him and his progeny) and his orations that have been preserved in writing are char‌ acterized by a different style. Had there been among his sayings anything that re‌ sembles the Quran, it would have been widely transmi ted
by his enemies, who wanted to harm Islam by whatever means and device. One more point to add is that customary eloquence has limits which it rarely exceeds. Well‌ versed Arab poets and prose writers specialize in one genre or eve!} two and three. One may excel in f:zamasa (heroic) poetry, for example, but not in love poetry. The Quran, by contrast, dwells on numerous subjects and applies many forms of style, and in all this has excelled other writings. This versatility is impossible for human beings.

The Quran: An Eternal Miracle

We have seen that belief in prophethood and faith in it are only through the miracles the prophet performs as a proof of his claim. Since the prophecies of earlier prophets were limited to their own times, divine wisdom dictated that their miracles be of short duration, for they were proofs for prophecies that were to serve for a limited time. Therefore, some contemporaries of these prophets were eyewitnesses to these miracles and, hence, these miracles served as evidence for them. Others learned about these miracles by means of eyewitness accounts related without any break in transmission (tawatur);٧ hence, the miracle served as evidence for these as well.
However, in the case of the eternal Sharia (sacred law of Islam), the miracle that attests to its truthfulness must be timeless, because if the miracle were limited and of short duration, it would not be observed by those far away. Consequently, if the trans‌ mission and reports regarding it were to be disrupted, those living far away would not be able to ascertain its truthfulness. Hence, if God were to impose on such per‌ sons the obligation to believe in this miracle, He would be imposing on them an impossible obligation. Imposing an impossible obligation is inadmissible of God. Hence, the final and lasting prophethood inevitably requires a lasting miracle. It is for this reason that God sent down the Quran as a lasting miracle so that it would be a proof of the truthfulness of the final and lasting prophethood. It would, as well, be a proof to posterity as it was a proof for those who preceded them. We can conclude two points from what we have said so far.
First, [there is] the superiority of the Quran over all other miracles which were accomplished by the past prophets, and over the other miracles which were accom‌ plished by our Prophet, Mui)ammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), because the Quran is lasting and timeless, and its inimitability is continuous, to be heard by all generations and to serve as proof through the centuries.
Second, the earlier sacred laws are temporary. What points to the fact that their viability has ended is that the proofs and evidence serving them have ended with the passing of the miracles which confirmed their truthfulness.
Moreover, the Quran has another unique characteristic that makes it superior to all the miracles performed by earlier prophets. This characteristic is that the Quran is responsible for the guidance of mankind٨ and for leading them to their ultimate perfection. The Quran is the guide that enlightened the uncouth and oppressive