For generations, when people read these verses, they thought that the challenge was only limited to the linguistic aspect of the Quran and were oblivious to the multitude of other facets that make the Qurna unique and impossible to be imitated.
For instance, in a recent video, a Muslim is challenging someone to produce a Sura like one in the Quran, and someone claims that this challenge was already fulfilled by the second Caliph Umar because there were a number of Hadith narrations where he foretold of verses prior o their revelation.
So according to this, the person conceded that Umar met the challenge 🤦
Narrated Anas: Umar said, “I agreed with Allah in three matters,” or said, “My Lord agreed with me in three matters. (1) I said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Would that you took the station of Abraham as a place of prayer.’ (2.125) (2) I also said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! Good and bad persons visit you! Would that you ordered the Mothers of the believers to cover themselves with veils.’ So the Divine Verses of Al-Hijab (i.e. veiling of the women) were revealed. (3) I came to know that the Prophet (ﷺ) had blamed some of his wives so I entered upon them and said, ‘You should either stop (troubling the Prophet (ﷺ)) or else Allah will give His Apostle better wives than you.’ When I came to one of his wives, she said to me, ‘O Umar! Does Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) haven’t what he could advise his wives with, that you try to advise them?’” Thereupon Allah revealed: — “It may be, if he divorced you (all) his Lord will give him instead of you, wives better than you Muslims (who submit to Allah)..” (66.5)
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، قَالَ قَالَ عُمَرُ وَافَقْتُ اللَّهَ فِي ثَلاَثٍ ـ أَوْ وَافَقَنِي رَبِّي فِي ثَلاَثٍ ـ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لَوِ اتَّخَذْتَ مَقَامَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى وَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْكَ الْبَرُّ وَالْفَاجِرُ، فَلَوْ أَمَرْتَ أُمَّهَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالْحِجَابِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ آيَةَ الْحِجَابِ قَالَ وَبَلَغَنِي مُعَاتَبَةُ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعْضَ نِسَائِهِ، فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِنَّ قُلْتُ إِنِ انْتَهَيْتُنَّ أَوْ لَيُبَدِّلَنَّ اللَّهُ رَسُولَهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ. حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ إِحْدَى نِسَائِهِ، قَالَتْ يَا عُمَرُ، أَمَا فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَا يَعِظُ نِسَاءَهُ حَتَّى تَعِظَهُنَّ أَنْتَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ {عَسَى رَبُّهُ إِنْ طَلَّقَكُنَّ أَنْ يُبَدِّلَهُ أَزْوَاجًا خَيْرًا مِنْكُنَّ مُسْلِمَاتٍ} الآيَةَ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ أَخْبَرَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَيُّوبَ حَدَّثَنِي حُمَيْدٌ سَمِعْتُ أَنَسًا عَنْ عُمَرَ.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4483
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4483
Here is the Hadith regarding the verse about performing funeral prayer for the hypocrites.
Ibn Umar reported that when ‘Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Salul (the hypocrite) died, his son Abdullah b. Abdullah came to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) and asked him to give his shirt, which should be used for the coffin of his father. He gave that to him. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) stood up to say prayer over him. Thereupon Umar caught hold of the clothing of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Allah’s Messenger, are you going to offer prayer, whereas Allah has forbidden to offer prayer for him, whereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Allah has given me a choice saying: Ask forgiveness for them or you may not ask for them; even if you ask for them seventy times, I will make an addition to the seventy. He was a hypocrite and Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said prayer over him that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed the verse:” And never pray over any one of them that has died and never should you stand by his grave” (9:84).
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ لَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُبَىٍّ ابْنُ سَلُولَ جَاءَ ابْنُهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَسَأَلَهُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَهُ قَمِيصَهُ أَنْ يُكَفِّنَ فِيهِ أَبَاهُ فَأَعْطَاهُ ثُمَّ سَأَلَهُ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لِيُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَامَ عُمَرُ فَأَخَذَ بِثَوْبِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَتُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ نَهَاكَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” إِنَّمَا خَيَّرَنِيَ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ { اسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ أَوْ لاَ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ إِنْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ سَبْعِينَ مَرَّةً} وَسَأَزِيدُ عَلَى سَبْعِينَ ” . قَالَ إِنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ . فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ { وَلاَ تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا وَلاَ تَقُمْ عَلَى قَبْرِهِ} .
