THE QUR’AN

A CRITICAL ASSESSMENT
2005

Find out what they claim about the Qur’an

 It is Inimitable (Therefore above criticism):
 It is Superior to all other revelations
 It is Stylistically perfect
 It is Grammatically perfect
 It is Linguistically perfect (pure Arabic)
 It is Universally unique
 It is Compiled perfectly
 It has no Contradictions
 It has no Errors
 It has no History (uniquely preserved)

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an is UNIQUE:

• The Qur‟an is the greatest wonder among the wonders of the world . . . This book is
second to none in the world according to the unanimous decision of the learned men
in points of diction, style, rhetoric, thoughts and soundness of laws and regulations
to shape the destinies of mankind.
Hadith (Mishkat III, pg. 664)

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an is SUPERIOR to all other pieces of literature:

• Will they say, „Muhammad hath forged it?‟ Answer: „Bring therefore a chapter like
unto it, and call whom ye to your assistance, besides Allah, if ye speak truth.‟
(Suras 10:37-38; 2:23; 17:88)

• “Mother of Books” (Sura 43:3)

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an has perfect literary style…yet, Compare:
• a) sura 76:29-30 (or sura 16:93)
• b) sura 111
• c) suras 4:74,84; 5:33; 48:16-17
• d) sura 109
• e) sura 24:2
• f) suras 2:222-223; 4:11,24,34,176
• g) sura 9:29
• a) I Timothy 2:4, Luke 15:3-4, John 10:14,18.
• b) Francis of Assisi's prayer
(see Nehls, Christians Ask Muslims, 1987, pg.75, no.11)
• c) Matthew 5:3-12
• d) Psalm 23

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• e) John 8:3-12
• f) Ephesians 5:22-25
• g) I Corinthians 13:4-7

It has many Literary defects:

• Not chronological
• Endless repetitions
• Jumps from one topic to the next
• Inconsistencies in grammar, law, and theology
• Verbs left out
In response to accusations:
The theologian-grammarian al-Rummani (d.996 A.D.) argued, “the ellipses and
grammatical irregularities were really positive devices rather than evidence of
rushed or sloppy writing” (Rippin 1990:27).

However, Al-Kindi, a Christian polemicist employed in the Caliphal court (830 A.D.):

“The result of all of this [process by which the Qur‟an came into being] is patent to you
who have read the scriptures and see how, in your book, histories are all jumbled
together and intermingled; an evidence that many different hands have been at work
therein, and caused discrepancies, adding, cutting out whatever they like or disliked.
Are such, now, the conditions of a revelation sent down from heaven?” (Muir
1882:18-19, 28)

WHAT DO THE EXPERTS TODAY SAY?

German secular scholar Salmon Reinach states that:
• “From the literary point of view, the Koran has little merit. Declamation,
repetition, puerility, a lack of logic and coherence strike the unprepared reader at
every turn. It is humiliating to the human intellect to think that this mediocre
literature has been the subject of innumerable commentaries, and the million of
men are still wasting time in absorbing it.”
(Reinach 1932:176)

Theodore Nöldeke:
• “Chaotic Confusion...prosaic...stiff in style...tedious
sermonizing...rhetorical...never metrical...and the rhyme on the whole a
burdensome yoke...superfluous verbiage...syntax betrays great
awkwardness...tiresome effect of its endless iterations...[so that dogma] turns
a defective literary production into an unrivalled masterpiece in the eyes of the
believers”
(Nöldeke 1998:36,44-47)

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McClintock and Strong‟s Encyclopedia:

“The matter of the [Koran] is exceedingly incoherent and sententious, the book
evidently being without any logical order of thought either as a whole or in its
parts. This agrees with desultory and incidental manner in which it is said to
have been delivered.”
(McClintock and Strong 1981:151)

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an is Grammatically perfect, yet:

2:177, the word Sabireen should be Sabiroon;
3:59, the words Kun feekunu should be written, Kun fakaana;
5:69, the title al Sabioon, should be written al Sabieen (see also sura
2:62 & sura 22:17)
7:160, Uthnati (feminine) Ashrat (feminine) Asbaataan. should be
Uthnaiy (masculine) Ashara Sibtaan.

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an contains only Perfect Arabic (Suras 12:2;
13:37; 41:41,44):
• Yet uses Egyptian, Hebrew, Syriac, Christian Aramaic, & Ethiopic
words.
• -Accadian (No.Iraq) words: Adam and Eden repeated 24 times. A more
correct term for “Adam” in Arabic would be basharan or insan, meaning
“mankind.” “Eden” would be the word janna in Arabic, which means
“garden.”
• -Assyrian words: Abraham (sometimes recorded as Ibrahim). The correct
Arabic equivalent would be Abu Raheem.
• -Persian words: Sirat meaning “the path” has the Arabic equivalent,
Altareeq. Hoor meaning “disciple” has the Arabic equivalent, Tilmeeth.
Firdaus meaning “the highest or seventh heaven" has the Arabic equivalent,
Jannah.
• -Greek words: Injil, which means “gospel” was borrowed, yet it has the
Arabic equivalent, Bisharah

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an is UNIVERSAL: Case 1:Women‟s Position: (Suras

2:224-230; 4:11,24-25,34,176; 55:56; 56:36; 78:33)
• Polygamy: S 4:3 1 husband/ 4 wives and what right hand possesses
(slaves/concubines)
• Wife Beating: S 4:34, men may beat wives
• Inheritance: S 4:11 ”inheritance to the male, equal to that of two females.”
• Testimony: S 2:282, Bukhar1:301 Muhammad replied, “Is not the
testimony of a woman equivalent to half the testimony of a man?

