Category Archives: Quran

Alastair Tucker, Quran, The Quran And Its Errors: Internal Contradictions, Scientific And Historical Mistakes

The Quran And Its Errors: Internal Contradictions, Scientific And Historical Mistakes

THE QURAN AND ITS ERRORS: INTERNAL CONTRADICTIONS, SCIENTIFIC AND HISTORICAL MISTAKES
1). INTRODUCTION
We constantly see Muslims praising the ‘miracle of the Quran’. The most recent I saw was Wilmer Caviliza.
As I said to him, the only miracle about the Quran is how anyone could believe its divinely inspired. Its so full of factual errors, fallacious nonsense and self refuting contradictions it’s derisible.
Just for starters …
Here are samples of how schizophrenic the Quran can be:
2). QURAN CONTRADICTIONS
Here are a sample of internal contradictions to be found in the Quran. There are many more — see memes for a schedule.
□ What does Allah do with apostates?
• Punishes them:
“But if any turn away and reject Allah,- Allah will punish him with a mighty Punishment” (Surah 88:23-24).
• Does not care:
“There was indeed in them an excellent example for you to follow,- for those whose hope is in Allah and in the Last Day. But if any turn away, truly Allah is Free of all Wants, Worthy of all Praise” (Surah 60:6).
□ Is there compulsion in Islam?
• No:
“Unto you your religion and unto me my religion” (Surah109:6).
• Yes:
“I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them” (Surah 8:12).
□ Will Allah reward the good deeds of non-Muslims?
• No:
“It is not for such as join gods with Allah, to visit or maintain the mosques of Allah while they witness against their own souls to infidelity. The works of such bear no fruit: In Fire shall they dwell” (Surah 9:17).
• Yes:
“And whoso doeth good an atom’s weight will see it then” (Surah 99:7).
□ Who sends disbelievers astray?
• Allah:
“Allah leaves stray whom He wills and guides whom He wills” (Surah 35:8).
• Satan:
“Who whispereth in the hearts of mankind” (Surah 114:5)
□ Keeping oaths
• It matters:
“truly righteous is he who … fulfill their promise when they have made one” (Surah 2:177) and ” … whoever breaks his oath, breaks it to his own loss; and whoever fulfills the covenant that HE has made with ALLAH, HE will, surely, give him a great reward” (Surah 48:10).
• It doesn’t matter:
“Allah does not call you to account for what is vain in your oaths” (Surah 2:225) and “(This is a declaration of) immunity by Allah and His Apostle towards those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement” (Surah 9:1).
□ Having up to four wives
• It’s fair:
“If you deem it best for the orphans, you may marry their mothers – you may marry two, three, or four. If you fear lest you become unfair, then you shall be content with only one, or with what you already have” (Surah 4:3).
• It’s unfair:
“You can never be equitable in dealing with more than one wife, no matter how hard you try” (Surah 4:129)
□ Could Allah have a son?
• Yes:
“If Allah desire to take a son to Himself, He will surely choose those He pleases from what He has created” (Surah 39:4)
• No:
“The Initiator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have a son, when He never had a mate?” (Surah 6:101)
3). QURAN SCIENTIFIC ERRORS
□ Human reproduction errors
Here are four fundamental mistakes:
1. Allah did not mention the role of the women egg in human reproduction and appears to have no knowledge of it. This is not the only verse that fails to mention the important role of the female egg (86:6) makes the same mistake. The Quran says the reproduction is caused simply by the male semen. Women are just ovens! The human ovum is very small, though visible to the human eye, and only discovered 1827. It’s role is very important. It is the ovum that decides which sperm goes in and not the first sperm. But Allah only knows what 7th century Muhammad knows.
2. The lump turns into bones!!! Bones develop within the lump. Some apologists so desperate they reinvented this translation to fix this big problem!! Notice how they out in brackets (from) it is not actually in the text!!
3. Then the bones get covered with flesh. As if to emphasis the mistake in step before, the Quran goes on to show its lack of knowledge by suggesting after the bones…flesh covers it.
4. The Quran states, incorrectly, that sperm originates from a spot between the backbone and the ribs, (Surah 86:6-7). However, science has demonstrated that sperm comes from the testicles whilst semen issues from different glands behind and below our bladder.
4). MORE QURAN SCIENTIFIC INACCURACIES
□ Flat earth
The Quran is laden with verses which hint towards the impression of a “flat” earth. (Surah 13:3, 15:19, 50:7, 51:48, 71:19, 20:53) and many more write that the earth is “spread out”, “Laid out”, or “like a carpet”. Yet due to modern scientific discovery we know that the earth is actually in the shape of a circular sphere.
Just to further elaborate on this point, ever notice how the Islamic Salat indirectly hints at the idea of a flat earth? Muslims all around the world are instructed to pray towards the Kabba 5 times a day. This would only make sense if we lived on a flat earth. If, however, Islam endorsed the belief in a spherical planet, we would get the dilemma of wherever you are facing the Kaaba you also have your back to it.
□ All things were made in pairs
Within the Quran, Surah 51:49, it writes that all things were created in pairs. Yet, today we know of something called Asexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction by which offsprings arise from a single organism. It serves as the chief means by which single celled organisms are formed. Such examples include the Archaea, bacteria, various plants and fungi.
□ Shooting stars are missiles to drive out demons
The Quran teaches that stars are fires set up in the sky to guard Heaven against demons. The demons want to hear what God is saying so they try to sneak up to heaven. If they are found, the guardians of heaven will hurl stars at them to chase them off: (Surah 15:16-18, 37:6-10, 67:5 and 72:8-9).
The dilemma, however, is that the Quran is confusing “stars” with “shooting stars”. Stars, as we know, are actually suns. Shooting stars on the other hand, are meteorites, or galactic debris. If we are to take the Quran seriously, then each time we see a “shooting star” we are to assume that it is actually a sun that is blasting across the sky in the pursue of a demon.
