Katz’s List of Quranic Errors (1)
Part One
By Jalal Abualrub
Katz’s List of Quranic Errors (1)
Part One
By Jalal Abualrub
Introduction
{Afala yatadabbaruna-l-quran wa-lau kana min `indi ghairi-l-llahi lawajadu fihi ikhtilafan katheera (Do they not then consider the Qur’ân carefully? Had it been from other than Allâh, they would surely, have found therein many a contradiction)}; [4:82].
The Way of the Evangelical
Jochen Katz, of answeringislam.org, has at least one complaint. He recently stated in one of his emails to me that I, Jalal Abualrub, have a habit of accusing Evangelicals of lying. Hence, here is an article in which I will explain why I feel this strongly about Evangelicals. And as usual, I will go directly to the subject.
On his website, Katz posted an article titled, ‘Contradictions in the Qur'an’ wherein the following is written:
“We do not reject the Qur'an because of this list of contradictions (Jalal wrote: and he lists dozens of them). There are many reasons of much more substantial nature (Jalal wrote: such as the Islamic Monotheism vs. the Christian Trinity) why we do not believe the Qur'an to be from the one true God (Jalal wrote: Katz must be referring to the one-in-three and three-in-one ‘Monotheism’ that Christians preach, but is firmly rejected by all Muslims and all Jews). This page is not intended as an attack on the Qur'an (Jalal wrote: then, this page must be intended as praise for the Quran). Sadly, many Muslims have become unnecessarily aggrevated because they did not understand the purpose of this collection (Jalal wrote: Indeed, these poor Muslims can never understand well-meaning, mild-mannered, kind-hearted Evangelicals, who accuse the Lord they worship –the Creator of all things-, the religion they follow, the Prophet they respect and the Quran they seek for guidance of horrific crimes using dreadful words of abuse, ill-descriptions and intentional distortion). It is my experience that many Muslims try to evade a discussion of the real issues regarding the truth of Islam and Christianity (Jalal wrote: this is a new one, Muslims try to avoid discussion of their pure Islamic ‘Monotheistic Monotheism’ as compared to the invented, ever confusing, Christian ‘Monotheistic Trinity’?) by pushing "101 Bible Contradictions" (or similar compilations) into our face (Jalal wrote: Muslims were helped greatly by the numerous Christian Scholars, many of whom predated Islam, who wrote at length on the hundreds of discrepancies that fill the Two Testimonials). Muslim web sites abound in articles and collections attacking the integrity of the Bible by means of contradiction lists (Jalal wrote: In contrast, those kindhearted, compassionate, logical, rational Christian missionaries and Evangelicals do not really engage in vicious attacks on Islam that started since the dawn of Islam and continue unabated, especially in the past two centuries through the work of Orientalists who, even though failing miserably to tarnish the integrity of the Quran, had better knowledge in the Quran and in Arabic than do present-day Evangelicals; also, the many anti-Islam Evangelical websites that have sprung up in recent years are not really meant as an attack on the integrity of Allah, the Quran, Muhammad or Islam; in fact, Katz’s list of fabricated Quranic errors does not even exist: it is all an illusion). Many have the attitude that ‘because the Bible is (Jalal wrote: truly and abundantly) riddled with contradictions, errors, absurdities and problems, there is no need for me to make the effort to understand it (Jalal wrote: This is because a book that is being described as ‘The Literal Word of God’ cannot and should not contain even one error, let alone thousands of errors; and in contrast to the Muslim lists of proven Biblical errors that ‘discourage’ making the effort to understand the Bible, Katz’s list of fabricated Quranic errors actually ‘encourages’ making the effort to understand the Quran). It has mostly proven useless to explain one set of contradictions because there is always another one that can be added to the list (Jalal wrote: Evangelicals, who do not evade the real issues concerning the truth of Islam and Christianity, so they claim, manufacture many lists of claimed errors in the Quran discussing numerous specific issues that require time to explain to yet be confronted by even more lists of claimed Quranic errors; the reality is that Katz's list of Quranic errors proves that the Evangelicals are doing the same thing they accuse Muslims