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My rebuttal to Jochen Katz' "Pharaoh's Magicians - Muslims or Rejecters of Faith?" DETAILED article.

This article is a rebuttal to Jochen Katz' article that is located at: http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/pharaohs_magicians_detailed.html.

He wrote:

Qur'an Contradiction:

Pharaoh's Magicians - Muslims or Rejectors of Faith?

The Muslims claim that the Quran is divinely dictated and contains no real contradictions. The Muslims deny that Muhammad had anything to do with the composition of the Quran apart from insuring its memorization, recitation and inscripturation. The author, they claim, is Allah Almighty.

Yet, anyone examining the Quran carefully will discover major discrepancies. For instance, the same event is narrated several times throughout the Quran yet never in the same exact manner. One will often find major verbal variations and contradictions in the parallel accounts of the same event.

My response:

Oh really?  No kidding!  Bring us your examples so we can soundly debunk them for you as we did times upon times before.

He wrote:

One such example of a narration that is repeated several times which contains variations and contradictions is the story of Moses' confrontation with the Pharaoh and his magicians. Compare the following narrations carefully:

"Then after them We sent Moses with Our Signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they wrongfully rejected them: So see what was the end of those who made mischief. Moses said: ‘O Pharaoh! I am a messenger from the Lord of the Worlds,- One for whom it is right to say nothing but truth about Allah. Now have I come unto you (people), from your Lord, with a clear (Sign): So let the Children of Israel depart along with me.’ (Pharaoh) said: ‘If indeed thou hast come with a Sign, show it forth,- if thou tellest the truth.’ Then (Moses) threw his rod, and behold! it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)! And he drew out his hand, and behold! it was white to all beholders! Said the Chiefs of the people of Pharaoh: ‘This is indeed a sorcerer well-versed. His plan is to get you out of your land: then what is it ye counsel?’ They said: ‘Keep him and his brother in suspense (for a while); and send to the cities men to collect- And bring up to thee all (our) sorcerers well-versed.’ So there came the sorcerers to Pharaoh: They said, ‘Of course we shall have a (suitable) reward if we win!’ He said: ‘Yea, (and more),- for ye shall in that case be (raised to posts) nearest (to my person).’ They said: ‘O Moses! wilt thou throw (first), or shall we have the (first) throw?’ Said Moses: ‘Throw ye (first).’ So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them: for they showed a great (feat of) magic. We revealed to Moses: ‘Throw (now) thy rod’:and behold! it swallows up all the falsehoods which they fake! Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect. So they were vanquished there and then, and turned about humiliated. But the sorcerers fell down prostrate in adoration. Saying: ‘We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,- The Lord of Moses and Aaron.’ Said Pharaoh: ‘Believe ye in Him before I give you permission? Surely this is a trick which ye have planned in the city to drive out its people: but soon shall ye know (the consequences). Be sure I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all.’ They said: ‘For us, We are but sent back unto our Lord: But thou dost wreak thy vengeance on us simply because we believed in the Signs of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! pour out on us patience and constancy, and take our souls unto Thee as Muslims (who bow to Thy Will)!’" S. 7:103-126

"And We showed Pharaoh all Our Signs, but he did reject and refuse. He said: ‘Hast thou come to drive us out of our land with thy magic, O Moses? But we can surely produce magic to match thine! So make a tryst between us and thee, which we shall not fail to keep - neither we nor thou - in a place where both shall have even chances.’ Moses said: ‘Your tryst is the Day of the Festival, and let the people be assembled when the sun is well up.’ So Pharaoh withdrew: He concerted his plan, and then came (back). Moses said to them: ‘Woe to you! Forge not ye a lie against Allah, lest He destroy you (at once) utterly by chastisement: the forger must suffer failure!’ So they disputed, one with another, over their affair, but they kept their talk secret. They said: ‘These two are certainly (expert) magicians: their object is to drive you out from your land with their magic, and to do away with your most cherished way. Therefore concert your plan, and then assemble in (serried) ranks. He wins (all along) today who gains the upper hand.’ They said: ‘O Moses! whether wilt thou that thou throw (first) or that we be the first to throw?’ He said, ‘Nay, throw ye first!’ Then behold their ropes and their rods - so it seemed to him on account of their magic - began to be in lively motion! So Moses conceived in his mind a (sort of) fear. We said: ‘Fear not! for thou hast indeed the upper hand: Throw that which is in thy right hand. Quickly will it swallow up that which they have faked: what they have faked is but a magician's trick: and the magician succeeds not, (no matter) where he goes.’ So the magicians were thrown down to prostration: they said, ‘We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses’. (Pharaoh) said: ‘Believe ye in Him before I give you permission? Surely this must be your leader, who has taught you magic! be sure I will cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will have you crucified on trunks of palm-trees: so shall ye know for certain, which of us can give the more severe and the more lasting punishment!’ They said: ‘Never shall we prefer thee to what has come to us of the Clear Signs, Him Who created us! So decree whatever thou desirest to decree: for thou canst only decree (touching) the life of this world. For us, we have believed in our Lord: may He forgive us our faults, and the magic to which thou didst compel us: for Allah is Best and Most Abiding.’" S. 20:56-73

