Does the Quran have a linguistic miracle?

Is there any sound hadith or narration in which people noticed the linguistic miracle of the Quran?
Some people say that people did not know about the linguistic miracle of the Quran in the early days of Islam, ad that it was something that was developed later by scholars. Those people say that there are no sound hadith narrations because of which people accepted Islam due to a linguistic miracle. What are your thoughts on the issue? They also say that the miraculousness of the Quran regarding the literary miracle started to be discussed a few years after the death of Prophet Muhammad. Thank you very much. 

Dear Brother / Sister,

A voluminous book would have to be written to explain this issue. However, we will mention a few points as an example:

a) First of all, it is inappropriate to expect a hadith directly from the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue because the challenges in the Quran called “Tahaddi” and the examples of linguistic miracles called rhetoric and eloquence are sufficient to show the miraculousness of the Qur’an.

b) For example, Walid b. Mughira, one of the prominent poets, as a representative of the polytheists, went to listen to the Quran being recited by the Prophet (pbuh) in order to determine its source. But when he returned, he said to those who were waiting for him, “By Allah, what I heard from Muhammad (pbuh) now is not like the words of men or jinn. Its language is sweet and fresh; its top is fruitful and its bottom is blessed. And this Quran is always superior and cannot be defeated.” (see Manahil al-Irfan, 1/215)

c) As it is known, the rhetoric and eloquence of the Quran is linguistic. Now, the following findings of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, based on scholarly sources, constitute an important answer:

- The eloquence the Quran has demonstrated from that age till now is illustrated by the following: it caused Labid’s daughter to remove from the walls of the Ka’ba the famous verses written in gold of the most celebrated poets called the Seven Hanging Poems, and to declare while doing so: “Beside the verses of the Quran these no longer have any value!” (Sözler, p. 446)

His full name is Labid b. Rebia. One of the most distinguished poems of the greatest poets of that time, known as “Mu’allaqat as-Sab’a (Seven Hanging Poems)”, translated into various eastern and western languages and hung on the wall of the Kaaba in golden letters by the jury, belongs to Labid. And this man later became a Muslim, amazed by the eloquence of the Quran. Labid’s life is a historical fact, as he lived in both the Jahiliyya and Islamic periods, and was therefore given the title “Mukhadramun”. According to some narrations, after he became a Muslim, he never wrote poetry again due to his respect for the Quran.

The Prophet (pbuh) appreciated Labid’s couplet, “Know very well that everything other than Allah is false and every blessing is doomed to perish” and said, “No poet has ever uttered a truer word than this.” (Ibn Athir, Usdul-Ghaba, 4/514)

- Also, when a Bedouin poet heard the verse, “فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ (Therefore expound openly what you are commanded)” being recited, he bowed down in prostration. When asked if he had become a Muslim, he replied: “No, I was prostrating before the eloquence of this verse.” (see Ahmed Cevdet Paşa, Kısas-ı Enbiya, 1/78)

- Also, thousands of brilliant scholars and learned literary figures like the geniuses of the science of rhetoric, Abd al-Qahir Jurjani, Sakkaki, and Zamakhshari, all reached the conclusion that, “The Quran’s eloquence is beyond man’s power, he could not achieve it.” (Sözler, p. 446)

- “Verily this is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth- To thy heart and mind, that thou mayest admonish. In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.” (ash-Shuara, 26/192-195) The verses of the Quran above draw attention to the linguistic aspect of the Quran and state that this language was clear enough for the Arabs - at least a significant number of them - the addressees of that day, to understand.

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