of doing). It is important to be able to give explanations of the difficult (Jalal wrote: only difficult?) Biblical passages including those that seem contradictory (Jalal wrote: such as two ‘divinely inspired’, yet, completely contradictory genealogies contained in two different Gospels [Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38] for a man –Jesus- who, only according to Christians, descended directly from God not from man, and therefore, has no genealogy or at least a much shorter and completely different genealogy). We are working hard (Jalal wrote: they should work very hard, because the task is daunting to be truly able…) to provide good answers to honest questions in our Bible Commentary and the section on alleged Bible contradictions (Jalal wrote: only alleged?). However, most Muslims' rejection of the Bible is not based on such contradiction lists (Jalal wrote: true; Muslim rejection of the Bible concentrates on rejection of Trinity, an invented creed never preached before or embraced by Jesus or any Biblical Prophet, none of whom ever mentioned that God has or will have a son or mentioned Trinity in any way or form; Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus never knew God as Katz and his cohorts know Him). For most Muslims this rejection is an integral part of their faith long before they have ever seen any such ‘contradictions’ (Jalal wrote: In contrast to many modern-day Evangelicals, and on average, Muslims are much more aware of the reality of the Bible and Christianity than is falsely claimed here; for centuries, zealous Christian missionaries worked freely in Muslim and Arab countries flaunting their Christianity and Bible to Muslims, who never wanted them, supported by the ‘secular’ armed forces of the ‘secular’ West; I, Jalal Abualrub, have read the Bible more than two dozen times, a half of them in Arabic; also, since the dawn of Islam, many Muslim Scholars researched and wrote extensively on the errors and contradictions found throughout the Bible, supported by the existence of hundreds of contradictory Gospels and the abundant writings of Christian Scholars who could not explain the plentiful discrepancies contained in their ‘Word of God’). These lists (Jalal wrote: meaning only the Islamic lists of Biblical errors, but never the wonderful Evangelicals lists of Quranic errors) are usually only used as a convenient means to justify a rejection of the Bible which would otherwise be very difficult to explain rationally (Jalal wrote: the ‘irrationality’ of knowledgeable rejection of the Bible, where Monotheism is preached in its Old Testimonial to be profoundly contradicted in its New Testimonial by a totally different religion that preaches Trinity, the Original Sin, God begetting a son, and so forth, is far superior to the 'rationale' of accepting a corrupted faith that its own people can never explain in plain, rational terms)…Because the Bible seemingly (Jalal wrote: but surely, clearly and verifiably) contains errors therefore the Bible is not God's word (Jalal wrote: Muslims are being irrational here; they reject the Bible being God’s Word since it contains hundreds of errors and contradictions and describes a new god never described before in the Old Testament, as even the Jews would vehemently concur, or in the Quran, the Last and Final Revelation from Allah; here continues the elusion and utter deviation from discussing the true defects of the Christian faith). The Qur'an on the other hand is free from discrepancies (Jalal wrote: indeed it is; the proof otherwise is in the evidence, not the boasting or intentional distortion) and this is (Jalal added here: only one…) proof that the Qur'an is from God since Sura 4:82 states: Do they not ponder on (Jalal explained: or ‘read carefully and contemplate’) the Qur'an? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy (Jalal wrote: the ‘contradictions in the Quran’ that Katz and his authors claim to have uncovered, which are not errors at all but a collection of ignorant interpretation, testify to the truth of the Quranic Verse quoted here; amazingly, modern-day Evangelicals, who cannot understand Arabic or speak it proficiently, now write articles discussing grammatical errors in the Quran, an achievement that has eluded Arab Christian, Jewish and Idolater linguists, who tried in vain to achieve this for more than 1400 years). But reality is not as simple as many would want us believe (Jalal wrote: prove it, Katz, then boast about your conclusion).
