Apologetics · FaithLogic
The Sources of the Quran — What Muhammad Borrowed and From Where
If the Quran is the direct word of Allah, revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel, it should contain no material derived from existing human sources. But scholars — including non-Christian scholars — have documented that large portions of the Quran parallel material from Jewish Talmud, Jewish Midrash, apocryphal Christian gospels, and Zoroastrian traditions. The errors in these parallels prove the material was received orally, not through divine revelation.
Muhammad's Access to Jewish and Christian Sources — Documented
Waraqa ibn Nawfal — Muhammad's Christian Connection
The Islamic historical record (Sahih Bukhari 1:3:3):
When Muhammad received his first "revelation" and was terrified, his wife Khadija took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal. The Hadith describes Waraqa as "a Christian who used to write the Hebrew letters and would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write." Waraqa told Muhammad he was receiving what Moses had received.
What this establishes:
Muhammad had direct access to a Christian scholar who was a translator of the scriptures into Arabic — his own wife's cousin, who he met at the very beginning of his prophetic career. Khadija herself is described by the Islamic historian al-Tabari as having read former scriptures and knowing the stories of the prophets.
Muhammad's other contacts with Christians and Jews:
— Bahira the monk: encountered Muhammad as a child and recognized "prophetic" signs — Islamic tradition
— The Jewish communities of Medina: extensive interaction documented throughout the Sirat
— Salman al-Farsi: a Persian who had been a Zoroastrian, then Christian, before becoming Muhammad's companion and likely source for some Zoroastrian-parallel material in the Quran
— Christian monks in Syria: Muhammad traveled through Syria as a merchant before his prophethood
Scholar W.St.Clair Tisdall (The Sources of the Qur'an, 1901):
"The parallels which we have drawn between certain passages in the Quran and those resembling them in various Jewish writings are close enough to show the ultimate source of much of the Quran. The many errors that occur in the Quran show that Muhammad received his information orally, and probably from men who had no great amount of book-learning themselves."
Scholar Richard Bell (Introduction to the Quran, 1958):
"It was not intended to deny, what is indeed undeniable, that there was a great deal of direct influence exerted upon him by Judaism and Christianity, and that much of the Quran is directly dependent upon the Bible, and stories associated with the Bible."
When Muhammad received his first "revelation" and was terrified, his wife Khadija took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal. The Hadith describes Waraqa as "a Christian who used to write the Hebrew letters and would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write." Waraqa told Muhammad he was receiving what Moses had received.
What this establishes:
Muhammad had direct access to a Christian scholar who was a translator of the scriptures into Arabic — his own wife's cousin, who he met at the very beginning of his prophetic career. Khadija herself is described by the Islamic historian al-Tabari as having read former scriptures and knowing the stories of the prophets.
Muhammad's other contacts with Christians and Jews:
— Bahira the monk: encountered Muhammad as a child and recognized "prophetic" signs — Islamic tradition
— The Jewish communities of Medina: extensive interaction documented throughout the Sirat
— Salman al-Farsi: a Persian who had been a Zoroastrian, then Christian, before becoming Muhammad's companion and likely source for some Zoroastrian-parallel material in the Quran
— Christian monks in Syria: Muhammad traveled through Syria as a merchant before his prophethood
Scholar W.St.Clair Tisdall (The Sources of the Qur'an, 1901):
"The parallels which we have drawn between certain passages in the Quran and those resembling them in various Jewish writings are close enough to show the ultimate source of much of the Quran. The many errors that occur in the Quran show that Muhammad received his information orally, and probably from men who had no great amount of book-learning themselves."
Scholar Richard Bell (Introduction to the Quran, 1958):
"It was not intended to deny, what is indeed undeniable, that there was a great deal of direct influence exerted upon him by Judaism and Christianity, and that much of the Quran is directly dependent upon the Bible, and stories associated with the Bible."
Specific Borrowings — With the Errors That Prove Human Origin
Borrowing 1 — The Infant Jesus Speaking from the Cradle (Surah 19:29-33)
The Quranic account (Surah 19:29-33):
After Mary gives birth to Jesus, she brings the baby to her people. When they accuse her of immorality, she points to the infant Jesus. He then speaks from the cradle, declaring himself a prophet of Allah.
The source — Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ (2nd century apocryphal text):
Chapter 1 of this apocryphal gospel: "We have found it recorded in the book of Josephus the high-priest, who lived in the time of Christ, that Jesus spoke when He was in the cradle, and said to His mother Mary: I am Jesus, the Son of God, the Word, whom thou hast brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to thee..."
The key difference — and what it reveals:
In the apocryphal gospel, Jesus speaks from the cradle claiming to be "the Son of God, the Word." In the Quran's version, this is changed to Jesus declaring himself a prophet of Allah and denying sonship. Muhammad received the story from an apocryphal source and edited it to fit his theology — removing "Son of God, the Word" and substituting Islamic prophethood language.
