PART VII, CHAPTER 3 (= VII-3-0-0)

FACTS VS. CLAIMS, STATEMENTS, (INVALID) "SIGNS", (INVALID) "PROOFS", ETC. IN THE QURAN: THE QURAN AND ALLAH ACCORDING TO THE QURAN, MUHAMMAD, ISLAM, AND ALLAH

FROM WHERE DID MUHAMMAD (OR ALLAH?) "BORROW" THE STORIED IN THE QURAN? - THE HOLY BOOK OF MUSLIMS AND ISLAM.

PLAGIARISM IN THE QURAN

Comments in this book numbered by 3 numbers (included 00 or 0) a few places followed by one small letter = clear cases. Comments numbered by 00 or 0 followed by 1, 2 or 3 letters (big or small) = likely cases.

There is very little in the Quran which is original thinking. Practically all of it is “borrowed” from older times, or from surrounding cultures. The laws mainly are from old Arab traditions, added by some ideas from mainly the Jews, the Christians and Persia. Also ethical and moral ideas came from the same sources - partly originally from Hellas. (But then Islam never really had a philosophy of moral or ethics - they never were interested in knowledge for the sake of knowledge and actively fought against things like philosophy - a war Islam won in 1095 with a book ("The Incoherence of the Philosophers") attacking just philosophy and written by “the second greatest Muslim after Muhammad” Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali (1058 - 1111), actually not an Arab, but from Persia. They instead followed the few and sometimes inhuman orders in the Quran). And the same goes for knowledge and science - mainly from Hellas and Persia and some from India. But actually knowledge and science was in short supply at the times of Muhammad - translation of the old books had started, f. ex. in Persia - a country the Arabs had a lot of contact with, but much of the translation to Arab came much later (from around 820 AD). All the same some of the old knowledge from Greece, Persia and India was known also in Arabia, and was the science the Arabs believed in at the time of Muhammad.

At the times of Muhammad Arabia simply was in a permanent barbaric state with little education except the basic learning - and that mostly for the "better" families - and with the tribes constantly fighting each other in a real anarchism. The only form of art that existed was storytelling and poetry. The country was even more barbaric than the worst places in north Pakistan and Afghanistan and Africa today. (This may be a reason why Islam had success in Arabia after it was changed to a war religion - the Arabs were by culture - or rather by anarchism - warriors by heart because that was they had been brought up to become, and a war religion fitted their not-culture. Barbarism is not a culture, no matter what semi-intellectuals say).

In such situations Muhammad was not to blame for stealing good ideas from the surroundings - actually not to do so would just be stubborn stupidity - like what you see some places even today: Everything from the outside, and especially from the west, is bad, instead of picking the good ideas and leaving the bad ones. Muhammad - or Allah - was wise enough to try to pick the known ideas from where he found them.

But Muhammad was no thinker himself (sorry, but hardly any real scientist today believes the Quran was made by a god - nothing points towards a god, everything towards Muhammad and/or human helpers). And also in the Quran there is little or nothing of original stuff. The stories are all taken from other sources known in Arabia at that time (why should a god do so?)

Much is taken from the Bible, but “adjusted” to fit Muhammad’s teaching, though much of this really is not from the real Bible, but from religious fairy tales and folk tales or from texts made up by different fringe sects - Gnostics f. ex. made up quite a number of “gospels” and other “holy” stories. If we say that Muhammad made up the Quran himself, it is easy to see why he frequently missed here:

1. He did not know much about Jewish religion, until after he came to Medina, and then it was too late.
2. He never knew much about the Christian religion.
3. Perhaps he did not know how to read, and for sure he never had a Bible.
4. There was a myriad of stories and poems also about religious subjects in Arabia - as we said storytelling (and story making) and poetry were the only arts in Arabia, and also one of the few pastimes in such cultures during long evenings.

It often was impossible for him to know what really was a true story and what not.

Besides he had to mix divinity into the stories, if it was not there before - it may as well be there from before, because then an intelligent but rather short of fantasy brain like Muhammad’s only had to name the god behind the stories “Allah“. Actually he used both religious and non-religious stories and changed them enough to fit his teaching.

