Mary, Sister of Aaron and Magic, Miracles, and the Supernatural in the Qur'an: Difference between pages

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[[bg:Грешки в Корана: Моисей и Аарон – вуйчовци на Иисус]]
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{{QualityScore|Lead=3|Structure=4|Content=4|Language=4|References=4}}'''Mary (Miriam) the sister of Aaron''' (and of Moses),  is a phrase used in the [[Quran]] to refer to Mary the mother of [[Jesus]].<ref>{{Quran-range|19|27|34}}</ref> From at least the 8th century, and perhaps as far back as [[Muhammad ibn Abdullah|Muhammad]]'s time, [[Critics of Islam|critics]] have attacked this verse as a simple but revealing error.<ref name=":02">Mughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read  "O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) I asked him about that, whereupon he said: The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them. {{Muslim|25|5326|}}</ref> In [[Arabic]] both Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary the sister of Aaron and Moses are called by the same name, مريم (''Maryam''). Skeptical Jewish and Christian scholars believed that Muhammad had mistaken Jesus' mother for Moses' sister.<ref name=":02" /> While they shared a name, according to the Bible these two women lived more than a thousand years apart. In the [[hadith]] Muhammad explains that this criticism was a misunderstanding, but, according to these same texts many remained unconvinced.<ref name=":02" /> Ultimately, it seems, the Hadith and sirah traditions came to assert that Aaron and Moses had a sister whose name was Kulthum rather than Miriam, which seems to point to the tradition’s fundamental inability to understand the context of these verses and how they relate to the two biblical Miriams.<ref>{{Quran-range|19|27|28}}.</ref><ref>{{Muslim||2135|reference}}.</ref><ref>[http://www.al-islam.org/hayat-al-qulub-vol2-allamah-muhammad-baqir-al-majlisi/ Majlisi, ''Hayat al-Qulub'' 2:26].</ref> In contrast to the traditional narrative, some modern scholars have rather found in this surah a complex web of inter-textual references, pointing to a highly literate and Christian audience of the original text <ref> Guillaume Dye, “The Qur’ān and its Hypertextuality in Light of Redaction Criticism,” The Fourth Nangeroni Meeting Early Islam: The Sectarian Milieu of Late Antiquity? (Early Islamic Studies Seminar, Milan) (15-19 June 2015): 8</ref><ref>Suleiman A. Mourad, “Mary in the Qur’an: a reexamination of her presentation,” The Qur'an in its Historical Context, Edited by Gabriel Said Reynolds (2008): 165.</ref>.
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[[File:Magic image.jpeg|right|thumb|150px|]]
While miracles by definition are supposed to defy the laws of nature and scientific explanation, the examples of myths and legends briefly listed in the Qur'an illustrate the pre-scientific worldview with which the Qur'an was composed. Being a product of late antiquity, superstitious beliefs like jinn living among us and people using black magic form a sizeable part of the Qur'an, as does the idea of God interacting with the universe, controlling everything, rather than the universe operating off of scientific laws. Even inanimate things worship Allah, who is a corporeal, anthropomorphic being literally sitting on a throne in the cosmos. While there are many more examples of these found in Islamic literature such as hadith and seerah (biographical) material, the Qur'an is replete with such mythic and legendary accounts of supernatural beings and Allah's supernatural powers.  


==Biblical and Talmudic accounts of Mary==
== Magic ==
Miriam, Aaron, and Moses were the children of Amram (Imran in Arabic):{{Quote|1 Chronicles 6:3 |The children of Amram:
=== Creatures ===
==== The existence and attributes of Jinn ====
{{Main|Jinn}}The Quran, Hadith and Sira all support the existence of supernatural, generally invisible creatures known as Jinn (جن‎ ''ǧinn'', singular جني ''ǧinnī'' ; variant spelling ''djinn'') living among us. In the [[Qur'an]], satan/devil(s) are also jinn ({{Quran|18|50}}), which like humans are sent prophets and have (''at least some, see [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Predestination]]'') free-will and will be judged accordingly alongside mankind ({{Quran|6|130}}). They can interact with us ({{Quran|6|128}}) and even possess humans ({{Quran|2|275}}) (which the main article elaborates on), and cause people to forget things ({{Quran|18|63}}). As well as create buildings/structures ({{Quran|34|12-13}}). These magical beings have roots in Arabian mythology and make appearences thereing. {{Quote|{{quran|72|1}}|Say, [O Muhammad], "It has been revealed to me that a group of the jinn listened and said, 'Indeed, we have heard an amazing Qur'an.}}El-Zein (2009) notes the Qur’an mentions only three terms related to the species of jinn: the generic “jinn,” marid, and ‘ifrit. However, Arabic and Islamic literature provides extended descriptions of them as sub-types of jinn (and others not specifically mentioned in the Qur'an).<ref>El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (p. 139). Syracuse University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref>{{Quote|El-Zein, Amira. <i>Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (p. 142).</i> Syracuse University Press. Kindle Edition.|THE ‘IFRIT The term ‘ifrit is mentioned only once in the Qur’an, when the prophet king Solomon asked for the throne of the Queen of Sheba to be brought to him. One ‘ifrit from among the jinn consented to fulfill his request: “An ‘ifrit of the jinn said, ‘I will bring it to thee, before thou risest from thy place; I have strength for it and I am trusty” (Qur’an 27:39). The term ‘ifrit often presents a problem for the scholars trying to classify the jinn. Many commentators on the verse cited above maintain the word ‘ifrit is an adjective referring to a specific powerful jinni rather than a separate and distinct type among the jinn. Later the word came to describe any powerful and cunning man; in which case, it could refer to dark powers within the human psyche.<sup>17</sup><br> THE MARID In the Qur’an, the marid is an unruly force always striving to predict the future by means of astrological hearsay. The term marid is mentioned only once in the Qur’an in the following verse “We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars and to preserve against every [rebel satan (shaytan marid)]; they listen not to the High Council, for they are pelted from every side” (Qur’an 37:7–8). This kind of jinn is mostly found in popular medieval literature, in particular in the stories of The Nights dealing with Solomon. Finally, as with the term ‘ifrit, the term marid could also be applied to humans. Used as an adjective, it denotes a rebellious man.<sup>18</sup>}}
==== Iblis/Satan/The Devil ====
{{Main|Iblis (Satan)}}The Qur'an contains the well-known supernatural character of Satan (with a capital "S"), or "The Devil", (al-shayṭān); also called Iblīs, who tempts unbelievers into disobedience against god, furthering them in their sin, and generally causing evil on Earth.<ref name=":023">''shayṭān | devil al-shayṭān | the devil, Satan'' Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 451). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref> Similar to later traditions on the book of Genesis (originally the serpent who tempts Eve to eat the fruit in the garden of Eden is not identified with Satan, only in the approximately 4 centuries preceding to the Common Era, known as the intertestamental period does this appear),<ref>Wray, T. J.; Mobley, Gregory. ''The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots (pp. 68-70, Chapters 5 & 6).'' St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref> he originally lives in paradise. After refusing to obey God’s command to prostrate (sajada) himself to the newly created Adam, Iblīs is expelled from God’s retinue and subsequently retaliates against his nemesis Adam by persuading him and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree (e.g. {{Quran|2|34-39}}, {{Quran|7|11-25}} and {{Quran|20|115-124}}).<ref>''shayṭān | devil al-shayṭān | the devil, Satan'' Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 453). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref>


Aaron, Moses and Miriam.}}Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the daughter of Joachim and from the family of David (not from the family of Aaron):{{Quote|The gospel of the birth of Mary, 1:1-2 |The blessed and ever glorious Virgin Mary, sprung from the royal race and family of David, was born in the city of Nazareth, and educated at Jerusalem, in the temple of the Lord.
There are however some differences with Christian-Judeo beliefs, such as him being an evil jinn rather than a 'fallen' angel. Along with him (Iblīs), the term for satans/devils (al-shayāṭīn), “the devils”, usually refer to evil jinn in the Qur'an.<ref name=":023" /> While Iblīs/al-shayṭān is a specific devil who takes on a more defined role in the Qur'an.


Her father's name was Joachim, and her mother's Anna. The family of her father was of Galilee and the city of Nazareth. The family of her mother was of Bethlehem.}}
This Iblīs is in line with late-antique beliefs, with the devil is in some sense to be envisaged as the chief of the evil demons.<ref name=":123">Ibid. Kindle Edition. pp. 459</ref> Sinai (2023) notes for example one verse mentions Iblīs’s “offspring” (dhurriyyah, {{Quran|18|50}}), raising the possibility that the descendants in question are to be identified with wicked demons, and {{Quran|26|95}} speaks of the “hosts (junūd) of Iblīs” being cast into hell, especially since these hosts are mentioned in addition to “those who have gone astray” (al-ghāwūn) {{Quran|26|94}}, who would seem to refer to human sinners, the “hosts of Iblīs” are probably to be understood as the latter’s demonic minions.<ref name=":123" />
==== The existence and attributes of angels ====
Similarly to Judeo-Christian literature, the Quran, Hadith and Sira affirms the existence of angels, traditionally said to be made from light as mentioned in Islamic tradition (such as {{Muslim||2996|reference}}),<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/843/angels-in-islam#of-what-are-the-angels-created Angels in Islam.] Of what are the Angels created? Islam Q&A. 2000</ref> while other have asserted they are made from fire like jinn based on (see: {{Quran|38|73-76}} and {{Quran|7|11-12}}),<ref>El-Zein, Amira. ''Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (Kindle Edition. pp. 44-46 ).'' Syracuse University Press.</ref> before humans ({{Quran|2|30}}).


==Moses' Father==
They are also God's messengers like humans ({{Quran|22|75}}), with generally a humanoid shape,<ref>''malak | angel; angels.'' Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 632). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. ''Despite their wings and their potential invisibility, the default appearance of angels on earth is humanoid: “had we made him”—namely, the Qur’anic Messenger—“an angel, we would have made him a man (rajul),” i.e., endowed him with the appearance of an ordinary human, Q 6:9 affirms. Perhaps one is to understand that angels can exist in two different states of aggregation, as it were: a celestial one involving wings and invisibility to the human eye, and a state of manifestation to humans, in which they appear by and large like humans themselves (see also Burge 2012, 57). It is worth highlighting that Q 6:9, by virtue of employing the word rajul, additionally implies that angels are male. This corresponds to Biblical assumptions (e.g., Matt 16:5) and helps make sense of the Qur’anic polemic against belief in female angels (Q 17:40, 37:149–153, 43:16–19, 53:27–28; see also DTEK 102). A particular aspect of the angels’ humanoid appearance—namely, their possession of hands—is corroborated by Q 6:93, according to which the angels “stretch out their hands” for the wrongdoers when these latter are in the throes of death (DTEK 121). Moreover, it must be on account of the angels’ anthropomorphic appearance that Abraham initially mistook the divinely sent “messengers” (rusul) dispatched to him for ordinary humans, only realising their supernatural—i.e., angelic—status when his guests declined the food offered to them (Q 11:69–70 and 51:26–28; see below and Sinai 2020a, 282–283).26 The generally humanoid shape of Qur’anic angels also emerges from the fact that the female friends of Joseph’s Egyptian mistress so admire him that they exclaim, “This is no human but a noble angel!” (Q 12:31).''</ref> and have at least either two, three or four (pairs of) wings.{{Quote|{{Quran|35|1}}|All praise belongs to Allah, originator of the heavens and the earth, maker of the angels [His] messengers, possessing wings, two, three or four [of them]... He adds to the creation whatever He wishes. Indeed Allah has power over all things.}}They are said to hold God’s throne (in the heavens) {{Quran|69|17}} and some stand around it ({{Quran|40|7}}). Eight angels will carry the throne of God on Judgement Day ({{Quran|69|17}}). Two to the left and right of people write down everyone's deeds for judgment day ({{Quran|50|17-21}}), hovering above people ({{Quran|82|10-12}}). They also ask forgiveness for the faithful on Earth ({{Quran|42|5}}), help fight with believers against non-believers ({{Quran|8|12}}) chastise unbelievers ({{Quran|8|50}}). As well as blow the trumpets on judgement day<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/49009/what-is-meant-by-the-blowing-of-the-trumpet What is meant by the blowing of the Trumpet?] Islam Q&A. 2003.</ref> in e.g. {{Quran|6|73}} {{Quran|18|99}}
In Hebrew he is called Amram (עַמְרָם) with the letter ''mem'' (ם) at the end. In the Arabic Bible he is also called Amram (عمرام), with the letter ''meem'' (م) at the end:{{Quote|1 Chronicles 6:3 in Arabic Bible|أبْناءُ عَمْرامَ هُمْ هارُونُ وَمُوسَى وَمَرْيَمُ


They praise and worship God constantly,<ref>Decharneux, Julien. ''Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (p. 311).'' De Gruyter. Kindle Edition.</ref> e.g. {{Quran|13|13}}, {{Quran|7|206}}, {{Quran|21|19}}, {{Quran|40|7}}, {{Quran|41|38}}, {{Quran|42|5}}, {{Quran|69|17}} and carry out his divine will - and unlike biblical angels, do not seem to be able to disobey god.<ref>Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 633). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. ''...“do as they are commanded” (Q 16:50, 66:6: yafʿalūna mā yuʾmarūn; see also 21:27: wa-hum bi-amrihi yaʿmalūn),30 “do not disobey God” (Q 66:6: lā yaʿṣūna llāha), and “do not deem themselves above serving him” (Q 7:206, 21:19: lā yastakbirūna ʿan ʿibādatihi; see also 16:49: wa-hum lā yastakbirūn)...''</ref>


The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam.}}In Islamic sources he is called 'Imran (عمران). English translators commonly choose to translate the name as Amram:{{Quote|History of at-Tabari, volume 3|
{{Quran|72|8-9}} describes the firmament as being guarded by watchful protectors [ḥaras], who are undoubtedly angels.<ref>Decharneux, Julien. Creation and Contemplation: ''The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (Kindle Edition. pp. 313).'' De Gruyter.</ref> They play an active role in the cosmos by thwarting spying jinn/devils who attempt to eavesdrop on divine decrees from the 'exalted assembly' (''see: [[Shooting Stars in the Quran]]'').  These intruders are repelled by stars or meteors ({{Quran|15|16-18}}, {{Quran|37|6-10}}, {{Quran|67|5}}, {{Quran|72|8-9}}.


The Genealogy of Moses b. Amram
These angelic beings have their roots in the mythology of Hebrew bible tradition, where these angels were lesser deites or messengers of the gods in the tradition of west Asian religion in the bronze age.
===== '''Cherubs''' =====
The Qur'an mentions  'al-muqarrabūn' [Those close to god]. The traditional view of 'al-muqarrabūn' is often a rank of angels.<ref>[https://theoceanofthequran.org/83-21/ The Ocean of the Qur'an: Q 83:21]</ref> Some academics have suggested these are [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherub cherubs], which have existed in some classical Islamic cosmologies, such as the famous philosopher Ibn Sīnā's (often known as Avicenna in the West).<ref>Stephen Burge. ''"Angels (malāʾika)." [https://www.saet.ac.uk/Islam/Angels#section4.3 4.3 Angels in classical emanationist cosmologies]'' In St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. University of St Andrews. Article published August 29, 2024. <nowiki>https://www.saet.ac.uk/Islam/Angels</nowiki>. Journal TSAQAFAH ''[https://philarchive.org/archive/ARIDEA Divine Emanation As Cosmic Origin: Ibn Sînâ and His Critics] pp 334.'' Syamsuddin Arif* Institut Studi Islam Darussalam (ISID)</ref>{{Quote|Decharneux, Julien. <i>Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background</i> (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (pp. 306-307). De Gruyter. Kindle Edition.|As for the cherubs, they are designated by the name al-muqarrabūn in a few passages:<br> <i>By no means! Surely the book of the pious is indeed in ‘Illiyīn. And what will make you know what ‘Illiyīn is? A written book. The ones brought near bear witness to it [yashhadu-hu l-muqarrabūna]. (Q 83:18 – 21)</i> <br>Despite the rather cryptic character of these verses, we see here the motif already studied of angels “witnessing” celestial phenomena. In another passage, Jesus and the angels are also called al-muqarrabūn (“the ones brought near”; Q 4:172). This designation is very odd, especially ascribed to Jesus. The word muqarrabūn sounds like a deformation of the Hebrew or Syriac word for “cherubs”, kerūbīm/krūbē. The name kerūbīm in the Bible is an Assyrian loanword and designates “those who pray” but the root KRB is not used otherwise in the Bible. The cherubs are specifically said to support God’s throne in the Bible (1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 1 Ch 13:6; 2 K 19:15; Is 37:16; Ps 80:2, 90:1).713 In light of this function, the Qur’ān seems to distort the original Semitic root KRB into QRB so as to give a new meaning to these angels’ name. The cherubs are now muqarrabūn, “the ones close to God”.}}


}}The Arabic original has the letter ''nun'' (ن) at the end:{{Quote|History of at-Tabari (ِArabic) <ref>https://al-maktaba.org/book/9783/383</ref>|ذكر نسب موسى بن عمران
==== Houri's (Heavenly Virgins) ====
{{Main|Houri (Heavenly Virgin)}}There are allegedly heavenly maidens to service righteous men in paradise. No equivalent male version exists for women (although there are indications in Islamic literature of cup-bearer boys for the homosexual enjoyment of men).<ref>[Do academics think there is a sexual connotation to this verse in Quran (76:19)? https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/xjgcsw/do_academics_think_there_is_a_sexual_connotation/].</ref>
{{Quote|{{Quran|56|22}}|And [for them are] fair women with large, [beautiful] eyes,}}{{Quote|{{Quran|78|33}}|and maidens with swelling breasts, like of age,}}


==== Gog and Magog (Yājūj and Mājūj) ====
Genealogy of Musa bin Imran (عمران)}}<br />
''Main article: [[Historical Errors in the Quran#Massive wall of iron|Historical Errors in the Quran - Massive wall of iron]]''
==Mention of Mary in the Quran==
Mary the mother of Jesus is called sister of Aaron in Sura 19:{{Quote|{{Quran-range|19|27|34}}|'''Then she brought him to her people''', carrying him. They said, "O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented.


'''O sister of Aaron''', your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
The Qur'an relates a story where a servant of Allah ([[:en:Dhul-Qarnayn_and_the_Alexander_Romance|Dhul-Qarnayn]]) traps "Gog and Maggog" behind an iron wall where they will remain until judgment day (essentially making them creatures that live a beyond human lifespan, if not immortal), where they will then swarm the Earth. Most scholars say they are humans, for example Ibn Kathir says they are also descents of Noah through his son Yafith (Japheth), who was the father of the Turks; Turk referring to the group of them who were left behind the barrier which was built by Dhul-Qarnayn.<ref>Ibn Kathir (d 1373.) [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/21.95 ''Commentary on Verse 21:96 (95-97)'']</ref> Though others such as al-Idrisi (d. 1165) say they are monsters, with some 120 cubits high and the same length wide among other non-human descriptions.<ref>van Donzel, Emeri; Schmidt, Andrea. ''Gog and Magog in Early Eastern Christian and Islamic Sources: Sallam's Quest for Alexander's Wall''. Leiden: Brill. ''pp. 91-92''. [[International Standard Book Number|ISBN]] [[Special:BookSources/9789004174160|9789004174160]], 2010. The full book and their analysis of the journey taken by Sallam can be read on the ''[https://archive.org/details/gogandmagoginearlyeasternchristianandislamicsources/page/n109/mode/2up Internet Archive linked here.] (page 110 of 229 the PDF)''</ref> However regardless if they are monsters or humans they are still mythical as clearly they would have been found if trapped behind a giant wall until judgement day given we have explored all the land on Earth.{{Quote|{{Quran|18|94}}|They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier?"}}{{Quote|{{Quran|21|96}}|Until when [the dam of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend}}
==== Buraq, the winged horse ====
{{Main|Buraq}}While it took one week to travel from Mecca to Jerusalem (the location of the alleged 'farthest Mosque') by camel, Islamic scripture states that a magical winged horse, called the Buraq, transported Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem in a matter of minutes. Creatures like the Buraq were common characters in near-East myths.<ref>E.g. Adnan Qureshi, Christmas in North Korea, Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2020, pp. 141-142: ''Chollima joins the other mythical flying horses such as the horses of Eos, Helios, Apollo, Sol Invictus, and Pegasus (in Greek mythology), al-Buraq (a winged horse in Islamic tradition), Haizum (a heavenly winged horse, ridden by Gabriel according to Islamic tradition), Ponkhiraj (a flying horse from Bangladesh), and the wind horse (in Mongolian, ancient Turkish, and Tibetan traditions).''


