Either the Quran fails the test the Quran gives as it has contradictions or the Quran is extremely unclear in many passages which lead people to think there are contradictions. Undermining the claim of perfect clarity
P1. The Qur’an sets its own test: if it were from other than Allah, you would find many contradictions in it (Surah 4:82).
P2. There are many passages that appear to contradict each other (e.g., peace vs. war, no compulsion vs. coercive rulings, differing creation details, etc.), which is why Muslims resort to abrogation, complex harmonization, and heavy tafsir.
P3. If these are genuine contradictions, the Qur’an fails its own divine test in 4:82.
P4. If they are not contradictions, then the fact that they look like contradictions to critics, average Muslims, and even scholars (who disagree about resolving them) shows that the Qur’an is not “perfectly clear” as it claims (e.g., 11:1; 41:3; 16:89).
C. Therefore, either the Qur’an contains real contradictions (failing 4:82) or it is so unclear that it naturally produces perceived contradictions (failing its claim of perfect clarity and guidance).
Result: By its own criterion, the Qur’an is not divine.
Result: The Qur’an avoids formal contradiction only by being so unclear that its claim to perfect clarity and self-sufficiency is undermined.
So either the Qur’an fails its no-contradiction test, or it’s so obscure on key points that it fails its perfect-clarity claim. Either way, its own standards condemn it.