Why does the Qur'an contradict itself?

Answer 1

Quran do not contradict itself, the only problem is with the translation. Since Quran is written in arabic language and arabic language is very rich in literature as well as in grammar so people misunderstand the meaning. For example the word "Talwar"which means sword in english has more than 700 (seven hundred) words in arabic. Moreover many people think rather believe that some verses of Quran contradicts from other verses. This is not true because their are two type of verses in Quran, first one are of fixed meaning and other have multi meanings. This is written in seventh verse of Surah Al-Imraan (3:7). So when a person read a multi meaning verse so he/she makes a perception about that verse while another person might has another perception for the same verse. Some people might think that how can a single verse can have many meanings. It is not me who is saying this, it is written in Quran itself as mentioned above (3:7).

Answer 2

The basis of Islam is the Quran and the actions of the prophet Muhammed (S.A.W) and the quran and texts on teh prophets actions have been tested and proven to have no contradictions whatsoever.

In fairness though, there has been an element of misinterpretation that I have personally seen and would say that if there is a contradiction somewhere, it is not founded in the religion, but by some of the people who practice it.

Answer 3

Yes. The following explains one contradiction, in the creation accounts.

Surah 7:54 (Yusuf Ali) Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil o'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!

Surah 41:9-12 (Yusuf Ali)

9 Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth intwo days And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds.
10 He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measured therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four days in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance).
11 Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly."
12 They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." So He completed them as seven firmaments in two days, and He assigned to each heaven [firmament] its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge.

• In Surah 7:54, God created the heavens and the earth in six days, just as in the Book of Genesis.
  
• In Surah 41:9-12, not only do we have creation taking eight days (2 + 4 + 2 days), but we have seven heavens with what we now know to be these enormous bodies in the lower heaven, just above the earth. So, we get one discrepancy and two scientific impossibilities.
  

Answer 4

In spite of tradition, the Qur'an was written on earth by one or more people - just as The Bible was. And because these people were not divinely inspired as to what they should write, there are bound to be inconsistencies and contradictions in such a long and complex work. Of course, all of this does not detract from the spiritual truth of the Qur'an, but simply an explanation of the inconsistencies and contradictions we find in the book.

One example of an apparent contradiction can be found in Surah 7:54 and Surah 41:9-12. In Surah 7:54, God created the heavens and the earth in six days, just as in the Book of Genesis. In Surah 41:9-12, not only do we have creation taking eight days (2 + 4 + 2 days), but we have seven heavens with what we now know to be these enormous bodies, the sun, moon and stars, in the lower heaven, just above the earth. So, we get one discrepancy and two scientific impossibilities:

Surah 7:54 (Yusuf Ali)

Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draweth the night as a veil o'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!
Surah 41:9-12 (Yusuf Ali)

9 Say: Is it that ye deny Him Who created the earth in two days And do ye join equals with Him? He is the Lord of (all) the Worlds.
10 He set on the (earth), mountains standing firm, high above it, and bestowed blessings on the earth, and measured therein all things to give them nourishment in due proportion, in four days in accordance with (the needs of) those who seek (Sustenance).
11 Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke: He said to it and to the earth: "Come ye together, willingly or unwillingly."
12 They said: "We do come (together), in willing obedience." So He completed them as seven firmaments in two days, and He assigned to each heaven [firmament] its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge.

Answer 5

Answer
The Qur'an has contradictions because it was a book written by one or more humans. Additionally, since the Qur'an was likely a mélange of half-understood Bible stories, Jewish Midrash, Christian eschatology, and Arab Henotheist cultural heritage, the differing bases for the various traditions may be a partial cause for the contradictions.

Discussion of Contradictions
The Qur'an challenges believers to find contradictions in its text (Q: 4:82). Well, there are many, but Muslims refuse to acknowledge them or they abrogate one of the verses (Q: 2:106). For example, aside from the Creation timeline issue mentioned by fellow Expert Dick Harfield, the Qur'an argues in some places that God leads people astray (Q: 2:6-7, 18:57) and in other places that Iblis (the Devil) leads people astray (Q: 19:83); it argues that Jews and Christians should be treated with kindness and patience (Q: 2:109) and elsewhere it argues that they should be fought against and subdued (Q: 9:29); it argues that all of Noah's family was saved from the flood (Q: 21:76) and that one of Noah's sons died in the flood (Q: 11:42-43).