There are three basic categories of contradictions in the Qur'an (Jalal wrote: so the Evangelicals claim):
1. Internal contradictions: Verses contradicting each other or the laws of logic
(Jalal wrote: these Quranic Verses must be less logical than the Christian famous formula of 1+1+1=1)
2. External errors: Verses contradicting the facts of history or science
(Jalal wrote: In contrast, every aspect of science and history the Bible mentions is, contrary to overwhelming universal belief, supported by facts of science and history)
(Jalal wrote: This is better described as, ‘Quranic Verses correcting corrupted versions of earlier revelations’, such as defending the exalted honor of Allah’s Prophets against false Biblical accusations of:
Incest [Read Genesis 19:30-38, where the Bible falsely accuses the Honourable Prophet Lot of committing incest with his two daughters, each of whom bore one child with her own father, who is also her own ‘Prophet’; in contrast, read how the Quran [27:56] describes Prophet Lot:
{There was no other answer given by his people except that they said: “Drive out the family of Lût (Lot) from your city. Verily, these are a people who want to be clean (honorable) and pure!”};
Adultery [Read 2nd Samuel 11:2-27, where the Bible falsely accuses the Honourable Prophet David of committing adultery and sending the husband of his mistress to his death then marrying his widow; then read how the Quran [38:17-26] describes Prophet David,
{Be patient (O, Muhammad) of what they say, and remember Our slave Dâwûd (David), endued with power. Verily, he was ever oft‑returning in all matters and in repentance (toward Allâh)....We made his kingdom strong and gave him Al‑Hikmah (Prophethood) and sound judgment in speech and decision…O Dâwûd (David)! Verily, We have placed you as a successor on the earth; so judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire ¾ for it will mislead you from the path of Allâh. Verily, those who wander astray from the path of Allâh (shall) have a severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning};
Idol-Worshipping [Read 1st Kings 11:1-13, where the Bible narrates the vicious lie that the Honourable Prophet Solomon worshipped the idols towards the end of his life; then contrast this lie to the Quran’s clear defence of Prophet Solomon [2:102]:
{Sulaimân (Solomon) did not disbelieve, but the Shayâtîn (devils) disbelieved}.’”
Jalal wrote:
Sadly, it is not enough that their Bible accuses Allah’s Honourable Prophet, Sulaiman (Solomon), peace be upon him, of committing Shirk (polytheism; idol-worshipping), but also the Evangelicals ridicule the fact that Prophet Sulaiman had the ability to hear the speech of animals and insects, such as the ants. Really, how unscientific of the Quran to mention this miracle that Allah, Whom Islam describes as being Able to do all things, has granted to His Obedient slave and Prophet, Solomon, peace be upon him. In contrast to the Quran, the Bible does not really discuss any miracles, such as the splitting of the sea, the bringing of the dead back to life, the healing of the gravely ill by a mere touch, or the foundation of Faith, such as the existence of the Creator, the heavens, the angels, the devils, the soul, and so forth, all of which modern science agrees with and fully supports just because the Bible mentions them. Really, not only science, but also facts of history approve of a fantastic incident, narrated in Matthew 27:52-3, wherein it is claimed that after Jesus was crucified, so they claim, this happened:
"And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
With a legacy like theirs, one would imagine that the Evangelicals would not dare mention the words 'science' and 'history' while discussing their holy books. This Quranic miracle that Allah granted His Believing Slave and Servant, Prophet Sulaiman, troubles the Neos, having deprived him of his most precious asset: Monotheism. They want to also deprive him of any virtue the Quran mentions. Hence the profound need to the Quran: it upholds Monotheism in the clearest terms and defends the honor of Prophets Lot, David and Solomon, peace be upon them.
Advance Payment
Allah willing, I will gradually respond to every part of the fabricated list of Quranic errors, as well as, other absurd articles that Katz and his cohorts have compiled and posted on the Internet. They do this then claim that it is the Muslims who avoid discussing the real issues regarding the truth of Islam and Christianity since there are abundant Muslim websites that attack the integrity of the Bible. After reading through a good part of Katz’s list of claimed Quranic errors, I must confess that I am disgusted by the level of ignorance and intentional deceit that this man and his authors resort to so as to satisfy their rage and extreme hatred for Islam. By doing this, the Neos think they can divert attention from having to explain Trinity –which no Christian can convincingly explain- to discussing numerous minor aspects of Islam. These Evangelicals do not understand the power of Islam, which, even though younger than Christianity by six hundred years, is steadily gaining followers in the world and will soon become the largest religion on earth, by the Power of Allah. Instead of attempting to understand Islam, if only to be better able to attack it and frustrate its success –and they will always fail miserably- they resort to intentional distortion. And they play the same game they always played with their own holy books, i.e. their ‘Literal Word of God’. Throughout their long history, the Jews and the Christians have repeatedly translated and retranslated the numerous books contained in the Bible and amended them numerously to such an extent that they eventually lost the original form of their books, a defect no Christian or Jew can deny. Likewise, Evangelicals, the vast majority of whom do not speak Arabic at all, try and amend the meaning of the Quran based on the available English translations, including translations that contain profound errors due to the translator's personal interpretation of the Quran. In addition, Evangelicals, true experts at corrupting their own religious texts, use their deranged understanding of the Quran and interpret it as they wish. They then post their ‘findings’ on the Internet or in published books, or broadcast them through the Media that, even if claimed to be secular, directs most of its attack and criticism at one particular religion: Islam. In a typical neo-behavior, the Evangelicals claim that their own understanding of Islam is what Islam is all about. They also take a fantastic stance in that they do not only dismiss what Muslim Scholars insist their own Islam advocates, but also dismiss what the Prophet of Islam himself says in explanation of his own religion. Islam has become what Evangelicals think of it and what they believe it to be and advocate, not what is evident in the Quran, the Sunnah and the very generation that learned Islam in its entirety from the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him. Allah willing, the unequivocal proof to this deranged behavior will soon be provided in my soon to be released article exposing the utter ignorance of another Neo character called ‘Sam Shamoun’, writer of dozens of ridiculous articles criticizing Islam.
