The Quran - Muhammad's fallible memory

Contents Muhammad’s fallible memory ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2

How myths are made ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

Humans vs. Allah .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Allah vs. the CD ROM ................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

The divine Quran hypothesis ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Method ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5

Extracts of quotes .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Sentence conjunctions ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6

Defining a contradiction ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Test case: Moses and the burning bush ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Test case: The creation of Adam ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12

Test case: Adam and his wife, Iblis, and the fruit ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Test case: Pharaoh, Moses, and the rod .................................................................................................................................................................................... 28

Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 33

Muhammad’s fallible memory

Introduction In chapter 4 verse 82 the Quran puts forward a challenge

Will they not then ponder on the Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah they would have found therein much contradiction

There is no reason why it shouldn’t be possible for a human to spend 23 years creatively working on a text without any contradictions in it. Putting that

aside, it’s still an important statement because, although it doesn’t give us a means of proving the Quran is divine, it does give us a potential means of

proving its claim to divine authorship is false. In science this is called Falsifiabilty, any hypothesis that cannot be falsified under any circumstances is useless,

so this is possibly one of the most useful verses in the Quran.

I have used the Sahih International English translation.

How myths are made Humans are myth machines. Unless we deliberately concentrate on what we are doing we tend not to remember things exactly as they were. As we retell

a story we can easily slightly misquote what was said by the people in it. We tend to remember our interpretation of what happened rather than a precise

account. This is simply because we are fallible humans.

Of course, as humans, we can accept slight variances in words as long as they portray the same meaning. When we need an accurate and durable record of

what was said we use technology to record the event for us. That way we can refer back to it to ensure we do not make any errors when we pass on claims

about what was said at any specific point during the event in question.

Humans vs. Allah Hadiths are a good example of this fallible human memory. There are many recorded hadiths where the collector has written words to the effect of “a

narration from a different chain of transmitters has slightly different wording”.

As time passes people can mix up words with other words of equal meaning, or forget exactly what was being talked about, or even mix up who said what

and attribute the right words to the wrong person.

A human who gives statements about the same events over a 23 year period is very likely to display evidence of this human trait, as the Quran claims in

chapter 4 verse 82. On the other hand, with a shelf life of between 20 to 100 years, a compact audio disc that is looked after properly can easily recount the

exact details of a story again and again; without word substitution, adding or removing words mid sentence, and certainly without attributing words to the

wrong person. The information it holds can even outlast the physical lifetime of the disc itself by digitally copying the information onto other discs.

Allah vs. the CD ROM Which should we expect to be more accurate in its ability to record and recall, Allah with a CD ROM? I expect a Muslim would be expected to say Allah is

the most accurate, even if just for the fear of suggesting Allah might be inferior to a piece of plastic that costs only a few pence. Whatever the answer is we

can know one thing, the Quran itself has a messenger of Allah claiming that Allah’s record of history is never forgotten and never in error.

<Pharaoh> Then what is the case of the former generations?

<Moses> The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets.

- Quran 20.51-52

So as long as these messengers’ purposes were not to spread misinformation, and the purpose of the Quran was not to repeat this misinformation it means

we have another criteria by which we can potentially falsify the claims of the Quran’s divine origin.

The divine Quran hypothesis We have not only established a method of testing the Quran for falsification, we are privileged to have the words in the Quran itself agree with our method

of testing.

Do you recall what I said earlier about humans and myths? I said

“Humans are myth making machines”

- Me, earlier

Actually that’s not true. What I first said was “Humans are myth machines”, the word “making” was only used for the first time just now. Is this a

contradiction? The words may be different but they clearly do not contradict each other, they mean the same thing.

However, there is a contradiction. It lies not in the meaning of the two sentences but in the precise wording I used was when I recalled what I said. The

statement “I said: Humans are myth making machines” is factually incorrect, whereas the statement “I said: Humans are myth machines” is correct.

My later claim of what was said is what is inconsistent, the kind of inconsistency the Quran claims it would not have if it originates from an entity that never

makes errors and never forgets. Even if I was recalling an event before I started to write this document and you didn’t know which I said first, it is a very

basic and fundamental logical rule that dictates not both of the following sentences can be true

1. At point X in time I said “Humans are myth machines”

2. At point X in time I said “Humans are myth making machines”

For these both to be true we either need to make one of the points in time different, or make both quotes the same, or give me the ability to say two things

at exactly the same time.