"(Pharaoh) said: ‘If thou takest any god other than me, I will certainly put thee in prison!’ (Moses) said: ‘Even if I showed you something clear (and) convincing?’ (Pharaoh) said: ‘Show it then, if thou tellest the truth!’ So (Moses) threw his rod, and behold, it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)! And he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white to all beholders! (Pharaoh) said to the Chiefs around him: ‘This is indeed a sorcerer well-versed: His plan is to get you out of your land by his sorcery; then what is it ye counsel?’ They said: ‘Keep him and his brother in suspense (for a while), and dispatch to the Cities heralds to collect- And bring up to thee all (our) sorcerers well-versed.’ So the sorcerers were got together for the appointment of a day well-known, And the people were told: ‘Are ye (now) assembled?- That we may follow the sorcerers if they win?’ So when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Pharaoh: ‘Of course - shall we have a (suitable) reward if we win?’ He said: ‘Yea, (and more),- for ye shall in that case be (raised to posts) nearest (to my person).’ Moses said to them: ‘Throw ye- that which ye are about to throw!’ So they threw their ropes and their rods, and said: ‘By the might of Pharaoh, it is we who will certainly win!’ Then Moses threw his rod, when, behold, it straightway swallows up all the falsehoods which they fake! Then did the sorcerers fall down, prostrate in adoration, Saying: ‘We believe in the Lord of the Worlds, The Lord of Moses and Aaron.’ Said (Pharaoh): ‘Believe ye in Him before I give you permission? Surely he is your leader, who has taught you sorcery! But soon shall ye know! Be sure I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all!’ They said: ‘No matter! For us, we shall but return to our Lord! Only, our desire is that our Lord will forgive us our faults, since we are the first to believe.’" S. 26:29-51

"Then after them sent We Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his chiefs with Our Signs. But they were arrogant: they were a wicked people. When the Truth did come to them from Us, they said: ‘This is indeed evident sorcery!’ Said Moses: ‘Say ye (this) about the Truth when it hath (actually) reached you? Is sorcery (like) this? But sorcerers will not prosper.’ They said: ‘Hast thou come to us to turn us away from the ways we found our fathers following,- in order that thou and thy brother may have greatness in the land? But not we shall believe in you!’ Said Pharaoh: ‘Bring me every sorcerer well versed.’ When the sorcerers came, Moses said to them: ‘Throw ye what ye (wish) to throw!’ When they had had their throw, Moses said: ‘What ye have brought is sorcery: Allah will surely make it of no effect: for Allah prospereth not the work of those who make mischief. And Allah by His Words doth prove and establish His Truth, however much the sinners may hate it!’ BUT NONE BELIEVED IN MOSES EXCEPT SOME OF THE CHILDREN OF HIS PEOPLE, because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them; and certainly Pharaoh was mighty on the earth and one who transgressed all bounds. Moses said: ‘O MY PEOPLE! If ye do (really) believe in Allah, then in Him put your trust if ye submit (your will to His).’ They said: ‘In Allah do we put out trust. Our Lord! make us not a trial for those who practice oppression; And deliver us by Thy Mercy from those who reject (Thee).’" S. 10:75-86

Here is how different translations translate S. 10:83:

But NONE believed in Moses except some children of HIS people, because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them ... Yusuf Ali

But NONE trusted Moses, save some scions of HIS people, (and they were) in fear of Pharaoh and their chiefs, that he would persecute them ... Pickthall

But NONE believed in Musa except the offspring of HIS people, on account of the fear of Firon and their chiefs, lest he should persecute them ... Shakir

But NONE believed in Műsa (Moses) except the offspring of HIS people, because of the fear of Fir'aun (Pharaoh) and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them ... Hilali-Khan

No one believed in Moses except some young people OF HIS OWN TRIBE who were at the same time very afraid of the persecution of the Pharaoh and his people ... Muhammad Sarwar

Then NONE believed in Moses save a posterity of HIS people, through fear of Pharaoh and their chiefs, lest they should persecute them ... Abdul Majid Daryabadi

But NO ONE believed Moses, except [some] offspring [i.e., youths] among HIS people, for fear of Pharaoh and his establishment that they would persecute them ... Abul-Qasim Publishing House 1997

Only some offspring among HIS own folk believed in Moses because of fear for Pharaoh and his councillors, lest he might put them to some test ... T.B. Irving

So NO ONE believed in Moses, save a seed of HIS people, for fear of Pharaoh and their Council, that they would persecute them ... A.J. Arberry

But NONE believed in Moses, save a race of HIS own people, through fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs; lest he should afflict them ... E.H. Palmer

And NONE obeyed Moses save some youths from among HIS people, because of the fear of Pharaoh and their chiefs, lest he should persecute them ... Maulvi Sher Ali

After reading these accounts one is left wondering what exactly did Moses, the Pharaoh, and the magicians say to one another. Even apart from the verbal variations there is a major contradiction within these reports. According to Surahs 7, 20 and 26 Pharaoh's sorcerers repented and believed in the God of Moses and Aaron. One report even has them claiming to be Muslims. Yet, S. 10 says that none believed in Moses except his own people, namely the Israelites! So which is it? Did some of Pharaoh's magicians believe and repent? Or was there no one from Pharaoh's retinue who believed in the God of Moses and Aaron?

My response:

Jochen Katz' points above raised three main points:

1-  His claim about "variations" in the Noble Quran's Narrations.

2-  Allah Almighty does sometimes Summarize events in the Noble Quran!

3-  Who are the True Believers that followed Moses?

Points 1 & 2:

First of all, in regards to the "variations" of the Narrations above, I don't see the least contradiction in any of the Noble Verses!  All of what Jochen Katz did was present different English translations to create this illusion to the reader that there exists discrepancy in the Original Arabic Noble Quran.  While the English translations above don't even have any contradiction in them, but them being different from each others does seem to help in Jochen Katz' wishful dreams about somehow convincing his reader that the Noble Quran is not Divine.

Allah Almighty does sometimes Summarize events in the Noble Quran!

I once wrote an article addressing this issue in great details by giving ample examples from the Noble Quran about Allah Almighty Giving only brief summaries to historical events and focusing only on their Divine Wisdoms.  The reason for this is because Allah Almighty perhaps didn't want to go into the irrelevant details of the accounts.  The Noble Quran is NOT about the People of Israel and their stories.  It is rather about Accomplishing the True Worship of the Absolute One and Living GOD Almighty.

