This topic comprises a rational discussion with Satan to refute one of his deceptive arguments. In the discussion he and the transgressors finally are silenced and overcome.

In His Name glory be to Him.
There is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise.

In the Name of God the Merciful the Compassionate.
If a provocation from Satan should provoke you seek refuge in God. He is the All-Hearing the All-Knowing. (7:200)

This topic comprises a rational discussion with Satan to refute one of his deceptive arguments. In the discussion he and the transgressors finally are silenced and overcome.

One day 11 years ago during Ramadan. I was listening to a Qur'anic recitation in Istanbul's Bayazid Mosque. Suddenly. I felt as if an invisible person were telling me: "You regard the Qur'an as highly exalted and radiant. Study it objectively and see if it is so." I was taken in for a brief moment and fancied that the Qur'an was a human work. I began to feel that its lights gradually became obscured just as the mosque is left in darkness after its lights are turned off. Perceiving that the speaker was Satan who wanted to lead me astray. I sought help from the Qur'an and immediately felt a light in my heart. This encouraged me to argue:

Objective reasoning means impartial judgment but the "impartial" judgment used by you and your disciples means siding with the Qur'an's opponents and following temporary unbelief. Supposing the Qur'an to be a human work and arguing as if it were is to side with unbelief or falsehood.

When he retorted: "Then accept it as neither the Word of God nor the work of a human being." I replied:

I cannot justify such a position. If two people argue about an item it is deposited with a third person provided that the two parties are in reasonable proximity to each other. If they are not the property is left with the one who already holds it until the dispute is settled. The matter is not left undecided.

To follow the analogy: As the Qur'an is a priceless item there is an infinite distance between its owner (God) and its claimant (humanity). The matter cannot be left undecided for there is no third party to whom it can be entrusted. Thus it should be left in the "hands" of God. Second since its revelation billions of people have accepted it as God's Word. Therefore those who oppose it have to prove that it is the work of a human being. If they cannot there is no justification for arguing whether or not it is His Word.

Therefore. Satan who would dare to remove that brilliant Qur'an from the Greatest Throne of God onto which it is fixed with thousands of "nails" of decisive proofs? Despite you. O Satan the people of truth and justice deal with the issue by just reasoning and strengthen their belief in the Qur'an through even the smallest decisive proof. Those who are deceived by you and your disciples find it very difficult to move from unbelief's darkness to belief's light for it requires a proof as strong as all these "nails." once it has been cast to the ground by supposing it to be the work of a human being. Thus many people are deceived into that false pretence of "objective" reasoning and ultimately lose their belief.

But Satan insisted: "The Qur'an resembles human speech for it follows a human style or conversation. If it were the Word of God it should be extraordinary in all aspects. As His artistry cannot be likened to what is human. His Word likewise should not resemble human speech." I replied:

Our Prophet was a human being. All of his acts and attitudes except for his miracles and states of Prophethood originated in his humanity. Like all other human beings he was subject to and dependent upon God's creational and operational laws. He suffered from cold felt pain and so on. He was not extraordinary in all his acts and attitudes and set an example to humanity through his conduct. If he had been extraordinary he could not have been an absolute guide in every aspect of life or a mercy for all through all his states.

In the same way the Qur'an leads conscious beings directs humanity and jinn guides people of perfection and instructs truth-seeking people. Thus it must follow the style of human speech and conversation. Humanity and jinn take their supplications and prayers from it talk about their affairs in its terms. and derive their principles of good conduct from it. In short every believer adopts it as the authorized reference for all their affairs. If by contrast it had been like the Word of God heard by Moses on Mount Sinai no one could have borne it or used it as a reference. Moses one of the five greatest Messengers of God heard only a few pieces of that Word and asked: "Is this Your speech?" God answered: "I have the power of all tongues and languages."

Satan continued: "As many people discuss in religion's name almost the same subjects as those in the Qur'an a human being could have written it." and I replied through the Qur'an's light:

First: Religious people speak the truth out of their love of religion and in the name of God's commandments. They do not lie against or imitate God and speak on their own for fear of the Qur'anic threat: Who is greater in wrongdoing than the one who lies against God? (39:32).

Second: People can imitate only those of nearly the same level. Only those of the same species can take each other's form. Only those of nearly the same level can pretend to each other's level. However it is very difficult even in that case for them to deceive people for long as their pretensions and false display eventually unmask them to perceptive people. If on the other hand counterfeiters are greatly inferior to those they try to imitate (e.g. an ordinary person claiming Ibn Sina's knowledge or a shepherd pretending to be a king) they would open themselves to ridicule.

Could a firefly make itself appear as a star for 1.000 years or a fly make itself appear as a peacock for a year? Could a private pretend to be a famous marshal and occupy his chair for a long time without giving himself away? Could an unbeliever sustain for a lifetime before discerning people a false display of a most pious person's loyalty truthfulness and conviction? If these "ifs" are inconceivable or unacceptable to any intelligent person considering the Qur'an a human work would mean seeing that Manifest Book which has been like a star of truths or a sun of perfections radiating the lights of truths in the sky of the Muslim world for centuries as a collection of falsehoods invented by a counterfeiter. It would mean that his companions of 23 years as well as all who followed him during the next 14 centuries were unaware of his real identity. This is beyond belief.

O Satan you cannot deceive sensible people in such a way even if you were far more advanced in your devilish craft. You only can deceive people into looking at the Qur'an and the Prophet from a very great distance and seeing those star-like objects as fireflies.

Third: Calling it a human work means that a most bright true and comprehensive criterion of the human world miraculous of exposition and bringer of well-being to the world is the product of an illiterate man. Moreover his pretence and counterfeiting have appeared as earnestness sincerity and purity of intention for 14 centuries to even great intellects and exalted geniuses. It is a most inconceivable allegation.