The following sentences are equal in meaning

1. That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.

2. That’s one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind.

3. That’s one small step for a man, but one giant leap for mankind.

But if you were asked the question “Which of these did Neil Armstrong say when he first stepped onto the Moon?” which one is the correct answer? You’re

not being asked what Neil Armstrong meant, you are being asked what he said at a specific point in time. He only said one of them, there is only one correct

answer; if you claim he said the words in 2 or 3 then you would be factually wrong, the correct answer is number 1. It was recorded on magnetic media at

the time and has been copied and recounted millions of times ever since, correctly. There is some disagreement when transcribing Neil Armstrong’s words

to paper, did he said “That’s one small step for man” or did he say “That’s one small step forruh (for a) man”? The recording remains independent of this

human subjectivity.

So, to test the Quran against its own falsifiable criteria I am going to examine different recollections of the same story within the Quran and compare what

each recollection claims was said at a specific point in time, and by whom.

Method I will search for the exact words claimed to have been spoken by an individual at a specific point in time. I will then place each variation above the other

and colour the matches in green and the discrepancies in red.

That’s one small step for man

one giant leap for mankind

That’s one small step for a man but one giant leap for mankind

Extracts of quotes

In order to make the results as conclusive as possible I will give the benefit of the doubt whenever I am able to. To do this I will only consider quotes to be

different if the variation does not occur at the beginning or end of a sentence. I will not consider the following three quotes to be incompatible because

they could be an accurate recollection starting or ending at different points in the same sentence.

1. That’s one small step for man....

2. ...one giant leap...

3. ...one giant leap for mankind.

I will infer the continuation dots whenever possible.

Sentence conjunctions

Due to a lack of speech marks in the Quran I will not consider sentence conjunctions as contradictions. For example, I will only consider the following

comparison as far as the conjunction

That’s one small step for man

one giant leap for mankind

That’s one small step for man and The surface is fine and powdery

This is because it is not possible to determine whether the conjunction is part of the quote or a part of the sentence stating what the quote is. The only

exception to this is when the conjunction is clearly part of the quote.

1. Do you remember when Neil Armstrong said “That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind”?

2. Do you remember when Neil Armstrong said “That’s one small step for man” and “one giant leap for mankind”?

3. Do you remember when Neil Armstrong said “That’s one small step for man” then “one giant leap for mankind”?

Defining a contradiction

I will consider any phonetic difference within a quote to be a contradiction. If one account recollects the phonetic sound “hu” at a specific point in the

quote and another account recollects the sound “ha” at the same point then the accounts contradict each other. It is in fact the exact kind of contradiction

one would expect from a human mind that has not had the opportunity to spend time preparing what they are about to say.

Test case: Moses and the burning bush This test case spans the time between Moses seeing a burning bush up until the point where Allah teaches him two miracles (signs) that he must use to

convince the Pharaoh he is Allah’s messenger.

Moses saw a fire

How exactly did Moses tell his family to stay where they were while he went to investigate a fire he had seen?

Account 1

20.10 Stay here; indeed, I have perceived a fire; perhaps I can bring you a torch or find at the fire some guidance

Account 2

27.7 Indeed, I have perceived a fire. I will bring you from there information or will bring you a burning torch that you may warm yourselves

Account 3

28.29 Stay here; indeed, I have perceived a fire. Perhaps I will bring you from there [some] information or burning wood from the fire that you may warm

yourselves

Comparison 1

20.10 innee anastu naran laAAallee ateekum minha biqabasin aw ajidu AAala alnnari hudan

27.7 innee anastu naran saateekum minha bikhabarin aw ateekum bishihabin qabasin laAAallakum tastaloona

1. Indeed I have perceived a fire

2. Perhaps I can bring you changed to I will bring you

3. from it

4. A torch changed to Information

5. or

6. Find at the fire some guidance changed to I will bring you a burning torch that you may warm yourselves

Comparison 2

20.10 innee anastu naran laAAallee ateekum minha biqabasin aw ajidu AAala alnnari hudan

28.29 innee anastu naran laAAallee ateekum minha bikhabarin aw jathwatin mina alnnari laAAallakum tastaloona

1. Indeed I have perceived a fire, perhaps I can bring you from it

2. A burning brand changed to Some information

3. or

4. Find at changed to A burning wood from

5. the fire

6. Guidance changed to Burning wood from

Comparison 3

27.7 innee anastu naran saateekum minha bikhabarin aw ateekum bishihabin qabasin laAAallakum tastaloona

28.29 innee anastu naran laAAallee ateekum minha bikhabarin aw jathwatin mina alnnari laAAallakum tastaloona

1. Indeed I have perceived a fire

2. I will bring you changed to Perhaps I can bring you

3. from there information or

4. Bring you a burning torch changed to Burning wood from the fire

5. that you may warm yourselves

Summary

In retelling the story only three times, the Author of the Quran was able to manage very little consistency. When recollecting this story the author

remembered Moses should say he’d bring two items, a torch and information, but as is typical of fallible human memory he forgot exactly what Moses was

supposed to have said and listed the items the opposite way around. Perhaps because the words are so similar in sound biqabasin and bikhabarin?

