Option 1: If these Christian (or Gnostic) legends are indeed divine revelations from Allah, as the Quran's inclusion of them might imply, then their affirmation of Christ's deity (e.g., in the Infancy Gospel's portrayal of Jesus as a miraculous divine figure) contradicts the Quran's rejection of Jesus as God (Surah An-Nisa, 4:171). This would mean Allah revealed conflicting messages, undermining the consistency of Islamic theology.
Option 2: If these stories are not divine but merely tales Muhammad heard along caravan routes and incorporated into the Quran, then the Qur'an is not a pure revelation from Allah but a product of human compilation. This challenges Muhammad's prophethood and the Quran's claim to be an unadulterated word of God (Surah Al-Hijr, 15:9).
Dilemma :
Either Allah endorsed contradictory revelations that affirm Christ's deity (compromising the Quran's denial of the Trinity and divinity of Jesus), or Muhammad was not receiving divine revelation but recycling human stories (undermining the Quran's divine origin).
Christian script:
1. Christian Apocryphal Gospels
1.1 Infancy Gospel of Thomas
Quranic Parallel: Jesus fashioning birds from clay and breathing life into them (Surah 3:49, 5:110).
Apocryphal Source: In the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, the child Jesus molds birds from clay and, upon clapping his hands, they fly off.
Why It's Cited: Christian critics point to the similarity of the miracles to argue the Qur'an is borrowing from Christian apocrypha.
1.2 Arabic Infancy Gospel
Quranic Parallel: Jesus speaking from the cradle (Surah 19:29-34).
Apocryphal Source: A similar account appears in the so-called Arabic Infancy Gospel (an expansion of earlier infancy traditions), where the newborn Jesus utters mature words.
Why It's Cited: This event does not appear in the canonical Gospels; apologists see it as evidence of reliance on non-canonical Christian lore.
1.3 Protoevangelium of James
Quranic Parallel: Various details about Mary's upbringing, her miraculous pregnancy, and the circumstances around Jesus' birth (e.g., Surah 3:35-37, 19:16-34).
Apocryphal Source: The Protoevangelium of James offers expanded accounts of Mary's childhood and her role as the mother of Jesus, differing from canonical Gospel narratives.
Why It's Cited: The Quran's portrayal of Mary includes details absent in the New Testament but reminiscent of these apocryphal traditions.
2. Jewish Talmudic and Midrashic Writings
2.1 Mishnah/Talmud on "Whoever saves a life…"
Quranic Parallel: Surah 5:32 says: "Whoever kills a soul…it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one…it is as if he had saved mankind entirely."
Jewish Source: A related concept appears in Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 (and the Talmudic discussion of this passage), though the exact wording varies.
Why It's Cited: Some argue the Qur'an is echoing the Talmudic principle, albeit not in a verbatim way.
2.2 Midrashic Stories on Biblical Prophets
Quranic Parallels: The Qur'an often includes extra-biblical details (e.g., Abraham breaking idols [Surah 21:57-58], or the story of Cain and Abel involving a raven showing Cain how to bury his brother [Surah 5:31]).
Jewish Source: Versions of these stories appear in Jewish Midrash (commentaries or expansions on biblical narratives).
Why It's Cited: Christian and Jewish polemicists point to parallels as indicative of the Quran's familiarity with Jewish oral lore or Midrashic traditions.
3. Other Christian Legends & Writings
3.1 The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
Quranic Parallel: The story of the "Companions of the Cave" (Surah 18:9-26).
Christian Legend: The legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus—young Christian men who allegedly slept for centuries and awoke in a later time—was widely known in Eastern Christian tradition.
Why It's Cited: Although not an apocryphal "Gospel," it's an extra-biblical Christian legend that appears in the Quran. Critics see this as another non-scriptural tale adapted into the Islamic text.
3.2 Alexander Romance (Dhul-Qarnayn)
Quranic Parallel: The account of "Dhul-Qarnayn" (Surah 18:83-98).
Late Antique Source: The Syriac version of the Alexander Romance circulated widely, depicting Alexander the Great's legendary travels and exploits.
