Plagiarism in Quran_01

8/3/2019 Plagiarism in Quran_01

1/21


2/21

Plagiarism in Quran

Introduction:

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All Praises be to Allah the Lord ofUniverse and His Peace and Blessings be on His Servant and Messenger Mohammad and

family of Mohammad and all the Companions of Mohammad, afterward,

It is very pleasant pastime of our Jewish and Christian friends to charge that Quran is

nothing but crude plagirisation from Bible, the prophet crudely copied stories from Bible

and duped his followers telling that he got it thru revelation.

This is a very serious charge and if proven means the end of his claims of prophethood,

but any charge is not a charge unless it is proven by evidence. And when one asks these

learned Jewish Biblical and Western Scholars to bring proofs for their charge that Quran

copied from Bible, they just start looking at us, as if we have asked them a very absurdquestion!!

In order to prove that our prophet copied from their books, at least it should be proven

that our prophet had access to their books, he was able to read them and understand them

or there was someone who was coaching him on these ancient books.

The mere suspicions are not enough, it must be established beyond any reasonable doubt

to convict any body of this serious crime, but sadly they do not even have rudimentary

evidence and it is just because of their assumptions and guess work that they continuewith this false charge.

This subject is an ongoing one between Muslims and Jewish and Christian Scholars andno interfaith debate ends unless this charge is mentioned and arguments exchanged. I

think there will not be any solution untill the two parties present their arguments in front

of the Best Judge of All affairs i.e. Allah the Exalted one and He shall provide Hisjudgement on this issue.

I also have my share of arguments and counter arguments on this issue during my

discussions of the threads of TOPIX (www.topix.net) . Recently I had a somewhatdetailed argument with one Mr. Mahmood on the same subject and I feel it will be of

general benefit if it be downloaded on Scribd for benefits of other people too.

It is with this intention that I publish it for our readers. If I have made any mistakes in my

arguments I seek pardon from Allah and if my arguments are correct then I thank Allah

and wish for His pleasures.

M. U. Qidwai

Jubail, KSA, 20 Feb 2012


3/21

The So called plagiarism in Quran :Part- 1

Background:

lf confessed expert on Quran and all other religious scriptures of the world (in fact an Ex-Muslim and MURTAD from Islam) has accused that our prophet has plagiarized matters

from Jewish and Christian books and made unauthorized use of them (I do not know if

copy right laws were enforce at that time).

02. I know it is not his original thoughts and his original research. Persons like

him are incapable of doing that. It is what he learns from western writers who are

known as Orientalists and places their views as of his own (thus committing the samecrime, of which he is accusing our prophet with).

03. I did not answer him at that time, because I wanted for him to finish his quota of

examples. But I am sure he senses the trap he was leading himself by giving examplesupon examples, and he suddenly stopped after giving six examples.

04. If we assume that these are the ONLY examples of plagiarism from Quran, then his

case is very weak. Because to find only six examples in a book of the size of Quran is

very insignificant and if we think that other examples are on the same pattern, then the

general principles would hold for them.

In both cases, his arguments recoil back on him.

I have written this monograph to address him and other members of this thread who get

similar doubts.

A. Prophets Source of Knowledge, Makkah people were perplexed.

01. In fact it was the people of Makkah who were perplexed when prophet declared his

mission.

02. He was not an unknown person to them. He was born and brought up in front of theirown eyes. Nothing about him was hidden from their eyes.

03. They knew him as a truthful and trustworthy person. In all these 40 years of his life,he has never given them any trouble and they had high hopes from him. He never lied or

cheated any one in their business dealings.

04. He had shown no signs of any hidden ambitions inside his hearts and never even

given any public speech or spoken in any gathering. Then all of a sudden, he was talking

in this strange voice, claiming himself to be a prophet of God and angel of God brining

him revelations.


4/21

05. This cannot be true, there is nothing like revelations from God and who heard of a

Prophet in the memory of Arab history.

06. Some people do talk about prophets of God and it must be the same people who are

coaching him, they thought.

