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Contradictions in the Quran: Difference between revisions
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→Angels and demons: Have added a contradiction on Iblis being named as both an angel and a jinn. Explained both sides of the argument too with scholarly references, and where it's caused confusion among Islamic scholars.
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(→Qur'an: Added a mention and link to another type of contradiction; Qur'an version variants which themselves add more of these contradictions (e.g. narrative, meaning) to it.) |
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Allah chooses messengers from angels and from men for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all things). }} | Allah chooses messengers from angels and from men for Allah is He Who hears and sees (all things). }} | ||
=== Was Iblīs an angel or a jinn? === | |||
While the following example might be considered to be an example of poor writing rather than an irreconcilable contradiction, it is worth noting as it is contradictory on a plain reading; which has caused confusion and led to differing opinions on whether Iblīs was an angel or a jinn in traditional Islamic scholarship.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iblis Iblis] | Islam | Britannica </ref> | |||
As Sinai 2023<ref>Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (p. 453 - 457). Princeton University Press.</ref> notes, the Arabic phrase qulnā li-l-malāʾikati sjudū li-ādama fa-sajadū illā iblīsa (Q 2:34, 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116; see also 15:30–31 and 38:73–74) is naturally rendered, “We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate yourselves to Adam,’ and they prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs.” This reading would be in line, for instance, with the view of Jacob of Sarug, who unequivocally declares Satan to have been an angel (Mathews 2020, 88–89, l. 2515; see in more detail below).<ref>Ibid. pp. 455.</ref> (Hence this is seen in virtually all official English translations of the verses). | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|17|61}}|And when We said to the Angels, "Prostrate to Adam." So they prostrated except Iblis. He said, "Shall I prostrate to (one) whom You created (from) clay?"}}{{Quote|{{Quran|20|116}}|When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they prostrated, but not Iblis: he refused.}}{{Quote|{{Quran|15|31-32}}|Thereat the angels prostrated, all of them together, but not Iblis: he refused to be among those who prostrated.}} | |||
See also {{Quran|2|34}}, {{Quran|7|11}} and {{Quran|38|73-74}}. | |||
However, the Qur'an explicitly states that Iblīs was one of the jinn (straight after this in Q 18:50), distinguishing him from angels, who are described as a separate, species ({{Quran|34|40-41}}) that are totally obedient to God and not judged by him in the afterlife (unlike the jinn), but rather even carry out punishments {{Quran|66|6}} and hold his throne judgement day {{Quran|69|17}}. This distinction is supported by Q 38:76 and Q 7:12, where Iblīs refuses to prostrate to Adam, citing his creation from fire, in contrast to Adam's creation from clay. Additionally, premodern Muslim scholars noted that angels are always obedient to God, reinforcing the idea that Iblīs could not have been an angel.<ref>Ibid.</ref> This is the current mainstream view.<ref>[https://islamqa.info/en/answers/8976/was-iblis-an-angel Was Iblis an Angel?] IslamQA. 2000.</ref> | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|18|50}}|When We said to the angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they prostrated, but not Iblis. He was one of the jinn, so he transgressed against his Lord’s command. Will you then take him and his offspring for guardians in My stead, though they are your enemies? How evil a substitute for the wrongdoers!}} | |||
He also notes that despite the considerable grammatical ingenuity displayed by later Muslim exegetes to make the prostration be exclusive of Iblīs (such as Al-Zamakhshari), the most straightforward and uncontrived reading of fa-sajadū illā iblīsa and its variants would surely be “they prostrated themselves, except for Iblīs,” including the implication that Iblīs was indeed one of the angels.<ref>Ibid. pp. 456.</ref> | |||
El-Zein 2017<ref>El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Contemporary Issues in the Middle East) (p. 43-46). Syracuse University Press.</ref> notes that seemingly based off this verse, various Islamic sources have conceived of Iblis as an angel, for example the Sufi scholar Ibn 'Arabi in one writing describes him as a four-winged angel, and the Sunni jurist Al-Damari claimed “Iblis was the chief of the angels of heaven and their ruler, as well as ruler over the earth. He was one of the most studious angels and the most knowledgeable. He ruled between heaven and earth. He took great pride and honor in it. But he became arrogant and haughty. He rebelled and was ungrateful to God who transformed him into a cursed devil, shaytan.”<ref>Ibid. pp. 44.</ref> The Mu‘tazilah school of theology and Islamic thought (8th–10th century) also tended to view Iblis as depicted in Qur’an 18:50 as an angel rather than a jinn.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
