God's word: A Reflection on Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 82

God's word: A Reflection on Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 82

Khurshid Imam

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In Surah An-Nisa, Chapter 4, Verse 82, Allah poses a powerful question to all of humanity:

“Do they not ponder over the Quran with care? Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would have found many contradictions.”

أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْآنَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا فِيهِ اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا 

This verse presents a remarkable claim: that the Quran, being divine in origin, contains no contradictions. The Arabic word used for "contradictions" here is "ikhtilāfan"—a term loaded with meaning. 

What’s truly fascinating is that this word, ikhtilāfan, appears only once in the entire Quran—and that is in this very verse.

Think about that for a moment. The Quran challenges its reader by stating that if it were man-made, it would have many contradictions. Yet the word for contradiction isn’t scattered across the text. It shows up just once—right where it needs to, right when the claim is being made.

Had the word appeared multiple times, one might have argued, “Look, the Quran itself mentions ‘many contradictions’ and as per Quran 4:82 if there are many contradictions in the Quran then Quran is not God's word”. But instead, it occurs in a singular, deliberate instance—making the verse not just a message, but a miracle.

This is the hallmark of divine authorship.

The Quran doesn't just tell you it’s from God—it shows you, subtly and powerfully, through its language, structure, and usage.