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

CSV JSON PNG
  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

CSV JSON PNG
1114sura order · darker = more items · none = blank
28 items · page 1 of 1 Clear
  1. 1:15 verses Parallels with earlier sources Historical backgroundOpen question Argument In the Islāmic books that recount the history of the codices, records show that Ibn Mas‘ūd refused to include Q 1, Q 113, and Q 114 in his codex of the Qur’ān, because he believed that these sūras were never intended to be a part…
  2. 2:313 verses Open question Argument Verses 31–33 are a continuation of the conversation between Allah and the angels concerning the creation of man. These verses state that Allah taught Adam the names of “all of them.” Then Allah asks the angels to repeat these nam…
  3. 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…
  4. 2:972 verses Internal contradiction Open question Argument This verse states that the angel Gabriel (Jibrīl) is the one who transmitted the Qur’ān to Muhammad. However, another Qur’ānic text states that the Holy Spirit is the one who carried out this task: “Say, ‘The Holy Spirit brought …
  5. 2:1062 verses Internal contradiction Open question Argument In the midst of the doctrinal controversy between Muhammad and the Jews in Medina, the Jews noticed that Muhammad was annulling, time and again, rulings that he had enacted. This issue became a subject of their criticism. They sa…
  6. 2:2293 verses Historical background Open question Argument The Qur’ān justifies, or approves, repeated divorces. According to verse 229, the man is given the right to divorce his wife twice and to remarry her after the first and second divorces. But, if he divorces her a third time, she …
  7. 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…
  8. 4:512 verses Historical background Open question Argument This verse accuses “those to whom a portion of the Book has been given” that they “believe in Gibt and Taghut.” According to the Arabic concordance al-Qāmūs al-Muhīt., Gibt means idols or other false deities and Tāghūt means the …
  9. 8:222 verses Historical background Open question Argument The people of Mecca were critical of Muhammad and his revelations. When a group of the tribe of Banū ‘Abd al-Dār defeated him in a debate, Muhammad responded by reciting, “...the worst of beasts in God’s sight are the deaf, the d…
  10. 8:313 verses Historical background Open question Argument Muhammad was reciting Qur’ānic verses to the Quraysh people and telling them tales and news of the ancients as proof of his calling as a prophet. But all of this recitation was not convincing to most of the people of the Quraysh …
  11. 11:5010 verses Historical Open question Argument Islamic commentators mention that Hūd is the son of ‘Abd Allah Ibn Rabāh Ibn al-Julūd Ibn ‘Ād Ibn ‘Aws Ibn Irm Ibn Sam Ibn Noah. They also state that Hūd was sent as a messenger to ‘Ād, a pagan tribe in the region of Hadramout in…
  12. 11:702 verses Open question Argument Regarding the story’s elements and sequence, this verse has two issues: Alternate versions The text of Q 11.70 states that when the guests of Ibrāhīm (Abraham) did not eat of his food, “he could not understand them, and harboured…
  13. 11:1182 verses Open question Argument The verse states that Allah created people to be different. What is understood from the context is that the difference is a “difference in religions,” an opinion held by the majority of Islamic commentators. However, another opin…
  14. 12:303 verses Open question Argument This text contains the story of the women who mock Zelicha because of her infatuation with Joseph and Zelicha’s response to “their malicious talk.” She invites these women to a banquet in her home, so that they too would be dazzl…
  15. 13:33 verses Scientific Open question Argument Islamic commentaries explain rawāsī to mean “steadfast or firm.” Al-Qurţubī explains that the earth is anchored by the mountains and thus made steady. Islamic commentator Ibn Kathīr presents a theory adopted by the commentators c…
  16. 13:74 verses Open question Argument Some of the Quraysh requested Muamhmad to bring forth a miracle to prove the authenticity of his claim of being a prophet (verse 7). He responded, “God knows what each female bears, and what the wombs fall short of or add…” (vers…
  17. 15:103 verses Open question Argument The text contains an address to Muhammad, stating that every messenger who came “before thee” (verse 10) was “mocked” (verse 11). The following text (verse 12) states that mockery is “put” by Allah into the hearts of misbelievers…
  18. 15:172 verses Open question Argument The Qur’ān explains in these verses an astronomical phenomenon: the shooting star. According to Islamic commentators, verse 17 states that the lower heaven has been kept away from every devil except the one who eavesdrops; he is …
  19. 15:2815 verses Open question Argument Although Iblīs’ refusal to bow to Adam in adoration is first mentioned in Q 2.34, both instances (Q 2.34 and Q 15.33) have generated puzzling explanations by Muslim scholars that appear contradictory to other teachings of the Qur…
  20. 15:493 verses Open question Argument The verse contains an address to Muhammad ordering him to tell the Quraysh that Allah is “the pardoning, the merciful” and that Allah’s punishment is a “grievous woe.” Then the text continues, “And inform them concerning Abraham’…
  21. 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.…
  22. 15:922 verses Open question Argument The text states that all the people will be asked on Yawm al-Qiyāma (“Day of Judgment”) about “what they have done”. This verse contradicts Q 55.39: “On that day neither man nor ginn shall be asked about his crime!”
  23. 17:42 verses Ambiguity Open question Argument Verse 4 informs that Allah decreed that the Children of Israel (the Israelites) in the Book (Torah) will do evil “in the earth twice.” When the threat of the first evil came, people “endued with violence” came to the Children of …
  24. 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…
  25. 18:6023 verses Open question Argument These verses tell a story about a journey undertaken by Moses and his companion Joshua, son of Nun. Along the way, they meet a man (verse 65) identified in Islamic commentaries as al-Khidr. At this point, Moses and al-Khidr toget…
  26. 19:272 verses Open question Argument The name Mary in English is actually Miriam in Hebrew. Thus, the Hebrew name for the mother of Jesus is Miriam. The Arabic form of Miriam is Maryam. The name Maryam is used in the Qur’ān to identify both Mary, the mother of Jesus…
  27. 26:454 verses Open question Argument The discourse here concerns a competition between Moses and some of the Pharaoh’s magicians. Moses wins the competition—and their conversion—when he uses his rod to swallow up their ropes and rods. However, this detail in verses …
  28. 26:2103 verses Open question Argument The text states that the devils did not descend with the Qur’ān. However, in another place the Qur’ān states that Satan interfered in the process of revelation and spoke through Muḥammad. (See the critical analysis of Q 22.52, Qu…