—events that had taken place long before his time, events that unfolded during his own lifetime, and events that continue to occur in every age. Were it not for revelation, none of this would ever have reached him, and neither he nor anyone else would have had any means of knowing it.
At another point the Quran confirms his prophethood by showing how Allah preserved and protected him from all people. Though his enemies closed ranks against him, pressing hard and exhausting every possible stratagem to bring him down, Allah shielded him, kept him safe from them, and granted him victory over them. This could only be because he is truly His Messenger, the trustee of His revelation, charged with conveying what he was commanded.
Elsewhere it establishes his prophethood by pointing to the majesty of what he brought—the Quran, about which Allah says, “Falsehood cannot approach it from before it nor from behind it; it is a revelation from One who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy” (Fussilat 41:42). He challenged his opponents and the disbelievers to produce something like it, or ten surahs like it, or even a single surah. They failed and turned back in utter disappointment, even though they were the very masters of the Arabic tongue, unrivalled in eloquence and oratory. Despite their intense zeal and repeated attempts, they could not produce a single surah comparable to it, nor—strive as they might—could they detect in it any defect or flaw that would lower it from the highest pinnacle of eloquence that had captivated their hearts. Driven to despair, they resorted to the sword and the shedding of their own blood—something they would never have done had they found any way to oppose it with words or with the learning and wisdom they claimed to possess. Their recourse to armed force thus became the greatest testimony to the truthfulness of the Messenger ﷺ—that he speaks not from his own desire; it is nothing but revelation revealed to him—and the most decisive proof that the Quran is truth and guidance from Allah, in which He has gathered for His Messenger and for the believers everything that secures their happiness in this world and the next in every sphere of life. Indeed, the Quran is the broadest, most magnificent evidence of his prophethood.
Allah, exalted is He, states in several places that the Quran alone is more than sufficient as the sole proof of the veracity of His Messenger ﷺ, as in His words: “Is it not enough for them that We have sent down to you the Book that is recited to them? In that indeed there is mercy and a reminder for people who believe” (al-ʿAnkabūt 29:51).
At other times He establishes his prophethood through the miracles manifested at his hands and the extraordinary signs and honors granted to him. Each of these, on its own—let alone when taken together—testifies that he is the true, confirmed Messenger of Allah ﷺ who speaks only what is revealed to him.
Still other times it is affirmed by the greatness of his compassion for all creation, his complete tenderness toward his community, and his kindness and mercy toward the believers. Never has there been, nor will there be, anyone more compassionate, more dutiful, or more beneficent to people than he—and the evidence of this is plain for all to see.
Allah has mentioned these matters and methods abundantly in His Book, establishing them in varied expressions, detailed meanings, and wondrous styles. Their examples exceed all counting. Allah knows best.