To resolve the incoherence between the two interpretations on the nature of Iblis, Muslim scholarship came up with some ingenious ideas. Al-Tabari, for example, argued it is possible God created one part of his angels from light and another part from fire; Iblis possibly could belong to that group of angels who were created from the scorching winds.<ref>Ibid. pp. 46.</ref> Al-Baydawi (d. 1286), meanwhile, had a more plausible explanation. He argued Iblis, a jinni made out of fire, was carried off as a captive by the angels during one of the combats between jinn and angels that took place on Earth. Because Iblis was still a child, he grew up among angels. When God ordered the angels to bow before Adam, Iblis refused, and thus revealed his true jinni nature.<ref>Ibid.</ref> | |||
Sinai 2023 notes a potential reason for this repeated seemingly contradictory statement. In the Qur'an, nine out of eleven mentions of Iblīs occur in the context of the angels prostrating to Adam, with Iblīs refusing (Q 2:34, 7:11, 17:61, 18:50, 20:116, 15:30–31, 38:73–74), or in the immediate divine address to Iblīs (Q 15:32, 38:75). The other two occurrences (Q 26:95, 34:20) refer to Iblīs’s followers and those who follow Iblīs, respectively. He suggests a more satisfactory resolution to the issue is therefore the formula "fa-sajadū illā iblīsa" might have originated from pre-Qur’anic Arab traditions on this story, where the formula fa-sajadū illā iblīsa reached the Qur’anic milieu as a set phrase that had been coined in prior Arabophone narrative traditions. This idea is supported by similar pre-Qur’anic narrative phrases in the Qur'an, like God blowing His spirit into Adam or Mary (e.g. Q 15:29, 21:91).<ref>Sinai, Nicolai. Key Terms of the Qur'an: A Critical Dictionary (pp. 453-454 & 456). Princeton University Press. </ref> | |||
==Creation== | ==Creation== | ||
===Which was created first; the Heaven or Earth?=== | ===Which was created first; the Heaven or Earth?=== | ||
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{{Quote|{{Quran-range|41|9|12}}|Say, "Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds." And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures'] sustenance in four days without distinction - for [the information] of those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly." And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran-range|41|9|12}}|Say, "Do you indeed disbelieve in He who created the earth in two days and attribute to Him equals? That is the Lord of the worlds." And He placed on the earth firmly set mountains over its surface, and He blessed it and determined therein its [creatures'] sustenance in four days without distinction - for [the information] of those who ask. Then He directed Himself to the heaven while it was smoke and said to it and to the earth, "Come [into being], willingly or by compulsion." They said, "We have come willingly." And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing.}} | ||
evidenceEarth | |||
{{Quote|{{Quran|2|29}}| | {{Quote|{{Quran|2|29}}| | ||
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== Quran Variants == | == Quran Variants == | ||
{{Main|Textual History of the Qur'an}} | {{Main|Textual History of the Qur'an}} | ||
Among contradictions in narrative, meaning and instructions for the majority use Hafs Qur'an used today, we also find another type of Qur'anic contradiction; contradictions between different accepted versions of the Qur'an, furthering these issues. There are too many to list on this page, but some are discussed in the [[:en:Textual_History_of_the_Qur'an|main article]], with many more listed for those exploring further can be found on the [https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/ Quran Variants] website, for example '[https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/dialogue-quran-variants/ ''Dialogue variants in the canonical Qira’at readings of the Quran'']', '''[https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/superfluous-quran-variants/ Superfluous variants in the readings of the Quran]''<nowiki/>' and further resources listed [https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/resources/ here]. | Among contradictions in narrative, meaning and instructions for the majority use Hafs Qur'an used today, we also find another type of Qur'anic contradiction; contradictions between different accepted versions of the Qur'an, furthering these issues. There are too many to list on this page, but some are discussed in the [[:en:Textual_History_of_the_Qur'an|main article]], with many more listed for those exploring further can be found on the [https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/ Quran Variants] website, for example '[https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/dialogue-quran-variants/ ''Dialogue variants in the canonical Qira’at readings of the Quran'']', '''[https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/superfluous-quran-variants/ Superfluous variants in the readings of the Quran]''<nowiki/>' and further resources listed [https://quranvariants.wordpress.com/resources/ here]. | ||
==Miscellaneous== | ==Miscellaneous== | ||