Quran's Failed Challenges and Appeal to Ignorance

The aim of this article is to expose some ridiculous claims and failed challenges made by the Quran, and its constant appeal to human ignorance of science and worldly facts.

(I) Quran's self defeating challenge to find contradictions in it:

4:82 - Then do they not reflect upon the Qur'an? If it had been from [any] other than Allah , they would have found within it much contradiction.

The most interesting thing about this challenge is that one only needs to go back four verses to see how it fails miserably. Here we have back to back verses contradicting each other:

4:78 - Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction. But if good comes to them, they say, "This is from Allah "; and if evil befalls them, they say, "This is from you." Say, "All [things] are from Allah." So what is [the matter] with those people that they can hardly understand any statement?

In the above verse, Allah criticizes people for accepting that good is from Allah while blaming others for evil. Allah affirms that all things (good and evil) are from himself. However in the very next verse Allah contradicts this, claiming that any evil that befalls a person is from the person himself.

4:79 - What comes to you of good is from Allah, but what comes to you of evil, [O man], is from yourself. And We have sent you, [O Muhammad], to the people as a messenger, and sufficient is Allah as Witness.

Now let's go to another clear contradiction - whether intercession (the act of a person requesting forgiveness for the sins of another person to save the latter from hell fire) will be acceptable on the day of judgement.

The following three verses clearly say NO to ANY sort of intercession being acceptable on the judgement day:

2:48 - And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, nor will intercession be accepted from it, nor will compensation be taken from it, nor will they be aided.

2:123 - And fear a Day when no soul will suffice for another soul at all, and no compensation will be accepted from it, nor will any intercession benefit it, nor will they be aided.

6:51 - And warn by the Qur'an those who fear that they will be gathered before their Lord - for them besides Him will be no protector and no intercessor - that they might become righteous.

The following three verses however say YES to the idea that intercession is acceptable - to those whom Allah permits:

20:109 - That Day, no intercession will benefit except [that of] one to whom the Most Merciful has given permission and has accepted his word.

34:23 - And intercession does not benefit with Him except for one whom He permits.

53:26 - And how many angels there are in the heavens whose intercession will not avail at all except [only] after Allah has permitted [it] to whom He wills and approves.

(II) The challenge to bring a Surah (chapter) like one in the Quran:

2:23 to 2:24 - And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our Servant [Muhammad], then produce a Surah the like thereof and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you should be truthful. But if you do not - and you will never be able to - then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.

10:38 - Or do they say [about the Prophet], "He invented it?" Say, "Then bring forth a surah like it and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah , if you should be truthful."

Notice that Allah challenges those who doubt the Quran to produce a chapter like one in the book, claiming that this challenge cannot be ever met. Let's put aside all the magnificent poetries, philosophical writings, and delightful novels and stories that people have produced over the ages from time immemorial. The sheer stupidity of this challenge can be shown by simply looking at certain chapters in the Quran. Let's take a look at one of them - chapter 111 of the Quran:

111:1 to 111:5 - May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame. And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood. Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.

And that's it - the whole chapter. How beautiful! A whole chapter dedicated just to condemn some guy and his wife into hellfire and torture. Anyone can easily produce a much more valuable chapter than this. Nothing more needs to be added here.

(III) How the Quran tries to validate itself, appealing to human ignorance:

13:2 - It is Allah who erected the heavens without pillars that you [can] see; then He established Himself above the Throne and made subject the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term. He arranges [each] matter; He details the signs that you may, of the meeting with your Lord, be certain.

Implies that the "heavens" or objects that we can see in the atmosphere or beyond like planets or stars (depending on how people translate the word heavens) have invisible pillars supporting them from Earth. For those who argue that it implies no pillars at all, then the verse conveys that the atmosphere or celestial objects just being there is something miraculous. Either way this verse directly appeals to human ignorance of the basics of how gravity works.

16:15 - And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided.

