The Koran vs Genesis

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The Koran vs Genesis

by David Catchpoole

Summary

Whatever sets itself against Christhumanism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, New Age,

etc.a key to its demolition ((2 Corinthians 10:5) is to show that its origins view (unlikeGenesis) does not fit with reality.

My name is Muhammad, the young man said to a fellow student at university in

Australia. Muhammad?, she replied, Where have I heard that name before?

After he, a Muslim, explained that Muhammad1 is the name of the Great Prophet of

Islam, the young lady, raised in a church-going family, asked about the differencesbetween Islam and Christianity.

The Muslim man explained that probably the most fundamental difference is that the

Koran2 speaks of Jesus as a prophetdefinitely notthe Son of God.

That evening, the Australian-born student told her father of the encounter, and asked,

Dad, Ive been thinking our bodies are unclean! Why would God, who is pure, sully

himself by coming down to Earth in human form?

After her father failed to give a reasoned answer, she turned her back on the church,

converted to Islam and later married a Muslim.3

Such a question requires only a basic understanding of the Atonement to answer.

Salvation required a sacrificial last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45) to shed His blood in death, one

who was a physical descendant of the first, yet sinless. This could be fulfilled onlythrough God incarnate, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:12, 22). Notice, though, how all this is

built upon the foundational Genesis truths of the first Adam bringing in sin and death,

and the first shedding of blood as a covering for sin (Genesis 3:21). The increasingconfusion caused in the church by long-age compromises (which, by putting suffering,

death and bloodshed before Adam, undermine these truths) is a major reason why so

many today cannot give reasoned answers to basic Gospel-related questions

(contravening 1 Peter 3:15). This leaves young people in the church vulnerable to beingtossed by winds of false doctrine (Ephesians 4:14).

Following September 11, the increased prominence of Islam in the media, and public

declarations by government (and many church) leaders that Islam is a great religion,will likely raise further questions in the minds of many young people in the churches.

E.g. Do Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God? and What does the

Koran say about the Bible?

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Many Christian commentators have sought to raise awareness of fundamental doctrinal

differences between the Koran and the Bible (see below), but few people are aware of

how the Muslims holy book starkly contradicts the Biblical account of our origins.

Creation, The Fall, Flood and Babel

Genesis provides a unified description of Creation; the Koran does not. Instead,

fragmented passages are scattered across many of its 114 chapters (Sura). The tables

(below) attempt to assimilate these fragments for a clearer picture of what the Koransays, compared to the Bible.

The many contradictions highlighted in these tables surely demolish any claims that the

revelation given to Muhammad is not a corruption of, but reliably builds upon, Judeo-Christian history.

For instance, the Koranic account prohibits Adam from going anywhere nearthe

Forbidden Tree, while Genesis says that God only commanded Adam not to eatits fruit(see Table 2). (Man had been placed in the garden to tendit (Genesis 2:15), which seemsto require physical access to each tree for e.g. pruning.) Interestingly, the Bible relates

that Eve, who was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14), had misconstrued Gods instruction to not

eatof the fruit from the tree to instead also mean not to touch it (Genesis 3:3). Yet Eves

distorted view, obviously wrong, is portrayed as truth in the Koran.

The Biblical account of origins also makes more sense of todays world than does the

Korane.g. the presence of sin, violence, death and the origin of languages (and

concomitant minor racial differences). The Bible explains why the whole creation is soobviously groaning, in bondage to decay (Romans 8:1922). In contrast, the Koran

makes God responsible for death and suffering (see Tables 1 and 2), in common withlong-age and evolutionary Christian views, and Eastern religions.

The Koran and evolution

With the increased adoption of evolution-based curricula, some Muslim leaders and

scholars began to recognize the threat to Islam from a rising tide of evolutionary thinking.

Their response has been either to attack evolution, or, more commonly, to blend it with

Islam.

1. The Islamic creationists

The creationist Muslims claim that The theory [of evolution] and the holy Quran are indirect conflict with each other and no compatibility is possible anywhere.4New Scientist

reported that Islamic creationist books cite and copy Christian creationists, but with

Biblical references deleted.5

2. The Islamic evolutionists

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Evolution-believing Muslims seem to be far more numerous, and vocal, than creationist

Muslims.

They have a substantial strategic advantage precisely because the Koran is so vague,nebulous and seemingly open to various interpretations.6 They delight in pointing out

that, in contrast, There is absolutely no ambiguity whatsoever in the Biblical descriptionof the Creation in six days followed by a day of rest, the sabbath, analogous with the days

of the week.7 These evolution-accommodating Muslims are adamant that the days ofCreation in the Koran mean in reality very long Periods, or Ages, or Aeons. 7

Muslim apologists gleefully point out that the Koran is compatible with evolution where

the Bible is not, e.g.: Neither here nor anywhere else in the Holy Qur-n is it affirmedthat Adam was the first man, or that there was no creation by God before Adam, nor that

Adam lived or man was created, or the earth made, only six thousand years ago.8,9 Long-

age Muslims exploit the Bibles explicit detail of the Flood, too. They say that because

the Bible clearly says there was a recent global Flood, while science says there was not,

the Bible is wrong and the Koran is thus confirmed to be right!

10

Some of the Muslimliterature even claims that the Koran shows that Allah revealed to Muhammad details

about the big bang, ancient universe and evolution long before scientists began todiscover such facts.11

Christian awareness

In the same way that being aware of evolutionary challenges to our faith helps us to be

ready with answers,12 so, too, we need to be aware of what religions, including Islam,actually say, in order to be better prepared to answer our childrens questions. 13 When

men teach things that are contrary to the Bible, we are commandedto actively oppose

such ideas (2 Corinthians 10:5). Christians need to be ready to help guide young peoplethrough the kinds of intellectual crisis of faith that many confront in their teenage years

whether because of exposure to evolutionary teaching, or to other religions.

Knowing that the Word of God accurately explains our world ahead of all opposing ideas

not only strengthens our own faith, but gives us the confidence to reach out in love tochallengersincluding Muslims.

Using Genesis to reach Muslims?

Just as the Apostle Paul used Athenian beliefs to draw his Greek listeners to the truth ofthe Gospel (Acts 17:2223, 28), Christians could use a similar approach when talkingwith Muslims. One could start by reminding the Muslim that the Koran says that the

Scriptures of Jews and Christians were given by God, e.g. Koran 2:87We gave Moses

the Book and followed him up with a succession of Apostles; We gave Jesus the son ofMary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Similarly, in Koran 6:91,

the Book given to Moses is described as a light and guidance to man .

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understanding of the nature of God, humanity, salvation and the world in general. This

must affect not merely the stance of individuals, but entire cultures.

References and notes

1. Alternative spelling: Mohammed. We use here the spellings of the 1935 YusufAli translation of the Koran from The WordOnline Bible CD (available addresses

p. 2). Return to text.

2. Alternative spelling: Quran (also: Quran, Qur-an, Quran, Qur-n). Return totext.

3. Though only loosely based on an ABC Radio (Australia)Encounterprogram, 19

March 2001, similar stories abound today. Return to text.4. Sheikh Mohammed Shihabuddin Nadvi, Evolution or Creation? , 21 November 2001. Return to

text.5. Mackenzie, D., Unnatural selection,New Scientist166(2235):3439, 2000. Return

to text.6. The Koran can also accommodate different views in other areas. Muslims eager to

promote Islam as a religion of peace have quoted publicly only Koranicpassages that apparently speak gently of non-Muslims, ignoring other passages

commanding Muslims to wage jihad against them. Return to text.

7. The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth: Differences from and resemblances tothe Biblical description,, 16 November 2001.Return to text.

8. Maulvi Muhammad Ali, The Holy Qur-n, containing the Arabic text withEnglish translation and commentary, 3rd edition, Ahmadiyya Anjuman-I-Ishaat-I-

Islam, Lahore, Punjab, India, p. 24 (footnote 52), 1935.Return to text.

9. Genesis is dismissed as myth by some Muslims. The Islamic View of Creation,, 21 November 2001. Return to text.

10. E.g.Is the Quran the Bibles Savior? , 4 December 2001. Return to

text.11. E.g. Bucaille, M., The Bible, The Quran and Science, , 16 November 2001. Return to text.

12. Ham, K., I have the Biblewhat more do I need?Creation15(2):2830, 1993.Return to text.

13. A very helpful resource is Gitt, W., What about the other religions? CLV press,

Bielefeld, Germany, 1994. Return to text.

14. Extant Early Manuscripts of the Bible,, 11 December 2001. Return to

text.

15. CNN Larry King Weekend,, 11 December 2001

(broadcast 1 December 2001). Return to text.

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Key differences between the Bible and the Koran

Table 1. Creation

The Bible Says: The Koran says:Man was created on Earth, in the Garden of

Eden (Genesis 2:8).

Man was created in Paradise (janna),1 not

on Earth (first couple later banished to

Earth, e.g. Koran 2:36).

The Bible describes clearly what was made oneach day of Creation Week. The Big Bang is

excluded by this sequence (E.g. Earth before

Sun).