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• Tilth: S 2:223 “Your women are a tilth for you (to cultivate) so go to your
tilth as ye will”
• Slaves/Concubines: S 33:50 “We have made lawful unto thee whom you
have paid dowries (contract), those whom thy right had possesses (Slaves) of
those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war...

• Polygamy...Genesis 2:24, Mt. 19:5, 1 Tim 3:2, perfect marriage

relationship between 1 man and 1 woman.
• Love one‟s wife: 1 Pet. 3:7, Col. 3:19 “husbands must love your wives &
NEVER treat them harshly.”
• Testimony: Matthew 28:9 “The first people to see Jesus and be His
witnesses were women”
• Equality: Galations 3:28 “all believers are equal in Christ”
-Hebrews 4:14-16 “both can approach God directly.
-1 Peter 3:7 “you are equal together in the grace of life.”
-1 Corinthians 7:1-40, husbands and wives fulfil each other emotionally and
sexually. Their bodies belong to each other. Not one is above the other.

Paradise In the Qur‟an:

A Beautiful Garden:
• Surah 55 :26 two gardens
• Surah 56:12 Garden of delights
• Surah 56: 31 water flowing constantly, fruit in plenty
With Female and Male Servants:
• Surah 55: 56 chaste females whom no man has been with
• Surah 55: 70 fair and beautiful women
• Surah 55: 72 - 74 Hûr - beautiful, fair females, guarded in pavilions -
virgins
• Surah 56:22 Hûr, with wide, lovely eyes
• Surah 55: 76 reclining on green cushions and beautiful mattresses
• Surah 56 : 34-38 on couches or thrones raised high, a special
creation, and made them virgins, loving...
• Surah 56:17 immortal boys will go around, serving with cups...flowing wine
Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an is UNIVERSAL:
Case 2: Violence vs. Peace
• Violence:
• Suras 4:74,84; 5:33; 8:39; 9:5,29; 33:49; 47:4; 48:16-17
• vs. Bible: Matthew 5:38-44; 26:52….
Starting with the „Peace‟ Verses:
Sura 2:190-193 = “Those who fight you, Do not transgress limits, /

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….and slay them wherever ye catch them, and fight them, until there prevail
faith in Allah” (is this peaceful?)

The most common verse on Peace:

Sura 2:256 =
“For there is no compulsion in religion”

“Law of Abrogation”
(Suras 2:106, 16:101)

(Revealed between 622-624 AD, so revealed early, thus abrogated by over 100
Medinan Sword verses)

A further Peace Verse?

A Moderate Interpretation:
Sura 5:31-32 (raven, and blood of Abel) “we ordained for the Children of
Israel that if anyone slew a person…it would be as if he slew the
whole people; and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved
the life of the whole people...”
A Radical Interpretation:
Sura 5:31-32 “we ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone
slew a MUSLIM…it would be as if he slew ALL MUSLIMS; and if
anyone saved A MUSLIM, it would be as if he saved the life of ALL
MUSLIMS...”

The Qur‟an‟s 149 Sword Verses:

1. 2:178 2. 2:179 3. 2:190 4. 2 : 19 1 5. 2:193 6. 2:194 7.

2:216 8. 2:217 9. 2:218 10. 2:244 11. 3:121 12. 3:122 13. 3:123
14. 3:124 15. 3:125 16. 3:126 17. 3:140 18. 3:141 19. 3:146 20. 3:152 21.
3:153 22. 3:154 23. 3:155 24. 3:156 25. 3:157 26. 3:165 27. 3:166 28. 3:167
29. 3:169 30. 3:172 31. 3:173 32. 3:195 33. 4:071 34. 4:072 35. 4:074 36.
4:075 37. 4:076 38. 4:077 39. 4:084 40. 4:089 41. 4:090 42. 4:091 43. 4:094
44. 4:095 45. 4:100 46. 4:102 47. 4:104 48. 5:033 49. 5:035 50. 5:082 51.
8:001 52. 8:005 53. 8:007 54. 8:009 55. 8:012 56. 8:015 57. 8:016 58. 8:017
59. 8:039 60. 8:040 61. 8:041 62. 8:042 63. 8:043 64. 8:044 65. 8:045 66.
8:046 67. 8:047 68. 8:048 69. 8:057 70. 8:058 71. 8:059 72. 8:060 73. 8:065
74. 8:066 75. 8:067 76. 8:068 77. 8:069 78. 8:070 79. 8:071 80. 8:072 81.
8:073 82. 8:074 83. 8:075 84. 9:005 85. 9:012 86. 9:013 87. 9:014 88. 9:016
89. 9:019 90. 9:020 91. 9:024 92. 9:025 93. 9:026 94. 9:029 95. 9:036 96.
9:038 97. 9:039 98. 9:041 99. 9:044 100. 9:052 101. 9:073 102. 9:081
103. 9:083 104. 9:086 105. 9:088 106. 9:092 107. 9:111 108.
9:120 109. 9:122 110. 9:123 111. 16 : 11 0 112. 22:039 113. 22:058
1 14 . 22:078 115. 24:053 116. 24:055 117. 25:052 118. 29:006 119.
29:069 120. 33:015 121. 33:018 122. 33:020 123. 33:025 124. 33:026
1 25 . 33:027 126. 33:050 127. 47:004 128. 47:020 129. 48:015 130.
48:016 131. 48:017 132. 48:022 133. 48:024 134. 49:015 135. 59:002
1 36 . 59:005 137. 59:006 138. 59:007 139. 59:008 140. 59:014 141.