B. What is the source of Information of Prophet?

01. Prophet was relating him about the stories of past generations and past prophets. How

could a man sitting in such a desolate place as Makkah, could get such informations.

02. They were perplexed , they accused him of so many things, many a times

contradictory to each other , but what else they could do, they could not pinpoint a single

cause that can explain all incidents.

03. So they went on suggesting different things, most of their charges are recorded in

Quran itself and their rebuttal is also given.


5/21

The So called plagiarism in Quran :Part-2

C. Different Sources as guessed by Makkah people.

01. First Charge, He forged it:

This was the first charge which Makkah people brought against the prophet. They saidthat whatever he hears people speaking in the streets, he listens it attentively and then

brings it as Quran.

The charge was very ridiculous, so the Quranic answer was simple, if he can forge it,why cant you also forge something like it. Bring a book like Quran, or ten chapter like it

or even one chapter like it.

02. Second Charge, Some one coaches him:

But the question was who was that person?. Every one in close company of prophet wasknown to have no knowledge about these things.

How come in Makkah there was someone who could teach prophet in secret? They could

only point fingers at some Christian slaves, who could have coached the prophet. Butthere was the big language barrier. These slaves could only speak broken Arabic, how

could they teach prophet this impeccable Arabic.

03. Third Charge Some Jinn or bad spirit has possessed him:

This was a feasible solution for that age and society. But even a cursory look at the Quranwas enough to negate this charge.

Since when the teachings of devil and evil spirit has become to worship one True Godand lead a moral life?

That is why we find that so many charges, each incompatible with other are mentioned in

Quran


6/21

D. Prophets disadvantages:

The prophet had some very clear disadvantages that can show he was well educated in

teachings of Jews and Christians. To people of Makkah they were well known and they

realized weakness of their charges. But to our modern day specialists, they are not soclear, so I would like to mention them

E. Inability to read or write:

Inability to read and write is a major disadvantage for some one, who wants to plagiaries

something from past literature and pass him off as his own. No doubt there are cases ofmany poets and even rulers and law givers, who did not know how to read or write.

But they spoke with their own power of reason and observation. But to quote something

from others books, one should know how to read them. Or he should be amongst thepeople who know of such things.

In case of prophet, they were missing in total.

F. Lack of foreign travels.

If a man is well traveled, he picks up different stories from people of different

backgrounds and use them in his narratives and sermons. Such a thing is not uncommon.

But our prophet was a well traveled man. He visited on one Trade caravan when he was

11 or 12 years old with his uncle and another time when he was 24 to 25 years of age. Inboth cases he went for trade and not for sight seeing.

The visits were brief and he encountered people of trade. There are no reports of himbeing attracted to religious discussions. A few encounters with Christians monks are too

short to get so much knowledge about their scriptures that he can quote them after a gap

of 30 to 40 years.


7/21

G. Remoteness of Makkah from other seats of learning.

Makkah was not a center for Jews and Christians in any period of its long history. It wasin a remote and barren land. It was one stop of trade route between Yemen and Syria.

Most people living in Makkah and its surrounding were Arabs and descendent of

Ishmael.

There could be some Jews and Christians living as individuals or as slaves, but they were

not an educated lot, not of the caliber which we can call as expert of Jewish or Christianreligion.

So prophet picking up bits and pieces from street corners and over hearing people in

debate were not that largeespecially when he became a marked man after declaringhis mission.

H. The Language Barrier?

The language barrier is a very serious one. Prophet only spoke Arabic and no other

language. Most of Jewish and Christian scriptures were in Hebrew, Greek or Aramaic .No one knows if they were translated into Arabic or not and did those Arabic translations

reached Makkah or not.

People saying that Arabic translations of these books reached Makkah are only speakingfrom their own conjecture, without any proof.

And when we see that at no place Quran quotes verbatim from any of Arabic versions ofBible, new or old.. makes it highly doubtful that prophet heard any recitation from

Translated Arabic Bibles or other Jewish and Christian scriptures.