'''So she pointed to him.''' They said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?"
& khosravi, M., taheri, A. (2018). 'A Comparative Study on the Image of “Buraq” in the Islamic Art with some Motifs of the Luristan Bronze', ''Journal of Archaeological Studies'', 10(2), pp. 67-81. doi: 10.22059/jarcs.2018.226529.142389</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|17|1}}|
Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things). }}
===The existence of magic and sorcerers===
''Main article: [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Witchcraft and the Occult]]''


'''[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah.''' He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
No evidence has ever proven that magic is real. However, {{Quran|113|4}} ("evil of those who blow on knots") is reported in commentaries as referring to those who practice magic.<ref name=":022223">[https://quranx.com/tafsirs/113.4 Tafsirs for Quran 113:4]</ref> Knots were commonly associated with magic in antiquity.<ref name=":122223">Day, C. L. (1950). [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1520741 Knots and Knot Lore. Western Folklore], 9(3), 229–256</ref> The next verse, {{Quran|113|5}} ("evil of the envious when he envies), is said to refer to a superstitious belief known as 'The Evil Eye', a physical and mental supernatural condition that affects those who envy. For further explanation see the [[Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Witchcraft and the Occult|main article]].{{Quote|{{Quran|113|1-5}}|1. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn<BR />
2. From the evil of what He has created<BR />
3. And from the evil of the utterly dark night when it comes<BR />
<b>4. And from the evil of those who blow on knots<BR />
5. And from the evil of the envious when he envies</b>}}At least once, humans are taught magic by satans (believed to be jinn) and angels ([[w:Harut and Marut|Harut and Marut]] are named in this verse):{{Quote|{{Quran|2|102}}|and they follow what the Satans recited over Solomon's kingdom. Solomon disbelieved not, but the Satans disbelieved, <b>teaching the people sorcery,</b> and that which was sent down upon Babylon's two angels, Harut and Marut; they taught not any man, without they said, 'We are but a temptation; do not disbelieve.' From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife, yet they did not hurt any man thereby, save by the leave of God, and they learned what hurt them, and did not profit them, knowing well that whoso buys it shall have no share in the world to come; evil then was that they sold themselves for, if they had but known.}}
=== The Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-qudus) ===
{{Main|Jibreel (Gabriel) and al-Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) in the Qur'an}}The holy spirit in the Qur'an is presented sometimes as an angel or quasi-angelic intermediary or agent of God.<ref>''rūḥ | spirit rūḥ al-qudus | the holy spirit'' Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 355). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref> Other times as a vivifying or fortifying principle emanating from God.<ref>Ibid. pp. 357</ref> Other times it is more complex to classify.<ref>Ibid. pp. 360</ref>
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|87}}|And We did certainly give Moses the Torah and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, [O Children of Israel], with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party [of messengers] you denied and another party you killed.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|66|12}}|And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.}}


And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive
=== Sacred geography ===
Sacred (''ḥaram'')<ref>[https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/06_H/076_Hrm.html ''ḥā rā mīm'' (ح ر م)] Lane's Lexicon - Quranic Research ''ḥaram'' [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0553.pdf Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 553] & [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0554.pdf 554]</ref> geography is in Qur'anic theology, currently in Mecca, the Ka'ba. The sacred house referred to as the sacred mosque/place of worship (''al-masjidi al-ḥarāmi'') E.g. {{Quran|17|1}} or the sacred house ''al-bayta al-haram'' {{Quran|5|2}}{{Quote|{{Quran|5|97}}|Allah has made the Ka‘bah, the Sacred House, standing for the people and [has sanctified] the sacred months and the sacrificial animals and the garlands [by which they are identified]. That is so you may know that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and that Allah is Knowing of all things.}}Similarly Jerusalem temple referred to as the furthest mosque (''al-masjidi al-aqṣā''), which although not directly called in the Qur'an it is implied at least was sacred, and later tradition was undecided on the matter.<ref>Neuwirth, Angelika. (2003). ''From the Sacred Mosque to the Remote Temple: Sūrat al-Isrā' between Text and Commentary.'' 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137279.003.0025. </ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|17|1}}|Immaculate is He who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.}}Israel is described as the holy land (''al-arḍa al-muqadasata'')<ref>[https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/21_q/037_qds.html ''qāf dāl sīn'' (ق د س)] Lane's Lexicon - Quran research


And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant.
''muqadasata -'' [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_2497.pdf Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 2497]</ref> by Moses.
{{Quote|{{Quran|5|21}}|O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has ordained for you, and do not turn your backs, or you will become losers.’}}
And a sacred valley (see also: {{Quran|79|16}}).


And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive."
{{Quote|{{Quran|20|12}}|Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.}}


'''That is Jesus, the son of Mary''' - the word of truth about which they are in dispute.
There is no evidence they are more sacred or special than anywhere else on Earth, therefore this is another superstition.


}}
=== Sacred months ===
 
''Main article: [[Pre-Islamic Arab Religion in Islam#The%20Four%20Sacred%20Months|Pre-Islamic Arab Religion in Islam - The Four Sacred Months]]''
The Qur'an calls Mary the daughter of Imran{{Quote|{{Quran|66|12}}|And '''Mary, daughter of 'Imran, whose body was chaste, therefor We breathed therein something of Our Spirit.''' And she put faith in the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and was of the obedient.
 
}}The Quran also says the wife of Imran gave birth to the virgin Mary who gave birth to Jesus. "Wife of 'Imran" is here imra'atu ʿim'rān, literally woman of Imran, though the same construction certainly means "wife" a few verses later (Quran 3:40), and in several other verses.
 
{{Quote|{{Quran-range|3|35|36}}|[Mention, O Muhammad], '''when the wife of 'Imran said ''', "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You '''what is in my womb ''', consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."<br>But when she delivered her, she said, "My Lord, I have delivered a female." And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female. '''And I have named her Mary ''', and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah]."
}}The Quran mentions prominent families:{{Quote|{{Quran|3|33}}|Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imran over the worlds -}}
==The Basis of the Apparent Confusion==
The apparent confusion of the original Jesus story manifests itself in two ways:
 
1. In calling Mary the sister of Aaron and
2. In calling her the daughter of 'Imran.
 
The simplest answer to how the details were so mangled is confusion on the part of the Qur'an: Since that Miriam and Mary are called the same name in Arabic "Maryam” مريم, the author of the Quran confused Mary the mother of Jesus with Miriam the sister of Aaron and the daughter of Imran.


Since this confusion is two-sided, this makes any apologetic attempts almost impossible since such apologetics must not only explain why Mary was called the sister of Aaron, but also needs to explain why she was called the daughter of Imran.
The Quran contains a mention of four sacred (''ḥurum)''<ref>[https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/06_H/076_Hrm.html ''ḥā rā mīm'' (ح ر م)] Lane's Lexicon - Quranic Research


==Traditional Muslim Explanations==
''ḥurumun'' [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0555.pdf Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 555]</ref> months. These are the lunar-based months Dhul Qadha, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab, from Arabic pagan beliefs (see [[Pre-Islamic Arab Religion in Islam#The Four Sacred Months|main article]]). {{Quote|{{Quran|9|36-37}}|Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four months are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him]. Indeed, the postponing [sacred months] is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led [further] astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number made unlawful by Allah and [thus] make lawful what Allah has made unlawful.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|9|5}}|And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.}}And similarly Ramaḍān is the month of fasting.
'''Mary the daughter of Imran:'''
=== Tree of immortality ===
In jannah where Adam lives, there is a tree of immortality Adam is tempted by Satan to eat from.
{{Quote|{{Quran|20|120}}|Then Satan whispered to him; he said, "O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?"}}
===The Lote Tree of the utmost Boundary (Sid'rati al-Muntahā)===
Lote tree's are a real type of tree (Ziziphus spina-christi) native to Arabia and the Middle East.<ref>[https://www.suewickison.com/products/lote-tree?srsltid=AfmBOorj_RU2x1OPxgfRe689M2TWw1g4uZTQLkpSolPGYnIatiIe7h6K Lote Tree | Sidr | Ziziphus spina-christi |] Plants of the Qur'an | Sue Wickison</ref> Different to the tree of eternity/immortality (شرجرة الخلدshajarati ul-khul'di) in paradise (jannah), the Qur'an mentions the Lote Tree (سِدْرَةِ  sidra) of ''the utmost boundary (ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ al-muntahā)''<ref>مُنْتَهَىٰ - [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_3029.pdf Lane's Lexicon pp.3029]</ref> near (but notably not in) the 'garden of abode', said to be 'covered' يَغْشَى  yaghshā  by something unspecified in Q53:16, typically taken by exegetes to mean by angels, light and/or golden animals.<ref>E.g. see [https://quranx.com/Tafsirs/53.16 Tafsirs on Q53:16]</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|53|13-17}}|And certainly he saw him (in) descent another,
Near (the) Lote Tree (of) the utmost boundary,
Near it (is the) Garden (of) Abode.
when there covered the Lote Tree what covered it.
Not swerved the sight and not it transgressed.}}This furthest boundary/limit is said in the hadith to place the cosmic tree in the sixth heaven, where even celestial creatures cannot go beyond it marking the limit of creation to all but God; said to be seen by Muhammad in his Night Journey (mi’rāj) on the [[:en:Buraq|Buraq]] (E.g. {{Muslim||173|reference}}, {{Al Tirmidhi|2=5|3=44|4=3276}}, {{Bukhari|||3887|darussalam}} & {{Al Nasai|2=1|3=5|4=452}}), and by many Islamic exegetes.<ref>See [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/53.14 tafsirs on Q53:14]</ref>


Apologetic explanations focus on why Mary was called the sister of Aaron. But they don't say much about why she was called the daughter of 'Imran since the solution to this issue is straightforward from an orthodox Islamic perspective: The bible is a corrupted book and not everything in it is true. So when the Qur'an says that Mary’s father’s name is 'Imran then this must be the truth no matter what the bible or Christians say. As for the works of Muslim scholars and historians on the issue, they clearly consider 'Imran, the father of Mary, to be a different person than 'Imran the father of Aaron and Moses. The earliest mention of Mary’s lineage and Aaron’s linage in Islamic sources goes back to Ibn Ishaq (d.768 AD) who says that Mary is the daughter of Imran the son of Yashhim. While he says that the father of Moses and Aaron was Imran the son of Yaṣhar .{{Quote|1=[https://al-maktaba.org/book/9783/383 History of Al-Tabari, vol1. p.358]<BR>تاريخ الطبري، دار التراث، ج1 ص385|2=فولدت له يصهر بن قاهث فتزوج يصهر شميث ابنه بناديت بن بركيا ابن يقسان بن إبراهيم فولدت له ‌عمران بن يصهر، وقارون بن يصهر، فنكح ‌عمران يحيب ابنة شمويل بن بركيا بن يقسان بن إبراهيم فولدت له هارون بن ‌عمران ‌وموسى بن ‌عمران<br>
This would align the cosmology of Islamic traditions supporting the idea that paradise (and therefore the garden of the abode) is in the [[seventh heaven]],<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/215011/where-are-paradise-and-hell#Where_is_Paradise Where is Paradise] | [https://islamqa.info/en/answers/215011/where-are-paradise-and-hell Where Are Paradise and Hell?] | 07/January/2015 islamqa</ref> while some traditions support the idea that paradise is above the seventh heaven,<ref>[https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/107126/the-location-of-paradise-now#:~:text=Paradise%20that%20Allaah%20promised%20for,are%20many%20texts%20proving%20this. The location of Paradise now] | Paradise and Hell | Belief in the Hereafter | Islamic Creed | Fatwa | islamweb.net</ref> both place the tree relatively close to jannah. However others suggest that this specific ''garden of abode (jannatu l-mawā)'' is a separate garden/paradise to the eternal one all righteous Muslims will eventually enter, being instead where martyrs (those killed in war or for their religion) go before judgement day.<ref>E.g. see [https://quranx.com/Tafsirs/53.15 tafsirs on Q53:15]</ref>
Yaṣhar married Shamith the daughter of Binadit son of Barkiya son of Yaqsan son of Ibrahim. She (Shamith) gave birth to Imran the son of Yaṣhar, and Qarun the son of Yaṣhar. Imran married Yahib the daughter of Shamuyil son of Barkiya son of Yaqsan son of Ibrahim and she gave birth to Aaron the son of 'Imran, and Moses the son of 'Imran.}}
{{Quote|1=[https://al-maktaba.org/book/9783/383 History of Al-Tabari, vol1. p.586]<BR>تاريخ الطبري، دار التراث، ج1 ص586|2=عَنِ ابْنِ إِسْحَاقَ، أنه قَالَ: مريم- فيما بلغني عن نسبها- ابنة عمران بن ياشهم بن أمون
<br>According to what has reached me over Mary’s lineage, she was the daughter of 'Imran the son of Yashhim son of Amun.}}
This Islamic take on Mary’s father hugely undermines the apologetic attempts trying to explain why she was called the sister of Aaron because of a big assumption they make: that the Christian sources mistook the name of Mary’s father. Futhermore it presupposes that, out of sheer coincidence, Mary’s father’s name is the same as the name of the father of Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron.


'''Mary the sister of Aaron:'''
Either way there is no evidence of a celestial tree, which must be supernatural to survive outside of an Earthly plant ecosystem.


The apparent error in calling Mary a sister of Aaron was noticed very early on, so early that there is a Hadith attributed to Muhammad explaining this error. This Hadith is most likely a fabrication by early Muslims to resolve the error. The Hadith says as recorded in Sahih Muslim:{{Quote|{{Muslim||2135|reference}}| Mughira b. Shu'ba reported:
=== Humans agree to worship god before their existence ===
Humans are said to have verbally agreed that Allah is their lord, so they cannot say they were unaware on judgment day, most commonly taken by classical Islamic commentaries (and hadith) as a magical temporary pre-existent creation before the current life that we all forget,<ref>See commentaries such as Al-Jalalyan, Ibn Kathir and Maududi on [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/7.172 Q7:172]</ref> though it is hard to know given the forgetting what the purpose of the this agreement is.{{Quote|{{Quran|7|172}}|And when (was) taken (by) your Lord from (the) Children (of) Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify over themselves, "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes we have testified." Lest you say (on the) Day (of) the Resurrection, "Indeed, we were about this unaware."}}
=== The soul is taken away during sleep ===
Like many other religions, the Qur'an affirms the idea that humans have a 'soul' that is separate to the physical body (the concept itself now a controversial idea now we know so much of what would be traditionally ascribed to a soul such as personality and memory comes from physical processes in the brain,<ref>Valk SL, Hoffstaedter F, Camilleri JA, Kochunov P, Yeo BTT, Eickhoff SB. ''Personality and local brain structure: Their shared genetic basis and reproducibility.'' Neuroimage. 2020 Oct 15;220:117067. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117067. Epub 2020 Jun 20. PMID: 32574809; PMCID: PMC10251206.</ref> and can be damaged by physical actions such as brain trauma<ref>[https://www.charliehealth.com/mental-health/trauma/can-trauma-cause-memory-loss Can Trauma Cause Memory Loss?] Charlie Health </ref> and psychoactive drugs<ref>Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders: Updated 2021 [Internet]. Rockville (MD): ''Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 1999. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 33.) Chapter 2—How Stimulants Affect the Brain and Behavior.'' Available from: <nowiki>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576548/</nowiki></ref>).


When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read  "O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) I asked him about that, whereupon he said: The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them.}}
According to the Qur'an, humans have souls that are taken away during sleep time.<ref>See classical commentaries on these verses such as Al-Jalalayn on [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/39.42 Q39:42], [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/6.60 Q6:60] and Ibn Kathir on [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/39.41 Q39:41-2] and [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/6.60 Q6:60]</ref>
Al-Shanqiti (d.1974), a modern Quran interpreter, listed the previous Hadith and said:{{Quote|1=[https://al-maktaba.org/book/22918/1426 Adhwa' Al-Bayan by Al-Shanqiti, vol.3 p.414,415 ]<BR> أضواء البيان للشنقيطي، دار الفكر، ج3 ص414،415|2=" وَبِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ الصَّحِيحِ الَّذِي رَأَيْتَ إِخْرَاجَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْجَمَاعَةِ لَهُ ، وَقَدْ قَدَّمْنَاهُ بِلَفْظِهِ عِنْدَ مُسْلِمٍ فِي صَحِيحِهِ : تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ قَوْلَ مَنْ قَالَ: إِنَّ الْمُرَادَ هَارُونُ أَخُو مُوسَى ، بَاطِلٌ ؛ سَوَاءٌ قِيلَ إِنَّهَا أُخْتُهُ، أَوْ أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِأَنَّهَا أُخْتُهُ : أَنَّهَا مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا يُقَالُ لِلرَّجُلِ: يَا أَخَا تَمِيمٍ، وَالْمُرَادُ يَا أَخَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ ; لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ تَمِيمٍ ...
{{Quote|{{Quran|39|42}}|<b>Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died, in their sleep.</b> Then He retains those for whom He has ordained death and releases the others until a specified time. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.}}
وَإِذَا حَقَّقْتَ أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِهَارُونَ فِي الْآيَةِ غَيْرُ هَارُونَ أَخِي مُوسَى، فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ بَعْضَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، قَالَ: إِنَّ لَهَا أَخًا اسْمُهُ هَارُونَ، وَبَعْضَهُمْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ هَارُونَ الْمَذْكُورَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهَا مَشْهُورٌ بِالصَّلَاحِ، وَعَلَى هَذَا فَالْمُرَادُ بِكَوْنِهَا أُخْتَهُ أَنَّهَا تُشْبِهُهُ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ وَالتَّقْوَى، وَإِطْلَاقُ اسْمِ الْأَخِ عَلَى النَّظِيرِ الْمُشَابِهِ مَعْرُوفٌ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَفِي كَلَامِ الْعَرَبِ.."
{{Quote|{{Quran|6|60}}|<b>It is He who takes your souls by night,</b> and He knows what you do by day, then He reanimates you therein so that a specified term may be completed. Then to Him will be your return, whereat He will inform you concerning what you used to do.}}
Because of this, classical Islamic scholars have called sleep 'a lesser death'.<ref>E.g. Ibn Kathir on [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/39.41 Q39:41-2]</ref> Modern science now understands the cause and biological functions that occur during sleep are numerous and complex, and vital to the body for e.g. hormonal regulation, waste clearance, memory, the immune system etc - in highly active processes, in no accurate way comparable to death.<ref>[https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/public-education/brain-basics/brain-basics-understanding-sleep Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep]. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (.gov)


This authentic Hadith disproves the opinions that say Mary is Aaron’s sister or that she was a descendant of Aaron. And since that Aaron mentioned in the verse isn’t Aaron the brother of Moses, some scholars say that Mary had a brother called Aaron, and others say that Aaron mentioned in the verse was a man from her tribe who was known for being a righteous man. This must be taken to mean that “sister of Aaron” means she’s as righteous as him. When two things are similar, it’s a known metaphorical style in the Quran and Arabic to call one of them a brother (or a sister) of the other.}}
For in depth information about what happens during sleep aimed at the general reader, see Professor Matthew Walker's ''"Why we sleep: unlocking the power of sleep and dreams"''</ref>
According to Al-Shanqiti, the Hadith can mean either of these two things:
== Natural processes ascribed to God and magical properties assigned to inanimate objects ==
It could be argued that there is no randomness or natural law in the Qur'an, but rather every single thing including all causal events and interactions are not the results of material conditions and conjunctions, but rather determined by God/Allah's current will; an opinion argued by many Muslim theologians,<ref>Rudolph, Ulrich, 'Occasionalism', in Sabine Schmidtke (ed.), ''The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology'', Oxford Handbooks (2016; online edn, Oxford Academic, 3 Mar. 2014), <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199696703.013.39</nowiki>, accessed 28 Mar. 2025.</ref> such as al-Ghazālī who claims that God is the ultimate cause.<ref>[https://www.ghazali.org/articles/kamali.htm CAUSALITY AND DIVINE ACTION: THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE.] Mohammad Hashim Kamali. Ghazali.org</ref>
Decharneux (2023) highlights that God in the Qur'an is highly active in the cosmos, not just at the beginning of creation to set the world in place.{{Quote|Decharneux, Julien. De Gruyter. 2023. <i>Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (pp. 143).</i>|The text repeatedly ascribes to God the cosmic role of sustaining the world. God continuously provides humans with food and necessary supplies (e. g. Q 6:96, 7:9, 26:75, 28:57, 29:60, 30:40, 34:24, 36:71 – 73). He is also responsible for the regularity of astral motions in the sky (e. g. Q 7:54, 13:2, 14:33, 16:12, 29:61, 31:29, 35:13, 39:5), for the succession of day and night (e. g. Q 14:33, 16:12), as well as any other things that allow humans to live on a daily basis. All these passages show that the Qur’ān grants to the theme of the creatio continua (“continuous creation”; i. e. maintenance of the universe) a prominent place within the overall Qur’ānic cosmological discourse. This is hardly surprising given the natural theological system described in the first chapter. God’s creatorship is observable in the cycles and the regularity of the world.}}And similarly Sinai (2023).{{Quote|<i>allāh {{!}} God</i> Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 62-63). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.|Even after having been fully set up, the natural realm is thus in no way causally independent of its creator, whom Q 55:29 describes as incessantly busy (kulla yawmin huwa fī shaʾn, “everyday he is engaged in something”).}}In similar fashion to the control seen in the doctrine of [[:en:Qur'an,_Hadith_and_Scholars:Predestination#Qur'an|Predestination in the Qur'an]], events aren't given a somewhat random cause and effect of individual people working within the laws of nature that have been set, but rather God interacts constantly. He (Allāh) regulates affairs from the heaven to the earth {{Quran|32|5}}, gives favour to people {{Quran|16|53}} and chooses when they die {{Quran|32|11}}, as with every nation {{Quran|7|34}} and thing {{Quran|6|67}}. He is seen as deciding the outcome of battles {{Quran|36|74-75}} (which other gods cannot {{Quran|46|28}}) and working through believers to fight unbelievers {{Quran|8|17}}<ref>Durie, Mark. ''The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. 2.4 An Act of God by Human Hands (p. 58-59) (Kindle Edition pp. 165-166)'' Lexington Books. 2018.</ref>  and sending invisible angels to Muhammad {{Quran|3|123-126}}, {{Quran|33|9}}, {{Quran|9|26}} (cf: {{Quran|3|123-126}}) etc.