□ The sun settles in a muddy spring
In Surah 18:86, the Quran describes the sun as setting into a muddy spring. Yet we know due to modern scientific discovery that the setting of the sun is caused by the circular and rotational properties of our planet. There exists no place where the sun physically “sets”.
5). QURAN HISTORICAL ERRORS
□ Samaria
In Surah 20:85-88, 95 we read about the story of the Prophet Moses and the Israelite rebellion in their worship of the golden calf. The interesting thing within this passage, is that a Samaritan was accused of leading the people of Allah astray.
The story of Moses and the golden calf is dated to have occurred around 1400 BC. Yet the Samaritans did NOT exist until 530 years AFTER Moses. Samaria was founded by King Omri during the year 870 BC. The Samaritans did not exist until after the exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the resettlement of the area under King Sargon II in 722 B.C.
So the question arises: How could a Samaritan lead the people of Moses astray when Samaritans did not exist during the time of Moses?
□ The practice of Crucifixion
According to Surah 12:41, the Quran writes that during the time of Joseph (in the Old Testament), death by crucifixion was actually something that existed and was being performed. Not only that, but the Quran writes in Surah 7:124, 26:49 and 20:71 that Pharaoh threatened the magicians who believed in Moses with crucifixion.
The major problem with these statements from the Quran is that there is no archeological or historical evidence that the Egyptians used crucifixion as a form of punishment in the time of Joseph, or in the time of Moses (circa 1400 BC). Crucifixion only becomes a punishment much later in history — first used by the Persians in 6th Century BC.
□ Alexander the Great
In Surah 18:83-98 we read about a man named Dhul-Qarnayn. Now, it is very rare to find an Islamic scholar who will not state that this points to Alexander the Great. Here are just some of those people: Baydawi, p. 399, al-Jalalan, p. 251, al-Tabari, p. 339, al-Zamakhshari, part 2 of al-Kash-shaf, p. 743.
The problem, however, is that the Quran describes Alexander as being a “righteous and God fearing man”. That Allah is the one who guided him and that he led people into the fold of the Islamic faith.
However, when we even do a little research on the true and historical Alexander (born 356 BC), we see that he was an idolater, claiming to be the son of the Egyptian God Amun. Very few would even consider him to be even remotely close to a righteous human being. There is also not a shred of evidence to associate him with anything Islamic which was still at least 1000 years in the future.
□ Mary mother of Jesus
In many places, the Quran mentions Mary as the sister of Moses and Aaron and the daughter of Imran. The Quran has confused Jesus’s mother with Aaron’s sister because both of them carry the same name, though there are several centuries between them.
The Quran indicates that Mary (Christ’s mother) had a brother whose name was Aaron (chapter 19:28) and a father whose name is Imran (chapter 66:12). Their mother was called “the wife of Imran” (chapter 3:35) which eliminates any doubt that it confuses Mary, mother of Jesus, with Mary, sister of Aaron.
□ The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ:
We can unashamedly call out this as an egregious historical error. ¹
In Surah 4:157, the Quran blandly tells us that Christ was never killed nor crucified. But that it was made to appear so. Rather, Allah raised Christ unto himself. While there us no consensus of who was crucified and the Quran fails to clarify the point, one traditional interpretation of this verse is that Allah replaced Jesus with Judas on the cross, hence any historical substantiation of this event would fall short on disproving the Islamic position, for they do not doubt that the crucifixion took place, but that it was Judas who took on Christ’s form.
Yet when we look to the historical record, we see that it too, also successfully dismantles this speculation, because 10 out of the 12 apostles were martyred for believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus. History shows that that they firmly believed that it was Jesus himself who was executed and raised from the dead.
In The Historical Jesus: Lecture Transcript and Course Guidebook, 2000, Ehrman says:
“ONE OF THE MOST CERTAIN FACTS OF HISTORY IS THAT JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED ON ORDERS OF THE ROMAN PREFECT OF JUDEA, PONTIUS PILATE”. (P. 162)
Atheist Professor of Early Christianity and the University of Gottinggen Gerd Ludemann says:
“JESUS’ DEATH AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CRUCIFIXION IS INDISPUTABLE”. IN THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: A HISTORICAL INQUIRY, 2004, P 50
We have at least 11 sources for the crucifixion of Jesus: Pre-Mark Passion Narrative, Q, John, Paul, Hebrews, 1 Peter 2:24, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Martyr, Josephus Flavius, & Cornelius Tacitus. Pre-Mark and Q are very early dating to within years of the actual crucifixion. There is not a single reliable source that says no crucifixion took place or that it was anyone other than Jesus.
6). CONCLUSIONS
The above is only a sample of the sort of errors and contradictions which firmly establish that the Quran cannot be a divinely inspired book. These errors are unmistakable human errors which we would expect to find in a man made book consistent with the parochial knowledge of that period.
Contrasts with the Bible show what a truly divinely inspired book looks like. Not a single error of fact whether scientific, historical or geographical can be found in it. Every new archaeological discovery in the region only serves to support it. The same goes for the manuscript record which establishes how remarkably well preserved the Bible is.
For more Quran howlers see:
wikiislam.net/wiki/Scientific_Errors_in_the_Quran
¹ See post: □ ISLAM’S NEMESIS: THE HERESY OF SURAH 4:157 25 June 2023
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Why Is The Quran And Sira Silent About Paul As A False Apostle

Why Is The Quran And Sira Silent About Paul As A False Apostle

WHEN PAUL WROTE SO MUCH OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WHY IS THE QURAN AND SIRA SILENT ABOUT HIM AS A FALSE APOSTLE SINCE THAT’S THE PREVAILING MUSLIM CLAIM?

