The Qur'an contains a number of pre-Islamic legends. One such legend, which has above all been a source of ridicule, deals with a figure known as 'The Two-Horned One' (Dhu'l-Qarnayn) and is found in Q. 28:83-98. The consensus among Western academics is that Dhu'l-Qarnayn is Alexander the Great...
1. Who was Dhu'l-Qarnayn? If he was Alexander the Great, as is commonly said, then why is Dhu'l-Qarnayn depicted as a righteous believer (Qur'an 18:87-88, 95, 98), when Alexander was a pagan? If he wasn't Alexander, or was Cyrus the Great or someone else, then why is the story of Dhu'l-Qarnayn...
Why did the New Testament authors rely on the Septuagint (LXX), even people like Matthew and Paul who were Jews presumably trained in Hebrew? For example, in Galatians 3:16, Paul is commenting on the passages of Genesis which detail the promises made to Abraham and his progeny (12:7, 13:15...
I believe in God, and at this point, I've decided that if I were to follow a particular religion, it would either be Christianity or Islam; these two seem most likely of all the religions I've studied to be true. Yet, I'm conflicted about which one of these is true and unable to make up my mind...