Allah told Moses to throw down his staff

When Allah wanted to teach Moses the signs he should show to Pharaoh he first told him to throw down his staff, which of the two variations did Allah

actually say?

Account 1

20.19 Throw it down, O Moses

Account 2

27.10 Throw down your staff

Account 3

28.31 Throw down your staff

Comparison 1

20.19 alqiha

27.10 alqi AAasaka

1. Throw it down changed to Throw down your staff

Comparison 2

20.19 alqiha

28.31 alqi AAasaka

1. Throw it down changed to Throw down your staff

Comparison 3

27.10 alqi AAasaka

28.31 alqi AAasaka

1. Throw down your staff

Summary

Verses 27.10 and 28.31 match exactly. This is the kind of perfect recollection one would expect from an entity that records all and never errs. However,

verse 20.19 is clearly different. Despite this I would not consider this a contradiction because they are short instructions, rather than long pieces of speech,

it is possible both sentences were said if Moses was hesitating through fear and Allah had to instruct him more than once. Although using the same

segment of the quote in both cases would have been more convincing.

Allah told Moses to hide his hand and it will turn white

The next sign Allah demonstrated to Moses was to conceal his hand and then reveal it to discover it was white. We know what Allah meant by his words,

but what were his words?

Account 1

20.22 And draw in your hand to your side; it will come out white without disease - another sign

Account 2

27.12 And put your hand into the opening of your garment [at the breast]; it will come out white without disease. [These are] among the nine signs [you will

take] to Pharaoh and his people. Indeed, they have been a people defiantly disobedient

Account 3

28.32 Insert your hand into the opening of your garment; it will come out white, without disease. And draw in your arm close to you [as prevention] from

fear, for those are two proofs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his establishment. Indeed, they have been a people defiantly disobedient

Comparison 1

20.22 odmum yadaka ila janahika takhruj baydaa min ghayri sooin ayatan okhra

27.12 adkhil yadaka fee jaybika takhruj baydaa min ghayri sooin fee tisAAi ayatin ila firAAawna

1. Draw in changed to Put in

2. your hand

3. To your side changed to Into your chest [the opening of your garment]

4. it will come out white without disease

5. Another sign changed to Among the nine signs to Pharaoh

Comparison 2

20.22 odmum yadaka ila janahika takhruj baydaa min ghayri sooin

28.32 osluk yadaka fee jaybika takhruj baydaa min ghayri sooin wa...

1. Draw in changed to Insert

2. your hand

3. To your side changed to Into your chest [the opening of your garment]

4. it will come out white, without disease

Comparison 3

27.12 adkhil yadaka fee jaybika takhruj baydaa min ghayri sooin

28.32 osluk yadaka fee jaybika takhruj baydaa min ghayri sooin wa...

1. Put in changed to Insert

2. your hand into your chest [the opening of your garment] it will come out white, without disease

Summary

These three accounts are recalling the same event and yet none of them match. Did Allah tell Moses to “Put in”, “Draw in”, or “Insert” his hand? Did he tell

him to move his hand to his chest or his side? These are small differences that are easily confused with the passage of time, for humans.

Test case: The creation of Adam This test case spans Allah announcing the impending creation of Adam, Iblis’s confrontation with Allah, and the eventual expulsion of Adam and his wife.

The story is spread out across various chapters of the Quran but one thing is quite prominent in the story telling and that is that they are recalled in exactly

the same way one would expect a human to. The noun “clay” is confused with “black mud” across two of the tellings, most likely due to a period of time

between the recollections. Once the noun is chosen for the current recollection it is used throughout it, this is consistent with a fallible human memory

being able to remember which noun was chosen moments ago but not which one was chosen the last time the story was told, resulting in a word

substitution that portrays the same meaning but is not what was supposed to have actually been said.

Account 1 uses word: salsalin 15.28 / 15.33

Account 2 uses word: teenin 38.71 / 38.76

Allah announced the impending creation of Adam

Account 1

15.28 I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud

15.29 and when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration

Account 2

38.71 Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay

38.72 So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration

Comparison

15.28+29 innee khaliqun basharan min salsalin min hamain masnoonin faitha sawwaytuhu wanafakhtu feehi min roohee faqaAAoo...