1). INTRODUCTION 

When we find modern controversies it’s always instructive to go back to contemporary sources. Do we find a uniplural God in the OT and Targums for example? Or, what did the early church say about the Trinity long before Nicea. 

Muslims attack Paul more than any other figure from Scripture. What is their warrant for doing so? If Allah had a problem with Paul and since he penned almost a third of the New Testament, why doesn’t the Quran explicitly say so? The only relevant Quranic references rather than condemning “Pauline” Christianity actually uphold it and grant it’s followers favoured status.

See Surah 3:55 and 61:14 below

The early Islamic scholars uphold Paul. Islamic historian Ibn Ishaq (704 – 76? AD) acknowledged that Paul and John were true followers and disciples of Jesus. Al Tabari likewise.

2). THE MUSLIM DILEMMA

Here is the dilemma for Muslims, the Quran also claims that the disciples of Jesus were Muslims. According to Surah 3:52:

“…when Isa [Jesus] sensed disbelief in them, he said: “Who are my helpers in the way of Allah?” The disciples said: “We are helpers of Allah. We believe in Allah; so be our witness that we are Muslims.”“

So according to this verse of the Quran, there is no question that the apostles, including Paul, were Muslims, under the direction of Jesus. But what if we can establish that the teaching of the apostles differed starkly from the teachings of Muhammad and the Quran? Here’s an argument to ponder:

Premise 1: If the original disciples of Jesus rejected core Islamic teachings, Islam is false.

Premise 2: The original disciples of Jesus rejected core Islamic teachings.

Conclusion: Therefore, Islam is false.

In order for Muslims to escape the conclusion, they must reject one of these two premises. What possible escape routes might be available? One might be to say that the disciples of Jesus were fooled or somehow mistaken – or perhaps they corrupted the true message of Jesus sometime after this. Or maybe even the 12 disciples of Jesus are not even who is in mind here. This escape route, however, is blocked by Surah 61:14:

“O you who believe, be supporters of (the religion of) Allah, just as Isa, son of Maryam, said to the Disciples, “Who are my supporters towards Allah?” The Disciples said, “We are the supporters of (the religion of) Allah.” So a group from the children of Isra’il believed, and another group disbelieved. Then we supported those who believed against their enemy, and they became victors.”

Thus, such speculation runs into the following problem: Jesus’s apostles were victors who rose to dominance because of Allah’s support for them, indicating their message was approved by Allah. This becomes clear also when we read Surah 3:55:

“When Allah said: “O ‘Isa, I am to take you in full and to raise you towards Myself, and to cleanse you of those who disbelieve, and to place those who follow you above those who disbelieve up to the Day of Resurrection.”

The argument can be summarised as follows:

Premise 1: There were victors rising to dominance who Allah supported (Surah 3:55; Surah 61:14).

Premise 2: The victors were either Jesus’s apostles or not Jesus’s apostles.

Premise 3: If they were not Jesus’s apostles, then we would see records of these non-apostle victors.

Premise 4: We do not see such records.

Premise 5: Therefore, it is false that the victors were non-apostles.

Conclusion: Therefore, the victors were Jesus’s apostles.

So, when we read Surah 3:52, we can be sure that it is referring to the disciples. Allah blessed these persons. It was the apostles who Allah brought to dominance and vindicated.

But now a Muslim might well ask, “How do you know the apostles rejected core Islamic teachings?”

It is to this question that we now turn attention.

3). PAUL REJECTS CORE TENETS OF ISLAM YET HE IS VINDICATED BY SURAH 3.55 & 61:14 AND COMMENTARY

Let’s consider Paul the apostle. And in doing so we will start to see why Muslims must single him out for vilification.

Now, we can agree that the apostle Paul was not one of the original disciples of Jesus, but converted to Christianity following a blinding vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus first described in Acts 9. But I am going to argue that Paul was not only singled out and called personally by Jesus Himself which included at least 3 separate direct encounters with the risen Lord, but he was also approved by his peers, the original disciples of Jesus. He also did as much healing in Jesus name as any Apostle. Moreover early Islamic scholars acknowledge him to be a true disciple. 

All of this strongly suggests that his view about the nature of God and identity and mission of Christ matched that of the disciples. In any case, even in the absence of the evidence I am about to present, if we take Surah 3:55 and Surah 61:14 seriously, then Paul’s teaching must have been consistent with the disciples, because the Christianity that prevailed is what Muslim polemicists would consider to be “Pauline Christianity” – and the Quran tells us that the true followers of Jesus were the ones who achieved dominance and became the victors.

Is this a completely off-the-wall contention? No; In fact, it’s in good company.