No clear details of each creation day.Some vague clustering of the days in 41:9

12.2

Creation in 6 Days which are clearly Earth-rotation days (c. 24 hours).

Creation also in 6 Days2 but could easilybe interpreted as millions of years (see

main text).

Man and the animals were created vegetarian

(Genesis 1:2930). No death and suffering inthe original creation.

Carnivory (and thus death and suffering)

apparently integral to life on the createdEarth from the first. The Koran (6:142,

16:5, 40:79) says that cattle were created

for man to eat.

Man was created naked (but not ashamedGenesis 2:25).

The Koran speaks of Adams (and hiswifes) nakedness becoming apparent to

them after they sinned (20:121; also

implied by 7:22), yet also implies that they

were wearing some kind of raiment priorto the Fall (Koran 7:273).

All things were created through Christ and for

Christ. He was pre-existent to Creation (e.g.

Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7; Micah 5:2; John1:13, 10; 3:13; 6:62;8:35, 58; 17:5, 24;

Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians

1:1617; Hebrews 1:2).

Jesus Christ was a created being. Koran

3:59 The similitude of Jesus before Allah

is as that of Adam; he created him fromdust .

References and notes for Table 1

1. Muslims previously never questioned that the Koranicjanna (paradise) in which

man was created was noton Earth. But evolutionary pressure has led to many (notall) Muslim scholars today claiming that the Koranic pre-Fall garden was on

Earth. Return to text.

2. Some critics quote 41:912 as giving a contradictory total of eight days, butMuslim apologists explain this away by making two days concurrent: Koran

41:912 Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two Days? He

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set on the (earth) mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings

on the earth in four Days So he completed them as seven firmaments in

two Days. Return to text.3. O ye Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you, in the same manner as he got

your parents out of the Garden, stripping them of their raiment, to expose their

shame . Return to text.

Table 2. Corruption (The Fall of man)

The Bible Says: The Koran says:

Prior to sin, Adam and Eve given freeaccess to fruit of the Tree of Life

(Genesis 2:9, 1617).

The Tree of Eternity (equated with givingeternal life in 7:20, hence comparable to the

Biblical Tree of Life) was the Forbidden Tree

(20:120).

Forbidden tree clearly identified as Treeof the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

And the Lord God commanded the man,

You are free to eat from any tree in thegarden; but you must not eat from the tree

of the knowledge of good and evil, for

when you eat of it you will surely die.

(Genesis 2:1617)

No mention of the name Tree of theKnowledge of Good and Evil. Koran 7:19 O

Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden,

and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: Butapproach not this tree, or ye run into harm and

transgression. (Also 2:34).

Snake/serpent in Eden (Genesis 3). No mention of snake or serpent in the Koran

(except for a reference to Moses stick-to-

snake transformation).

The serpent enticed Eve, denying shewould die. (Genesis 3: 15) You will

not surely die, the serpent said to the

woman. For God knows that when youeat of it your eyes will be opened, and you

will be like God, knowing good and

evil.

Satan enticed Adam and his wife. Koran20:120 But Satan whispered evil to him: He

said, O Adam! Shall I lead thee to the Tree of

Eternity1 and to a kingdom that neverdecays? Koran 7:2021 Then began Satan

to whisper suggestions to them He said:

Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest yeshould become angels or such beings as live

forever.

The Lord God made garments of skin for

Adam and Eve, and clothed them.(Genesis 3:21)

Raiment mentioned, but no mention of skin

(Koran 7:26).

After the Fall, Adam and Eve still on

Earth, but barred from Eden (Genesis

3:2324).

Adam and Eve were shifted from Paradise (not

on Earth) down to Earth (7:24, also 2:36).

After the Fall, man will now eat throughpainful toil and (as a result of the Curse

on the land) by the sweat of your brow

Toil and sweat were an integral part of theoriginal created Earth. Koran 90:4 Verily We

have created man to toil and struggle.

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(Genesis 3:17, 19).

Death is an enemy, that entered after

Adam sinned. (Genesis 2:17; 3:19;Romans 5:12, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:2122,

26).

No reference in the Koran to death being an

enemy, or anything other than an integralpart of the original created Earth.

Ground now cursed; the whole creation

now groaning, in bondage to decay.(Genesis 3:17;Romans 8:2022;

Revelation 22:3).

Apparently, the bad things are not a

consequence of the Fall, but integral to theoriginal Creation.