But as for stories presumably from the Jewish and even more so from the Christian religion some of them were just twisted a little or a lot, whereas others were plainly from made up folk and fairy tales, legends and myths known in Arabia at that time.

We do not comment the places the Quran twists the Bible - most of our readers will recognize them. We only add that in Syria and Arabia there were many from the partly Christian Gnostic sects living, and actually many of the stories pretending to be from the Bible in the Quran, are from made up Gnostic tales. But we will take some of the others - and a couple of Gnostic ones (sources: Among others Slot-Henriksen: Comments on the Quran):

001 Moses and the fish - from Arabic folk tales about search for eternal life. May be originally from Babylon - the Babylonian Ugarit texts has a very similar story about the god El (not unknown in and around Arabia).

002 Solomon listening to the ants - fairy tale perhaps inspired by the Bible, Sol. 6/6.

003 Jinns working for Solomon - from local fairy tales, folk tales and myths (jinns were beings in Arab folklore that are incorporated in Islam). Anyone who has read f. ex. 1001 Nights knows that supernatural beings sometimes worked for humans.

004 Mary working in the temple (in Jerusalem) as child/youth - from “The Proto Gospel after Jacob”, part 8,1 and 8,1b.

005 Jesus talking in the crib - from the religious legend “The Egyptian Child Gospel” perhaps via the as made up “The Arab Child Gospel” (originally from Syria) - both fairy tales about fantastic things concerning the child Jesus. “The Arab Child Gospel” also got stories from “The Proto Gospel after Jacob” and “The Thomas’ Child Gospel” - both made up religious legends or myths.

006 Jesus making birds from clay - read the heretical Gnostic “Child Gospel after Thomas” verse 1 - 4, a very made up child gospel, and you find it there. (Actually none of the storeys about Jesus in the Quran is reckoned by scientists to be true ones. Most of what is said in the Quran about Christian religion, is from apocryphal - made up - sources. Not unnatural as there f. ex. were many Gnostics and other semi-Christian and semi-Jewish sects in the fringes of Christianity. Arabia definitely were in - and outside - those fringes).

007 Mary and the palm - from the made up religious fable “The Proto Gospel after Mathew”, chapter 20.

008 Muhammad’s Night Journey to Heaven - read about different such travels in Jewish Merabah mysticism or even more the Gnostic “Enoc’s Journy to Heaven” (nearly identical to Ibn Ishaq’s by Islam accepted story after Abu Said al-Chudri).

009 The sleepers in the cave - the even today well known religious fable from Ephesus, about the 7 youths that fled from emperor Decius (a real emperor reigning only 2 years around 250 AD) and went to sleep in a cave, and then woke up maximum 196 years later (the Quran says 300 or 309 years) under the more well known emperor Theodosius). Just read it - it normally even is better told than in the Quran.

010 Alexander the Great/Duh’l Quarnayn - anyone knowing the story of Alexander; read this part oft Surah 18 and weep - or laugh. Copycatting at its most naïve. (He f. ex. was no Muslim, he never went west - this we know from history - there no place in the world was enough iron blocks to close off a whole valley around 330 BC, etc.).

011 The story about Ad (many times repeated) - copied from Arab folk tales, presumably a story from more than 2000 years before Muhammad (before Moses (around 1230 BC) according to the Quran), and Muhammad had no written sources. Besides all the other: How big is the chance that a folk tale is true and identical with the reality after 2ooo years?

012 The stories about Thamud - copied from Arab presumably 2ooo years old folk tales. See the tales about Ad just above.

013 The stories about Median - copied from Arab folk tales.

014 The stories about the jinnS - copied from Arab folk tales and legends.

If you look, may be you will find more copycatting.

015 The 7 heavens. Originally from Greek and Persian wrong astronomy, but quite likely via the Zohar and/or the Hagigah.

016 The 7 hells (7 gates to different parts - and differen sinister - of Hell): Likely from the Zohar and/of the Hagigah.

017 2/55-56: Moses and his people: Taken from Talmud (Jewish).

017 2/59: A man died for 100 years and woke up. This is taken from an old Jewish fable well known in Arabia at the time of Muhammad.

018 2/60: 12 springs gushing forth - copied from pre-Islamic legends.