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60:009 142. 61:004 143. 61:011 144. 61:013 145. 63:004 146. 64:014
147 . 66:009 148. 73:020 149. 76:008

Muslim‟s claim the Qur‟an was COLLATED Perfectly and Completely

Yet, according to Arthur Jefferies, 16 Codices are noted by 9th c.
compilers:

Zaid ibn Thabit (Medina)

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (Kufa - no Fatiha, nor S.113-114, differences in S.3:19,
39 & S.9- Bismillah, Shi‟ite readings)
Abu Musa (Basra,116 Suras)
Ubayy ibn Ka'b (Damascus,116 Suras)
Missing Vss = 24:32 (stoning), 33:23
What the Traditions Tell us about The Compilation of the Qur‟an:

• Zaid bin Thabit, initially commissioned by to compile the Abu Bakr Qur„an,
still did not know it all himself and therefore was dependent on a
number of sources in order to compile his first copy
• Narrated Zaid bin Thabit: Abu Bakr as-Siddiq sent for me when the people of
Yamama had been killed. Then Abu Bakr said (to me): “You are a wise young
man and we do not have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the
Divine Inspiration for Allah‟s Apostle (saw). So you should search for (the
fragmentary scripts of) the Qur‟an and collect it (in one book)”. By Allah! If
they had ordered me to shift one of the mountains, it would not have been
heavier for me than this ordering me to collect the Qur‟an. Then I said to Abu
Bakr, “How will you do something which Allah‟s Apostle (saw) did not do?”
Abu Bakr replied “By Allah, it is a good project”,. .So I started looking for the
Qur‟an and collecting it from (what was written on) palm-leaf stalks, thin white
stones, and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last verse
of Surat at-Tauba (repentance) with Abi Khuzaima al-Ansari, and I did not find
it with anybody other than him. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 6:509, pg. 478-
479).

• Yet, there is some confusion as to whether the Caliph Abu Bakr, or Salim,
the freed slave, was the first to have the Qur‟an compiled?:
• It is reported...from Ali who said: “May the mercy of Allah be upon Abu Bakr,
the foremost of men to be rewarded with the collection of the manuscripts, for
he was the first to collect (the text) between (two) covers”. (Ibn Abi Dawud,
Kitab al-Masahif p.5).

• It is reported...from Ibn Buraidah who said: “The first of those to collect the
Qur‟an into a mushaf (codex) was Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhaifah”.
(as-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur‟an, p.135).

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• We are not sure if we have the entire Qur‟an today, for it seems that
portions of the Qur‟an were irretrievably lost in the battle of Yamama
where many of Muhammad‟s companions (those who had memorized the
text), died:
• Many (of the passages) of the Qur‟an that were sent down were known by
those who died on the day of Yamama...but they were not known (by those
who) survived them, nor were they written down, nor had Abu Bakr, Umar, or
Uthman (by that time) collected the Qur‟an, nor were they found with even
one (person) after them. (Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif p.23).

• What‟s more, not only verses, but entire portions were omitted or
abrogated from the Qur‟an:
• It is reported from Ismail ibn Ibrahim from Ayyub from Naafi from Ibn Umar
who said: “Let none of you say „I have acquired the whole of the Qur‟an‟.
How does he know what all of it is when much of the Qur‟an has disappeared?
Rather let him say „I have acquired what has survived.‟ (as-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii
Ulum al-Qur‟an, p.524).

• Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that it had been revealed in the
Qur‟an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was
abrogated by five sucklings and Allah‟s Apostle (saw) died and before that
time it was found in the Qur‟an. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2:3421, pg.740).

• Zirr ibn Hubaish reported: “Ubayy ibn Ka‟b said to me, „What is the extent of
Suratul-Ahzab?‟ I said, „Seventy, or seventy-three verses‟. He said, „Yet it used
to be equal to Suratul-Baqarah... (As-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur‟an,
p.524).

• Abu Musa al-Ashari, an early authority of the Qur‟an, and a companion of

Muhammad, mentions a verse he once remembered, but no longer
exists in the Qur‟an:
• We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah)
Bara‟at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I
remember out of it: “If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of
Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of
the son of Adam but dust”. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2:2286, p.501).

