The Presence of Errors in the Bible and the Absence of Errors in the Koran

Introduction

I am not one of the many non-Christians who subscribe the fallacious notion that because the Bible contains a lot of contradictions, therefore you shouldn’t believe in it. The Bible, unlike the Koran, is not under any obligation to be free of errors, as the Bible is a volume of different writings by different authors, none of whom gave any indication that they knew that their works would be lumped together, while the Koran, on the other hand, is a single writing by a single Author, fully aware of itself (for instance, referring to itself by name quite often, such as in Surah 6, Verse 19) and actually claiming to be inspired and infallible in several verses (such as Surah 2, Verse 2). Most Christians don’t believe that every word of the Bible is divinely inspired and infallible, and you don’t have to believe that in order to be a Christian. After all, most of the Bible’s contradictions—not all, but most of them—are over irrelevant matters.

But the fact remains that many Christian missionaries make a claim which is strange and bordering on ridiculous, that the Bible is free of contradictions and other errors whereas the Koran contains them. In this article I am going to show that the Bible contains undeniable contradictions, whereas the claims that people often make of contradictions in the Koran are false. I will also show that other, common claims of the Koran containing errors that are not of the contradictory nature are false, whereas the Bible does contain such errors. Again, this is not an argument against Christianity, but against Christian inerrantism and the false claims of errors existing in the Koran.

Note: I am fully aware of the much more extensive list of well over a hundred claims of errors in the Koran at Answering Islam. But I am not going to put myself to the unnecessary effort of responding to over a hundred articles when most of them have already been refuted by Osama Abdallah of Answering Christianity, Randy Desmond, the Understanding Islam team, and the Islamic Awareness team. You should also know, dear reader, that I have already responded to three, common contradiction claims in this site’s article Qur’an: The Work of Multiple Hands? My Answer.

The Truth About the Alleged Contradictions in the Koran

One commonly made claim compares Koran 4:48 and 4:116 to Koran 4:153, stating that they contradict each other about whether or not God forgives shirk. But 4:48 and 4:116 are in the present tense, whereas Koran 4:116 is in the past tense. The standard is now different from what it was when the special exception was made before, this being the only case our scriptures speak of, so far as I know. Were all the passages in either the present or the past tense, then it would be a contradiction, but they are not, so it isn’t.

Another commonly made claim is that the Koran refers to many different people as being the first Muslims, comparing Koran 39:12 to 7:143. The verses read:

Say: “I have been commanded to serve God, making my religion His sincerely; and I have been commanded to be the first of those that surrender.”

(- 39:12 -)
Noble Quran

[Moses said:] “Glory be to Thee! I repent to Thee; I am the first of the believers.

(- 7:143 -)
Noble Quran

There are more ways for something to be first than sequential order. It’s like if I say, “Hey, I’m the first one to stand by you if they ever do that to you.” When I say that I am not necessarily saying that I will automatically be there before anyone else is. In 7:143 the blessed Moses is quoted as saying, “I am the first of the believers” after his conversion; this obviously carries the same meaning. After all, the sentence is not, “I am the first to believe in the religion called Islam”.

The other commonly made claims that I have not addressed either here or in this site’s article "Qur’an: The Work of Multiple Hands? My Answer” have been disproven by the Understanding Islam team. First, there is the claim that the Koran contradicts itself over whether the words of God can be altered, comparing Koran 6:34 to Koran 6:115, 2:106 and 16:108. The Understanding Islam team has disproven this claim. They have also disproven the common claim that the Koran contradicts itself about whether there were six or eight days (also translatable as “epochs”, each one detailed and matching the findings of science exactly). Furthermore, they have disproven the alleged contradiction over whether or not liquor is forbidden. They have disproven the alleged contradiction over whether or not Pharaoh drowned.

Finally, they have disproven the claim that the Koran contradicts itself on the issue of what man was made from. I would like to add that while the combination of materials (the Koran says in many verses that it explains itself, such as in Surah 75, Verses 16-19) adds up to the clay metaphor, I consider this to be only a metaphor, referring to evolution, since the Koran tells us in Surah 71, Verse 14 that we were made through what Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation translates as “diverse stages” and M.H. Shakir’s translation translates as “various grades”.

The Truth About the Alleged Non-Contradictory Errors in the Koran

The most common claim I see in this respect is that Koran 18:85-90 depicts the sun as rising and setting on earth. But if you read the verse carefully, you will see that it is describing only what Zul-Qarnain saw and not necessarily what was actually happening. The verses say that the rising and setting of the sun on earth is what Zul-Qarnain found to be happening; they never say that this is what was happening. To the naked eye (and a mind ignorant of the earth’s rotation around the sun, as Zul-Qarnain and most other people were in ancient times), the sun might look like it’s setting into a body of water that reaches to the horizon, and if sunrise comes over a town in the distance, it only stands to reason that the man will think that the town is not properly shielded from the sun. But this is Zul-Qarnain’s mistake, not the Koran’s.

Another extremely common claim is that the Koran mistakes where sperm comes from. This is due to a misquotation of the following passage from the Koran:

86:5 So let man consider of what he was created.
86:6 He was created of gushing water
86:7 Issuing between the loins and the breast-bones.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali renders “gushing water” as “a drop emitted”. Pickthall renders it “a gushing fluid”. In all cases the reference is clearly to semen, not sperm. Semen is sperm along with the viscous substance that it’s wrapped in, used as a protective coating. Semen comes from the prostate, which is located between the loins and the breast-bones. Some translations read “between the back and the ribs” instead, but this would still technically fit, as the torso seems to be what this refers to, and the prostate is in the torso.

