QURAN

change in the Arab social order has been able to alter in any way the Arabic tongue. This fact is an indication that the Quran came from a supernatural source. Preserved Scripture The Quran is unique among divine scriptures in that its text has remained intact in the original form. Consider the following news from the Daily Mail (UK), 22 July 2015 and the Times of India, 23 July 2015, which confirms the above-mentioned fact: Fragments of the world’s oldest Quran, dating back almost to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, have been found bound within the pages of another copy of the Islamic holy book in the library of the University of Birmingham. The two pages from the Islamic holy book manuscript are thought to be between 1448 and 1371 years old, making it the earliest copy of the Quran in existence. Experts say the text contained on the pages is remarkably similar to modern copies of the Quran and suggests many parts of the holy book have not changed since the time of the Prophet Muhammad. The discovery is thought to be particularly significant as in the early years of Islam, the Quran was thought to have been memorized and passed down orally rather than written. Professor David Thomas said: ‘the parts of the Koran that are contained in those fragments are very similar indeed to the Koran as we have it today, and so this tends to support the view that the Koran that we now have is more or less very close indeed to the Koran as it was brought together in the early years of Islam.’ This is proof that the text of the Quran has never been tampered with and is a distinguishing feature of the Quran. This characteristic of the Quran—its perfect state of preservation—singles it out from its This characteristic of the Quran—its perfect state of preservation— singles it out from its predecessors as a unique vehicle for divine guidance and salvation, one which will retain its validity until the end of time.