Fifteen Problems with the Quran

The Quran’s Confirmation of the Bible

There are events in the Bible that the Quran describes and gets them wrong. The problem for Muslims is the the Quran confirms the preservation and the inspiration of the Bible. It calls them Torah and the Injeel and seems to think these are the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Muslims are unable to prove otherwise by showing any other manuscripts.

Surah 3:3-4 (Āl ʿImrān)

3. He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.

4. Before, as guidance for the people. And He revealed the Criterion [i.e., the Qur'an]. Indeed, those who disbelieve in the verses of Allah will have a severe punishment, and Allah is Exalted in Might, the Owner of Retribution.

It confirms the books that came before it - not corrects the books that came before it. If the Torah and the Gospel were sent from Allah along with the Quran, why does the Quran get so many key details wrong?

Muhammad was told that if he ever doubts the revelation he is receiving of the Quran, he should ask the Jews and Christians who were reading the Scripture before him so that they could verify the consistency for him.

Surah 10:94

If you ˹O Prophet˺ are in doubt about ˹these stories˺ that We have revealed to you, then ask those who read the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so do not be one of those who doubt,

We are going to do exactly that and see that there isn’t much consistency between the Bible and the Quran. The Quran says that a Muslim must believe the books and the messengers that came before the Quran.

Surah 4:136

O believers! Have faith in Allah, His Messenger, the Book He has revealed to His Messenger, and the Scriptures He revealed before. Indeed, whoever denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His messengers, and the Last Day has clearly gone far astray.

If someone says they believe in the Quran but then it has been corrupted and changed and now completely inaccurate, is that person really believing the Quran? If a Muslim says they believe in the earlier books, the Torah and the Injeel, but they are corrupted, changed and now inaccurate, are they really believing those earlier books? No!

Muslims are commanded by their own books to believe in all the contents of the Bible, not just the existence of the Bible. It also proves that the Bible must still have been in existence in its accurate form in the time of Muhammad in order for Muslims to believe them. It makes no sense for Muhammad to command Muslims to believe in a corrupted book or a book that no longer exists, when he’s giving the command. We still have many manuscripts of the entire Bible from Muhammad’s time and even earlier in our possession today!

Therefore, this debunks the claim, that Muslims like to repeat, that the Bible has been corrupted. This claim that the Bible has been changed and corrupted actually is NOT what the Quran says! The Quran NEVER mentions that. This is modern Islamic scholars trying to resolve what they can see is inconsistencies between the Quran and the Bible. They are being forced to say that Allah commanded Muhammad at that time to believe in a corrupted book. Is Allah wanting Muslims to believe lies? That doesn’t make sense.

Muslims need to abandon their position that the Bible has been corrupted. There is no textual evidence of that but it also not what the Quran says. In fact, the Quran mentions that Allah’s words can never change.

Surah 18:27

Recite what has been revealed to you from the Book of your Lord. None can change His Words, nor can you find any refuge besides Him.

These books and prophets that come before Muhammad record an event that occurred, and the Quran is going to contradict details in that event. So either the Quran is wrong, when it affirms those earlier prophets and books, or it is wrong in every point where it contradicts the earlie prophets and books. Either way the Quran is wrong.

1. The Temptation of Adam

The serpent (who was the Devil), tempted Eve, not Adam. Eve then gave the fruit to Adam to eat, but it never records that Satan tempted Adam. The Bible very clearly says that only Eve was tempted by Satan.

Genesis 3:1 ESV

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

1 Timothy 2:14 ESV

and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

But the Quran says that Satan tempted Adam.

Surah 20:120

But Satan whispered to him, saying, “O Adam! Shall I show you the Tree of Immortality and a kingdom that does not fade away?”

This is in contradiction to what the Bible says.

2. Who Survived Noah’s Flood?

The Bible account says that Noah’s family all survived the Flood including his sons’ wives. There were eight people in total because Noah had three sons and all three of them were on the Ark.

Genesis 7:7 ESV

And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

The Quran speaks about one of Noah’s sons missing out on getting onto the Ark and actually drowning.

Surah 11:43

He said, “I will take refuge on a mountain—it will protect me from the water.” He said, “There is no protection from God’s decree today, except for him on whom He has mercy.” And the waves surged between them, and he was among the drowned.

This is a contradiction to what the Bible says in Genesis.

3. Lot’s Wife

Sodom and Gomorarrah were cities that God destroyed with fire and brimstone from Heaven because of their sinfulness. God had sent two angels to Sodom to warn Lot, his wife and his family to get them out of the city to protect them.

