معرفت ادیان (Ma`rifat Adyan)

Any book claiming a divine origin insists on being heavenly and infallible. The heavenly books of Muslims and Jews likewise claim to be divine and incorruptible. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative study of the aspects of the inimitability (iʿjāz) of the Qur’an and the characteristics of the Old Testament, examines these claims. By proposing a “three-step rational argument” for proving inimitability (reports of the unseen, absence of contradiction, and the unlettered nature of the bringer), this article argues that these three criteria are foundational—explicitly affirmed by the Qur’an and also endorsed by reason. When the unlettered nature of the bringer is added to other aspects of inimitability, it a fortiori places the Qur’an beyond human capacity, making the claim to produce a text like it impossible even in conception. In contrast, the Old Testament lacks such features. Not only does it not claim inimitability or challenge (taḥaddī), but an examination based on the same three steps (definite reports of the unseen, absence of contradiction, and the unlettered nature of the bringer) shows that this book does not meet the necessary conditions for being a miracle. The presence of contradictions and the book’s own explicit acknowledgment of corruption refute any claim to its infallibility and inimitability.