• Even Bukhari refers to a verse which was canceled or abrogated from the
Qur‟an!:
• We used to read a verse of the Qur‟an revealed in their connection, but later
the verse was canceled. It was: “convey to our people on our behalf the

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 information that we have met our Lord, and He is pleased with us, and has
made us pleased”. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 5:416, pg.288).

• One of the most famous „missing verses‟ is the verse on stoning

adulterers (the practice known as Rajam). It seems this was a punishment
practiced by Muhammad himself and included in the Qur‟an; yet now it no
longer can be found [vs. 100 lashes, Sura 24:2]:
• Allah sent Muhammad (saw) with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to
him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the
stoning of married persons, male and female, who commit adultery) and we
did recite this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah‟s Apostle (saw)
did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am afraid
that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, „By Allah, we do not find
the Verse of the Rajam in Allah‟s Book‟, and thus they will go astray by leaving
an obligation which Allah has revealed. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8:817, pg.539).

• “Verily stoning in the book of God is a penalty laid on married men and
women who commit adultery, if proof stands or pregnancy is clear or
confession is made” (lbn Ishaq, Sirat Rasulullah, p.684)

• Ibn Shihab reported that a man in the time of the Apostle of Allah (may peace
be upon him) acknowledged having committed adultery and confessed it four
times. The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) then ordered and he
was stoned.” (Muwatta Imam Malik, p.350).

• There were times when even Muhammad himself had difficulty

remembering portions of the Qur‟an:
• Aishah said: A man got up (for prayer) at night, he read the Qur‟an and raised
his voice in reading. When morning came, the Apostle of Allah (saw) said: May
Allah have mercy on so-and-so! Last night he reminded me a number of
verses I was about to forget. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Vol. 3, p.1114).

• Curiously Uthman still did not have the entire corrected text at hand, as
Bukhari admits “a large part of the Qur’an may be lost”; for he then orders
three to help Zaid bin Thabit revise the codex of Hafsa (daughter of Umar),
and correct it where necessary, even recalling a verse (33:23) which had
been missing from the original text!

Uthman takes Hafsa‟s MSS, and has the four compilers REWRITE the
text…and in case they DISAGREED, they were to write it in the DIALECT OF
THE QURAISH…”and ordered that all the other Qur‟anic materials, whether
written in fragmentary manuscripts of whole copies BE BURNT!”

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SUMMARY:
• .Some Qur‟anic verses were lost.
Many (of the passages) of the Qur‟an that were sent down were known by
those who died on the day of Yamama...but they were not known (by
those who) survived them, nor were they written down, nor had Abu
Bakr, Umar, or Uthman (by that time) collected the Qur‟an, nor were they
found with even one (person) after them. (Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-
Masahif p.23).

• .Much of the Qur‟an has disappeared.

It is reported from Ismail ibn Ibrahim from Ayyub from Naafi from Ibn Umar
who said: “Let none of you say „I have acquired the whole of the
Qur‟an‟. How does he know what all of it is when much of the Qur‟an
has disappeared? Rather let him say „I have acquired what has
survived.‟ (as-Suyuti, [d. 1500sAD] Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur‟an, p.524).

• .Parts of the Qur‟an have been forgotten.

We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah)
Bara‟at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which
I remember out of it: “If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of
Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of
the son of Adam but dust”. (Sahih Muslim, [d. 875 AD] Vol. 2:2286, p.501).

• .Parts have been canceled.

We used to read a verse of the Qur‟an revealed in their connection, but
later the verse was canceled. It was: “convey to our people on our behalf
the information that we have met our Lord, and He is pleased with us, and
has made us pleased”. (Sahih al-Bukhari, [d. 870AD] Vol. 5:416, pg.288).

• While others are now missing.

Allah sent Muhammad (saw) with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to
him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the
stoning of married persons, male and female, who commit adultery) and we
did recite this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah‟s Apostle
(saw) did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am
afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, „By Allah, we
do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah‟s Book‟, and thus they will
go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed. (Sahih al-Bukhari,
[d. 870AD] Vol. 8:817, pg.539).

• There are some verses which have been overlooked.

Khuzaimah ibn Thabit said: “I see you have overlooked (two) verses and
have not written them”. They said “And which are they?” He replied “I had
it directly (tilqiyya - „automatically, spontaneously‟) from the messenger of

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 Allah (saw) (Surah 9, ayah 128): „There has come to you a messenger from
yourselves. It grieves him that you should perish, he is very concerned about
you: to the believers he is kind and merciful‟, to the end of the surah”.
Uthman said “I bear witness that these verses are from Allah”. (Ibn Abi
Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif p.11).

• Some verses which have been changed.

Abu Yunus, freedman of Aishah, Mother of Believers, reported: Aishah
ordered me to transcribe the Holy Qur‟an and asked me to let her know when
I should arrive at the verse Haftdhuu alaas-salaati waas-salaatiil-wustaa wa
quumuu lillaahi qaanitiin (2.238). When I arrived at the verse I informed her
and she ordered: Write it in this way, Hafidhuu alaas-salaati waas-
salaatiil-wustaa wa salaatil „asri wa quumuu lillaahi qaanitiin. She added that
she had heard it so from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him).
(Muwatta Imam Malik, [d.795 AD] p.64).

