Islam critiqued compares the extremes; The disgraced mad poets and the noble prophets

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

In answer to the video "How Islam Shaped Its Sources"

When the prophet's opponents charged him for being a mad poet, the calumny does not come in the context of him putting religious themes in a poetic speech. Preislamic poetry abounded in themes varrying from vivid lustful language to history, soothsaying, propaganda, incitements against other tribes, to epic tales of honor, mentions of Allah and/or other deities, mention of Abraham and the sacrifice, praise of the holy sanctuary etc. So it is not true that the contemporaries of the prophet would find it odd for honorable and religious themes to be included in poetry. 

Yet when the Quran addressed each of those themes, it did so with refinement and a meaningful choice of words and structure that gave a multifaceted, intricate moral and spiritual dimension to the issue. They could not classify it in any genre due to many factors, including contents and form. The many intricate types and subtypes of the Jahiliyya poetry are well known, and it is the Quran's particular structure, not belonging to any of the established pattern, that made them unable to counter it.

Ibn Ishaq recorded al-Walid bin Mugira's reaction to the Quran:

"They said, "He is a kahin." He said, "By God, he is not that, for we have seen the kahins, and his (speech) is not unintelligible murmuring (zamzama) and rhymed prose (sajc) of a kahin." "Then he is possessed (majnun)," they said. "No, he is not that," he said. "We have seen and known the possessed state, and here is no choking, spasmodic movements, and whispering." "Then he is a poet," they said. "He is not that," he replied. "We have known poetry in all its forms and meters, and this is not poetry." "Then he is a sorcerer," they said. "No, he is not that," he said, "for we have seen sorcerers and their sorcery, and here is no spitting and no knots." 

When the prophet's early opponents completely ostracized the Bani Hashim and Muttalib by organizing a severe social and economic blocade on them, they in parralel also commissioned the most eloquent of their poets to ridicule him, his followers and his message. They propagated false rumors on him to all pilgrims coming in and out of the city who were his main audience, as well as in the markets. They maintained that the reason why the Quran appealed to people was not that it was revealed by God but because Muhammad possessed such a strong eloquent expression he could charm the people 21:3. They held that he fabricated the verses of the Quran with the help of some Satanic Jinn and presented these before the people in the garb of divine inspirations. The Quran mentions these charges at various places and then answers them

26:210-212"And the Shaitans have not come down with it. And it behoves them not, and they have not the power to do (it). Most surely they are far removed from the hearing of it".

The words "it behoves them not" imply that Satan would not do something against his own mission. This is the same kind of argument, as was adopted by Jesus in response to the Pharisees in Lk11. Evil forces have no power over it and it shows from the idolators and their jinns' failure to the Quran's repeated challenges to come up with 3 sentences like it. And on the accusations of him being an eloquent and demon possessed poet, the Quran would use simple observation to refute their claims, firstly by pointing to the well known and undisputed upright character of Muhammad

36:69-70"And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it meet for him; it is nothing but a reminder and a plain Quran. That it may warn him who would have life, and (that) the word may prove true against the unbelievers".

The Quran would also contrast those who followed the prophet and those who listened to and followed these kinds of mad, demon possessed poets

26:224-226"And those who are strayed follow the poets. Did you not notice that they wander everywhere? And they say what they practice not".

The verse raises the point that those who followed the poets had a sinful nature, because of the nature of the poems the likes of those of Imrul-Qays, incited in their hearts while those who were captivated by the Quran's eloquence, that was obviously different than the rhetoric of the enchanters, were another kind of people. What the prophet was reciting was obviously more than poetic lofty thoughts, and some predictions like those of the sooth-sayers, and those who will keep opposing him will be deprived of its wisdom 10:1-2.