While the Qur’an and Bible are often compared in many different ways (although literary similarities were just ruled out), the theology of the books are vastly different. While the Qur’an seems to have many allusions to the Bible, it seems to have taken the majority of its most fundamental theology from extra-biblical sources such as the Life of Adam and Eve.

To begin, despite the fact that the Qur’an has more narrative about Adam and Eve and the story of their fall in the Garden of Eden and even tells it in more detail than the Hebrew Bible, it seems to leave out the parts of the story that the Hebrew Bible seems to emphasize most - One example being humans being made in the image of God. For example, the Qur’an recounts a story exceedingly similar to that told in Life of Adam and Eve 14:1-16:1 but even adds in details that take away from the clear point of the pseudepigraphal text. While 14:1-16:1 of the Life of Adam and Eve tells the story of the Archangel Michael telling the other angels to bow before the human (the obvious reason being that the humans are made as idols of God, as would be inferred by any reader who also grew up reading the popular account of God creating man in his image [or as his idol]), saying, “‘Worship the image of the LORD God’” (Life of Adam and Eve 14:2). The Qur’an, on the other hand, brings up just about every detail other than this. In fact, the Qur’an says that they commanded: “‘Bow down before Adam’” (17:61) without ever referencing the fact that he was the image of God. While the Satan provides a reason for disobeying in each account and the Life of Adam and Eve does not specify how God expelled him from his presence or what he said (Life of Adam and Eve 16:1), the Qur’an tells of God expelling the Satan for his arrogance (17:13). However, the Qur’an never tells of God giving a reason for why the angels should bow down in the first place. While a command to bow down to the idols of God in his temple (Eden is depicted as the cosmic temple by using imagery that will be used in the Tabernacle and the Temple later in the Hebrew Bible) would make sense, the Qur’an does not seem to provide any details or hints at Eden being any kind of temple nor does it so much as suggest that humans are made in his image.

While it may seem dainty to pick at this one doctrine, one should keep in mind that this doctrine was a doctrine that the Hebrew Bible and New Testament made sure to emphasize. Further, it seems nonsensical that the text that prides itself in its own clarity does not provide any sufficient reason for why the angels should bow down to the humans. Further, the Qur’an does not seem only to avoid the doctrine of imaging God but actually seems to intentionally deny it by changing the command to leave out the part that mentions the fact that Adam and Eve are in the image of God and even having God ignore the Satan’s reasoning and not provide any reason as to why they should bow down other than his “I told you so”. However, even this logic is not foreign to the Qur’an, or the Islamic tradition, for that matter, as it seems that it is governed by the Divine Command Theory (opposite to the Divine Nature Theory found in the Hebrew Bible and New Testament).

Instead of presenting morality as originating from the character of God (as the Bible does), the Qur’an presents morality as something which is some attribute outside of God that humans should obey simply because God commands them to. Not only is this presented in this account of the Garden of Eden and the rebellion of the Satan, but it is all throughout the Qur’an. This is made clear by how the Qur’an speaks of the punishment stored up by God for those who challenge the Qur’an in Al-Ankabut (29:48-55). Whenever the Qur’an gives a command, it gives the reasoning: “You who believe, obey God and the Messenger, and those in authority among you. If you are in dispute over any matter, refer it to God and the Messenger, if you truly believe in God and the Last Day: that is better and fairer in the end” (4:59). The fact that the Qur’an commands people to refer to the Messenger and God does not necessarily mean Divine Command Theory but the fact that there is no reason presented besides “I (or he, rather) said so” makes the Theory clear. This philosophy would not seem to present a problem with the religion if it were not for the fact that God is also sovereign (3:26), and so it seems that morality should emanate from him. However, the Divine Command Theory presumes that morality must come from somewhere else since one inherent trait of morality is that it is commanded by God (not coming directly from his nature).

Not only did the Qur’an seem to support an incoherent theory of morality, but even seems to set many depraved guidelines, including hitting wives (only if the husband so much as feels that they are high-handed) (4:34), hating others (as long as there is somehow no injustice in the hate) (5:8b), sleeping with slaves (23:5-6), developing a superiority-complex (32:18-20), and marrying adopted kids (as exemplified by the leader in 33:37b).