I. The impossibility of being convicted of All charges.

It has been mentioned that Makkah people brought so many charges against our prophet,that it is impossible for any one person to be convicted of all charges!

That I itself shows that they were not sure as to which charge to bring against him, each

one speaking of their own. Same as we see in our Modern day experts. Every expertreaches a different conclusion.

They called him Liar, Soothsayer, Poet, Forger, Possessed, Magician,.. how can oneman become all of them at the same time?


8/21


J. Quran's own Confession:

1. Then there is another problem, Quran NEVER claimed that its teachings are brand newand no one has ever heard them before. It claims that Quran confirms the books that came

before it.

2. It claims that its teachings are the same as those of past prophets, its source of

information is the same from which earlier prophets got their info.

3. For example how could Moses get all those informations about past prophets and pastgenerations? How could he know about Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and

tribes?

4. What is wrong if Quran also got information from the same source from which MosesGot it?

K. Open Challenge to those in doubt about Quran:

1. Then Quran throws the challenge that if the prophet (who did not know how to read or

how to write) could compose a book like Quran by rehearsing it in secret and hiding itssources from the public eyes, what prevents his enemies doing the same?

2. So if the prophet is able to bring a book like Quran single handedly, why cant all hisenemies join and bring another book like Quran or better than Quran?

3. Then Quran lowered the challenge and asked his enemies to bring 10 chapter likeQuran and then even further lowered it to bring 1 Chapter like Quran. But none of his

people came forward.

4. Then Quran threw an open challenge to all humanity and declared If all of Mankind

were to join together and bring a book like Quran, they will never be able to do it, even if

they all helped one another

5. This is a Quranic challenge which is still open and even after 1400 years, no one has

been able to match it. Countless Arabic Translations of Bible have been made, but none

is comparable to Quran in eloquence and presentation.


9/21

6. Quran still stands alone as the Living Miracle, the Highest of the High example of

Arabic literature. The book from which rules of Grammar are taken. The book which is

Quoted as ultimate example in any literary dispute.

7. And the beauty of all this is that, the man who wrote it(according to his enemies)

says that he is not the author!! Can any human deny after achieving all this? We seepeople taking credit where their own contribution is minimal.. Have we another such

example in human circle of writers and literary people?

L. A Typical High committee of Plagiarism:

1. Now, let us look who would constitute the High Committee of Quranic Plagirisation,and who would be its members.

a. Lady Khadija, wife of prophet, she must be a member of the committee, without her

help the whole project would go phut. She would hold the secret meetings where thiscommittee would work during nights and compose new portions of Quran, but there is a

problem:

Lady Khadija died in the 10th year of Prophets mission and Quran continued 13 years

after her death. So who took her place? Other wives? But there were 10 or 11 wives of

prophets, were they all in the secret? It is not possible neither probable.

b. Waraqa, the cousin of Lady Khadija: many people make too much about Waraqa and

some even go to the length of him making as the prime source from which prophet gothis knowledge. But it is not recorded that prophet used to visit Waraqa more than what

was casual.

And there is another problem, Waraqa died shortly after Prophet declared his mission. So

how come prophet could continue his story telling without Waraqa.

c. Prophets Companions: The earliest and most reliable was Abu Bakr. He could be in

the committee that dictated Quran to the prophet. But it is not known that Abu Bakr was

having deep knowledge of Biblical literature. And how could Abu Bakr be hidden from

the eyes of other companions of prophet.

And if Abu Bakr was coaching the prophet, then why all of a sudden he stopped his

knowledge after death of prophet?


10/21

d. Jewish and Christian slaves: There is a theory that some Jewish and Christian slaves in

Makkah told some Biblical stories to prophet, who used it in Quran saying that these

were part of revelation.

The problem is who were these people and why they never came out into public. And

which Jews and Christian would tolerate prophet denying some of the essential beliefs ofJews and Christians. Which Christian would tolerate prophet denying Divinity of Jesus,

Trinity and his dieing on cross? Which Jew would tolerate, prophet laying charges upon

charges on Jews?

