Differences
Analysis · argument tier
Questions raised about the text
Linguistic, historical, scientific and internal-consistency questions, verse by verse. Each item is an argument, with the sources it cites and a place for the responses.
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All categoriesLinguistic · old site “Linguistic”
Grammar, vocabulary and syntax.
60
Open question
31% of items
60 original · 0 proposed · old “Question”
39
Linguistic
20% of items
39 original · 0 proposed
24
Internal contradiction
13% of items
24 original · 0 proposed · old “Quranic Contradiction”
24
Historical background
13% of items
24 original · 0 proposed · old “Historical Background”
21
Historical
11% of items
21 original · 0 proposed
15
Ambiguity
8% of items
15 original · 0 proposed
5
Parallels with earlier sources
3% of items
5 original · 0 proposed · old “Copied from other sources”
3
Scientific
2% of items
3 original · 0 proposed
0
Geographical
0% of items
0 original · 0 proposed
Each item is filed under one category from the old site's list (its most specific one); the other categories it carries still show as tags.
- 2:1 Linguistic AmbiguityOpen question Argument The first verse of this sūra begins with individual letters of the alphabet called muqatta‘āt. They are also called fawātih, or “openers,” because they form the opening of multiple sūras. For a discussion about their possible ori…
- 2:124 Linguistic Argument Within this verse we notice that the reading that would make the word “evildoers'' more proper in Arabic would be in the nominative instead of the accusative case of the noun, i.e., “The evildoers are not within the reach of My P…
- 4:22 verses Linguistic Historical backgroundOpen question Argument In the first verse, the Qur’ān warns Muslims against seizing the money of orphans, considering it a great sin (Q 4.2). In the next verse, it tells Muslim men “if ye fear” that they shall not be able to deal justly with orphans, t…
- 4:15 Linguistic Argument The verse determines the penalty for women who “commit adultery” by confining them to their houses “until death releases them.” In Arabic, this phrase is more literally translated “until they pass away by death.” Since there is n…
- 4:20 Linguistic Ambiguity Argument This verse commands men not to take a woman’s dowry “for a calumny.” The term “calumny” was used in this verse outside of its proper linguistic meaning. Calumny means slander. However, the act of not giving the woman her dowry is…
- 4:136 Linguistic Historical backgroundOpen question Argument This verse demands of Muslims to believe in Allah and his messenger. Linguistic scholars call these forms of speech “clarifying the obvious.” How could a believer be asked to believe? This is why scholars attempted to remove the …
- 4:1622 verses Linguistic Argument The verse contains a contradiction to Arabic grammatical rules. The verse in Arabic uses the wrong grammatical case: hadhān instead of hadhāīn for “the twain.” ‘Ā’isha, the favorite wife of Muhammad, conceded that human error was…
- 5:1 Linguistic Historical backgroundOpen question Argument This verse first commands Muslims to keep all their obligations ( compacts, covenants or contracts). Then it adds this declaration: “Lawful for you are brute beasts....” This statement means that these animals, al-an‘ām or “cattl…
- 5:6 Linguistic Historical backgroundOpen question Argument This verse points out the causes that would break one’s ablution, including, “if one of you come from the privy, or if ye have touched women...” (Q 5.6). This phrase is also found verbatim in Q 4.43: “...or one of you come from t…
- 5:69 Linguistic Argument In the current Arabic Qur’ān, the word Sabaeans is actually written in its plural nominative form, Sābi’ūn, which should have been in the objective (accusative) form Sābi’īn, as it is written in other verses: “...those who believ…
- 6:38 Linguistic Open question Argument There are three comments regarding this verse: A.First comment: There is a redundancy in the verse. It says “a bird that flies with both its wings,” which is what the Arabic literally says. The verse clarifies something that does…
- 6:139 Linguistic Argument In the current Arabic Qur’ān the word khālis. a (“specially reserved”) is used in the feminine, while the word muh. arram (“forbidden”) is used in the masculine. The question then becomes, why did these two descriptions, “special…
- 7:4 Linguistic Argument Literally, this verse reads, “How many towns have we caused to be destroyed, then our punishment took her [it] on a sudden by night....” How did the destruction come? Did it come first and then the punishment came after? Does not…
- 7:161 Linguistic Argument This verse states “and say ‘hittatun and enter the gate adoring....’” However, the words seem to have been rearranged. Elsewhere in the Qur’ān, the order is stated this way: “and enter the gate worshipping and say ‘hittatun....” …
- 7:190 Linguistic Argument This verse refers to Adam and Eve. (See verse 189.) It tells us that after they were blessed with a son, they associated others with Allah (became idolaters). Again there is a problem in the Arabic text that is not apparent in th…
- 10:23 Linguistic Argument The verse in Arabic has a linguistic problem. It states, “they wrong…without just cause,” even though the verb bighayri al-ḥaqqi (“to wrong”) means to transgress by treating someone unjustly. In other words, the verb “to wrong” a…
- 10:61 Linguistic Argument This verse addresses Muḥammad. As translated by Palmer, the addressee is spoken to at times in the Arabic singular (takūnu) as “thou,” as in “thou be… thou recite,” and other times in the Arabic plural (takūnū(ā)) as “ye,” as in …
- 11:83 Linguistic Argument The word ba‘īdin (“far”) in the verse is masculine. It should have been feminine as it is the adjective of hiya (“she”), translated as “these” in the verse. Proper grammar was sacrificed to keep the rhyme (al-fāṣila) of the verse.