Besides all of the theological and philosophical inaccuracies and unethical laws, the Qur’an is full of contradictions. For starters, the Qur’an constantly claims to confirm the Gospel and the Torah. It says that “[Gabriel] brought down the Qur’an to your heart, confirming previous scriptures” (2:97b). It refers to it as the scriptures as “the Book of God” (2:101) and revealed by God (3:3-4). The Qur’an makes it very clear that the Torah and Gospel are valid and relevant sources for judging persons and actions (3:84-85a, 93). It even emphasizes belief in these scriptures as a fundamental belief of the religion and that anyone who denies them has gone “far astray” (4:136) and names them among “the hypocrites and the disbelievers” (4:140). (Some Muslims claim that the Qur’an only refers to one gospel account that was supposedly from Jesus - Even if they truly believed this, there is still no sign of such an account and so the lack of it would prove that the God of the Qur’an can create scriptures that get lost and corrupted) While these passages did not seem to contradict any other parts of the actual Qur’an, they seemed to contradict the Islamic view that the Hebrew Bible and New Testament were somehow corrupted. It’s not that the Qur’an only says that these scriptures are good or true - They state that the Qur’an is a continuation of these scriptures and that these other scriptures are valid, good for judgement, God’s own word, and even that those who deny it are hypocrites or disbelievers. The Qur’an even says “[Prophet], recite what has been revealed to you of your Lord’s Scripture: there is no changing His words, nor can you find any refuge except with Him” (18:27). If the Bible is God’s word and His word does not change, then it would seem that the Bible could not be corrupted.

Further, the Qur’an seems to condemn Christians for believing in the trinity while saying that they worship the same God. It says, “The [Muslim] believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians - all those who believe God and the Last Day and do good - will have rewards with their Lord” (2:62). Later on, it goes to say “Say, ‘People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all: we worship God alone, we ascribe no partner to Him, and none of us take others beside God as lords’” (3:64). While these verses seem quite clear, the Qur’an goes on later to say “Those who say, ‘God is the Messiah, son of Mary,’ have defiled the truth...Those people who say that God is the third of three are defying [the truth]...If they do not stop what they are saying, a painful punishment will afflict those who persist” (5:73, 75). The Qur’an puts Christians besides Muslims as if they are both saved believers multiple times, but then goes on to say that Trinitarians and those that believe the Messiah is God will be punished and are liars. The problem with this is that Orthodox Christianity is defined by believing in the Trinity and in Jesus being God and man. The Qur’an claims both of these things to be true; although, truly, these statements are inherently exclusive and cannot both be true.

Finally, the Qur’an seems to put forth many details about Jesus that point to him being God but clarifies that Jesus is not God and that those who believe in him will be damned to Hell. The Qur’an states “‘Praise belongs to God, who has no child nor partner in His rule. He is not so weak as to need a protector’” (7:111). It even clarifies that Jesus should not be worshipped, saying, “There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in [Jesus] before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them” (4:159). But there are other parts of the Qur’an which claim that he healed a blind man and leper (3:49) and even brought the dead to life (3:49). While it may seem on the surface that none of these make Jesus God, even the Qur’an almost all of these to be things that only God can do. In Al-An’am, it states, “‘Think: if God were to take away your hearing and your sight and seal up your hearts, what other God could restore them?’” (6:46). Jesus is the only one to heal people in the entire Qur’an and Bible; even the Qur’an states that this must make Jesus God himself.

In conclusion, the Qur’an, however interesting a book and despite its’ assurance of its own clarity, is full of theological and philosophical problems and contradicts itself every 3 pages. The Qur’an is confused by saying that Christians and Muslims are both saved as they worship the same God, but then states that believing in the trinity - The most fundamental Christian doctrine - will send you to Hell. It claims to continue in the tradition of the Bible before it but contradicts many of its doctrines and even followers of the Qur’an today call it corrupt. It says that Jesus is not God and those who worship him as so will go to Hell but goes on to talk about how he does miracles only God can do. Besides these fundamental issues is another whole slew of other minor inconsistencies.