By The Right Hand

An additional confirmation that Muhammad wrote the Quran with his own hand can be found in 69:45 of the Quran where it states that God would have “seized him by the right hand” if he uttered any other teachings.

[69:44] Had he uttered any other teachings. [69:45] We would have punished him [seized him by the right hand]. [69:46] We would have stopped the revelations to him. [69:47] None of you could have helped him.

وَلَو تَقَوَّلَ عَلَينا بَعضَ الأَقاويلِ لَأَخَذنا مِنهُ بِاليَمينِ ثُمَّ لَقَطَعنا مِنهُ الوَتينَ فَما مِنكُم مِن أَحَدٍ عَنهُ حاجِزينَ

1	la-akhadhnā	لَأَخَذْنَا	certainly we would have seized
2	min’hu	مِنْهُ	from him
3	bil-yamīni	بِالْيَمِينِ	by the right hand.

Why would God indicate that had Muhammad taught any other teachings other than the Quran that He would have seized him, Muhammad, “by the right hand”?

The context of 64:44 – 47 is about God’s revelations of the Quran, which was given to Muhammad to deliver. To provide assurances that God’s verses were not altered by the messenger, God is telling us that if Muhammad were to write any other teachings, He would have seized his right hand, thus refraining him from being able to write any more of God’s revelations.

The significance of stating that Muhammad would have been seized by the right hand is that the right hand is used for writing. We see this same word, “bil-yamīni ( بِالْيَمِينِ ),” used elsewhere in the Quran in the context of Muhammad writing the scripture with his own hand.

[29:48] You did not read the previous scriptures, nor did you write them with your right hand. In that case, the rejectors would have had reason to harbor doubts.

(٤٨) وَمَا كُنْتَ تَتْلُو مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَلَا تَخُطُّهُ بِيَمِينِكَ إِذًا لَارْتَابَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ

1	wamā	وَمَا	And not
2	kunta	كُنْتَ	you used to
3	tatlū	تَتْلُو	[you] recite / read
4	min	مِنْ	from
5	qablihi	قَبْلِهِ	before it
6	min	مِنْ	any
7	kitābin	كِتَابٍ	scripture,
8	walā	وَلَا	and not (did)
9	takhuṭṭuhu	تَخُطُّهُ	you write it
10	biyamīnika	بِيَمِينِكَ	with your right hand,
11	idhan	إِذًا	then
12	la-ir’tāba	لَارْتَابَ	surely [he] would have doubted
13	l-mub’ṭilūna	الْمُبْطِلُونَ	the falsifiers / rejectors.

This verse informs us that Muhammad did not write the previous scriptures with his right hand. This again confirms that Muhammad was a gentile who did not know the previous scripture and that he did write the Quran with his right hand, as God would have ceased it if he uttered any other teachings (69:44-47).