When Muhammad was growing up, there existed two heretic branches of Christianity in Arabia which many arabs embraced. These were the Ebionite and Nestorian branches. Muhammad's first wife's (Khadija) cousin, Waraga bin Neufel was a pastor of the Ebionite Church in Mecca. Both of these branches falsely taught that Jesus Christ was not divine. This heretic pastor actually performed the marriage of Muhammad to Khadija. Also, many reports indicate only the Gospel of Matthew was translated into Arabic during this time. This information is given to show you where the human Muhammad got his false teachings about Jesus, the Trinity, and Christianity.
The stories in the Qur'an relating to events described in the Bible contradict the Bible in many points. It is quite apparent that Muhammad took much of what he taught from the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Psalms. Muhammad shows no knowledge of their prophetic or historical writings, however.
The formula "There is no God but the One" is an often recurring refrain in Samaritan liturgies. The similarity of the Muslim proclamation "There is no God but Allah" is very interesting. Also of note the opening chapter of the Qur'an is known as the Fatiha (meaning opening, or gate). The Samaritan's also have a prayer which is also considered a succinct confession of faith that begins with the words: "Amadti kamekha al fatah rahmekha". This means "I stand before thee at the gate of thy mercy". The Samaritan word for the opening or gate is "fatah".
In Surah 18:10-27 we see that Muhammad regurgitated the early Christian Rip Van Winkle-like myth/legend historians know as the "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus" from around the 250's AD. This is a legend about 7 noble Christian youths who took refuse in a cave while fleeing persecution during the rein of the Roman Emperor Decius. Their lives were miraculously saved because they fell into a deep sleep for almost 200 years. Typical of Muhammad's inattention to any literary or historical detail, Muhammad's Surah has them sleeping for 300-309 years. Surah 18:25 - So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more).
Behold, the youths betook themselves to the Cave: they said, "Our Lord! bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way!" Then We draw (a veil) over their ears, for a number of years, in the Cave, (so that they heard not):... Surah 18:10-11
Historical errors in the Qur'an:
You can verify these here
The Holy Qur'an.. at this online Qur'an
The Historical, Scientific, simple mathematics and theological contradictions in the Qur'an are too numerous to list. Remember, since Muhammad already proclaimed the Jewish Torah/ Christian Old Testament (Taurat) as correct in Qur'an Suras 2:87, 3:48, 3:50, 5:44, 5:46; 5.68, 6:154, 6:155, 29:46, 32:23, 43:63, 46:12, then the following gross errors that differ with the Torah and Christian Gospels are inexcusable.
These errors their selves scream out the Qur'an itself is entirely false.
We have noted newer English translations of the Qur'an popping up on the internet which are deceitfully attempting to cover up many of the errors cited below. Double check with your older Qur'ans--you'll see. The world is aware that the Qur'an is made up of 114 chapters (suras), made up of 30 parts, 6,616 verses (ayas), 77,943 words, and 338,606 letters. So consider this as you try and fine tune it to rid it of errors.
In Suras 2:87, 3:50, 5:44, 5:46 and 29:46 we are told that Muhammad is given the Qur'an as a confirmation of the Jewish/Christian Bible; that is - it is meant to prove the bible's authenticity.... In Surah 46:12 we are told.... "And before it the Book of Musa (Moses) was a guide and a mercy: and this is a Book verifying (it) in the Arabic language......"
Yet the historical, scientific, and simple math errors in the Qur'an that differ from the Jewish/Christian Bibles it already confirmed are utterly careless, foolish and devoid of any touch of divinity, as you will see. Also, disturbing about the Qur'an is that it makes no attempt at linear history. The Qur'an appears thrown together half hazardly with nological sequence, except only the largest Sura's are in the beginning. Whereas the Jewish Pentateuch (1st 5 books of Jewish Bible) is a continuous narrative from the beginning of the world until the Hebrews enter the Promised Land.
Never fully trust any one English or other non-Arabic translation of the Qur'an. Muslim apologists are fond of taking advantage of non-Arabs’ ignorance of the Arabic language to fool people. In the Arabic text, many verses of the Quran are very harsh, very illogical, very bloodthirsty and very scientifically erroneous. Therefore, trust the translations that are more harsh, more illogical, more bloodthirsty and more scientifically erroneous; because these are the more honest translations. Something Muslims will not tell you is that the Arabic language is not all that "pure". Syriac words occur in the Qur'an, like masih (Messiah) in Surah 3:45, furgan (salvation) in Surah 2:50, and istabrag (silk brocade) in Surah 76:21 (1988, Shorrosh, page 199)
Muhammad probably never knew the true name of God:
In the Torah/Old Testament, which the Qur'an claims above to support - God gives us another condition a true prophet must meet. A true prophet must prophesy in the name of the one true God. He must use Gods unique name. Gods unique name in the bible is YHWH (pronounced Yaweh) and is mentioned 6,823 times in the Bible. Muhammad never used Gods real name even once, suggesting he never knew it. Muhammad also seems to have not known He also told the Hebrews to call Him "I Am".
Here are just a few notable errors in the Qur'an:
- In Surah 2:249 Muhammad confuses the persons of Saul (Talut) and Gideon. See: Judges 7:4-7
- In Surah 26:54 the Israelites were said to be "a scanty band" (small band); vastly inferior to the Egyptians. But in Exodus 1:7-10 the Egyptian king said to his people that the Israelites had become "more and mightier than we". Exodus 1:9 speaks of the Hebrews as multitudes.
- The Koran confused the sister of Moses by implication (Miriam) with Mary, the mother of Jesus 3 times. And Muhammad seemed to think that Jesus was Moses' nephew, the son of Moses' sister Mariam. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Miriam the sister of Moses actually lived about 1500 years apart. The entire Chapter 19 is devoted to Mary (Maryam) the mother of Jesus in the Qur'an. Surah 19:28, "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" Surah 66.12 calls Mary 'daughter of lmran". lmran is the Arabic form of the Hebrew Amram mentioned in Numbers 26.59 as the father of "Aaron, Moses and Miriam." The title "sister of Aaron" is given to Miriam in Exodus 15.20. Surah 3.35-36, The wife of Amram said, "My Lord, I have dedicated (the baby) in my belly to You, totally, so accept from me. You are Hearer, Omniscient."
- How many angels were talking to Mary? When the Qur'an speaks about the annunciation of the birth of Jesus to the virgin Mary, Surah 3:42,45 speaks about angels (plural) while it is only one in Surah 19:17-21. The Christian Bible clearly indicated one angel; "In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth," Luke 1:26
- Jesus taught people even in his "old age". (Surah 5:110). Actually Jesus ascended into Heaven while in His mid 30's.
- Do you remember the evil Persian Haman who conspired to kill all the Jews during the time of Esther in the Babylonian captivity (about 500 BC). In the Koran, Muhammad incorrectly taught that this wicked man Haman was the prime minister of the Egyptian Pharaoh (Firon) in Moses' time (1450 BC). See Suras 28:4-6, 28:38-39, 29:39, 40:23-24,and 40:36-37. Throughout the Qur'an--Nimrod and Abraham, Haman and Moses, Mary and Aaron, the tower of Babel (2500 BC) and Pharaoh were all pictured as living and working together. Moses and the flood are also incorrectly found together. Muhammad thought these all happened at the same time. Muhammad was always mixing people together in the Qur'an who did not live at the same time. See Suras 21:51-76; and 29:15-16. See this historical fumbling below...