Blog 3

The Bible and the Qur'an share many things, but, what about their numerous anomalies?

1) What are the differences of the idea of creation in the Qur'an versus the Bible?

Creation is common in both the Qur'an and the Bible. However, there are numerous differences between the two. Each book explains that creation occurred over the time period of six days, the difference being: the six days of the Bible were clearly, Earth rotation days, where as the six days of the Qur'an may easily be interpreted as millions of years. The Bible also clearly describes what was made on each of the six days of creation. The Qur'an, though, gives vague details. The Bible tells us that man was created on Earth, in the Garden of Eden. The Qur'an tells us that, rather than being created on Earth, man was created in Paradise and later banished to Earth.

2) How does the fall of man differ in the Bible from the Qur'an?

In Genesis, Adam and Eve were given free access to the "Tree of Life" and they were forbidden from eating the fruit of the "Tree of Knowledge." In the Qur'an, the "Tree of Eternity," which is equated with giving eternal life and therefore comparable to the "Tree of Life," is forbidden. In regard to actually eating the forbidden fruit, Genesis explains that Eve was enticed by a serpent, who tells her that she will not die, but, will in fact, "be like God, in knowing good and evil." In the Qur'an, though, it was Iblis(Satan) who enticed Adam and his wife. Satan whispered to them, "Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest ye should become angels or such things that live forever." There were also consequences in the book of Genesis, such as man now having to work to eat, that were a result of man's disobedience. Where as, in the Qur'an, toil and sweat were an integral part of the original creation of Earth.

3) How does the story of Noah and his Ark contrast between the Bible and the Qur'an?

In the Bible, it rained on Earth for 40 days and 40 nights, the ark was afloat for 150 days, and the flood's total duration was 370 days. There were also specific dimensions given of the ark. In the Qur'an, there is no mention of the ark's size, nor any mention of the duration of the flood. In the Bible, eight people survived(Noah and his family) and man was granted permission to eat meat after the flood. In the Qur'an, though, it appears that one of Noah's sons drowned and possibly his wife, as well. Man also was able to eat meat on Earth from the beginning.

The Bible and the Qur'an may have much in common, yet, many crucial aberrations are quite apparent in the text.