Alleged Grammatical Errors in the Quran
Alleged Linguistic Errors in the Qur’an and the Response to Them
A word before discussing the alleged linguistic errors:
It is strange that you are scrutinizing matters that are incomparable in any way to the calamities included in your book that only a madman or a fanatic whose fanaticism has reached the point of madness would accept.
We remind you of what your book, the Bible, included about Christ, when he said:
“Why do you notice the speck of wood in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the great beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me pull out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you do not notice the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first pull out the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to pull out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”
Are Your Eyes Blind to the Calamities in Your Own Book?
Read the following:
You claim that the Lord commanded Ezekiel to eat his own excrement and mix it with bread, and asked him to generalize this command to the children of Israel. You claim that people eat their own excrement and drink their own urine. You claim that Jacob wrestled with his Lord, who threw him to the ground and defeated him, and God was hoping that he would release Him so that He could return to heaven.
You claim that the Lord commanded every foreigner, if he met a Jew, to bow down to him on the ground and lick the dust of his sandals. You claim that Lot committed adultery with his two daughters, and they bore him two sons. You claim that Judah committed adultery with his daughter-in-law. You claim that David committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife. You claim that everything a menstruating woman touches or sits on becomes unclean.
You also find in your book texts that arouse sexual desires, such as the Song of Songs, which contains texts that a chaste woman refuses to hear lest it offend her modesty. It is even claimed that George Bernard Shaw advised that the Bible be kept out of the reach of children because of the obscene sexual texts it contains, to the point that he described the Bible as the most dangerous book on earth and ordered that it be placed in a tightly locked place.
If you asked one of these people to read you a text in Arabic or parse a text for you, the little ones would laugh at his reading. He is not good at reading, let alone parsing. And yet he comes to talk about linguistic errors in the Qur’an.
Funny Rhetorical Texts from the Bible
”And The Waters Accumulate in the Breath of Your nose”
Do you know what you say, you eloquent and articulate ones? Is the waters accumulate in the breath of your nose, or is it from a cold?
”Who Teaches Us More than the Beasts of the earth”
The Bible says:
“God is my maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the air.”
So what knowledge do the beasts of the earth teach you? And what wisdom do the birds give you?
”My Horn is Exalted in the Lord”
The Bible says:
“Hannah said: My horn is exalted in the Lord; My mouth is enlarged over my enemies; And there is no rock like our God. The bows of the mighty are broken… And the weak have girded themselves with valor.”
They are broken, girded themselves. The horn is exalted in the Lord. And your Lord is likened to a rock?
”A Time to Scatter Stones, and a Time to Gather Stones together”
The Bible says:
“To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace, and a time to part from the embrace. A time to tear, and a time to sew.”
Have you seen this literary expression that even Al-Mutanabbi and the Arab writers were unable to match? A non-literary style of high clumsiness: tearing and sewing, gathering stones and scattering them, planting and uprooting, wailing and dancing.
Doubts and Responses
1. The Subject Is Accusative and the Object Is Nominative
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:124:
“My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.”
The objection is that the correct form should have been “the wrongdoers” in the nominative case.
The answer is that the meaning is: the wrongdoers from your descendants will not be granted My succession. The objector made “the wrongdoers” the subject and “My covenant” the object, even though the الأصل is to present the subject before the object, especially when ambiguity exists due to the absence of diacritics.
2. Raising the Conjoined to the Accusative
It is stated in Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:69:
“Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews and the Sabians…”
The objection is that “the Sabians” should have been accusative to match the preceding structure.
The answer is that the waw here is a resumption, not a conjunction to the previous phrase. “The Sabians” is raised as a subject, with its predicate omitted. Classical grammarians such as Sibawayh considered this a valid and eloquent construction.
3. Masculine Predicate for a Feminine Noun
It is stated in Surah Al-A’raf 7:56:
“Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.”
The objection is that “near” should have been feminine.
