Qur'an

The Qur'an (Arabic: القرآن, al-qur'ān, literally "the recitation"; also called Al Qur'ān, Al Karīm or "The Noble Qur'an"; or transliterated Qur'an, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. Muslims (believers of Islam) believe that the Qur'an is the literal word of Allah (God) in Arabic and the culmination of Allah's revelation to mankind. It can be traced back to a man named Muhammad, the last prophet of Islam, who lived around 570-632 AD. Muslims believe the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad over a period of 23 years through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Muhammad then dictated the Qur`an and introduced Islam to the world in about 610 AD.


 * Qur'an vs. Bible - There are significant similarities between the Qur'an and the Bible, but also important differences.
 * Search the Qur'an at IslamicCity.com, or use the following links to read specific chapters.

Manuscript Evidence
When analyzing the manuscript evidence of the Qur'an it does not compare to the New Testament, even though the NT was written centuries earlier.

Qur'an difficulties
There are a number of troubling passages within the Qur'an.

Beating wives
"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all)," (4:34).

Sex in the afterlife
"In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched," (55:56)

"We have created (their Companions) of special creation. And made them virgin - pure (and undefiled), - Beloved (by nature), equal in age,- For the Companions of the Right Hand," (56:35-38)

"Verily for the Righteous there will be a fulfillment of (the heart's) desires; Gardens enclosed, and grapevines, And voluptuous women of equal age," (78:31-33)

A boy and his dog sleep for 309 years in a cave
"Such (being their state), we raised them up (from sleep), that they might question each other. Said one of them, "How long have ye stayed (here)?" They said, "We have stayed (perhaps) a day, or part of a day." (At length) they (all) said, "Allah (alone) knows best how long ye have stayed here...So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more)," (18:19,25)

The sun set in a pool of murky water
"Until, when he reached the setting of the sun, he found it set in a spring of murky water: Near it he found a People: We said: "O Zul-qarnain! (thou hast authority,) either to punish them, or to treat them with kindness." (18:86, Yusuf Ali, translation).

It should however be noted that the term "setting place of the sun" is dismissed in Yusuf Ali's translation as referring to as far west as he could go, because the pool of murky water stopped him from going any further.

Jesus spoke while in the cradle
"But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet," (19:29-30).