Why It's Cited: Some identify Dhul-Qarnayn with Alexander, noting similarities in narrative elements. While not a "Christian apocryphal gospel," it's another extra-biblical tradition that critics claim the Qur'an reworks.
The Jibreel Epistemic Problem
P1: Jibreel is the mediating source of the Qur'an (Surah 2:97).
P2: Jibreel can give objectively false information (Sahih al-Bukhari 3329).
C: None of the verses of the Qur'an can be trusted since Jibreel could have given false information. Therefore, the Qur'an should be rejected as it has no reliable source.
P1: The Qur'an states that Jibreel was sent to Mohammed with the Quran. (Surah 2:97)
P2: Jibreel is an angel ( Sunan an-Nasa'i 5365), often took the form of a man (Sahih al-Bukhari 4980; Jami at-Tirmidhi 3649; Sunan an-Nasa'i 4991) and is presumably the angel that brought the Qur'an to Mohammed (Sahih al-Bukhari 2, 3, & 4).
P3: Allah claims in the Qur'an that he never sent an angel, particularly an angel in human form, that the people could see as proof of Mohammad's prophethood (Surah 6:8-9). Yet Jibreel was seen many times (P2).
C: Either
a) Surah 2:97 is false and Jibreel never brought the (true) Qur'an to Mohammed thus breaking the chain connecting Mohammed's "revelations" to Allah and undermining any and all possible reliability in the "Quran" produced by Mohammed.
OR
b) Jibreel is not an angel but is, contra the hadith literature, some other spirit being such as a jinn or devil. Because of this, Jibreel may have cast some falsehood into the Qur'an and, without an uncorrupted source of Divine Inspiration, undermines any and all possible reliability in the Qur'an produced by Mohammed.
Either way, the Qur'an is unreliable as a source of truth
Surah 16:2 says that the Holy Spirit is sent down with the angels to rest on the servant of Allah whom he wills. This implies that Jibreel isn't an angel if he is the Holy Spirit.
P1 One of Allah's 99 names is Al-Wadud, the most loving or all loving; Surah 85:14, Surah 11:90
P2 Al-Wadud suggests a capacity for boundless love toward all creation.
P3 Allah does not love the kafir; Surah 3:32
P4 A being with boundless love cannot simultaneously withhold love from any part of creation.
P5 There is a contradiction in Allah's actions (not loving and actively hating kafir) and Allah's eternal name (Al-Wadud) according to the Qur'an
C1 Therefore either Allah doesn't exist, or the Qur'an is wrong about Allah's nature and/or actions.
P7 If the Qur'an contains false information then it is not the word of Allah and is false as it claims to be the word of Allah; Surah 15:9, Surah 2:2
P8 If Allah doesn't exist then he is not the true God of creation
P9 If either Allah doesn't exist or if the Qur'an is false then Islam is false
C2 Islam is false
P1: The Qur'an affirms that Jesus is the true Messiah (Surah 3:45;, 4:171-172).
P2: Islam warns of a coming false messiah, the Dajjal, who will pretend to be God and deceive many with miraculous powers and divine claims. The term al-Dajjal is derived from Christian apocalyptic literature and is in the same form as the term false messiah in the Peshitta (Britannica, "al-Dajjal", www.britannica.com; Encyclopedia of Islam, "Al-Dadjdjal", 1960, pg. 76).
P3: The Dajjal will imitate both God and the Messiah in order to deceive people—hence he is called the false messiah, not merely a false god.
P4: The Qur'an and Hadith affirm that Allah has a perceivable form, or at least can manifest Himself in visible ways (Surah 20:11-14, Surah 4:164, Sahih Bukhari 7408, Surah 7:143).
P5: If the Dajjal, the false messiah, is mistaken for God and needs to be differentiated from him (Sahih al-Buhkari 7127; Sahih Muslim 2933a; Sunan Abi Dawud 4320), and is called the false Messiah, then the true Messiah must resemble God—in status, authority, or nature.
C: Islamic eschatology inadvertently affirms that the true Messiah (Jesus) has God-like qualities—so much so that the ultimate deceiver will imitate him to impersonate God. This only makes sense if the real Messiah is divine.