Mountains are in fact formed in the least stable parts of the Earth, and such regions are more prone to earthquakes or landslides. The claim of mountains holding the Earth firm is hence a laughable one. Also notice how Allah claims that rivers and roads were made so that humans would be guided. This is a strange enough claim with rivers, but I'll let you figure this out. Allah made paths or roads so that humans may be guided? Or... humans made paths or roads for their own guidance and travel.

16:79 - Do they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them up except Allah. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.

Back then, people really didn't know the basics of aerodynamics. Hence the idea that it is God who holds the birds up in the sky from falling down would seem credible and wonderful to those who hear it. This is projected as a sign for people to validate the Quran.

31:31 - Do you not see that ships sail through the sea by the favor of Allah that He may show you of His signs? Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.

Again, claiming that ships sailing through the sea and not sinking is by the favor of Allah. We can see one of the repeated attempts at self-validation over here. Of course, the ignorance of basic hydrodynamics can make this feel wonderful.

(IV) Some dubious claims that any believer should think about:

15:26 - And We did certainly create man out of clay from an altered black mud.

Claims that humans were created from clay by shaping black mud.

16:8 - And [He created] the horses, mules and donkeys for you to ride and [as] adornment. 

Claims that horses, mules and donkeys were created by God for humans to ride and decoration or show.

CONCLUSION: I'm not stressing on proving any scientific or factual errors here, but rather the ridiculous nature of these claims made by the Quran. I invite anyone who believes in the divine nature of the Quran to ponder over these claims and the failed attempts at self-validation. It should be pretty clear to anyone who reads over this article with an unbiased mind that the Quran cannot possibly be from a divine being, if at all a divine being exists.

The Severe Hatred for Unbelievers

Islam inspires tremendous hatred towards unbelievers for Muslims who take its commands seriously. Let us have a look at the Quran and Sahih hadiths to see the extent of this hatred.

(I) Commands from the Quran:

48:29 - Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves.

60:4 - There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone"

5:51 - O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.

9:23 - O ye who believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for friends if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith. Whoso of you taketh them for friends, such are wrong-doers.

58:22 - Thou wilt not find folk who believe in Allah and the Last Day loving those who oppose Allah and His messenger, even though they be their fathers or their sons or their brethren or their clan.

8:55 - Indeed, the worst of living creatures in the sight of Allah are those who have disbelieved, and they will not [ever] believe

98:6 - Lo! those who disbelieve, among the People of the Scripture and the idolaters, will abide in fire of hell. They are the worst of created beings.

9:73 - O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end.

9:123 - O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him).

3:151 - We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve because they ascribe unto Allah partners, for which no warrant hath been revealed. Their habitation is the Fire, and hapless the abode of the wrong-doers.

22:19 to 22:22 - These are two adversaries who have disputed over their Lord. But those who disbelieved will have cut out for them garments of fire. Poured upon their heads will be scalding water. By which is melted that within their bellies and [their] skins. And for [striking] them are maces of iron. Every time they want to get out of Hellfire from anguish, they will be returned to it, and [it will be said], "Taste the punishment of the Burning Fire!"

4:56 - Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses - We will drive them into a Fire. Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is ever Exalted in Might and Wise.

33:64 to 33:66 - Indeed, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze. Abiding therein forever, they will not find a protector or a helper. The Day their faces will be turned about in the Fire, they will say, "How we wish we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger."

(II) Disbelief is a bigger crime than murdering an unbeliever:

For a Muslim, leaving Islam is considered a crime punishable with death. To add insult to injury, murdering a non-Muslim will not ever warrant a death penalty.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6922 - "Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him."

Sunan ibn-Majah 2761 - “A Muslim should not be killed in retaliation for the murder of a disbeliever.”

(III) How Muhammad dealt with unbelievers:

Muhammad, the role model of mankind in Islam ordered the expulsion of every single non-Muslim from the Arabian peninsula.

Sahih Muslim 1767 - "I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and will not leave any but Muslim."

Sunan Abu Dawud 3029 - “Expel the polytheists from Arabia, reward deputations as I did”.

Muwatta Imam Malik 1618 - "Two deens shall not co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula."

He pursued an all-out warfare to get rid of unbelievers from his territory if they refused to accept Islam.

