What's Wrong With
the Qur'an (Koran)?

The Qur'an (alternately spelled Koran) is the holy book used by the religion of Islam. Muslims claim it is the inspired word of God, but is it really? The Qur'an is a work of man, not God—let's find out why.

Introduction to the Qur'an

Many have never even touched a Qur'an, so it is necessary to provide a brief introduction. As stated, it is the holy book of Islam. The Bible and other holy books are considered corrupted by man, and the Qur'an is the only uncorrupted book, so its followers believe it to be the pure, undefiled words of God. It was supposedly revealed to a prophet named Muhammad in the seventh century A.D. It is divided into 114 sûrahs—chapters. Each sûrah contains a number of verses. Quotations from the Qur'an are often displayed with the word sûrah, the number of the sûrah, and the number of the verse(s), as in Sûrah 1:1. To Christians, it looks like Sûrah is the name of a book in the Qur'an, as in "Matthew 1:1," "Matthew" refers to a book, but this is not the case. Sûrahs are merely chapters. Unless otherwise noted, all Qur'an quotations in this article come from English Translation and Meaning of Al-Qur'an, translated by Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik, Copyright © 1997 The Institute of Islmaic Knowledge; Houston, TX.

Scientific accuracies?

Paths of the seas. To qualify as the words of God, the Qur'an must be scientifically correct. Many Muslims, in order to confirm the validity of the Qur'an, point to its scientific accuracies. They claim that therein lies information that was not found scientifically until much later, so the information must be from God, and therefore the entire book is from God. Let's examine some of these alleged scientific revelations:

He has made two oceans apparently meeting together, yet, between them is a barrier which they cannot cross.
—Sûrah 55:19–20

The book Seeking the Treasures of the Quran by Dr. Mazhar U. Kazi quotes this verse to prove the knowledge of currents in the oceans. I see two problems with this: First, this information was already available in the Bible. Psalm 8:8 is said to be speaking of ocean currents:

The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.

The "paths of the seas" could be currents. But my second problem with that is this: It is true that the ocean has currents, but to discover this, one doesn't need a revelation from God, but rather one need only step into the ocean to realize that it's moving. And, as boating technology evolved, people would eventually realize that there were "sea paths" they could follow that would get them there quicker. I don't think that the knowledge of ocean currents proves the Qur'an's veracity.

Every kind in pairs. Seeking the Treasures of the Quran cites Sûrah 13:3a to show that there is knowledge of opposite genders in plants in the Qur'an:

He is the One Who spread out the earth and placed thereon mountains and rivers, created fruits of every kind in pairs, two and two, and makes the night cover the day.

Well, technically, this says nothing about opposite genders, but since it says "pairs," I'll give them that. Conveniently, Seeking the Treasures of the Quran doesn't quote the last part of the verse:

Certainly in these things are signs for those who use their common sense.
—Sûrah 13:3b

The Qur'an doesn't attribute the knowledge of plant pairs to divine revelation, but to common sense. The Qur'an was written in the seventh century A.D., so science had had a few thousand years to advance to the point of noticing opposite genders in plants.

Emitted semen. Sûrah 75:36–37 is also quoted to prove divine revelation in the Qur'an:

Does man think that he will be left to wander around without any purpose? Was he not once a drop of emitted semen?

I imagine that just as the fact that there exist opposite sexes was common knowledge, I imagine that after thousands of years, people started to realize that the result of sex is, well, a baby. From that point, I think they connected the dots to figure that semen had something to do with it. This is not a revelation from God, but an example of seventh-century scientific knowledge.

Scientific inaccuracies

The Qur'an contains some information that is true by scientific standards, but does it have anything, excluding miracles, that goes against the laws of science?

