THE CHALLENGE OF THE QUR’AN

The Challenge of The Qur’an ~ 283 ~ Stranger still is the case of Ibn-al Muqaffa (died 727 A.D.), a great scholar and celebrated writer of Persian origin, who was called upon by the unbelievers to counteract the widespread influence the Quran was having on great throngs of people. A man of extraordinary genius, he felt quite confident that he could produce such a work in one year’s time, provided that all his practical requirements were taken care of, so that he could give his undivided attention to the composition. Six months passed and, naturally, certain people were eager to know how much work had been accomplished. When they went to see him, they found him sitting, pen in hand, staring at a blank sheet of paper. Around him were scattered innumerable pieces of paper. This great, learned and eloquent writer had done his best to write a book comparable to the Quran, but had failed pathetically. Highly embarrassed, he admitted that even after working for all these six months, he had not been able to produce even a single sentence which could match up to the excellence of the Quran. Ashamed and hopeless, he gave up the task he had been entrusted with. This incident was recounted by the Orientalist Wollaston, in his book, Muhammad, His Life and