Reference for Table 2

1. One Muslim commentator, clearly confused about the Genesis account, writes

that this tree is designated in the Bible as the tree of life andthe tree of

knowledge of good and evil. Muhammad Asad, The Message of The Quran, Dar

al-Andalus Ltd, Gibraltar, p. 484 (footnote 106), 1984. Return to text.

Table 3. Catastrophe (Noahs Flood)


Noah was the tenth generation from Adam(Genesis 5:332;Luke 3:3638). Other

Biblical genealogies allow us to date the

Flood to around 4,300 years ago.

No clear genealogies are given.

Ark was sealed with pitch (possibly treeresin1Genesis 6:14).

Ark caulked with palm fibre (Koran 54:1314).

Bible gives Ark dimensions (Genesis 6:14

16).

No mention of Ark size.

Duration of rain (40 days/nights), time afloat(150 days), total duration (370 days) of

Flood (Genesis 7:12, 24;8:4, 14).

No mention of any time periods for theFlood.

Eight people survived the Flood (1 Peter

3:20), i.e. all of Noahs family (Genesis 7:1,7).

The number on board is not mentioned. The

Koran claims one of Noahs sons wasdrowned (11:4243), and puts a question

mark over whether Noahs wife survived(66:10, 11:40).2

Man granted permission to eat meat after theFlood (Genesis 9:3).

Man ate meat on Earth from the beginning(6:142, 16:5, 40:79).

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it

will be the sign of the covenant between me

and the earth. Never again will the waters

There is no mention of the rainbow, or its

significance, anywhere in the Koran.

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become a flood to destroy all life. (Genesis

9:1117)

References for Table 3

1. Walker, T.B., The pitch for Noahs Ark, Creation7(1):20, 1984.Return to text.2. Muhammad Asad, The Message of The Qurn, Dar al-Andalus Ltd, Gibraltar, p.

877 (footnote 21), 1984. Return to text.

Table 4. Confusion (Origin of languages)


Before God confused the tongues atBabel, the whole world had one

language and a common speech(Genesis 11:19).

No mention of there ever being a single commonlanguage, or of the Tower of Babel.

After being scattered from Babel,people congregated into clans and

nations, each with their own languages

(Genesis 10:5, 20, 31).

Regarding the different languages, the Koran(30:22) says: And among His Signs is the

creation of the heavens and the earth, and the

variations in your languages and your colors

A very different deity

To list all instances where the Koran contradicts the Bible would take very many pages.

But the following examples suffice to show how Koranic teaching is utterly incompatiblewith the Bible:

The Bible says that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ (John 14:6,Acts4:12), while the Koran says that only through Islam (obedience to Allah and his

prophet Muhammad) can one avoid the Blazing Fire (Koran 3:85; 48:13).

The Koran denies Christs death and Resurrection. Various passages in the Koran(e.g. 4:155159) say that Allah made it appear to the Jews as if Jesus was

crucifiedin the meantime, Allah took Jesus up to Heaven.

While the Bible says that as descendants of Adam, all are born with a sinfulnature (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23), the Muslim view is that man is born innocent.1

The Koran refers to sin as earned (4:111, 6:120, 24:11). The Koran denies that God is Triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).2 (Muslims do

not address God as Father, believing that no man can be a son of God.) andthe Christians call Christ the Son of Allah. Allahs curse be on them: How they

are deluded away from the Truth! (9:3031).

While the Bible says that it is by grace that we are saved through faith alone, notby works lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:89), the Koran (23:102103)

tells a very different story: Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy,

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they will attain salvation: But those whose balance is light, will be those who

have lost their souls; in Hell will they abide.

While the Bible calls Christians to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt.28:19), this is to be done with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15)Christians

do not use the weapons of the world to preach the Gospel (2 Corinthians 10:35).

But for Muslims, a very different approach is prescribed in the Koran. E.g. then fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer

them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent, and

establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them (9:5). And, I will instill terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: Smite ye

above their necks and smite all their fingertips off them. (8:12)

While the Bible instructs a husband never to be harsh with his wife and to

sacrificially love her as Christ loved the church, and not to deprive one another(1 Corinthians 7:5; Ephesians 5:25; Colossians 3:19); the Koran (4:34) says: As

to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them

(first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them .

The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). The Koran does not.

References and notes

1. E.g. a Muslim Web site expounding this view: Al-Kahtany, A.H., The truth about

the original sin, , 1 November 2001. Return totext.

2. For an interesting account of how a Christian fluent in Arabic and familiar with

Islamic thought managed to engage an Egyptian Muslim in conversation about thebasis for a Triune God, see: The spirit of Islam,

, 9 November 2001.Return to text.

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The Koran vs Genesis