Sahih Muslim 2400a
https://sunnah.com/muslim:2400a
Additionally, there is a Hadith about Umar correctly judging what should be done to the prisoners of Badr, as well as some other supposed verses that Umar stated before their revelation. According to Suyuti and the book Fada’il al-Imamayn of Abu ‘Abdullah ash- Shaybani there were 21 instances where Umar foretold a verse before it was revealed.
The Real Challenge
The real challenge of the Quran is far beyond the linguistic challenge. The miraculous nature of the Quran is not just its linguistic excellence but many other factors we are coming to understand the more we research this book.
Scientific miracles in the Quran.
As our understanding of science increases, we find that the Qruan contained the right understanding of these matters. In addition to the examples listed earlier, there are other miracles like that of iron.
Sura 57 of the Quran is entitled Iron (Al-Hadeed / الحـديد). Iron is the 26th element on the periodic table.
In Arabic, every letter also has a corresponding gematrical value, where each letter also represents a number, similar to Roman numerals.
If we look at the word iron in Arabic, Hadeed حـديد, we see that this word has a gematrical value of 26. While the gematrical value of Al-Hadeed / الحـديد has a gematrical value of 57.
The Quran has 114 suras. If we divide 114 in half, we see that the center sura is 57, which happens to be entitled Iron (Al-Hadeed / الحـديد). Similarly, if we cut the earth in half, we see that the center of the Earth is also made from an iron core.
57:25 We sent our messengers supported by clear proofs, and we sent down to them the scripture and the law, that the people may uphold justice. And we sent down the iron, wherein there is strength, and many benefits for the people. All this in order for GOD to distinguish those who would support Him and His messengers, on faith. GOD is Powerful, Almighty.
The Quran contains prophecies that were foretold in advance, most notably that of the defeat of the Romans followed by their overcoming, and how this corresponded with the victory of the believers over Mecca, as well as the detection of the lowest land of that of the Dead Sea and Jericho.
Also, in Sura 54, it prophesies the splitting of the moon, which took place on July 21, 1969, when the Apollo 11 lunar module lifted off from the surface of the moon carrying 21.55 kilograms (47.51 lbs) of lunar rock to be brought back to Earth, so it could be analyzed.
Test of time
The “test of time” concept refers to the evaluation or judgment of something, such as an idea, a work of art, a theory, a relationship, or a belief, over a prolonged period. It suggests that the true value, effectiveness, durability, or authenticity of something can only be determined by observing its performance, impact, or endurance over an extended period.
When something withstands the test of time, it has proven its worth, quality, or significance through the passage of time and continues to be relevant, valid, or successful. Conversely, if something fails the test of time, it has not stood up to scrutiny, has lost relevance, or has proven flawed or inadequate over time.
The Quran was first revealed 1400 years ago and is the most widely transmitted and memorized book in history. This shows that it has passed the test of time. In order for someone to produce a sura or Quran like this, it would have to have the same impact on society as this book does and pass the test of time to the same caliber as the Quran has done.
Numerical Structure
The Quran is a numerically structured book. Every fact of the Quran is perfectly calculated. For example, the Quran cites the following comparison between Adam and Jesus.
3:59 The example of Jesus, as far as GOD is concerned, is the same as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, “Be,” and he was.
And it just happens that Adam and Jesus are both mentioned exactly 25 times in the Quran, and 3:59 is the seventh occurrence of each of their names. We see that the 19th occurrence of Jesus occurs in 19:34, while the 19th occurrence of Adam happens in 19:58, 25 verses apart.
For instance, the term month in the singular form occurs exactly 12 times in the entire Quran. The term “day” ( يوم) in the singular form occurs 365 times in the Quran, which equals the number of days in a single solar year. The plural forms “days” and “two days” occur 30 times, the average month length.