019 2/65: People transformed to apes - copied from a popular Arab legend of those times.

020 2/102: The evil ones. See "The Midrash Yalkut", chapter 44 to find this.

021 2/260: 4 birds cut to pieces come alive and fly to Abraham. This also is taken from an old Jewish fable well known in Arabia at the time of Muhammad.

022 3/35-37: The birth of Mary. Taken from the fanciful book "The Protoevangelion's James the Lesser".

023 5/30-31: The raven and Cain. This is to be found in "The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziah" and also in "The Targum of Jerusalem". Muhammad "borrowed" from many places.

025 7/73-77: The camel "proof". Taken from an old Arab legend well known in Arabia at the time of Muhammad: A camel came out from a cliff and became a prophet.

026 7/163-166: People transformed to apes - copied from a popular Arab legend of those times.

027 7/171: Mount Sinai is lifted over the Jews. Taken from the Jewish book "Abodah Sarah".

028 18/9-26: The sleepers in the cave - the even today well known religious fable from Ephesus, about the 7 youths that fled from emperor Decius (a real emperor reigning only 2 years around 250 AD) and went to sleep in a cave, and then woke up maximum 196 years later (the Quran says 300 or 309 years) under the more well known emperor Theodosius). Just read it - it normally even is better told than in the Quran. "The 7 sleepers" is a well known Christian and perhaps Greek fabel well known also in Arabia at the time of Muhammad. Some Muslims wants it to be inspired from an even older Jewish legend, but that in case does not help the "reliability" of the Quran when it tells this is a true story - which it is not.

029 21/51-71: Abraham delivered from Nimrod's fire. Taken from "Midrash Rabbah". And another point: Abraham and Nimrod did not live at the same time (if they ever lived). Muhammad had a strong tendency to mix persons from different times (f. ex. Haman and Ramses II - some 800 years wrong. Or Mary and Miriam - some 1200 years wrong.)

030 21/96: Gog and Magog - 2 peoples or tribes. Originally this may be from OT which tells about King Gog from the country Magog. But Muhammad seems to have it from Arab (mainly oral) litterature - perhaps the "Saba Moallaquat of Imra 'ul Cays".

031 27/17-44: King Solomon and the Queen of Sabah. Taken from the old book "The Sacond Targum of Esther".

032 29/16: Abraham delivered from Nimrod's fire. Taken from "Midrash Rabbah". And another point: Abraham and Nimrod did not live at the same time (if they ever lived). Muhammad had a strong tendency to mix persons from different times (f. ex. Haman and Ramses II - some 800 years wrong. Or Mary and Miriam - some 1200 years wrong.)

033 29/31: The spider building himself a house. From Arab (mainly oral) litterature - also this (and some other places) perhaps from the "Saba Moallaquat of Imra 'ul Cays".

034 35/1: The moon is cleft asunder. Likely from Arab (mainly oral) litterature - also this (and some other places) perhaps from the "Saba Moallaquat of Imra 'ul Cays".

035 37/97-98: Abraham delivered from Nimrod's fire. Taken from "Midrash Rabbah". And another point: Abraham and Nimrod did not live at the same time (if they ever lived). Muhammad had a strong tendency to mix persons from different times (f. ex. Haman and Ramses II - some 800 years wrong. Or Mary and Miriam - some 1200 years wrong.)

036 42/17: The scale to weigh the good and the bad deeds. From the made up "The Testament of Abraham".

037 54/27-29: The camel "proof". Taken from an old Arab legend well known in Arabia at the time of Muhammad: A camel came out from a cliff and became a prophet.

038 87/19: The books of Abraham. Taken from the made up book "Testament of Abraham".

039 91/13-14: The camel "proof". Taken from an old Arab legend well known in Arabia at the time of Muhammad: A camel came out from a cliff and became a prophet.

040 101/6-9: The scale to weigh the good and the bad deeds. From "The Testament of Abraham".

MORE MAY BE ADDED.

POST SCRIPTUM FOR CHAPTER VII/2.