• .And others which have been modified.

Altogether al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf made eleven modifications in the
reading of the Uthmanic text. ... In al-Baqarah (Surah 2.259) it originally
read Lam yatasanna waandhur, but it was altered to Lam yatasannah ... In al-
Ma‟ida (Surah 5.48) it read Shari ya‟atan wa minhaajaan but it was altered to
shir „atawwa minhaajaan. (Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Masahif p.117).
• Lost
• Disappeared
• Forgotten
• Cancelled
• Missing
• Overlooked
• Changed
• Modified
• Does this sound like a book which was COLLATED Perfectly and
Completely?

TALMUDIC SOURCES:
*Abraham Sura 21:51-71: (smashed idols,fiery pit)
= Midrash Rabah - Jewish Folktales & UR = "fire" =Jonathan Ben
nd
Uziel (2 c.)
• Mt. Sinai Sura 7:171 of God lifting up Mount Sinai and holding it over the
heads of the Jews

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 = Hails from a second century apocryphal Jewish book, The Abodah
Sarah (2nd c.)

*Cain and Abel (Sura 5:31):

• Sura 5:31
Then Allah sent a raven, who scratched the ground, to show him how to hide
the shame of his brother. `Woe is me!' said he; `Was I not even able to be as
this raven, and to hide the shame of my brother?' Then he became full of
regrets.
• Targum of Jonathan-ben-Uzziah (150-200 A.D.)
Adam and Eve, sitting by the corpse, wept not knowing what to do, for they
had as yet no knowledge of burial. A raven came up, took the dead body of
its fellow, and having scratched at the earth, buried it thus before their eyes.
Adam said, `Let us follow the example of the raven,' so taking up Abel's body,
buried it at once.
Cain & Abel (Sura 5:32)
• Qur'an- sura 5:32
• On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone slew a
person -unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land- it would
be as if he slew the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if
he saved the life of the whole people...
• Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 (5th c.)
• We find it said in the case of Cain who murdered his brother, `the voice of thy
brother's blood crieth out' [this latter is a quote from the Bible, Genesis 4:10],
and he says, `it does not sayeth he hath blood in the singular, but bloods in
the plural.'
• Thou was created single in order to show that to him who kills a single
individual, it should be reckoned that he has slain the whole race. But to him
who has preserved the life of a single individual, it is counted that he has
preserved the whole race.

Solomon & Sheba - sura 27:17-44

• Qur'an- sura 27:17-44

• (aya 17) And before Solomon were marshalled his hosts-of Jinns and men,
and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks.
• (aya 20) And he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: `Why is it I see not
the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees?
• (aya 21) I will certainly punish him with a severe penalty, or execute him,
unless he bring me a clear reason (for absence).
• (aya 22) But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up and) said: `I have
compassed (territory) which thou hast not compassed, and I have come to
thee from Saba with tidings true.

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• (aya 23) I found (there) a woman ruling over them and provided with every
requisite; and she has a magnificent throne...
• (aya 27) (Solomon) said: `Soon shall we see whether thou hast told the truth
or lied!
• (aya 28) Go thou, with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them: then draw
back from them, and (wait to) see what answer they return."
• (aya 29) (The queen) said: "Ye chiefs! Here is-delivered to me-a letter worthy
of respect.
• (aya 30) It is from Solomon, and is (as follows): `In the name of Allah, most
Gracious, Most Merciful: Be ye not arrogant against me, but come to me in
submission (to the true Religion).'"
• (aya 32) She said: "Ye chiefs! Advise me in (this) my affair: no affair have I
decided except in your presence."
• (aya 33) They said: "We are endued with strength, and given to vehement
war: but the command is with thee; so consider what thou wilt command."
• (aya 35) She said..."But I am going to send him a present, and (wait) to see
with what (answer) return (my) ambassadors."
• (aya 42) So when she arrived, (aya 44) she was asked to enter the lofty
Palace: but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she
(tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs. He said: "This is but a palace
paved smooth with slabs of glass."

• II Targum of Esther (2nd c.)

• "Solomon...gave orders...I will send King and armies against thee...(of) Genii
[jinn] beasts of the land the birds of the air.
• Just then the Red-cock (a bird), enjoying itself, could not be found; King
Solomon said that they should seize it and bring it by force, and indeed he
sought to kill it.
• But just then, the cock appeared in the presence of the King and said, "I had
seen the whole world (and) know the city and kingdom (of Sheba) which is
not subject to thee, My Lord King. They are ruled by a woman called the
Queen of Sheba. Then I found the fortified city in the Eastlands (Sheba) and
around it are stones of gold and silver in the streets." By chance the Queen
of Sheba was out in the morning worshipping the sea, the scribes prepared a
letter, which was placed under the bird's wing and away it flew and (it)
reached the Fort of Sheba. Seeing the letter under its wing (Sheba) opened it
and read it.
• "King Solomon sends to you his Salaams. Now if it please thee to come and
ask after my welfare, I will set thee high above all. But if it please thee not, I
will send kings and armies against thee."
• The Queen of Sheba heard it, she tore her garments, and sending for her
Nobles asked their advice. They knew not Solomon, but advised her to send
vessels by the sea, full of beautiful ornaments and gems...also to send a letter
to him.