Arlandson (answering-islam.org): "Ockham's razor cuts out convoluted explanations. The clearest explanation says that Muhammad got this legend from a human apocryphal gospel, not from divine revelation."
After Mary gives birth to Jesus, she brings the baby to her people. When they accuse her of immorality, she points to the infant Jesus. He then speaks from the cradle, declaring himself a prophet of Allah.
The source — Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ (2nd century apocryphal text):
Chapter 1 of this apocryphal gospel: "We have found it recorded in the book of Josephus the high-priest, who lived in the time of Christ, that Jesus spoke when He was in the cradle, and said to His mother Mary: I am Jesus, the Son of God, the Word, whom thou hast brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to thee..."
The key difference — and what it reveals:
In the apocryphal gospel, Jesus speaks from the cradle claiming to be "the Son of God, the Word." In the Quran's version, this is changed to Jesus declaring himself a prophet of Allah and denying sonship. Muhammad received the story from an apocryphal source and edited it to fit his theology — removing "Son of God, the Word" and substituting Islamic prophethood language.
Arlandson (answering-islam.org): "Ockham's razor cuts out convoluted explanations. The clearest explanation says that Muhammad got this legend from a human apocryphal gospel, not from divine revelation."
Borrowing 2 — Mary and the Palm Tree (Surah 19:23-26)
The Quranic account (Surah 19:23-25):
During the pains of childbirth, Mary cries out by the trunk of a palm tree. A voice tells her to shake the palm tree and fresh ripe dates will fall for her to eat.
The source — Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (apocryphal, 6th-9th century in its written form but based on older oral traditions):
Chapter 20 describes the flight into Egypt: Mary and Joseph are hungry and thirsty. Mary sees a palm tree and wishes to eat its fruit. The infant Jesus commands the palm tree to bend down and provide fruit for Mary.
The key difference that exposes oral transmission:
In the apocryphal source, the miracle happens during the flight to Egypt after Jesus's birth. In the Quran, Muhammad conflates this with the birth narrative itself. This is exactly the kind of error you get when stories are transmitted orally through people "who had no great amount of book-learning themselves" — the sequence and location of the story get confused.
During the pains of childbirth, Mary cries out by the trunk of a palm tree. A voice tells her to shake the palm tree and fresh ripe dates will fall for her to eat.
The source — Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (apocryphal, 6th-9th century in its written form but based on older oral traditions):
Chapter 20 describes the flight into Egypt: Mary and Joseph are hungry and thirsty. Mary sees a palm tree and wishes to eat its fruit. The infant Jesus commands the palm tree to bend down and provide fruit for Mary.
The key difference that exposes oral transmission:
In the apocryphal source, the miracle happens during the flight to Egypt after Jesus's birth. In the Quran, Muhammad conflates this with the birth narrative itself. This is exactly the kind of error you get when stories are transmitted orally through people "who had no great amount of book-learning themselves" — the sequence and location of the story get confused.
Borrowing 3 — Mary Cared for by Zachariah with Heavenly Food (Surah 3:37)
The Quranic account (Surah 3:37):
Zachariah became Mary's guardian. Whenever he went to see her in her sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions. He asked, "Mary, how is it you have found these provisions?" She said, "They are from God."
The source — Protevangelium of James (apocryphal, ~150 AD):
Chapters 7-8: Mary was taken to the Temple and cared for by the priests. She was fed by an angel while living in the Temple — miraculously sustained. Zachariah was the high priest who served in the Temple during this time.
Scholar Bell (Introduction to the Quran):
"The stories of the Virgin Mary... are related, however, not as in the New Testament, but more in the form in which they appear in Apocryphal Gospels. They have most similarity with the Protevangelium Jacobi, a book that we know to have been widely diffused in the East."
Zachariah became Mary's guardian. Whenever he went to see her in her sanctuary, he found her supplied with provisions. He asked, "Mary, how is it you have found these provisions?" She said, "They are from God."
The source — Protevangelium of James (apocryphal, ~150 AD):
Chapters 7-8: Mary was taken to the Temple and cared for by the priests. She was fed by an angel while living in the Temple — miraculously sustained. Zachariah was the high priest who served in the Temple during this time.
Scholar Bell (Introduction to the Quran):
"The stories of the Virgin Mary... are related, however, not as in the New Testament, but more in the form in which they appear in Apocryphal Gospels. They have most similarity with the Protevangelium Jacobi, a book that we know to have been widely diffused in the East."
Borrowing 4 — Cain and Abel: The Raven Teaching Burial (Surah 5:31)
The Quranic account (Surah 5:31):
After Cain kills Abel, "Allah sent a raven, scratching in the ground, to show him how to hide his brother's body."
The Biblical account (Genesis 4):
Contains no raven. No detail about burial. No detail about how Cain learned to bury Abel.
