Previously on Flippin’ Fatwa Friday, we talked about the Exodus story and how the Quran somehow managed to screw that up. Now, we’re picking up where we left off, and it’s time to talk about my favorite topic that completely destroys Islam: The Islamic Dilemma. Currently, I’m writing a research paper on this very topic which I’ll post once I’m done with it in a few weeks to give y’all a more in-depth view of both sides of the argument, but today we’ll be specifically examining Surah 2:62-65 and 72-82, since this is one of the biggest places where the Quran contradicts itself.
Starting with verses 62-65, here’s what the Quran says:
62 Surely, those who (profess to) believe (in Islam), and those who follow the Jewish faith, the Christians and the Sabians, whosoever (of these truly) believes in Allah and the Last Day and acts righteously shall have their reward with their Lord, and shall have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. 63 And (recall, O Children of Israel!) when We took a covenant from you, (and it was the time when you were at the foot of Sinai), with (the summits of) the Mount towering above you (saying), “Hold fast to what We have given you, and bear in mind that which is in it, so that you may guard against evil.” 64 Then, (even) after that you went back (upon your covenant). Had it not been for the grace of Allah and His mercy upon you, you, would have certainly been of the losers. 65 And indeed you have come to know (the end of ) those of you who transgressed regarding the Sabbath. Thereupon, We said to them, “Be you (as) apes, despised.”
So, what is this saying?
Starting with 62-63, this is a confirmation of the Torah, Psalms and Gospels. It’s basically saying that if you believe in Islam, Judaism, Christianity, or Sabianism and do good works, you’re set to go in the afterlife. This can only be true if the books given to those latter three groups that they follow are correct and uncorrupted, per the command to the Jews to “Hold fast to what We have given you […] so that you may guard against evil.” This also means that the only way to turn back on the covenant and have it be a sin is if it were the rejection of an uncorrupted book, per verse 64 and 65.
Skipping ahead a little bit (the verses in-between go back to the Exodus story which we already covered), we get to 72-73, which is where it gets interesting. It says:
72 And (recall also) when you had (nearly) killed a (great) man (-Jesus), then you differed among yourselves respecting it (- the crucifixion). And Allah will bring light to that (-Jesus did not die on the cross) which you had been hiding. 73 So We said, “Judge it in the context of its other circumstances.” That is how Allah brings the dead (for Jesus being dead to all appearances) to life, and He shows you His signs so that you may refrain (from evil).
I bring up this verse because in the Gospels, it says that Jesus died on the cross. The people who wrote about it were His closest friends and followers, the apostles, who would’ve had to have witnessed it themselves. If it had been someone like Simon of Cyrene who had died on the cross in Jesus’s place, the apostles would’ve noticed, especially since Jesus came back and Thomas got to touch his wounds. If Simon had somehow miraculously come back, they certainly would’ve been screaming, “Imposter!” Denying this fact is to deny Scripture, which in 62-63, Mohammad had just affirmed. (73 also shows Allah to be a great liar if he only faked Jesus’ death to make it appear like He had been brought back from the dead, but I digress.)
Getting to verses 74-77…
74 Then your hearts hardened after that, so that they were (hard) like rocks or harder still; for there are rocks out of which streams come gushing forth, and there are some others out of which (some) water comes forth when they split asunder. And indeed, there are some (hearts) that humble themselves for awe of Allah. And Allah is not at all unmindful as to what you do. 75 Do you (O Muslims!) Expect that they will believe you while (you see) there are some of them who hear the Word of Allah and then tamper with it after having fully understood it, and they know (that this way of theirs is wrong)? 76 And when they meet those who believe they say, “We (too) have believed.” But when they go apart one with another they say, “Do you inform them (- the Muslims) what Allah has disclosed to you, (- of the prophecies in your Scriptures about the Prophet), that they thereby availing themselves of it (- the Scriptures), may prevail upon you in argumentation on the authority of your Lord? Will you not, then, use your reasoning power?” 77 Do they not know Allah knows all that they conceal and all that they make known?
This is one of the most frequently cited passages in the entire Quran that Muslims use to say the Bible has been corrupted. However, this is a faulty argument, as here, it’s implying that those with knowledge of the Torah and Gospel are corrupting it in their oral recitations (which also implies that they are literate in the teachings of the Scriptures) and not telling people the full story (hence concealing it). This then subtly affirms the preservation of Scripture (which has also been backed by the thousands of manuscripts we have that predate Mohammad) and condemns those who conceal things in it for whatever purpose.
Then there’s 78-79, which brings up the “illiterate” corrupting Scripture:
78 And (some) among them are illiterate, who do not know the Scripture except cramming it up and are doing nothing but making conjectures. 79 Woe, therefore, to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say, “This is from Allah.” They do so that they may thereby acquire some paltry gains. Woe to them for what their hands have written (to give them out as Word of God). Again (We say), woe to them for what they do (of evil deed).
There are three ways to look at this passage. The first is that, because Allah was originally a pagan moon god, that it’s referring to pagans writing things down and claiming that it came to them from Allah that contradict the Quran. The second theory is that it’s referring to an illiterate person (like – oh, I don’t know – Mohammad) was writing down something they had heard someone teaching without fully understanding it or the context around it. The third theory is that this is tied to the challenge to create a Surah even close to that of the Quran and is referring to those who took up the challenge. In any case, we may never be able to know for sure since Mohammad is dead and we can’t ask him, but it’s very likely that these two verses are not referring to the Jews or Christians, especially since both groups are described elsewhere as being very literate (2:101 and 3:78 are two good examples of this).
Finally, there’s 80-82, which is the last contradiction we’ll look at today. It says:
80 (In spite of their evil doings) they say, “The Fire (of punishment) shall not touch us except for a few days.” Say, “Have you taken a promise (for unconditional salvation) from Allah?” (If you have,) then Allah will never go back upon His promise. But (is it not a fact that) you attribute to Allah things you do not know? 81 The truth is that those who do evil and who are encompassed by their sins, are the inmates of the Fire and therein they shall abide for long. 82 But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, it is they who are the owners of Paradise, therein they shall abide forever.
This contradicts the Bible’s teaching of Salvation = Faith in the Grace of God through Jesus Christ Alone (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8, etc.) Islam is a works-based religion, where you must keep the five-pillars of Islam to get to Heaven, and even then, you may still go to Hell if Allah so desires. It is not a belief system that relies on the promise of “unconditional salvation” from Allah. Allah certainly has conditions that you must meet to have even a slim chance of getting in.
Meanwhile, in the Bible, all we must do is have faith in Christ’s work on the cross, professing Him with our mouths and believing in His grace and Lordship in our hearts. From there, “deeds of righteousness” (as the Quran puts it) will be the result of that faith. They are not what save. We must accept the payment for our debt that Christ gave to get into Heaven. Anything less is a massive contradiction of the Bible.
Until next time,
M.J.
The Tanuki Corner 
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