Ask ‘Muslims’ About ‘Islam’
This odd behavior demonstrated by many Evangelicals is made more bizarre by the fact that they claim that Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not bring the Quran from ‘God’; they claim that he forged it. Yet, when Muhammad explains his own Quran, which his enemies falsely claim he forged, through his own Sunnah, which is not different from the Quran in that they were both brought by Muhammad, the Neos do not accept Muhammad’s explanation or his Sunnah. Islam has thus become what Jochen Katz, Craig Winn and Sam Shamoun think of it, not what is actually found in the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah. Sam Shamoun, who repeatedly promised to crush Allah, Muhammad, the Quran and I, displays symptoms of this mental disease in his absurd article about what he claims is Allah’s guessing game. He claims to be a scholar on Islam; a scholar who refuses to debate a minor student of Islamic knowledge, like me, on an issue by issue basis. He and his likes insist that what they understood about Islam is what Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, preached, even if Muhammad disagrees. There is a reason why they act in this strange manner: they cannot understand the charisma of Islam and why it is still winning the worldwide competition for new converts at a time when Muslims are weak, divided and under direct and vicious worldwide Crusader attack on their religion and on everything sacred to them.
The Entire Quran is Written in Arabic & Still Exists in Its Original Form; Can the Christians and Jews Boast the Same About Their Holy Books?
The Evangelicals make profound errors in understanding the Quran because they follow their own desires and explain the Quran as they wish, then claim that their own understanding is what Islam calls to. Yet, they cannot speak a proficient word of Arabic and do not try to hire Arab Christians who have a good standard at Arabic to help them understand a book written in a completely alien language to them. Instead of recognizing their deficient knowledge in the Quran, they resort to the easier course of action, lying. And before Jochen sends me another protest via email as to my continued use of the word ‘lying’ while describing Evangelical writings, here is my ‘advance payment’ on my promise to gradually, but surely, dismantle Katz's list of Quranic errors. I will mention here an example wherein Katz and his authors resort to blatant distortion of Islamic Texts, followed by a challenge and examples of true errors found in other than the Quran. This is only an ‘advance payment’ to be followed by extensive rebuttals of the list of lies that Katz and his authors have compiled thinking that this would frustrate the glorious spread of Islam that is being witnessed all over the world. No doubt, Falsehood shall be exposed and Truth shall become triumphant, and the Unjust shall come to know the consequences of their wicked actions when they meet the One and Only Creator of all that exists.
Are Allah’s Days Equal to 1,000 Human Years or 50,000 Human Years?
Jochen Katz posted this 'Quranic contradiction' on his website, “Does Allah's day equal to 1,000 human years (Sura 22:47, 32:5) or 50,000 human years (Sura 70:4)?”
Why Do They Not Read the Quran Carefully?
In reading what the Neos wrote about this falsely claimed error in the Quran, my deep conviction that Evangelicals are only fishing for errors and not sincere seekers of truth was verified. Why don’t these Evangelicals read the Quran carefully, so as to avoid appearing foolish and vindictive? They criticize the Quran, a book written in Arabic, a language totally alien to them, without making a hint of an effort at researching their material before falling into clear error. Here is why…
Three-in-One Instead of Three-in-Three
In Islam, 1+1+1=3; here is the explanation. Here are the three Quranic Verses under discussion. One should carefully read these Verses as transliterated from the original Arabic and judge for oneself if three is a contradiction in the Quran, or if this is a lie invented by ‘Katz & Cohorts’:
1. Allah said in Surat al-Hajj (Quranic Chapter number 22), Ayah (Quranic Statement or Verse) number 47,
{And they ask you to hasten on the torment! And Allâh fails not His Promise. And verily, a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon}.