38.71+72 innee khaliqun basharan min teenin

faitha sawwaytuhu wanafakhtu feehi min roohee faqaAAoo...

1. Indeed I am going to create a human being from

2. salsalin [clay] changed to teenin [clay]

3. omitted from an altered black mud

4. so when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration

Summary

The author of the Quran couldn’t remember whether Allah was supposed to have used the word salsalin or teenin, and in one of the variations adds some

information about altered black mud. The following text about breathing a soul into the human and instructing the ensemble to prostrate is identical when

compared syllable by syllable, just as the rest should have been if it hadn’t been authored by someone with a fallible memory.

Allah ordered his ensemble to bow to the newly created Adam

There are four recollections in the Quran of this instruction from Allah. In each case the exact same phrase is used, they are identical down to every

individual unit of sound. This is the kind of recall I’d expect from an author with the properties claimed for Allah

Account 1

2.34 Prostrate before Adam

Account 2

7.11 Prostrate to Adam

Account 3


Account 4


Comparison

2.34 osjudoo liadama




1. Prostrate to Adam

Summary

The verse is less than ten syllables but at least they are all identical. It’s a very simple instruction and therefore easy to remember, but at least acts as an

indicator that we are at the same point in the story for all of the four accounts.

Allah asked why Iblis did not prostrate as he was instructed

This part of the story is told in three places. None of them match each other. I have discounted the “O Iblis” from the comparison as a benefit of the doubt

that is a fragment of a quote. The account in 7.12 could be telling the story from immediately after the point Allah said “O Iblees”, so to indicate this as a

difference would be inappropriate.

Account 1

7.12 What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?

Account 2

15.32 (O Iblees) what is [the matter] with you that you are not with those who prostrate?

Account 3

38.75 (O Iblees) what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My hands?

Comparison 1

7.12 ma manaAAaka alla tasjuda ith amartuka

15.32 ma laka alla takoona maAAa alssajideena

1. What

2. Prevented you changed to Is [the matter] with you

3. that you not

4. Prostrate when I commanded you changed to With those who prostrate

Comparison 2

7.12 ma manaAAaka alla tasjuda ith amartuka

38.75 ma manaAAaka an tasjuda lima khalaqtu biyadayya

1. What prevented you

2. That not changed to That

3. you prostrate

4. When I commanded you changed to To one I created with my hands

Comparison 3

15.32 ma laka alla takoona maAAa alssajideena

38.75 ma manaAAaka an tasjuda lima khalaqtu biyadayya

1. What

2. Is with you that you are not with those who prostrate changed to Prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with my hands

Summary

When comparing 15.32 and 38.75 it is evident the only word in common between the two sentences is “what”. Comparing 7.12 with 38.75 is interesting as

they start the same but one has an additional negative. Verse 7.12 asks “What prevented you that not prostrate” where as verse 38.75 asks “What

prevented you that (you) prostrate”.

Iblis explained why he did not prostate as ordered

There are four accounts of what Iblis’s reply was to Allah’s question. Of the four only two are identical.

Account 1

7.12 I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay

Account 2

15.33 Never would I prostrate to a human whom You created out of clay from an altered black mud

Account 3

17.61 Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?

Account 4

38.76 I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay

Comparison 1

7.12 ana khayrun minhu khalaqtanee min narin wakhalaqtahu min teenin

15.33 lam akun liasjuda libasharin khalaqtahu min salsalin min hamain masnoonin

1. I am better than him. You created me changed to Never would I prostrated to a human whom You created

2. from

3. Fire and created him changed to Clay

4. from

5. Clay changed to Black mud altered

Comparison 2


17.61 aasjudu liman khalaqta teenan

1. I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay changed to Should I prostrate to one You created from clay?

Comparison 3



1. I am better than him. You created me from fire and created him from clay

Comparison 4


17.61 aasjudu liman khalaqta teenan

1. Never would I prostrate to a human whom You created out of clay from an altered black mud changed to Should I prostrate to one You created

from clay?

Comparison 5



1. Never would I prostrate to a human whom You created changed to I am better than him. You created me

2. from

3. Clay changed to fire and created him

4. from

5. An altered black mud changed to Clay

Comparison 6



1. Should I prostrate to one You created changed to I am better than him. You created me

2. from

3. Clay changed to Fire and created him

4. from

Summary

The accounts vary quite significantly in what they say, but each uses the same noun (either clay or mud) as used previously in the same recollection. This is

an excellent example of human short-term memory. As time passes a human can be expected to forget which noun they used in original story, once the

wrong noun was chosen the same mistake is consistently made throughout the recollection of the story. If the Quran were divine one would expect to see

the perfect matching we see in the cases of verses 7.12 & 38.76

Allah told Iblis he was expelled

Two of the accounts of this part of the story use ten words to describe what Allah said in reply to Iblis’s excuse for not prostrating as instructed.