Genesis 19:17 ESV

And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”

There is a clear instruction here to NOT look back. We know from the Biblical account that Lot’s wife did look back.

Genesis 19:26 ESV

But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

She was longing to go back to the city. She was craving it. But in the Quran it mentions that Lot’s family was told not to look back EXCEPT Lot’s wife. She can look back. She was permitted to look back.

Surah 11:81

They said, “O Lot, we are the envoys of your Lord; they will not reach you. So set out with your family during the cover of the night, and let none of you look back, except for your wife. She will be struck by what will strike them. Their appointed time is the morning. Is not the morning near?”

This is in direct contradiction to what the angel had said, and why would she be turned into a pillar of salt if she was allowed to look back?

4. Joseph in the Well

Joseph’s brothers were very jealous of him and he was given that multi-coloured cloak. They initially put Joseph into a pit, but then they decided to take him out and sell him to some traders who were going by.

Genesis 37:28 ESV

Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.

In the Quran, it mentions that a caravan found Joseph at the bottom of a well as they were just drawing up some water to drink.

Surah 12:19

A caravan passed by, and they sent their water-carrier. He lowered his bucket, and said, “Good news. Here is a boy.” And they hid him as merchandise. But God was aware of what they did.

So these travellers just went to get some water from a well and a wild Joseph appeared. That is a key detail that the Quran got wrong.

5. Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife

Near the end of Genesis it describes how when Potiphar was not home, his wife tried to seduce him and Joseph famously ran away, he ran out of the house, to get away from the temptation. While Potiphar’s wife had grabbed onto his clothing, so he ran out without them.

Genesis 39:16 ESV

Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home,

The Bible very clearly explains Potiphar was not home when this incident is occurring. But take a look at what it says in the Quran.

Surah 12:25-26

As they raced towards the door, she tore his shirt from behind. At the door, they ran into her husband. She said, “What is the penalty for him who desired to dishonor your wife, except imprisonment or a painful punishment?”

He said, “It was she who tried to seduce me.” A witness from her household suggested: “If his shirt is torn from the front: then she has told the truth, and he is the liar.

The Quran says that Potiphar was just standing at the door watching while this is all happening. That clearly contradicts the Genesis account.

6. Joseph in Prison

Now this is related to the same event. The Bible records that when Potiphar heard the accusation from his wife about what she said that Joseph had done, it says in the Bible.

Genesis 39:20 ESV

And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison.

Joseph is thrown into prison due to the false accusations on the part of Potiphar’s wife. But in the Quran it says Potiphar gave Joseph no punishment, just to forget the incident because he said it was purely his wife’s fault.

Surah 12:28-29

And when he saw that his shirt was torn from the back, he said, “This is a woman's scheme. Your scheming is serious indeed.”

“Joseph, turn away from this. And you, woman, ask forgiveness for your sin; you are indeed in the wrong.”

Even though Potiphar’s wife was in the wrong. That is not how the event occurred. Joseph was put into prison as a result of Potiphar’s wife’s accusation. So, we have another contradiction.

7. Moses as a Baby

The Bible says that Moses's mother hid him, placed him among the reeds when he was very young. And this is because Pharaoh was trying to slaughter all the Hebrew newborn males.

Exodus 2:3 ESV

When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.

So notice that she is told to place it among the reeds by the riverbank inside this basket. But in the Quran, it says that God told Moses' mother just to throw Moses directly into the water.

Surah 28:7

We inspired the mother of Moses: “Nurse him; then, when you fear for him, cast him into the river, and do not fear, nor grieve; We will return him to you, and make him one of the messengers.”

Exodus does not say that Moses was thrown into the river. He was placed by the river, in the reeds, in a basket. He was NOT thrown into the water. So that again is a wrong detail found in the Quran.

8. Moses’ Hand

Remember one of the miraculous things that Moses could do to verify to the people of Israel and to Pharaoh that he was sent from God. It was when he would put his hand in his cloak and it would come out all leprous.

Exodus 4:6 ESV

Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

But when the Quran is detailing the same event it actually has a completely different description. An opposite description in fact. It says and draw in your hand to your side, it'll come out white without disease.

Surah 20:22

And press your hand to your side; it will come out white, without a blemish—another sign.

So in the Bible it says it'll come out leprous which is a disease. But in the Quran the Quran gets this detail wrong and says it'll come out white but without any disease. That is a contradiction.

