Contradictions in the Quran?

Critic:-

Though the Quran asserts that it is free of contradictions, there are many contradictions in it, showing that it cannot be from God. To prove this here are 12 of them.

Comment:-

We already know that you are a hostile unbeliever and will, therefore, seek and find things that you can interpret as contradictory. But even you should know that Muslims do not interpret things as you do. Nor is it a very intelligent way of interpreting the verses.

Such a lot of confusion and such great desperate effort to establish your own negativity, having learnt nothing at all on the way!!! It only shows naive literalism without understanding of what is being conveyed!

Do you really think these criticisms are likely to impress us or do your reputation any good?

Do you not know that one can prove anything one likes by selected bits out of context? Does the Quran not tell you that it makes some people worse when they do not read it as it should be read?.

Lets look at these supposed contradictions:-

(1) UNBELIEVERS ARE RAISED FROM THE GRAVE BLIND

[20.124] And whoever turns away from My reminder, his shall be a straitened life, and We will raise him on the day of resurrection, blind.

YET THEY SEE

[37.19] So it shall only be a single cry, when lo! they shall see.

Comment:-

The verses are speaking about understanding.

In 20:124, (look at the following verses) they were blind in that they had ignored or forgotten the revelations. In 37:19 (look at the next verse) they understood that it was the Day of Judgement.

"But he who turns away from Remembrance of Me, verily, for him shall be a narrow life; and I shall bring him blind to the assembly on the Day of Resurrection. He shall say: My Lord! Wherefore have you gathered me blind when I used to see? He shall say: Our revelations came to you, and you did forget them; In like manner are you forgotten this Day!" 20:124

And

"So it shall only be a single Shout, when lo! They shall see. And they shall say: O woe to us! This is the Day of Judgment. (A voice will say,) This is the Day of the Judgment which you called a lie." 37:19-21

Do you not see that they were brought blind to the Day of Judgement but that on the Day of Judgement they did see - their eyes were opened. Do you not see that the blindness refers to their denial of the Day of Judgement BEFORE they came to it and when they came to it they could not deny it.

(2) THEIR MOUTHS ARE SEALED

[36:65] On that day We will set a seal upon their mouths, and their hands shall speak to Us, and their feet shall bear witness of what they earned.

YET THEY SPEAK

[20:125] He shall say: My Lord! why hast Thou raised me blind and I was a seeing one indeed?

Comment:-

In 36:65, the verse tells us their hands shall speak and their feet shall bear witness. How does it contradict 20:125. The contradiction appears to be in the critics mind. Speak is not to be taken literally.

(3) THIS IS AN ADMONITION, SO TAKE HEED IF YOU WILL

[74.55] So whoever pleases may mind it.

AS IF YOU CAN

[74.56] And they will not mind unless Allah please.

Comment:-

74:55 says "let any who will pay heed (or remember)." 74:56 says "None will pay heed (or remember) unless Allah wills." I cannot see any contradiction. In Islam God is not a man. It is Allah who gives us all the abilities. If you want to lift your arm, this depends on whether the muscles are healthy or damaged. Is there a contradiction between saying: lift your arm if you can and you will not be able to do this unless your arm muscles work.

(4) GOD ASSISTS PROPHETS, SAVES THEM AND DESTROYS UNBELIEVERS, AD, THAMUD, NOAH, ETC, ETC, KORAN IS FULL OF THEIR STORIES

[37.172] Most surely they (THE PROPHETS) shall be the assisted ones

[67.18] And certainly those before them rejected (the truth), then how was My disapproval.

[43.25] So We inflicted retribution on them, then see how was the end of the rejecters.

YET NOT ALL

[2.91] .. Why then did you kill Allah's Prophets ... ?

Comment:-

Allah assists Prophets in spreading His Word. He verse does not say that He prevents people from killing them. If 37:172 (that God helps his servants) and 43:25 (that those who oppose him are defeated) contradict 2:91 (that Prophets were killed), would you say that God did not help Jesus or that he was not persecuted or that those who persecuted him were not defeated and his mission did not triumph?

(5) GOD DOES NOT ACCUSE ANYONE OF THE CRIME OF ANOTHER SOUL, HE IS JUST

[53.38] That no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another-

YET THE JEWS AT THE TIME OF MUHAMAD ARE GUILTY OF PROPHET KILLING THAT HAPPENED CENTURIES AGO

[2.91] And when it is said to them, Believe in what Allah has revealed, they say: We believe in that which was revealed to us; and they deny what is besides that, while it is the truth verifying that which they have. Say: Why then did you kill Allah's Prophets before if you were indeed believers?