9:5 - Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Sahih al-Bukhari 25: "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity."

CONCLUSION: The above is just a small (but significant) sample of the hateful commands and examples shown in Islam towards unbelievers. The Quran is littered with verses condemning unbelievers to tortures in hell and preaching hatred towards them. The authentic hadiths portray Muhammad as a bigoted warlord who was obsessed with spreading Islam by force.

Usage of Girls for Sex Slavery

The Quran makes it very clear it is permitted for men to have sex with "those whom your right hands possess" or in other words - women used as sex slaves, outside marriage. Slavery itself is unacceptable because slaves are obliged to obey their masters, being considered their "possessions". With this in mind, it is very clear that using slave women for sex effectively amounts to rape.

4:24 - Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: Thus hath Allah ordained (Prohibitions) against you: Except for these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage) with gifts from your property,- desiring chastity, not lust, seeing that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.

23:5-6 - Who abstain from sex, except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess,- for (in their case) they are free from blame.

70:27-30 - And those who are fearful of the punishment of their Lord, indeed, the punishment of their Lord is not that from which one is safe - And those who guard their private parts, Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess, for thus they are not blameworthy.

The hadiths describe this clearly, referencing Muhammad's words:

1). Permission to use female captives for sex slavery, even if they are married:

Sunan Abu Dawud 11:2150 - Abu Said al-Khudri said: "The apostle of Allah sent a military expedition to Awtas on the occasion of the battle of Hunain. They met their enemy and fought with them. They defeated them and took them captives. Some of the Companions of the apostle of Allah were reluctant to have intercourse with the female captives in the presence of their husbands who were unbelievers. So Allah, the Exalted, sent down the Quranic verse, "And all married women (are forbidden) unto you save those (captives) whom your right hands possess". That is to say, they are lawful for them when they complete their waiting period." [The Quran verse is 4:24]

2). Muhammad advises men to stop withdrawing their penis during the sexual act (coitus interruptus) and instead complete the sexual act:

Sahih Bukhari 5:59:459 - Narrated Ibn Muhairiz: "I entered the mosque and saw Abu Khudri and sat beside him and asked him about coitus interruptus. Abu said, "We went out with Allah's messenger for the Ghazwa (attack upon) Banu Mustaliq and we received captives from among the Arab captives and we desired women and celibacy became hard on us and we loved to do coitus interruptus. So when we intended to do coitus interruptus we said "How can we do coitus interruptus without asking Allah's messenger while he is present among us?" We asked (him) about it and he said "It is better for you not to do so, for if any soul (till the Day of Resurrection) is predestined to exist, it will exist."

3). Muhammad supports Ali who obtained a slave girl from "khumus" or war-booty: 

Sahih Bukhari 5:59:637 - Narrated Buraida: The prophet sent Ali to Khalid to bring the Khumus ([one fifth] of the booty) and I hated Ali, and Ali had taken a bath (after a sexual act with a slave girl from the Khumus). I said to Khalid, "Don't you see this (i.e. Ali)?" When we reached the prophet I mentioned that to him. He said, "O Buraida! Do you hate Ali?" I said, "Yes" He said, "Do you hate him, for he deserves more than that from the Khumus."

CONCLUSION: Needless to say this is absolutely unacceptable. One might wonder why would a religion like Islam which normally strictly forbids sex outside marriage allows for this despicable practice. But when we look at things closely, sex in Islam follows a pattern:

1). Men are allowed to marry upto four wives while women are allowed only one husband.

2). Men who lead normal lives are restrained by the strict rules prohibiting sex outside marriage.

3). Men who take part in battles can obtain any number female captives who can be used for sex.

4). Men who are martyred in battles are promised paradise and extreme sexual pleasure in afterlife.

What do we see here? Islam was a religion made for men which entices men to take part in battles and get martyred to get the ultimate sexual pleasures on earth and paradise. If we cannot see through this, can we see through anything? It is good that Muslims don't mostly follow all of this today, but that doesn't change the fact that when the Islamic fundamentalist groups do it, their actions are well-justified scripturally.

The Flat Earth Theory

The Quran clearly endorses the age old theory that Earth is flat.