'''A- Mary had a brother who was named Aaron.'''
=== Natural processes explained by science as miracles ===


This explanation is too convenient and too forced as it forces the following assumptions:
==== Wind & rain ====
Wind is seen as a sign of God {{Quran|35|9}} rather than from heat differences,<ref>[https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/wind/ Wind explained.] U.S Energy information Administration. Last reviewed December 2023. </ref> and God is said to bring down rain, rather than the natural process of water droplets<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/science/water-cycle Water Cycle Entry] - Britannica


1- The Christian sources mistook Mary’s father’s name.
[https://scijinks.gov/rain/ What Makes It Rain?] Water and Ice. NOAA SciJinks.gov </ref> condensing onto one another within a cloud, causing the droplets to grow - which when these water droplets get too heavy to stay suspended in the cloud, they fall to Earth as rain (cf: {{Quran|43|11}}). This is in line with the pre-Islamic Arabic poets worldview. <ref>See [https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:977914cb-d783-4949-aed4-f0b6c2eaa562/files/m34f1a166246ec073a79d42ea09d9cc1a Rain-Giver, Bone-Breaker, Score-Settler: Allāh in Pre-Quranic Poetry], ''pp. 15, pp.18, pp. 27-30: Chapter 6. Allāh as Creator and Provider of Rain.'' New Haven, Connecticut: American Oriental Society, 2019. Essay 15. Nicolai Sinai. </ref>


2- The Christian sources ignored mentioning that Mary had a brother.
==== Lightning ====
The Qur'an states that lighting is a sign shown by god for fear (''khawfan'') and hope (''waṭamaʿan),'' however now we know that lightening is simply an electrical phenomena caused by negative and positive charges in clouds or between the cloud and the ground build up and suddenly discharge, creating a bright flash,<ref name=":0">[https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-science-overview Understanding Lightning Science.] Safety. National Weather Service.</ref> (i.e. explained by science), it is difficult to see why it would give people hope.
{{Quote|{{Quran|30|24}}|And among His Signs, He shows you the lightning, by way both of fear and of hope, and He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth after it is dead}}


3- Mary’s father’s true name matches the name of Miriam’s father out of coincidence.
==== Ships sailing ====
Allah causes ships to stay afloat (and presumably sink) ({{Quran|55|24}}, {{Quran|17|70}}, {{Quran|17|66}}) rather than the scientific principle of buoyancy<ref>[https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-explained/why-do-ships-float Why do ships float?] Amy McDonald. 2019. STEM Explained. Let's Talk Science</ref> (and essentially randomness of those who's boats do not work).  


4- Mary’s brother’s name matches the name of Miriam’s brother out of coincidence.
==== The baby's sex and Infertility ====
Allah is said to cause infertility, which we now know has many medical causes, some of which are preventable.<ref>[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/infertility/symptoms-causes/syc-20354317 Infertility - Symptoms and causes.] Diseases & conditions. Mayo Clinic.org</ref> 
{{Quote|{{Quran|42|49-50}}|He creates whatever He wants and bestows female to whomever He wants and bestows male to whomever He wants. Or He mingles them, males and females, and He makes barren whom He pleases. Lo! He is Knower, Powerful.}}


==== The embryo's sex ====
{{Main|Embryology in the Quran}}
In the same verse as above {{Quran|42|49-50}} God is said to decide who is male and who is female, rather than the sex chromosome of the sperm cell that fertilizes the ovum.<ref>For a simple explanation, see: ''[https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/week2.html#:~:text=Every%20egg%20has%20an%20X,baby%20will%20be%20a%20boy. Pregnancy Calendar: Your Baby's Development] Kidshealth.org'' or ''Pampers: [https://www.pampers.co.uk/pregnancy/pregnancy-symptoms/article/what-determines-the-sex-of-a-baby At What Point is a Baby's Sex Determined? 2023.]''</ref> A sahih hadith clarifies that this is determined by whether the mother or father reaches sexual climax first.<ref>{{Bukhari|||3329|darussalam}}</ref>


Christian sources say Mary’s father was named Joachim, and they don't mention she had a brother called Aaron. And if she had a brother called Aaron, then the question still arises, why is she called "sister of Aaron?" It also seems to beg the question of why this righteous brother is nowhere else mentioned in the Qur'an, hadith or Israyyiliyaat. It is rather much more probable that the author of the Qur'an thought that she really is the sister of Aaron and Moses, and so in the Qur'an people called her "sister of Aaron" to emphasize her social status.
=== Inanimate objects and animals worship God ===
Inanimate objects that do not have a consciousness like those with complex brains, so are not capable of worshipping anything.


In other words, the people asked "How can you have a baby without a husband, when you are from such a moral family".
{{Quote|{{Quran|13|13}}|<b>The Thunder celebrates His praise,</b> and the angels [too], in awe of Him, and He releases the thunderbolts and strikes with them whomever He wishes. Yet they dispute concerning Allah, though He is great in might.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|22|18}}|Have you not regarded that whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth prostrates to Allah, as well as the sun, the moon, and the stars, the mountains, the trees, and the animals and many humans? And many have come to deserve the punishment. Whomever Allah humiliates will find no one who may bring him honour. Indeed Allah does whatever He wishes.}}


Even their shadows do somehow.


The other possible explanation of the Hadith is:
{{Quote|{{Quran|13|15}}|To Allah prostrates whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows at sunrise and sunset.}}Everything in the cosmos (presumably covering the vast amounts of near-empty space and elements) worships and prostrates before him, as does every animal and angel, all allegedly fearing God ({{Quran|16|49-50}}, {{Quran|22|18}}), including the birds, which do so while flying ({{Quran|24|41}}), and trees ({{Quran|55|6}}).


'''B- There was a known righteous man in Mary’s people called Aaron. And “Sister of Aaron” is a metaphor for “Mary is as righteous as this man called Aaron”.'''
==== Inanimate objects refused the task of being God's followers, but humans accepted ====
It is hard to know what was meant by this or why Allah would offer an inanimate object with no biology for consciousness that he already knew couldn't answer the task, nor how they refused it. Some classical Islamic commentaries say they could speak at the time.<ref>E.g. Al-Jalalayn on verse [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/33.72 33:72]</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|33|72}}|Indeed We presented the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it and were apprehensive of it; but man undertook it. Indeed he is most unjust and ignorant.}}


This explanation is also far too convenient and too forced as it includes the following assumptions:
=== Allah speaks to the heavens/skies and the earth and they respond ===
{{Quote|{{Quran|41|11}}|Then He turned towards the heaven when it was smoke, saying to it and to the earth, ‘Submit, willingly or unwillingly.’ They both responded, ‘We submit willingly.’"}}
=== Anthropomorphisms of Allāh ===
Allah is not a totally transcendent God, as he is described as having human features in several verses in the Qur'an. Many hadith also support this view.<ref>Holtzman, L. (2018). [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Anthropomorphism_in_Islam/BPdJEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 Anthropomorphism in Islam: The Challenge of Traditionalism (700-1350)]. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press.


1- The word “sister” in the verse shouldn’t be understood literally. Rather, it’s a metaphor meaning “similar to”.
See many examples and debates around their authenticity in early Islam in ''Chapters 1, 2 and 3.''</ref>
==== Hands ====
Sinai (2023) notes the parallels with pre-Islamic and contemporary literature suggesting that these verses are to be taken literally.<ref><i>allāh {{!}} God</i> Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 73-74). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.


2- Out of coincidence, the name of the righteous man that Mary was compared to matches the name of Miriam’s brother.
''...in Q 38:75 God upbraids Iblīs for failing to “prostrate to what I have created with my hands,” bi-yadayya. As recognised by al-Ashʿarī (Gimaret 1990, 326), the point of God’s statement here is presumably to highlight a trait of Adam that endows him with peculiar dignity and elevates him over Iblīs—namely, the fact that God has formed Adam in a more intimate fashion than other creatures. Hence, although the Qur’anic God is perfectly capable of creating by verbal fiat, as maintained in places like Q 2:117 and 3:47 (when God “decides on [creating] something, he merely says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is,” idhā qaḍā amran fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fa-yakūn), he can also create in what is literally a hands-on manner, by making use of his own limbs.<sup>106</sup> In passing, one may note that the claim that humans were fashioned manually has pre-Qur’anic parallels that lend further support to taking it quite literally. According to Aphrahat, Adam alone was created by God’s own hands while everything else was created by God’s word (Demonstrations 13:11 = Parisot 1894, 563–566, identified in BEQ 46). The same idea is developed at length by Jacob of Sarug (Mathews 2020, 46–51, ll. 2157–2194): whereas all other creatures were brought into existence by a divine “signal” (remzā; cf. Decharneux 2019, 244–245), Adam was uniquely created by God’s hands (l. 2169)—an instance of divine self-abasement that prefigures the incarnation of Christ (ll. 2189–2194). The Cave of Treasures also reports that Adam was shaped by God’s “holy hands” (Ri 1987, ch. 2:12; see Zellentin 2017, 109).<sup>107</sup>''</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|38|75}}|He said, ‘O Iblis! What keeps you from prostrating before that which I have created with <b>My [own] two hands?</b> Are you arrogant, or are you one of the exalted ones?’}}
{{Quote|<i>allāh {{!}} God</i> Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 73-74). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.|2=...in Q 38:75 God upbraids Iblīs for failing to “prostrate to what I have created with my hands,” bi-yadayya. As recognised by al-Ashʿarī (Gimaret 1990, 326), the point of God’s statement here is presumably to highlight a trait of Adam that endows him with peculiar dignity and elevates him over Iblīs—namely, the fact that God has formed Adam in a more intimate fashion than other creatures. Hence, although the Qur’anic God is perfectly capable of creating by verbal fiat, as maintained in places like Q 2:117 and 3:47 (when God “decides on [creating] something, he merely says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is,” idhā qaḍā amran fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fa-yakūn), he can also create in what is literally a hands-on manner, by making use of his own limbs.<sup>106</sup> In passing, one may note that the claim that humans were fashioned manually has pre-Qur’anic parallels that lend further support to taking it quite literally. According to Aphrahat, Adam alone was created by God’s own hands while everything else was created by God’s word (Demonstrations 13:11 = Parisot 1894, 563–566, identified in BEQ 46). The same idea is developed at length by Jacob of Sarug (Mathews 2020, 46–51, ll. 2157–2194): whereas all other creatures were brought into existence by a divine “signal” (remzā; cf. Decharneux 2019, 244–245), Adam was uniquely created by God’s hands (l. 2169)—an instance of divine self-abasement that prefigures the incarnation of Christ (ll. 2189–2194). The Cave of Treasures also reports that Adam was shaped by God’s “holy hands” (Ri 1987, ch. 2:12; see Zellentin 2017, 109).<sup>107</sup>}}


3- The Christian sources mistook Mary’s father’s name.
==== Eyes ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|11|37}}|Build the ark before <b>Our eyes</b> and by Our revelation, and do not plead with Me for those who are wrongdoers: they shall indeed be drowned.’}}{{Quote|{{Quran|20|39}}|"That cast him in the chest then cast it in the river, then let cast it the river on the bank; will take him an enemy to Me, and an enemy to him." And I cast over you love from Me, and that you may be brought up under <b>My eye.</b>}}{{Quote|{{Quran|52|48}}|So submit patiently to the judgement of your Lord, for indeed you fare before <b>Our eyes.</b> And celebrate the praise of your Lord when you rise [at dawn]}}


4- Out of coincidence, Mary’s father’s true name matches the name of Miriam’s father.
==== Sitting upright ====
Further adding to the special aspect, Sinai (2023) writes, these anthropomorphisms are further bolstered as literal with him "sitting" on a throne, which angels will carry specifically in the sky, most likely the highest one; i.e. part of the cosmos rather than a separate supernatural "universe" or in a state of indescribable non spatial existence. {{Quote|<i>allāh {{!}} God</i> Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 74). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.|Qur’an quite literally understands God to possess a countenance, sensory percipience, and limbs capable of touching, grasping, or imparting movement that the Islamic scripture employs various idioms and formulae involving these features. After all, there is no Qur’anic equivalent to Ephrem’s caveat that God only “put on the names of body parts”—i.e., speaks of himself in anthropomorphic and anthropopathic language—due to the weakness of human understanding (Beck 1955, no. 31:1–4). The Qur’anic God, therefore, is not merely a body but also, at least in some sense, an anthropomorphic body: he is endowed with a face, he is empirically receptive to worldly occurrences (rather than just knowing about them), and he can directly, with his own body, manipulate objects in the world. That the divine body has a fundamentally humanoid shape is further accentuated by the use of the verb istawā, “to stand up straight” or “to sit upright,” which is applied both to God, indicating the modality of his being located on the throne (Q 7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4, 57:4),<sup>108</sup> and to humans, who are described as “sitting upright” in a boat or on the back of a mount (Q 23:28, 43:13; see CDKA 142).}}
==== Made of light/photons ====
God is described as being made of light, which we now know from modern science would essentially be saying he is made of photons.<ref>[https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/what-is-a-photon?language_content_entity=und What is a photon?] Symmetry Magazine. Amanda Solliday and Kathryn Jepsen. 2021</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|39|69}}|And (will) shine the earth with (the) light (of) its Lord and (will) be placed the Record and (will) be brought the Prophets and the witnesses, and it (will) be judged between them in truth, and they will not be wronged.}}
Similarly in regards to light Sinai (2023) notes:


There’s nothing in the Quran indicating that the verse shouldn’t be understood literally. Actually, an early report shows clearly that [[Aisha bint Abi Bakr]], Muhammad’s wife, understood the verse literally:{{Quote|Tafsir Ibn Kathir (non-abridged) on 19:28 <ref>http://quran.al-islam.com/Page.aspx?pageid=221&BookID=11&Page=1</ref> | وَقَالَ اِبْن جَرِير حَدَّثَنِي يَعْقُوب حَدَّثَنَا اِبْن عُلَيَّة عَنْ سَعِيد بْن أَبِي صَدَقَة عَنْ مُحَمَّد بْن سِيرِينَ قَالَ أُنْبِئْت أَنَّ كَعْبًا قَالَ إِنَّ قَوْله : " يَا أُخْت هَارُون " لَيْسَ بِهَارُون أَخِي مُوسَى قَالَ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ عَائِشَة كَذَبْت قَالَ يَا أُمّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنْ كَانَ النَّبِيّ صَلَّى اللَّه عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَهُ فَهُوَ أَعْلَم وَأَخْبَر وَإِلَّا فَإِنِّي أَجِد بَيْنهمَا سِتّمِائَةِ سَنَة قَالَ فَسَكَتَتْ وَفِي هَذَا التَّارِيخ نَظَر
{{Quote|<i>allāh {{!}} God</i> Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 71). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.|Nonetheless, with regard to Q 39:69 it seems more likely that the verse speaks of literal light, given that the same context also mentions the blowing of the eschatological trumpet (v. 68) and the display of the celestial register of deeds in preparation for the judgement (v. 69). But if reference is to concrete light rather than to the metaphorical light of divine guidance, then it stands to reason that this is light emitted by God, who arrives in order to judge humans and other moral agents.}}


<br>
And:


It was narrated from Ibn Jarir, narrated from Yaqub, narrated from Ibn U’laya, narrated from Sa’id Ibn Abi Sadaqa, narrated from Muhammad Ibn Sireen who stated that he was told that Ka’b said the verse that reads, "O sister of Harun (Aaron)!" (of Sura 19:28) does not refer to Aaron the brother of Moses. Aisha replied to Ka’b, "You have lied." Ka’b responded, "O Mother of the believers! If the prophet, may Allah’s prayers be upon him, has said it, and he is more knowledgeable, then this is what he related. Besides, I find the difference in time between them (Jesus and Moses) to be 600 years." He said that she remained silent.}}
{{Quote|<i>allāh {{!}} God</i> Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 69). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.|The obvious reading of the material just surveyed is that the Qur’an considers God to be at least in principle visible and to be spatially located. The Qur’anic God cannot, therefore, be immaterial in any strict sense.}}
And the mere fact we have a report attributed to Muhammad trying to explain the confusion means that the verse was understood literally.


The only reason for not taking the verse literally is to avoid the apparent mistake in chronology which Mary being the sister of Aaron would present. As with many such apologetics, this argumes assumes the conclusion: That the Qur'an cannot make a mistake.
==== Human emotions ====
'''Anger and wrath'''


Furthermore, the questions also arises, "where did 'Aaron the righteous man' come from?" There’s no mention of him whatsoever in the Quran and is only introduced (supposedly) in this verse. He’s only mentioned in Islamic interpretations of this verse. Since the Qur'an arose many centuries after Jesus lived, the introduction of such a character into the story when it is lacking in the original Christian texts would seem to be no more than an apologetic explanation.
God is said to have human emotions in the Qur'an such as anger (''ghadab'') (Q 1:7; cf. 4:93; 5:60; 7:71, 152; 8:16; 16:106; 20:81; 42:16; 48:6; 58:14; 60:13), and we see for example in Q 4:93,which deals with those who commit murder, we see that God does not simply send murderers to hell; he also grows angry with them.<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Allah: God in the Qur'an (p. 162).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|4|93}}|Should anyone kill a believer intentionally, his requital shall be hell, to remain in it [forever]; <b>Allah shall be wrathful at him</b> and curse him and He shall prepare for him a great punishment.}}This anger frequently causes Allah to actively take vengeance on them.<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Allah: God in the Qur'an (p. 176-202). Chapter 8: The Avenger.''  Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref>


Here are the Mentions of Aaron the righteous man in Al-Tabari’s interpretation:{{Quote|1=[https://al-maktaba.org/book/43/10190 Tafsir Al-Tabari,Mu'assasat Al-Risalah, vol.18 p.186 ]<BR>  تفسير الطبري، مؤسسة الرسالة، ج18 ص186|2=حدثنا الحسن، قال: أخبرنا عبد الرزاق، قال: أخبرنا معمر، عن قتادة، في قوله (يَاأُخْتَ هَارُونَ) قال: كان رجلا صالحًا في بني إسرائيل يسمى هارون، فشبَّهوها به، فقالوا: يا شبيهة هارون في الصلاح.
'''Loving'''
حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله (يَاأُخْتَ هَارُونَ مَا كَانَ أَبُوكِ امْرَأَ سَوْءٍ وَمَا كَانَتْ أُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا) قال: كانت من أهل بيت يُعرفون بالصلاح، ولا يُعرفون بالفساد ومن الناس من يُعرفون بالصلاح ويتوالدون به، وآخرون يُعرفون بالفساد ويتوالدون به، وكان هارون مصلحا محببا في عشيرته، وليس بهارون أخي موسى، ولكنه هارون آخر. قال: وذُكر لنا أنه شيع جنازته يوم مات أربعون ألفا، كلهم يسمون هارون من بني إسرائيل


Qatadah (d.735 AD) said: Aaron was a righteous man from the Israelites. So Mary was compared to him.
{{Quran|60|8}} Durie (2018) notes that in contrast to the bible, the title ''al-wadūd'' “one who loves” is used of Allah only twice (Q85:14; Q11:90).<ref>''The Qurʾan and its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. pp.107.'' Durie, Mark. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2018.</ref>
Qatadah also said: Mary belonged to a house known for righteousness. Aaron was a righteous man popular in his tribe. He wasn’t Aaron the brother of Moses. He was a different Aaron. Forty thousand people attended his funeral. They were all called Aaron from the Israelites.}}


Another traditional explanation mentioned by Quran interpreters is that “sister of Aaron” means “descendant of Aaron”. Ibn Kathir (d.1373) , the most popular Quran interpreter, says:{{Quote|1=[http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2684&Itemid=75 Maryam with Al-Masih before the People, Their Rejection of Her and His Reply to Them]<BR>Tafsir Ibn Kathir|2=(O sister of Harun!) referring to the brother of Musa, because she was of his descendants. This is similar to the saying, `O brother of Tamim,' to one who is from the Tamimi tribe, and `O brother of Mudar,' to one who is from the Mudari tribe. It has also been said that she was related to a righteous man among them whose name was Harun and she was comparable to him in her abstinence and worship.}}This explanation is also seems too convenient and too forced as it includes the following assumptions:
'''Not loving'''


1- The word “sister” in the verse shouldn’t be understood literally. Rather, it’s a metaphor meaning “descendant of”.
Reynolds (2020) notes{{Quote|Reynolds, Gabriel Said. <i>Allah: God in the Qur'an (p. 167).</i> Yale University Press. Kindle Edition. |There are indeed those whom the God of the Qur’an does not love. “God does not love any sinful unbeliever” (Q 2:276). “God does not love the faithless” (Q 3:32; cf. 30:45).9 God also does not love the wrongdoers (Q 3:57, 140; 42:40), the transgressors (Q 2:190, 5:87, 7:55), the arrogant (Q 4:36, 16:23, 31:18, 57:23), the proud (Q 4:36, 31:18, 57:23), the wasteful (Q 6:141, 7:31), the treacherous (Q 8:58, 22:38), the corrupt (Q 5:64, 28:77), and the boastful (Q 28:76).}}'''Hating'''


2- Mary is called a descendant of Aaron despite the fact that Christian sources state that she was from the family of David.
{{Quran|40|10}} even speaks of God’s “hate” (maqt) of unbelievers.<ref>Reynolds, Gabriel Said. ''Allah: God in the Qur'an (pp. 167-168).'' Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.</ref>


3- The Christian sources mistook Mary’s father’s name.
'''Pleasure'''


4- Out of coincidence, Mary’s father’s true name matches the name of Miriam’s father.  
Alongside other human emotions God can feel pleasure ({{Quran|98|8}}).  