Where the Sun was setting. Sûrah 18:83–101 tells the story of a man named King Dhul-Qarnain who journeyed

till he reached where the Sun was setting (the west); he noted that it was setting in a murky spring. . . .
—Sûrah 18:86

The translator has seen fit to define the place "where the Sun was setting" as "the west," but this is not in the original text. And indeed, more is meant here than simply the west—Dhul-Qarnain saw the Sun sitting in a murky spring. According to modern scientific knowledge, however, the sun doesn't sit in water, but empty space. We also know the sun to be a burning gaseous ball that would evaporate any murky springs that seek to come near it. Nowhere in the Qur'an's text do we find anything that would lead us to believe that Dhul-Qarnain's story is a parable or a metaphor—it's told as truth, and that means the Qur'an is scientifically wrong.

Withholding the sky. Sûrah 22:65 says,

Do you not see that Allah has subdued to you all that is in the earth and the ships that sail through the sea by His command? He is withholding the sky in a way that it cannot fall down on the earth without His permission; surely, Allah is ver kind and merciful to mankind.

Evidently, God is doing us a favor at this very moment by keeping the sky from falling on us. In actuality, there is nothing in the sky to fall but water (in its various incarnations), but according to Sûrah 34:9, if God wills, "fragments of the sky" will fall upon us. How can the sky be broken into fragments, much less fall?

Between the loins and the ribs. We've already seen that the Qur'an knows something about semen, but there evidently is a limit to its knowledge. Sûrah 86:5–7 says this:

Let man consider from what he is created! He is created from an emitted fluid that is produced from between the loins and the ribs.

As far as modern science can tell, semen is made in the testes, not "between the loins and the ribs." Again, the Qur'an is wrong.

A leech-like clot. The translation of the Qur'an called The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an by 'Abdullah Yusuf 'Ali tells us there is a blood clot stage in human embryonic development:

. . . (Consider) that We have created you
Out of dust, then out of
Sperm, then out of a leech-like
Clot, then out of a morsel
Of flesh, partly formed
And partly unformed, in order
That We may manifest
(Our Power) to you; . . .
—Sûrah 22:5

In reality, human development has no such stage, but the Qur'an (as translated by 'Ali) seems confident of it, as it is mentioned again in Sûrah 40:67.

Talking ants and bird armies. Sûrah 27:15–22 tells us the story of Solomon and his army "of Jinns, men and birds." While Solomon and his army are walking (or flying, I suppose) along, Solomon overhears an ant telling his comrades to look out because the army may crush them. After taking "a roll call of the birds," Solomon notices the hoopoe is missing, and he says that if said bird doesn't have a good excuse for being gone, he may "even slay him." The hoopoe comes soon and brings information about the queen of Sheba.

Wow. That's quite a fairy tale. Granted, an animal talks in the Bible (Numbers 22)—Balaam's donkey speaks out after Balaam hits him three times—but this was a miracle with a divine purpose, and it is vastly different from Solomon's story in the Qur'an. Solomon hears casual conversations between ants, has a devoted army of birds, and also commands imaginary creatures invented by Muhammad called Jinns. There is nothing realistic about this preposterous story.

The Qur'an confirms the Bible

Confirming the scriptures. Both the Bible and the Qur'an claim to be the words of God (2 Timothy 3:16–17, Sûrah 2:176, 185). If this is so, then both books must be in perfect accord with each other. The Bible mentions absolutely nothing about the Qur'an, but the Qur'an mentions the Bible quite often, each time confirming the words it contains. Here are just a few instances:

O children of Israel! . . . Believe in My revelations, which are confirming your scriptures. . . .
—Sûrah 2:40–41

Indeed to Musa (Moses) We gave the Book (Torah) and sent after him other Rasools [messengers or prophets] in succession. . . .
—Sûrah 2:87, bracketed words added

He has revealed to you this Book with the Truth, confirming the scripture which preceded it, as He revealed in the Tawrât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel),
—Sûrah 3:3

O people of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed (The Qur'an), confirming your own scriptures. . . .
—Sûrah 4:47

