If the Qur’an Is for All People and All Time, Why Was It So Dependent on 7th-Century Arabian Norms?

April 15, 2025

Muslims around the world are taught to believe that the Qur’an is the eternal, final revelation from God — a book sent not only for 7th-century Arabia, but for all people, in all places, at all times.

“We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except as a mercy to the worlds.”
— Qur’an 21:107

“This [Qur’an] is nothing but a reminder to the worlds.”
— Qur’an 38:87

This claim of universality is central to Islam’s identity.

But if that is true, why does the Qur’an rely so heavily — even exclusively — on the social, cultural, economic, and legal assumptions of 7th-century Arabian tribal life?

If the Qur’an is timeless, why is it so time-bound?

Let’s explore this contradiction — and why it undermines the Qur’an’s claim to be a universal revelation.

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1. Laws Rooted in Tribal Arab Culture

Far from being universal in scope, the Qur’an’s legal framework reflects the specific customs and gender roles of a patriarchal tribal society in 7th-century Arabia.

Examples include:

• Polygamy and concubinage:
  “Marry those that please you of [other] women: two, or three, or four…” (Qur’an 4:3)
  “…and those your right hands possess…” (Qur’an 4:24, 33:50)
  This reflects a society where women were treated as property, and slavery — especially sexual slavery — was normalized.

• Blood money and retaliation:
  “Retaliation is prescribed for you in the case of murder…” (Qur’an 2:178)
  Diya (blood money) was different for men and women, free and slave, Muslim and non-Muslim — a deeply tribal system of unequal justice.

• Testimony and inheritance laws:
  A woman’s testimony is worth half of a man’s in financial matters (2:282), and she inherits only half as much as her male counterpart (4:11).

• Beating wives:
  “As for those [wives] from whom you fear disobedience… strike them…” (Qur’an 4:34)
  This reflects male-dominant household structures common in tribal Arabia, not a universal ethic of mutual respect.

If Allah knew all cultures, all times, and all societies, why are the Qur’an’s laws so intimately shaped by 7th-century Arabian life?

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2. No Awareness of Other Civilizations

Despite claiming to be a global revelation, the Qur’an shows zero familiarity with major civilizations outside Arabia:

• There is no reference to China, India, Sub-Saharan Africa, or Mesoamerica.

• No acknowledgment of Eastern religions like Buddhism or Hinduism.

• No grasp of global geography — it speaks only of “lands you know not,” without any actual descriptions.

• Even the Roman and Persian empires, which were dominant powers at the time, are barely mentioned and only vaguely described (e.g., Qur’an 30:2–5).

For a book supposedly sent to all humanity, it is oddly myopic — speaking only to the concerns, customs, and worldview of Muhammad’s immediate environment.

This is not the hallmark of a universal message. It’s the fingerprint of a local one.

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3. Time-Locked Social Norms as Divine Command

A genuinely universal revelation would offer timeless moral principles, not temporary tribal customs.

Yet the Qur’an:

• Dictates exact numbers of lashes for fornication (24:2).

• Defines menstruation as “impurity” and restricts intimacy (2:222).

• Prescribes hand amputation for theft (5:38) — reflecting harsh desert justice, not rehabilitative ethics.

• Calls Jews “apes and swine” (2:65, 5:60) — echoing tribal vendettas, not universal love.

Where are the higher moral standards?

Where is the golden rule?

Where is the guidance that could speak equally to a 1st-century Chinese philosopher, a 10th-century African king, or a 21st-century scientist?

Instead, the Qur’an is preoccupied with issues like:

• Dowries, tribal alliances, and caravan raids.

• Legal procedures for oaths and breastfeeding.

• Who gets how many portions of livestock booty.

This is not universal morality. This is seventh-century bureaucracy.

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4. Evolution of Morality vs. Static Revelation

Over time, human societies have progressed in their moral understanding. Today, most of the world agrees on fundamental ethical values:

• Equal rights for women.

• Freedom of belief and expression.

• Abolition of slavery.

• The protection of children from marriage or labor.

Yet the Qur’an either contradicts these values or remains silent on them — not because Allah was waiting for future reform, but because it was written in a context where these reforms weren’t yet imaginable.

A truly universal revelation would be ahead of its time — but the Qur’an is a product of its time.

It did not transcend its culture. It codified it.

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5. The Inevitable Dilemma: Reform or Rejection?

Muslim reformers today often attempt to reinterpret or downplay verses that clash with modern values:

• “That was for the time of Muhammad.”

• “It must be read contextually.”

• “It’s metaphorical, not literal.”

But here’s the problem:

If you must constantly reinterpret, qualify, or excuse the text to make it morally acceptable today — then it was never universal to begin with.

The very need for reinterpretation is an admission that the original message doesn’t fit.

You’re either forced to:

• Abandon the literal Qur’anic laws, and thereby deny their eternal status, or

• Enforce them as they are, and thereby commit moral injustice in the modern world.

There is no middle ground.

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6. Conclusion: A Revelation of Its Time — Not for All Time

The Qur’an’s deep entrenchment in 7th-century Arabian norms exposes a fatal contradiction:

You cannot claim a book is universal and timeless if it is so obviously local and time-bound.

Its laws, ethics, social structures, and worldview are products of a specific era — not eternal truths for all humanity.

This calls into question the entire foundation of Islam’s claim to finality and universality.

If the Qur’an could not rise above its own culture, how can it guide all others?