Further accepting it would mean the following: A most illustrious and virtuous being who spent his entire life displaying and preaching conviction. truthfulness trustworthiness sincerity earnestness and uprightness in all his states words and actions as well as raising many truthful persons was a mean and discreditable rascal wholly insincere and the foremost in unbelief. Even Satan would be ashamed to conceive of such a great lie.

There is no third alternative. If the Qur'an were a human work it would be so debased that it could be a source only of superstition. The rank of him who brought it also would be degraded from being a source of perfection to the greatest cheat. Thus he could not be God's Messenger for one who lies in His name is the worst of people. Such a supposition is as inconceivable as imagining a fly to have the qualities of a peacock. No normal person could regard such suppositions as possible.

Fourth:The Qur'an directs the Muslim community which contains some of history's greatest and most magnificent people. The Qur'an has enabled them to conquer this world and the next; has equipped them materially and spiritually; and has instructed and educated them in all rational moral and spiritual matters according to their particular level. It has purified them and used each bodily member sense and faculty in its most proper place.

The Prophet who brought the Qur'an from God used his life to exemplify His laws in his attitudes and actions. He instructed us via his actions and sincere practice of the principles of truth as long as he lived. He showed and established the ways of true guidance and well-being via his sincere and reasonable sayings. In addition as his life and good conduct testify he is the most knowledgeable of God and the most fearful of His punishment. He established his splendid rule of perfection over half the globe and one-fifth of humanity. He truly became through his well-known manners and actions as a Prophet. statesman commander spiritual and intellectual guide father husband friend. and so on the pride of humanity and of creation.

If you consider the Qur'an a human work it would be no more than a worthless fabrication of a liar who did not recognize or fear God. No intelligent person. O Satan could be deceived by such an inconceivable supposition not even if you were far more powerful in your devilish tricks.

Satan retorted: "How can I fail to deceive? I already have deceived most people including the foremost in rational thought and led them to deny both the Qur'an and Muhammad." I said:

First: When looked at from a great distance the largest thing can look like a tiny particle; a star can be considered a candle.

Second: When considered superficially and in a way vulnerable to distraction and illusion an inconceivable thing can appear conceivable. Once an old man scanned the horizon to catch sight of the new crescent moon. A white hair from his eyebrow curved over his eye and came into his line of sight. Deceived by that illusion he said: "I have seen the crescent."

Third: Denial differs from non-confirmation which is a kind of indifference and lack of judgment. Thus many inconceivable things may exist unintentionally in non-confirmation. Denial is a judgment and means confirming non-existence that usually is reached through reasoning. A devil like you deprives people of sound judgment and leads them to denial. You use heedlessness deviation sophistry obstinacy demagogy arrogant superiority. conceit seduction and custom to cause people to see falsehood as truth and the inconceivable as conceivable. Thus you have led many people (human in appearance but perhaps not in essence) into unbelief which requires accepting many inconceivable things.

Fourth: The Qur'an is a book of pure truths and matchless value; a guide to saints and scholars of truth and purity. It invites all people. regardless of time or place as well as those seeking perfection to truth and love of the truth truthfulness and loyalty trustworthiness and reliability. It secures happiness in both worlds through Islam's pillars of beliefs and fundamental principles. The Prophet is a most trustworthy being the foremost and firmest in belief and conviction. This is testified to by Islam and its law. which he preached and showed by his acknowledged piety and sincere worship manifested throughout his life as required by his laudable virtues and confirmed by all people of truth and perfection.

Given this considering the Qur'an a human work would mean that it is a collection of fallacies and lies and that the Prophet is an unreliable. unbelieving liar with no fear of God. This supposition is the most dangerous kind of unbelief deviation and wrong-doing. Even devils and Sophists would be ashamed to conceive of such things.

In short: It was mentioned elsewhere that those whose power of hearing allow them to appreciate the Qur'an's miraculousness acknowledge that it is not of the same kind and degree as all other books they have heard.[1] Thus it is either inferior or superior to all other books. As not even a devil would assert the former we must accept that it is superior and therefore a miracle. That being the case based on the two decisive proofs of dichotomy and reductio ad absurdum we openly declare:

O Satan and your disciples. The Qur'an is either God's Word manifested through His Highest Throne and Highest Name or the fabrication of an unbeliever who does not recognize or fear God. Even you. O Satan could never say that this second alternative is true. Thus the Qur'an is of necessity and undoubtedly. the Word of the Creator of the universe given that there is no third alternative as explained above.

Likewise Muhammad is either a Messenger of God as well as the most perfect Messenger and superior to all other creatures or a man of unbelief and the lowest nature since he lied against God and neither recognized Him nor His punishment.[2] Not even European philosophers or hypocrites of other lands in whom you place great trust have alleged—nor will able to allege—such a thing. O Satan because no one will heed and accept such an allegation. So even the most corrupt philosophers and unscrupulous hypocrites in whom you trust admit that Muhammad was a very wise man and of exemplary good conduct.

Finally there are only two alternatives. As with the Qur'an the second option is inconceivable and unacceptable. Thus he is self-evidently and of necessity God's Messenger the most perfect Messenger and superior to all other creatures. This is true whether you or your followers like it or not. Upon him be blessings and peace to the number of angels human beings and jinn.

[1] In the Eighteenth Sign of The Nineteenth Letter.

[2] Since the Qur'an mentions such a supposition to refute the unbelievers' unbelief and bad language. I felt justified in mentioning it though fearfully and with aversion only as a most impossible supposition to show how groundless and false are such assertions.