Yes, the Quran contradicts the Bible in a number of ways. All of the following examples are taken from the second chapter (sura) of the Quran, but they are representative of the whole of the book.

  • Sometimes the Quran contradicts the historical record of the Bible:
The Quran The Bible
2:31
… He [God] taught Adam the names of all things …
Gen. 2:19
So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

The Quran says God taught Adam the names of everything; the Bible says that Adam came up with the names of the animals.

  • The Quran also contradicts the Bible on the identity of satan/devil:
The Quran The Bible
2:33-36
And behold We said to the angels: “Bow down to Adam”; and they bowed down: not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: he was of those who reject Faith. We said: “O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression.” Then did Satan make them slip from the (Garden) and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. …
Heb. 2:14
… him who had the power of death, that is, the devil

Rom. 7:11
… sin … deceived me and … killed me.

The Quran says ‘satan’ is a supernatural evil being; the Bible uses ‘satan’ as a symbol of sin (and also possibly for evil rulers or kingdoms).1

  • The Quran contradicts the Bible regarding rituals:
The Quran The Bible
2:173
He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood and the flesh of swine, and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. …
Mark 7:18-19
And [Jesus] said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?”  Thus he declared all foods clean.

1Tim.4:1-5
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, {2} through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, {3} who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. {4} For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, {5} for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Col. 2:16
… let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink …

The Quran forbids eating certain meats; the Bible says all meat is acceptable.2

  • The Quran contradicts the Bible regarding physical violence and, also, love:
The Quran The Bible
2:90-93
Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.  But if they cease, Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression.
Mat. 5:43-44
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ {44} “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Mat. 7:12
… whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them …

The Quran says believers should physically attack enemies; the Bible says we should love our enemies and pray for them.3

  • The Quran contradicts the Bible’s claim that Jesus is God’s son:
The Quran The Bible
2:116
They say: “Allah hath begotten a son”; Glory be to Him. ―Nay …
Mat. 3:16-17
And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; {17} and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Quran says God doesn’t have children; the Bible says that Jesus is God’s son.

As said at the start of this answer, all of the examples above are taken from only the second chapter of the Quran. There are other contradictions with the Bible in the second chapter, and different ones still in the rest of the Quran (with the ones highlighted above often repeated).

This demonstrates the incompatibility of the Quran with the Bible — the Quran contradicts the Bible . In this way, the Quran fails the tests that God gives in the Bible to identify genuine revelations from him; e.g.:

Deut. 13:1-3
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and …  says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Isa. 8:19-20
when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? … To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.

Someone might claim a revelation has come from God, but if that “revelation” contradicts what God has said before then the “revelation” is false, it is not from God. This is true of the Quran: it contradicts the Bible so it is not from God.

————-

Notes

1. For further info, see the answers tagged ‘satan‘ and ‘devil‘, especially, ‘Are there any historical accounts of what the ancient Christians taught about the devil/satan?‘.

2. For further info, see ‘Is it okay for Christians to eat pork and shellfish?‘.

3. For further info, see ‘Is it OK to kill if it saves lives?‘.

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11 Responses to Does the Quran contradict the Bible?

  1. mercy says:

    The holy scriptures are quiet fascinating, i tell you. Put them together study them hard, and you never get anything objective, but rather subjective messages, so i would rather say, anything you hold on to in the holy scriptures, is a matter of faith and an inward conviction which is quiet inherent in you. So the matter of what is the truth, is subjective in individuals.

  2. Luke Buckler says:

    Hello mercy,

    Sorry that it’s been a while for a reply to appear. Hopefully, though, the answer at the following link should be of interest:

    “Is the message of the Bible subjective?”
    https://bibleq.net/answer/2832/

  3. javad mousavi says:

    Peace be with you,
    that is truth there is contradic between quran and bible,but,which one telling truth?

    • Luke Buckler says:

      Hello Javad,

      Thank you for your comment. It’s a good question. Hopefully this quick answer will help:

      * It can be demonstrated that the Bible is from God and is still trustworthy (see, e.g., the brief answer to the question “How can we be sure that the Bible is true?” given here: https://bibleq.net/answer/1674/ ).
      * With this established, and with the historical priority of the Bible over the Quran (it was completed many centuries before the Quran), it seems clear to me that the Quran diverges from the truth of the Bible.

      • Atheist says:

        But polytheism was used for for many centuries before the bible came along and was present in many different civilizations around the world. Instead of starting in one location and spreading around the world after the fact. So then it stands to reason that the bible is just a divergence from polytheism and we are all going to Hades. Makes sense right?

  4. Mike says:

    The one which espouses an unconditional loving God. Not a God who loves only who love him.

  5. Francesca says:

    Also, the Quran destroys the sanctity of marriage in the Bible.

    “‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” – Mark 10:7-9

    “And if you be apprehensive that you will not be able to do justice to the orphans, you may marry two or three or four women whom you choose. But if you apprehend that you might not be able to do justice to them, then marry only one wife, or marry those who have fallen in your possession.” – Surah 4:3

  6. donna says:

    the biggest proof that the Catholic bible can be trusted in its entirety is that everything writen in it was witnessed by many and penned down by a few of the very same witnesses who were guided by the Holy Spirit but the Quran was ‘revealed’ to just one man. agreed that it also has in the lives of biblical prophets altough many stories about them cannot be found in the bible or the torah: but it is a fact that thebasic stories of the lives of the prophets had been shared by some jews and christians living in arab countries……..

  7. yusef says:

    Peace be upon you,

    God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? Job 36:22

    Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the fowls of the heaven? Job 35:11

    He that teaches man knowledge, shall he not know? Psalms 94:10

    So fear God. For it is he who teaches you. Quran 2:282

    He taught man what he did not know. Quran 96:5

    He created man. He taught him speech. Quran 55:4

    • Jonathan Morgan says:

      The Quran may have similarities with the Bible in some passages, but that doesn’t address the contradictions mentioned above.

  8. Last Hour says:

    All you need to know is this: THEY DENY JESUS IS SON OF GOD. Last i checked denying Jesus is the SON is Blasphemy.

    They have a jesus they say is going to return soon. However he will prove and claim he is NOT the son of God. He will claim to be a prophet ONLY and he will arrive shortly behind a muslim leader.. hmmmm sounds like something jesus warned about before he returns…coincidence? we shall see.

    Who here likes book of revelation?

    You my friend are on the edge of a cliff and the bottom of it is very hot. Seek Jesus, there is NO OTHER name by what you can be saved. PEOPLE STOP asking muslims if they believe in JESUS! ask them if Jesus is Son of God! And when they say no does anything they have to say matter?
    Why listen to it? Why is the belief of the trinity the ONLY unforgivable sin in Islam? or is it what delivers you from islam 🙂 its called “shirk” google it. Their Jesus is coming to “break the cross” Figure it out..should be obvious whats going on here.

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