O Muhammad, We have sent revelations to you just as We sent to Nûh (Noah) and the Prophets who came after him; We also sent revelations to Ibrâheem (Abraham), Isma'il (Ishmael), Ishâq (Isaac), Ya'qoob (Jacob), his descendants, Isa (Jesus), Ayyûb (Job), Yûnus (Jonah), Haroon (Aaron) and Sulaimân (Solomon), and to Daûd (David) We gave the Psalms.
—Sûrah 4:163

Then in the footsteps of those Prophets, We sent Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), confirming whatever remained intact from the Tawrât [Torah] in his time, and gave him the Injeel (Gospel) wherein was guidance and light, corroborating what was revealed in the Tawrât; a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.
—Sûrah 5:46, bracketed word added

Additional references include Sûrahs 20:133, 26:192–197, 29:47, and 46:10–12. Muslims claim the Bible is corrupted, but their own book confirms the Bible as the words of God. It calls the Bible "former Scriptures" (Sûrah 20:133) and "the scripture which preceded [the Qur'an]" (Sûrah 3:3). Why do Muslims doubt the Bible's purity and authenticity when the Qur'an confirms it?

Allah's words do not change. Furthermore, the Qur'an says the words of God are unalterable:

. . . for none can change the decrees of Allah. . . .
—Sûrah 6:34

The Words of your Rabb [Lord] have been completed with credibility and justice; there is no way to change His Words. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
—Sûrah 6:115, bracketed word added

. . . Allah's Words do not change. . . .
—Sûrah 10:64

The Qur'an calls the Bible a reliable source whose words cannot be changed. Since the Qur'an says the Bible's words are from God, and, more importantly, the Bible says its words are from God, then logically we can compare the words of the Qur'an to those of the Bible to determine if the Qur'an is from God.

Historical contradictions

When we compare the Bible and the Qur'an, we find the Qur'an contradicts the Bible in many points. Let's look at some of the historical contradictions.

Noah and the ark. The Bible says that Noah, his wife, his sons, and his sons' wives were on the ark (Genesis 7:7). He had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 9:18). This makes a total of eight people saved on the ark (1 Peter 3:20). The Qur'an, however, says one of Noah's sons ignored his father's pleas to join him on the ark and instead sought shelter from the flood in a mountain, allegedly perishing as a result of his unbelief (Sûrah 11:42–43). The Qur'an also says the ark landed on Mount Al-Jûdi (Sûrah 11:44) rather than Mount Ararat, where it actually came to rest (Genesis 8:4).

Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. The Bible says that God commanded that Abraham should sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith (Genesis 22:1–14). The Qur'an, however, incorrectly indicates that the son he was to offer was Ishmael (Sûrah 37:99–108).

Moses' adoption. In the Bible, Moses is found and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2:5–6), but the Qur'an alleges that it was Pharaoh's wife (Sûrah 28:9).

The Samaritan and the golden calf. Sûrah 20:83–89 tells us that a Samaritan made the golden calf for Israel while Moses was receiving the law. There are two problems with this: One, the Bible says it was Aaron (Exodus 32:1–4), and two, the city of Samaria didn't exist yet (1 Kings 16:24).

Zacharias is mute. The Bible says Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, was made mute because of his unbelief concerning Gabriel's prophecy of John's birth. He would remain mute until the baby was born (Luke 1:20), which is roughly nine months. The Qur'an says it was three days (Sûrah 19:10).

Jesus in the manger. The Bible says Jesus was born in a barn and laid in a manger (Luke 2:7), but the Qur'an says Mary gave birth under a palm tree (Sûrah 19:23).

Jesus' death. The Qur'an makes a very surprising and radical claim—that Jesus did not die. Muslims say that the Jews thought they had killed Jesus, and His disciples thought He had been killed, but Judas was the one that was really crucified. They claim Jesus and Judas looked a lot alike and were hard to tell apart. Sûrah 4:157 says,

They say: "We have killed the Messiah, Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam, the Rasool of Allah." Whereas in fact, neither did they kill him nor did they crucify him but they thought they did because the matter was made dubious for them. Those who differ therein are in doubt. They have no real knowledge, they follow nothing but merely a conjecture, certainly, they did not kill him (Jesus).