15:19 - And the earth We spread out, and placed therein firm mountains, and caused to grow therein all kinds of things in due proportion.

20:53 - Who has made earth for you like a bed (spread out); and has opened roads (ways and paths etc.) for you therein; and has sent down water (rain) from the sky. And We have brought forth with it various kinds of vegetation.

43:10 - Who has made for you the earth like a bed, and has made for you roads therein, in order that you may find your way.

79:30 - And after that He spread the earth.

These and other verses repeatedly mention that Allah spread the Earth like a bed - which implies that the Earth is flat. The Muslim defense comes mainly through interpreting 79:30 to mean that Earth is shaped like an ostrich egg. The justification for this is that 79:30 uses the arabic word "dahaha" which is derived from the word "duhiya" (every word in arabic is derived from its root word). They argue that duhiya means ostrich egg.

There are two big problems with this argument. Firstly duhiya does not mean ostrich egg but the place in sand where an ostrich lays its egg. Secondly even if we accept that it can somehow mean ostrich egg, the fact is that Earth is not shaped like an ostrich egg at all. Earth is roughly an oblate spheroid - which is the shape we get if we DECREASE the curvature of a sphere at its poles. Ostrich egg is roughly a prolate spheroid - which is the shape we get if we INCREASE the curvature of a sphere at its poles. A prolate spheroid never looks like an oblate spheroid no matter which angle we view it from. This is basic 3D geometry. Read this to get a basic idea on oblate and prolate spheroids.

Additionally, there is one more interesting verse that confirms the flat earth theory in the Quran.

2:144 - Verily! We have seen the turning of your (Muhammad's SAW) face towards the heaven. Surely, We shall turn you to a Qiblah (prayer direction) that shall please you, so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid- al-Haram (at Makkah). And wheresoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction. Certainly, the people who were given the Scriptures (i.e. Jews and the Christians) know well that, that (your turning towards the direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah in prayers) is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.

The above verse asks Muslims to turn their faces in the direction of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, wherever they are during prayer time. Obviously since the Earth is curved, people living far away from Arabia will have their faces pointed at the outer space when they attempt to face Mecca (unless of course they are facing the ground). Again, this verse further substantiates the ignorance of the author of Quran of Earth being spherical. Ultimately, the Quran fails to explain the shape of Earth correctly no matter how you twist the verses.

Creation of Universe and Miracle Claims

It is often claimed by Islamic apologists that Quran explains the "creation" of Universe in a miraculously correct manner. Muslims often claim that Quran explains the Big Bang theory correctly despite being written over 1400 years ago. This is one of the most commonly cited "Scientific miracles of the Quran". However, a careful look at the verses of the Quran shows something entirely different. Apart from the fact that it doesn't explain the big bang, the Quran also appears to contradict it, and makes claims that go against basic scientific knowledge of the universe.

The following verse is the base of the Islamic claim:

21:30 - Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them? And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?

This is allegedly referred to as an explanation of the big bang. The fact is though that apart from claiming that Earth and "heavens" (it is claimed that the heavens refers to the rest of the universe) were together, there is nothing that remotely matches big bang here. The verse also inaccurately claims that the Earth was "separated" or "parted" from the heavens. This is a troublesome claim because the Earth didn't even exist until BILLIONS of years after the big bang. Imagine how grossly inaccurate the verse is. But of course the apologists don't give up just like that. They say that the verse doesn't really claim the Earth existed in its current form when the separation happened. This doesn't sound convincing at all and if that was a description of the big bang, then it is the worst possible description I have ever read. Let's look at another part of the Quran to see some more claims it makes about the universe.

41:9 - Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days and you set up rivals (in worship) with Him? That is the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).

41:10 - He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four Days equal (i.e. all these four 'days' were equal in the length of time), for all those who ask (about its creation).

41:11 - Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: "Come both of you willingly or unwillingly." They both said: "We come, willingly."

41:12 - Then He completed and finished from their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against the devils). Such is the Decree of Him the All-Mighty, the All-Knower.

