said, "O my uncle! Your people wish to collect wealth for you." Al-Waleed asked, "Why?" Abu Jahl replied, "Because you approached Muhammad to see what he has to say." Al-Waleed said, "All the people of Quraysh know that I am the wealthiest of them!" Then, Abu Jahl said, "Then, say something (against Muhammad) so that the people would know that you are against him and hate his message." Al-Waleed remarked, "What should I say? For I swear by Allah, there is not a single man who is more knowledgeable of poetry or prose than I, or even the poetry of the jinn, and by Allah, his speech (the Quran) bears no resemblance to any of that! By Allah, his speech (the Quran) is very sweet and is adorned with beauty and charm! Its first part is fruitful and its last part is abundant (gushing forth with bounties, benefits, and meanings). It dominates and cannot be dominated and it shatters and crushes all that comes before it (of poetry or prose because of its eloquence)." Al-Haakim classified this narration as authentic, and so did Ath-Thahabi and Al-Albaani .

Secondly, the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was nicknamed by his own people as 'the truthful and the honest'. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was known for his honesty and truthfulness; he never lied, and it is inconceivable that one who never lied to people would lie about Allah, The Exalted, and falsely attribute to Him what He has not said. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {They only invent falsehood who do not believe in the verses of Allah, and it is those who are the liars.} [Quran 16:105] Ibn Katheer commented on the verse saying:

"Then, Allah, The Exalted, informs us that His Messenger, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is not a forger nor a liar because the one who fabricates falsehood about Allah and His Messenger is the most evil and wicked of all creatures. Allah will not guide or aid them, and for them there will be a painful punishment, meaning, the disbelievers and heretics who are known to the people as liars. The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, on the other hand, was the most honest and righteous of people, the most perfect in knowledge, deeds, faith, and conviction. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was known among his people for his truthfulness, and no one among them had any doubts about that - to such an extent that they always addressed him as Al-Ameen (the Trustworthy) Muhammad. Thus, when Heraclius, the king of the Romans, asked Abu Sufyaan about the attributes of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, one of the things he said to him was, 'Did you ever accuse him of lying before he made his claim?' Abu Sufyaan said, 'No.' Heraclius said, 'How would he refrain from lying about people and then go and fabricate lies about Allah?'"

Thirdly, it is not possible that he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would lie about Allah and attribute lies to Him and Allah would continue to support and aid him instead of punishing him for such an act, as Allah customarily does with the wrongdoers. Allah, The Exalted, says (what means): {And if Muhammad had made up about Us some (false) sayings, We would have seized him by the right hand; Then We would have cut from him the aorta.} [Quran 69:44-46]

The Hanafi scholar Ibn Abi Al-‘Izz wrote, "This is why Allah, The Exalted, may empower many of the unjust rulers for a while; however, the liars who claim to be prophets do not triumph for long; they must be destroyed eventually because their corruption extends to religion, the worldly life, and the Hereafter..." [Commentary on Al-‘Aqeedah At-Tahaawiyyah] He then cited the verses from Soorah Al-Haaqah [i.e. Quran 69:44-46].

In addition, there are many textual and intellectual pieces of evidence supportive of the authenticity and divine origin of the Quran, and they affirm that it is inconceivable that it could be a human production.

Lastly, we would like to emphasize that the Muslim should beware of listening to such misconceptions raised by the devils among mankind and the jinn; the Muslim should be confident in his religion and not allow their misconceptions to overwhelm him or take root in his heart regardless of whether he is able to respond to these misconceptions or not. These enemies of Islam have been raising such misconceptions in the past and continue to do so in the present time.

For more benefit, please refer to fatwas 310099 and 349423.

Allah knows best.