If we look at how many times the singular form of the word “day” is mentioned between the first mention of “month” in the singular form in 2:185 to the last occurrence in 97:3, we see that the word “day” in the singular form occurs 354 times within this range. 354 is the number of days in a lunar year.
While all forms occur 475 times (19×25) in the Quran, which corresponds with the 19-based mathematical structure of the Quran.
Code 19
One of the first revelations, if not possibly even the first revelation, is Sura 74: The Hidden Secret (Al-Muddath-thir). This sura calls out the disbeliever who analyzes the Quran and determines that this book is clever magic and man-made. The rebuttal to this claim is the Hidden Secret inside the Quran based on the number 19, which will serve the following functions.
74:31 We appointed angels to be guardians of Hell, and we assigned their number (19)
(1) to disturb the disbelievers,
(2) to convince the Christians and Jews (that this is a divine scripture),
(3) to strengthen the faith of the faithful,
(4) to remove all traces of doubt from the hearts of Christians, Jews, as well as the believers, and
(5) to expose those who harbor doubt in their hearts,
and the disbelievers; they will say, “What did GOD mean by this allegory?” GOD thus sends astray whomever He wills, and guides whomever He wills. None knows the soldiers of your Lord except He. This is a reminder for the people.
The word قَدَّرَ used in 74:18-20 has a special connection with the mathematical miracle, which is detailed in the following article.
This number 19 only occurs once in the Quran, which is in Sura 74. Coincidentally in the year 1974, it was discovered that the entire structure of the Quran is mathematically composed by the number 19. For instance, the number of Suras in the Quran is 114 = 19 x6. The number of verses in the Quran is 6,346 = 19 x 334. The opening statement in the Quran, Bismallah, is 19 letters. The number of times Allah is mentioned in the Quran is 2,698 = 19 x 142. If you count all the verses where the word Allah occurs, that number is 118,123 = 19 x 6,217. The number of times Rahman (Most Gracious) is mentioned in the Quran is 57 = 19×3. The number of times Raheem (Merciful) is mentioned is 114 = 19×6.
But the main part of Code 19 concerns the Quranic initials. The Quran contains 29 suras that have 14 different sets of Quranic initials. If you count the occurrence of any of these sets of letters in their respective chapters, they consistently occur in multiples of 19.
For instance, Suras 42 and 50 with the initial Q ( ق).
The frequency of occurrence of “Q” in Sura “Q” (No. 50) is 57, 19×3.
The letter “Q” occurs in the other Q-initialed sura (No. 42) exactly the same number of times, 57.
The total occurrence of the letter “Q” in the two Q-initialed suras is 114, which equals the number of suras in the Quran.
“The Quran” is mentioned in the Quran 57 times.
The description of the Quran as “Majid” (Glorious) is correlated with the frequency of occurrence of the letter “Q” in each of the Q-initialed suras. The word “Majid” has a gematrical value of 57.
Sura 42 consists of 53 verses, and 42+53 is 95, or 19×5.
Sura 50 consists of 45 verses, and 50+45 is also 95, 19×5.
The number of Q’s in all verses numbered “19” throughout the Quran is 76, 19×4.
And you will find this kind of structure for each set of initialed chapters.
Without the author’s Knowledge
There is another aspect of these kinds of features of the Quran, in that Muhammad, who the Quran was revealed to, had no knowledge about these facts. He did not knowledge about the scientific miracles in the Quran. That the gematrical value of iron corresponded with the periodic table placement for iron. He did not know that the prophecy of the splitting of the moon corresponded with the departure of Apollo 11 from the moon on July 21, 1969, carrying ~21kb of moon rock. He did not know about the numerical aspects of the Quran and the significance of the occurrence of words. And most notably, he did not know about code 19 or the significance of the Quranic initials. This shows that if someone wanted to produce a book like the Quran or a Sura like the Quran, they would have to produce something that generations later would still be able to extract new amazing value from it that the author themselves were unaware of.