From http://www.answering-christianity.com/bible_quran_differences.htm:   Sections 1 & 2

1-  Figurative and Summarized Speech and Quotes in the Noble Quran:

When Allah Almighty Revealed the Noble Quran, He didn't intend to make it a Book of detailed narrations.  The bottom line and the Main Message of the Noble Quran is the belief in the Absolute One GOD Almighty and to associate no partners with Him:

"Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.  (The Noble Quran, 112:1-4)"

"Say: 'O People of the Book (i.e., Jews and Christians)!    Come to common terms as between us and you:  That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.'  If then they turn back, say ye: 'Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's Will).'  (The Noble Quran, 3:64)"

"God forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with God is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed. (The Noble Quran, 4:48)"

"Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to God, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in Faith? For God did take Abraham for a friend.  (The Noble Quran, 4:125)"

For more details, please visit:  What is the Wisdom of Islam?

Because Islam recognized all of the previous Prophets of GOD Almighty that were sent to Mankind, Allah Almighty Made few references to some of them and Quoted some of the incidents that took place in the past.  These quotes by no means were meant to be the full and and exact detailed words of what took place from conversations, but rather a summary of what happened.  Allah Almighty used Figurative Speech along with His Explanations to those previous events.  Let's look at few examples:

Before we start, it is important to know that the Divine Wisdom from all of the pithy and brief stories in the Noble Quran is to teach the followers of Islam that they must worship only Allah Almighty and associate no partners (gods, idols or humans created from dust) with Him.

1-  The Noble Quran being read in front of a mountain:

"Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, verily, thou wouldst have seen it humble itself and cleave asunder for fear of God. Such are the similitudes which We propound to men, that they may reflect.  (The Noble Quran, 59:21)"

Everyone knows that mountains are motionless; at least to our perspectives.  The Noble Verse is not to be taken literally.  It is only a Divine Figurative Speech.

2-  Prophet Noah peace be upon him lived for 950 years among his people, and spent much of his years preaching the Holy Words of GOD Almighty.  His story of the many years that he lived in and the much preaching that he has done are summarized in brief Figurative Noble Verses:

"Relate to them the story of Noah. Behold! he said to his people: "O my people, if it be hard on your (mind) that I should stay (with you) and commemorate the signs of God,- yet I put my trust in God. Get ye then an agreement about your plan and among your partners, so your plan be on to you dark and dubious. Then pass your sentence on me, and give me no respite.  (The Noble Quran, 10:71)"

"We sent Noah to his people: He said, "O my people! worship God! Ye have no other god but Him. Will ye not fear (Him)?"  (The Noble Quran, 23:23)"

"We sent Noah to his people. He said: "O my people! worship God! ye have no other god but Him. I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day!  The leaders of his people said: "Ah! we see thee evidently wandering (in mind)."  He said: "O my people! No wandering is there in my (mind): on the contrary I am an apostle from the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds!  "I but fulfil towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: Sincere is my advice to you, and I know from God something that ye know not.  "Do ye wonder that there hath come to you a message from your Lord, through a man of your own people, to warn you,- so that ye may fear God and haply receive His Mercy?"  But they rejected him, and We delivered him, and those with him, in the Ark: but We overwhelmed in the flood those who rejected Our signs. They were indeed a blind people!  (The Noble Quran, 7:59-7:64)"

"We sent Noah to his people (with a mission): "I have come to you with a Clear Warning:  "That ye serve none but God: Verily I do fear for you the penalty of a grievous day."  But the chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "We see (in) thee nothing but a man like ourselves: Nor do we see that any follow thee but the meanest among us, in judgment immature: Nor do we see in you (all) any merit above us: in fact we thing ye are liars!"  He said: "O my people! See ye if (it be that) I have a Clear Sign from my Lord, and that He hath sent Mercy unto me from His own presence, but that the Mercy hath been obscured from your sight? shall we compel you to accept it when ye are averse to it?  "And O my people! I ask you for no wealth in return: my reward is from none but God: But I will not drive away (in contempt) those who believe: for verily they are to meet their Lord, and ye I see are the ignorant ones!  "And O my people! who would help me against God if I drove them away? Will ye not then take heed?    "I tell you not that with me are the treasures of God, nor do I know what is hidden, nor claim I to be an angel. Nor yet do I say, of those whom your eyes do despise that God will not grant them (all) that is good: God knoweth best what is in their souls: I should, if I did, indeed be a wrong-doer."  They said: "O Noah! thou hast disputed with us, and (much) hast thou prolonged the dispute with us: now bring upon us what thou threatenest us with, if thou speakest the truth!?"  He said: "Truly, God will bring it on you if He wills,- and then, ye will not be able to frustrate it!  "Of no profit will be my counsel to you, much as I desire to give you (good) counsel, if it be that God willeth to leave you astray: He is your Lord! and to Him will ye return!"  Or do they say, "He has forged it"? Say: "If I had forged it, on me were my sin! and I am free of the sins of which ye are guilty!  It was revealed to Noah: "None of thy people will believe except those who have believed already! So grieve no longer over their (evil) deeds.  "But construct an Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration, and address Me no (further) on behalf of those who are in sin: for they are about to be overwhelmed (in the Flood)."    Forthwith he (starts) constructing the Ark: Every time that the chiefs of his people passed by him, they threw ridicule on him. He said: "If ye ridicule us now, we (in our turn) can look down on you with ridicule likewise!  "But soon will ye know who it is on whom will descend a penalty that will cover them with shame,- on whom will be unloosed a penalty lasting:"  At length, behold! there came Our command, and the fountains of the earth gushed forth! We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two, male and female, and your family - except those against whom the word has already gone forth,- and the Believers." but only a few believed with him.  So he said: "Embark ye on the Ark, In the name of God, whether it move or be at rest! For my Lord is, be sure, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!"  (The Noble Quran, 11:25-41)"

There are many more Noble Verses about Prophet Noah in the Noble Quran.  The quotes that Allah Almighty Revealed above about what Noah said to his people are summarized ones and not exact ones or ones that cover everything that he said during his days as a Messenger.  Allah Almighty was Giving a summarized and figurative speech describing what took place during those days and what the Divine Wisdom was behind it.