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• When at last she came, Solomon sent a messenger...to meet her...Solomon,
hearing she had come, arose and sat down in the palace of glass. When the
Queen of Sheba saw it, she thought the glass floor was water, and so in
crossing over lifted up her garments. When Solomon seeing the hair about
her legs, (He) cried out to her..."

Mary, Imran and Zachariah: (sura 3:35-37)

• Qur'an- sura 3:35-37
• (aya 35) Behold! a woman of Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto
Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: so accept this of me: for
Thou hearest and knowest all things."
• (aya 36) When she was delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am
delivered of a female child!" And Allah knew best what she brought forth-
"And no wise is the male like the female. I have named her Mary, and I
commend her and her offspring to thy protection from the Evil One, the
Rejected."
• (aya 37) Right graciously did her Lord accept her; He made her grow in purity
and beauty: to the care of Zakariya was she assigned.
• The Proto-evangelion's James the Lesser (2nd c.)
• And Anna (wife of Joachim) answered, `As the Lord my God liveth, whatever I
bring forth, whether it be male or female, I will devote it to the Lord my God,
and it shall minister to him in holy things, during its whole life'...and called her
name Mary...And the high-priest received her; and blessed her, and said,
`Mary, the Lord God hath magnified thy name to all generations, and to the
very end of time by thee will the Lord shew his redemption to the children of
Israel."

The Palm Tree: (Sura 19:22-26)

• Qur'an- sura 19:22-26
• So she conceived him [Jesus], and she retired with him to a remote place.
• And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree: She cried
(in her anguish): `Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had
been a thing forgotten and out of sight'!
• Then [the babe „Isa (Jesus)] cried unto her from below her, saying: `Grieve
not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee:
• And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm tree; it will let fall fresh ripe
dates upon thee.
• So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye.
• The Lost Books of the Bible (2nd c.)
• Now on the third day after Mary was wearied in the desert by the heat, she
asked Joseph to rest for a little under the shade of a Palm Tree. Then Mary
looking up and seeing its branches laden with fruit (dates) said, `I desire if it
were possible to have some fruit.' Just then the child Jesus looked up (from
below) with a cheerful smile, and said to the Palm Tree, `Send down some

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 fruit.' Immediately the tree bent itself (toward her) and so they ate. Then
Jesus said, `O Palm Tree, arise; be one of my Father's trees in Paradise, but
with thy roots open the fountain (rivulet) beneath thee and bring water
flowing from that fount.'

*Jesus's Childhood:
-Baby Jesus talking- S.19:29-33
= The first Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ (2nd c.)
-Creating birds from clay- S.3:49
= Thomas' Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ (2nd c.)
---------------------------------------
• Poetry in the Qur‟an (Meccan Suras)
=Gunther Lűling: traced the poetry to pre-Islamic Christian Syriac
hymns, written in the 6th c., with Arab themes added

CONTRADICTIONS:
ERRORS:
(Historical Anachronisms and Scientific problems)
 Cross: S.7:124 = Moses‟s Pharaoh -1447BC,
12:41 = Joseph‟s Baker - 1800BC:
1st crucifixions = Darius = 519BC (900 & 1,300 yrs later).
2) (Sura 19:7) Yahya is a name unique to John the Baptist; what about
(2Kings 25:23)?
3) (S.19:28; 66:12; 20:25-30) How was Mary, Jesus‟ mother, Aaron‟s sister
and Imran‟s daughter, as she lived 1,570 years later?
4) (S.20:85-87, 95-97) Samaritan built „golden calf‟ in 1447 BC, Samaritans
began in 722 BC, or 725 years later.
5) (S.28:38; 29:38; 40:25,38) Can Haman be an Egyptian who builds a tower to
God, as this name is Babylonian, & the tower was built 750 years earlier.
• 6) (S.18:96) Where is Alexander the Great‟s iron and brass wall
between two mountains, in 330 BC? No Record!
• 7) Mountains (S.16:15; 21:31; 31:10; 78:6-7; 88:19) are not tent-pegs
to keep earth from shaking, due to volcanoes & tectonic plates
• 8) Bad Math (S.4:11-12) Inheritance for widow =1/8 + 3 daughter
=2/3 +2 parents =1/3, totalling 1&1/8 or 112.5%!?
Or (S.4:11-12 & 176) My mother = 1/3, my wife = 1/3, my two sisters =
2/3 totalling: 4/3rds, or 133%!!
• 9) (S.86:5-7) Does Semen really originate in the back or the kidney or is
this simply borrowing from 5th century B.C. Hippocrates?
• 10) Dirham (S.12:20) „a few dirham counted out‟ for Joseph, yet coins
created in 7th cent. BC by Lydians. Drachmas from 590-650 AD, but
Dirhams not minted till 642 AD, by Caliph Omar; vs. Gen.37:28 =
Shekels = 0.2 kgs. of silver!

