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A Simple Question with Contradictory Answers

Who was the first Muslim? This should be a straightforward question with a single answer. But the Quran gives at least four different answers to this question, creating an obvious contradiction that Muslim apologists struggle to explain.

If the Quran is the perfectly preserved word of an omniscient God, it should be internally consistent on such a basic historical fact. The contradictory answers reveal either divine confusion or human authorship.

Muhammad Was the First Muslim

In multiple verses, Allah commands Muhammad to declare that he is the first Muslim:

"Say, 'Indeed, I have been commanded to be the first [among you] who submit [to Allah].'" — Quran 6:14

"Say, 'Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.'" — Quran 6:162-163

"Say, 'If the Most Merciful had a son, then I would be the first of [his] worshippers.' ...And when Moses came to Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, 'My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.' [Allah] said, 'You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me.' But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, 'Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.'" — Quran 7:143

These verses clearly state that Muhammad was commanded to say he is the first Muslim/submitter. This seems unambiguous.

Moses Was the First Muslim

But wait—the Quran also says Moses was the first Muslim:

"And when Moses came to Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said, 'My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.' [Allah] said, 'You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it should remain in place, then you will see Me.' But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He rendered it level, and Moses fell unconscious. And when he awoke, he said, 'Exalted are You! I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.'" — Quran 7:143

Here Moses declares "I am the first of the believers" (Muslims). So was Muhammad the first Muslim, or was Moses? The Quran says both.

Abraham Was the First Muslim

Actually, the Quran also indicates Abraham was a Muslim before either Moses or Muhammad:

"And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, [Abraham prayed], 'Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You." — Quran 2:127-128

"And who would be averse to the religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among the righteous. When his Lord said to him, 'Submit,' he said, 'I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds.' And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], 'O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims.'" — Quran 2:130-132

These verses portray Abraham as a Muslim who taught Islam to his sons. So Abraham was a Muslim before Moses, who was a Muslim before Muhammad. Yet Muhammad is commanded to say he's the first Muslim. How does this work?

The People of Pharaoh's Magicians Were First Muslims

It gets even more confused. The Quran describes Pharaoh's magicians converting and declaring themselves Muslims before Moses:

"And the magicians fell down in prostration [to Allah]. They said, 'We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.' [Pharaoh] said, 'You believed him before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic, but you are going to know. I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you will surely know which of us is more severe in [giving] punishment and more enduring.' They said, 'Never will we prefer you over what has come to us of clear proofs and [over] He who created us. So decree whatever you are to decree. You can only decree for this worldly life. Indeed, we have believed in our Lord that He may forgive us our sins and what you compelled us [to do] of magic. And Allah is better and more enduring.'" — Quran 20:70-73

While this doesn't explicitly say "first Muslims," it describes people becoming Muslims during Moses' time, which contradicts Moses being the "first believer."

Muslim Apologetic Attempts

Muslim apologists offer several explanations, none of which resolve the contradiction:

Explanation 1: "First among his people."

Some argue that each prophet was the "first Muslim" among his own people or generation. So Abraham was first among his people, Moses among his, and Muhammad among his.

The problem: The Arabic doesn't say "first among my people." It says "first of the Muslims" or "first of those who submit." If Allah meant "first among the Arabs" or "first in my generation," the text could easily have said so. The apologetic requires adding qualifications not present in the text.

Explanation 2: "Muslim means 'one who submits,' so they all submitted."

Some Muslims argue that "Muslim" just means "one who submits to God," so all these figures were submitters in a general sense, not necessarily followers of the religion called Islam.

The problem: This creates a new issue—if "Muslim" is just a generic term for monotheists, then Islam as a distinct religion has no clear beginning. Moreover, it doesn't resolve who was literally first to submit—the Quran still gives contradictory answers.

Explanation 3: "It's about being first to believe in the specific revelation given."

Some argue each prophet was first to believe in their own particular revelation from God.

The problem: This interpretation also requires adding meaning not explicit in the text. When Muhammad says "I am the first of the Muslims," the natural reading is that he's the first Muslim period, not merely the first to believe his own message (which would be tautological).

Biblical Contrast

The Bible provides clear, consistent accounts of who was first to believe various truths:

"Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." — Genesis 15:6

Abraham (Abram) is consistently identified as the father of faith. Paul elaborates:

"Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham." — Galatians 3:6-7

"He is the father of all who believe." — Romans 4:11

There's no contradiction about who believed first or who is father of the faithful. The biblical narrative maintains consistency across both testaments.

Similarly, when discussing the first Christian martyr, the Bible is clear and consistent:

"While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" — Acts 7:59

Stephen is universally recognized as the first Christian martyr. There are no competing claims, no need for apologetic harmonization.

What This Reveals

This contradiction is particularly revealing because:

1. It's about a basic fact. "Who was first?" is not a complex theological question requiring interpretation. It's a simple historical fact that should have one answer.

2. It involves explicit statements. These aren't vague allusions—they're direct declarations: "I am the first of the Muslims/believers." The contradictions are explicit, not inferred.

3. It spans the Quran. The contradictory claims appear across multiple surahs, suggesting either careless compilation or that Muhammad didn't remember his previous revelations.

4. Apologetics require adding to the text. Every attempted resolution requires inserting qualifications not present in the original verses.

Questions to Consider

If the Quran is from an omniscient God, why does it give contradictory answers about who was the first Muslim?
Why doesn't the text itself provide the clarifications that apologists must add?
If each prophet was "first among his people," why doesn't the Quran say so explicitly?
What does it suggest when a supposedly perfect text requires creative interpretation to avoid obvious contradictions?
How can Muslims claim the Quran is "clear" when scholars must harmonize such basic contradictions?
Doesn't this pattern of contradiction followed by apologetic harmonization suggest human authorship?

Conclusion

The Quran provides at least four different answers to the question "Who was the first Muslim?" It says Muhammad, Moses, Abraham, and by implication others were all "first." This is an obvious contradiction that cannot be resolved without adding interpretations not present in the text itself.

This is exactly what we'd expect if the Quran was composed by a human who wasn't carefully tracking consistency across his recitations. It's not what we'd expect from an omniscient deity's perfect, preserved revelation.

The contrast with the Bible's consistent narrative on similar questions highlights the Quran's internal contradictions. While Muslims must engage in apologetic gymnastics to explain away these contradictions, the biblical narrative maintains coherence across multiple authors and centuries.

Who Was the First Muslim?