The answer is that “near” here is masculine in the sense of “a nearby place,” and in Arabic it is permissible to use it in either masculine or feminine form in such a context.
4. Feminization of the Number and Pluralization of the Counted Object
It is stated in Surah Al-A’raf 7:160:
“And We divided them into twelve tribes, nations.”
The objection is that the number should have been masculine and the counted noun singular.
The answer is that “tribes” is not the distinguishing noun here, but rather a substitute for an omitted word such as “groups.” Therefore, the construction is correct.
5. The Plural Pronoun Referring to the Dual
It is stated in Surah Al-Hajj 22:19:
“These are two opponents who disputed concerning their Lord.”
The objection is that the pronoun should have been dualized.
The answer is that the two opponents actually represent two large categories or groups. Therefore, the plural is appropriate.
6. The Relative Pronoun Referring to the Plural Came in the Singular
It is stated in Surah At-Tawbah 9:69:
“And you plunged like that which they plunged into.”
The objection is that the relative pronoun should have been plural.
The answer is that the intended meaning is “like the matter in which they plunged,” making the singular acceptable.
7. The Verb Conjoined to the Accusative Is in the Jussive Mood
It is stated in Surah Al-Munafiqun 63:10:
“So I could give charity and be among the righteous.”
The objection is that the verb should have been accusative.
The answer is that the verb is jussive because it is coordinated with the محل of the preceding verb, making the structure correct.
8. Making the Pronoun Referring to the Singular Plural
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:17:
“Their example is like that of one who kindled a fire…”
The objection is that the pronoun should remain singular throughout.
The answer is that the Qur’an deliberately moves between singular and plural for rhetorical reasons. The singular emphasizes the shared state of the hypocrites, while the plural emphasizes each individual among them.
9. The Accusative of the Conjoined with the Nominative
It is stated in Surah An-Nisa 4:162:
“And those who establish prayer…”
The objection is that it should have been nominative.
The answer is that it is accusative for praise and emphasis, which is a recognized rhetorical device in Arabic.
10. The Accusative of the Complement
It is stated in Surah Hud 11:10:
“After hardship that touched him…”
The objection is that the word should have been in the genitive case.
The answer is that the word is diptote and does not take kasrah because it ends with an extended feminine alif.
11. He Used a Plural of Abundance Where Fewness Was Intended
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:80:
“The Fire will not touch us except for a few days.”
The objection is that a plural of fewness should have been used because the intended meaning is fewness.
The answer is that both forms are permissible. However, “counted” is more commonly used for abundance, while “counted ones” is more indicative of fewness.
12. The Plural of Fewness Was Used Where Abundance Was Intended
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183–184:
“A number of days.”
The objection is that a plural of abundance should have been used because the intended number is around thirty days.
The answer is that both forms are permissible in Arabic, as explained previously by the grammarians.
13. The Plural of a Proper Noun Where It Must Be Singular
It is stated in Surah As-Saffat 37:123–132:
“Peace be upon Eliasin.”
The objection is that the proper noun should remain singular as “Elias.”
Likewise, in Surah At-Tin 95:1–3:
“And Mount Sinai.”
The objection is that “Sinain” is an incorrect form.
The answer is that these are foreign proper names. A foreign proper name may have more than one form without violating Arabic usage. Elias and Eliasin are considered two forms of the same name, just as Ibrahim and Abram are different forms of the same name.
14. The Active Participle Came Instead of the Verbal Noun
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:177:
“But righteousness is one who believes in Allah…”
The objection is that it should have said:
“But righteousness is belief in Allah…”
The answer is that righteousness is not merely belief in the abstract, but rather the عمل of the believer. Therefore, the verse speaks about the person who performs the deeds of righteousness, not merely an abstract concept.
15. The Subject of the Word in Apposition to the Subject in the Nominative Case
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:177:
“And those who fulfill their covenant when they have made it, and those who are patient in poverty and hardship and at the time of battle.”