Account 1

7.13 (Descend from Paradise, for it is not for you to be arrogant therein. Then) get out; indeed, you are of the debased

Account 2

15.34 Then get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled

15.35 and indeed, upon you is the curse until the Day of Recompense

Account 3

38.77 Then get out of Paradise, for indeed, you are expelled

38.78 and indeed, upon you is My curse until the Day of Recompense

Comparison 1

7.13 faokhruj innaka mina alssaghireena

15.34+35 faokhruj minha fainnaka rajeemun wainna AAalayka allaAAnata ila yawmi alddeeni

1. Get out

2. Indeed, you are of the debased changed to of it, for indeed, you are expelled and indeed, upon you is My curse until the Day of Recompense

Comparison 2

7.13 faokhruj innaka mina alssaghireena

38.77+78 faokhruj minha fainnaka rajeemun wainna AAalayka laAAnatee ila yawmi alddeeni

1. Get out

2. Indeed, you are of the debased changed to of it, for indeed, you are expelled and indeed, upon you is the curse until the Day of Recompense

Comparison 3

15.34+35 faokhruj minha fainnaka rajeemun wainna AAalayka laAAnatee ila yawmi alddeeni

38.77+78 faokhruj minha fainnaka rajeemun wainna AAalayka allaAAnata ila yawmi alddeeni

1. Get out of it, for indeed, you are expelled and indeed, upon you is

2. My curse changed to The curse

3. until the Day of Recompense

Summary

After only a cursory glance it looks as though 15.35 is identical to 38.78 but my laptop was able to spot a difference I hadn’t initially seen. 15.35 has Allah

saying My curse, whereas 38.78 has Allah saying The curse. This is a perfect example of the fallible human memory at work. Did I use the word “My” or

“The” last time I told this story? This is a mistake that a cheap CD could not possibly make, it should be easy for an infallible entity to get right, an entity

that records all and does not err.

Iblis warned Allah he will lead his followers astray

At this point in the story Iblis has asked for respite and, for some unknown reason, Allah has granted it despite knowing what Iblis is like.

Account 1

7.16 Because You have put me in error, I will surely sit in wait for them on Your straight path

7.17 Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on their right and on their left, and You will not find most of them grateful

Account 2

15.39 My Lord, because You have put me in error, I will surely make [disobedience] attractive to them on earth, and I will mislead them all

15.40 except, among them, Your chosen servants

Account 3

38.82 By your might, I will surely mislead them all

38.83 except, among them, Your chosen servants

Comparison 1

7.16+17 bima aghwaytanee laaqAAudanna lahum sirataka almustaqeema thumma laatiyannahum min bayni aydeehim wamin khalfihim

waAAan aymanihim waAAan shamailihim wala tajidu aktharahum shakireena

15.39+40 bima aghwaytanee laozayyinanna lahum fee alardi walaoghwiyannahum ajmaAAeena illa AAibadaka minhumu almukhlaseena

1. Because You have put me in error

2. I will surely sit in wait changed to I will surely make [disobedience] attractive

3. to/for them

4. On Your straight path... changed to On earth, and I will mislead them all...

Comparison 2

7.16+17 bima aghwaytanee laaqAAudanna lahum sirataka almustaqeema thumma laatiyannahum min bayni aydeehim wamin khalfihim

waAAan aymanihim waAAan shamailihim wala tajidu aktharahum shakireena

38.82+83 fabiAAizzatika laoghwiyannahum ajmaAAeena illa AAibadaka minhumu almukhlaseena

1. No similarities

Comparison 3

15.39+40 bima aghwaytanee laozayyinanna lahum fee alardi wa...

38.82+83 fabiAAizzatika

1. I won’t consider this comparison as it is not possible to determine whether the wa/and conjunction is part of the statement about the quote, or

part of the quote itself.

Summary

The accounts of what Iblis is supposed to have replied when Allah granted him respite vary wildly and have almost no consistency at all, except for 15.39+40

and 38.82+83 which are identical in the end of the quote but not in the beginning.