Consider the following quotations from respected Quranic commentators:

Renowned thirteenth-century commentator Al-Qurtubi, says of Surah 61:14:

“It was said that this verse was revealed about the apostles of Jesus, may peace and blessing be upon him. Ibn Ishaq stated that of the apostles and disciples that Jesus sent (to preach) there were Peter and Paul who went to Rome; Andrew and Matthew who went to the land of the cannibals; Thomas who went to Babel in the eastern lands; Philip who went to Africa; John went to Dac-sos which is the tribe to whom the sleepers of the cave belonged; Jacob went to Jerusalem; Bartholomew went to the lands of Arabia, specifically Al-Hijaz; Simon who went to the Barbarians; Judas and Barthas who went to Alexandria and its surrounding regions.

Allah supported them (the apostles) with evidence so that they prevailed (thahirin) meaning they became the party with the upper hand. Just as it is said, “An object appeared on the wall” meaning it is clearly visible (alu-wat) on the wall. Allah, who is glorified and exalted, knows the truth better and to Him is the return and retreat.”

Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah (English translation, page 653), the earliest extant biography of Muhammad, says the following:

“Those whom Jesus son of Mary sent, both disciples and those who came after them, in the land were: Peter the disciple and Paul with him, (Paul belonged to the followers and was not a disciple) to Rome. Andrew and Matthew to the land of the cannibals; Thomas to the land of Babel, which is in the land of the east; Philip to Carthage and Africa; John to Ephesus the city of the young men of the cave; James to Jerusalem which is Aelia the city of the sanctuary; Bartholomew to Arabia which is the land of Hijaz; Simon to the land of Berbers; Judah who was not one of the disciples was put in place of Judas.”

Or consider Al Tabari’s History (Volume IV, p. 123):

“Among the apostles, and the followers who came after them were the Apostle Peter and Paul who was a follower and not an apostle; they went to Rome. Andrew and Matthew were sent to the country whose people are man-eaters, a land of blacks, we think; Thomas was sent to Babylonia in the east, Philip to Qayrawan (and) Carthage, that is, North Africa. John went to Ephesus, the city of the youths of the cave, and James to Jerusalem, that is, Aelia. Bartholomew was sent to Arabia, namely, the Hijaz; Simeon to the land of the Berbers in Africa. Judas was not then an apostle, so his place was taken by Ariobus. He filled in for Judas Iscariot after the latter had perpetrated his deed.”

Thus, Al-Qurturbi, Al Tabari, and Ibn Ishaq all are led to praise the apostle Paul as a direct consequence of these verses. Muslims were they wrong? 

4). PAUL’S TEACHING WAS CONSISTENT WITH AND APPROVED BY THE OTHER DISCIPLES

There are several independent historiographical reasons for thinking that Paul’s teaching was approved by the original disciples of Jesus. Among them are the following:

# Reason 1: Individuals in the early church, who are likely to be associated with the apostles (Polycarp, Clement, and Ignatius) speak approvingly of his letters.

# Reason 2: Never do the early church show knowledge of a fundamental dissension between Paul and Peter on matters pertinent to Christology and the nature of God, even though they often mention him alongside the apostle Peter.

# Reason 3: Paul tells us in Galatians 2 that he went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas to confirm that the gospel he was preaching to the Gentiles was the same as theirs. It is unlikely that he made this story up in order to support his own apostolic authority – because in the same chapter he also mentions the dispute that happened between Paul and Peter regarding circumcision when Peter came to Antioch.

# Reason 4: Paul makes a disinterested comment about the Apostle James in Galatians 1:18-19:

“Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to get to know Cephas, and I stayed with him 15 days. But I didn’t see any of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.” (Galatians 1:18-19 HCSB)

Notice the disinterested off the cuff remark from Paul about James. If Paul was a false Apostle inventing stories we would not expect him to just mention James in passing without making a point. The fact that Paul merely mentions James in this off the cuff way persuades historians that Paul was recalling real events about his association with the early church and Apostles.

# Reason 5: Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:9-11:

“For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.  Therefore, whether it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.” (1 Corinthians 15:9-11 HCSB)

Paul thus appears to endorse the other apostles and even goes so far as to say that he considers himself less than the least of them. Paul seems to assume that the Corinthian Christians also believed his message to be consistent with the other apostles. This strongly suggests that Paul and the other apostles were generally in agreement on core doctrines. We have no grounds whatsoever for believing otherwise.

Paul’s theology was radically at odds with core Islamic teaching, since Paul affirmed not only the deity of Christ, but also the crucifixion and resurrection (all of which are diametrically opposed to and expressly rejected by Islam).

For the purposes of argument, let’s only appeal to the non-disputed works of Paul, works that all Christian and non-Christian historians unanimously grant were written by him.

In Philippians 2:5-11, Paul quotes what is likely an early Christian hymn:

“Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11 HCSB)

The crucifixion of Jesus is already starkly at odds with Islamic theology (see Surah 4:157-158). Furthermore, there are at least three reasons why this text teaches the deity of Christ:

# Reason 1: It says that Christ was “in the form of God” and then “took the form of a servant” – he is thus putting the two in the same category, since he uses the greek word ‘morphé’ (meaning “form”) in both clauses.

# Reason 2: The context of the passage instructs us to emulate the humility of Christ. But it is no act of humility on the part of a creature to not seek to be God.

# Reason 3: Verses 10 and 11 link with Isaiah 45:23: “To me [i.e. Yahweh] every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.”