2. Allah said in Surat as-Sajdah (Chapter 32), Ayah 5,
{He manages and regulates (every) affair from the heavens to the earth; then it (affair) will go up to Him, in one Day, the space whereof is a thousand years of your reckoning (i.e. reckoning of our present world’s time)}.
3. Allah said in Surat al-Ma`arij (Chapter 70), Ayah 4,
{The angels and the Rûh [Jibrîl (Gabriel)] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years}.
Where is the Contradiction?
The first question I want to ask Katz and his authors is this, “Where is the contradiction?” To simplify things that even the Neos can understand them, I give here five examples of contradictory statements, none of which is found in the Quran.
First Example: “All of the days with your Lord are as 1,000 years of what you reckon,” and, “All of the days with your Lord are as 50,000 years of what you reckon.”
Second Example: “A day with your Lord is 1,000 years long,” and, “With your Lord, the day that is 1,000 years long is also 50,000 years long.”
Third Example: “Every day with your Lord is as 1,000 years of what you reckon,” and, “Every day with your Lord is 50,000 human years.”
Fourth Example: “A day with your Lord is as 1,000 years of what you reckon,” and, “A day with your Lord is as 50,000 years of what you reckon.”
Fifth Example: “None of the days with your Lord is longer than 1,000 human years,” and, “None of the days with your Lord is shorter than 50,000 human years.”
They Never Read the Quran to Understand It
The three Verses quoted here contain these statements, “A day WITH YOUR LORD is as a thousand years of what you reckon,” and, “Then it (affair) will go up to Him, in one Day, the space whereof is a thousand years of your reckoning,” and, “The angels and the Rûh [Angel Jibrîl] ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.”
The Evangelical Game of “Hide and Never Seek”: By reading these three Verses, one must conclude the following: that the words, “with your Lord”, appear only once in these three Verses; that these three Verses are discussing three different topics, i.e. three different contexts, i.e. three distinct stories, i.e. the very ‘thing’ that if one hides, one becomes liable to be called ‘a liar’. Katz now knows why I justly and frequently accuse many Evangelicals of lying.
It would be an error if two Texts in the Quran offer conflicting or contradictory information, news or numbers regarding the same issue. For instance, if the Quran contains an error pertaining to numbers, and if found in the original copy itself, then this would not qualify to be blamed on the mysterious loss of a zero due to frequent use of the original copy or to an error by those who recorded the original manuscript, for two reasons. Copies of the Quran that are identical to the original manuscript taught by the Prophet to his companions are found in wonderful abundance throughout the world and in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Muslims who have memorized the entire Quran by heart. Thus, any copy of the Quran that contains an error or is different from other copies Muslims have, would be immediately and fully discovered and exposed. Thus becomes clear the power of the Quran and the challenge that mankind has to meet if they seek to find errors in its original Text: they must bring two original copies of the Quran that differ amongst them on any information or news. The second reason is rather simple: it was the Arabs who invented the zero a long time after Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, lived on this earth and conveyed the Quran in its entirety, before departing this earthly life (http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/Maths/maths.html). And just like the Hebrew language and all other languages before the zero was invented, Arabs used words –not zeroes- to express rounded numbers in the Arabic Language. For instance, if the original manuscript of the Quran mentions the number of the Muslims who died in the battle of U`hud as being seventy, then mentioned the number of dead during that very battle as being seven hundred, then this would be an error never justified by claiming addition or deletion of a mere zero. The original manuscript of the Quran, which is entirely written in Arabic, does not contain zeros at all; all numbers in the Quran are written in words. Also, every copy of the Quran in existence is perfectly identical to every other copy of the Quran in existence, which in turn is perfectly identical to the very manuscript of the Quran that the Prophet’s companions recorded by his direct, honorable supervision; [Holy Wars…Crusades…jihad, by Jalal Abualrub, Pg., 30-2]. This is a remarkable achievement that only Muslims can boast regarding their Holy Book; the Christians and Jews can never achieve this even in their wildest dreams with regards to their holy books. Therefore, if the Quran says that seventy Muslims died in the Battle of U`hud then says that seven hundred Muslims died in that same Battle, then these two numbers, which are written differently in the Arabic Quran: Sab`un [70] vs. Sab`u-mi-ah [700], would offer conflicting news about the same matter and this would constitute an error. If this ever happens, and it never did and will never happen, no Muslim can explain the difference, because there is no basis for reasonable explanation.
