The Book of Contradictions: Why the Qur’an and Hadith Cannot Stand

🌙The Book of Contradictions: The Qur’an, Hadith, and Their Problems

🕌 The Crescent Against the Cross Article 3

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1. From the Messenger to the Message

In our last study, we weighed Muhammad against the biblical test of a prophet and found him wanting. He bore no fulfilled prophecy, lived a life marked by violence and self-serving revelations, and twisted fragments of truth into a counterfeit kingdom. But if the messenger is false, what of his message?

Islam claims that the Qur’an is the uncreated Word of God, perfectly preserved from eternity past. Alongside it, the Hadith—the collected sayings and deeds of Muhammad—form the necessary scaffolding for Islamic law and life. Together, they are said to be the flawless foundation of Islam.

But when examined under the light of Scripture and history, both Qur’an and Hadith reveal themselves to be unstable, inconsistent, and deeply human. As Psalm 119:160 reminds us: “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” By that standard, Islam’s supposed scriptures collapse.

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2. The Political Compilation of the Qur’an

Muhammad himself left no completed Qur’an. After his death in 632 AD, his followers disagreed over scattered recitations and oral traditions. According to Islamic sources, Caliph Uthman (r. 644–656) ordered the collection of the Qur’an into a single codex. When variants emerged, he commanded that all competing versions be burned so only his recension would remain (Sahih al-Bukhari 6:61:510).

This was not providential preservation—it was political consolidation. One man’s committee decided which readings were “authentic” and destroyed the rest. Compare this with the Bible, where manuscripts across centuries and continents agree in substance, and where preservation came not by fire and decree, but by God’s providence (Isaiah 40:8).

Even Muslim scholars acknowledge textual fluidity. For instance, the Yemeni manuscript discoveries at Sana’a in the 1970s revealed Qur’anic variants older than Uthman’s recension—proof that the text was not fixed from the beginning.

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3. Internal Contradictions and Abrogation

The Qur’an presents itself as the eternal word of Allah, yet it is riddled with contradictions. To cover the problem, Islamic doctrine of naskh (abrogation) claims that later verses cancel earlier ones (Qur’an 2:106).

Early tolerance: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Qur’an 2:256).

Later violence: “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them” (Qur’an 9:5).

This pattern repeats throughout Muhammad’s career. Peaceful verses suited his weakness in Mecca, while militant commands fit his rise to power in Medina. As Montgomery Watt observes, “the chronological sequence of revelations matches Muhammad’s political needs” (Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman, 1961).

The Bible, by contrast, never cancels itself. From Genesis to Revelation, God’s Word unfolds with unity and harmony, culminating in Christ (2 Tim. 3:16–17).

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4. Borrowed and Distorted Sources

Far from heavenly originality, the Qur’an echoes human sources—often apocryphal or heretical.

Jesus as a child making clay birds come to life (Qur’an 3:49; 5:110) mirrors the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas.

Jesus speaking from the cradle (Qur’an 19:29–30) reflects the Arabic Infancy Gospel, not Scripture.

Abraham smashing idols (Qur’an 21:51–71) comes not from Genesis but from later Jewish midrash.

These borrowings expose the Qur’an as derivative. As scholar F.E. Peters notes: “The Qur’an reflects a wide circle of traditions, both Jewish and Christian, current in Arabia” (Muhammad and the Origins of Islam, 1994).

God’s Word, by contrast, bears the marks of divine inspiration: historical accuracy, prophetic fulfillment, theological unity, and transforming power.

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5. The Hadith Problem

The Hadith are indispensable to Islam. Without them, Muslims would not know how to pray five times a day, practice fasting in Ramadan, or enforce Sharia law. Yet the Hadith corpus is sprawling and contradictory.

By the 9th century, Islamic scholars admitted that tens of thousands of Hadith were fabricated. Al-Bukhari famously sifted through 600,000 reports, accepting only around 7,000 as “authentic.” But even those “sound” Hadith differ across collections and rely on chains of narration (isnad) that are themselves open to doubt.

As Joseph Schacht concluded in his landmark study The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence (1950): “The Hadith reflect not the words of Muhammad but the evolving needs of the Muslim community generations after his death.”

The result? A faith dependent on unstable texts authenticated by human judgment, not divine preservation.

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6. Applications for the Church

Show the Contrast. God’s Word is consistent, preserved, and unified across centuries. The Qur’an was cobbled together by committees and purged by decree.

Expose Instability. Jesus said: “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand” (Matt. 7:26). The Qur’an and Hadith are shifting sand.

Strengthen Confidence. Christians can rest in Scripture’s sufficiency (2 Tim. 3:16–17). No burning of manuscripts, no doctrinal gymnastics, no fabricated traditions—just the living Word of God.

Equip Evangelism. Many Muslims have never been told about abrogation, contradictions, or fabricated Hadith. Gently sharing these truths can unsettle misplaced confidence and open doors to Christ.

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7. Conclusion: The Word That Endures

Islam’s scriptures crumble under scrutiny. The Qur’an was compiled by politics, riddled with contradictions, and dependent on borrowed myths. The Hadith are sprawling, fabricated, and unstable.

By contrast, God’s Word stands unshaken: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). The grass withers, the flower fades, and rival kingdoms rise and fall, but the Word of our God endures forever (Isaiah 40:8).

If the Qur’an is unstable, how then did Islam still expand? That is the question we will face in the next article: From Mecca to Medina: The Sword and the Crescent.

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✍️ Reflection & Application

Personal: Do you rest your life on the shifting sands of human words, or on the solid rock of God’s Word?

Church: How can your congregation highlight the preservation and unity of Scripture in an age of skepticism?

Mission: When speaking with Muslims, how might you contrast the contradictions of the Qur’an with the harmony of the Bible in a spirit of love?

For Families:

Teach your children that the Bible is God’s Word, living and true from beginning to end.

Pray together that Muslims around the world would discover the stability and sufficiency of Scripture in Christ.

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📚 Key Sources Consulted:

Qur’an: 2:106, 2:256, 3:49, 5:110, 9:5, 19:29–30, 21:51–71, 33:50.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6:61:510 (Uthman’s burning of variants).

Al-Bukhari, Sahih (Hadith compilation methods).

F.E. Peters, Muhammad and the Origins of Islam (1994).

W. Montgomery Watt, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (1961).

Patricia Crone, Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam (1987).

Joseph Schacht, The Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence (1950).

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