Comment:-

53:38 tells us that no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. 2:91 tells us that people killed the Prophets. Where does it say that others will be punished for this? What the verse points out is that though they profess to believe what Allah sent them yet they killed the Prophets Allah sent. They were contradicting themselves.

Critic:-

[3.181] Allah has certainly heard the saying of those who said: Surely Allah is poor and we are rich. I will record what they say, and their killing the prophets unjustly, and I will say: Taste the chastisement of burning. As you can see from 3:181, "God" deems all Jews guilty of the crime of a few. It sounds to me that all Jews earned hell because of the guilt of prophet killers, whenever they supposedly lived.

[2.61] And abasement and humiliation were brought down upon them, __AND THEY BECAME DESERVING OF ALLAH'S WRATH__; this was so because they Disbelieved in the communications of Allah and killed the prophets unjustly; this is so because they disobeyed and exceeded the limits.

Comment:-

3:181 says: "Those who said...

Sometimes whole groups or communities are addressed because they all believe the same thing or act in the same way - that is what identifies them. This in no way flouts the principle that each person will be judged according to their own deeds and faith. It is also necessary to understand that there is a difference between the consequences on earth and the judgement on the Day of Judgement. Nations have certainly been destroyed in this world and the Jews were certainly expelled from Israel and Judah.

Critic:-

Then it appears that Jews told Muhammad that according to their religion they must see a certain kind of miracle to know a prophet, and Muhammad's response is "There were prophets before me who had such miracles that you demand, WHY DID YOU KILL THEM THEN IF YOU ARE TRUTHFUL?"

[3.183] (Those are they) who said: Surely Allah has enjoined us that we should not believe in any apostle until he brings us an offering which the fire consumes. Say: Indeed, there came to you apostles before me with clear arguments and with that which you demand; why then did you kill them if you are truthful?

How does that make any sense?

Comment:-

I do not see what you are puzzled by. It seems clear enough to me. The verses tell us that the Jews were demanding miracles or other signs, but when they came those miracles and signs did not convince them. In fact, they were probably hypocrites making excuses and unnecessary difficulties. Something like you, in fact. Such miracles and signs are not proofs. What is required is insight and the desire and ability to understand.

(6) MUHAMAD ASKS OF NO MONEY

[12.104] And you do not ask them for a reward for this; it is nothing but a reminder for all mankind.

YET HE DOES

[47.38] Behold! you are those who are called upon to spend in Allah's way, but among you are those who are niggardly.

Comment:-

12:104 tells us that Muhammad takes no fee for conveying the revelations. 47:38 requires us to spend our wealth in the cause of Allah, usually as charity. Nothing is said about paying the Prophet for his services.

(7) IDOLATERS ADMIT THEY WORSHIPPED IDOLS, BUT IDOLS CLAIM IDOLATERS WERE NOT WORSHIPPING THEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE, WHICH IS WHY THEY ARE GOING TO HELL

[16.86] And when those who associate (others with Allah) shall see their associate-gods, they shall say: Our Lord, these are our associate-gods on whom we called besides Thee. But they will give them back the reply: Most surely you are liars.

IDOLATERS DENY THEY WERE WORSHIPPING IDOLS EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE, WHICH IS WHY THEY ARE GOING TO HELL (THIS CONTRADICTS THE ONE ABOVE FOR IDOLATERS SAY TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, ALSO IT CONTRADICTS THE VERSE WHERE IT SAYS THEY CANNOT SPEAK ON THE JUDGEMENT DAY)

[40.74] Besides Allah? They shall say: They are gone away from us, nay, we used not to call upon anything before. Thus does Allah confound the unbelievers.

BOTH IDOLATERS AND IDOLS LIE EVEN THOUGH LYING IS NOT POSSIBLE ON THAT DAY (THIS CONTRADICTS BOTH OF THE ABOVE)

[78.38] The day on which the spirit and the angels shall stand in ranks; they shall not speak except he whom the Beneficent God permits and who speaks the right thing.

Comment:-

16:86 says the idolaters assert that the idols they worshiped were partners of God, but the idols deny that they were partners. 40:74 states that the idols they worshipped failed them. 78:38 tells us that those who are permitted speak the truth. Where is the lie? Where is the contradiction?

(8) GOD HAS NO PARTNER IN HIS KINGDOM

[17.111] And say: (All) praise is due to Allah, Who has not taken a son and Who has not a partner in the kingdom, and Who has not a helper to save Him from disgrace; and proclaim His greatness magnifying (Him).