To take one further example, Paul appears to expand upon the shema (from Deuteronomy 6:4) in 1 Corinthians 8:6, identifying Jesus Christ as Lord of the shema:

“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”

This suggests, by extension, that the disciples of Jesus likewise affirmed the deity of Christ. As indeed confirmed by Peter’s declaration in Matthew 16:16 and Thomas’s in John 20:28. It also seems unlikely that they would have reached such a radical conclusion had Jesus not himself identified Himself in this way, especially given (1) the Jewish Messianic expectations; (2) The Jewish concept of God; and (3) the connotations of crucifixion to a Jew.

5). CONCLUSIONS

To conclude, there is no reason to think that Jesus’ disciples were Muslims as the Quran claims and every reason to think otherwise. This presents yet another formidable challenge to Islam and gives even more warrant for its rejection.

At the same time the Quran contradicts Surah 3:52 by acknowledging and upholding “Pauline Christianity” in Surah 3:55 and 62:14. 

So far we can conclude about Paul that he did not:

■ Teach Islamic theology

■ Teach anything at variance from orthodox Christian principles about the deity of Jesus and the facts of the crucifixion and resurrection such as would have aroused dissent from the other disciples and attracted attention in the Quran and early Islamic scholarship. 

Muslims are thus faced with three uncomfortable choices:

1). They can cling to the unsubstantiated claim of Surah 3:52 that all Jesus disciples, (which early Quranic commentary confirms included Paul), were Muslims teaching Islamic doctrine in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. 

2). They can adopt the line of Surah 3:55 and 61:14 that the followers of Jesus are made victorious and will remain dominant and uppermost up to the day of resurrection. Basically an endorsement of Pauline Christianity since no caveats or exceptions to anything Paul wrote are mentioned and he wrote almost 30% of the New Testament. 

3). If they want to claim something different ie that Paul corrupted the teaching of Jesus, they must explain why the Quran gives no support for such a claim and the argument is anyway baseless when one studies core Christian doctrines. Paul and Jesus were in lockstep on every fundamental teaching, as were Paul and the rest of the Apostles. It’s time for Muslims to put up or shut up about Paul. 

The Quran Scientific Miracle Scam

THE Quran SCIENTIFIC MIRACLE SCAM

How many times have you heard the favourite Muslim line: “There are scientific miracles in the Quran!” For decades, the Islamic world accepted they were far behind in the sciences unlike the West. Then came along a “hero” to the Arabs, Maurice Bucaille (1920-1998), a French physician of then king Faisal of Saudi Arabia. He published a book in 1976, The Bible, Quran and Science. In it, he attacked the inspiration of the Bible and cited several areas where the Quran allegedly agreed with modern science – proofs that the Quran is divine. The book paid off and Dr Bucaille went laughing to the bank.

Since then, Muslims have found a sanctuary in his theory. I’m sure if Dr Bucaille had been an African, the Arabs wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. But once a westerner (Caucasian) writes just a sentence in favour of Islam, it must make the headlines. After Dr Bucaille’s lofty appraisal of the Quran, he still didn’t convert to Islam. He remained a devoted Roman Catholic till death. Why? If he really believed that the Quran agrees with modern science and read in it that all infidels will roast in Hell, why didn’t he convert to Islam? You see, it was all for the oil money.

Today, “Bucailleism” – the idea that there are scientific miracles in the Quran – is a main topic of Islamic dawah books and videos. Muslim youths sing Bucaille’s arguments like a national anthem. But not all Muslims are excited with such buffs. Respected Muslim scholars like Maulana Ashraf Ali and Nomanul Haq have opposed “bucalleism.” Pakistani Nobel Laureate Physicist, Dr Abdus Salam counters: “There is no such thing as islamic science, nor Jewish science, Hindu science…nor Christian science.”

Come to think of it, if the Quran is so “scientific,” how come it doesn’t explain nuclear physics, quantum mechanics or molecular genetics? Why did all the great scientific discoveries of antibiotics, steam turbines, aircraft, electricity or computers come from the “infidel” Westerners instead of the turbaned sheikhs? Why is the Islamic world more eager to make bombs than vaccines? Even the term “scientific miracles” is a paradox. Sciences are not miracles and miracles are not scientific. It’s as inane as saying “elastic glass.”

In his debate with Dr Campbell, Dr Naik said: “In the olden days, it was the age of miracles, the Quran was a miracle of miracles. Then in the age of literature and poetry, it was a masterpiece. Now we are in the age of science and technology.”

This drivel reminds me of junk food – it fills you up but lacks wholesome nutrition. The Quran didn’t exist until the 7th century AD, so when was the time-frame of this “age of miracles?” Of course, Islamic miracles have long ceased, since they were either tales made up by Muhammad or his followers. Now, if the Quran was ever a “masterpiece” of literature and poetry, I can assure you that all non-Muslims would have converted to Islam, but they haven’t. In fact, the Quran is a badly written book plagued with many factual errors. This is why bucailleism is such a risky business; it exposes the Quran to scientific scrutiny.

Dr Naik continues: “The Glorious Quran is not a book of science, it’s a book of signs. And there are more than 6,000 signs in the Quran of which more than a thousand speak about science.”

These are word games. Signs are not “sciences,” they are supernatural feats while Science can be emperically tested and repeated. More than “a thousand sciences” in the Quran? This man is a politician. He should apply for the Indian cabinet.

Let’s check out some of these Quranic “scientific miracles”:

  1. The Big Bang

It is said that the Quran describes the ‘big bang’ theory in which one primary nebula separated with a big bang giving rise to galaxies. This is often laced with Sura 21:30: “Do not the unbelievers see? That the heavens and earth were joined together and we clove them asunder.”