According to Islam, Jesus didn't die, and those who believe He did are following "merely a conjecture" and "have no real knowledge." Wow. The Qur'an could not be more wrong. Not only does the Bible say otherwise (Matthew 27:35, 50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:9–10), but extrabiblical history also proves His death. Josephus has this to say of Jesus in:

Now, there was about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works,—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day.
—Antiquities of the Jews 18:3:3, translated by William Whiston, A.M.

There is ample proof for Jesus' death in the Bible and in history. The Qur'an is just plain wrong.

Doctrinal contradictions

Jesus' death is a pivotal point not only in history, but in religion. He really did die, and that's the pièce de résistance of the Christian faith. The fact that the Qur'an denies this is not only a historical contradiction, but a doctrinal one, which brings us to the next section. Let's examine some more contradictions between the Qur'an and the Bible.

Jesus' Godship. Sûrah 5:17 says,

Indeed, those have committed Kufr (rejected faith) who said, "God is the Messiah, son of Maryam. . . ."

However, John 1:1 says Jesus is in fact God, and Jesus Himself confirmed this fact (John 10:30). For more on Jesus' Deity, read my article titled Is Jesus God?

Jesus' Sonship. Sûrah 5:30 says,

The Jews say: "Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah," and the Christians say: "Al-Maseeh (Messiah, Christ) is the son of Allah." That is what they say with their mouths, imitating the sayings of the former unbelievers. May Allah destroy them! How perverted they are!

Sûrahs 19:35, 88–92 back up the belief that Jesus is not God's Son. The Bible, however, shows us the truth in Romans 1:3–4:

concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Jesus is indeed God's Son, and He is God Himself at the same time, and the Qur'an is wrong.

The Holy Spirit's Godship. The Qur'an says the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel (Sûrah 16:102), but the Bible says He is God (1 John 5:7).

The Trinity. Accordingly, if Jesus and the Holy Spirit aren't God, then there can't be a Trinity. The Qur'an states this:

O People of the Book! Do not transgress the limits of your religion. Speak nothing but the Truth about Allah. The Messiah, Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary) was no more than a Rasool of Allah and His Word "Be" which He bestowed on Maryam and a Spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His Rasools and do not say: Trinity (three)." Stop saying that, it is better for you. Allah is only One Deity. He is far above the need of having a son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. Allah is All-Suffiecient as a Disposer of affairs.
—Sûrah 4:171, sic

Certainly they are unbelievers who say: "Allah is one of three in a Trinity." There is none worthy of worship except One God (Allah). If they do not stop saying what they say, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them.
—Sûrah 5:73

The Bible, shows that there is a Trinity (Matthew 28:19, 1 John 5:7).

Salvation. The plan of salvation in the Qur'an is based solely on works (Sûrahs 7:8–9 and 21:47), but in Christianity, we are saved by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Granted, the Bible says we must do a few things to obtain salvation, like repent (Acts 2:38), confess Jesus (Romans 10:10), and be baptized (Acts 2:38), but it is our continuing faith in God that saves us. That is not to say we need not have works at all—we must have works to back up our faith (James 2:26). Nevertheless, we are not saved by our works, but by our faith.

Conclusion

So is the Qur'an the Word of God? Let's review:

Its scientific accuracies are unimpressive and common sense.
It has quite a few scientific inaccuracies, and God's Word won't have any.
It confirms the Bible, but the Bible doesn't confirm or even mention it.
It contradicts the Bible in minor historical points, like Noah's son supposedly dying.
It contradicts the Bible in major doctrinal points, like the Trinity and salvation.

Considering all the evidence, there's no way the Qur'an can be the Word of God. There are too many contradictions and inaccuracies. Since God is perfect, His Word will be perfect, and the Qur'an is far from perfect. The Bible is the Word of God, but the Qur'an is without doubt not.

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