Do the apologists of the Quran have an explanation for it?

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 19 February 2025 Rasheed, who seems to have sired all the satirists (!), challenges me to point out the errors in the Quran. I reiterate that the Koran is fraught with errors and discrepancies. I already wrote a few write ups, including the flawed Arabic of the Quran, for this site discussing the errors and anomalies in the 'holy' book of Islam. But Rasheed didn't challenge me at that time. He may have been hibernating. Now when he has suddenly become overactive in his replies as time hangs heavy on his hands, I'd like to put things in perspective. It's rather unfortunate that the Koran gives the example of the elements as signs of god's munificence since they're as much a cause of misery as happiness. Rain, we're told in sura 7.56, is a harbinger of god's mercy. Yet floods claim the lives of thousands of people in, ironically, a Muslim country, namely Bangladesh. The cyclone of 1991, with winds of 200 kms per hour, resulted in floods that left 100,000 dead and 10,000,000 without shelter. Despite the omnipresence of water, Bangladesh goes through a period of drought from October to April. Thus, the wretched population, among the poorest in the world, is subject to both periodic floods and drought. All the work of god, as sura 57:22 tells us: " No disaster occurs on earth or accident in yourselves which was not already recorded in the Book before we created them." Indeed, all natural catastrophes from earthquakes to tornadoes seem hard to reconcile with a 'benevolent' god, especially as they seem to be visited on particularly poor, and often Muslim, countries. During the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 literally thousands of people died, many in churches as they prayed, and these deaths had a profound effect on the eighteenth century, particularly on writers like Voltaire. Why were so many people killed? Why were the brothels spared, while pious churchgoers were punished? I know, there's not even a plausible or specious explanation to all these disturbing phenomena. Yet, Rasheed, an apologist par excellence, will try with a vengeance to justify, much to the amusement of all those who apply their brains and think rationally. --------------- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/apologists-quran-explanation/d/134662 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism