TheQuran.com
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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Codex Parisino-petropolitanus, c. late 7th–early 8th century
Codex Parisino-petropolitanus, c. late 7th–early 8th century · credit
items
191191 original · 0 proposed
verses covered
3035% of 6,236
suras
26of 114
cite a source
100%0 cite none
Browse by category

The old site's categories

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.

All category tags

What the questions are about

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  1. Open question · old label “Question” 99 52%
  2. Linguistic 39 20%
  3. Historical background · old label “Historical Background” 36 19%
  4. Historical 24 13%
  5. Internal contradiction · old label “Quranic Contradiction” 24 13%
  6. Ambiguity 22 12%
  7. Parallels with earlier sources · old label “Copied from other sources” 5 3%
  8. Scientific 3 2%
  9. Geographical 0 0%
  10. Numerical 0 0%

original site proposed · an item can carry more than one category, so the bars sum to more than 191.

Across the Qur'an

Items per sura

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1114sura order · darker = more items · none = blank
18 items · page 1 of 1 Clear
  1. 1:62 verses Parallels with earlier sources AmbiguityHistorical background Argument During prayer, Muslims ask Allah to guide them to “the right path.” In Arabic, this phrase implies that the petitioner is lost and cannot find the right path. Therefore, Allah is asked to guide the way to the correct path. Accord…
  2. 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…
  3. 2:35 Historical Ambiguity Argument Allah said to Adam and his wife that they may eat whatever they desire in Eden but adds, “...but do not draw near this tree, or ye will be of the transgressors” (Q 2.35). The use of the definite article this indicates that the he…
  4. 2:552 verses Historical AmbiguityOpen question Argument This verse describes a scene from Moses’ journey with the Israelites in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. According to al-Tabarī’s commentary, prior to this response from Moses (verse 55), he was with a group of Jewish people w…
  5. 3:32 verses Historical AmbiguityHistorical background Argument These verses address Muhammad, stating that the book that came down to him “is confirming to what was sent down before of Allah’s books, which he had sent down upon his prophets and messengers.” It is “confirming…what they have t…
  6. 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…
  7. 7:54 Ambiguity Historical background Argument The verse describes the attribute of Allah that he has the right to create and command. Based on this idea, the linguists said that the words of Allah are ancient (eternal), not caused (or created). They declared that Allah “dist…
  8. 10:754 verses Ambiguity Argument According to the context of these verses, Moses asks Pharaoh and his people to believe in the faith of Moses and abandon the faith of their ancestors. This request is clearly seen in verse 78, and Islamic commentator al-Rāzī stat…
  9. 10:88 Ambiguity Argument This verse describes Moses calling on his Lord to destroy the splendor and riches of Pharaoh and his chiefs, wealth that Moses acknowledges was bestowed by God on his enemies. But Moses asks for more than the destruction of his e…
  10. 10:94 Ambiguity Argument This verse addresses Muḥammad. It instructs Muḥammad to ask those who have read the Book before him whenever he is in doubt concerning the veracity of the revelation. Al-Zamakhsharī comments, “As if it was said: if you were to do…
  11. 12:52 Ambiguity Argument Unlike the Palmer English translation, “(said Joseph),” the current Arabic Qur’ān does not remove the ambiguity regarding the speaker in this verse. Islamic commentators offer two opinions regarding the speaker’s identity: The sp…
  12. 14:28 Ambiguity Argument The verse singles out an unnamed group of people as “those who have changed God’s favours for misbelief.” Islamic scholars offer the following possibilities for this group of people: Quraysh “Hypocrites”. Quraysh tribesmen who fo…
  13. 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.…
  14. 17:78 Ambiguity Argument Islamic scholars offer differing opinions regarding the time and religious purpose of the “declining of the sun.” One group holds that the time is when the sun sets and the appropriate prayer is the sunset (al-maghrib) prayer. An…
  15. 19:16 Ambiguity Argument This text mentions the details of Mary’s distancing herself from her family by going toward an eastern region. Some Islamic commentators have stated that the location is east of Jerusalem. Others believe that she went into seclus…
  16. 19:17 Ambiguity Argument The verse states that Allah sent his “spirit” to Mary. Muslim exegetes explain that the spirit is Jibrīl, who appeared to her as a human. It is said that Jibrīl is called the “spirit” “figuratively, out of love for him”. On the o…
  17. 25:37 Ambiguity Argument The verse states that the people of Noah “said the apostles were liars'' in the plural, even though the verse is about the people of Noah calling him (in the singular) a liar. Muslim exegetes have attempted to resolve this gramma…
  18. 25:44 Ambiguity Argument The verse compares the misbelievers to livestock, stating that they are “like the cattle.” Al-Ţabarī explains that “they are not but like animals that do not understand what is said to them nor comprehend”. On the other hand, Q 1…