14
20th-21st Century Polemics: Revisionists
• The Revisionist‟s Prime Concern:
• To Reassess the Classical Model
• Their principle Conclusions:
• Islam, as we know it, did not exist in the 7th century, but evolved
over a period of 200-300 years.
(Humphreys 1991:71,83-89)

• The Qur‟an probably was not revealed to one man in 22 years, but
likely evolved over a period of 100-200 years
(Rippin 1985:155;1990:3,25,60; Lester 99:44-45; Wansbrough 1977:160-163)

THE PRINCIPLE MODERN REVISIONISTS:

• John Wansbrough (1977-1978):

(Qur‟anic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation
1977)
(The Sectarian Milieu: Content and Composition of Islamic Salvation
History 1978)
• Took Schacht‟s thesis even further, believing that both the Qur‟an
and the later Hadith came about as a result of Jewish & Christian
Sectarian controversies, borrowed from outside the Hijaz, then
redacted back “onto an Arabian point of origin”, so that the Qur‟an
was a composite, which evolved into its canonical form at the end of
the 2nd Muslim century (Wansbrough-Qur‟anic Studies
1977:20,44,49,51,79)
• Looked at the Sira/Maghazi literature and noticed that Islam
developed after the Arab conquests of the Holy Land in the mid-7th
century and so on, and emerged by means of intense debates over
religion between Christians and Jews

• Michael Cook (1975, 1983):

(Muhammad, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1983)
(Hagarism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1977)
• Took an even more radical approach, rejecting the traditional view on early
Islamic history almost entirely (i.e. that of the Sira, Hadith, Tafsir, Ta’rikh), due
to their late compilation:

• Thus, “if knowledge of the life of Muhammad was transmitted orally

for a century before it was reduced to writing, then the chances are

15
 that the material will have undergone considerable alteration in the
process” (Cook 1983:65)
• So, he went to Greek, Syriac, and Armenian sources from the 7th-8th
c. & found a contrasting picture to the Islamic Traditions.
• Along with Patricia Cröne, they sought to step outside the Islamic
Traditions and start again, piecing together an original account from
non-Islamic sources of Muhammad‟s time. The two together wrote
“Hagarism”…a sort of “What if” in 26 pages, supported by 226 notes
in a further 27 pages (Robinson 1996:47)
• Conclusion: suggested that the history of Islam, at least to the time
of the caliph Abd al-Malik (685-704AD), is a later fabrication.

Qibla (Archaeological Evidence)

• Creswell & Fehervari on ancient mosques in the Middle East
Umayyad mosques in Iraq (670-680)
Wassit mosque
„Kufa‟ mosque
Fustat (outside Cairo)
• Qibla (Documentary Evidence)

Christian writer: Jacob of Edessa (705 AD)

He refers to the „Mahgraye,‟ saying, “So from all this it is clear that it is not to
the south that the Jews and the Mahgraye here in the regions of Syria pray, but
towards Jerusalem or the Ka‟ba, the patriarchal places of their races.”

Dome of the Rock

• Built by „Abd al-Malik in 691 AD, and rebuilt by al Zaher Li-L‟zaz in 1022 after
an earthquake
• Third most holy site after Mecca & Medina
• Built to commemorate the night when Muhammad went up to heaven to speak
with Moses and Allah concerning the number of prayers required of the believers
(known as the Mi‟raj)

The Jews
• According to Qur‟an (Sura 2:144, 149-150)
Muhammad severed relationship with Jews around 624 AD
• Doctrina Iacobi (634-640 AD)
Warning for Greek Christians about Jews who mix with the Arabs (Saracens)

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• Armenian Chronicler of 660 AD
 Muhammad established a community which comprised both
Ishmaelites and Jews
 Break occurred between Jews and Arabs in 640 AD after Jerusalem
conquest, 15 years later than Qur‟an recorded
• Other references to continued relationship:
Genesis Rabbah (61:7), Babylonian Talmud, & Book of Jubilees,
Abu Dawud Sulayman & Ahmad b. Muhammad ibn Hanbal

• Patricia Cröne (1975, 1987):

(Slaves on Horses, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1980)
(Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, Princeton University Press,
1987)
(“The First-Century Concept of Higra”, Arabica, XLI, E.J.Brill, Leiden,
1994)

Hijra: 56 References, but none from Mecca to Medina, almost all from the Hijaz
to the north.
• Often to the Promised Land
Abu Dawud, “there will be „hijra‟ after „hijra,‟ but the best of men are to follow
the „hijra‟ of Abraham.”

Mecca
• “Mecca is the center of Islam, and the center of history.”

• “The first sanctuary appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Mecca)”
Sura 3:96

• Mecca is the “mother of all settlements.”

Sura 6:92 & 42:5
• Earliest reference to Mecca‟s existence:
Apocalypse of pseudo-Methodius
Continuatio Byzantia Arabica
Early reign of caliph Hisham (724-743 AD)
• Cröne in her work points out that the Greek trading documents refer to the
towns of Ta‟if (which is close to present-day Mecca), and to Yathrib (later
Medina), as well as Kaybar in the north, but no mention of Mecca.