3-  Prophet Moses peace be upon him existed among very defying and disobedient people, i.e., the Jews.  Not only did they worship the calf shortly after GOD Almighty Had saved them Pharaoh and his wrath, but they also deliberately defied and broke the Law that GOD Almighty Gave to Moses.  They were disobedient people:

"There came to you Moses with clear (Signs); yet ye worshipped the calf (Even) after that, and ye did behave wrongfully.    And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (the towering height) of Mount (Sinai): (Saying): "Hold firmly to what We have given you, and hearken (to the Law)": They said:" We hear, and we disobey:" And they had to drink into their hearts (of the taint) of the calf because of their Faithlessness. Say: "Vile indeed are the behests of your Faith if ye have any faith!"  (The Noble Quran, 2:92-93)"

"We divided them into twelve tribes or nations. We directed Moses by inspiration, when his (thirsty) people asked him for water: "Strike the rock with thy staff": out of it there gushed forth twelve springs: Each group knew its own place for water. We gave them the shade of clouds, and sent down to them manna and quails, (saying): "Eat of the good things We have provided for you": (but they rebelled); to Us they did no harm, but they harmed their own souls.    (The Noble Quran, 7:160)"

"When Moses came back to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "Evil it is that ye have done in my place in my absence: did ye make haste to bring on the judgment of your Lord?" He put down the tablets, seized his brother by (the hair of) his head, and dragged him to him. Aaron said: "Son of my mother! the people did indeed reckon me as naught, and went near to slaying me! Make not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune, nor count thou me amongst the people of sin."  (The Noble Quran, 7:150)"

Even the Bible gives ample evidence of their blasphemy to GOD Almighty.  You can read in full details the following Biblical books:

Exodus 32 -  They built their golden calf god using their jewelry.

Exodus 34 -  The Jews are hard-headed people who don't listen.

Deuteronomy 31 - Moses is concerned about the Jews' future after his death because they are constantly rebellious against the Holy Words and Law of GOD Almighty.

Here are some sample verses from the chapters above:

Exodus 32
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."

Exodus 32
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.'
9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people.

Exodus 34
8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."

Deuteronomy 31
25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD :
26 "Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.
27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!
28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them.
29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall upon you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made."

Numbers 16
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come!
13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us?
14 Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!"

Numbers 14
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?
12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

Numbers 14
22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-
23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.
24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Numbers 16
29 If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me.
30 But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart

Note:    I believe this is where they were transformed into apes and swines.  The earth probably never opened up and swallowed them.  Or may be it did after they were shown to everyone.  Only Allah Almighty Knows about the exact timing.

4-  The story of building Noah's Ark is brief.  The details of how the ark was built, what material was used to build it, how many people helped in building it, and how long it took to build it are not mentioned in the Noble Quran.  Allah Almighty only Gave brief and pithy details:

"We sent Noah to his people (with a mission): "I have come to you with a Clear Warning:  "That ye serve none but God: Verily I do fear for you the penalty of a grievous day."  But the chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "We see (in) thee nothing but a man like ourselves: Nor do we see that any follow thee but the meanest among us, in judgment immature: Nor do we see in you (all) any merit above us: in fact we thing ye are liars!"  He said: "O my people! See ye if (it be that) I have a Clear Sign from my Lord, and that He hath sent Mercy unto me from His own presence, but that the Mercy hath been obscured from your sight? shall we compel you to accept it when ye are averse to it?  "And O my people! I ask you for no wealth in return: my reward is from none but God: But I will not drive away (in contempt) those who believe: for verily they are to meet their Lord, and ye I see are the ignorant ones!  "And O my people! who would help me against God if I drove them away? Will ye not then take heed?  "I tell you not that with me are the treasures of God, nor do I know what is hidden, nor claim I to be an angel. Nor yet do I say, of those whom your eyes do despise that God will not grant them (all) that is good: God knoweth best what is in their souls: I should, if I did, indeed be a wrong-doer."    They said: "O Noah! thou hast disputed with us, and (much) hast thou prolonged the dispute with us: now bring upon us what thou threatenest us with, if thou speakest the truth!?"  He said: "Truly, God will bring it on you if He wills,- and then, ye will not be able to frustrate it!  "Of no profit will be my counsel to you, much as I desire to give you (good) counsel, if it be that God willeth to leave you astray: He is your Lord! and to Him will ye return!"  Or do they say, "He has forged it"? Say: "If I had forged it, on me were my sin! and I am free of the sins of which ye are guilty!  It was revealed to Noah: "None of thy people will believe except those who have believed already! So grieve no longer over their (evil) deeds.  "But construct an Ark under Our eyes and Our inspiration, and address Me no (further) on behalf of those who are in sin: for they are about to be overwhelmed (in the Flood)."  Forthwith he (starts) constructing the Ark: Every time that the chiefs of his people passed by him, they threw ridicule on him. He said: "If ye ridicule us now, we (in our turn) can look down on you with ridicule likewise!  "But soon will ye know who it is on whom will descend a penalty that will cover them with shame,- on whom will be unloosed a penalty lasting:"  At length, behold! there came Our command, and the fountains of the earth gushed forth! We said: "Embark therein, of each kind two, male and female, and your family - except those against whom the word has already gone forth,- and the Believers." but only a few believed with him.  So he said: "Embark ye on the Ark, In the name of God, whether it move or be at rest! For my Lord is, be sure, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!"  (The Noble Quran, 11:25-41)"

5-  The story of the Great Flood was also mentioned in the Noble Quran in briefly:

"So the Ark floated with them on the waves (towering) like mountains, and Noah called out to his son, who had separated himself (from the rest): "O my son! embark with us, and be not with the unbelievers!"  The son replied: "I will betake myself to some mountain: it will save me from the water." Noah said: "This day nothing can save, from the command of God, any but those on whom He hath mercy! "And the waves came between them, and the son was among those overwhelmed in the Flood.  Then the word went forth: "O earth! swallow up thy water, and O sky! Withhold (thy rain)!" and the water abated, and the matter was ended. The Ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: "Away with those who do wrong!"  And Noah called upon his Lord, and said: "O my Lord! surely my son is of my family! and Thy promise is true, and Thou art the justest of Judges!"  He said: "O Noah! He is not of thy family: For his conduct is unrighteous. So ask not of Me that of which thou hast no knowledge! I give thee counsel, lest thou act like the ignorant!"  Noah said: "O my Lord! I do seek refuge with Thee, lest I ask Thee for that of which I have no knowledge. And unless thou forgive me and have Mercy on me, I should indeed be lost!"  (The Noble Quran, 11:42-47)"

6-  The ending of the flood was also mentioned briefly:

"The word came: "O Noah! Come down (from the Ark) with peace from Us, and blessing on thee and on some of the peoples (who will spring) from those with thee: but (there will be other) peoples to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time), but in the end will a grievous penalty reach them from Us."  Such are some of the stories of the unseen, which We have revealed unto thee: before this, neither thou nor thy people knew them. So persevere patiently: for the End is for those who are righteous.  (The Noble Quran, 11:48-49)"

7-  The story of the people of 'Ad was also mentioned briefly:

"To the 'Ad People (We sent) Hud, one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! worship God! ye have no other god but Him. (Your other gods) ye do nothing but invent!  "O my people! I ask of you no reward for this (Message). My reward is from none but Him who created me: Will ye not then understand?  "And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain, and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!"  They said: "O Hud! No Clear (Sign) that hast thou brought us, and we are not the ones to desert our gods on thy word! Nor shall we believe in thee!  "We say nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may have seized thee with imbecility." He said: "I call God to witness, and do ye bear witness, that I am free from the sin of ascribing, to Him, "Other gods as partners! so scheme (your worst) against me, all of you, and give me no respite.  "I put my trust in God, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He hath grasp of its fore-lock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.  "If ye turn away,- I (at least) have conveyed the Message with which I was sent to you. My Lord will make another people to succeed you, and you will not harm Him in the least. For my Lord hath care and watch over all things."    So when Our decree issued, We saved Hud and those who believed with him, by (special) Grace from Ourselves: We saved them from a severe penalty.  Such were the 'Ad People: they rejected the Signs of their Lord and Cherisher; disobeyed His apostles; And followed the command of every powerful, obstinate transgressor.  And they were pursued by a Curse in this life,- and on the Day of Judgment. Ah! Behold! for the 'Ad rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah! Behold! removed (from sight) were 'Ad the people of Hud!  (The Noble Quran, 11:50-60)"

There are more Noble Verses in the Noble Quran about the people of 'Ad, but their Wisdom is similar to the above, which is Worship only GOD Almighty and associate no partners with Him.

There are more stories in the Noble Quran that I can post here, but I believe the above are sufficient enough to prove my point.

Again, the Divine Wisdom from all of the pithy and brief stories in the Noble Quran is to teach the followers of Islam that they must worship only Allah Almighty and associate no partners (gods, idols or humans created from dust) with Him.

2-  Examples of figurative speech in the Bible:

On a side note, the many figurative speech in the Bible prove that Jesus must not be MAGNIFIED to the level of the Creator!  Please visit my ample refutations to every single "trinitarian" verse at:  Answering Trinity section.  Anyway, read section 3 below to see ample evidence from the Bible scholars proving that the original manuscripts of the Bible had been lost, and the authors, dates and locations of the "books" and "gospels" of the bible of today are UNKNOWN.

Moving on, here are samples of the figurative speech in the Bible:

GOD Almighty's figurative Temptation:

Luke 11
2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.' "
5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,

YET, GOD ALMIGHTY DOESN'T TEMPT:

James 1
13When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
14but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full -grown, gives birth to death.

Luke 11:2-5 and James 1:13-15 above, clearly prove that GOD Almighty does allow satan to tempt, not only us but also His Prophets.

GOD Almighty's Hand:

1 Samuel 5
9 But after they had moved it, the LORD's hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.
10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, "They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people."
11 So they called together all the rulers of the Philistines and said, "Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it will kill us and our people." For death had filled the city with panic; God's hand was very heavy upon it.

The verses obviously are not talking about GOD Almighty's physical Arm, Hand and Fingers.

They figuratively saw GOD Almighty:

"Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.  (From the NIV Bible, Exodus 24:9-11)"

"Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."  But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."  The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.  (From the NIV Bible, Genesis 32:29-31)"

"But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself."  "No, please!" said Jacob. "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau accepted it.  (From the NIV Bible, Genesis 33:9-11)"

GOD Almighty figuratively hid His Face from them:

Deuteronomy 31
16 And the LORD said to Moses: "You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them.
17 On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, 'Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?'
18 And I will certainly hide my face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.

Psalm 27
8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD , I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

Psalm 80
2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.
3 Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
4 O LORD God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?

Isaiah 59
1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
3 For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things.

But in reality and actuality, no one has seen GOD Almighty, because they would then die:

Exodus 3
4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!"
And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Judges 13
21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD .
22 "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"
23 But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."

1 John 4
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Jehovah or Yahweh Almighty was the One and Only LORD!  The "God" title was distorted in the Bible.  Even satan was called "God":

2 Corinthians 4
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

The word "hotheos" in 2 Corinthians 4:2 which means "God" or "god" was the same exact word used in John 1:1.  For more details and proofs please visit:  The "God" title was given to people before and after Jesus in the Bible.

Only Yahweh (Jehovah in English) is not figurative.  Exactly like no one has ever seen GOD Almighty's Face exactly like Moses is also not figurative.

Can anyone really move a mountain with his eyes?

" Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.   If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.'  (From the NIV Bible, Matthew 21:21)"

Can anyone really survive a poisonous snake's venom without treatment?

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.    (From the NIV Bible, Mark 16:17-18)"

Point #3:

Who are the True Believers that followed Moses?