Muslims really need to read up about the Big Bang. This theory stipulates that about 13.7 billion years ago, a tremendous explosion started the universe. Prior to this event, all the energy that transformed the matter was contained at one infinitely small point (not a nebula!) The explosion purportedly resulted into particles that gave rise to matter as well as space and time. Since the galaxies were not all clumped together, the idea of heavens and earth “being separated” as the Quran says is nonsense.

In their fervour (or rather ignorance) to find science in the Quran, the scientific miracle fans overlook the fact that the big bang theory excludes creationism which the Quran teaches. Big bang is a theory, not a scientific fact. If it’s true, then the story of God creating the earth or Adam and Eve is false. Only atheists believe in the big bang. Muslims can’t have it both ways. Besides that verse used as “proof” contradicts another one which says:
“Moreover he comprehended in his design the sky and it had been (as) smoke. He said to it and the earth ‘Come ye together willingly or unwillingly…” (Q 41:11)

In Sura 21:30, Allah is separating the heavens and the earth while in Sura 41:11, he is joining them together. Two opposite versions of the same creation event! How can such a contradiction come from God? It’s even amusing that the Quran claims heaven was a smoke.

II. Egg-Shaped Earth?

Muslims claim that the Quran foretold the shape of the earth centuries before modern science. Q 79:30 “He made the earth egg-shaped.”

The trick here is that the Quranic version quoted is of Rashad Khalifa (a man denounced as a cultist by majority Muslims). All other versions read differently:

“He spread out the earth” (Pickthall)
“He extended the earth” (Ali);
“He spread the earth (Hilali-Khan)
“He spread forth the earth” (Sher Ali)
“He stretch out the earth” (Palmer)

Far from accurately telling us the shape of the earth, this verse is actually teaching a flat earth. The Arabic word translated as “spread out” is Dahaha and all Arabic dictionaries define it as a flat bed prepared by an ostrich to lay its eggs on. Sly Muslim scholars latch on to the word “egg” and insist that the word means egg-shaped. No, the earth is geoid, not “egg shaped.” In Muhammad’s time the earth was erroneously believed to be flat and that was exactly how he described the earth in the Quran:

“And He it is who hath outstretched [Madda] the earth and place on it the firm mountain.” (13:3)

“And the earth we spread out [Madadnaha]” (15:19)

“(Yea, the same that) has made for you the earth (like a carpet) spread out [Mahdan].” (43:10)

The Arabic words Madda, Madadnaha and Mahdan all mean flat. This was why a Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, once dogmatically declared that the earth was flat. This is a shameful error, not a scientific miracle.

III. Oceanography

It is said that the Quran agrees with modern oceanography which states that when two types of water flow into one another, a slanting area is formed or an “unseen barrier.” Q 25:53 “It is Allah who let free two flowing bodies of water- one sweet and palatable, the other salt and bitter. Though they meet, they do not mix. Between them is a barrier which is forbidden to be trespassed.”

There are no “invisible barriers which is forbidden to be trespassed” between two waters. No science textbook makes such a claim. Waters do not mix immediately because of differences in temperature and density, but they do eventually. Muhammad being a superstitious man thought there was an invisible barrier between such waters. His modern followers are no different, in spite of their academic titles.

IV. Mountains and the Sinking Sun

We are told that the Quran agrees with the modern theory of plate tectonics which says that mountains work as stabilizers and act as support for the earth.
Q 16:15 “And He has thrown onto the earth mountains lest it shake with you.”

This is nonsense. Mountains do not stabilise the earth. They actually result from the movements and instability of the tectonic plates. Another ridiculous verse is: “Have We not made the earth a bed? And the mountains as pegs?” (78:7). This a cave man thinking. The earth is geoid, not flat. Muhammad being an illiterate thought the mountains are just like the pegs the old Arabs insert into the ground to support their tents.

As if these are not bad enough, Sura 18:86 says Dhul Qarnain travelled “until he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water.” Muhammad thought the earth was flat and once the sun “sinks into a murky stream” sunset came about! How can such a stupid statement come from God?

When I was a boy, there was a bedtime story we used to read. It’s a story about a village of fools who saw the moon’s reflection in their stream for the first time, felt the moon must have fallen into it. So all the villagers – both young and old – came out with nets, boats, rakes, buckets and surrounded the stream to pull the moon out of it. Today, the Quran has made a village of fools out of many Muslims. We can still pardon the ignorant 7th century Arabs who fell prey to Muhammad’s lies, but how can we pardon the educated Muslims in this 21st century who still want to be fooled?

There seems to be a beam of cloud that blocks the mind of Muslims who promote the “scientific miracle” drivel. The longer it stays, the more fame and wealth their leaders get. There are no miracles in the Quran. The only miracle is the willingness of people to be fooled.

Quran Errors

Quran Errors

Quran is the principle text of Islam and one of the three sources from which the Sharia law is cast. The Quran (also spelled Koran or Qur’an) was dictated from 609 to 632 AD by Muhammad and compiled after he died.

The most sensitive issue with the Quran concerns errors. Muslims claim the Quran is infallible and error-free, while others claim the Quran has errors.

Are there errors in the Quran?

The Quran does have errors. Some of the errors in the Quran are self-contradictions that Naskh tries to bridge. But Quran also has historical and archaeological errors, as well as errors in mathematics and logic. For example, the Quran states that one night, Allah took Muhammad to “al-Aqsa” mosque in Jerusalem:

“Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa …” – Quran 17:1

The Muslim army captured Jerusalem in 637 AD and al-Aqsa mosque was buit in the early 8th century. The problem with the above claim in the Quran is that Muhammad died before the Muslim army even reached Jerusalem and decades before al-Aqsa mosque was built (for details, see al-Aqsa Mosque).