They would have come forward and said that it was they who coached the prophet.

And then there was language problem they could only translate Biblical stories in brokenArabic, how come the info was used in Quran to the perfection?

M. Parts which Quran Did not Copy from Earlier Scriptures:

1. Then there is another very important point, which people should take care whileaccusing our prophet of Plagirisation. It was not simple Plagirisation, Prophet was also

editing the stories as well. There are many stories in which the two versions are different

and this difference is so vital, that it shows than some unseen hand was keeping

prophet away from the troubled portions. I will quote a few examples, to clarify mypoint:

2. The Creation of Heavens in six days:

Quran and Bible both say that God Created heavens and earths in six days, that part of thestory is common, but there are vital differences.

a. Bible gives details of what was created on each day. Quran is silent about that. And itis these details which are creating so many problems between Bible and Modern day

scientists. Which hand kept prophet away from coping these details?

b. Bible gives the impression that by day it means our 24 hour cycle of day and night,Quran is silent on that and it says that One day in the eyes of God is like 1000 years of

humans. And this 1000 is not a exact figure but to denote a very large period. Creation

of Universe in six stages of very long period is not against the findings of Modernscience.

c. Bible says that God rested on seventh day, Quran says that God did not feel anyfatigue. Which of the two models suits the Majesty and Power of God?


11/21

3. Creation of Adam and Eve:

a Both Bible and Quran say that God Created Adam from dust. Then Bible says thatGod created Eve from his ribs, Quran is silent on this.

b Quran says that all Angels bow down to Adam, Bible is silent on this episode.

c Bible says that it was eve who ate the fruit first. Quran never mentions who ate the

fruit first. It never blames eve for the lapse, it blames both of them and Adam more thanEve. How it could be if the story was taken from Bible? Who did the editing?

4. Cases of Incest:

There are at least none cases of incest recorded in Bible, none of them are reported in

Quran, which hand prevented prophet from recording them?

5. Moses and killing of Egyptian:

As per Bible it was intentional , as per Quran it was unintentional, why did Quranopposed Biblical version?

6. David and Bathsheba:

Bible records the adultery committed by David, Quran is silent on that.

7. Solomon and worship of false gods:

Bible accuses Solomon of constructing temples for false gods in his old age and

worshipping false gods, Quran never mentions it.

8. Joseph and King of Egypt:

All Bibles (even to this date) use Title of Pharaoh for the King of Egypt, who was ruling

at the time of Joseph. In Bible this title is used on more than a hundred times. Quran

never even once calls the king of Egypt as Pharaoh. And now modern research has

shown that King of Egypt at the time of Joseph was from Hyksos dynasty and they didnot call themselves Pharaoh How prophet got that info and used it in Quran?

There are innumerable such cases, in which we can see that Quran never copied any thingstraight from any of the old books. It seems that Quran has complete command over the

entire info of OT and NT books and picks up the parts which are correct and rejects parts

which are not correct.

Such an act is not called Plagirisation, it is called filtering and correcting , that that is why

it is said of Quran that It conforms the past scriptures as well as protects them!!


12/21


M. A look at the examples quoted:

a. After above arguments, there is no need to comment on the so called charges ofplagiaries quoted by our ex-Muslim idiot. But in case he might use my non-response as

my inability, I am writing a few words about them.

b. First thing is that, he uses a different source of book for each of his six charges. This

weakens his case and not strengthens it. It would have been possible for the prophet to

hide a small book or parchment consisting all these stories, rather than have so many

books hidden under his arms.

c. Then many of these books are not main scriptures, but commentaries , when the

original books were not translated into Arabic, who would translate these commentaries?

And it requires a man with some religious training to know these bits and pieces andrehearse it to the prophet. Such are not the stories , which people hear by the road side.

d. Then there are significant differences between the Quranic version and as given from

the Jewish and Christian sources. There is no verbatim copy. This editing and

modification by prophet is enough to vacate the charge of plagiarism.

e. As regards the original source of Info, it is same from which all Info originate, i.e. God

of this Universe. It was thru Him that Moses got the info about past generations and it

was He who related it to our prophet.