The objection is that “those who are patient” should have been nominative.
The answer is that “the patient ones” is used in the accusative for praise and emphasis, which is a known rhetorical device among the Arabs.
16. Putting the Present Tense Instead of the Past Tense
It is stated in Surah Aal ‘Imran 3:59:
“Then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he is.”
The objection is that it should have said:
“Then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.”
The answer is that the present tense indicates that what Allah wills happens immediately after His command. Therefore, the present tense is more appropriate for the intended meaning than the past tense.
17. He Did Not Provide an Answer for “When”
It is stated in Surah Yusuf 12:15:
“So when they went with him and agreed to put him in the bottom of the well…”
The objection is that the sentence lacks an answer to “when.”
The answer is that this is a rhetorical style in which obvious details are omitted because they are understood from the context. The omitted meaning is understood from the flow of the story.
18. He Came with a Structure That Leads to Confusion of Meaning
It is stated in Surah Al-Fath 48:8–9:
“That you may believe in Allah and His Messenger and support him and honor him and glorify Him morning and evening.”
The objection is that the pronoun appears to shift in reference.
The answer is that supporting and honoring refer to the Messenger, while glorifying refers to Allah. The verse mentions several purposes for sending the Messenger: belief in Allah, supporting His Messenger, honoring him, and glorifying Allah morning and evening.
19. The Tanween of the Non-Declinable
It is stated in Surah Al-Insan 76:15:
“Goblets of crystal.”
And in Surah Al-Insan 76:4:
“Chains.”
The objection is that these words are non-declinable and therefore should not take tanween.
The answer is that the claimed tanween is not found in the standard Uthmanic script, and in some cases appears only in weaker recitations.
20. Masculine Predicate for a Feminine Noun
It is stated in Surah Ash-Shura 42:17:
“Perhaps the Hour is near.”
The objection is that “near” should have been feminine.
The answer is that there is an implied omission in the verse, namely “the coming of the Hour is near.” Additionally, in Arabic there are patterns in which masculine and feminine forms are treated equally.
21. He Came to Clarify the Obvious
It is stated in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:196:
“Those are ten complete.”
The objection is that the word “complete” is unnecessary because everyone knows that ten is ten.
The answer is that this is for emphasis, similar to saying “I saw it with my own eyes” or “I heard it with my own ears.”
22. He Brought with Him a Subject Pronoun with the Presence of a Subject
It is stated in Surah Al-Anbiya 21:3:
“And those who did wrong whispered secretly.”
The objection is that the pronoun should have been omitted because the subject was already clear.
The answer is that this usage exists in the language of certain Arab tribes, and examples of it are found in classical Arabic poetry and speech.
23. Turning from the Addressee to the Absent Before Completing the Meaning
It is stated in Surah Yunus 10:21:
“Until, when you were in the ship and it sailed with them…”
The objection is that the verse shifts from addressing “you” to speaking about “them.”
The answer is that this rhetorical shift is one of the highest forms of eloquence. It distances the believers from the blameworthy conduct being described and highlights the ugliness of the transgression.
24. He Used the Singular Pronoun Referring Back to the Dual
It is stated in Surah At-Tawbah 9:62:
“And Allah and His Messenger are more deserving that they should please Him.”
The objection is that the pronoun should have been dual.
The answer is that the singular pronoun was used to show that pleasing Allah and pleasing His Messenger are inseparable. Some scholars also explained it as an omitted second sentence: Allah is more deserving of their pleasure, and His Messenger is more deserving of their pleasure.
25. He Used a Plural Noun Instead of a Dual
It is stated in Surah At-Tahrim 66:4:
“Your hearts have already inclined.”
The objection is that since the address is to two women, it should have said “your two hearts.”
The answer is that the Arabs often used the plural in such cases because they disliked combining two dual forms in one sentence. Therefore, using the plural here is a recognized feature of Arabic speech.