As I mentioned in my previous rebuttal:

Now in regards to the Believers, there is absolutely no contradiction or historical error in the Noble Verses.  A Believer is not one who just declares with his mouth that he is one, but rather, is one who also proves through practice and actions that he is on.  Pharaoh's Magicians were true Believers for sacrificing their lives for GOD Almighty!  They were true followers of GOD Almighty that became part of Moses' people, peace be upon all of them.

They were all executed because they followed Moses!

Both the Bible and the Noble Quran agree that the Israelites were mostly treacherous people!  Yes, they did escape with Moses from Egypt, but that was not due to their belief.  It was sort of like they nothing to lose, because they lived under brutal slavery.  There is even archeological evidence that suggests it was the Hebrews (the Israelites) who built the great pyramids, while the Egyptians, their masters only managed them.  While no one really knows who exactly built the great pyramids, but history confirms that the Hebrews did live in bad slavery.

Let us look at the Noble Verses that Jochen Katz presented above once again:

"But NONE believed in Moses except some of the children of HIS people, because of the fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them; and certainly Pharaoh was mighty on the earth and one who transgressed all bounds. Moses said: ‘O MY PEOPLE! If ye do (really) believe in Allah, then in Him put your trust if ye submit (your will to His).’ They said: ‘In Allah do we put out trust. Our Lord! make us not a trial for those who practice oppression; And deliver us by Thy Mercy from those who reject (Thee).’" S. 10:83-86

Notice that Allah Almighty DID document in His Holy and Divine Book, the Noble Quran, what the Israelites said to Moses, peace be upon him.  "In Allah do we put our trust...."  These were their CHEAP WORDS, and because Allah Almighty is Fair and Just, and continuously Gives chances to people to repent, He let them successfully escape from Egypt without any harm and without being completely wiped out and eliminated by Pharaoh and his army.

So what did they do to thank Allah Almighty in return?

They built a golden calf and worshiped it in the Sinai desert!  That was the "Thank you" that they gave to GOD Almighty Who Saved them.  Let us look at what the Noble Quran and the Bible say in regards to this subject and what the punishment of the Jews was:

From http://www.answering-christianity.com/bible_quran_differences.htm:

"There came to you Moses with clear (Signs); yet ye worshipped the calf (Even) after that, and ye did behave wrongfully.    And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (the towering height) of Mount (Sinai): (Saying): "Hold firmly to what We have given you, and hearken (to the Law)": They said:" We hear, and we disobey:" And they had to drink into their hearts (of the taint) of the calf because of their Faithlessness. Say: "Vile indeed are the behests of your Faith if ye have any faith!"  (The Noble Quran, 2:92-93)"

"Say: "Shall I point out to you something much worse than this, (as judged) by the treatment it received from God? those who incurred the curse of God and His wrath, those of whom some He transformed into apes and swine, those who worshipped evil;- these are (many times) worse in rank, and far more astray from the even path!"  (The Noble Quran, 5:60)"

While the Bible doesn't explicitly contain this about the Jews, but it does contain OVERWHELMING evidence about the Jews' defiance and disobedience of GOD Almighty's Divine Words, and GOD Almighty's Promise to destroy them and bring plague upon them:

Numbers 14
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?
12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

Numbers 14
22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-
23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.
24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

Numbers 16
29 If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me.
30 But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart

Note:    I believe this is where they were transformed into apes and swines.  The earth probably never opened up and swallowed them.  Or may be it did after they were shown to everyone.  Only Allah Almighty Knows about the exact timing.

Exodus 32
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."

Exodus 32
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.'
9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people.

Exodus 34
8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."

Deuteronomy 31
25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD :
26 "Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.
27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die!
28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them.
29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall upon you because you will do evil in the sight of the LORD and provoke him to anger by what your hands have made."

Numbers 16
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come!
13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us?
14 Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!"

Numbers 14
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?
12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they."

Again, even the Bible gives ample evidence of their blasphemy to GOD Almighty.  You can read in full details the following Biblical books:

Exodus 32 -  They built their golden calf god using their jewelry.

Exodus 34 -  The Jews are hard-headed people who don't listen.

Deuteronomy 31 - Moses is concerned about the Jews' future after his death because they are constantly rebellious against the Holy Words and Law of GOD Almighty.

He wrote:

The problem doesn't end there. Just seven verses after the statement that none but a few Israelites believed in Moses, the author of the Qur'an forgot that statement when he reports Pharaoh's repentance and faith in the face of death (S. 10:90). Even without 10:83, this is a problem for itself, see this article. Certain, however, is that according to the Qur'an, Pharaoh's wife was a believer:

In fact, Muhammad praises Pharaoh's wife as being one of the few women who achieved perfection:

Some have tried to explain away the apparent contradiction by implying that the phrase "His people" refers to the people of Pharaoh, i.e. that only a few Egyptians believed in Moses. Yet this translation makes little sense since this would mean that none of the Israelites believed save some of Pharaoh's own people! Furthermore, it is clear from the context that the nearest antecedent of the pronoun "His" is Moses, not Pharaoh which follows the pronoun. This is confirmed later on in the same passage by Moses' reference to "My people" (S. 10:84).

In the following, we present another example of parallel accounts containing major verbal variations:

"And remember We said: 'Enter this town, and eat of the plenty therein as ye wish; and enter the gate prostrating (with humility), and say: "Forgive (us)"; We shall forgive you your faults and increase (the portion of) those who do good.'" S. 2:58

Wa-ith qulna odkhuloo hathihi alqaryata fakuloo minha haythu shi/tum raghadan waodkhuloo albaba sujjadan waqooloo hittatun naghfir lakum khatayakum wasanazeedu almuhsineena

"And remember it was said to them: 'Dwell in this town and eat therein as ye wish, but say the word of humility and enter the gate in a posture of humility: We shall forgive you your faults; We shall increase (the portion of) those who do good.'" S. 7:161

Wa-ith qeela lahumu oskunoo hathihi alqaryata wakuloo minha haythu shi/tum waqooloo hittatun waodkhuloo albaba sujjadan naghfir lakum khatee-atikum sanazeedu almuhsineena

Did Allah say enter or dwell in? Did he say eat of the plenty or simply eat? Did he command them to say the word of humility and then enter the gate prostrating, or did he command them to enter the gate in a posture of humility and say "forgiveness"? It seems that Allah can't recall his exact words to the Israelites.