9. The Magician’s Serpents

There were other signs that Moses had to be able to prove to Pharaoh that he's speaking from God's authority is that he could throw his staff onto the ground. It would turn into a serpent. If he picked it up, it would turn back into a staff. And it speaks about how Pharaoh's magicians were able to do the same thing with their staffs, throwing them onto the ground.

Exodus 7:12 ESV

For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.

It is very clear here that they actually became serpents. But the Quran gets this detail wrong by saying that they were just pulling their ropes and it looked like they were moving, but it wasn’t that they actually turned into serpents.

Surah 20:66

He said, “You throw.” And suddenly, their ropes and sticks appeared to him, because of their magic, to be crawling swiftly.

The Quran is saying that magicians used illusionary magic (not real transformation) to make it appear as if their ropes and sticks were alive and slithering like snakes. The Bible does say they became serpents and this is denying that fact. That would be a contradiction.

10. The Plagues of Egypt

The Bible records in Exodus 7-11 the Ten Plagues that come upon the land of Egypt. They were ten disasters that God brought on Egypt when Pharoah refused to let the Israelite nation leave.

The Quran says there were only nine plagues, including ones that the Bible doesn't even mention, like the shortage of crops and water.

Surah 7:130-133

And We afflicted the people of Pharaoh with barren years, and with shortage of crops, that they may take heed.

When something good came their way, they said, “This is ours.” And when something bad happened to them, they ascribed the evil omen to Moses and those with him. In fact, their omen is with God, but most of them do not know.

And they said, “No matter what sign you bring us, to bewitch us with, we will not believe in you.”

So We let loose upon them the flood, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and blood—all explicit signs—but they were too arrogant. They were a sinful people.

There are definitely locusts, lice and river turned into blood, but a flood? That’s not recorded as being one of the plagues nor is a famine of food. Clearly Muhammad had heard about the plagues but he just forgot what they all were. and he made up plagues that didn't even happen there. That's another problem with the Quran.

11. Haman Lived at the Same Time as Pharaoh

Haman lived during the period described in the Book of Esther. He was a big enemy of the Jews who was trying to wipe out Mordecai and the rest of the Jews. And we know that Haman lived centuries upon centuries after Moses, even after the Babylonian exile.

Esther 3:1–2 ESV

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage.

The Quran puts Haman and Pharaoh as being the two evil villains that lived during the time of Moses. When it speaks about Moses being thrown into the river as a young child.

Surah 28:8

Pharaoh’s household picked him up, to be an opponent and a sorrow for them. Pharaoh, Hamaan, and their troops were sinners.

This is another problem in the Quran. It's placing people that the Bible mentions in the wrong time period. I think it shows that Muhammad hadn't even really read the Bible. He just heard stories but didn't know what time period all these things were occurring and who was living at the same time as others. It may be due to Muhammad being illiterate. And so therefore, he's only hearing stories about these people and he's then basically inventing his own imaginative retelling about them.

12. The Red Sea Crossing and Pharaoh

In the book of Exodus, we read about the Red Sea crossing of the Israelites out of Egypt and Pharaoh and his army were chasing them. The Israelites crossed through on dry ground and the Egyptians tried to follow. And this is what happened. The waters returned and cover the chariots and the horsemen of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the Red Sea. Not one of them remained.

Exodus 14:23–28 ESV

The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.

Even Psalm 136 mentions that God had overthrown Pharaoh. So clearly Pharaoh and all his army got wiped out in that Red Sea crossing incident.

But the Quran gets that detail wrong and claims that Pharaoh just happened to become a Muslim during this time.

Surah 10:90

And We delivered the Children of Israel across the sea. Pharaoh and his troops pursued them, defiantly and aggressively. Until, when he was about to drown, he said, “I believe that there is no god except the One the Children of Israel believe in, and I am of those who submit.”

So even though Islam would still be thousands of years away, Pharaoh had become a Muslim. And it mentions then him not drowning, but actually then going ahead and being a sign to other people. Clearly opposite to what Exodus says.

13. The Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This account has undergone extensive elaborations in Judaism, Ethiopian Christianity, and Islam. It has consequently become the subject of one of the most widespread and fertile cycles of legends in West Asia and Northeast Africa, as well as in other regions where the Abrahamic religions have had a significant impact.

1 Kings 10:1 ESV

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions.