- 12:2 Linguistic Open question Argument According to the verse, God announces, “Surely, we have revealed it-- an Arabic Quran-- that you may understand.” The Qur’an repeatedly declares its Arabic calling and outstanding eloquence. Upon reading such verses, one cannot h…
- 12:15 Linguistic Argument No obvious predicate concludes the opening clause in this verse: “And when they had gone off with him and agreed to put him in the depths of the pit….” Al-Qurţubī suggests three possible conclusions: The phrase “and we inspired h…
- 15:9 Linguistic Argument Allah states in this verse, “Verily, we have sent down the Reminder, and, verily, we will guard it.” Al-Ţabarī explains that this verse means that Allah “verily will guard the Qur’ān from any false addition of what is not part of…
- 15:72 Linguistic Argument In this verse Islamic commentators are divided concerning the identity of the addressee into two opinions: The addressee is Muhammad, and the verse means, “By your life, O Muhammad, your people of the Quraysh are ‘in their intoxi…
- 15:80 Linguistic Argument The verse states that the “fellows of El ‘Hajr” (said to be the people of Thamūd) “called the messengers liars” without stating which messenger. Islamic commentators state that this messenger is Šālih. To justify the plural “mess…
- 15:902 verses Linguistic AmbiguityOpen question Argument Some Islamic scholars offer these speculations regarding the identity of al-muqtasimīna (“the dividers”; Palmer trans.“the separatists”): The dividers are those who fanned out along the roads of Mecca during special occasions, e.…
- 16:100 Linguistic Argument The problem with this verse is not as clearly seen as it is in other translations: “His authority is only over those who befriend him and those who associate others with Him” (Shakir trans.; emphasis added). To whom does the seco…
- 17:60 Linguistic Open question Argument The text in this verse contains two issues: Word definition (“the vision”) The verse states that Muhammad’s vision became “a cause of sedition unto men.” Muslim exegetes offer different meanings for “the vision”: A true vision sh…
- 18:12 verses Linguistic Open question Argument In one section of this passage, the Arabic literally states “did not make to it crookedness that is strait.” Without his albeit helpful insertions, Sale’s translation more closely reflects the Arabic wording: “…and hath not inser…
- 19:18 Linguistic Argument When the angel appears to Mary, she says, “Verily, I take refuge in the Merciful One from thee, if thou art pious.” There is a contradiction in her words. One does not seek refuge in God from a pious person. Qur’ānic critics have…
- 19:36 Linguistic Argument Concerning the speaker in the verse who says, “God is my Lord,” al-Rāzī mentions two opinions: The speaker is Muhammad. The speaker is Jesus, as the verse starts with “and” following “Verily, I am a servant of God; He has brought…
- 19:61 Linguistic Argument The Arabic verb translated by Palmer as “comes to pass” is ma’tiyan. In Arabic, the verb is actually in the passive voice—“made to pass”—instead of the active. The intended meaning requires the active voice as Palmer correctly tr…
- 20:67 Linguistic Argument The name Moses appears at the end of the verse in Arabic to keep the rhyme. Grammatically, it should have come after the verb in keeping with the more typical Arabic sentence structure, where the subject comes after the verb.
- 20:70 Linguistic Argument The name Aaron comes before Moses, when he is a follower of Moses. The reason “Aaron” is mentioned first is to keep the rhyme. Moses should have been mentioned first because of his centrality to the verse and the narrative here.
- 20:129 Linguistic Argument There is disorder in the structure of this verse, clearly seen by Palmer’s attempt to add words, i.e., “(the punishment)…(at),” to make sense of it. The words “it would have been inevitable” should have been written at the end. T…
- 22:47 Linguistic Open question Argument The verse informs that a day to Allah equals a thousand human years (“…a day with thy Lord is as a thousand years of what ye number”). Muslim exegetes offer varying opinions regarding this matter. Some state that the Lord’s day i…
- 23:17 Linguistic Argument Commentators interpret the word Tar'ek ("Roads, Tracts or Paths'') as "Heavens". Such interpretation is supported as follows: Heavens is Tra'ek in the sense of "layers of clothing" Heavens is Tra'ek in the sense of "trajectories …
- 23:99 Linguistic Argument The text in this verse presents two issues: Grammatical inconsistencies The verse begins with a singular address to Allah (“he says, ‘My Lord!’”) but changes to a plural address, arji‘ūni (“send ye me back”). The word arji‘ūni is…
- 24:63 Linguistic Argument "So let those who oppose his orders beware" The Arabic Qur'an text of that verse includes the extra preposition an ("about/of") after the verb "oppose" which is not needed as the Arabic verb does not take a preposition. Some scho…
- 25:25 Linguistic Argument The verse means that the heavens will be split asunder “from” the clouds. The current Arabic Qur’ān has the preposition بـِ, which means “by” or “with” as in “by (or with) the clouds.” In explanation, al-Farrā’ states that the ve…
- 25:43 Linguistic Argument The obvious intent of this verse is to criticize infidels for making their passions their god. However, the actual wording in the Arabic language states instead that infidels should be denounced for their passion for their god. F…