A Muslim may argue that the same phenomenon exists within the Gospels. For instance, Matthew, Mark and Luke narrate the same account often with verbal variations. A Muslim using this argument would be guilty of a false analogy. Since Matthew, Mark and Luke were not written by the same author it would be normal to expect three different authors reporting the same event with verbal differences. For instance, one author may have wished to summarize an account, another to provide additional details, and yet another to write down the material in a topical arrangement as opposed to following a chronological sequence. Yet, since these differences do not change the meaning or significance of the event then the accuracy of the Gospels are not called into question but are completely trustworthy, especially when they are viewed in light of the writing methods adopted by historians of that time period. (See this article for more info.)

But this is not the case with the Quran. Muslims do not believe that the Quran was written by multiple authors. Rather, they believe that there was only one author, namely God. Yet, if God had dictated the Quran to Muhammad we would not expect to find major verbal variations and contradictions in these parallel accounts. Instead, we would expect that God would repeat the same event in exactly the same way. That this is not what we find only proves that the Quran is not from God, but is the work of multiple writers. This means that the final compilers of the Quran did a very poor job of editing the book since traces of these conflicting sources can still be seen today.

My response:

It's funny how Jochen Katz invents the lie and then believes it.  First, in regards to his article about Pharaoh repenting before his death while drowning, once again, it had been soundly debunked in the following articles:

Response by Islamic Awareness

Response by Misha'al ibn Abdullah

More relevant rebuttals on the same subject:

Response by Islamic Awareness

Response by MENJ

Response by Misha'al ibn Abdullah

Pharaoh's Wife was a Believer!

Now in regards to the Believers from among Pharaoh's people, I don't see why the polytheist trinitarian pagan is objecting to the fact that Pharaoh's wife was smart enough to know that:

1-  Her husband was a self-proclaimed god who was no more than an arrogant piece of trash.

2-  She Believed in One, True and Living GOD Almighty her Creator.

Why should these be difficult for the Believing lady?!  She most definitely was part of Moses' people for being a Believer!  All Believers back then were followers of Moses and True Worshipers of the True GOD Almighty.  A person was either with Moses or with Pharaoh!  See POINT #3 above for the details and proofs from both the Noble Quran and the Bible.

Note:  POINT #3 above also exposes the treachery of the Israelites from both the Noble Quran and the Bible, and further proves why Allah Almighty Said there were only few Believers from among them.

Allah Almighty's Use of Similar Words in different Noble Verses for the same subject:

As I clearly demonstrated and proved in POINTS 1 & 2 above, Allah Almighty Gave only brief summaries to historical events and focused only on the Divine Wisdom of them.

As we clearly see in the following section regarding this subject, Jochen Katz' hypocrisy and stupidity are truly laughable.

Thanks for openly admitting that your "gospels" were not authored by GOD Almighty!

Jochen Katz said above:

"A Muslim may argue that the same phenomenon exists within the Gospels. For instance, Matthew, Mark and Luke narrate the same account often with verbal variations. A Muslim using this argument would be guilty of a false analogy. Since Matthew, Mark and Luke were not written by the same author it would be normal to expect three different authors reporting the same event with verbal differences. For instance, one author may have wished to summarize an account, another to provide additional details, and yet another to write down the material in a topical arrangement as opposed to following a chronological sequence. Yet, since these differences do not change the meaning or significance of the event then the accuracy of the Gospels are not called into question but are completely trustworthy, especially when they are viewed in light of the writing methods adopted by historians of that time period."

Wasn't GOD Almighty supposed to be the "author" of all of these so-called "gospels"?  If He wasn't the Sole Author, as Jochen Katz perfectly agrees above, then what is the point from even considering them as "Gospels" and as "Holy Words of GOD Almighty"?  If they are nothing but men's words, then wouldn't that make them irrelevant to Divine Scriptures?

Anyway, I don't need Jochen Katz' ludicrous opinions to prove that his bible is corrupt.  The bible's own theologians and historians open and clearly admit to this fact.  See the following scholar's quotes, along with the KJV and NIV bible theologians' quotes, along with a sample of contradictions in Jochen Katz' bible:

From http://www.answering-christianity.com/contra.htm:

"Christians readily admit, however, that there have been 'scribal errors' in the copies of the Old and New Testament. It is beyond the capability of anyone to avoid any and every slip of the pen in copying page after page from any book, sacred or secular. Yet we may be sure that the original manuscript (better known as autograph) of each book of the Bible, being directly inspired by God, was free from all error. Those originals, however, because of the early date of their inception no longer exist."

"Because we are dealing with accounts which were written thousands of years ago, we would not expect to have the originals in our possession today, as they would have disintegrated long ago. We are therefore dependent on the copies taken from copies of those originals, which were in turn continually copied out over a period of centuries. Those who did the copying were prone to making two types of scribal errors. One concerned the spelling of proper names, and the other had to do with numbers."

"Most Christians will affirm that the Bible is our rule of faith and practice. It is a little self contradictory to stand in the pulpit and say the word of God is inspired, when in his heart the pastor knows he is not referring to any book here on this earth that people can hold in their hands and believe. He really should say what he believes - that the word of God WAS inspired at one time but we no longer have it, so the best we can do is hope we have a close approximation of what God probably meant to tell us."  (http://www.geocities.com/brandplucked/transinsp.html)

"It also seems a bit inconsistent to say he believes the originals were inspired, when he has never seen them, they never were together in one single book and they no longer exist anyway. How does he know they were inspired? He accepts this by faith. Yet he seems to lack the faith to actually believe that God could do exactly what He said He would do with His words. God said He would preserve them and that heaven and earth would pass away but His words would not pass away." (http://www.geocities.com/brandplucked/transinsp.html)

Yet, this same person writes:

"How Old Was Ahaziah, 22 or 42?

