Is There Any Proof That Mohammed Wrote the Koran

[jomifl]

Well, Is there? or is it all anecdotes and hearsay?
Disclaimer,
I do not wish this question to be misconstrued as an insult to any person living, dead or imaginary. I also reserve my right as a citizen of a democratic and secular state to ask questions without fear of reprisals from self appointed servants of god ie. religious nutters.. Has that covered everything? probably not, but what the hell..

[jno]

what sort of proof would you like? Photos? Countersignature by a magistrate? Handwriting authentication? Assertion of the author's moral rights? Do you want evidence reaching normal 7th-century standards (ie none at all) or something special?

This sure sounds like a deliberate provocation rather than a serious search for information.

[jomifl]

Jno, since no copy of the koran has never been destroyed by a muslim there must be a chain of evidence (copies)going right back to the original. I can't believe they lost them.

[naomi24]

Mohammed is reputed to have written the original on long-lost leaves and stones, etc, and that information was collated after his death into the book now known as the Koran. It has been altered over time, and fragmented copies of early books exist, but they are not the original and they are, as I indicated, incomplete.

[jomifl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uthman_Quran
Well at least the oldest koran appears to date from 19 years after mohammed's death and not before his birth.

[Duncer]

When people contend that the clearly unproven is truth, then others have every right to ask for proof.

[jomifl]

From the link I provided you will see that the koran was written by a committee (just like the bible). This was the standardised version. One can only wonder what was in the non-standard versions and who wrote them, perhaps even mohammed! So, almost certainly not the exact word of god even assuming that he transcribed accurately the words of the angel gabriel (and remembered where he put all the priceless stones and leaves) who was of course unable to err, not being human :-) The recent TV programme which I mentioned another thread implied that there were some significant inconsistencies in the accepted version of the origin of islam and the koran. It's origin was moved to Medina for political expediency. Nothing is what it seems to be, even the word of god.

[beso]

It is the same as Joseph Smith's golden plates and translation stones that needed to be read in a hat. Or the word of L Ron Hubbard.

At best these people were suffering from epileptic seizures of the temporal lobes of their brains. Others had imbibed hallucinogenic substances. The rest were scammers.

[jomifl]

I'm shocked Beso, to paraphrase Sith, surely millions of people can't be wrong? Like when they believed that sun moved around the earth.

[MarkRae]

http://www.google.co....rceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[lightbulb247]

//This sure sounds like a deliberate provocation rather than a serious search for information.//

you got that right. Jom, i am not trying to start an argument, but what do you mean as evidence? a video recording? written proof? please, tell me.

[naomi24]

Lightbulb, jom didn't say that - jno said it - and when people here talk about 'arguments', they don't mean 'rows' - they mean discussions.

[lightbulb247]

but i want to know what does he mean about "proof". and naomi, i am discussing, not arguing.

[naomi24]

Ah, you've got the idea now.

I assume Jom is asking if any firm evidence exists.

[jomifl]

Sith, since millions of muslims devote their lives to obeying the koran and are quite happy to kill many people both directly and indirectly on the strength of the word of mohammed or alleged 'insults' then I would imagine that the same level of proof is required as is needed to sentence someone to death in a court of law.
As I mentioned before in response to juno's facetious remark, it is possible to have what amounts to proof on a historical timescale without the need for a signed affidavit by a public official. The advances in science have all been made without resorting to the approval of public or religious officals. If an early version of the Koran had been found which could be proven to pre-date mohammed then you caould draw your own conclusions.

[lightbulb247]

//Sith, since millions of muslims devote their lives to obeying the koran and are quite happy to kill many people both directly and indirectly on the strength of the word of mohammed or alleged 'insults' then I would imagine that the same level of proof is required as is needed to sentence someone to death in a court of law. //

how can muslims kill someone indirectly? oh, wait, do you mean by not criticizing what other muslims are doing? well, we are. And again, because a few muslims kill thats islams fault?

[naomi24]

//a few muslims kill thats islams fault? //

A few muslims kill - but very many more than a few encourage that few to kill - and yes, it is Islam's fault.

[DTCwordfan]

Fatwa time