Just a few questions:

1. Would an omniscient god need to copy old stories?
2. Would he in case tell them in much more boring ways than the originals?
3. Would he in case tell them with historical wrong facts?
4. If the Quran is only the truth and the full truth; why then is it hardly ever used as source in real science of history? And never for anything that happened before 610 AD !

NB: If you find any mistakes anywhere, please inform us. If it is a real mistake, it will be corrected.

NB, NB, NB:

1. Read first the 2 small chapters "Some Essentials for how the Quran is to be read and understood" (VII-10-1) and "The Quran is to be understood literally if nothing else is indicated" (VII-10-2).

2. http://www.1000mistakes.com is blocked by many Muslim authorities. To debate with persons in such areas, cut and paste what you want from the pages and send it under titles different from http://www.1000mistakes.com.

3. http://www.1000mistakes.com is one of 9 pages which Muslim organisetions warned especially against in 2008 and 2009 - it could make especially procelytes lose their belief in Islam; correct and "down-to-the-earth" information works. In this connection it is worth noting that in the "warning" http://www.1000mistakes.com was one of 3 which neither was accused of bringing wrong facts, nor of being a hate page.

4. Comment 141 (to verse 6/149) in “The Message of the Quran” (see point 5) explains (translated from Swedish) about Allah's claimed omniscience vs. man's claimed free will:

“With other words: The real connection between Allah’s knowledge about the future (and consequently about the unavoidable in what is to happen in the future*) on one side and man’s relatively (!!*) free will on the other – two statements that seems to contradict each other – lies outside what is possible for humans to understand, but as both statement are made from Allah (in the Quran*) both must be true”. Unbelievable. Blind belief is the only correct and intelligent way of life, even in the face of the utterly impossible!!

5. And an afterthought: In the book “The Message of the Quran”, certified by Al-Azhar Al-Sharif Islamic Research Academy in Cairo (one of the 2-3 top universities in the Muslim world on such subjects) in a letter dated 27. Dec. 1998, it is admitted rather reluctantly that there are no proofs for Allah, and that it is not possible to prove him. An additonal point here is that if there is no proof for Allah and impossible to prove him, automatically there also is no proof for, and impossible to prove Muhammad's claimed connection to a god. And if there is no Allah and/or no connection between Muhammad and a god, what then is Muhammad? - and what than is Islam? - a made up, invalid religion?

6. Further: All the mistakes, contradictions, etc. in that book prove 100% that the Quran is not made by an omniscient god - no god makes such and so many mistakes, etc. If then Islam is a made up religion, what then about all the Muslims who have been prohibitted from looking for a real religion (if such one exists)? And where will they in case wake up after living and practising such an inhuman war religion like Islam is according to the Quran (and to Hadiths), if there is a second life somewhere? - Hell or Paradise?

7. NB and PS: No matter how sure you are about something, if it is not proved, it is not knowledge, only belief or strong belief, and can be wrong. Only what is proved or possible to prove is knowledge.

(As http://www.1000mistakes.com is blocked in many Muslim areas - which shows they are afraid of it and lack arguments (if they had real arguments for http://www.1000mistakes.com is wrong, blocking was unneccessary) - "cut and paste" whatever you want from it and send if you want to inform or to debate there. Remember to omit the name http://www.1000mistakes.com).

PS: If we are blocked centrally - f. ex. by spam (there is too much at times already from unfriendly sources) we will reopen with new address somewhere else, and announce the new address om f. ex. http://www.topix.com/forum/religion/islam. Also if your comments to us do not reach us, any comments posted on a thread with "1000 mistakes" in the title on that forum will be read by us - it is a big international debate page. We cannot answer on that page, though, as it is not safe enough - we have had death threaths (better to kill an opponent, than to check if a religion brainwashed into you only on the word of a man who even practised lies (f. ex. "war is deceit") and advocated breaking even your oaths if that gave a better result, is true ot made up - old beliefs are hard to question).

Please inform all and everybody and all relevant fora - f. ex. Internet pages for debate or information - about the address http://www.1000mistakes.com. It is information that is urgently needed by many, not least by Muslims. No god made a book with so many mistakes and other wrongs - and if the Quran and Islam are made up by humans or dark forces, where are the followers of this inhumanly dark and brutal war religion heading for in a possible next life?