Allah warned Iblis he will fill Hell with them all

Account 1

7.18 Get out of Paradise, reproached and expelled. Whoever follows you among them - I will surely fill Hell with you, all together

Account 2

17.63 Go, for whoever of them follows you, indeed Hell will be the recompense of you - an ample recompense

Account 3

38.84 The truth [is My oath], and the truth I say

38.85 I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them that follow you all together

Comparison 1

7.18 okhruj minha mathooman madhooran laman tabiAAaka minhum laamlaanna jahannama minkum ajmaAAeena

17.63 ithhab faman tabiAAaka minhum fainna jahannama jazaokum jazaan mawfooran

1. Get out of it (paradise) reproached and expelled. Whoever changed to Go and whoever

2. follows you among them

3. Surely I will fill changed to Then indeed

4. Hell

5. With you, all together changed to Will be the recompense of you – an ample recompense

Comparison 2

7.18 okhruj minha mathooman madhooran laman tabiAAaka

minhum

laamlaanna

jahannama minkum ajmaAAeena

38.84+85 faalhaqqu waalhaqqa aqoolu laamlaanna

jahannama

minka wamimman tabiAAaka

minhum ajmaAAeena

1. Get out of Paradise, reproached and expelled. Whoever follows you among them changed to The truth [is My oath], and the truth I say

2. I will surely fill Hell

3. With you (plural) changed to With you (singular) and those of them that follow you

4. all together

Comparison 3

17.63 ithhab faman tabiAAaka

minhum

fainna jahannama jazaokum jazaan

mawfooran

38.84+85 faalhaqqu waalhaqqa aqoolu Laamlaanna jahannama minka

wamimman

tabiAAaka

minhum ajmaAAeena

1. Go, for whoever changed to The truth [is My oath], and the truth I say I will surely fill Hell with you and those of them that

2. follow you among them

3. Indeed Hell will be the recompense of you - an ample recompense changed to All together

Summary

Again the three accounts differ wildly. A small difference in 7.18 and 38.85 where the words “With you” is changed from its plural form minkum to its

singular form minka changes the quote so that it is addressing Iblis directly instead of Iblis and those he misleads, necessitating the addition of the words

And those of them that follow you. This would be expected from a human erroneously recalling what he claimed was said in a previous telling of the story.

Test case: Adam and his wife, Iblis, and the fruit In this story Allah warns Adam and his wife not to be tempted by Iblis, but they do fall for his temptation.

Adam and his wife were told to live in the garden

There are two contradicting accounts of what Allah is supposed to have said to Adam and his wife.

Account 1

2.35 O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat therefrom in [ease and] abundance from wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest

you be among the wrongdoers

Account 2

7.19 O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise and eat from wherever you will but do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers

Comparison

2.35 ya adamu oskun anta wazawjuka

aljannata

wakula minha

raghadan

haythu shituma wala taqraba hathihi alshshajarata fatakoona mina

alththalimeena

7.19 ya adamu oskun anta wazawjuka

aljannata fakula min

haythu shituma wala taqraba hathihi alshshajarata fatakoona mina

alththalimeena

1. O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise

2. And eat thereform [ease and] abundance changed to and eat

3. wherever you will. But do not approach this tree, lest you be among the wrongdoers

Summary

One of the changes here is wakula to fakula. This merely changes the word “and” into “then”. I will not consider this a contradiction because both of these

words could be joining different quotes rather than part of the quote itself. For example “He said 1” and “2 3 4”, versus “He said 1” then “3 4”. However,

considering the correlation of the vast majority of the two quotes it would appear as though these are both supposed to be the same quote in its entirety,

the claim for the Quran being of divine origin would have been more convincing if the single missing word had been included in both accounts, especially as

there is no perceivable benefit in omitting it (the quote is only different by three syllables and doesn’t make anything more clear).

Allah expelled Iblis, Adam, and Adam’s wife

After some persuasion Adam and his wife displeased Allah, which resulted in them all being expelled. When this story is recounted in the Quran it claims

Allah spoke specific words as a consequence of Adam and his wife displeasing him.

Account 1

2.36 Go down, [all of you], as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time

Account 2

7.24 Descend, being to one another enemies. And for you on the earth is a place of settlement and enjoyment for a time

Account 3

20.123 Descend from Paradise - all, [your descendants] being enemies to one another. And if there should come to you guidance from Me - then whoever

follows My guidance will neither go astray [in the world] nor suffer [in the Hereafter]

Comparison 1

2.36 ihbitoo baAAdukum libaAAdin AAaduwwun walakum fee alardi mustaqarrun wamataAAun ila heenin

7.24 ihbitoo baAAdukum libaAAdin AAaduwwun walakum fee alardi mustaqarrun wamataAAun ila heenin

Comparison 2

7.24 ihbitoo baAAdukum libaAAdin AAaduwwun wa...