Christian sources consistently stated that Mary was from the family of David, so many wondered why the Qur'an would describe her as instead being from the family of Aaron. Some point out that in Luke 1:5, Elizabeth is said to be a descendant of Aaron; and in Luke 1:36, Elizabeth is said to be a cousin or relative of Mary <ref>https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1</ref>. But being related to another person does not guarantee that one also descends from any particular one of that person’s distant ancestors (Aaron in this case).
'''Other'''
It should be noted that if “sister of Aaron” has room for metaphorical interpretations, then the kinship link between Mary and Imran has no room for that since that the Qur'an not only states that Mary is the daughter of 'Imran, but it also states that Mary’s mother is the woman of Imran. This casts doubt on the claims of some scholars , such as A. J. Wensinck, who claimed in the Encyclopaedia Of Islam that “It is not necessary to assume that these kinship links are to interpreted in modern terms. The words "sister" and "daughter", like their male counterparts, in Arabic usage can indicate extended kinship, descendance or spiritual affinity.”<ref>''The Encyclopaedia Of Islam (New Edition)'', 1991, Volume VI, p. 630.</ref> Such a claim ignores the seeming issue of calling 'Imran Mary's father.
==Complete Picture of the Mistake==
Tying all of the threads together, Miriam in the book of Exodus was the daughter of Amram and a sister of Aaron. The Qur'an describes Mary, the mother of Jesus, as being a daughter of Amram and a sister of Aaron - with the exact same familial relations as Miriam. According to later hadith traditions many Muslims, including allegedly 'Aisha, understood Mary and Miriam to be the same person, based on their understanding of the Qur'anic text.


When Christians criticized the verse which calls Mary "sister of Aaron" in the Quran, Muhammad's claimed response was that "people were named after pious persons who lived before them". Islamic scholars concluded that Mary was either called "sister of Aaron" because she was his descendant, she had a brother coincidentally called Aaron, or she was compared in piousness to a pious man from her people who was coincidentally named Aaron. All these solutions seem to be inventions, because Mary was not known to be a descendant of Aaron, she was not known to have a brother called "Aaron" and this pious man named Aaron seems to be made up by Muslims to justify the verse. On the other hand, Miriam was well-known to be a sister of Aaron.
Both God and Humans are said to have a sunnah<ref>See verses in the Qur'an in the Noun section of the root [https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=snn ''sīn nūn nūn'' (س ن ن)] on Quran Corpus.</ref> or "customary way" of acting<ref>''The Qurʾan and its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. pp.177.'' Durie, Mark.</ref> (e.g. {{Quran|35|43}}).


Since Mary and Miriam are both pronounced Maryam in Arabic, it's possible that Muhammad, based on the Christian stories he heard,<ref>For example from Waraqa ibn Nawfal.</ref> mixed these two women into one person when he was composing/relaying the Qur'an.
==Miracles and myths==
Miracles and myths, often taken via prophets but other times directly by Allah are listed below. Many are absurd and contradict science.
=== Prophet Miracles ===
=== Noah (Nūḥ) ===
==== Lived to be 950+ years old ====
Noah is said to be be at least 950 years old, with many traditional Islamic commentators taking this to mean he was preaching for this long until the flood came, and was therefore older in total (many exegetes for example say he was granted prophethood at age 40),<ref>See commentaries from [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/29.14 ''Islamic scholars on Q29:14'']</ref> and we are not told how long he lives after these events, but this could easily push him to be over a 1,000 years old in total. The legendary lifespan is typical for prophets and patriarchs in from the first part of the book of Genesis in the bible and is recorded for several other patriarchs there.{{Quote|{{Quran|29|14}}|Certainly We sent Noah to his people, and he remained with them for a thousand-less-fifty years. Then the flood overtook them while they were wrongdoers.}}


'''Circumstantial evidence'''
=== Adam (ʾĀdam) ===
Adam is not said to have performed any miracles directly (or through Allah) in the Qur'an, though he was magically created from clay rather than evolving.<ref>McAuliffe, J. D. (Eds.). (01 Jan. 2001). "Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān". In Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. Retrieved Mar 8, 2025, from <nowiki>https://brill.com/view/serial/ENQU</nowiki> ''Page 24.'' ''Adam and Eve.'' Read for [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaedia-of-the-quran-6-volumes-jane-dammen-mc-auliffe/page/n61/mode/2up free on internet archive, page (62/3956) of the PDF]


It is also worth noting that despite the taking of biblical and narratives, there are large differences between them (that many devout Christians and secular historians would [[Historical Errors in the Quran|consider mistakes)]], as Durie (2018) who argues the knowledge was obtained through oral tellings of popular stories rather than a deep studying of scripture, hence the specific timelines are not kept to, notes:
''The Quran mentions several materials from which Adam was created, i.e. earth or dust (twrab, Q 3:59), clay (tan, Q7:12; see cLAy), and sticky clay or mud (tin lazib). More specifically, it is described as “clay from fetid foul mud” (salsal min hama’ masnin) and “clay like earthenware,” 1.e. baked or dry clay (salsal ka-l-fakhkhar). These terms are commonly interpreted as describing the different states of a single material.'' </ref> And [[User:CPO675/Sandbox 1#The Holy Spirit (Rūḥ al-qudus)|the holy spirit]] was made to create him (e.g. {{Quran|15|29}}, {{Quran|32|6-9}} and {{Quran|38|72}}). According to the Qur'an, he lived in paradise amoung the angels (and at least one jinn who turned into 'the devil') "Allah placed Adam in a paradisical Garden. After Adam sinned by eating from the forbidden tree (Tree of Immortality) after God forbade him from doing so, then paradise was declined to him and he was sent down to live on Earth."


{{Quote|Durie, Mark. <i>The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion (pp. xxiv - xxv)(Kindle Edition. p. 27).</i> 2018. Lexington Books.|..Another riddle of the Qurʾan is the combination of remarkably numerous and diverse reflexes of Biblical materials, as well as extra-Biblical Christian and Jewish literature, alongside a striking unawareness of basic facts concerning the sources of this material. Let us consider some examples:
==== Eve (Ḥawwā') ====
Though not mentioned by name in the Qur'an, the mate miraculously created from Adam is interpreted as Eve, and named in the [https://sunnah.com/search?q=eve hadith] and commentaries. No miracles are directly attributed to her either, but she originally lived in jannah (paradise), and is also miraculously created, as Shock (2006) notes "the early commentators report that she was created from the lowest of Adam’s ribs (qusayra) — which is sometimes also understood as the shortest rib",<ref>McAuliffe, J. D. (Eds.). (01 Jan. 2001). "Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān". In Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. Retrieved Mar 8, 2025, from <nowiki>https://brill.com/view/serial/ENQU</nowiki> ''Page 24.'' ''Adam and Eve.'' Read for [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaedia-of-the-quran-6-volumes-jane-dammen-mc-auliffe/page/n61/mode/2up free on internet archive, page (62/3956) of the PDF]</ref> also [[Scientific Errors in the Quran#Evolution|contradicting evolution]] as the first woman.
{{Quote|{{Quran|4|1}}|O mankind! Be wary of your Lord who created you from a single soul, and created its mate from it, and from the two of them scattered numerous men and women. Be wary of Allah, in whose Name you adjure one another and [of severing ties with] blood relations. Indeed Allah is watchful over you.}}


• The Qurʾan conflates Maryam (Miriam), the sister of Mūsa¯ (Moses) and
=== Abraham (Ibrāhīm) ===
Ha¯rūn (Aaron) and daughter of ʿImra¯n (ʿAmra¯m) (Num. 26:59) with Maryam (Mary) <sup>5</sup> the mother of ʿĪsa¯ (Jesus) (Q19:27–28; Q66:12; Q3:33–36).<br>• The Qurʾan refers to Hāmān as a senior official of Firʿawn (Pharaoh), mentioning him six times (Q28:6, 8, 38; Q29:39; Q40:24, 36). The Biblical Hāmān—the name is identical—was a vizier under Ahasuerus (Xerxes) in Esth. 3–6. <br>• In the Qurʾan’s version of the story of the golden calf, someone called al-Sāmirī “the Samaritan” leads the Israelites into error in the wilderness (Q20:85–88, 95). However, in the Bible the Samaritans are the remnant people of the northern Kingdom of Israel. This ethnonym arose centuries after the time of the Exodus, being derived from the name of the city Samaria (Hebrew shomron “watch mountain”), which was only founded in the time of Omri (1 Kgs 16:24), around 870 BCE (van Beek 1962a, 1962b). <br>• In other respects the Biblical timeline has been flattened, so the Qurʾan displays little awareness of stages in the history of Israel. For example, in Q5:20–21 Mūsa¯ addresses his people before they enter the holy land, telling them to remember that Alla¯h had appointed prophets and kings among them in the past, even though in the Biblical account there were no kings of Israel until some time after Canaan was settled. In spite of this previous account, elsewhere the Qurʾan describes how the people of Israel, after Alla¯h had drowned “Pharaoh’s people” (and not just his army) in the sea, did not move on toward a promised land, but took over the farms, gardens, and buildings of the Egyptians, succeeding them (Q44:25–28; cf. Q7:136–37).<br>
==== Magically cooling fire ====
• Another puzzle, given the large volume of Biblical reflexes in the Qurʾan, is  
Abraham is thrown into a fire that magically cools for him and burns only his chains.<ref>Tafsir al-Jalalayn on [https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Jalal/21.69 verse 21:69]</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|21|69}}|We said, ‘O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!’}}
the surprising rarity of accurate citations of actual text of the Bible (Griffith
==== Cut up birds and bring them back to life ====
2013, 55–56).
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|260}}|And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Show me how You revive the dead,’ He said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He said, ‘Yes indeed, but in order that my heart may be at rest.’ He said, ‘Catch four of the birds. Then cut them into pieces, and place a part of them on every mountain, then call them; they will come to you hastening. And know that Allah is all-mighty and all-wise.’}}
==== '''Shown the universe''' ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|6|75}}|And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith].}}
==== Gives Abraham and his old wife a child ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|11|69-73}}|“There came Our messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, ‘Peace!’ He answered, ‘Peace!’ and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw their hands went not towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: ‘Fear not: we have been sent against the people of Lut.’ And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed, but We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said, ‘Alas for me! shall I bear a child, seeing I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!’ They said, ‘Dost thou wonder at Allah’s decree? The grace of Allah and His blessings on you, O, ye people of the house! For He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of all glory!’”}}
=== Ishmael (ʾIsmāʿīl) ===
Ishmael is Abraham's son, who God originally asks Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael to prove his devotion ({{Quran|37|100-108}}). Ishmael agrees but God swaps him with a ram (according to Islamic commentaries on this verse) before he completes it.<ref>See commentaries on [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/37.107 verse 37:107]</ref>
{{Quote|{{Quran|37|107}}|And We ransomed him with a sacrifice great,}}


These puzzles are a paradox of how to understand both the Messenger and his intended audience...}}
=== Abel (Hābīl) and Cane (Qābīl) ===
A raven sent from God shows Abel where to bury his brother Cain.{{Quote|{{Quran|5|31}}|Then Allah sent a crow, exploring in the ground, to show him how to bury the corpse of his brother. He said, ‘Woe to me! Am I unable to be [even] like this crow and bury my brother’s corpse?’ Thus he became regretful.}}


We can infer from this that such a big change (and therefore mistake such as Mary/Mariam) is more likely to occur if these kinds of changes are made elsewhere.
=== Jonah (Yunus) ===


==Modern Scholarly Interpretations==
==== Living inside a big fish ====
The Quran presents a version of the Biblical tale in which Jonah is swallowed by a whale ('the big Fish') and then lives in the whale for some time while praying. This legendary account is copied from the simiarly fantastic account in the bible's book of Jonah.{{Quote|{{Quran|37|142}}|Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame. Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah, He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth, on the naked shore in a state of sickness}}


Some Modern scholars note that the author of Surat-Maryam had an in-depth knowledge of Christian tradition, and that he may have been a Christian clergyman whose work was used by the incipient believers movement, or who had joined the movement himself. As the author was evidently steeped in Christian tradition, it seems unlikely that he would have made a mistake about of Mary, the mother of Jesus, conflating her with Mary, the sister of Aaron and Moses. Rather, what is being invoked here is likely both Mary's descent from the scions of the Jewish people, Moses and Aaron, as well a priestly tradition in the Church of Kathisma in Jerusalem, linking the Dormition (apparent death, followed by the resurrection and assumption of Mary alive into heaven) with the priesthood of Aaron. A pre-Islamic Georgian Christian homiletic text exists that seems to explicitly call Mary the sister of Aaron. The shared phrasing between this Georgian text from Jerusalem and the Qur'an is remarkable; it suggests that whoever the author is of the rest of the Qur'an and even surat-Maryam, the author of this specific passage must have been a Christian from the area around Jerusalem, who was intimately familiar with the Christian tradition around the church of Kathisma and the liturgical traditions the church possessed around the virgin Mary <ref> Guillaume Dye, “The Qur’ān and its Hypertextuality in Light of Redaction Criticism,” The Fourth Nangeroni Meeting Early Islam: The Sectarian Milieu of Late Antiquity? (Early Islamic Studies Seminar, Milan) (15-19 June 2015): 10. </ref>.
=== Joseph (Yūsuf) ===
===References to Other Narratives===
==== Dream interpreting ====
The entire first portion of Surat-Maryam (verses 1-63) makes constant references to apocryphal stories from legendary apocryphal gospels such as the Protoevangelium of James and the gospel of Pseudo-Matthew. These texts outline an infancy gospel of the Virgin Mary, telling of her father Joachim and mother Ana, righteous Jews who served the poor and followed the word of the Lord. Joachim was excluded from a temple ritual because of his lack of a child, however, since all righteous men of Israel had children. He went to the desert to pray and fast while Ana prayed for children from the Lord; after seeing a sparrow's nest in a tree, the angel of the Lord appeared to her and informed her that she would bear a child. In their joy for being granted a child at such an advanced age, the couple dedicated the child, Mary, as a perpetual virgin to the Lord. When she grew older she was entrusted to the care of an older man, Joseph, who would act as her husband but would not engage in sexual intercourse with her. When the Lord impregnated Mary with Jesus, the Jews accused Joseph and Mary of violating her oath to the Lord. The priest of the temple put Joseph to the test of the water of the ordeal of the Lord, drinking it and returning unharmed; furthermore, when Mary gave birth to Jesus, a blinding white light bathed the cave she was in, and both the midwife and the accused inserted their finger into her vagina and were shocked to see that even after Jesus' birth she was still a virgin. After seeing these great signs, the faith of Mary and Joseph was vindicated. Although these sources are uncredited in Muslim exegesis, there is no doubt that Surat-Maryam makes numerous references to this Marian infancy cycle, and in ayah 25 it also makes explicit reference to the Palm miracle recorded in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew 20:1-2 (itself a reworking of the pagan fable of Leto giving birth to Apollo <ref> Suleiman A. Mourad, “Mary in the Qur’an: a reexamination of her presentation,” The Qur'an in its Historical Context, Edited by Gabriel Said Reynolds (2008): 169.</ref>).
Birds are seen in a dream which Joseph interprets in reality.{{Quote|{{Quran|12|36-41}}|There entered the prison two youths along with him. One of them said, ‘I dreamt that I am pressing grapes.’ The other said, ‘I dreamt that I am carrying bread on my head from which the birds are eating.’ ‘Inform us of its interpretation,’ [they said], ‘for indeed we see you to be a virtuous man.’ He said, ‘Before the meals you are served come to you I will inform you of its interpretation. That is among things my Lord has taught me. Indeed, I renounce the creed of the people who have no faith in Allah and who [also] disbelieve in the Hereafter... ...O my prison mates! As for one of you, he will serve wine to his master, and as for the other, he will be crucified and vultures will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquire has been decided.’}}


{{Quote|{{Quran|19|23-26}}|
==== A shirt regains his sons sight ====
فَنَادَىٰهَا مِن تَحْتِهَآ أَلَّا تَحْزَنِى قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا
Here, Jacob (Ya'qūb) (Joseph's son e.g. {{Quran|12|80}}) is blind, and when Joseph arranges for him to be brought to Egypt for their reunion, he instructs his brothers to place the shirt on Jacob's face, miraculously restoring his sight.
فَأَجَآءَهَا ٱلْمَخَاضُ إِلَىٰ جِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَٰلَيْتَنِى مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًا مَّنسِيًّا
{{Quote|{{Quran|12|93-96}}|Take this shirt of mine, and cast it upon my father’s face; he will regain his sight, and bring me all your folks.’ As the caravan set off, their father said, ‘I sense the scent of Joseph, if you will not consider me a dotard.’ They said, ‘By God, you persist in your inveterate error.’ When the bearer of good news arrived, he cast it on his face, and he regained his sight. He said, ‘Did I not tell you, ‘‘I know from Allah what you do not know?’’ ’}}
وَهُزِّىٓ إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ تُسَٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا
فَكُلِى وَٱشْرَبِى وَقَرِّى عَيْنًا ۖ فَإِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ ٱلْبَشَرِ أَحَدًا فَقُولِىٓ إِنِّى نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ أُكَلِّمَ ٱلْيَوْمَ إِنسِيًّا


And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee, And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee. So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.}}
=== Job (Ayyūb) ===


Compare with the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew:  
==== Magic water spring ====
Though he doesn't seem to perform any miracles directly like Jesus or Moses in the Qur'an, Allah instructs him to strike the ground with his foot, and a spring of water emerges, which heals him.<ref>See commentaries on [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/38.42 verse 38:42]</ref> This might be considered a divine blessing or sign rather than a miracle performed by Job himself.


{{Quote| The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew Chapter 20 http://www.gnosis.org/library/psudomat.htm| And it came to pass on the third day of their journey, while they were walking, that the blessed Mary was fatigued by the excessive heat of the sun in the desert; and seeing a palm tree, she said to Joseph: Let me rest a little under the shade of this tree. Joseph therefore made haste, and led her to the palm, and made her come down from her beast. And as the blessed Mary was sitting there, she looked up to the foliage of the palm, and saw it full of fruit, and said to Joseph: I wish it were possible to get some of the fruit of this palm. And Joseph said to her: I wonder that thou sayest this, when thou seest how high the palm tree is; and that thou thinkest of eating of its fruit. I am thinking more of the want of water, because the skins are now empty, and we have none wherewith to refresh ourselves and our cattle. Then the child Jesus, with a joyful countenance, reposing in the bosom of His mother, said to the palm: O tree, bend thy branches, and refresh my mother with thy fruit. And immediately at these words the palm bent its top down to the very feet of the blessed Mary; and they gathered from it fruit, with which they were all refreshed. And after they had gathered all its fruit, it remained bent down, waiting the order to rise from Him who bad commanded it to stoop. Then Jesus said to it: Raise thyself, O palm tree, and be strong, and be the companion of my trees, which are in the paradise of my Father; and open from thy roots a vein of water which has been hid in the earth, and let the waters flow, so that we may be satisfied from thee. And it rose up immediately, and at its root there began to come forth a spring of water exceedingly clear and cool and sparkling. And when they saw the spring of water, they rejoiced with great joy, and were satisfied, themselves and all their cattle and their beasts. Wherefore they gave thanks to God.}}
{{Quote|{{Quran|38|42}}|[We told him:] ‘Stamp your foot on the ground; this [ensuing spring] will be a cooling bath and drink.’}}


While there are doubts as to the dating of the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and its ability to directly influence the Quran, Stephen Shoemaker has found that the story was already developing in an earlier form in a set of early 5th century CE texts (at the latest) known as the Dormition of the Virgin, for which we have later fifth century Syriac manuscript fragments as the earliest textual witnesses (see [[Parallelism_Between_the_Qur'an_and_Judeo-Christian_Scriptures#Jesus.2C_Mary.2C_and_the_Palm_Tree|Parallelism Between the Qur'an and Judeo-Christian Scriptures]]).
=== Moses (Mūsā) ===
==== Sea split in half ====
The Quran present a version of the Biblical story where Moses splits the sea and crosses it with the Israelites. The entire Moses story as we have it both in the bible and derived forms such as the Qur'an is wholy legendary in nature as there's no evidence from the record of Egypt's ancient history that Moses ever existed.  
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|50}}|
And remember '''We divided the sea for you''' and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's people within your very sight. }}


