I have been told that there are certain intrinsic characteristics that naturally develop in every human being, and only through major environmental conditioning will they not show. These are the characteristics of inclining toward the belief in a Higher Spiritual Power, compassion, and justice.
It's a claim I've heard, and through my personal observation, I feel it has some weight. It does seem to me that these are ALMOST universal characteristics, though social conditioning can definitely warp them, and it does, as we have seen happen throughout history and continue to see. It seems though, from my dealings with people, that if one digs deep into people, no matter how they appear outwardly, one finds seeds of these things that can be cultivated.
I know that sounds sort of off-topic, but I find that strongly interwoven with why I accept the Qur'aan as a message from God. It gives the message (along with its partner the hadith) that people possess the ability to differentiate between right and wrong within them and that people are naturally inclined toward good. I'm not saying that any of these ideas are exclusive to Islamic texts, but that's part of the reason I believe in it so, as I will get to soon. So, one, I guess is that it calls out to the basic goodness that I feel I have observed in humanity.
Second.. I see it's message as one calling out to ALL humanity, and it's call is to being united in heart. This, you could say, appeals to my nature.
So, the above two reasons are just what I like about the message and why I feel it emanates from what I would imagine someone who's in charge of everything would be like. Of course, those are very subjective reasons, and I'm just typing as I think through this.
Three is probably the Qur'aanic claim that God has been sending messengers to every nation that existed since the first of our species. Along with the belief that people intrinsically seek good things, this adds to how so many good and similar teachings can be found within all religious traditions. I see both monotheism and polytheism in different historical documents that I come across from different parts of the world. This seems to also fit in with the Qur'aanic claim that there has continuously been throughout history a movement toward polytheism and a return to monotheism, and sometimes a weird mix sort of thing between the too (which I would categorize as polytheism under the guise of monotheism). I am happy to accept the good found in the texts of all religions, and I'm sure they carry many remnants of wisdom within them. I believe that most religions are somehow more or less rooted in God's teachings... just things get warped with time. Which brings me to point four.
Four is probably the issue of the preservation of the Qur'aan. From what I have studied, it seems to be the most carefully preserved book of influence from its era and prior. I think all matters of beliefs require a leap of faith. Honestly speaking, there is no absolute proof that any of our religious texts have been accurately preserved (or for any beliefs not based on hard objective evidence). However, when it comes to the preservation of the Qur'aan, the holes in the story are really, really small. It's more like 'hops of faith' than 'leaps of faith'. So, there's a very strong historical argument that the words that Muhammad (pbuh) taught his companions as the Qur'aan are the same words I'm reciting today. That is also a factor. Just the fact that we very most likely have the actual words in their original language.
Five is the supporting body of hadith and the strong filtration system our scholars developed to help sift out information about the time of revelation that is false from what is true. Again, not foolproof, but better than any other from that time period and prior.
Six would be the positive change that it brought to the area. (from history and observation)
Seven would be what kind of person Muhammad (pbuh) was and what he did. (from hadith)
Eight would be the style in which the Qur'aan is written. The more I study of it in Arabic, the more I appreciate how amazing it is. The beginning of certain chapters with random letters is like a challenge... as if saying.. here.. these are letters you use every day.. I'm not using anything out of the ordinary for you.. now produce something like it. How it constantly makes statements using Arabic grammatical structures with "understood" components is also amazing, because the same commandment or phrase can be used in a gazillion totally different situations. This is hard to explain in a post like this, but a small example might be praise for a person who "gives" in order to improve upon himself. Gives is a transitive verb... a normal sentence would include an object for that, but in that verse, the object of the sentence is to be "filled in" by the reader. The verse then applies to the one who can give time, give wealth, give an okay.. whatever. The verses are so versatile and can apply to so much. There's just so much to be said about the style in which the Qur'aan is written, and I discover more and more wondrous elements all the time. True, I already have an idea in my head and I'm looking for them, but what keeps me going is that I KEEP finding them. It really is amazing and I truly have seen nothing like it.. no joke.
Nine, is the message itself (which some of my first points mentioned some of the details of) with monotheism being at its essence. Besides the concept of an eternal punishment for some people in Hell (which is the more prominent opinion regarding what the Qur'aan is saying, though I hope that the minority opinion that it is annihilated after a long time turns out to be true), and some harsh punishments mandated for certain types of theft, murder, adultery, and high-treason (as I understand the texts), I find everything else ranging from absolutely beautiful to easy to accept (since I observe evident good in it). As for those punishments, I do find their legislation rather hard on me, but I accept.
Just to make it a list of ten.. hmm... I do not believe that the Qur'aan was ever meant to be a science book. I am not a supporter of trying to use its verses to prove scientific theories and such. However, I don't think I've ever come across any scientific fact/set of facts that clearly contradicts all logical/acceptable interpretations of any verse. Rather, I find the opposite often, where verses seem to be very much in line with what we know from science.
I was just kind of rambling.. this isn't meant to be a well thought out analysis... just some things I think about once in a while, and since we were asked, brought up.
As for more recent texts that are also accurately preserved like the Book of Mormon or the Bahai Scriptures, these I do not accept because (1) they clearly contradict elements of a prior well-preserved book which I believe in due to the aforementioned reasons, (2) in the case of B. of Mormon, it contradicts essential matters of theology found within Judaism and Islam (and even what Christianity agrees with us), and (3) in the case of the Baha'i Scriptures, I looked up some of the ones that were written by the founder in Arabic and they sound like a non-native Arabic speaker/school kid wrote them. That just doesn't work for me. Plus.. some stuff, especially in Mormonism, is just kinda weird to me... doesn't seem logical.
Oh... something I also find amazing... how millions of Muslims around the world, even kids, have the Qur'aan memorized cover to cover in their hearts, and over a billion have parts of it carried in their hearts. True, one can think of this as a manifestation of the importance WE attach to it, but still, it's fascinating that something could earn that much respect. Now, if I could just get all of those who memorize to try to study what it says.
Probably could have written this better... but, oh well.