Another common claim along the same lines is that certain verses like Koran 36:38 refer to the sun orbiting the earth, but all that these verses really say is that the sun has an orbit. The Koran (which, you must remember, explains itself) says that all the celestial bodies are in an orbit,and so this is the orbit being referred to. It says that right here (switching temporarily to Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation):

It is He Who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course.

(- 21:33 -)
Noble Quran

This fits the findings of modern science (somehow known in the sixth century when science didn’t uncover it until the twentieth century!), that all the celestial bodies in a galaxy rotate around the galaxy’s Galactic Central Point.

And just like they disproved the common contradiction claims, the Understanding Islam team has disproven the other common claims that the Koran has non-contradictory errors. Specifically, they disproved the common claim that ants are said to speak in Koran 27:18-19, and they disproved the common claim that Koran 67:5 says (as it’s often mistranslated) that stars are missiles to be thrown at djinni.

The Truth About Contradictions in the Bible

Like I said, most of the contradictions in the Bible are over trivial things. Only a small handful are over important, doctrinal matters. But the contradictions do exist nonetheless. It is true that many of the commonly made specific claims over where the Bible contradicts itself are false or at least have a rational explanation for them, but there are also many cases in which the fact that the Bible is contradicting itself cannot rationally be denied. I have already shown how there are sixteen (at least, just the ones I’ve found) contradictions in the crucifixion accounts alone in my Evidence Against the Crucifixion article on this site. My favorite example of a biblical contradiction is one of these:

When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished”; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:30)

Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

The fact that the beginning and ending of the verses match negates the idea that the two statements can be combined. The burden of proof would have to be on the Christian inerrantist anyway to show that the Gospels can be combined, despite their being written by different authors who may very well never met each other, and for which there is no evidence that they were working in collusion. Here is another example of an obvious contradiction in the Bible, regarding what Mary of Magdala did after finding the empty tomb:

So [Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of the blessed Jesus] departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8)

And [Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and the blessed Jesus, and Salome] went out and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them; and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid. (Mark 16:8)

And returning from the tomb [the women who had come with the blessed Jesus from Galilee] told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. (Luke 24:9)

Mary Mag’dalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. (John 20:18)

Another plain contradiction in the Bible is regarding whether or not Jesus (on whom be peace) was a prophet:

[Jesus said:] “He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. (Matthew 10:40-41)

And coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matthew 13:54-57)

In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Like I said, there are some—not many, but some—contradictions over doctrine. One such example is the contradiction regarding whether or not anyone is righteous:

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:9-12)

Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)

Now there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathe’a. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their purpose and deed, and he was looking for the kingdom of God. (Luke 23:50-51)

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil. (Job 1:1)

The response Christian apologists offer is inevitable: they always define the word “righteous” (and sometimes the word “blameless” as well) in a special way while completely ignoring the rest of the verses. The text says that Joseph of Arimathea was good and looking for the kingdom of God, that Noah (on whom be peace) walked with God, and that Job (on whom be peace) was upright, feared God, and turned away from evil, whereas the Romans reference states that “no one seeks for God”. So regardless of what the words “righteous” and “blameless” mean in the passage from Romans, the contradiction stands.

Another example of a contradiction in the Bible over a doctrinal matter is the contradiction regarding whether or not God is omniscient:

By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:19-20)

Then the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor’rah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21)

The Truth About Non-Contradictory Errors in the Bible

Leviticus 11—just that one chapter—contains four errors, stating erroneously that camels don’t have split hooves, that rabbits chew cud, that bats are birds, and that insects have four legs:

The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you…And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. (Leviticus 11:4-6)

And these you shall have in abomination among the birds, they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the kite, the falcon according to its kind, every raven according to its kind, the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk according to its kind, the owl, the cormorant, the ibis, the water hen, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the stork, the heron according to its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. All winged insects that go upon all fours are an abomination to you. Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet, with which to leap on the earth. (Leviticus 11:13-21)

Another error in the Bible is its view, universal among all the authors of the documents of which the Bible is comprised who brought up the subject, that the earth is flat:

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. (Revelation 7:1)

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in. (Isaiah 40:22)

While it is impressive that the Bible, like the Koran, somehow knew that the heavens are expanding, the fact remains that the Bible obviously depicts a flat earth. One, final example (as with the contradictions, I’m giving you only a small sampling—there are a whole lot more) is over whether or not God punishes people for their parents’ sins:

I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me. (Exodus 20:5)

The LORD passed before him, and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

And his disciples asked [Jesus], “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2)

The soul that sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. (Ezekiel 18:20)

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin. (Deuteronomy 24:16)

Note that in all cases, in the context of the verses, these are all God’s own (alleged) words.

Conclusion

So as you can see, the claims people always make to support the notion that the Koran contains errors is false, whereas the Bible does contain errors. The Koran, a single writing by a single Author which vouches for its own infallibility, does not have any mistakes in it. The Bible, a volume of different writings by different authors, none of whom were aware of the whole and as such said that it is inspired, contains contradictions as well as other sorts of errors.

I have one, final point: many Christians take 2 Timothy 3:16 to be a claim from the Bible that the Bible is inspired, but this verse speaks not of the Bible, but only of scripture. Technically, if all scripture is inspired, then all the apocryphal Gospels would have to be inspired as well as the canonical ones—but I suppose that in all likelihood the reference was to whatever was considered scripture in the time and place in which 2 Timothy was written, being written before the Bible was compiled. In any case, none of the authors of the Bible gave any indication that they were aware of the Bible’s future compilation, and as such none of them claimed that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, whereas the Koran does make that claim, and as I have shown, the claims that non-Muslims tend to make to the contrary are just common misconceptions, whereas it is true that the Bible contains mistakes.