With these opening remarks, let us look at his examples.


13/21

1st Example: , Source:# 25903

Here is an example of an idea plagiarized by the author of the Koran. 21:69 - We said, "OFire! be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham!"

This idea has been borrowed by author/authors of the Koran because this same theme isfound in Midrah Rabbah which pre-dates Islam by hundreds of years. Here is what the

Midrash says:

Once Avraham went into the furnace and was saved, They asked [Haran]:With

which one are you [allied]? He said to them:I am with Avraham Midrah Rabbah

38:13

1) We have Abraham.

2) A wicked king.

3) Threw Abraham into the fire.

4) Abraham wasn't consumed by it.

How did this story, conceived by man, finds it's way in the Koran? A classic example ofplagiarism.

I look forward to your response. I am not interested in the stupid response that "Mohd

was illiterate and had no access to books". Knowledge those days was passed on verbally.

MUQ s Comment

This is a very strange case of plagiarism.

2. There is no proof that this unknown Midrah Rabbah had ever reached Makkah.

3. There is no proof that Prophet ever had access to this book.

4. And the story of Quran is so much different from what is mentioned here that no one

can ever call it a Plagirisation.

5. And in the end Quran never claimed that it is relating stories which no one had everheard of.

6. At best it said that these are the stories, of the past which We are relating to you,neither you nor your people were aware of it

7. And the moral of the story as mentioned in the Quran is nowhere to be found in theseJewish or Christian books..


14/21

2nd Example:

Source:Here is another example of plagiarism:

Koran 5:32 - On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew

a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if

he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life ofthe whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet,

even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.

This idea is borrowed from the Jewish Sanhedrin - Mishnah 5. Part of this Koranic verseis stolen verbatim. Here is what Sanhedrin says:

a) Another saying is ,The bloods of your brotherthat his blood was cast over trees

and stones.

3) Therefore but a single person was created in the world, to teach that IF ANY MANYHAS CAUSED A SINGLE LIFE TO PERISH FROM ISRAEL, he is deemed by

Scripture as if he had caused a WHOLE WORLD TO PERISH; and anyone WHO

SAVES A SINGLE SOULD from Israel, he is deemed by Scripture as if he had saved a

whole world.

Encyclopedia Britannica claims that Sanhedrin was finalized around 3CE. I look forward

to your response.

MUQ s Comments:

1. Here again the suggested reference is from a commentary of Jewish Scripture and not

the scripture itself.

2. It is not established that Minshah was translated into Arabic and prophet had heard

about it.

3. And there is clear difference between what is mentioned in Quran and what is

mentioned here.4. Mishnah only speaks about any one from Israel, while Quran makes it general. This is

very serious difference.

5. Then Mishnah quotation does not speak about lawful killings, without which it is

very incomplete law. Quranic version is more complete and permits killing after due

process of law

6. I do not know by which rule of literature it can be called as a Plagirisation.


15/21

3rd Example: Source:# 26000

KORAN & PLAGIARIZM: EXAMPLE # 3:

In Sura Al Kaaf - 18:09 - 26, is a narrative of a group of Christian youths who hid inside

a cave to escape persecution by the Romans. They fell asleep for 309 years and laterwoke up.

The Koran says 18:10 - "Behold, the youths betook themselves to the Cave: they said,"Our Lord! bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right

way!"

18:25- So they stayed in their Cave three hundred years, and (some) add nine (more). I'm

not quoting all the verses, but you can read it yourself and figure it out.

This story is a rehashment of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus borrowed from a legend that

pre-dates Islam. Mohammad (peace be upon him) took this story, mixed it with some of

his own ideas, and pasted it in his Koran.

SEVEN SLEEPERS LEGEND:

Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, the heroes of a famous legend that, because it affirmed the

resurrection of the dead, had a lasting popularity in all Christendom and in Islam during

the Middle Ages. According to the story, during the persecution of Christians (250 ce)under the Roman emperor Decius, seven (eight in some versions) Christian soldiers were

concealed near their native city of Ephesus in a cave to which the entry was later sealed.