===The Palestinian Connection===
==== Stick turned serpent ====
There exists in Palestine a Byzantine Church dedicated to the virgin Mary, the church of the Kathisma or Holy Throne of the virgin Mary. This church has a deep and complex relationship with the Islamic tradition, and was the likely model for the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem <ref> Guillaume Dye, “The Qur’ān and its Hypertextuality in Light of Redaction Criticism,” The Fourth Nangeroni Meeting Early Islam: The Sectarian Milieu of Late Antiquity? (Early Islamic Studies Seminar, Milan) (15-19 June 2015): 15.</ref>. Around the time of Muhammad, this church was a center of the Christian cult of the virgin Mary. Unlike modern Catholic and Orthodox Church, where only the Bible is read from the lectionary during the mass, at this time it was not unusual for reading to be done from the apocrypha and other non-canonized works. The Kathisma was built upon the site of the palm miracle mentioned in Pseudo Matthew chapter 20 and surat Maryam verse 23-25. According to the lectionary found for this church, the miracle of the palm, the virgin conception of Jesus, the immaculate (sin-free, virgin) conception of Mary, and the dormition (assumption into heaven alive) of Mary were all celebrated at this church. The Marian stational liturgy of the Dormition was celebrated here from the 13th of August to the 17th of August in the church calendar. In addition, in the middle of this celebration there were also reading on the 14th of August from the ''Life of Jeremiah''. The ''Life'' purports to tell how the prophet Jeremiah saved the Ark of the Covenant and concealed it after the destruction of the 1st temple by the Babylonians. A text from the Kathisma , preserved in Georgian, one of the languages of mass celebration at the church, adds an extra prophecy to the story in the ''Life of Jeremiah'' <ref> Guillaume Dye, “The Qur’ān and its Hypertextuality in Light of Redaction Criticism,” The Fourth Nangeroni Meeting Early Islam: The Sectarian Milieu of Late Antiquity? (Early Islamic Studies Seminar, Milan) (15-19 June 2015): 13. </ref>.  
The Quran states that Moses' staff transformed into a serpent.{{Quote|{{Quran|7|107}}|
Then (Moses) threw his rod, and behold! it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)! }}
==== Plagues of Egypt ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|7|133}}|So We sent against them a flood and locusts, lice, frogs and blood, as distinct signs. But they acted arrogantly, and they were a guilty lot.}}
==== Mountain lifted up and dropped in front of him (from Allah) ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|7|143}}|When Moses arrived at Our tryst and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show [Yourself] to me, that I may look at You!’ He said, ‘You shall not see Me. But look at the mountain: if it abides in its place, then you will see Me.’ So when his Lord disclosed Himself to the mountain, He levelled it, and Moses fell down swooning. When he recovered, he said, ‘Immaculate are You! I turn to You in penitence, and I am the first of the faithful.’}}{{Quote|{{Quran|2|63}}|And when We took a pledge from you, and raised the Mount above you, [declaring], ‘Hold on with power to what We have given you and remember that which is in it so that you may be Godwary.’}}
==== Moses's magic white hand ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|27|12}}|‘Insert your hand into your shirt. It will emerge white and bright, without any fault—among nine signs meant for Pharaoh and his people. Indeed they are a transgressing lot.’}}
==== 12 Springs magically appear from a rock ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|12|60}}|And when Moses prayed for water for his people, We said, ‘Strike the rock with your staff.’ Thereat twelve fountains gushed forth from it; every tribe came to know its drinking-place. ‘Eat and drink of Allah’s provision, and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.’}}
==== Dead fish (for food) comes back to life at the junction of the two seas ====
{{Main|A Barrier Between Two Seas and the Cosmic Ocean}}Moses's dead fish comes back to life at the junction of the two seas, in a verse [[Parallels Between the Qur'an and Late Antique Judeo-Christian Literature#Moses, his servant and the fish|paralleling late antique Christian literature.]] {{Quote|{{Quran|18|61-63}}|So when they reached the confluence between them, they forgot their fish, which found its way into the sea, sneaking away. Then when they had passed beyond he said to his boy, "Bring us our morning meal. Certainly we have suffered in our journey this, fatigue." He said, 'What thinkest thou? When we took refuge in the rock, then I forgot the fish-and it was Satan himself that made me forget it so that I should not remember it -- and so it took its way into the sea in a manner marvellous.'}}
==== Mooing statue ====
The Qur'an describes a statue of a calf that was capable of mooing.{{Quote|{{Quran|20|88}}|So he brought forth for them a calf, a (mere) body, which had a mooing sound, so they said: This is your god and the god of Musa, but he forgot.}}
==== Testimony of a dead man by slapping a cow ====
The Quran states that Allah instructed a group of people to strike a murdered man with a piece of a heifer (young female cow that has not yet borne a calf) in order to temporarily resurrect him and discover the identity of the murderer.{{Quote|{{Quran|2|73}}|
And We said: Smite him with some of it. Thus Allah bringeth the dead to life and showeth you His portents so that ye may understand. }}
==== Korah (Qārūn) swallowed ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|28|76-82}}|Korah indeed belonged to the people of Moses, but he bullied them. We had given him so much treasures that their chests indeed proved heavy for a band of stalwarts. When his people said to him, ‘Do not boast! Indeed Allah does not like the boasters. Seek the abode of the Hereafter by means of what Allah has given you, while not forgetting your share of this world. Be good [to others] just as Allah has been good to you, and do not try to cause corruption in the land. Indeed Allah does not like the agents of corruption.’... ...So We caused the earth to swallow him and his house, and he had no party that might protect him from Allah, nor could he rescue himself. By dawn those who longed to be in his place the day before were saying, ‘Don’t you see that Allah expands the provision for whomever He wishes of His servants, and tightens it? Had Allah not shown us favour, He might have made the earth swallow us too. Don’t you see that the faithless do not prosper?’}}


{{Quote|The Lection of Jeremiah|“And the prophet [Jeremiah] said: ‘His coming will be a sign for you, and for other children at the end of the world.57 And nobody will bring forth the hidden Ark from the rock, except the priest Aaron, '''''the brother of Mary'''''. And nobody will unveil the tables therein, nor be able to read them, except the lawgiver Moses, the chosen of the Lord. And at the resurrection of the dead, the Ark will be the first to rise from the rock and to be placed on Mount Sinai, so that the word of the prophet David will be fulfilled, in which he said: ‘Arise, O Lord, to your resting place, You and the Ark of Your holiness’, which is the Holy Virgin Mary who passes from this world to the presence of God, she to whom the apostles proclaimed in Zion the praise of Myrrh saying: ‘Today the Virgin is being guided from Bethlehem to Zion, and today from earth to heaven’, and all the saints are gathered together around her and wait for the Lord, putting to flight the enemy who aims to destroy them.”}}
==== His audience are killed by a thunderbolt then brought back to life ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|55}}|And when you said, ‘O Moses, we will not believe you until we see Allah visibly.’ Thereupon a thunderbolt seized you as you looked on. Then We revived you from after your death, so that you may (be) grateful.}}


The use of "sister of Aaron" (here reversed as "the brother of Mary" for Aaron) is being invoked here deliberately by the Georgian author, who always uses "Mary" for the mother of Jesus and "Miriam" for the actual sister of Aaron. The Qur'an is thus not showing its ignorance here; rather the reference to Mary as Aaron's sister is a reference to the celebration of the cult of the virgin Mary in Palestine. It is thus unlikely that an uneducated pagan audience in Mecca or Medina might have understood this verse; there are several explanations for how such a complex reference could have made its way into the Qur'an, and none of them align with the traditional narrative:
=== David (Dāwūd) ===
==== Understanding birds ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|27|16}}|Solomon inherited from David, and he said, ‘O people! We have been taught the speech of the birds, and we have been given out of everything. Indeed this is a manifest advantage.’}}
==== Mountains and birds sing psalms ====
The Qur'an states that hills and birds would sing the psalms with David.{{Quote|{{Quran|34|10}}|
And assuredly We gave David grace from Us, (saying): O ye hills and birds, echo his psalms of praise! And We made the iron supple unto him}}
==== Allah making iron soft for David ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|34|10}}|Certainly We gave David our grace: ‘O mountains and birds, chime in with him!’ And We made iron soft for him.}}
=== Solomon (Sulaymān) ===
==== Solomon's Army of jinn and birds (controlling them) ====
A story in the Qur'an, drawing on Jewish folklore, states that Solomon commanded a massive army comprised of 'Jinns and men and birds'. Solomon is described as speaking with a Hoopoe bird and thereafter desiring to execute the bird when it is tardy to his assembly. The Hoopoe bird, it is then revealed, was only delayed because it had been spying on a beautiful female ruler, Queen Sheba, who Solomon subsequently insists is misguided and must be conquered. At this point, Solomon assigns a Jinn from his assembly the task of stealing Queen Sheba's magnificent throne. All of these fantastic elements evince the legendary and folkloric origins of the story.


#The Arab audience of the northern Hijaz was not actually illiterate and pagan as the sirah and tafsir literature would have us believe, but was rather already in Muhammad's time largely Christian and intimately familiar with the literate, multi-lingual Grecophone and Syriac-speaking culture of the Byzantine near east.
{{Quote|{{Quran|27|16-17}}|
#This surah (at least the first section) was not composed as the preaching of Muhammad, but was rather the product of Christian holy men working for an Arabic-speaking audience inside of the Byzantine empire; the first part of the surah which makes these allusions is thus a separate text from the later part of the surah which is heavily "Islamic" and lacks the complex Christian allusions. The entire surah as a whole is thus a composite work.
And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)And before Solomon were marshalled his hosts― of Jinns and men and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|27|20-23}}|
#Muhammad did not compose and preach this surah in the Hijaz, but rather in or around Palestine for an audience that would understand it; if Shoemaker in his book ''The Death of a Prophet'' is to be believed, this could have been after he personally conquered Jerusalem itself.
And he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: "Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees? I will certainly punish him with a severe Penalty, or execute him, unless he bring me a clear reason (for absence). But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up and) said: "I have compassed (territory) which thou hast not compassed, and I have come to thee from Saba with tidings true. I found (there) a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne.}}


==== Potential Meaning of Imran ====
==== Fountain of bronze ====
When the Qur'an states that Mary is the daughter of 'Imran, it is likely using typology, an approach to scripture that sees later figures as reflections of their biblical forebears. Thus what the Qur'an is here saying, through the mother of Jewish interlocuters, is that Mary and her family were pre-figured by the family of Aaron and Miryam. This pre-figurement further plays into the links established between Mary and Miriam at the church of the Kathisma, and once again demonstrates the author’s knowledge of the Palestinian cult of the virgin Mary.<ref>  Guillaume Dye, “The Qur’ān and its Hypertextuality in Light of Redaction Criticism,” The Fourth Nangeroni Meeting Early Islam: The Sectarian Milieu of Late Antiquity? (Early Islamic Studies Seminar, Milan) (15-19 June 2015): 9.</ref>
{{Quote|{{Quran|34|12}}|And We caused a fount of (molten) brass to flow for him, and there were jinns that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord, and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the torment of the blazing Fire.}}
==== Solomon speaks to an ant ====
Solomon understands the speech of an ant advising caution to his fellows{{Quote|{{Quran|27|18}}|When they came to the Valley of Ants, an ant said, ‘O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts should trample on you while they are unaware.’}}
==== Solomons dead body doesn't decompose properly ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|34|14}}|When We decreed death for him, nothing apprised them of his death except a worm which gnawed away at his staff. And when he fell down, [the humans] realized that had the jinn known the Unseen, they would not have remained in a humiliating torment.}}
==== Manipulating the wind ====
The Quran says that Solomon had the power to control the wind and traditional sources elaborate that Solomon could use this wind to fly upon a gigantic wooden carpet to wherever he pleased.{{Quote|{{Quran|38|36}}|
Then We subjected the wind to his power, to flow gently to his order, Whithersoever he willed  }}{{Quote|Tafsir Ibn-Kathir on 21:81 | A flying carpet made from wood, on top of which he could carry everything in his kingdom including chairs, to wherever Solomon wants to go, whilst flocks of birds would fly over to give shade }}
=== Zechariah (Zakariyā) ===
==== Cures his wife barreness ====
This produces John the Baptist (Yaḥyā) in the Qur'an.{{Quote|{{Quran|21|89-90}}|“And (remember) Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord: ‘O, my Lord! leave me not childless, and Thou art the best of inheritors.’ So We responded to him, and We granted him Yahya, We cured his wife’s (barrenness) for him. These (three) were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us.”}}
=== Jesus (ʿĪsā) ===
{{Main|Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ)}}
==== Born from Mary (Mariam) who was a virgin ====
Like the bible, and other pagan mythologies,<ref>[https://www.richardcarrier.info/archives/11161 Virgin Birth: It’s Pagan, Guys.] Get Over It. PhD Richard Carrier.  2016.</ref> Jesus is also born from a virgin, provided by the holy spirit; usually taken as a reference the angel Gabriel here. Given he is not the son of God, it is unclear what the purpose of this is.{{Quote|{{Quran|19|17-21}}|Thus did she seclude herself from them, whereupon We sent to her Our Spirit and he became incarnate for her as a well-proportioned human. She said, ‘I seek the protection of the All-beneficent from you, should you be Godwary!’ He said, ‘I am only a messenger of your Lord that I may give you a pure son.’
She said, ‘How shall I have a child seeing that no human being has ever touched me, nor have I been unchaste?’ He said, ‘So shall it be. Your Lord says, ‘‘It is simple for Me.’’ And so that We may make him a sign for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter [already] decided.’}}{{Quote|{{Quran|66|12}}|And the example of Maryam the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity – We therefore breathed into her a Spirit from Ourselves – and she testified for the Words of her Lord and His Books, and was among the obedient.}}
==== Jesus talking from his Cradle ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|3|45-46}}|(And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah). He will speak unto mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous.}}
==== Supernatural food ====
The Qur'an states that Jesus received a feast sent down from heaven.{{Quote|{{Quran-range|5|114|115}}|
Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, Lord of us! '''Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us''', for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of Sustainers. Allah said: Lo! I send it down for you. And whoso disbelieveth of you afterward, him surely will I punish with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any of (My) creatures.}}
==== Magically curing the Blind and Lepersy affected ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|3|49}}|and [he will be] an apostle to the Children of Israel, [and he will declare,] “I have certainly brought you a sign from your Lord: I will create for you the form of a bird out of clay, then I will breathe into it, and it will become a bird by Allah’s leave. I heal the blind and the leper and I revive the dead by Allah’s leave. I will tell you what you have eaten and what you have stored in your houses. There is indeed a sign in that for you, should you be faithful.}}
==== Raising the dead ====
See above {{Quran|3|49}}
==== Clay birds becoming alive ====
See above {{Quran|3|49}}
=== Luqman (Luq'mān) ===
==== Given special wisdom ====
Luq'mān - believed to be a common pre-Islamic sage, though his identity is disputed,<ref name=":1">''Encyclopedia of the Qur'an. pp. 242-243.'' A.H.M. Zahniser. 2021.


==See Also==
Pages (1458-1460/3956) of [https://archive.org/details/encyclopaedia-of-the-quran-6-volumes-jane-dammen-mc-auliffe/page/n1457/mode/2up?q=luqman free book on Intranet Archive]</ref> and may simply be an amalgamation of different characters, as local Arabian tales are brought into salvation history.<ref>E.g. like the destruction of Thamūd, see:  Sinai, Nicolai. “[https://almuslih.org/wp-content/uploads/Library/Sinai,%20N%20-%20Religious%20poetry.pdf Religious Poetry from the Quranic Milieu: Umayya b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the Fate of the Thamūd.]” ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'' 74, no. 3 (2011): 397–416. <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X11000309</nowiki>.</ref> In the Qur'an God gives him a special widsom (''al-ḥik'mata)''<ref>''[https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/data/06_H/152_Hkm.html ḥā kāf mīm (ح ك م)]'' root on Qur'anic Research.net


*[[Imran in Islam]]
See: Lane's Lexicon classical Arabic dictionary Book 1 [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0617.pdf pp.617] & [https://lexicon.quranic-research.net/pdf/Page_0618.pdf pp.618] </ref> although most classical Islamic scholars agree that he was still not a prophet.<ref name=":1" />


*[[Scientific Errors in the Quran]]
{{Quote|{{Quran|31|12-13}}|And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], "Be grateful to Allah." And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] - then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy. And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, "O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah. Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice."}}
=== Saleh (Ṣāliḥ) ===
==== The She-Camel of Saleh (Ṣāliḥ) ====
A camel appears to the people of Thamūd from a rock after the unbelieving people ask for a sign Salih is a prophet.<ref>See commentaries [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/7.73 on verse 7:73]</ref>{{Quote|{{Quran|7|73}}|And to [the people of] Thamud [We sent] Salih, their brother. He said, ‘O my people, worship Allah! You have no other god besides Him. There has certainly come to you a manifest proof from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you. Let her alone to graze [freely] in Allah’s land, and do not cause her any harm, for then you shall be seized by a painful punishment.}}
=== Allah Miracles - Misc. ===
==== Speaking body parts ====
The Quran states that human organs will, on the Day of Judgement, testify against their own persons.{{Quote|{{Quran|24|24}}|
On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions. }}
==== Army of magic birds attacking Abraha's army ====
''Main article: [[Historical Errors in the Quran#Surah%20of%20the%20elephant|Historical Errors in the Quran - Surah of the elephant]]''


*[[Contradictions in the Quran‎]]
{{Quote|{{Quran|105|1-5}}|Have you not regarded how your Lord dealt with the army of the elephants?<br> Did He not make their stratagems go awry,<br> and send against them flocks of birds <br> hurling against them stones of baked clay <br> Then He made them like straw eaten up.}}
==== Jews transformed into pigs and apes as a punishment ====
The Qur'an records a miraculous event where Sabbath breakers are transformed into apes and pigs.{{Quote|{{Quran|2|65}}|
And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: "Be ye apes, despised and rejected." }}{{Quote|{{Quran|7|166}}|When they defied [the command pertaining to] what they were forbidden from, We said to them, ‘Be you spurned apes.’}}{{Quote|{{Quran|5|60}}|Say, ‘Shall I inform you concerning something worse than that as a requital from Allah? Those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He is wrathful, and turned some of whom into apes and swine, and worshippers of fake deities! Such are in a worse situation and more astray from the right way.’}}
==== Vivifying Rainfall and Resurrection ====
Rainfall is seen as bringing dead back to life, a common belief in antiquity.<ref>''Tesei, Tommaso. Some Cosmological Notions from Late Antiquity in Q 18:60–65: The Quran in Light of Its Cultural Context. pp28.'' Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 135, no. 1, American Oriental Society, 2015, pp. 19–32, <nowiki>https://doi.org/10.7817/jameroriesoci.135.1.19</nowiki>. <nowiki>https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7817/jameroriesoci.135.1.19</nowiki></ref> Hence the Qur'an repeatedly asserts that just as rainfall revives a barren land, people will likewise be resurrected. However, with our current scientific knowledge, this is now a non-sequitur leap as now we can explain the natural process of germination<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/science/germination Germination] - botany - Life Cycle, Processes & Properties - Britannica</ref> rather than magic through God. So as the revival of plant life is a scientific process, and human resurrection is not, the proof of one is not proof of the other.{{Quote|{{Quran|35|9}}|It is Allah Who sends forth the Winds, so that they raise up the Clouds, and We drive them to a land that is dead, and revive the earth therewith after its death: even so (will be) the Resurrection!}}{{Quote|{{Quran|43|11}}|That sends down (from time to time) rain from the sky in due measure;- and We raise to life therewith a land that is dead; even so will ye be raised (from the dead);}}{{Quote|{{Quran|41|39}}|And among His Signs in this: thou seest the earth barren and desolate; but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He Who gives life to the (dead) earth can surely give life to (men) who are dead. For He has power over all things.}}
==== A man is killed for 100 years then resurrected ====
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|259}}|Or him who came upon a township as it lay fallen on its trellises. He said, ‘How will Allah revive this after its death?!’ So Allah made him die for a hundred years, then He resurrected him. He said, ‘How long did you remain?’ Said he, ‘I have remained a day or part of a day.’ He said, ‘No, you have remained a hundred years. Now look at your food and drink which have not rotted! Then look at your donkey! [This was done] that We may make you a sign for mankind. And now look at its bones, how We raise them up and clothe them with flesh!’ When it became evident to him, he said, ‘I know that Allah has power over all things.’}}


*[http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qbhc06.html "Mary, Sister of Aaron & Daughter of Amram" (Answering Islam)]
===== As is his donkey =====
See above {{Quran|2|259}}


*[http://www.gnosis.org/library/psudomat.htm "Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew" (The Gnostic Society Library)]
===== And his food is kept from rotting =====
See above {{Quran|2|259}}


*[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/infancyjames.html "The Infancy Gospel of James" AKA the Protoevangelium of James (Early Christian Writings)]
==== Seven people are kept sleeping for three-hundred and nine years ====
{{Main|Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Quran}}{{Quote|{{Quran|18|25}}|So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more).}}And a dog keeps watch over them, presumably also given a supernatural lifespan.
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|18}}|You will suppose them to be awake, although they are asleep. We turn them to the right and to the left, and their dog [lies] stretching its forelegs at the threshold. If you come upon them, you will surely turn to flee from them, and you will surely be filled with a terror of them.}}


*[https://www.academia.edu/12358270/The_Quran_and_its_Hypertextuality_in_Light_of_Redaction_Criticism "The Quran and its Hypertextuality in Light of Redaction Criticism" (Academia.edu)]
==== The Earth will throw out things on judgement day ====
{{Translation-links-english|[[Marie, sestra Áronova, v Koránu|Czech]]}}
Classical Islamic commentators explain this can include all kinds of things, including dead people (which in reality would have rotted and not necessarily be in the Earth itself), things to do with their crimes, treasure and metals, and others.<ref>See [https://quranx.com/tafsirs/99.2 commentaries on Quran 99:2]</ref>
{{Quote|{{Quran|99|2}}|And brings forth the earth its burdens,}}


== External Links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_2G_esUvI The lost tribes of Gog & Magog in Islam] -  YouTube video by The Masked Arab
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvRSAAHjlo Yasir Qadhi on Ya'juj & Ma'Juj (Gog and Magog)] - YouTube video by Hassan Radwan
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN8rSybXBaw Stories in the Qur'an] - YouTube video by Abdullah Sameer (now [https://www.youtube.com/@FriendlyExmuslim Friendly ExMuslim])
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sa-ih35idg Why would Allah or God need to swear or insult others in the Quran?] - YouTube video by Adam Elmasri looking at the human emotions involved in the Qur'an
==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />
[[Category:Qur'an]]
[[Category:Christian tradition]]
[[Category:Jewish tradition]]
[[Category:Sacred history]]
[[ar:مريم_أخت_هارون]]

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While miracles by definition are supposed to defy the laws of nature and scientific explanation, the examples of myths and legends briefly listed in the Qur'an illustrate the pre-scientific worldview with which the Qur'an was composed. Being a product of late antiquity, superstitious beliefs like jinn living among us and people using black magic form a sizeable part of the Qur'an, as does the idea of God interacting with the universe, controlling everything, rather than the universe operating off of scientific laws. Even inanimate things worship Allah, who is a corporeal, anthropomorphic being literally sitting on a throne in the cosmos. While there are many more examples of these found in Islamic literature such as hadith and seerah (biographical) material, the Qur'an is replete with such mythic and legendary accounts of supernatural beings and Allah's supernatural powers.