Or consider Quran 20, which claims that Moses confronted “Aaron” and a “Samaritan” for having made the golden calf for the Israelites while he (Moses) was on Mount Sinai:

“[Moses] said, “O Aaron, what prevented you, when you saw them going astray, from following me? Then have you disobeyed my order?” [Aaron] said, “O son of my mother, do not seize [me] by my beard or by my head. Indeed, I feared that you would say, ‘You caused division among the Children of Israel, and you did not observe [or await] my word.'” [Moses] said, “And what is your case, O Samaritan?” – Quran 20:92-95

Assyria conquered the Jewish northern kingdom in 722 BC, exiled its upper class and brought in conquered people from other lands who intermarried with the lower class Jews who had been allowed to stay. Their offspring were called “Samaritans” (“Samiri” or “Samarians” in some translations of the Quran) because they occupied the region of “Samaria,” named after its original owner, “Shemer” (see 1 Kings 16:24 in the Bible). The Jews despised the Samaritans both for being a mixed race and for setting up their own temple to compete against the temple in Jerusalem.

But the golden calf incident near Mount Sinai mentioned in Quran 20:92-95 above took place in 1446 BC, which was 725 years before the first Samaritan was born in 721 BC.

It gets worse. Here is what the Quran says about Mary, the mother of Jesus:

“Then she brought [Jesus] to her people, carrying him. They said, “O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented. O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.” – Quran 19:27-28

“And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, and We breathed into (her body) of our spirit; and she believed in the words of her Lord and of His revelations, and was of the devoutly obedient.” – Quran 66:12

There are a number of “Mary” – also spelled “Maria” or “Miriam” in English – in the Bible. One of them is the mother of Jesus:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: after His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.” – Matthew 1:18

But the Mary who is the “daughter of Imran” (spelled “Amram” in the Bible) and the “sister of Aaron” was the sister of Moses who lived in the 15th century BC:

“The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam.” – Numbers 26:59

Therefore, unless Mary was 1,500 years old when she bore Jesus (see how old was Mary when she had Jesus?) – indeed, unless Joseph married a 1,500 year old virgin – Muhammad mistook two different women in the Bible as the same Mary.

Why does the Quran contain such glaring errors?

The proximate reason is that Muhammad was illiterate and therefore could not read the Bible for himself. He had only a vague and often incorrect knowledge of the Bible (see Bible vs. Quran) from what others read to him.

The ultimate reason, of course, is that Muhammad was a false prophet who confessed to mistaking the voice of Satan as God’s (see “Prophet” Muhammad) and who tried to cover up these and other embarrassing errors with Naskh.

Scientific inaccuracies in the Quran

Scientific inaccuracies in the Quran

Sperm:

The Qur’an states, incorrectly, that semen originates from a spot between the backbone and the ribs, Surah 86:6-7. However, science has demonstrated that sperm comes from the testicles whilst semen issues from different glands behind and below our bladder.

Flat earth:

The Quran is laden with verses which hint towards the impression of a “flat” earth. Surah 13:3, 15:19, 50:7, 51:48, 71:19, 20:53 and many more write that the earth is “spread out”, “Laid out”, or “like a carpet”. Yet due to modern scientific discovery we know that the earth is actually in the shape of a circular sphere.

Just to further elaborate on this point, ever notice how the Islamic Salat indirectly hints at the idea of a flat earth? Muslims all around the world are instructed to pray towards the Kabba 5 times a day. This would only make sense if we lived on a flat earth. If, however, Islam endorsed the belief in a spherical planet, we would get the following dilemma.

All things were made in pairs:

Within the Quran, surah 51:49, it writes that all THINGS were created in pairs. Yet, today we know of something called Asexual reproduction. Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction by which offsprings arise from a single organism. It serves as the chief means by which single celled organisms are formed. Such examples include the Archaea, bacteria, various plants and fungi.
Shooting stars are missiles to drive out demons:

The Qur’an teaches that stars are fires set up in the sky to guard Heaven against demons. The demons want to hear what God is saying so they try to sneak up to heaven. If they are found, the guardians of heaven will hurl stars at them to chase them off: 15:16-18, 37:6-10, 67:5 and 72:8-9.

The dilemma, however, is that the Quran is confusing “stars” with “shooting stars”. Stars, as we know, are actually suns. Shooting stars on the other hand, are meteorites, or galactic debris. If we are to take the Quran seriously, then each time we see a “shooting star” we are to assume that it is actually a sun that is blasting across the sky in the pursue of a demon.
The sun settles in a muddy spring:

In surah 18:86, the Quran describes the sun as setting into a muddy spring. Yet we know due to modern scientific discovery that the setting of the sun is caused by the circular and rotational properties of our planet. There exists no place where the sun physically “sets”.

Historical inaccuracies in the Quran

Historical inaccuracies in the Quran

Samaria:

In Surah 20:85-88, 95 we read about the story of the Prophet Moses and the Israelite rebellion in their worship of the golden calf. The interesting thing within this passage, is that a SAMARITAN was accused of leading the people of Allah astray.

The story of Moses and the golden calf is dated to have occurred around 1400 BC. Yet the Samaritans did NOT exist until 530 years AFTER Moses. Samaria was founded by King Omri during the year 870 BC. The Samaritans did not exist until after the exile of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the resettlement of the area under King Sargon II in 722 B.C.