“Muslim” & “Islam”

 Magaritai (Greek papyri 642), Mahgre or Mahgraye (Syriac letters
640)
-Athanasius in 684 AD termed Mahgrayes

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  Jacob of Edessa in 705 AD mentions them as Hagarenes (descendants
of Abraham & Hagar)
 „Muhajirun‟ (those who took part in the hijra or exodus)
 „Islam‟ doesn‟t appear until late 7th century - sense of „submission to
God‟, now „peace‟

Yehuda D. Nevo (1994)

“Towards a Prehistory of Islam,” Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam,
vol.17, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1994

• Arabic Inscriptions
• Caliphal Protocals (Sufyani and Marwanid Periods, upto „Abd al-Malik
– 691)
• -no ”Muhammad Formula”
-----------------------------------------------------------------
• G.R. Hawting (SOAS)
The First Dynasty of Islam, The Umayyad Caliphate AD 661-750,
London, Groom Helm, 1986
• Andrew Rippin
Muslims, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, vol. 1, London,
Routledge, 2003

Critique of the Manuscripts

Manuscript Evidence for the Qur‟an
• 1. „Ma'il‟ 7th-9th century (Medina and Mecca), or „Hijazi‟. (2165 Brit.Lib.
& Sanaa Manuscript)
• 2. „Mashq‟ 7th century onwards.
• 3. „Kufic‟/Abbasid (Eastern) 8th-11th century, begins with Abbasid
dynasty in 749 AD, see coins for chronological script evolution (needs
landscape format).
• 4. Naskh 11th century till today

Palimpsests
Manuscript Variants
(extant mss. available to Western researchers)
• Difficulty finding complete early MSS.
• Keith Small:
– (Sura 14:35-41 – Abraham in Mecca)
– Acts 7:1-8 (Stephen on Abraham, Isaac & UR)
– 150 available MSS in the 1st 300 yrs.
– Only 13 with these vss.

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 – Suras 82-114, only 3 in late 8th c.
– Suras 108-114, none exist
– Conclusions: Possible standardization of vss by late 7th c., but no
extant MS. to support it, just a guess.
– Canonized text only in Abbasid period -post 749 AD?

CONCLUSIONS:
1. The Hijra was more-than-likely not towards Medina, but towards Palestine or
places in the north & ongoing, till 800->.
2. The Qibla was not fixed towards Mecca until the eighth century, but to an area
much further north, and possibly Jerusalem.
3. The Jews still retained a relationship with the Arabs until at least 640 AD.
4. Mecca was not only unknown as a viable city until the end of the seventh
century, but was not even on the international trade route
5. The Dome of the Rock was likely used as a sanctuary.
6. Muhammad was not known as God‟s universal prophet until the late seventh
century.
7. The terms „Muslim‟/„Islam‟ were not used until the end of the 7th C.; terms
used instead Saracen, Mahgraye, Muhajirun, Hagarene
8. The five daily prayers as well as the Hajj were not standardized until after 717
A.D.; and not named until 9th century.
9. The earliest we even hear of any Qur’an is not until the late seventh century, though
fragments exist in the late 7th c.
10. The earliest Qur’anic writings do not coincide exactly with the current Qur’anic text.
From what we have seen here, what Conclusions can we use in our polemics today?

•The Qur‟an does not have the historical authority most Muslims desire.
•It has a history, evolving over 100-200yrs., much of it borrowed from other
sources

•This has serious ramifications for the Radical Muslims today, those who go to
this book for most of their theology, and practice
Can we use Polemics to Apply it?
• Jesus, Paul, and the disciples used it
• The leaders of the church in the 7th-9th c. used it
• Dr. Carl Pfander in the 19th c. certainly used it!
• The Revisionists today are using it….
• So, if it has been a tradition of the church from its very inception, and
exampled for the last 2,000 years, especially against Islam, and now employed
by those from the secular world, then why should we not use it today?
• Especially against Radical Muslims today, those who understand best the
impact it makes

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What weapons will we use?
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons
we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they are divine power
to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself
up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ”

Papyrus Manuscripts:
Sinaiticus:

Let‟s go and see just how authoritative the Old Testament is:
• Looking at Architecture: From the British Museum….
Epic of Creation
Flood Tablets
Ur of the Chaldees & Tablets from Mari, Nuzi, Ebla & Armana
Harps from Ur
Tablets from Amarna (1394 BC)
Neo Hittite Figures
Assyrian Architecture:
Jehu Obelisk (841 BC)
(2 Kings 9 & 10 – Elisha & Ahab)
Tiglath Pileser III
(745-727 BC)
(2nd Kings 15:19/20
& 1st Chronicles 5:26 – „PUL‟)

Sargon II (722-701BC)
(2 kings 17:6, 24)
& Sennacharib (704-681BC)

Lachish
Sennacharib cont.
„Tirhakah‟ statue
(2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9)
Hezekiah Mural
(II Kings 19:35-36)
Murals of Ninevah (Nahum 1:10, 2:13, 3:13-15))

Book of Daniel and the Nabonidus Drum

Drum – (539 B.C.)

Prayer for Balshazzer
(Daniel 5:16)

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Nabonidus Tablet
Persian Artifacts

Cyrrus Cylindar
Artaxerxes Silverware

21