Refuting Islam

If the Qur’an Says Contradictions Prove It’s Not from God — What Happens When We Find Contradictions?

April 15, 2025

Islam makes a bold claim: the Qur’an is the literal, perfect, and unaltered word of God — a flawless revelation from an all-knowing deity. And unlike many other religious texts, the Qur’an offers a clear, testable litmus test for its divine origin:

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

This verse is not an abstract metaphor. It is a logical proposition. It states:

If the Qur’an is from Allah, it will be free from contradictions.
If it contains contradictions, then it is not from Allah.

This is not a critique invented by outsiders — it is Islam’s own internal standard for verification.

So the question must be asked:

If contradictions do exist in the Qur’an, what is the only logical conclusion according to the Qur’an itself?

Let’s examine this carefully, step by step.

1. The Qur’an’s Claim: Contradiction Equals Falsehood

Surah 4:82 does not merely imply that contradiction is problematic. It explicitly states that contradiction would prove the Qur’an is from other than Allah.

It’s a conditional proposition:

If (Qur’an ≠ from Allah), then (you will find contradictions).
If (Qur’an = from Allah), then (you will find no contradictions).

This sets up a binary framework. Either the book is divinely authored and contradiction-free — or it contains contradictions and is therefore not divine.

This standard comes directly from Islamic scripture. So any attempt to soften, redefine, or reinterpret this test undermines the Qur’an’s own challenge.

2. Documented Contradictions Within the Qur’an

Despite this lofty claim, the Qur’an contains numerous internal contradictions, both in content and in doctrine.

Let’s look at just a few examples:

❖ Salvation for Jews and Christians — Yes or No?

Yes:

“Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans — whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteousness — will have their reward with their Lord…”
— Surah 2:62, also 5:69
No:

“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.”
— Surah 3:85
“Indeed, they who disbelieved among the People of the Book... will be in the fire of Hell.”
— Surah 98:6

These are not small differences. They are diametrically opposed claims about eternal salvation.

❖ Is Allah’s Word Changeable or Not?

No:

“There is no changing the words of Allah.”
— Surah 6:115, 10:64
Yes:

“Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better or similar to it.”
— Surah 2:106

If Allah’s words can’t be changed, how can earlier verses be abrogated or forgotten?

❖ Does Everyone Have Free Will?

Yes:

“The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills — let him believe.”
— Surah 18:29
No:

“Whomever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomever He wills to misguide, He makes his chest tight and constricted...”
— Surah 6:125, 10:100

These are mutually exclusive theological positions.

These contradictions aren’t semantic nuances. They concern major theological doctrines — salvation, free will, divine nature, and revelation itself.

3. Muslim Apologetics: Can They Rescue the Qur’an from Its Own Test?

Muslim scholars and apologists have long attempted to “harmonize” these contradictions with various arguments:

❖ “They apply to different contexts.”

But the issue is not context — it’s content. If two verses make opposite claims, no amount of context solves the contradiction. Especially when they deal with eternal truths or universal laws.

❖ “Abrogation isn’t a contradiction — it’s divine progression.”

Then the Qur’an contains self-cancellation — and thus change, which directly contradicts the verses that say Allah’s word is unchangeable. You can’t say His words don’t change and then say He replaced His words.

❖ “You need deep knowledge of Arabic to understand it properly.”

This appeal to linguistic mystery is a red herring. If divine truth is only accessible through elite scholarship, it’s not universal revelation. And it doesn’t change the fact that in any language, contradictions remain contradictions.

The bottom line: No amount of apologetic maneuvering can erase the existence of conflicting messages within a book that claims to be entirely consistent.

4. The Logical Conclusion — According to the Qur’an Itself

Now, let’s return to Surah 4:82. It gave us the test:

If the Qur’an contains contradictions, it is not from Allah.

We have seen clear examples of contradictions.

Therefore, by the Qur’an’s own standard, the conclusion is inevitable:

The Qur’an is not from Allah.

This isn’t an external critique forced onto the text — it’s a self-refuting structure. The Qur’an sets the rules, and then violates them.

It hoists itself on its own logical petard.

5. Why This Is a Theological Death Blow

If a religious text falsifies itself, then the foundation of the religion built upon it collapses.

For Islam, this presents a unique crisis:

The Qur’an claims to be perfect and free of contradiction.
The Qur’an defines contradiction as proof of human — not divine — authorship.
And the Qur’an demonstrably contains multiple contradictions.

The result is that Islam’s core claim — that the Qur’an is the infallible word of God — is logically and theologically unsustainable.

This is not a matter of interpretation or nuance. It is a matter of internal consistency. And the Qur’an fails its own challenge.

6. Conclusion: When a Book Writes Its Own Rebuttal

The Qur’an dared its readers to “reflect upon it” and see if they could find contradictions. That wasn’t a defensive statement — it was a bold, public test of its divine origin.

But that challenge backfires.

Upon reflection, we do find contradictions. And therefore, according to the Qur’an’s own logic, it is not from Allah.

A book that dares you to disprove it with contradictions, and then supplies you with them, has written its own rebuttal.

If this book cannot pass its own standard of divinity, how can it demand to be accepted as the final and complete word of God?

It can’t. And it shouldn’t.