In this article, we will consider both the Qur’anic text, as well as later commentary (tafsīr) on the Qur’an (see the appendix below for translations). The verse that we will consider is as follows: 79 So woe to those who write something down with their own hands and then claim, ‘This is from God,’ in […]

48 We sent to you [Muhammad] the Scripture with the truth, confirming the Scriptures that came before it, and with final authority over them [muhayminan ʿalayhi]: so judge between them according to what God has sent down. Do not follow their whims, which deviate from the truth that has come to you. We have assigned […]

Both Christians and Muslims have appealed to typology to find (or attempt to find, as a critic might say) their central religious figures, Jesus and Muhammad, in the previous scriptures. What do we mean by this term? As a hermeneutical category, typology establishes a parallel or correspondence between a person, event or institution in the […]

15 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you [lit: mi-qirbkā], from your fellow Israelites [lit: mē-ʾaḥeykā, ‘from your brothers’]. You must listen to him. … 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites [lit: mi-qerev ʾaḥeyhem, ‘from amongst their brothers], […]

1“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,    my chosen one in whom I delight;I will put my Spirit on him,    and he will bring justice to the nations.2 He will not shout or cry out,    or raise his voice in the streets.3 A bruised reed he will not break,    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.In faithfulness he will […]

In another article we have looked at perhaps the most popular claimed prophecy in the Qur’an. Less discussed is a potentially false prophecy in the Qur’an. The earlier stage – divine cataclysm In his book (2013 [1990]) God, Muhammad and the unbelievers, David Marshall argues that there is an evolution within the Qur’an in how […]

Muhammad, at least in the Qur’an, does not make many future proclamations. However in Q 30 we read: 2 The Byzantines have been defeated 3 in [their] nearest land. They will reverse their defeat with a victory 4 in a few years’ time: God is in command, first and last. (Abdel Haleem translation is used […]

In my reading, and as mentioned in a few of my blog posts here on this site (see ‘Apocryphal and non-canonical stories’ here), I have come across a number of occasions where the Qur’an seems to be interacting with non-canonical Jewish and Christian stories. In my blog posts I have explained why I find this […]

83 [Prophet], they ask you about Dhu ‘l-Qarnayn. Say, ‘I will tell you something about him.’ 84 We established his power in the land, and gave him the means to achieve everything. 85 He travelled on a certain road; 86 then, when he came to the setting of the sun, he found it [seemed to […]

TLTR Summary: Q 5:95 and Q 5:89 say that sometimes atonement is required for forgiveness. One of the starkest differences between Christian and Muslim theology is on the doctrine of salvation, or ‘soteriology’. I’m not even sure if a Muslim would use this language (please do let me know in the comments Muslim readers); rather […]