Solomon to find out his wisdom, to learn from him. And it says that she came willingly. Now, when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. She wanted some wisdom and her questions answered. But the Quran gets this wrong as well and says that Solomon had summoned her and told her to submit.

Surah 27:31

Do not defy me, and come to me submissively.’”

This is apparently what Solomon said to the Queen of Sheba. That's a clear contradiction to what the Bible says.

14. Jonah and the Plant

Remember how Jonah was commanded to go to Nineveh to preach to the nation there? And after he had done that, he was waiting and looking over the city. And God caused a plant to grow over him to cool him from the hot sun. And it's very clear this is happening after he's already preached there. And he's waiting to find out what's going to happen to the city. Is God going to destroy it?

But the Quran gets this detail wrong as well by saying that this incident happened before Jonah had preached at Nineveh.

Surah 37:145-147

Then We threw him into the wilderness, and he was sick.

And We made a gourd tree grow over him.

Then We sent him to a hundred thousand, or more.

Now, first of all, this is another detail wrong. To his people, no, he was preaching to the Ninevites, and Jonah wasn't a Ninevite. Jonah was of the people of Israel. The Ninevites were foreigners. They were from the people of Assyria. And so, therefore, that's another detail that's wrong. So we see right here two instances of wrong. The timing of when the plant grew over him and Muhammad maybe just wasn't aware that the Ninevites were not of the people of Israel!

15. Zachariah got Mute

Now if you remember Zachchariah who was the dad of John the Baptist, he initially didn't believe that even though he and his wife were in very old age that they would have a son.

Luke 1:20 ESV

And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

It says here, "And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place." And he's just mentioned that he would have a son and a son will be born.

So that would therefore be about 9 months where Zechariah cannot speak because you do not believe my words which we fulfilled in their time. But the Quran gets this detail wrong by saying that he was only mute for 3 days.

Surah 19:10

He said, “My Lord, give me a sign.” He said, “Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights straight.”

That is another wrong detail that's in the Quran.

Summary

It just sounds like Muhammad had heard about all these different events, but when he was telling the Quran to his followers, he didn't check to see if his recollection of these events he had heard wereaccurate. But as we've seen, his recollection of these events were not accurate. And I think what this shows that the Quran is not a book that's from God. God would never make such errors.

When we look at the New Testament, we don't see it contradicting the Old. We actually see it's perfectly consistent with the Old Testament, but not so with the Quran.

So I would encourage Muslims who are listening, ask yourself, why do you trust that the Quran is the word of God? Is it because Muhammad said so? But then why do you trust Muhammad? because the Quran says so. Well, that's a circular argument. Muhammad didn't do anything to show himself to be true.

The Quran says that he did no miracles since he was only a warner. And those who disbelieve say, "Why has a sign not been sent down to him from his Lord? You are only a warner." Notice that only a warner. And for every people is a guide. So by Allah saying that he's only a warner in that verse, it clearly implies that he didn't do any miracles, which is why you don't see any mentioned in the Quran as being done by Muhammad.

Also, Muhammad's behavior is something that most people today will be ashamed of. And the Quran even admits that Muhammad was a sinner. It says in surah 48 that Allah may forgive you for what preceded of your sin. And this is specifically talking about Muhammad. So, it's talking about Muhammad having done sins. And as we've seen in this video, Muhammad's teachings don't line up with the previous prophets. So, let's contrast that with Jesus.

Comparing Jesus to Muhammad

With Jesus, he did many miracles, which the Quran agrees that he did. Jesus did no sins. He's even called a pure child in the Quran. Muhammad was never called that, which means that there's actually nothing to be embarrassed about with Jesus. And we know that Jesus is perfectly consistent with all the messengers that God sent before. And we can truly fact check that to see. So if we were to just look at this from a third party view, Jesus is the one who you want to trust, who you want to stake your life and eternity on, not Muhammad.

Particularly when Muhammad flat out contradicts Jesus' teaching about himself numerous times. And ultimately Jesus is the only one who can save you from our biggest problem, our sin. For every human being today has done wrong. And we all deserve hell for those sins. But only Jesus is the one out of all the religions who is willing to be sacrificed to pay for our sins. All the punishment that should be upon us, Jesus is willing to get for us on the cross. So that regardless of your religious background, if you would trust that he paid for your sin, you don't have to end up in hell, but can look forward to being with God for eternity in heaven.

Muhammad was not willing to do that. And he couldn't because he had his own sins to deal with. Even on that point alone, that is enough reason for anyone to put their trust in Jesus and find eternal life. Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."