We often read claims made by Muslims, that the Quran contains miracles that prove the Quran is the word of God. However, under scrutiny these claims are always found wanting for various reasons.
This thread will highlight the fact that rather than containing miracles, the Quran is guilty of making many errors. Just the type of errors you would expect from someone living in the Arabian peninsula during the 7th century.
Before we look at the first error it's worth pointing out that the Quran mentions a number of times that it is a book that makes the signs clear and easy to understand to it's 7th century audience:
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YUSUFALI: We have not instructed the (Prophet) in Poetry, nor is it meet for him: this is no less than a Message and
a Qur'an making things clear:
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YUSUFALI:
And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive admonition?
The Koran was a book authored to convince its 7th century audience it was from God and that the signs were made clear to them. These verses are worth bearing in mind especially when we look at the 'scientific verses' of the Koran.
The first error we will look at is found is surah 37, which mentions an unusually big fish:
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YUSUFALI: So also was Jonah among those sent (by Us).
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YUSUFALI: When he ran away (like a slave from captivity) to the ship (fully) laden,
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YUSUFALI: He (agreed to) cast lots, and he was condemned:
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YUSUFALI: Then the big Fish did swallow him, and he had done acts worthy of blame.
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YUSUFALI: Had it not been that he (repented and) glorified Allah,
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YUSUFALI: He would certainly have remained inside the Fish till the Day of Resurrection.
So, according to the Koran there is a huge fish that can swallow a man whole!
Not only this, but after being swallowed he remained alive afterwards. The Koran then claims he would have remained inside the fish till the judgement day had he not repented!
The Koran has made many errors in the surah.
A big fish cannot swallow a man whole. Even if it were possible a human could not survive in it's stomach due to the acids it contains.
Finally this special fish the Koran mentions also has a life span till judgement day as Jonah would've remained inside this fish till then had he not repented.
We also have an explanation from early Muslim traditions about this big fish, for which the Arabic word in the Quran is nun.
Here is an explanation from Ibn Kathir a renowned classical scholar taken from Mulslim traditions:
It was said that "Nun" refers to A GREAT WHALE that rides on the currents of the waters of the great ocean AND ON ITS BACK IT CARRIES THE SEVEN EARTHS, as was stated by Imam Abu Jafar Ibn Jarir. Narrated by Ibn Bashar, narrated by Yahya, narrated by Sufyan Al-Thuri, narrated by Sulayman Al-Amash, narrated by Abu Thubian, narrated by Ibn Abbas who related, "The first thing that Allah created was the pen and He said to it ‘Write’. The pen asked, ‘What shall I write?’ Allah said, ‘Write (the) fate (of everything).’ So the pen wrote everything that shall be from that moment until judgement day.
Then Allah created the "Nun" and He caused steam to rise out of which the heavens were created AND THE EARTH WAS THEN LAID FLAT ON THE NUN’S BACK. Then the Nun became nervous and (as a result) the earth began to sway, but (Allah) fastened (the earth) with mountains lest the earth should move ...
This story is confirmed by other early Muslim historians/scholars such as AL TABARI, AL-QURTUBI and TAFSIR IBN ABBAS.
This explains why the author of the Koran thought there was a gigantic fish capable of swallowing a man whole and it also explains how he would've remained inside it till judgement day had he not repented. As it is explained that this big fish will remain alive till judgement day carrying the earth on its back.