This is an apparent contradiction that frequently is thrown in the face of Christians who believe we have an inspired Bible. Many Atheist, Islam and Bible dubunker sites bring up this example. Sad to say, most of the “Christian” apologetic sites which promote the new bible versions cave in here and say the number 42 is a copyist error.

Here is a typical response by those Christians who use and promote the modern versions. This one comes from Techtonics Apologetics. This “defender of the faith” answers: “ Was Ahaziah forty-two or twenty-two (per 2 Kings 8:26) when he ascended the throne? More likely 22, and 2 Chronicles has been hit by a copyist error. See our foundational essay on copyist errors for general background. In favor of the "22" reading in 2 Chronicles: The 2 Kings reading; some LXX and Syriac manuscripts.

This typical Christian response is not limited to this one example, but in many objections brought up by the infidels or the curious, this same rote answer is given. There is a copyist error. There is a typo in God’s book. The skeptics laugh and the modern version proponent looks like a fool.

2 Chronicles 22:2 tells us that Ahaziah was 42 years old when he began to reign. The Hebrew texts, plus Wycliffe 1395,Coverdale 1535, Bishop's Bible 1568, Geneva Bible 1599, the Revised Version, the American Standard Version, Douay 1950, the Spanish Reina Valera 1960, Italian Diodati 1602, NKJV, RSV, NRSV, the Jewish translations of 1917 and 1936, the 1998 Complete Jewish Bible, Hebrew Names Bible, Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, Webster's 1833 translation, the New English Bible 1970, the New Jerusalem, KJV 21st Century, and the Third Millenium Bible all say Ahaziah was 42 years old when he began to reign.

        The inspired Hebrew text clearly says Ahaziah was 42 years old. The masoretic scribes were very scrupulous in copying their sacred trust. No word or number was written from memory but each word was carefully checked before he recopied it. The copies were checked and checked again and if there were a single error, the whole was discarded and and new one begun......"  (http://www.geocities.com/brandplucked/22or42.html)

My Response:

How do you know that the above references (written by ordinary men) that you used in proving that Ahaziah was 42 years old are correct when the original manuscripts had been lost?  What makes you be so sure that Ahaziah was indeed 42 years old and not 22 or any other age?  You said the Christians make themselves look like "fools" when they attempt to answer away the apparent and irrefutable errors in the Bible.  Didn't you too just make an utter fool out of yourself too? 

Face it and admit it!  The Bible's overwhelming errors and corruptions are unanswerable!  The Bible is corrupt no matter how you try to decorate it.

The authors of the sites in the quotes above admit that the entire Bible is NOT perfect, and contains man's corruption or alteration in it.  They also admit that the original manuscripts that came from GOD Almighty are lost.  I'd like to comment on their points of the type of errors that exist in the Bible today:

1-  There is no evidence that the errors are only limited to spelling of proper names and numbers.  They're only assuming this and are using it as fact.  And even if this was true, then as they openly admitted, this takes away the Bible's perfection.  The reader must remember that the Christians' entire polytheist trinity paganism comes solely from conclusions and interpretations!  There is not ONE SINGLE claim or hard evidence in the Bible about GOD Almighty being 3, or that Jesus is our Creator.  Jesus who ran away from King Herod to Egypt, and who begged GOD Almighty for Mercy and prostrated his face down to the ground before Him on the night of crucifixion can not be the Creator of the Universe.  The trinitarian pagans would happily try to convince you that trinity is right from their corrupted book, while at the same time, they openly admit that there are errors and man's alterations that exist in the Bible, and the original manuscripts had been lost.  If the original manuscripts had been lost, then what makes you be so sure that trinity is the correct conclusion?

2-  According to the Bible's theologians, no one even knows who wrote the copies that they're referring to.   In other words, we don't even know if these people were anointed from GOD Almighty or not, because we don't have any evidence that the letters found that make up the Bible today were officially written by men.

From http://www.answering-christianity.com/authors_gospels.htm:

II Samuel 10:18 talks about David slew the men of 700 chariots of the Syrians and 40,000 horsemen and Shobach the commander.
I Chronicles 1:18 says that David slew the men of 7000 chariots and 40,000 footmen

How do you respond to this?

Please visit: Contradictions and proofs of Historical Corruptions in the Bible, and see exactly what I mean, instead of acting like a total fool and saying things that even the Bible refutes in it!

It is quite obvious that Christians today believe in third party authors' words as the words of GOD.  This is a very serious corruption in the Bible that must be taken into deep consideration by the Bible's followers.  Please visit "Is the Bible the true word of GOD?" to see a full and complete paper about the logical corruptions in the Bible, along with many Christian famous priests and ministers opinions that agree with the Bible's corruption.  I have their personal quotes in that site.

Also, as to the parts of the Bible that Muslims believe are closest to the Truth, please visit: www.answering-christianity.com/warning.htm

After that, please visit:  Prophet Muhammad was foretold in many places in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments.

Responses to all of the so-called "Contradictions" in the Noble Quran.

My Rebuttals, and exposing the lies of the Answering Islam team section.

Rebuttals to Jochen Katz' Articles section.

My rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's "Examining the Evidence which proves that the Spirit is God" blasphemous article (PART II).

My rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's "A Brief Rebuttal to Anti-Missionary Attacks on the Trinity" article.

What is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Islam? Why can't we call it GOD?

Ask me any question section.

Errors and History of Contradictions and Corruption in the Bible.

Christians are Commanded to follow the Old Testament.

Allah, Islam, Quran, Muhammad questions and answers.

What is the place of Jews, Christians and non-Muslims in Islam?

Answering Trinity.

"Allah" was GOD Almighty's Original Name in the Bible according to the Hebrew and Aramaic sources.

Send your comments.

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