The Evangelical Game of “Hide and Never Seek”: By reading these three Verses, one must conclude the following: that the words, “with your Lord”, appear only once in these three Verses; that these three Verses are discussing three different topics, i.e. three different contexts, i.e. three distinct stories, i.e. the very ‘thing’ that if one hides, one becomes liable to be called ‘a liar’. Katz now knows why I justly and frequently accuse many Evangelicals of lying.
Why?
It would be an error if two Texts in the Quran offer conflicting or contradictory information, news or numbers regarding the same issue. For instance, if the Quran contains an error pertaining to numbers, and if found in the original copy itself, then this would not qualify to be blamed on the mysterious loss of a zero due to frequent use of the original copy or to an error by those who recorded the original manuscript, for two reasons. Copies of the Quran that are identical to the original manuscript taught by the Prophet to his companions are found in wonderful abundance throughout the world and in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Muslims who have memorized the entire Quran by heart. Thus, any copy of the Quran that contains an error or is different from other copies Muslims have, would be immediately and fully discovered and exposed. Thus becomes clear the power of the Quran and the challenge that mankind has to meet if they seek to find errors in its original Text: they must bring two original copies of the Quran that differ amongst them on any information or news. The second reason is rather simple: it was the Arabs who invented the zero a long time after Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him, lived on this earth and conveyed the Quran in its entirety, before departing this earthly life (http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Park/6443/Maths/maths.html). And just like the Hebrew language and all other languages before the zero was invented, Arabs used words –not zeroes- to express rounded numbers in the Arabic Language. For instance, if the original manuscript of the Quran mentions the number of the Muslims who died in the battle of U`hud as being seventy, then mentioned the number of dead during that very battle as being seven hundred, then this would be an error never justified by claiming addition or deletion of a mere zero. The original manuscript of the Quran, which is entirely written in Arabic, does not contain zeros at all; all numbers in the Quran are written in words. Also, every copy of the Quran in existence is perfectly identical to every other copy of the Quran in existence, which in turn is perfectly identical to the very manuscript of the Quran that the Prophet’s companions recorded by his direct, honorable supervision; [Holy Wars…Crusades…jihad, by Jalal Abualrub, Pg., 30-2]. This is a remarkable achievement that only Muslims can boast regarding their Holy Book; the Christians and Jews can never achieve this even in their wildest dreams with regards to their holy books. Therefore, if the Quran says that seventy Muslims died in the Battle of U`hud then says that seven hundred Muslims died in that same Battle, then these two numbers, which are written differently in the Arabic Quran: Sab`un [70] vs. Sab`u-mi-ah [700], would offer conflicting news about the same matter and this would constitute an error. If this ever happens, and it never did and will never happen, no Muslim can explain the difference, because there is no basis for reasonable explanation.
A Direct and Clear Discrepancy
Here is an example to an error found in a book that predates both the Quran and the advent of the zero by many centuries, wherein two accounts –two texts, not one text and one interpretation of it- describe the same incident yet give conflicting information or news.
2nd Samuel 10:18, states this,
“And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.”
Yet, 1st Chronicles 19:18 states this,
“But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.”
Comments:
A. Chariots were typically pulled by two horses and carried one to two men.
B. Shophach was not killed twice in two different battles against two different Prophets each called 'David'.
C. It is reasonable to conclude that 'footmen' used their 'feet' as a means of transportation during war, while 'horsemen' rode ‘horses’ during battle. Yet, this discrepancy could be explained as one text describing the number of dead horsemen and another text describing the number of dead footmen during the same battle, even though the number of soldiers –dead and alive- involved in that battle is remarkably high considering the population that lived in that area during that era. Somehow, there is room for interpretation here, even if highly unlikely. However, how can the first discrepancy be explained?
Read Part Two of This Article, Next
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in Fatwa section by Casesmode, 08-02-12 12:54