P1: The Qur'an teaches that creation is an act unique to Allah, and no one else can create like Him (Surah 7:54, Surah 39:62, Surah 16:17, Surah 42:11).
P2: The Qur'an attributes divine creative power to Jesus (Surah 5:110, Surah 3:49). This mirrors how Allah creates Adam in Surah, 15:28-29—forming from clay, breathing into it, giving life.
P3: This kind of creation (from clay + breath → life) is portrayed in the Qur'an as an exclusive sign of divine power (Surah 23:12, Surah 15:28-29).
C: If only God creates, and Jesus creates in the same way as God—forming clay and breathing life—then Islamic theology unintentionally attributes to Jesus an act that is divine in nature. Therefore, Jesus shares in the creative power of God, which suggests a divine identity.
Possible Muslim Objections
Objection 1: "Jesus created birds only ‘by Allah's permission,' so he's not God."
Response: That phrase doesn't negate the act's divine nature—it merely licenses it. But:
Nowhere in the Qur'an does Allah say any other prophet was given the power to create life.
Even with permission, no one but God is ever described as creating living beings in this specific manner.
"By Allah's permission" doesn't negate divinity any more than "by the Father's will" does in Christian theology (John 5:19,etc.). It affirms functional unity, not separation.
Objection 2: "He's just a prophet doing miracles like Moses or Muhammad."
Response:
No prophet, including Moses or Muhammad, is said to have created life from non-life.
The miracle here isn't healing or splitting the sea—it's creating life, which, according to Surah 16:17 and Surah, 35:3, no one does except Allah.
Objection 3: "It's just a sign of Jesus' prophethood, not divinity."
Response:
The Qur'an is internally inconsistent here. It says only God creates—but then Jesus creates.
This goes beyond a sign—it's a functional action of divinity, using the same elements and process (clay + breath) that Allah used in creating Adam.
According to the Qur'an, creation of life is a power unique to Allah—no one else creates like Him. Yet Jesus does exactly what Allah does: he forms clay and breathes life into it. That's not just a prophet performing a miracle; that's a divine act. So if the Qur'an is consistent, it either must admit that Jesus is God—or contradict its own teachings about divine uniqueness.
P1: The Qur'an teaches Exhaustive Divine Determinism (EDD), meaning that Allah determines all things including the theological beliefs of Muslims (and everyone else). Surah 14:4, Surah 35:8, Surah 54:49, Surah 74:31, Surah 87:2-3, Surah 8:17
P2: The majority of Muslims have false theological beliefs. Sunan Ibn Majah 3992.
P3: If EDD is true, Allah determines Muslims (and everyone else) to affirm false theological beliefs.
P4: If Allah determines 98.6% (72/73) of Muslims (and everyone else) to affirm false theological beliefs, then Allah is an untrustworthy source of theological beliefs.
P5: If Allah is an untrustworthy source of theological beliefs, then his eternal speech (i.e., the Quran) cannot be trusted and theological beliefs derived from his eternal speech are not justified.
Conclusion: Theological beliefs derived from the Qur'an are not epistemically justified and Muslims have no reason to believe that Allah exists and that Mohammed is his prophet.
P1: The Qur'an states in multiple places that Allah created everything in six days. (Surah 7:84, 10:3; 11:7, 25:59)
P2: The Qur'an states that Allah created everything in eight days. (Surah 41:9-12)
Conclusion: The Qur'an has a contradiction concerning the days of creation.
P1: Allah was a god known and worshipped by the pagan Arabs based on Mohammed's father being named Abdullah, i.e. Slave of Allah. (Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, trans by A. Guillaume, pg. 3), and that the pre-quranic Zaid bin Amr Nufail refused to eat meat sacrifice to deities other than allah (Bukhari 5499), and them calling on the name of Allah in Surah 29:65.
P2: Allah instructs Mohammed to say that the only god he worships is Allah alone (Surah 10:104), whom the pagan Arabs also worship (P1)
P3: Mohammed denies that he worships any of the gods the pagan Arabs worship (Surah 109).