Magic

Creatures

The existence and attributes of Jinn

Main Article: Jinn

The Quran, Hadith and Sira all support the existence of supernatural, generally invisible creatures known as Jinn (جن‎ ǧinn, singular جني ǧinnī ; variant spelling djinn) living among us. In the Qur'an, satan/devil(s) are also jinn (Quran 18:50), which like humans are sent prophets and have (at least some, see Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Predestination) free-will and will be judged accordingly alongside mankind (Quran 6:130). They can interact with us (Quran 6:128) and even possess humans (Quran 2:275) (which the main article elaborates on), and cause people to forget things (Quran 18:63). As well as create buildings/structures (Quran 34:12-13). These magical beings have roots in Arabian mythology and make appearences thereing.

Say, [O Muhammad], "It has been revealed to me that a group of the jinn listened and said, 'Indeed, we have heard an amazing Qur'an.
Quran 72:1

El-Zein (2009) notes the Qur’an mentions only three terms related to the species of jinn: the generic “jinn,” marid, and ‘ifrit. However, Arabic and Islamic literature provides extended descriptions of them as sub-types of jinn (and others not specifically mentioned in the Qur'an).[1]

THE ‘IFRIT The term ‘ifrit is mentioned only once in the Qur’an, when the prophet king Solomon asked for the throne of the Queen of Sheba to be brought to him. One ‘ifrit from among the jinn consented to fulfill his request: “An ‘ifrit of the jinn said, ‘I will bring it to thee, before thou risest from thy place; I have strength for it and I am trusty” (Qur’an 27:39). The term ‘ifrit often presents a problem for the scholars trying to classify the jinn. Many commentators on the verse cited above maintain the word ‘ifrit is an adjective referring to a specific powerful jinni rather than a separate and distinct type among the jinn. Later the word came to describe any powerful and cunning man; in which case, it could refer to dark powers within the human psyche.17
THE MARID In the Qur’an, the marid is an unruly force always striving to predict the future by means of astrological hearsay. The term marid is mentioned only once in the Qur’an in the following verse “We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars and to preserve against every [rebel satan (shaytan marid)]; they listen not to the High Council, for they are pelted from every side” (Qur’an 37:7–8). This kind of jinn is mostly found in popular medieval literature, in particular in the stories of The Nights dealing with Solomon. Finally, as with the term ‘ifrit, the term marid could also be applied to humans. Used as an adjective, it denotes a rebellious man.18
El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (p. 142). Syracuse University Press. Kindle Edition.

Iblis/Satan/The Devil

Main Article: Iblis (Satan)

The Qur'an contains the well-known supernatural character of Satan (with a capital "S"), or "The Devil", (al-shayṭān); also called Iblīs, who tempts unbelievers into disobedience against god, furthering them in their sin, and generally causing evil on Earth.[2] Similar to later traditions on the book of Genesis (originally the serpent who tempts Eve to eat the fruit in the garden of Eden is not identified with Satan, only in the approximately 4 centuries preceding to the Common Era, known as the intertestamental period does this appear),[3] he originally lives in paradise. After refusing to obey God’s command to prostrate (sajada) himself to the newly created Adam, Iblīs is expelled from God’s retinue and subsequently retaliates against his nemesis Adam by persuading him and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree (e.g. Quran 2:34-39, Quran 7:11-25 and Quran 20:115-124).[4]

There are however some differences with Christian-Judeo beliefs, such as him being an evil jinn rather than a 'fallen' angel. Along with him (Iblīs), the term for satans/devils (al-shayāṭīn), “the devils”, usually refer to evil jinn in the Qur'an.[2] While Iblīs/al-shayṭān is a specific devil who takes on a more defined role in the Qur'an.

This Iblīs is in line with late-antique beliefs, with the devil is in some sense to be envisaged as the chief of the evil demons.[5] Sinai (2023) notes for example one verse mentions Iblīs’s “offspring” (dhurriyyah, Quran 18:50), raising the possibility that the descendants in question are to be identified with wicked demons, and Quran 26:95 speaks of the “hosts (junūd) of Iblīs” being cast into hell, especially since these hosts are mentioned in addition to “those who have gone astray” (al-ghāwūn) Quran 26:94, who would seem to refer to human sinners, the “hosts of Iblīs” are probably to be understood as the latter’s demonic minions.[5]

The existence and attributes of angels

Similarly to Judeo-Christian literature, the Quran, Hadith and Sira affirms the existence of angels, traditionally said to be made from light as mentioned in Islamic tradition (such as Sahih Muslim 2996),[6] while other have asserted they are made from fire like jinn based on (see: Quran 38:73-76 and Quran 7:11-12),[7] before humans (Quran 2:30).

They are also God's messengers like humans (Quran 22:75), with generally a humanoid shape,[8] and have at least either two, three or four (pairs of) wings.

All praise belongs to Allah, originator of the heavens and the earth, maker of the angels [His] messengers, possessing wings, two, three or four [of them]... He adds to the creation whatever He wishes. Indeed Allah has power over all things.
Quran 35:1

They are said to hold God’s throne (in the heavens) Quran 69:17 and some stand around it (Quran 40:7). Eight angels will carry the throne of God on Judgement Day (Quran 69:17). Two to the left and right of people write down everyone's deeds for judgment day (Quran 50:17-21), hovering above people (Quran 82:10-12). They also ask forgiveness for the faithful on Earth (Quran 42:5), help fight with believers against non-believers (Quran 8:12) chastise unbelievers (Quran 8:50). As well as blow the trumpets on judgement day[9] in e.g. Quran 6:73 Quran 18:99

They praise and worship God constantly,[10] e.g. Quran 13:13, Quran 7:206, Quran 21:19, Quran 40:7, Quran 41:38, Quran 42:5, Quran 69:17 and carry out his divine will - and unlike biblical angels, do not seem to be able to disobey god.[11]

Quran 72:8-9 describes the firmament as being guarded by watchful protectors [ḥaras], who are undoubtedly angels.[12] They play an active role in the cosmos by thwarting spying jinn/devils who attempt to eavesdrop on divine decrees from the 'exalted assembly' (see: Shooting Stars in the Quran). These intruders are repelled by stars or meteors (Quran 15:16-18, Quran 37:6-10, Quran 67:5, Quran 72:8-9.

These angelic beings have their roots in the mythology of Hebrew bible tradition, where these angels were lesser deites or messengers of the gods in the tradition of west Asian religion in the bronze age.

Cherubs

The Qur'an mentions 'al-muqarrabūn' [Those close to god]. The traditional view of 'al-muqarrabūn' is often a rank of angels.[13] Some academics have suggested these are cherubs, which have existed in some classical Islamic cosmologies, such as the famous philosopher Ibn Sīnā's (often known as Avicenna in the West).[14]

As for the cherubs, they are designated by the name al-muqarrabūn in a few passages:
By no means! Surely the book of the pious is indeed in ‘Illiyīn. And what will make you know what ‘Illiyīn is? A written book. The ones brought near bear witness to it [yashhadu-hu l-muqarrabūna]. (Q 83:18 – 21)
Despite the rather cryptic character of these verses, we see here the motif already studied of angels “witnessing” celestial phenomena. In another passage, Jesus and the angels are also called al-muqarrabūn (“the ones brought near”; Q 4:172). This designation is very odd, especially ascribed to Jesus. The word muqarrabūn sounds like a deformation of the Hebrew or Syriac word for “cherubs”, kerūbīm/krūbē. The name kerūbīm in the Bible is an Assyrian loanword and designates “those who pray” but the root KRB is not used otherwise in the Bible. The cherubs are specifically said to support God’s throne in the Bible (1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 1 Ch 13:6; 2 K 19:15; Is 37:16; Ps 80:2, 90:1).713 In light of this function, the Qur’ān seems to distort the original Semitic root KRB into QRB so as to give a new meaning to these angels’ name. The cherubs are now muqarrabūn, “the ones close to God”.
Decharneux, Julien. Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (pp. 306-307). De Gruyter. Kindle Edition.

Houri's (Heavenly Virgins)

Main Article: Houri (Heavenly Virgin)

There are allegedly heavenly maidens to service righteous men in paradise. No equivalent male version exists for women (although there are indications in Islamic literature of cup-bearer boys for the homosexual enjoyment of men).[15]

And [for them are] fair women with large, [beautiful] eyes,
Quran 56:22
and maidens with swelling breasts, like of age,
Quran 78:33

Gog and Magog (Yājūj and Mājūj)

Main article: Historical Errors in the Quran - Massive wall of iron

The Qur'an relates a story where a servant of Allah (Dhul-Qarnayn) traps "Gog and Maggog" behind an iron wall where they will remain until judgment day (essentially making them creatures that live a beyond human lifespan, if not immortal), where they will then swarm the Earth. Most scholars say they are humans, for example Ibn Kathir says they are also descents of Noah through his son Yafith (Japheth), who was the father of the Turks; Turk referring to the group of them who were left behind the barrier which was built by Dhul-Qarnayn.[16] Though others such as al-Idrisi (d. 1165) say they are monsters, with some 120 cubits high and the same length wide among other non-human descriptions.[17] However regardless if they are monsters or humans they are still mythical as clearly they would have been found if trapped behind a giant wall until judgement day given we have explored all the land on Earth.

They said, "O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are [great] corrupters in the land. So may we assign for you an expenditure that you might make between us and them a barrier?"
Quran 18:94
Until when [the dam of] Gog and Magog has been opened and they, from every elevation, descend
Quran 21:96

Buraq, the winged horse

Main Article: Buraq

While it took one week to travel from Mecca to Jerusalem (the location of the alleged 'farthest Mosque') by camel, Islamic scripture states that a magical winged horse, called the Buraq, transported Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem in a matter of minutes. Creatures like the Buraq were common characters in near-East myths.[18]

Glory to (Allah) Who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did bless,- in order that We might show him some of Our Signs: for He is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things).
Quran 17:1

The existence of magic and sorcerers

Main article: Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:Witchcraft and the Occult

No evidence has ever proven that magic is real. However, Quran 113:4 ("evil of those who blow on knots") is reported in commentaries as referring to those who practice magic.[19] Knots were commonly associated with magic in antiquity.[20] The next verse, Quran 113:5 ("evil of the envious when he envies), is said to refer to a superstitious belief known as 'The Evil Eye', a physical and mental supernatural condition that affects those who envy. For further explanation see the main article.

1. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn

2. From the evil of what He has created
3. And from the evil of the utterly dark night when it comes
4. And from the evil of those who blow on knots

5. And from the evil of the envious when he envies
Quran 113:1-5

At least once, humans are taught magic by satans (believed to be jinn) and angels (Harut and Marut are named in this verse):

and they follow what the Satans recited over Solomon's kingdom. Solomon disbelieved not, but the Satans disbelieved, teaching the people sorcery, and that which was sent down upon Babylon's two angels, Harut and Marut; they taught not any man, without they said, 'We are but a temptation; do not disbelieve.' From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife, yet they did not hurt any man thereby, save by the leave of God, and they learned what hurt them, and did not profit them, knowing well that whoso buys it shall have no share in the world to come; evil then was that they sold themselves for, if they had but known.
Quran 2:102

The Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-qudus)

Main Article: Jibreel (Gabriel) and al-Ruh al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) in the Qur'an

The holy spirit in the Qur'an is presented sometimes as an angel or quasi-angelic intermediary or agent of God.[21] Other times as a vivifying or fortifying principle emanating from God.[22] Other times it is more complex to classify.[23]

And We did certainly give Moses the Torah and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, [O Children of Israel], with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party [of messengers] you denied and another party you killed.
Quran 2:87
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Quran 66:12

Sacred geography

Sacred (ḥaram)[24] geography is in Qur'anic theology, currently in Mecca, the Ka'ba. The sacred house referred to as the sacred mosque/place of worship (al-masjidi al-ḥarāmi) E.g. Quran 17:1 or the sacred house al-bayta al-haram Quran 5:2

Allah has made the Ka‘bah, the Sacred House, standing for the people and [has sanctified] the sacred months and the sacrificial animals and the garlands [by which they are identified]. That is so you may know that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and that Allah is Knowing of all things.
Quran 5:97

Similarly Jerusalem temple referred to as the furthest mosque (al-masjidi al-aqṣā), which although not directly called in the Qur'an it is implied at least was sacred, and later tradition was undecided on the matter.[25]

Immaculate is He who carried His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose environs We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing.
Quran 17:1

Israel is described as the holy land (al-arḍa al-muqadasata)[26] by Moses.

O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has ordained for you, and do not turn your backs, or you will become losers.’
Quran 5:21

And a sacred valley (see also: Quran 79:16).

Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.
Quran 20:12

There is no evidence they are more sacred or special than anywhere else on Earth, therefore this is another superstition.

Sacred months

Main article: Pre-Islamic Arab Religion in Islam - The Four Sacred Months

The Quran contains a mention of four sacred (ḥurum)[27] months. These are the lunar-based months Dhul Qadha, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab, from Arabic pagan beliefs (see main article).

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four months are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the disbelievers collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous [who fear Him]. Indeed, the postponing [sacred months] is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led [further] astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number made unlawful by Allah and [thus] make lawful what Allah has made unlawful.
Quran 9:36-37
And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
Quran 9:5

And similarly Ramaḍān is the month of fasting.

Tree of immortality

In jannah where Adam lives, there is a tree of immortality Adam is tempted by Satan to eat from.

Then Satan whispered to him; he said, "O Adam, shall I direct you to the tree of eternity and possession that will not deteriorate?"
Quran 20:120

The Lote Tree of the utmost Boundary (Sid'rati al-Muntahā)

Lote tree's are a real type of tree (Ziziphus spina-christi) native to Arabia and the Middle East.[28] Different to the tree of eternity/immortality (شرجرة الخلدshajarati ul-khul'di) in paradise (jannah), the Qur'an mentions the Lote Tree (سِدْرَةِ sidra) of the utmost boundary (ٱلْمُنتَهَىٰ al-muntahā)[29] near (but notably not in) the 'garden of abode', said to be 'covered' يَغْشَى yaghshā by something unspecified in Q53:16, typically taken by exegetes to mean by angels, light and/or golden animals.[30]

And certainly he saw him (in) descent another,

Near (the) Lote Tree (of) the utmost boundary, Near it (is the) Garden (of) Abode. when there covered the Lote Tree what covered it.

Not swerved the sight and not it transgressed.
Quran 53:13-17

This furthest boundary/limit is said in the hadith to place the cosmic tree in the sixth heaven, where even celestial creatures cannot go beyond it marking the limit of creation to all but God; said to be seen by Muhammad in his Night Journey (mi’rāj) on the Buraq (E.g. Sahih Muslim 173, Jami` at-Tirmidhi 5:44:3276, Sahih Bukhari 3887 & Sunan an-Nasa'i 1:5:452), and by many Islamic exegetes.[31]

This would align the cosmology of Islamic traditions supporting the idea that paradise (and therefore the garden of the abode) is in the seventh heaven,[32] while some traditions support the idea that paradise is above the seventh heaven,[33] both place the tree relatively close to jannah. However others suggest that this specific garden of abode (jannatu l-mawā) is a separate garden/paradise to the eternal one all righteous Muslims will eventually enter, being instead where martyrs (those killed in war or for their religion) go before judgement day.[34]

Either way there is no evidence of a celestial tree, which must be supernatural to survive outside of an Earthly plant ecosystem.

Humans agree to worship god before their existence

Humans are said to have verbally agreed that Allah is their lord, so they cannot say they were unaware on judgment day, most commonly taken by classical Islamic commentaries (and hadith) as a magical temporary pre-existent creation before the current life that we all forget,[35] though it is hard to know given the forgetting what the purpose of the this agreement is.

And when (was) taken (by) your Lord from (the) Children (of) Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify over themselves, "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes we have testified." Lest you say (on the) Day (of) the Resurrection, "Indeed, we were about this unaware."
Quran 7:172

The soul is taken away during sleep

Like many other religions, the Qur'an affirms the idea that humans have a 'soul' that is separate to the physical body (the concept itself now a controversial idea now we know so much of what would be traditionally ascribed to a soul such as personality and memory comes from physical processes in the brain,[36] and can be damaged by physical actions such as brain trauma[37] and psychoactive drugs[38]).

According to the Qur'an, humans have souls that are taken away during sleep time.[39]

Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those who have not died, in their sleep. Then He retains those for whom He has ordained death and releases the others until a specified time. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.
Quran 39:42
It is He who takes your souls by night, and He knows what you do by day, then He reanimates you therein so that a specified term may be completed. Then to Him will be your return, whereat He will inform you concerning what you used to do.
Quran 6:60

Because of this, classical Islamic scholars have called sleep 'a lesser death'.[40] Modern science now understands the cause and biological functions that occur during sleep are numerous and complex, and vital to the body for e.g. hormonal regulation, waste clearance, memory, the immune system etc - in highly active processes, in no accurate way comparable to death.[41]

Natural processes ascribed to God and magical properties assigned to inanimate objects

It could be argued that there is no randomness or natural law in the Qur'an, but rather every single thing including all causal events and interactions are not the results of material conditions and conjunctions, but rather determined by God/Allah's current will; an opinion argued by many Muslim theologians,[42] such as al-Ghazālī who claims that God is the ultimate cause.[43]

Decharneux (2023) highlights that God in the Qur'an is highly active in the cosmos, not just at the beginning of creation to set the world in place.

The text repeatedly ascribes to God the cosmic role of sustaining the world. God continuously provides humans with food and necessary supplies (e. g. Q 6:96, 7:9, 26:75, 28:57, 29:60, 30:40, 34:24, 36:71 – 73). He is also responsible for the regularity of astral motions in the sky (e. g. Q 7:54, 13:2, 14:33, 16:12, 29:61, 31:29, 35:13, 39:5), for the succession of day and night (e. g. Q 14:33, 16:12), as well as any other things that allow humans to live on a daily basis. All these passages show that the Qur’ān grants to the theme of the creatio continua (“continuous creation”; i. e. maintenance of the universe) a prominent place within the overall Qur’ānic cosmological discourse. This is hardly surprising given the natural theological system described in the first chapter. God’s creatorship is observable in the cycles and the regularity of the world.
Decharneux, Julien. De Gruyter. 2023. Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (pp. 143).

And similarly Sinai (2023).

Even after having been fully set up, the natural realm is thus in no way causally independent of its creator, whom Q 55:29 describes as incessantly busy (kulla yawmin huwa fī shaʾn, “everyday he is engaged in something”).
allāh | God Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 62-63). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

In similar fashion to the control seen in the doctrine of Predestination in the Qur'an, events aren't given a somewhat random cause and effect of individual people working within the laws of nature that have been set, but rather God interacts constantly. He (Allāh) regulates affairs from the heaven to the earth Quran 32:5, gives favour to people Quran 16:53 and chooses when they die Quran 32:11, as with every nation Quran 7:34 and thing Quran 6:67. He is seen as deciding the outcome of battles Quran 36:74-75 (which other gods cannot Quran 46:28) and working through believers to fight unbelievers Quran 8:17[44] and sending invisible angels to Muhammad Quran 3:123-126, Quran 33:9, Quran 9:26 (cf: Quran 3:123-126) etc.

Natural processes explained by science as miracles

Wind & rain

Wind is seen as a sign of God Quran 35:9 rather than from heat differences,[45] and God is said to bring down rain, rather than the natural process of water droplets[46] condensing onto one another within a cloud, causing the droplets to grow - which when these water droplets get too heavy to stay suspended in the cloud, they fall to Earth as rain (cf: Quran 43:11). This is in line with the pre-Islamic Arabic poets worldview. [47]

Lightning

The Qur'an states that lighting is a sign shown by god for fear (khawfan) and hope (waṭamaʿan), however now we know that lightening is simply an electrical phenomena caused by negative and positive charges in clouds or between the cloud and the ground build up and suddenly discharge, creating a bright flash,[48] (i.e. explained by science), it is difficult to see why it would give people hope.

And among His Signs, He shows you the lightning, by way both of fear and of hope, and He sends down rain from the sky and with it gives life to the earth after it is dead
Quran 30:24

Ships sailing

Allah causes ships to stay afloat (and presumably sink) (Quran 55:24, Quran 17:70, Quran 17:66) rather than the scientific principle of buoyancy[49] (and essentially randomness of those who's boats do not work).

