Refuting Islam

If Allah Is All-Knowing, Why Does the Qur’an Contain Historical and Scientific Errors?

April 15, 2025

One of the central claims of Islam is that the Qur’an is the literal, perfect, and unaltered word of God — revealed directly by an all-knowing, all-wise deity named Allah.

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder, and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
— Qur’an 15:9

“Will they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from any other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction.”
— Qur’an 4:82

This poses a crucial question for anyone evaluating the truth claims of the Qur’an:

If Allah is all-knowing, why does His book contain demonstrably false historical and scientific information?

A divine author should not make errors — especially not in statements about the physical universe or historical events. Yet when we examine the Qur’an with critical scrutiny, we find troubling inaccuracies that contradict established facts.

Let’s explore this issue in depth.

1. Scientific Errors in the Qur’an

The Qur’an contains numerous statements about the natural world that reflect pre-scientific beliefs common in 7th-century Arabia, not timeless divine knowledge.

❖ The Sun Sets in a Muddy Spring

“Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring…”
— Qur’an 18:86

This verse describes the travels of Dhul-Qarnayn (a legendary figure sometimes associated with Alexander the Great), who finds the sun setting in a murky spring.

This isn’t poetic — it’s stated as a matter of fact. But anyone with a basic understanding of astronomy knows:

The sun doesn’t set into anything,
It only appears to set due to the Earth’s rotation,
There is no spring, muddy or otherwise, where the sun “goes.”

This reflects a geocentric worldview typical of ancient times, not omniscient revelation.

❖ Semen Originates Between the Backbone and the Ribs

“He is created from a fluid, emitted from between the backbone and the ribs.”
— Qur’an 86:6–7

Modern anatomy shows that sperm is produced in the testes, located in the scrotum, not between the backbone and the ribs. There is no biological basis for this Qur’anic claim.

Muslim apologists sometimes twist the verse to mean something else — but the plain reading remains scientifically inaccurate.

❖ Seven Earths?

“Allah is He who created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof…”
— Qur’an 65:12

There is no evidence of “seven earths” in any meaningful sense. This verse mirrors ancient cosmology where the universe was seen as a flat Earth with seven layered heavens and perhaps corresponding underworlds or earths — not the solar-system-based model we know today.

If Allah is all-knowing, why echo ancient mythology?

2. Historical Errors in the Qur’an

Beyond science, the Qur’an also contains historical inaccuracies that suggest a human, rather than divine, source.

❖ The Pharaoh and Haman

“And Pharaoh said: O Haman, build for me a tower…”
— Qur’an 28:38

Haman is a figure from the Book of Esther, where he serves the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) — 1,000 years after the time of Pharaoh and Moses.

Yet the Qur’an places Haman in Egypt, as Pharaoh’s architect.

This is a massive historical blunder, mixing characters from different centuries, cultures, and contexts.

❖ Mary, Sister of Aaron?

“O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste!”
— Qur’an 19:28

Mary (Maryam), the mother of Jesus, is confused here with Miriam, the sister of Aaron and Moses, who lived over 1,200 years earlier.

Muslim apologists often claim "sister of Aaron" is honorary — but the Qur'an does not explain that. It clearly presents Mary in a Levitical context, as if unaware of the chronological gap.

A perfect God would not confuse two women separated by over a millennium.

3. Why These Errors Matter

Muslim scholars claim the Qur’an is linguistically perfect, scientifically accurate, and miraculously preserved.

But these errors — in both science and history — reveal a different picture:

The Qur’an reflects 7th-century Arabian understanding, not divine omniscience.
Its claims match folk beliefs and Biblical apocrypha, not historical facts.
Its “scientific miracles” are often misreadings or post hoc reinterpretations.

And the Qur’an itself invites scrutiny:

“Do they not ponder over the Qur’an? Had it been from other than Allah, they would have found in it many contradictions.”
— Qur’an 4:82

By this very standard, the Qur’an fails the test of divine authorship.

4. The Apologist’s Dilemma

Faced with these issues, Muslim apologists offer a variety of responses:

❖ “The language is metaphorical.”
But if the language is metaphorical, how can anyone know which parts to take literally? If scientific errors are dismissed as figurative, why are legal rulings taken as binding?

❖ “It was revealed in a way people could understand at the time.”
Then it’s not timeless. A truly divine book should transcend the limitations of its audience, not accommodate their ignorance.

❖ “You’re interpreting it wrong.”
But the plain reading is what most Muslims — and early scholars — understood. Are we to believe that modern reinterpretations are more authoritative than the earliest generations?

These excuses don’t resolve the problem. They only prove the desperation to defend the indefensible.

5. Conclusion: A Human Book, Not a Divine One

If Allah is truly all-knowing, then His revelation should reflect perfect knowledge — past, present, and future.

But the Qur’an:

Gets scientific facts wrong,
Mangles historical details,
Confuses people, places, and timelines,
And echoes folklore rather than revelation.

These are not the hallmarks of divine authorship. They are the fingerprints of a human composer, piecing together ideas from oral legends, Biblical apocrypha, and pre-Islamic myths.

A book that contains factual errors cannot be from an all-knowing deity.

And if the Qur’an is not from Allah — then Islam’s foundation collapses.