20.123 ihbita minha jameeAAan baAAdukum libaAAdin AAaduwwun fa...

1. Go down /descend

2. inserted From Paradise

3. The rest of the quotes are joined with and/then so will not be considered

Summary

Even though the Sahih International translation differs for verses 2.36 & 7.24, the Arabic does not. This English translation is exactly the pattern I’d expect

to see from a fallible human translating the words of a divine author. The quote from the divine author would be identical down to the very last syllable,

whereas the human’s interpretation has changed either because different humans translated the different verses, or because a single human translated

both forgot exactly what they had written previously. It is useful to see an example of inconsistency in a translation of the Quran which is unquestionably of

human origin.

However, this pattern doesn’t continue to hold. The third account explicitly names Paradise whereas the other two do not. If this event actually happened,

did Allah say Paradise or not? If it did not then the quote containing the word Paradise is wrong, if it didn’t then the quote with the word omitted is wrong.

In either case, both statements about what was said cannot be true.

Test case: Pharaoh, Moses, and the rod The stories of Pharaoh are probably some of the most well known in the Quran. This test case spans from the point where Moses meets Pharaoh through

to the point where Pharaoh’s magicians are convinced by Moses and declare themselves Muslims.

The common theme in these accounts is that in one account Allah is repeatedly referred to as your Lord whereas in the other account he is repeatedly

referred to as the Lord of the worlds. If this had only occurred in a single quote then it could be argued that, at this point, Allah said one thing, and then

paused as said the other. However, the accounts continue to use the same term when Pharaoh repeats the statement back to Moses and Aaron and asks

“How is Your Lord/The Lord of the worlds?” For Pharaoh to have used both terms it would require the following

1. Allah said the same thing twice to Moses but used slightly different words each time.

2. Moses and Aaron did what they were told and said the same thing twice to Pharaoh and used the same two variations.

3. Pharaoh replied twice to Moses and Aaron using variations in the same vain.

Account 1 20.47 Your Lord

20.49 Your Lord

20.50 Our Lord

Account 2 26.16 The Lord of the worlds

26.23 The Lord of the worlds

26.24 The Lord of the Heavens and the Earth

Moses was told to go with Aaron to confront Pharaoh

This part of the story appears twice in the Quran. Moses was talking to Allah at the site of the burning bush and had just told Allah he is scared to go to the

Pharaoh. The conversation in the lead up to this event is also contradictory but has been omitted so as not to make this document far longer.

Account 1

20.47 So go to him and say, 'Indeed, we are messengers of your Lord

Account 2

26.16 Go to Pharaoh and say, 'We are the messengers of the Lord of the worlds

20.47 Fatiyahu faqoola inna rasoola rabbika

26.16 Fatiya firAAawna faqoola inna rasoolu rabbi alAAalameena

Comparison

1. Go to him changed to Go to Pharaoh

2. and say Indeed

3. We are messengers of your Lord changed to We are messengers of the Lord of the worlds

Summary

What were the exact words Allah spoke to Moses? Did he say him or Pharaoh? Did he instruct Moses to say he represented your Lord or the Lord of the

worlds?

Pharaoh was confronted

After introducing themselves as either messengers of your Lord or messengers of the Lord of the worlds Pharaoh challenged them as to the identity of this

Lord. Pharaoh reflected back the words of Moses and Aaron in the form of a question “who is ...........”, as we can see from his response he parrots the

same error depending on whether we are reading account one or account two; further evidence that an author with a fallible memory is remembering the

phrase they used only seconds previously but erroneously recalling the words they originally used when telling the story some time before.

Account 1

20.49 So who is your Lord, O Moses?

Account 2

26.23 And what is the Lord of the worlds?

Comparison

20.49 faman rabbukuma ya moosa

26.23 ma rabbu alAAalameena

Summary

The two accounts of Pharaoh’s response are 100% different, yet each one makes perfect sense in the context of the error of recollection made in their

respective previous verses.

Statement: Your Lord -> Response: Who is your Lord?

Statement: Lord of the Worlds -> Response: What is the Lord of the Worlds?

Moses showed the signs Allah had taught him

The following accounts of this part of the story are very confused. In chapter 7 a specific sentence is spoken by Pharaoh’s chiefs, in chapter 26 the same

statement appears but with the addition of the words “by magic” mid-sentence; the most telling change in the story here is that the sentence is also

attributed to the Pharaoh instead of his chiefs.