Conclusion: There is a contradiction concerning the identity of Allah as a god that was known and worshipped by the pagan Arabs. Mohammed cannot worship Allah while he claims to worship Allah.
Warning! NSFW
P1: The Qur'an indicates that being in someone's garments is an Arabic euphemism for sex (Surah 2:187).
P2: Mohammed always received revelations when he was in Aisha's garments, meaning while molesting her (Bukhari 2581; Sunan an-Nasa'i 3949) and would on some occasions have his daughter Fatimah watch (Muslim 2442a)
P3: Mohammed recited the Qur'an while the men of al-Zutt ran train on him while Abdullah watched. (Musnad Ahmad)
Conclusion: The "revelations" that Mohammed believed that he was receiving were nothing more than the climatic euphoria he experienced while committing depraved sexual acts.
P1: Aisha was 9 years old when Mohammad had intercourse with her
P2: The average depth of a 9 year old's Virginia is 2 inches (5-7 cm at first menstruation)https://accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?bookid=2126§ionid=166914599.
P3: In Islam, men are not allowed to have intercourse with a girl if it were to cause physical damage (the harm principle https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=backstage_event&redir_token=QUFFLUhqazQ2dGRpSE1nbE1ocG40eGpNaXNIcWwwS1Jrd3xBQ3Jtc0traGhDUUNNLVRuWkplSWpsWmtLVzd2MFRRN1E1TVB3UGY4cDVYb1luakNqYldqWEMySlN4OG5RbGltN2c1by1NejQ0eVk2eXJrTnZERkZsdUxDUS1QQTdPa1V3T3pyZFFtV1BFVHRzR1pMeGxnUTR4aw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abuaminaelias.com%2Fconsent-marriage-concubines%2F%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DIt%2520is%2520unlawful%2520for%2520a%2Con%2520the%2520Day%2520of%2520Judgment).
C: Either Mohammad's banana was less than 2 inches, or he harmed his wife and broke the harm principle making him a bad example to follow Islamically.
P1: The Qur'an condemns the Jews for believing that they are God's chosen people to the exclusion of other people, and states that they should wish to die for this belief (Surah 62:6).
P2: The Qur'an teaches that the Muslims are Allah's chosen people to the exclusion of other people (Surah 22:78).
Conclusion: The Qur'an contradicts itself concerning whether Allah has a chosen people to the exclusion of others, and Muslims should wish to die rather than be Muslim.
P1: The Qur'an condemns the Jews for allegedly believing that if they believe in God and do good works they will be rescued out of Hell. (Surah 2:80; Tafsir Ma'arif al-Quran)
P2: The Qur'an teaches that anyone could get out of Hell if Allah wills it. (Surah 6:128; Surah, 11:107-108)
P3: The Qur'an teaches that anyone who believes in Allah and does the smallest amount of good will be rescued out of Hell (Surah 19:71-72; Surah, 99:7)
C: There is a clear contradiction in the soteriology and eschatology of the Quran. The Jews are attacked for believing that mere belief in God and good works will rescue them from Hell while affirming that everyone-including the Jews- who has mere belief in God and good works will be rescued from Hell.
P1: The Qur'an states that sinners only bear the guilt of their own sins (Surah 6:164; Surah, 35:18; Surah 39:7)
P2: The Qur'an states that murderers bear the guilt of the sins of their victims (Surah 5:29)
P3: The Qur'an states that deceivers bear the guilt of those they lead astray (Surah 16:25)
P4: Hadith (including Hadith Qudsi) state that the guilt of the sins of Muslims will be imputed to the Jews and Christians of Paradise who will then be the ransom of the Muslims from the Hell-fire. Muslims will then exchange places with the Jews and Christians (Sahih Muslim 2767a, Sahih Muslim 2767d, Sunan Ibn Majah 4341)
P5: The Qur'an states that the guilt and punishment of those who come later is placed on those who come earlier. So the first generation is punished for the sins of the later generations (Surah 7:38).
Conclusion: There is a clear contradiction in the soteriology of the Qur'an as some bear the burdens of others in spite of the clear statement to the contrary. This suggests that the Qur'an is not divinely inspired (Surah 4:82).