The source — Targum of Jonathan and the Midrash Tanchuma (Jewish Talmudic literature):
These texts add the story of a raven showing Cain how to bury Abel by scratching in the earth to bury a dead bird. The detail is not in the Bible — it is in Jewish midrashic legend.
Why this matters:
The Quran contains a detail (the raven burying a dead bird to teach Cain) that is not in the Bible — but IS in Jewish Talmudic legend. A divine revelation would either match the original inspired text or contain genuinely new information. The Quran matches Jewish oral legend — proving Muhammad's source was Jewish oral tradition, not divine revelation.
After Cain kills Abel, "Allah sent a raven, scratching in the ground, to show him how to hide his brother's body."
The Biblical account (Genesis 4):
Contains no raven. No detail about burial. No detail about how Cain learned to bury Abel.
The source — Targum of Jonathan and the Midrash Tanchuma (Jewish Talmudic literature):
These texts add the story of a raven showing Cain how to bury Abel by scratching in the earth to bury a dead bird. The detail is not in the Bible — it is in Jewish midrashic legend.
Why this matters:
The Quran contains a detail (the raven burying a dead bird to teach Cain) that is not in the Bible — but IS in Jewish Talmudic legend. A divine revelation would either match the original inspired text or contain genuinely new information. The Quran matches Jewish oral legend — proving Muhammad's source was Jewish oral tradition, not divine revelation.
Borrowing 5 — Alexander the Great as a Righteous Muslim (Surah 18:83-101)
The source — Syriac Christian Legend of Alexander (6th century):
A Syriac Christian legend called "The Romance of Alexander" portrays Alexander the Great as a monotheist who traveled to the ends of the earth and helped build a wall against Gog and Magog. This legend was widely known in Arabia by Muhammad's time.
What Muhammad does:
The Quran's Dhul-Qarnayn narrative follows the Syriac legend almost exactly — the three journeys (east, west, and to the wall against Gog and Magog), the divine guidance, and the monotheistic framing. Muhammad appears to have received this Syriac Christian legend and incorporated it into the Quran as divine revelation.
The historical error this creates:
Alexander the Great was a polytheist who claimed to be the son of Zeus Ammon. The Syriac Christian legend had already made him a monotheist for its own theological purposes. Muhammad received this already-Christianized legend and further Islamized it. The errors in the Quranic Dhul-Qarnayn narrative (the sun setting in muddy water, the geography that does not match historical Alexander's routes) are consistent with oral transmission of a legend, not with divine omniscient revelation about actual historical events.
A Syriac Christian legend called "The Romance of Alexander" portrays Alexander the Great as a monotheist who traveled to the ends of the earth and helped build a wall against Gog and Magog. This legend was widely known in Arabia by Muhammad's time.
What Muhammad does:
The Quran's Dhul-Qarnayn narrative follows the Syriac legend almost exactly — the three journeys (east, west, and to the wall against Gog and Magog), the divine guidance, and the monotheistic framing. Muhammad appears to have received this Syriac Christian legend and incorporated it into the Quran as divine revelation.
The historical error this creates:
Alexander the Great was a polytheist who claimed to be the son of Zeus Ammon. The Syriac Christian legend had already made him a monotheist for its own theological purposes. Muhammad received this already-Christianized legend and further Islamized it. The errors in the Quranic Dhul-Qarnayn narrative (the sun setting in muddy water, the geography that does not match historical Alexander's routes) are consistent with oral transmission of a legend, not with divine omniscient revelation about actual historical events.
💡 Sources of the Quran — The Complete Response"The Quran contains material that can be traced to specific Jewish and Christian sources that Muhammad had access to. (1) Infant Jesus speaking from cradle (Surah 19:29-33): from the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy — but Muhammad removed 'Son of God, the Word' and substituted Islamic prophethood language. (2) Mary and the palm tree (Surah 19:23-25): from the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, but with the narrative location confused — exactly the error oral transmission produces. (3) Mary cared for by Zachariah with heavenly food (Surah 3:37): from the Protevangelium of James, scholar Richard Bell confirms the match. (4) The raven teaching Cain to bury Abel (Surah 5:31): not in the Bible — but in Jewish Midrash Tanchuma. Muhammad had a Jewish oral source, not the original text. (5) Alexander the Great as a righteous monotheist (Surah 18:83-101): from a 6th-century Syriac Christian legend about Alexander. Muhammad's contacts with Christians and Jews are well-documented: Waraqa ibn Nawfal (Khadija's Christian cousin who translated scriptures into Arabic), the Jewish communities of Medina, Christian monks in Syria. Scholar Tisdall: 'The errors that occur in the Quran show Muhammad received his information orally, from men who had no great amount of book-learning themselves.' Divine revelation does not receive garbled oral legends and present them as fact."
This is part of the FaithLogic study library — the biblical, historical and manuscript case that Jesus is God, with every claim linked to its source. Open the interactive version for search, cross-references, read-aloud, and the full library.