The baby's sex and Infertility

Allah is said to cause infertility, which we now know has many medical causes, some of which are preventable.[50]

He creates whatever He wants and bestows female to whomever He wants and bestows male to whomever He wants. Or He mingles them, males and females, and He makes barren whom He pleases. Lo! He is Knower, Powerful.
Quran 42:49-50

The embryo's sex

Main Article: Embryology in the Quran

In the same verse as above Quran 42:49-50 God is said to decide who is male and who is female, rather than the sex chromosome of the sperm cell that fertilizes the ovum.[51] A sahih hadith clarifies that this is determined by whether the mother or father reaches sexual climax first.[52]

Inanimate objects and animals worship God

Inanimate objects that do not have a consciousness like those with complex brains, so are not capable of worshipping anything.

The Thunder celebrates His praise, and the angels [too], in awe of Him, and He releases the thunderbolts and strikes with them whomever He wishes. Yet they dispute concerning Allah, though He is great in might.
Quran 13:13
Have you not regarded that whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth prostrates to Allah, as well as the sun, the moon, and the stars, the mountains, the trees, and the animals and many humans? And many have come to deserve the punishment. Whomever Allah humiliates will find no one who may bring him honour. Indeed Allah does whatever He wishes.
Quran 22:18

Even their shadows do somehow.

To Allah prostrates whoever there is in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, and their shadows at sunrise and sunset.
Quran 13:15

Everything in the cosmos (presumably covering the vast amounts of near-empty space and elements) worships and prostrates before him, as does every animal and angel, all allegedly fearing God (Quran 16:49-50, Quran 22:18), including the birds, which do so while flying (Quran 24:41), and trees (Quran 55:6).

Inanimate objects refused the task of being God's followers, but humans accepted

It is hard to know what was meant by this or why Allah would offer an inanimate object with no biology for consciousness that he already knew couldn't answer the task, nor how they refused it. Some classical Islamic commentaries say they could speak at the time.[53]

Indeed We presented the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to undertake it and were apprehensive of it; but man undertook it. Indeed he is most unjust and ignorant.
Quran 33:72

Allah speaks to the heavens/skies and the earth and they respond

Then He turned towards the heaven when it was smoke, saying to it and to the earth, ‘Submit, willingly or unwillingly.’ They both responded, ‘We submit willingly.’"
Quran 41:11

Anthropomorphisms of Allāh

Allah is not a totally transcendent God, as he is described as having human features in several verses in the Qur'an. Many hadith also support this view.[54]

Hands

Sinai (2023) notes the parallels with pre-Islamic and contemporary literature suggesting that these verses are to be taken literally.[55]

He said, ‘O Iblis! What keeps you from prostrating before that which I have created with My [own] two hands? Are you arrogant, or are you one of the exalted ones?’
Quran 38:75
...in Q 38:75 God upbraids Iblīs for failing to “prostrate to what I have created with my hands,” bi-yadayya. As recognised by al-Ashʿarī (Gimaret 1990, 326), the point of God’s statement here is presumably to highlight a trait of Adam that endows him with peculiar dignity and elevates him over Iblīs—namely, the fact that God has formed Adam in a more intimate fashion than other creatures. Hence, although the Qur’anic God is perfectly capable of creating by verbal fiat, as maintained in places like Q 2:117 and 3:47 (when God “decides on [creating] something, he merely says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is,” idhā qaḍā amran fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fa-yakūn), he can also create in what is literally a hands-on manner, by making use of his own limbs.106 In passing, one may note that the claim that humans were fashioned manually has pre-Qur’anic parallels that lend further support to taking it quite literally. According to Aphrahat, Adam alone was created by God’s own hands while everything else was created by God’s word (Demonstrations 13:11 = Parisot 1894, 563–566, identified in BEQ 46). The same idea is developed at length by Jacob of Sarug (Mathews 2020, 46–51, ll. 2157–2194): whereas all other creatures were brought into existence by a divine “signal” (remzā; cf. Decharneux 2019, 244–245), Adam was uniquely created by God’s hands (l. 2169)—an instance of divine self-abasement that prefigures the incarnation of Christ (ll. 2189–2194). The Cave of Treasures also reports that Adam was shaped by God’s “holy hands” (Ri 1987, ch. 2:12; see Zellentin 2017, 109).107
allāh | God Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 73-74). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

Eyes

Build the ark before Our eyes and by Our revelation, and do not plead with Me for those who are wrongdoers: they shall indeed be drowned.’
Quran 11:37
"That cast him in the chest then cast it in the river, then let cast it the river on the bank; will take him an enemy to Me, and an enemy to him." And I cast over you love from Me, and that you may be brought up under My eye.
Quran 20:39
So submit patiently to the judgement of your Lord, for indeed you fare before Our eyes. And celebrate the praise of your Lord when you rise [at dawn]
Quran 52:48

Sitting upright

Further adding to the special aspect, Sinai (2023) writes, these anthropomorphisms are further bolstered as literal with him "sitting" on a throne, which angels will carry specifically in the sky, most likely the highest one; i.e. part of the cosmos rather than a separate supernatural "universe" or in a state of indescribable non spatial existence.

Qur’an quite literally understands God to possess a countenance, sensory percipience, and limbs capable of touching, grasping, or imparting movement that the Islamic scripture employs various idioms and formulae involving these features. After all, there is no Qur’anic equivalent to Ephrem’s caveat that God only “put on the names of body parts”—i.e., speaks of himself in anthropomorphic and anthropopathic language—due to the weakness of human understanding (Beck 1955, no. 31:1–4). The Qur’anic God, therefore, is not merely a body but also, at least in some sense, an anthropomorphic body: he is endowed with a face, he is empirically receptive to worldly occurrences (rather than just knowing about them), and he can directly, with his own body, manipulate objects in the world. That the divine body has a fundamentally humanoid shape is further accentuated by the use of the verb istawā, “to stand up straight” or “to sit upright,” which is applied both to God, indicating the modality of his being located on the throne (Q 7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4, 57:4),108 and to humans, who are described as “sitting upright” in a boat or on the back of a mount (Q 23:28, 43:13; see CDKA 142).
allāh | God Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 74). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

Made of light/photons

God is described as being made of light, which we now know from modern science would essentially be saying he is made of photons.[56]

And (will) shine the earth with (the) light (of) its Lord and (will) be placed the Record and (will) be brought the Prophets and the witnesses, and it (will) be judged between them in truth, and they will not be wronged.
Quran 39:69

Similarly in regards to light Sinai (2023) notes:

Nonetheless, with regard to Q 39:69 it seems more likely that the verse speaks of literal light, given that the same context also mentions the blowing of the eschatological trumpet (v. 68) and the display of the celestial register of deeds in preparation for the judgement (v. 69). But if reference is to concrete light rather than to the metaphorical light of divine guidance, then it stands to reason that this is light emitted by God, who arrives in order to judge humans and other moral agents.
allāh | God Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 71). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

And:

The obvious reading of the material just surveyed is that the Qur’an considers God to be at least in principle visible and to be spatially located. The Qur’anic God cannot, therefore, be immaterial in any strict sense.
allāh | God Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 69). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

Human emotions

Anger and wrath

God is said to have human emotions in the Qur'an such as anger (ghadab) (Q 1:7; cf. 4:93; 5:60; 7:71, 152; 8:16; 16:106; 20:81; 42:16; 48:6; 58:14; 60:13), and we see for example in Q 4:93,which deals with those who commit murder, we see that God does not simply send murderers to hell; he also grows angry with them.[57]

Should anyone kill a believer intentionally, his requital shall be hell, to remain in it [forever]; Allah shall be wrathful at him and curse him and He shall prepare for him a great punishment.
Quran 4:93

This anger frequently causes Allah to actively take vengeance on them.[58]

Loving

Quran 60:8 Durie (2018) notes that in contrast to the bible, the title al-wadūd “one who loves” is used of Allah only twice (Q85:14; Q11:90).[59]

Not loving

Reynolds (2020) notes

There are indeed those whom the God of the Qur’an does not love. “God does not love any sinful unbeliever” (Q 2:276). “God does not love the faithless” (Q 3:32; cf. 30:45).9 God also does not love the wrongdoers (Q 3:57, 140; 42:40), the transgressors (Q 2:190, 5:87, 7:55), the arrogant (Q 4:36, 16:23, 31:18, 57:23), the proud (Q 4:36, 31:18, 57:23), the wasteful (Q 6:141, 7:31), the treacherous (Q 8:58, 22:38), the corrupt (Q 5:64, 28:77), and the boastful (Q 28:76).
Reynolds, Gabriel Said. Allah: God in the Qur'an (p. 167). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.

Hating

Quran 40:10 even speaks of God’s “hate” (maqt) of unbelievers.[60]

Pleasure

Alongside other human emotions God can feel pleasure (Quran 98:8).

Other

Both God and Humans are said to have a sunnah[61] or "customary way" of acting[62] (e.g. Quran 35:43).

Miracles and myths

Miracles and myths, often taken via prophets but other times directly by Allah are listed below. Many are absurd and contradict science.

Prophet Miracles

Noah (Nūḥ)

Lived to be 950+ years old

Noah is said to be be at least 950 years old, with many traditional Islamic commentators taking this to mean he was preaching for this long until the flood came, and was therefore older in total (many exegetes for example say he was granted prophethood at age 40),[63] and we are not told how long he lives after these events, but this could easily push him to be over a 1,000 years old in total. The legendary lifespan is typical for prophets and patriarchs in from the first part of the book of Genesis in the bible and is recorded for several other patriarchs there.

Certainly We sent Noah to his people, and he remained with them for a thousand-less-fifty years. Then the flood overtook them while they were wrongdoers.
Quran 29:14

Adam (ʾĀdam)

Adam is not said to have performed any miracles directly (or through Allah) in the Qur'an, though he was magically created from clay rather than evolving.[64] And the holy spirit was made to create him (e.g. Quran 15:29, Quran 32:6-9 and Quran 38:72). According to the Qur'an, he lived in paradise amoung the angels (and at least one jinn who turned into 'the devil') "Allah placed Adam in a paradisical Garden. After Adam sinned by eating from the forbidden tree (Tree of Immortality) after God forbade him from doing so, then paradise was declined to him and he was sent down to live on Earth."

Eve (Ḥawwā')

Though not mentioned by name in the Qur'an, the mate miraculously created from Adam is interpreted as Eve, and named in the hadith and commentaries. No miracles are directly attributed to her either, but she originally lived in jannah (paradise), and is also miraculously created, as Shock (2006) notes "the early commentators report that she was created from the lowest of Adam’s ribs (qusayra) — which is sometimes also understood as the shortest rib",[65] also contradicting evolution as the first woman.

O mankind! Be wary of your Lord who created you from a single soul, and created its mate from it, and from the two of them scattered numerous men and women. Be wary of Allah, in whose Name you adjure one another and [of severing ties with] blood relations. Indeed Allah is watchful over you.
Quran 4:1

Abraham (Ibrāhīm)

Magically cooling fire

Abraham is thrown into a fire that magically cools for him and burns only his chains.[66]

We said, ‘O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!’
Quran 21:69

Cut up birds and bring them back to life

And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord! Show me how You revive the dead,’ He said, ‘Do you not believe?’ He said, ‘Yes indeed, but in order that my heart may be at rest.’ He said, ‘Catch four of the birds. Then cut them into pieces, and place a part of them on every mountain, then call them; they will come to you hastening. And know that Allah is all-mighty and all-wise.’
Quran 2:260

Shown the universe

And thus did We show Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth that he would be among the certain [in faith].
Quran 6:75

Gives Abraham and his old wife a child

“There came Our messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, ‘Peace!’ He answered, ‘Peace!’ and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw their hands went not towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: ‘Fear not: we have been sent against the people of Lut.’ And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed, but We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said, ‘Alas for me! shall I bear a child, seeing I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!’ They said, ‘Dost thou wonder at Allah’s decree? The grace of Allah and His blessings on you, O, ye people of the house! For He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of all glory!’”
Quran 11:69-73

Ishmael (ʾIsmāʿīl)

Ishmael is Abraham's son, who God originally asks Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael to prove his devotion (Quran 37:100-108). Ishmael agrees but God swaps him with a ram (according to Islamic commentaries on this verse) before he completes it.[67]

And We ransomed him with a sacrifice great,
Quran 37:107

Abel (Hābīl) and Cane (Qābīl)

A raven sent from God shows Abel where to bury his brother Cain.

Then Allah sent a crow, exploring in the ground, to show him how to bury the corpse of his brother. He said, ‘Woe to me! Am I unable to be [even] like this crow and bury my brother’s corpse?’ Thus he became regretful.
Quran 5:31

Jonah (Yunus)

Living inside a big fish

The Quran presents a version of the Biblical tale in which Jonah is swallowed by a whale ('the big Fish') and then lives in the whale for some time while praying. This legendary account is copied from the simiarly fantastic account in the bible's book of Jonah.

Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame. Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah, He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection. But We cast him forth, on the naked shore in a state of sickness
Quran 37:142

Joseph (Yūsuf)

Dream interpreting

Birds are seen in a dream which Joseph interprets in reality.

There entered the prison two youths along with him. One of them said, ‘I dreamt that I am pressing grapes.’ The other said, ‘I dreamt that I am carrying bread on my head from which the birds are eating.’ ‘Inform us of its interpretation,’ [they said], ‘for indeed we see you to be a virtuous man.’ He said, ‘Before the meals you are served come to you I will inform you of its interpretation. That is among things my Lord has taught me. Indeed, I renounce the creed of the people who have no faith in Allah and who [also] disbelieve in the Hereafter... ...O my prison mates! As for one of you, he will serve wine to his master, and as for the other, he will be crucified and vultures will eat from his head. The matter about which you inquire has been decided.’
Quran 12:36-41

A shirt regains his sons sight

Here, Jacob (Ya'qūb) (Joseph's son e.g. Quran 12:80) is blind, and when Joseph arranges for him to be brought to Egypt for their reunion, he instructs his brothers to place the shirt on Jacob's face, miraculously restoring his sight.

Take this shirt of mine, and cast it upon my father’s face; he will regain his sight, and bring me all your folks.’ As the caravan set off, their father said, ‘I sense the scent of Joseph, if you will not consider me a dotard.’ They said, ‘By God, you persist in your inveterate error.’ When the bearer of good news arrived, he cast it on his face, and he regained his sight. He said, ‘Did I not tell you, ‘‘I know from Allah what you do not know?’’ ’
Quran 12:93-96

Job (Ayyūb)

Magic water spring

Though he doesn't seem to perform any miracles directly like Jesus or Moses in the Qur'an, Allah instructs him to strike the ground with his foot, and a spring of water emerges, which heals him.[68] This might be considered a divine blessing or sign rather than a miracle performed by Job himself.

[We told him:] ‘Stamp your foot on the ground; this [ensuing spring] will be a cooling bath and drink.’
Quran 38:42

Moses (Mūsā)

Sea split in half

The Quran present a version of the Biblical story where Moses splits the sea and crosses it with the Israelites. The entire Moses story as we have it both in the bible and derived forms such as the Qur'an is wholy legendary in nature as there's no evidence from the record of Egypt's ancient history that Moses ever existed.

And remember We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's people within your very sight.
Quran 2:50

Stick turned serpent

The Quran states that Moses' staff transformed into a serpent.

Then (Moses) threw his rod, and behold! it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)!
Quran 7:107

Plagues of Egypt

So We sent against them a flood and locusts, lice, frogs and blood, as distinct signs. But they acted arrogantly, and they were a guilty lot.
Quran 7:133

Mountain lifted up and dropped in front of him (from Allah)

When Moses arrived at Our tryst and his Lord spoke to him, he said, ‘My Lord, show [Yourself] to me, that I may look at You!’ He said, ‘You shall not see Me. But look at the mountain: if it abides in its place, then you will see Me.’ So when his Lord disclosed Himself to the mountain, He levelled it, and Moses fell down swooning. When he recovered, he said, ‘Immaculate are You! I turn to You in penitence, and I am the first of the faithful.’
Quran 7:143
And when We took a pledge from you, and raised the Mount above you, [declaring], ‘Hold on with power to what We have given you and remember that which is in it so that you may be Godwary.’
Quran 2:63

Moses's magic white hand

‘Insert your hand into your shirt. It will emerge white and bright, without any fault—among nine signs meant for Pharaoh and his people. Indeed they are a transgressing lot.’
Quran 27:12

12 Springs magically appear from a rock

And when Moses prayed for water for his people, We said, ‘Strike the rock with your staff.’ Thereat twelve fountains gushed forth from it; every tribe came to know its drinking-place. ‘Eat and drink of Allah’s provision, and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.’
Quran 12:60

Dead fish (for food) comes back to life at the junction of the two seas

Main Article: A Barrier Between Two Seas and the Cosmic Ocean

Moses's dead fish comes back to life at the junction of the two seas, in a verse paralleling late antique Christian literature.

So when they reached the confluence between them, they forgot their fish, which found its way into the sea, sneaking away. Then when they had passed beyond he said to his boy, "Bring us our morning meal. Certainly we have suffered in our journey this, fatigue." He said, 'What thinkest thou? When we took refuge in the rock, then I forgot the fish-and it was Satan himself that made me forget it so that I should not remember it -- and so it took its way into the sea in a manner marvellous.'
Quran 18:61-63

Mooing statue

The Qur'an describes a statue of a calf that was capable of mooing.

So he brought forth for them a calf, a (mere) body, which had a mooing sound, so they said: This is your god and the god of Musa, but he forgot.
Quran 20:88

Testimony of a dead man by slapping a cow

The Quran states that Allah instructed a group of people to strike a murdered man with a piece of a heifer (young female cow that has not yet borne a calf) in order to temporarily resurrect him and discover the identity of the murderer.

And We said: Smite him with some of it. Thus Allah bringeth the dead to life and showeth you His portents so that ye may understand.
Quran 2:73

Korah (Qārūn) swallowed

Korah indeed belonged to the people of Moses, but he bullied them. We had given him so much treasures that their chests indeed proved heavy for a band of stalwarts. When his people said to him, ‘Do not boast! Indeed Allah does not like the boasters. Seek the abode of the Hereafter by means of what Allah has given you, while not forgetting your share of this world. Be good [to others] just as Allah has been good to you, and do not try to cause corruption in the land. Indeed Allah does not like the agents of corruption.’... ...So We caused the earth to swallow him and his house, and he had no party that might protect him from Allah, nor could he rescue himself. By dawn those who longed to be in his place the day before were saying, ‘Don’t you see that Allah expands the provision for whomever He wishes of His servants, and tightens it? Had Allah not shown us favour, He might have made the earth swallow us too. Don’t you see that the faithless do not prosper?’
Quran 28:76-82

His audience are killed by a thunderbolt then brought back to life

And when you said, ‘O Moses, we will not believe you until we see Allah visibly.’ Thereupon a thunderbolt seized you as you looked on. Then We revived you from after your death, so that you may (be) grateful.
Quran 2:55

David (Dāwūd)

Understanding birds

Solomon inherited from David, and he said, ‘O people! We have been taught the speech of the birds, and we have been given out of everything. Indeed this is a manifest advantage.’
Quran 27:16

Mountains and birds sing psalms

The Qur'an states that hills and birds would sing the psalms with David.

And assuredly We gave David grace from Us, (saying): O ye hills and birds, echo his psalms of praise! And We made the iron supple unto him
Quran 34:10

Allah making iron soft for David

Certainly We gave David our grace: ‘O mountains and birds, chime in with him!’ And We made iron soft for him.
Quran 34:10

Solomon (Sulaymān)

Solomon's Army of jinn and birds (controlling them)

A story in the Qur'an, drawing on Jewish folklore, states that Solomon commanded a massive army comprised of 'Jinns and men and birds'. Solomon is described as speaking with a Hoopoe bird and thereafter desiring to execute the bird when it is tardy to his assembly. The Hoopoe bird, it is then revealed, was only delayed because it had been spying on a beautiful female ruler, Queen Sheba, who Solomon subsequently insists is misguided and must be conquered. At this point, Solomon assigns a Jinn from his assembly the task of stealing Queen Sheba's magnificent throne. All of these fantastic elements evince the legendary and folkloric origins of the story.

And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah.)And before Solomon were marshalled his hosts― of Jinns and men and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks.
Quran 27:16-17
And he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: "Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees? I will certainly punish him with a severe Penalty, or execute him, unless he bring me a clear reason (for absence). But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up and) said: "I have compassed (territory) which thou hast not compassed, and I have come to thee from Saba with tidings true. I found (there) a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne.
Quran 27:20-23

Fountain of bronze

And We caused a fount of (molten) brass to flow for him, and there were jinns that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord, and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the torment of the blazing Fire.
Quran 34:12

Solomon speaks to an ant

Solomon understands the speech of an ant advising caution to his fellows

When they came to the Valley of Ants, an ant said, ‘O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts should trample on you while they are unaware.’
Quran 27:18

Solomons dead body doesn't decompose properly

When We decreed death for him, nothing apprised them of his death except a worm which gnawed away at his staff. And when he fell down, [the humans] realized that had the jinn known the Unseen, they would not have remained in a humiliating torment.
Quran 34:14

Manipulating the wind

The Quran says that Solomon had the power to control the wind and traditional sources elaborate that Solomon could use this wind to fly upon a gigantic wooden carpet to wherever he pleased.

