Contradictions in the Quran: Difference between revisions

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===The forgiveness of Adam===
===The forgiveness of Adam===
Academic scholars have noticed that the author or editor of the Quran appears to have combined in 2:36-39 the stories of Adam in 7:22-25 and 20:121-124, with the awkward result that Allah tells Adam and company to go down from paradise twice, in verses 2:36 and 2:38.<ref>Witztum, Joseph. 2011. [https://www.docdroid.net/EBk1ghM/the-syriac-milieu-of-the-quran-the-recasting-of-biblical-narratives-pdf The Syriac Milieu of the Qur’ ̄an: The Recasting of Biblical Narratives] Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. pp. 69-79</ref> In Surah 7 Adam requests forgiveness from Allah, but does not say whether Allah did forgive him. Instead, it immediately proceeds to the command to descend in 7:24, taken word for word by 2:36 in the Arabic text. Surah 20 on the other hand has Adam forgiven before the command to descend (part of a longer section narrated chronologically). Surah 2 appears to fix the ambiguity in surah 7 by inserting Allah's forgiveness after (fa - see note above) the part of the descent command from surah 7, which can be seen also partly in 20:123 where the forgiveness has already occurred.
Academic scholars have noticed that the author or editor of the Quran appears to have combined in verses 2:36-39 the stories of Adam in 7:22-25 and 20:121-124, with the awkward result that Allah tells Adam and company to go down from paradise twice, in verses 2:36 and 2:38.<ref>Witztum, Joseph. 2011. [https://www.docdroid.net/EBk1ghM/the-syriac-milieu-of-the-quran-the-recasting-of-biblical-narratives-pdf The Syriac Milieu of the Qur’ ̄an: The Recasting of Biblical Narratives] Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA. pp. 69-79</ref>  
 
Moreover, a contradiction was thereby created regarding the timing of Adam's forgiveness by Allah. In Surah 20, Adam is forgiven before the command to descend from paradise (part of a longer section narrated chronologically). In Surah 7 Adam requests forgiveness from Allah, but it does not say whether Allah did forgive him. Instead, it immediately proceeds to the command to descend in 7:24. Surah 2 appears to fix the ambiguity in surah 7 by inserting Allah's forgiveness after (fa<ref name="LanesLexiconFa">fa - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000105.pdf Lane's Lexicon pp. 2321-2323]</ref>) the descent command seen in surah 7:24 (that whole verse is used word for word by 2:36 in the Arabic text). However, the first part of the command to descend as enemies of one another also occurs in 20:123 where the forgiveness has already occurred.


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11:40 [So it was], '''until when Our command came and the oven overflowed, We said,''' <span style="color:#008000">"Load upon the ship of each [creature] two mates and your family, except those about whom the word has preceded</span>, and [include] whoever has believed." But none had believed with him, except a few.
11:40 [So it was], '''until when Our command came and the oven overflowed, We said,''' <span style="color:#008000">"Load upon the ship of each [creature] two mates and your family, except those about whom the word has preceded</span>, and [include] whoever has believed." But none had believed with him, except a few.
|So We inspired to him, <span style="color:#0000FF">"Construct the ship under Our observation, and Our inspiration,</span> '''and when Our command comes and the oven overflows,''' <span style="color:#008000">put into the ship from each [creature] two mates and your family, except those for whom the decree [of destruction] has proceeded.</span><span style="color:#0000FF"> And do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be drowned.</span>
|So We inspired to him, <span style="color:#0000FF">"Construct the ship under Our observation, and Our inspiration,</span> '''and when Our command comes and the oven overflows,''' <span style="color:#008000">put into the ship from each [creature] two mates and your family, except those for whom the decree [of destruction] has proceeded.</span><span style="color:#0000FF"> And do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be drowned.</span>
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===Was Noah exiled by his people?===
The Quran records that Noah was driven out by his people when he tried to reason with them. Another verse implies that he remained in the vicinity, building the ark.
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! scope=col style="width: 50%;" |{{Quran|54|9}}
! scope=col style="width: 50%;" |{{Quran|11|38}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|Before them the People of Noah rejected (their messenger): they rejected Our servant, and said, "Here is one possessed!", and he was driven out.
|Forthwith he (starts) constructing the Ark: Every time that the chiefs of his people passed by him, they threw ridicule on him. He said: "If ye ridicule us now, we (in our turn) can look down on you with ridicule likewise!
|}
|}


===Abraham and the idols===
===Abraham and the idols===
{{Quran-range|37|87|97}} contains a simpler version of the story in which Abraham smashes the idols in {{Quran-range|21|57|68}}. The two versions conflict in terms of where the events take place. In surah 37, everything takes place at the location of the idols. After some dialogue, we see in verse 90 “Then they turned away from him, departing” (fatawallaw ʿanhu mud'birīna); Abraham then smashes the idols; and “Then they came toward him, hastening” (fa-aqbalū ilayhi yaziffūna). Lane's Lexicon entry for the conjunction fa used at the start of 37:94 explains that in such usage as we see here, fa conveys proximate and uninterrupted succession.<ref>fa - [http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume6/00000105.pdf Lane's Lexicon pp. 2321-2323]</ref>
{{Quran-range|37|87|97}} contains a simpler version of the story in which Abraham smashes the idols in {{Quran-range|21|57|68}}. The two versions conflict in terms of where the events take place. In surah 37, everything takes place at the location of the idols. After some dialogue, we see in verse 90 “Then they turned away from him, departing” (fatawallaw ʿanhu mud'birīna); Abraham then smashes the idols; and “Then they came toward him, hastening” (fa-aqbalū ilayhi yaziffūna). Lane's Lexicon entry for the conjunction fa used at the start of 37:94 explains that in such usage as we see here, fa conveys proximate and uninterrupted succession.<ref name="LanesLexiconFa />


In contrast, the longer surah 21 version has the people return to find the smashed idols but Abraham is no longer present there. They send a party to bring him, and then back amidst the idols he shows them the folly of their ways. So in that version it is Abraham who comes to them.
In contrast, the longer surah 21 version has the people return to find the smashed idols but Abraham is no longer present there. They send a party to bring him, and then back amidst the idols he shows them the folly of their ways. So in that version it is Abraham who comes to them.
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