Account 1

7.109 [Said the chiefs of the Pharaoh] Indeed, this is a learned magician

7.110 Who wants to expel you from your land, so what do you instruct?

Account 2

26.34 [Pharaoh said] Indeed, this is a learned magician

26.35 He wants to drive you out of your land by his magic, so what do you advise?

Comparison

7.109+110 inna hatha lasahirun AAaleemun Yureedu an yukhrijakum min ardikum

famatha tamuroona

26.34+35 inna hatha lasahirun AAaleemun Yureedu an yukhrijakum min ardikum bisihrihi famatha tamuroona

1. Indeed this is a learned magicians who wants to drive you out of your land

2. inserted By his magic

3. so what do you advise?

Summary

Who is supposed to have asked the other for advice on how to deal with Moses the magician? Did the sentence contain the words by magic in it or not?

Pharaoh’s magicians prostrated to Allah

Allah is said to have inspired Moses to throw down his staff and it ate up the magic of the magicians. The magicians were so impressed that they instantly

became Muslims, but the Pharaoh was not happy about it. The Pharaoh’s response to this prostration conflicts between chapters 7 and 26. This is clearly

the exact same moment of the same event and yet there are differences in fragments of the accounts of what Pharaoh is supposed to have said.

Account 1

7.123 You believed in him before I gave you permission. Indeed, this is a conspiracy which you conspired in the city to expel therefrom its people. But you

are going to know.

7.124 I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides; then I will surely crucify you all.

Account 2

26.49 You believed Moses before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic, but you are going to know. I will surely cut off

your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you all.

Comparison

7.123+124 amantum bihi

qabla an

athana

lakum

inna hatha lamakrun makartumoohu fee

almadeenati litukhrijoo minha ahlaha

fasawfa

taAAlamoona LaoqatiAAanna

aydiyakum waarjulakum min

khilafin

thumma laosallibannakum

ajmaAAeena

26.49 amantum lahu

qabla an

athana

lakum

innahu lakabeerukumu allathee

AAallamakumu alssihra falasawfa

taAAlamoona laoqatiAAanna

aydiyakum waarjulakum min

khilafin

wa laosallibannakum

ajmaAAeena

1. You believed

2. In him changed to a phonetically different variation of In him

3. before I gave you permission

4. Indeed, this is a conspiracy which you conspired in the city to expel therefrom its people changed to before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is

your leader who has taught you magic

5. You are going to know

6. I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides

7. Then / And

8. I will surely crucify you all

Summary

Yet again at the same point in time someone is accredited with having said two different sentences. Both sentences have the same meaning but they are

not the same words, so when these verses say Pharaoh said X which of the two statements is correct? We know what he meant, but what exactly did he

say? Which verse has the accurate statement and which verse has the inaccurate statement?

Conclusion The Quran’s recollection of spoken words is not identical. When it makes a statement such as “and he said...” followed by a quote, it is only logical that the

quote should be identical every time the same statement is made. A person can only say one thing at a time, so if the two quotes differ then one of the

statements “and he said...” is false.

Although it is claimed Allah records everything and Allah does not err it seems that through the Quran Allah passes on inconsistent accounts from the

record. Why is it that a CD can record quotes and recall them perfectly? Why do we have audio footage from 1969 containing the exact words used by Neil

Armstrong during his first steps on the Moon? Why can a £5 USB stick with built in audio recorder capture 44,100 air vibrations per second, capturing not

only exactly what was said but also at which speed each word was spoken and the pitch of each word, and even the sound of the birds in the background?

Why can a Hafiz (Quran memoriser) recall every syllable of the Quran with perfect accuracy, including all of these variations of the same quotes, yet Allah is

unable to recall the same spoken sentence consistently? The Quran claims it is possible Allah can recall spoken words with perfect accuracy, and these

Huffaz demonstrate a human can too as long as one has enough time to prepare.

So why are the spoken sentences quoted by the Quran not recalled with perfect accuracy? Because it was not authored by the Allah it describes, and the

author didn’t spend time memorising everything that had already been claimed to have been said.

The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) heard a man reciting the Qur'an in the mosque and said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on him, as he has reminded me of such-

and-such Verses of such a Surah."

Sahih al-Bukhari 5037

In-book reference Book 66, Hadith 60

USC-MSA web (English) Vol. 6, Book 61, Hadith 556

“I am a human being like you and liable to forget like you. So if I forget remind me”

Sahih al-Bukhari 401

In-book reference Book 8, Hadith 52

USC-MSA web (English Vol. 1, Book 8, Hadith 394

Written by

The Rationalizer

The Quran - Muhammad's fallible memory

Documents

test case

creation of adam

burning bush

divine quran hypothesis

cd rom

extracts of quotes

sentence conjunctions