The Ridiculous Level of Incoherence in the Quran

How can the Quran be considered a divine miracle when it is so incoherent that even the greatest Muslim scholars and commentators over the past 1,400 years have struggled — and often failed — to make sense of it?

The verses are jumbled in both chronology and context. Meccan verses appear in Medinan surahs and vice versa. Even within a single verse, the subject can suddenly shift between completely unrelated events that occurred years apart.

A striking example is Quran 5:3:

[First part – about prohibited foods, revealed in 6 AH during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah] “Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine… and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah…”

[Second part – suddenly jumps to a completely different event revealed in 10 AH during the Farewell Pilgrimage] “This day, those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion… This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.”

[Third part – abruptly returns to the first topic] “But whoever is compelled by severe hunger… there is no sin upon him. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”

All classical commentators (including Maududi and Taqi Usmani) agree that the middle portion of this verse was revealed four years after the first and last parts. This is not logical coherence — it is textual chaos.

Is there any other book in the world that is this disorganized? Even the Bible, despite its own issues, is far more coherent and readable than the Quran.

Linguistic Mistake in the Quran

Quran 4:11 contains a clear linguistic error:

“Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females. But if there are [only] women more than two, then for them two-thirds of what he left…”

The Arabic phrase literally says “more than two” daughters. However, all Muslim scholars agree that two daughters also receive two-thirds of the inheritance.

This is not a minor translation issue — it is a grammatical and legal mistake in the original Arabic text. Modern translators often quietly “correct” it to “two or more daughters” (a clear case of tahrif or distortion) to hide the error.

Mathematical Errors in Islamic Inheritance Laws

The Quran’s inheritance rules (Surah An-Nisa) contain serious mathematical flaws, leading to two major problems:

1. When Shares Add Up to Less Than the Total Estate (‘Asbah Case)

Example: A man dies leaving behind one daughter, parents, and a wife.

• Daughter: 1/2
• Parents: 1/3 (1/6 each)
• Wife: 1/8

Total = 0.958 (less than 1)

Muhammad offered no solution. Later, the remaining portion was given to the nearest male relative (‘Asbah). This system often results in deeply unfair outcomes for women.

Examples of Injustice:

• An old widow receives only 25%, while a distant male cousin (or even his son) gets 75%.
• An elderly mother receives only 33.33%, while distant male relatives get 66.67%.
• A sister (even if married) often receives more than the mother or widow.

2. When Shares Add Up to More Than the Total Estate (‘Awl Case)

Example: A man dies leaving behind three daughters, parents, and a wife.

• Three daughters: 2/3
• Parents: 1/3
• Wife: 1/8

Total = 1.125 (more than 1)

Muhammad left no guidance for this situation. Umar ibn al-Khattab later invented the solution of proportionally reducing everyone’s share. Shia scholars proposed a different fix. The Creator of the Universe, according to the Quran, could not handle simple fractions.

Conclusion: Clear Human Fingerprints

These issues — incoherent verses, linguistic mistakes, and unsolvable mathematical errors — strongly indicate that the Quran is not the flawless word of an All-Knowing God, but a text produced by a 7th-century Arab who was not protected from human error.

The Quran claims to be “clear” and “easy to understand” (Quran 44:58, 54:17), yet even after 1,400 years, scholars still debate its meaning. The presence of such obvious flaws, combined with the frequent alignment of “revelations” with Muhammad’s personal and political needs, points to a very human origin.

When a book claims to be perfect and divine, even small errors become highly significant. The Quran contains far more than small errors.