Look at the order of creation here. First Allah made the Earth, then he placed mountains and things for sustenance of life. Then he rose towards the heaven when it was nothing but a puff of smoke. Then he shaped them into seven heavens and made stars to decorate and "guard" the lowest heaven. These verses clearly claim that the Earth was formed before the stars, no matter how you look at it. This is in direct conflict with science. Science tells us that stars were formed billions of years before the formation of Earth.

CONCLUSION: The Quran makes huge scientific errors in its verses describing the universe and the claim of "scientific miracle" is an absolute joke. These are things that should become clear to anyone who has a basic understanding of what big bang and science tells us about the timeline of universe.

Religious Warfare and Promise of Paradise

The emphasis that Islam places on religious warfare, killing and getting killed in the battlefield to attain paradise makes it dangerous when these commands are taken seriously. What makes things worse is that the violent verses of the Quran are said to be revealed later on, compared to the relatively peaceful verses earlier on. The chapter 9 for example is the second last chapter of the Quran (and the last major chapter), and filled with violent commands.

9:5 - Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (9:5) - In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Ibn `Umar said that the Messenger of Allah said, (I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer and pay the Zakah.) This honorable Ayah (9:5) was called the Ayah of the Sword, about which Ad-Dahhak bin Muzahim said, "It abrogated every agreement of peace between the Prophet and any idolator, every treaty, and every term.'' Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas commented: "No idolator had any more treaty or promise of safety ever since Surah Bara'ah was revealed. The four months, in addition to, all peace treaties conducted before Bara'ah was revealed and announced had ended by the tenth of the month of Rabi` Al-Akhir.''

Here is the hadith referenced by the Tafsirs:

Sahih al-Bukhari 25: Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Messenger said: "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, and offer the prayers perfectly and give the obligatory charity, so if they perform that, then they save their lives and property from me except for Islamic laws and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah."

9:29 - Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled.

The verses that follow 9:29 explain the reason for fighting:

9:30 to 9:32 - The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allah", and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allah." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded? They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah , and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him. They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah refuses except to perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.

The Tafsirs confirm the purpose of the Jizyah tax - humiliation, degradation and disgrace of the unbelievers.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (9:29) - Allah said, (until they pay the Jizyah), if they do not choose to embrace Islam, (with willing submission), in defeat and subservience, (and feel themselves subdued.), disgraced, humiliated and belittled. Therefore, Muslims are not allowed to honor the people of Dhimmah or elevate them above Muslims, for they are miserable, disgraced and humiliated. Muslim recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said, (Do not initiate the Salam to the Jews and Christians, and if you meet any of them in a road, force them to its narrowest alley.) This is why the Leader of the faithful `Umar bin Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, demanded his well-known conditions be met by the Christians, these conditions that ensured their continued humiliation, degradation and disgrace.

8:38 to 8:39 - Say to those who have disbelieved [that] if they cease, what has previously occurred will be forgiven for them. But if they return [to hostility] - then the precedent of the former [rebellious] peoples has already taken place. And fight them until there is no fitnah and [until] the religion, all of it, is for Allah. And if they cease - then indeed, Allah is Seeing of what they do.

2:192 to 2:193 - And if they cease, then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Fight them until there is no [more] fitnah and [until] worship is [acknowledged to be] for Allah. But if they cease, then there is to be no aggression except against the oppressors.

The meaning of the word "Fitnah" in context is disbelief and polytheism according to some translators and persecution according to some others. What is clear anyway, is that the polytheists are to be fought until two things are achieved: (1) Fitnah is no more (2) Religion is for Allah alone. Looking at the Tafsirs, it seems that the earliest scholars and companions understood Fitnah as "Shirk" meaning polytheism. It seems to be a never ending war that is not to be stopped till Islam triumphs over the whole world.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (2:193) - Allah then commanded fighting the disbelievers when He said: (...until there is no more Fitnah) meaning, Shirk. This is the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Abu Al-`Aliyah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ar-Rabi`, Muqatil bin Hayyan, As-Suddi and Zayd bin Aslam. Allah's statement: (...and the religion (all and every kind of worship) is for Allah (Alone).) means, `So that the religion of Allah becomes dominant above all other religions.' It is reported in the Two Sahihs that Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari said: "The Prophet was asked, `O Allah's Messenger! A man fights out of bravery, and another fights to show off, which of them fights in the cause of Allah'. The Prophet said: (I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight the people until they proclaim, `None has the right to be worshipped but Allah'. Whoever said it, then he will save his life and property from me, except for cases of the law, and their account will be with Allah.)

We have already seen the repeated calls to engage in warfare for the sake of Islam. Let's examine a few more Quran verses:

9:111 - Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.

4:74 - So let those fight in the cause of Allah who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter. And he who fights in the cause of Allah and is killed or achieves victory - We will bestow upon him a great reward.

4:95 - Not equal are those believers remaining [at home] - other than the disabled - and the mujahideen, [who strive and fight] in the cause of Allah with their wealth and their lives. Allah has preferred the mujahideen through their wealth and their lives over those who remain [behind], by degrees. And to both Allah has promised the best [reward]. But Allah has preferred the mujahideen over those who remain [behind] with a great reward.

2:216 - Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you. But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not.

And the following is how Muslims are encouraged to act in the battlefield:

8:12 to 8:13 - [Remember] when your Lord inspired to the angels, "I am with you, so strengthen those who have believed. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip." That is because they opposed Allah and His Messenger. And whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger - indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.

According to these verses:

1). The best way to attain paradise is to kill and get killed in warfare for the sake of Islam.

2). Even if you attain paradise by other means, it is those who die in religious warfare who get the best treatment by far in paradise.

3). Religious warfare is something Muslims should engage in even if they dislike it, because God has ordained it.

The puzzle is not complete without a look at what Islam offers the pious Muslims in paradise:

78:31 to 78:34 - Verily, for the Muttaqun, there will be a success (Paradise); Gardens and grapeyards; And young full-breasted (mature) maidens of equal age; And a full cup (of wine).

In other words, Islam offers Muslims in afterlife the pleasures that it forbids in the real life. It is a well-engineered ideology to control human minds and direct it to achieve religious supremacy.

Sun Revolves Around the Earth

The author of the Quran clearly seems unaware of the fact that Sun doesn't actually orbit the Earth, and the apparent orbit is an illusion caused by Earth's rotation.

36:37 to 36:40 - A token unto them is night. We strip it of the day, and lo! they are in darkness. And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise. And for the moon We have appointed mansions till she return like an old shrivelled palm-leaf. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit.

As you can see, Quran mentions the orbit or course of the Sun in context with the onset of night. It never mentions the fact that Earth rotates - which is the actual cause of night. This leaves us with only one logical explanation: The Sun orbits the Earth according to Quran. We can also note the weird motion of the sun which involves a resting place during night time. Muslims defend these verses arguing that Sun’s rotation about its own axis or its revolution around galaxy is being talked about here. However this is logically absurd as there is no need to mention the day and the night in context with Sun’s rotation or its revolution around galaxy. The statement: "It is not allowed for sun to overtake the moon" would be meaningful only if the orbits are in a similar path and is a clear proof for the scientific error.

But if that's not enough evidence for you, check out this Sahih Hadith for Muhammad's statement which again clearly proves that the motion of the Sun mentioned here is neither about Sun's rotation nor its revolution around galaxy - but about sunset and sunrise - which are related to the apparent orbit of sun around earth. The silly story about sun taking rest at night is seemingly supported here as well.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3199 - Narrated Abu Dharr: The Prophet asked me at sunset, "Do you know where the sun goes (at the time of sunset)?" I replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." He said, "It goes (i.e. travels) till it prostrates Itself underneath the Throne and takes the permission to rise again, and it is permitted and then (a time will come when) it will be about to prostrate itself but its prostration will not be accepted, and it will ask permission to go on its course but it will not be permitted, but it will be ordered to return whence it has come and so it will rise in the west. And that is the interpretation of the Statement of Allah (36.38): And the sun runneth on unto a resting-place for him. That is the measuring of the Mighty, the Wise.)