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
99 items · page 3 of 3 Clear
  1. 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…
  2. 19:24 Open question Argument Muslim exegetes disagree concerning the identity of the one who “called to her”: was it Jesus or Jibrīl? Some hold that it was Jibrīl and claim that “from beneath her'' means between her hands. Others state that it was Jesus and …
  3. 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…
  4. 19:30 Open question Argument This verse states that Jesus—the infant—was made to speak by Allah, declaring himself a “servant of God” (‘Abd Allah). The clear intention behind making Jesus speak as an infant in the cradle is to refute the Christian doctrine o…
  5. 19:63 Open question Argument The verse promises al-Janna (“Paradise”) to the pious worshippers, “our servants who are pious.” Question: How can there be a pious worshipper and a worshipper who is not pious? Though the Islamic commentaries ignore this issue, …
  6. 19:82 Open question Argument In this verse, the antecedent to the pronoun “they” (“They shall deny...”) is not clearly discernible. Does this pronoun refer to the worshippers or those who are being worshipped? Some Islamic scholars suggest that Allah will ra…
  7. 19:83 Open question Argument The verse discusses Allah’s granting Satan the power to lure people and lead them to deviance. (The same issue is addressed in another sura. See the critical analysis of Q 17.64).
  8. 20:5 Open question Argument The verse states that Allah “settled on the throne,” meaning that he sat down. This image describes Allah as having a body. The belief that Allah has a body is incompatible with the Muslim view that Allah is beyond description. T…
  9. 20:7 Open question Argument The meaning of wa-akhfa, translated by Palmer as “and more hidden still”, is confusing. Muslim exegetes offer the following explanations: Self-talk that a person has not done yet. Just self-talk. Plan that is about to be executed…
  10. 21:95 Open question Argument Muslim exegetes disagree concerning the meaning of this verse. Some state that the verse means that the townspeople who died may not be brought back to this life. Others state that “we have destroyed” means “we determined to dest…
  11. 21:99 Open question Argument The Pickthall translation of this verse (“If these had been gods they would not have come thither, but all will abide therein”) more closely matches the Arabic text than the Palmer translation. (Palmer mistranslates “god,” a noun…
  12. 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…
  13. 22:52 Open question Argument The verse states that a particular trial would come upon all the messengers and prophets. The trial is that Satan would sneak something into their scriptures, but then Allah would intervene to remove the satanic text: “We have no…
  14. 23:6 Open question Argument The verse permits sexual intercourse between Muslim men and their female slaves, an act that is not counted as a sin for any Muslim man because the slave woman has no right to protect her body. (See the section Female Slaves in t…
  15. 23:97 Open question Argument Muslim exegetes explain that the phrase “the incitings of the devils” means their insinuations and whispers. They also state that Muhammad was commanded to seek refuge in Allah from their effects in his life and decisions. This v…
  16. 25:3 Open question Argument The verse presents an argument regarding the rationality of pagan worship. The verse mocks the faith of idolaters in gods who do not create a thing, unlike Allah the creator. Al-Rāzī explains the verse by stating, “They [the idol…
  17. 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 …
  18. 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…
  19. 26:223 Open question Argument The topic of the discussion here is about the diviners or the devils. The verse states that “but most of them are liars,” which suggests that some diviners or devils are truthful.