There, having protected themselves from being forced to do pagan sacrifices, they fellinto a miraculous sleep. During the reign (408450 ce) of the Eastern Roman emperor

Theodosius II.

I look forward to your response - refute it.

MUQ s Comment:

1. The writer has given a false impression that legend of seven sleepers was widely

known around all the countries of the world.

2. I do not deny that some people might be knowing about this story, that is why they

questioned the prophet about it.3. But the story was new to Makkah people and there is no proof that prophet had ever

heard it being recited Along the street corner.

4. To prove the charge of Plagirisation, you must prove that prophet used it verbatim andpassed it out at his own effort.

5. And lastly Quran never claims that this is a story which no one ever heard of ever

when you are relating past history, it has to be truth and some people must be knowingabout it.

It is like people making self rules for proving charge of Plagirisation.


16/21

4th Example: Source:# 23034

KORAN & PLAGIARIZM - EXAMPLE # 4:

KORAN 5:26 - Allah said: "Therefore will the land be out of their reach for forty years:

In distraction will they wander through the land: But sorrow thou not over these

rebellious people.

This fable is a cut and paste from the Hebrew Bible with Moses leading the Israelities to

the promised land. Not only this, the story itself is stupid. It does not take 40 bloody years

from Egypt to Israel, whether you travel by foot or by mule. A distant of 400 miles can becovered in 16 weeks averaging 3 miles a day. Nor is there any archeological evidence

supporting this massive exodus.

I look forward to your response.

MUQ s Comment:

1. Jews wandering in desert is also mentioned in the books attributed to Moses.

2. But the circumstances as mentioned in Quran are different from those recorded inBible.

3. As per Quran it was a sort of punishment to Jews for disobeying Moses command tostand up and fight and as per Bible it was Gods wrath on Moses.

4. Any one with open mind would not call it a Plagirisation.

5. And from where our writer had deduced that it took Jews forty years to cross the

desert? Quran says that they will be wandering in desert. Some tribes spend their wholelives in same deserts, wandering from here and there.

6. Quran does not mention what was the strength of Jews coming out of Egypt. This

question should be asked from Jews and not from Muslims.

7. And I do not know what archeological proof he wants to see after so many thousands

of years? They did not built any civilization in the desert. What archeological things awandering tribe can leave in the desert?


17/21

5th Example Source:# 26052

KORAN & PLAGIARIZIM - EXAMPLE # 5:

Forget about kafirs like myself. Here is what a muslim scholar from Harvard namedMahmoud Ayoub has to say in his book, Islam: Faith and History . He write The

narrative of the birth of Mary (referring to the Koran) has no parallel in the Gospels. It

parallels the apocryphal Protoevengelion of James(pg 37/38).

Koran says:

3:35. Behold! a woman of 'Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is inmy womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all

things."

3:36. When she was delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a femalechild!"- and Allah knew best what she brought forth- "And no wise is the male Like the

female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protectionfrom the Evil One, the Rejected."

3:37. Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty:

To the care of Zakariya was she assigned. Every time that he entered (Her) chamber tosee her, He found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Mary! Whence (comes) this

to you?" She said: "From Allah. for Allah Provides sustenance to whom He pleases

without measure."

Here is the excerpt from the Protoevengelion of James:

And, behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, saying: Anna, Anna, the Lord has heard your

prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth; and your seed shall be spoken of in

all the world. And Anna said: As the Lord my God lives, if I beget either male or female,I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God;.

.And she said to the midwife: What have I brought forth? And she said: A girl.

And said Anna: My soul has been magnified this day. And she laid her down. And thedays having been fulfilled, Anna was purified, and gave the breast to the child, and called

her name Mary.

Protoevengelion of James is a 2nd century book written by men. Notice the close

resemblance between the Koranic narrative and the apocryphal gospel.

I look forward to your response!!!