Then We subjected the wind to his power, to flow gently to his order, Whithersoever he willed
Quran 38:36
A flying carpet made from wood, on top of which he could carry everything in his kingdom including chairs, to wherever Solomon wants to go, whilst flocks of birds would fly over to give shade
Tafsir Ibn-Kathir on 21:81

Zechariah (Zakariyā)

Cures his wife barreness

This produces John the Baptist (Yaḥyā) in the Qur'an.

“And (remember) Zakariya, when he cried to his Lord: ‘O, my Lord! leave me not childless, and Thou art the best of inheritors.’ So We responded to him, and We granted him Yahya, We cured his wife’s (barrenness) for him. These (three) were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us.”
Quran 21:89-90

Jesus (ʿĪsā)

Main Article: Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ)

Born from Mary (Mariam) who was a virgin

Like the bible, and other pagan mythologies,[69] Jesus is also born from a virgin, provided by the holy spirit; usually taken as a reference the angel Gabriel here. Given he is not the son of God, it is unclear what the purpose of this is.

Thus did she seclude herself from them, whereupon We sent to her Our Spirit and he became incarnate for her as a well-proportioned human. She said, ‘I seek the protection of the All-beneficent from you, should you be Godwary!’ He said, ‘I am only a messenger of your Lord that I may give you a pure son.’ She said, ‘How shall I have a child seeing that no human being has ever touched me, nor have I been unchaste?’ He said, ‘So shall it be. Your Lord says, ‘‘It is simple for Me.’’ And so that We may make him a sign for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter [already] decided.’
Quran 19:17-21
And the example of Maryam the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity – We therefore breathed into her a Spirit from Ourselves – and she testified for the Words of her Lord and His Books, and was among the obedient.
Quran 66:12

Jesus talking from his Cradle

(And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah). He will speak unto mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous.
Quran 3:45-46

Supernatural food

The Qur'an states that Jesus received a feast sent down from heaven.

Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of Sustainers. Allah said: Lo! I send it down for you. And whoso disbelieveth of you afterward, him surely will I punish with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any of (My) creatures.
Quran 5:114-115

Magically curing the Blind and Lepersy affected

and [he will be] an apostle to the Children of Israel, [and he will declare,] “I have certainly brought you a sign from your Lord: I will create for you the form of a bird out of clay, then I will breathe into it, and it will become a bird by Allah’s leave. I heal the blind and the leper and I revive the dead by Allah’s leave. I will tell you what you have eaten and what you have stored in your houses. There is indeed a sign in that for you, should you be faithful.
Quran 3:49

Raising the dead

See above Quran 3:49

Clay birds becoming alive

See above Quran 3:49

Luqman (Luq'mān)

Given special wisdom

Luq'mān - believed to be a common pre-Islamic sage, though his identity is disputed,[70] and may simply be an amalgamation of different characters, as local Arabian tales are brought into salvation history.[71] In the Qur'an God gives him a special widsom (al-ḥik'mata)[72] although most classical Islamic scholars agree that he was still not a prophet.[70]

And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], "Be grateful to Allah." And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] - then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy. And [mention, O Muhammad], when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him, "O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allah. Indeed, association [with him] is great injustice."
Quran 31:12-13

Saleh (Ṣāliḥ)

The She-Camel of Saleh (Ṣāliḥ)

A camel appears to the people of Thamūd from a rock after the unbelieving people ask for a sign Salih is a prophet.[73]

And to [the people of] Thamud [We sent] Salih, their brother. He said, ‘O my people, worship Allah! You have no other god besides Him. There has certainly come to you a manifest proof from your Lord. This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you. Let her alone to graze [freely] in Allah’s land, and do not cause her any harm, for then you shall be seized by a painful punishment.
Quran 7:73

Allah Miracles - Misc.

Speaking body parts

The Quran states that human organs will, on the Day of Judgement, testify against their own persons.

On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions.
Quran 24:24

Army of magic birds attacking Abraha's army

Main article: Historical Errors in the Quran - Surah of the elephant

Have you not regarded how your Lord dealt with the army of the elephants?
Did He not make their stratagems go awry,
and send against them flocks of birds
hurling against them stones of baked clay
Then He made them like straw eaten up.
Quran 105:1-5

Jews transformed into pigs and apes as a punishment

The Qur'an records a miraculous event where Sabbath breakers are transformed into apes and pigs.

And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: "Be ye apes, despised and rejected."
Quran 2:65
When they defied [the command pertaining to] what they were forbidden from, We said to them, ‘Be you spurned apes.’
Quran 7:166
Say, ‘Shall I inform you concerning something worse than that as a requital from Allah? Those whom Allah has cursed and with whom He is wrathful, and turned some of whom into apes and swine, and worshippers of fake deities! Such are in a worse situation and more astray from the right way.’
Quran 5:60

Vivifying Rainfall and Resurrection

Rainfall is seen as bringing dead back to life, a common belief in antiquity.[74] Hence the Qur'an repeatedly asserts that just as rainfall revives a barren land, people will likewise be resurrected. However, with our current scientific knowledge, this is now a non-sequitur leap as now we can explain the natural process of germination[75] rather than magic through God. So as the revival of plant life is a scientific process, and human resurrection is not, the proof of one is not proof of the other.

It is Allah Who sends forth the Winds, so that they raise up the Clouds, and We drive them to a land that is dead, and revive the earth therewith after its death: even so (will be) the Resurrection!
Quran 35:9
That sends down (from time to time) rain from the sky in due measure;- and We raise to life therewith a land that is dead; even so will ye be raised (from the dead);
Quran 43:11
And among His Signs in this: thou seest the earth barren and desolate; but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He Who gives life to the (dead) earth can surely give life to (men) who are dead. For He has power over all things.
Quran 41:39

A man is killed for 100 years then resurrected

Or him who came upon a township as it lay fallen on its trellises. He said, ‘How will Allah revive this after its death?!’ So Allah made him die for a hundred years, then He resurrected him. He said, ‘How long did you remain?’ Said he, ‘I have remained a day or part of a day.’ He said, ‘No, you have remained a hundred years. Now look at your food and drink which have not rotted! Then look at your donkey! [This was done] that We may make you a sign for mankind. And now look at its bones, how We raise them up and clothe them with flesh!’ When it became evident to him, he said, ‘I know that Allah has power over all things.’
Quran 2:259
As is his donkey

See above Quran 2:259

And his food is kept from rotting

See above Quran 2:259

Seven people are kept sleeping for three-hundred and nine years

Main Article: Seven Sleepers of Ephesus in the Quran
So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more).
Quran 18:25

And a dog keeps watch over them, presumably also given a supernatural lifespan.

You will suppose them to be awake, although they are asleep. We turn them to the right and to the left, and their dog [lies] stretching its forelegs at the threshold. If you come upon them, you will surely turn to flee from them, and you will surely be filled with a terror of them.
Quran 18:18

The Earth will throw out things on judgement day

Classical Islamic commentators explain this can include all kinds of things, including dead people (which in reality would have rotted and not necessarily be in the Earth itself), things to do with their crimes, treasure and metals, and others.[76]

And brings forth the earth its burdens,
Quran 99:2

External Links

References

  1. ↑ El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (p. 139). Syracuse University Press. Kindle Edition.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 shayṭān | devil al-shayṭān | the devil, Satan Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 451). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
  3. ↑ Wray, T. J.; Mobley, Gregory. The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots (pp. 68-70, Chapters 5 & 6). St. Martin's Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
  4. ↑ shayṭān | devil al-shayṭān | the devil, Satan Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 453). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ibid. Kindle Edition. pp. 459
  6. ↑ Angels in Islam. Of what are the Angels created? Islam Q&A. 2000
  7. ↑ El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (Kindle Edition. pp. 44-46 ). Syracuse University Press.
  8. ↑ malak | angel; angels. Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 632). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. Despite their wings and their potential invisibility, the default appearance of angels on earth is humanoid: “had we made him”—namely, the Qur’anic Messenger—“an angel, we would have made him a man (rajul),” i.e., endowed him with the appearance of an ordinary human, Q 6:9 affirms. Perhaps one is to understand that angels can exist in two different states of aggregation, as it were: a celestial one involving wings and invisibility to the human eye, and a state of manifestation to humans, in which they appear by and large like humans themselves (see also Burge 2012, 57). It is worth highlighting that Q 6:9, by virtue of employing the word rajul, additionally implies that angels are male. This corresponds to Biblical assumptions (e.g., Matt 16:5) and helps make sense of the Qur’anic polemic against belief in female angels (Q 17:40, 37:149–153, 43:16–19, 53:27–28; see also DTEK 102). A particular aspect of the angels’ humanoid appearance—namely, their possession of hands—is corroborated by Q 6:93, according to which the angels “stretch out their hands” for the wrongdoers when these latter are in the throes of death (DTEK 121). Moreover, it must be on account of the angels’ anthropomorphic appearance that Abraham initially mistook the divinely sent “messengers” (rusul) dispatched to him for ordinary humans, only realising their supernatural—i.e., angelic—status when his guests declined the food offered to them (Q 11:69–70 and 51:26–28; see below and Sinai 2020a, 282–283).26 The generally humanoid shape of Qur’anic angels also emerges from the fact that the female friends of Joseph’s Egyptian mistress so admire him that they exclaim, “This is no human but a noble angel!” (Q 12:31).
  9. ↑ What is meant by the blowing of the Trumpet? Islam Q&A. 2003.
  10. ↑ Decharneux, Julien. Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (p. 311). De Gruyter. Kindle Edition.
  11. ↑ Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 633). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. ...“do as they are commanded” (Q 16:50, 66:6: yafʿalūna mā yuʾmarūn; see also 21:27: wa-hum bi-amrihi yaʿmalūn),30 “do not disobey God” (Q 66:6: lā yaʿṣūna llāha), and “do not deem themselves above serving him” (Q 7:206, 21:19: lā yastakbirūna ʿan ʿibādatihi; see also 16:49: wa-hum lā yastakbirūn)...
  12. ↑ Decharneux, Julien. Creation and Contemplation: The Cosmology of the Qur'ān and Its Late Antique Background (Studies in the History and Culture of the Middle East Book 47) (Kindle Edition. pp. 313). De Gruyter.
  13. ↑ The Ocean of the Qur'an: Q 83:21
  14. ↑ Stephen Burge. "Angels (malāʾika)." 4.3 Angels in classical emanationist cosmologies In St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, edited by Brendan N. Wolfe et al. University of St Andrews. Article published August 29, 2024. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Islam/Angels. Journal TSAQAFAH Divine Emanation As Cosmic Origin: Ibn Sînâ and His Critics pp 334. Syamsuddin Arif* Institut Studi Islam Darussalam (ISID)
  15. ↑ [Do academics think there is a sexual connotation to this verse in Quran (76:19)? https://www.reddit.com/r/AcademicQuran/comments/xjgcsw/do_academics_think_there_is_a_sexual_connotation/].
  16. ↑ Ibn Kathir (d 1373.) Commentary on Verse 21:96 (95-97)
  17. ↑ van Donzel, Emeri; Schmidt, Andrea. Gog and Magog in Early Eastern Christian and Islamic Sources: Sallam's Quest for Alexander's Wall. Leiden: Brill. pp. 91-92. ISBN 9789004174160, 2010. The full book and their analysis of the journey taken by Sallam can be read on the Internet Archive linked here. (page 110 of 229 the PDF)
  18. ↑ E.g. Adnan Qureshi, Christmas in North Korea, Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2020, pp. 141-142: Chollima joins the other mythical flying horses such as the horses of Eos, Helios, Apollo, Sol Invictus, and Pegasus (in Greek mythology), al-Buraq (a winged horse in Islamic tradition), Haizum (a heavenly winged horse, ridden by Gabriel according to Islamic tradition), Ponkhiraj (a flying horse from Bangladesh), and the wind horse (in Mongolian, ancient Turkish, and Tibetan traditions). & khosravi, M., taheri, A. (2018). 'A Comparative Study on the Image of “Buraq” in the Islamic Art with some Motifs of the Luristan Bronze', Journal of Archaeological Studies, 10(2), pp. 67-81. doi: 10.22059/jarcs.2018.226529.142389
  19. ↑ Tafsirs for Quran 113:4
  20. ↑ Day, C. L. (1950). Knots and Knot Lore. Western Folklore, 9(3), 229–256
  21. ↑ rūḥ | spirit rūḥ al-qudus | the holy spirit Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 355). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
  22. ↑ Ibid. pp. 357
  23. ↑ Ibid. pp. 360
  24. ↑ ḥā rā mīm (ح ر م) Lane's Lexicon - Quranic Research ḥaram Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 553 & 554
  25. ↑ Neuwirth, Angelika. (2003). From the Sacred Mosque to the Remote Temple: Sūrat al-Isrā' between Text and Commentary. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195137279.003.0025.
  26. ↑ qāf dāl sīn (ق د س) Lane's Lexicon - Quran research muqadasata - Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 2497
  27. ↑ ḥā rā mīm (ح ر م) Lane's Lexicon - Quranic Research ḥurumun Lane's Lexicon Book 1 page 555
  28. ↑ Lote Tree | Sidr | Ziziphus spina-christi | Plants of the Qur'an | Sue Wickison
  29. ↑ مُنْتَهَىٰ - Lane's Lexicon pp.3029
  30. ↑ E.g. see Tafsirs on Q53:16
  31. ↑ See tafsirs on Q53:14
  32. ↑ Where is Paradise | Where Are Paradise and Hell? | 07/January/2015 islamqa
  33. ↑ The location of Paradise now | Paradise and Hell | Belief in the Hereafter | Islamic Creed | Fatwa | islamweb.net
  34. ↑ E.g. see tafsirs on Q53:15
  35. ↑ See commentaries such as Al-Jalalyan, Ibn Kathir and Maududi on Q7:172
  36. ↑ Valk SL, Hoffstaedter F, Camilleri JA, Kochunov P, Yeo BTT, Eickhoff SB. Personality and local brain structure: Their shared genetic basis and reproducibility. Neuroimage. 2020 Oct 15;220:117067. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117067. Epub 2020 Jun 20. PMID: 32574809; PMCID: PMC10251206.
  37. ↑ Can Trauma Cause Memory Loss? Charlie Health
  38. ↑ Treatment for Stimulant Use Disorders: Updated 2021 [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 1999. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 33.) Chapter 2—How Stimulants Affect the Brain and Behavior. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576548/
  39. ↑ See classical commentaries on these verses such as Al-Jalalayn on Q39:42, Q6:60 and Ibn Kathir on Q39:41-2 and Q6:60
  40. ↑ E.g. Ibn Kathir on Q39:41-2
  41. ↑ Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (.gov) For in depth information about what happens during sleep aimed at the general reader, see Professor Matthew Walker's "Why we sleep: unlocking the power of sleep and dreams"
  42. ↑ Rudolph, Ulrich, 'Occasionalism', in Sabine Schmidtke (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Islamic Theology, Oxford Handbooks (2016; online edn, Oxford Academic, 3 Mar. 2014), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199696703.013.39, accessed 28 Mar. 2025.
  43. ↑ CAUSALITY AND DIVINE ACTION: THE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE. Mohammad Hashim Kamali. Ghazali.org
  44. ↑ Durie, Mark. The Qur’an and Its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. 2.4 An Act of God by Human Hands (p. 58-59) (Kindle Edition pp. 165-166) Lexington Books. 2018.
  45. ↑ Wind explained. U.S Energy information Administration. Last reviewed December 2023.
  46. ↑ Water Cycle Entry - Britannica What Makes It Rain? Water and Ice. NOAA SciJinks.gov
  47. ↑ See Rain-Giver, Bone-Breaker, Score-Settler: Allāh in Pre-Quranic Poetry, pp. 15, pp.18, pp. 27-30: Chapter 6. Allāh as Creator and Provider of Rain. New Haven, Connecticut: American Oriental Society, 2019. Essay 15. Nicolai Sinai.
  48. ↑ Understanding Lightning Science. Safety. National Weather Service.
  49. ↑ Why do ships float? Amy McDonald. 2019. STEM Explained. Let's Talk Science
  50. ↑ Infertility - Symptoms and causes. Diseases & conditions. Mayo Clinic.org
  51. ↑ For a simple explanation, see: Pregnancy Calendar: Your Baby's Development Kidshealth.org or Pampers: At What Point is a Baby's Sex Determined? 2023.
  52. ↑ Sahih Bukhari 3329
  53. ↑ E.g. Al-Jalalayn on verse 33:72
  54. ↑ Holtzman, L. (2018). Anthropomorphism in Islam: The Challenge of Traditionalism (700-1350). United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. See many examples and debates around their authenticity in early Islam in Chapters 1, 2 and 3.
  55. ↑ allāh | God Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 73-74). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. ...in Q 38:75 God upbraids Iblīs for failing to “prostrate to what I have created with my hands,” bi-yadayya. As recognised by al-Ashʿarī (Gimaret 1990, 326), the point of God’s statement here is presumably to highlight a trait of Adam that endows him with peculiar dignity and elevates him over Iblīs—namely, the fact that God has formed Adam in a more intimate fashion than other creatures. Hence, although the Qur’anic God is perfectly capable of creating by verbal fiat, as maintained in places like Q 2:117 and 3:47 (when God “decides on [creating] something, he merely says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is,” idhā qaḍā amran fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fa-yakūn), he can also create in what is literally a hands-on manner, by making use of his own limbs.106 In passing, one may note that the claim that humans were fashioned manually has pre-Qur’anic parallels that lend further support to taking it quite literally. According to Aphrahat, Adam alone was created by God’s own hands while everything else was created by God’s word (Demonstrations 13:11 = Parisot 1894, 563–566, identified in BEQ 46). The same idea is developed at length by Jacob of Sarug (Mathews 2020, 46–51, ll. 2157–2194): whereas all other creatures were brought into existence by a divine “signal” (remzā; cf. Decharneux 2019, 244–245), Adam was uniquely created by God’s hands (l. 2169)—an instance of divine self-abasement that prefigures the incarnation of Christ (ll. 2189–2194). The Cave of Treasures also reports that Adam was shaped by God’s “holy hands” (Ri 1987, ch. 2:12; see Zellentin 2017, 109).107
  56. ↑ What is a photon? Symmetry Magazine. Amanda Solliday and Kathryn Jepsen. 2021
  57. ↑ Reynolds, Gabriel Said. Allah: God in the Qur'an (p. 162). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.
  58. ↑ Reynolds, Gabriel Said. Allah: God in the Qur'an (p. 176-202). Chapter 8: The Avenger. Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.
  59. ↑ The Qurʾan and its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. pp.107. Durie, Mark. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2018.
  60. ↑ Reynolds, Gabriel Said. Allah: God in the Qur'an (pp. 167-168). Yale University Press. Kindle Edition.
  61. ↑ See verses in the Qur'an in the Noun section of the root sīn nūn nūn (س ن ن) on Quran Corpus.
  62. ↑ The Qurʾan and its Biblical Reflexes: Investigations into the Genesis of a Religion. pp.177. Durie, Mark.
  63. ↑ See commentaries from Islamic scholars on Q29:14
  64. ↑ McAuliffe, J. D. (Eds.). (01 Jan. 2001). "Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān". In Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. Retrieved Mar 8, 2025, from https://brill.com/view/serial/ENQU Page 24. Adam and Eve. Read for free on internet archive, page (62/3956) of the PDF The Quran mentions several materials from which Adam was created, i.e. earth or dust (twrab, Q 3:59), clay (tan, Q7:12; see cLAy), and sticky clay or mud (tin lazib). More specifically, it is described as “clay from fetid foul mud” (salsal min hama’ masnin) and “clay like earthenware,” 1.e. baked or dry clay (salsal ka-l-fakhkhar). These terms are commonly interpreted as describing the different states of a single material.
  65. ↑ McAuliffe, J. D. (Eds.). (01 Jan. 2001). "Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān". In Encyclopaedia of the Qur'ān. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. Retrieved Mar 8, 2025, from https://brill.com/view/serial/ENQU Page 24. Adam and Eve. Read for free on internet archive, page (62/3956) of the PDF
  66. ↑ Tafsir al-Jalalayn on verse 21:69
  67. ↑ See commentaries on verse 37:107
  68. ↑ See commentaries on verse 38:42
  69. ↑ Virgin Birth: It’s Pagan, Guys. Get Over It. PhD Richard Carrier. 2016.
  70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Encyclopedia of the Qur'an. pp. 242-243. A.H.M. Zahniser. 2021. Pages (1458-1460/3956) of free book on Intranet Archive
  71. ↑ E.g. like the destruction of Thamūd, see: Sinai, Nicolai. “Religious Poetry from the Quranic Milieu: Umayya b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the Fate of the Thamūd.” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 74, no. 3 (2011): 397–416. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0041977X11000309.
  72. ↑ ḥā kāf mīm (ح ك م) root on Qur'anic Research.net See: Lane's Lexicon classical Arabic dictionary Book 1 pp.617 & pp.618
  73. ↑ See commentaries on verse 7:73
  74. ↑ Tesei, Tommaso. Some Cosmological Notions from Late Antiquity in Q 18:60–65: The Quran in Light of Its Cultural Context. pp28. Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 135, no. 1, American Oriental Society, 2015, pp. 19–32, https://doi.org/10.7817/jameroriesoci.135.1.19. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7817/jameroriesoci.135.1.19
  75. ↑ Germination - botany - Life Cycle, Processes & Properties - Britannica
  76. ↑ See commentaries on Quran 99:2
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