SO EITHER THE ANGEL SPEAKING HERE TO ABRAHAM IS GOD, OR THERE IS A CONTRADICTION.

[15.58] They said: Surely we are sent towards a guilty people,

[15.59] Except Lut's followers: We will most surely deliver them all,

[15.60] Except his wife; We ordained that she shall surely be of those who remain behind.

AND THIS MYSTERIOUS WISE MAN, (IDENTIFIED AS KHIDHR TRADITIONALLY) SPEAKS IN ROYAL WE, AS IF HE IS GOD

[18.80] And as for the boy, his parents were believers and we feared lest he should make disobedience and ingratitude to come upon them:

[18.81] So we desired that their Lord might give them in his place one better than him in purity and nearer to having compassion.

Comment:-

17:111 tells us God has no partner. 15:57-60 tells us about what the angelic messengers said. 18:79-81 tells us what the servant of God said. This person is described in 18:66. "Then they found a servant of Ours, to whom We had given mercy from Ourselves, and had taught him knowledge from Our Presence." Where does it say God has a partner? But Prophets and angels can speak on behalf of God.

(9) THE UNBELIEVER'S BOOK IS GIVEN FROM HIS LEFT HAND, ON THE JUDGMENT DAY, AS OPPOSED TO THOSE WHO GET THEIR BOOKS GIVEN FROM THEIR RIGHT (THE BELIEVERS)

[69.25] And as for him who is given his book in his left hand he shall say: O would that my book had never been given me:

MAYBE THOSE ARE MORE UNBELIEVERS, THEIR BOOK IS GIVEN FROM THEIR BACK

[84.10] And as to him who is given his book behind his back.

Comment:-

In 69:19-25 The righteous are given their record in their right hand, but the unrighteous receive their record in the left hand.

In 84:7-10 the righteous are also given their record in their right had, but the unrighteous receive their record behind their back. Right/left hand and front/back are obviously symbolic, the right hand being equated with the front and left with the back. The left hand can be thought of as being tied behind the back.

(10) THE KORAN IS THE WORD OF GOD ALONE (AND IT IS CLEAR WHEN GOD QUOTES OTHER CHARACTERS)

[41.42] Falsehood shall not come to it from before it nor from behind it; a revelation from the Wise, the Praised One.

YET SOME OF IT IS GABRIEL'S WORDS DIRECTLY, NO QUOTING

[19.64] And we do not descend but by the command of your Lord; to Him belongs whatever is before us and whatever is behind us and whatever is between these, and your Lord is not forgetful.

AND YET SOME ARE MUHAMAD'S

[6.114] Shall I then seek a judge other than Allah? And He it is Who has revealed to you the Book (which is) made plain; and those whom We have given the Book know that it is revealed by your Lord with truth, therefore you should not be of the disputers.

Comment:-

41:42 tells us that the Quran is true, a revelation from God.

19:64 tells us that the angels do not descend except by the command of God. 6:113-115 tells us that unbelievers should also listen to the Quran and gain from it what they can, and that the Book was sent to Muhammad. The verses can be understood as God speaking on behalf of Muhammad and the Angels or telling us what they should say. It is understood that 6:115 starts "Say (O Muhammad):" and that 19:64 starts "(The Angels say:)" Allah is quoting Muhammad and the Angels. The critic understand who is speaking, but still thinks that there is a contradiction between saying that the Quran is a revelation from God, that it comes through the medium of Gabriel and that it is recited by Muhammad. Why does he think so? If an apple comes from a Tree and is transported by a train and sold by a grocer, does it cease to be an apple?

(11) IT IS NOT POSSIBLE THAT MUHAMMAD COULD HAVE FORGED THE KORAN

[17.88] Say: If men and jinn should combine together to bring the like of this Quran, they could not bring the like of it, though some of them were aides of others.

[29.48] And you did not recite before it any book, nor did you transcribe one with your right hand, for then could those who say untrue things have doubted.

YET IT IS POSSIBLE

[11.35] Or do they say: He has forged it? Say: If I have forged it, on me is my guilt, and I am clear of that of which you are guilty.

Comment:-

17:88 The Quran is inimitable. 29:48 - The Prophet did not recite any other scripture nor write the Quran himself.

11:35 "Do they say, He has invented it? Say: If I have devised it, then on me be my crime, but I am clear (innocent) of all that you commit." The critic interprets this as an admission that Muhammad invented the Quran when in fact he denies it. What the verse tells us is that the Prophet was fully aware that inventing something and claiming that it came from God was a grave sin for which he would be punished, therefore, he did not do it.