18/21

MUQ s comments:

1. Now our learned scholar has brought into light another book which is not known to the

world.

2. First he has to prove that this Apocrypha Gospel had reached the Prophet at Madina.

(Because this a Medina Surah).

3. And where did Quran says that the story of birth of Mary is something unique and no

one has heard it before?

4. It only says that Prophet and people of Arabia were not knowing it.

5. And as usual, Quran does not mention the Proper Name of mother of Mary, being

consistent with its policy of forgetting Proper Names!!

6. But it shows that prophet had complete knowledge of Regular Gospels as well asApocrypha Gospels!!


19/21

6th Example Source:# 26107

KORAN AND PLAGIARIZM - EXAMPLE # 6: ABRAHAM SMASHED IDOLS:

The incident of Abraham smashing the idol is found in the Midrashic account as well asSura al Anbiya. In both version, despite the differences, Abraham breaks idols

belonging to his father. I suggest you read Sura Al Anbiya 21:51-70 and figure out for

yourself. I am giving you the Midrash Rabbas version of the story. Must be some bloodycoincidence that the Koranic version is based on the Midrash story. In both versions we

have, Abraham, his father, his father manufactured idols, the people worshipped idols,

Abraham chastised those who worshipped the idols, and later smashed them to pieces.

The only problem is that some Jew boy concocted this legend long before the author ofthe Koran got hold of it.

Midrash version: R' Hiyya said: Terah was a manufacturer of idols. He once went awaysomewhere and left Abraham to sell them in his place. A man came and wished to buy

one. "How old are you?" Abraham asked him. "Fifty years" was the reply. "Woe to sucha man," he exclaimed, "you are fifty years old and would worship a day-old object!" At

this he became ashamed and departed.

On another occasion a woman came with a plateful of flour and requested him, "Take thisand offer it to them." So he took a stick, broke them, and put the stick in the hand of the

largest. When his father returned he demanded, "What have you done to them?" "I cannot

conceal it from you," he rejoined. "A woman came with a plateful of fine meal andrequested me to offer it to them. One claimed 'I must eat first,' while another claimed 'I

must eat first.' Thereupon the largest arose, took the stick and broke them." "Why do you

make sport of me," [Terah] cried out, "have they then any knowledge?" "Should not yourears listen to what your mouth is saying," [Abraham] retorted.

The meat of the theory is simply that the author(s) of the Qur'an included in their

manuscript a story that is strikingly similar to one that was floating around contemporary

religious communities living roughly in the same area. Who exactly it was that wrote or

recited this story is irrelevant.

I look forward to your response.


20/21

MUQ s Comments:

1. The story told in Midrash Rabba is different from what is mentioned in Quran.

2. First of all there is problem with the name of Father of Abraham. As per Bible and thisnarration his name was Terah. Quran usually does not mention Proper Names but in case

of Abraham, it names him as ADHAR. How could prophet call him ADHAR when he

had known it to be Terah?

3. Then these questions and answers are not mentioned in Quran at all. The questions as

per Quran are addressed to people in general.

4. As per Biblical story Abraham broke the idols in the shop of His father, while as per

Quran he broke idols in their temple. The two stories are different.

5. Then as per Quran, Abraham was thrown into fire after what he had done, As perquoted story nothing like that happened.

6. And dialogs between Abraham and his father are mentioned in Quran which are totally

different from what are mentioned here.

7. If such scant similarities between the two versions prove that Quran copied fromthese sources, then we have to produce a new definition of the word Plagiarism!!

And that was the end of examples given by our so called expert

They are trying to frame a charge which Quran never claimed. Quran never said that allthe stories of past generations and past prophets are entirely new and no one ever heard

them before.

How could it be if he is talking to Jews and Christians?

But our biased scholars get carry away and bring charges which are so childish and so

farfetched that any one even comparing them with cursory glance would laugh at thesecharges.

I now leave this decision to readers of the thread to decide themselves.


21/21

Plagiarism in Quran_01

Documents

Transcript of Plagiarism in Quran_01