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Contradictions in the Qur'an
And his people gave NO answer but this:
They said, "Drive them out of your city:
these are indeed men who want to be clean and pure!"
-- Sura 7:82 & 27:56
But his people gave NO answer but this:
They said: "Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth."
-- Sura 29:29
Obviously the answer is different. And since it says both times
"no answer but this" they could not have said both with one part
reported in one sura and the other part in another, because then
there would be "another answer" contradicting the "no answer but this".
Muslim Responses by Randy Desmond
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 1997
There are two obvious ways I can think of which we
can solve this proposed contradiction. One way is to consider the context
within the questions Lut(Peace be upon him)'s people answer. The second way
is to consider the questions themselves.
If we look at the context of the questions (see the verses which precede
the one's listed here), we notice that for similar contexts, we get the
same answer. And where the context is slightly different, we get a different
answer. This would mean that with respect to the same context, the answer is
only one. When the question was changed (and with it the context),
the answer was different, and that answer is the only answer given for that
context.
The other way to solve this proposed contradiction is to entertain the
possiblility that because the questions themselves differ for each of the verses,
then it can be understood that for each of these questions only one answer was
given for each question and so for two of the questions the answers happened to be
the same.
Look at it this way: If you asked me what color is a red car and a different
time you asked me what color is a red truck, because my only answer would
be red for both questions, does that mean you asked the same question both times?
I think it is a bit sneaky to just compare the answers without
considering the questions that were asked, and as already pointed out the context of the questions disprove any discrepency there too.
There is no contradiction here. My faith keeps growing. Islam has all the
answers to any challanges. God is one.
I like and can accept the first answer. And the second one is actually the
same as the first. So, it is repetitive but still okay.
Even though 7:80 and 29:28 are basically the same wording, sura 29 adds
some more charges and might be a different occasion. Also, it would be
strange to assume that a prophet would speak up on the sins of the people
only once. No, usually he will continually preach and warn about the judgement
of God. So, at one occasion they might have said this, and on another occasion
they might have said the other in response. One would have to look at the
Arabic if the tense of the verb would preclude this and indicate that this
was each time meant to be their 'constant' answer to his ongoing preaching
or if that is indeed indicating one time events on the time line.
Whether Islam has answers to all questions that is difficult to conclude
from one issue. And I haven't challenged that God is one. No clue what
this has to do with the discussion. I also testify that there is only
one God, creator and sustainer of the Universe. This is confirmed by both
of us. None of the contradictions on this site calls this into question.
The question is which of the two revelations claimed to be from this one
God is indeed the true one.
Contradictions in the Qur'an
Answering Islam home page
Last edited: January 9, 1997