P1: The Qur'an is the eternal speech of Allah. (Surah 85:21-22)
P2: Surah 1 is a prayer to not be turned into a Jew or a Christian seemingly done by Allah himself
(Surah, 1:2-7)
P3: Allah prays for Mohammed. (Surah 33:56)
Conclusion: Allah, from all eternity, has been begging his god to not turn him into a Jew or Christian and to bless Mohammed.
P1: Iblis (Satan) tries to defy Allah by leading people astray. (Surah 15:39, 40)
P2: Allah chooses who believes and who disbelieves (Surah 4:88; Surah, 6:125; Surah 14:4; Surah, 16:19; Surah 28:56; Surah 32: 13)
P3: Every creature is Allah's slave (Surah 4:131; Surah, 5:120)
P4: Allah desires for all of his slaves to believe and does not want to send them to the Fire (Surah 39:7, Bukhari 5999, Muslim 2754)
P5: There are some that Allah will send into the Hellfire, never to come out (Surah 5:72; Surah, 19:72).
C: Iblis overcomes Allah's will by leading people astray into the Hellfire and forcing Allah to damn them even though Allah wants to save them and make them believe.
P1: Satan threatens to overcome his enemies with poverty (Surah 2:268)
P2: Allah is poor/ strapped for cash and is in desperate need of a monetary loan (Surah 2:245; Surah, 57:11)
C: Satan overcame Allah and made Allah poor.
Argument: The Trinity Better Captures God's Incomprehensible Nature Than Tawhid
God's Nature Is Beyond Human Comprehension
Both Islam and Christianity agree that God's nature surpasses human understanding. In Islam, God is described as "Allahu Akbar"—greater than anything we can imagine. If God is truly beyond our grasp, no human concept can fully encapsulate His essence.
Simplicity in Theology Is Not Always a Virtue
While simplicity is often prized in explanations (e.g., Occam's Razor), this doesn't necessarily apply when describing something as vast and mysterious as God. A theology that is overly simplistic might fail to reflect the depth of God's nature, whereas one with nuanced complexity could offer a more fitting framework.
Tawhid's Absolute Oneness May Overlook Key Aspects of God's Nature
Tawhid emphasizes God's unity, which is compelling, but it may not fully account for other dimensions of God's being, such as relationality or love within God Himself. If God's nature includes attributes that imply relationship (e.g., love), a theology that incorporates relationality within God's essence might be more adequate.
The Trinity Balances Unity and Relationality
The Trinity posits God as one essence in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—preserving unity while introducing a relational dynamic. In Christian theology, this allows God's love to exist eternally within the Godhead, not merely as a response to creation. For example, the relationship between the Father and Son reflects an intrinsic relationality that doesn't depend on external beings.
The Trinity May Better Reflect God's Mystery
Since God's nature is incomprehensible, a theology that captures both unity and relationality, like the Trinity, may align more closely with His boundless complexity. While neither Tawhid nor the Trinity fully explains God, the Trinity's multifaceted structure might address more aspects of His mystery than Tawhid's singular focus on oneness.
Conclusion: The Trinity Outweighs Tawhid Theologically
If God's nature encompasses both unity and relationality, the Trinity provides a stronger explanatory model than Tawhid. Tawhid's simplicity, while elegant, may not fully account for the richness of God's incomprehensible nature. Therefore, the Trinity stands as a more robust theological framework.
P1: The Qur'an affirms that Jesus is the Messiah but denies that he is God, Yahweh.
P2: Part of the criteria for who the Messiah will be is that he is God (Isaiah 7,Isaiah 9,Jeremiah 23,Micah 5,Psalm 2,Psalm 110,Daniel 7,Proverbs 30,Psalm 45,Zechariah 2,Isaiah 48).
C: So, either the Qur'an affirms the deity of Christ as the Messiah and contradicts its own claim about Jesus not being God, which shows the Qur'an is false, or the author of the Qur'an is unaware that the Messiah is God and the Qur'an is false since Allah is supposed to be all knowing and the source of the Quran.
Either way, the Qur'an is false, therefore Islam is false