So, if as you say it is NOT possible, why do you interpret it as "he could have written it"

Critic:-

Maybe because one verse says it is not possible for him to have written it, and the other implies that he could have written it? And that's why it's a contradiction?

Comment:-

You are required to understand the Quran as a whole, not taking verses in isolation. It is not generally possible to get the whole meaning into one sentence. Apart from that you are taking literally an English translation of an Arabic text. The verse states:- "Say: If I have forged it, on me is my guilt, and I am clear of that of which you are guilty." This is an argument that denies the guilt of forging it. That is: you make a hypothesis and show it is wrong. The negation of a negation is also a positive.

(12) THE KORAN IS UNDENIABLE PROOF THAT THERE IS GOD AND MUHAMAD IS A PROPHET

[2.23] And if you are in doubt as to that which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it and call on your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful.

[2.24] But if you do (it) not and never shall you do (it), then be on your guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the unbelievers.

[4.82] Do they not then meditate on the Quran? And if it were from any other than Allah, they would have found in it many a discrepancy.

[17.88] Say: If men and jinn should combine together to bring the like of this Quran, they could not bring the like of it, though some of them were aides of others.

YET IT IS NOT REALLY

[29.50] And they say: Why are not signs sent down upon him from his Lord? Say: The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a plain warner.

[20.133] And they say: Why does he not bring to us a sign from his Lord? Has not there come to them a clear evidence of what is in the previous books?

[10.20] And they say: Why is not a sign sent to him from his Lord? Say: The unseen is only for Allah; therefore wait-- surely I too, with you am of those who wait.

THE KORAN IS UNDENIABLE PROOFOF GOD'S EXISTENCE YET IN IT GOD SPENDS HOURS TRYING TO PROVE HIS EXISTENCE

[30.22] And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours; most surely there are signs in this for the learned.

[45.3] Most surely in the heavens and the earth there are signs for the believers.

[15.75] Surely in this are signs for those who examine.

[15.77] Most surely there is a sign in this for the believers.

Comment:-

2:23-24- asks doubters to bring a chapter like the Quran, but tells us that it is not possible to do this. If they do not then they should fear the fire of Hell. In other words they should repent.

4:82 tells us there are no contradictions in the Quran - the Quran should be read that way.

17:88 tells us men and jinn together could not create a Quran.

29:49. tells us "Nay, but it (the Quran) is a clear revelation in the heart of those who are endowed with knowledge, and none deny Our revelations save the wrongdoers (or unjust)."

29:50 tells us that people still demand other signs from God. But signs are with Allah, he provides what he wills. The Prophet is simply a Warner.

20:133 tells us that they will not believe until a sign is sent down from God when in fact former scriptures were sent down as proof and they do not accept the signs. Obviously for unbelievers signs are not signs, miracles are not miracles.

The Critic says:- The Quran is undeniably proof of God's existence, yet in it God spends hours trying to prove his existence. He finds this to be a contradiction!!! When, in fact, these proofs are contained in the Quran which he himself quotes. Are additional proofs contradictions or corroborations, needed particularly for those who deny the Quran as proof? Nor has he understood a much deeper significance that lies in the idea that the same Word by which the Universe was created is also that which created the Quran. It is also a phenomena. It has had a transforming affect on this planet.

It is obvious that the interpretation of what people read depends on their mentality and that is what it reveals. Nothing can be done about a person who does not want to understand or does not have the capability to understand.

Critic:-

So far I concede only two points. 10 contradictions remain.

Comment:-

It cannot matter to us what you concede or not. We do not read the Quran in the negative way as you do, as that prevents understanding. Where we find difficulties we make efforts to understand rather than simply succumb to personal egotism.

Critic:-

You read the Koran in a positive way then? With an assumption that it is the Word of God, so when you see an error you will look for ways to interpret it to fit your assumption? Is that more honest than what you accuse me of? How?

Comment:-

If you go to college or read any subject with a negative attitude or hostile assumptions you will not understand anything. You will have a closed mind. You will make negative efforts to shut things out or positive efforts to reject. This is the direct opposite of what we do. You are assuming that your subjective prejudices are correct. We try to avoid this kind of arrogance. It is obvious to us that knowledge and capacity for understanding are limited and efforts are required. That is why schools and colleges exist.

We first realise that the Quran is the Word of God and then if we come to something we do not immediately understand, we make efforts to understand it.

We also know that the Quran tells us how it should be read. It tells us a lot about itself. If those instructions are not followed then obviously you are not reading the Quran as it is written.

Nothing can be explained to someone who does not want to or cannot understand. You need to make some efforts to understand. Spoon feeding does not work.

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