So the question arises: How could a Samaritan lead the people of Moses astray when Samaritans did not exist during the time of Moses?

Crucifixion:

According to Surah 12:41, the Quran writes that during the time of Joseph (in the Old Testament), death by crucifixion was actually something that existed and was being performed. Not only that, but the Quran writes in Surah 7:124, 26:49 and 20:71 that Pharaoh threatened the magicians who believed in Moses with crucifixion.

The major problem with these statements from the Qur’an is that there is no archeological or historical evidence that the Egyptians used crucifixion as a form of punishment in the time of Joseph, or in the time of Moses. Crucifixion only becomes a punishment much later in history.

Alexander the great:

In surah 18:83-98 we read about a man named Dhul-Qarnayn. Now, it is VERY rare to find a scholar of the Islamic religion which will not state that this points to Alexander the great. Here are just some of those people: Baydawi, p. 399, al-Jalalan, p. 251, al-Tabari, p. 339, al-Zamakhshari, part 2 of al-Kash-shaf, p. 743.

The problem, however, is that the Quran describes Alexander as being a “righteous and God fearing man”. That Allah is the one whom guided him and that he lead people into the fold of the Islamic faith.

However, when we even do a little research on the true and historical Alexander, we see that he was an idolater, claiming to be the son of the Egyptian God Amun. Very few would even consider him to be even remotely close to a righteous human being.

Mary, the Quranic confusion:

In many places, the Qur’an mentions Mary as the sister of Moses and Aaron and the daughter of Imran. The Qur’an has confused Jesus’ mother with Aaron’s sister because both of them carry the same name, though there are several centuries between them.

The Qur’an indicates that Mary (Christ’s mother) had a brother whose name was Aaron (chapter 19:28) and a father whose name is Imran (chapter 66:12). Their mother was called “the wife of Imran” (chapter 3:35) which eliminates any doubt that it confuses Mary, mother of Jesus, with Mary, sister of Aaron.

The gospel of Jesus Christ:

In surah 4:157, the Quran unashamedly tells us that Christ was never killed nor crucified. But that it was made to appear so. Rather, Allah raised Christ unto himself. The traditional interpretation of this verse is that Allah replaced Jesus with Judas on the cross, hence ANY historical substantiation of this event would fall short on disproving the Islamic position, for they do not doubt that the crucifixion took place, but that it was Judas who took on Christ’s form.

Yet when we look to the historical record, we see that it too, also successfully dismantles this elucidation, because 10 out of the 12 apostles were martyred for believing in the MURDER and RESSURECTION of Jesus. History shows that that they firmly believed that it was Jesus himself who was murdered raised from the dead.

In The Historical Jesus: Lecture Transcript and Course Guidebook, 2000, Ehrman says:

“ONE OF THE MOST CERTAIN FACTS OF HISTORY IS THAT JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED ON ORDERS OF THE ROMAN PREFECT OF JUDEA, PONTIUS PILATE”. (P. 162)

Atheist Professor of Early Christianity and the University of Gottinggen Gerd Ludemann says:

“JESUS’ DEATH AS A CONSEQUENCE OF CRUCIFIXION IS INDISPUTABLE”. IN THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST: A HISTORICAL INQUIRY, 2004, P 50

We have at least 11 sources for the crucifixion of Jesus: Pre-Mark Passion Narrative, Q, John, Paul, Hebrews, 1 Peter 2:24, Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Martyr, Josephus Flavius, & Cornelius Tacitus. Pre-Mark and Q are very early dating to within years of the actual crucifixion.

Other less valuable sources such as Lucian, Mesa Bar Serapion (depends on dating), Thallus and the Talmud all affirm a constant tradition of Jesus’ crucifixion.

If this was really Judas on the cross, then surely they would have been aware. SURELY they would not have been willing to die for something they knew was false. So again, if we take the above mentioned interpretation into account, Islam is left with the following 2 problems:

If it was really Judas on the cross, then Islam is immediately contradicted by the historical sources that tell us Jesus was crucified and all those who knew him believed and died for the belief that he was crucified.
If Allah transformed Judas into Jesus, then the corruption of Islam, which eventually gave birth to Christianity, is Allah’s fault. For he is responsible for deceiving the masses, only to amend it hundreds of years later.

Now there does exist other interpretations such as “Christ did not die, but he merely fainted”. Yet all still manage to fail when brought under scrutiny of what history has to say concerning the crucifixion of Jesus.

Quran says the Bible is not corrupted

Quran says the Bible is not corrupted

Unfortunately for you the Quran says the Bible is not corrupted

Torah – “We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of messengers,” (Sura 2:87).1

Psalms – “We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms,” (4:163).

Gospel – “It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong),” (3:3).
Also, “And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah,” (5:46)

You claim that the Bible is corrupted and full of contradictions. If that is so, then it would seem they do not believe the Qur’an since the Qur’an says that the Word of God cannot be altered:

“Rejected were the messengers before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the words (and decrees) of Allah. Already hast thou received some account of those messengers,” (6:34).
“The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in truth and in justice: None can change His words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all,” (6:115).
“For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity,” (10:64).
When Muhammad (570-632) was alive, he claimed to receive the revelation of the Qu’ran from Allah. This means that at that time the Bible, which was in existence, could not have been corrupted because the Qu’ran states that God’s word cannot be corrupted.

The question I have for the you is “When and where was the Bible corrupted since the Qu’ran says that the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel are from Allah and Allah’s words cannot be changed?”