Why the same story is narrated differently in different chapters of the Quran
6-11-2015 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalaamu alaykum. Could you refute the following, please, its a doubt stuck in my head. Somone said that Allaah does not make errors but then quoted: {When your Lord said to the angels, Indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay.} [Quran 38:71] and then quoted: {And [mention, O Muhammad] when your Lord said to the angels, I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud.} [Quran 15:28] Then he said that these verses are talking about the same time and that Allaah said that same phrase diffrently, he said that Allaah could not have said both phrases at the same time, so which one is it. He then said that there is a contradiction. How do we refute this, please reply and do not ignore my question. I heard somone say that Allaah might have said it at two separate times. May Allaah reward you.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The diversity of the words of the stories in the Quran does not require that all those very words were said exactly the same, and no one says this; rather, narrating stories and sayings in many cases is with the meaning, it is for this reason that the words of the stories in the Quran differ from one place to another.
There is no problem with this at all, because what is important about the accuracy of reporting statements and narrating them is to render the content of the statement and its meaning, and it is not a condition that this be with the same exact words as were said by the speaker. It is for this reason that the style of the Quran varies and that its words vary about the narration of one single story and one single incident.
The words in the story of the prostration of the angels in the saying of Allaah (which means): {And [mention, O Muhammad] when your Lord said to the angels, I will create a human being out of clay from an altered black mud.} [Quran 15:28], and His saying (which means): {[So mention] when your Lord said to the angels, indeed, I am going to create a human being from clay.} [Quran 38:71]; do not necessarily mean that Allaah addressed the angels with this exact and very wording; rather, it appears that this is narrating the story and reporting its meaning.
Indeed, Imaam Ibn Jamaa’ah elaborated on this issue in his book Kashf Al-Ma’aani, as he said:
"Issue: What is the reason for the difference of words and providing more or less meanings about some stories about Aadam (Adam) but not in some other stories, as well as in other stories like the story of Moosa (Moses) with Pharaoh, the story of Nooh (Noah), Hood (Hud) and Saalih with their people and the like? Answer: The difference in the terms (wording) is because what is intended is the meanings, because the words that signify this meaning, firstly, were not from the Arabic language but in the language of the speakers when that meaning took place; and when that meaning was conveyed to this nation, it was conveyed with Arabic words that mean that meaning while the wordings are different but the meaning is the same, so there is no difference between {…he refused to be with those who prostrated…} [Quran 15:31], and {He was not of those who prostrated.} [Quran 7:11] in conveying the same meaning which is the lack of prostration [i.e. he did not prostrate]. Also, there is no difference in meaning between {O Iblees, why do you not prostrate...} [Quran 38:75] and {What prevented you from prostrating...} [Quran 7:12] As regards providing more meaning in some stories while not providing it in some other stories then this is because the meaning mentioned in some stories is different so some of it is mentioned at a particular place and some other is mentioned at another place for several benefits.”
Ar-Raazi 
said:
"If it was asked: How did Allaah say when narrating about the magicians who believed and about Pharaoh: {They said, We have believed in the Lord of the worlds.} [Quran 7:121] until the saying of Allaah in the same Chapter {…and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You].} [Quran 7:126]; then Allaah reported this meaning about them in Soorahs Taaha and Ash-Shu’araa with some increase (more details) and decrease (less details) in the words attributed to them; and this incident took place only once, so how is it that its wording varied? We say: The answer is: they spoke about that in their own language and not in the Arabic language, and Allaah told that about them repeatedly in the Arabic language, for a wisdom that required repetition, so at a time Allaah narrated it identical to their wording in translation as a way of keeping the same wording, and then Allaah narrated it with the meaning as a way of being in conformity with the speech of the Arabs in diversity in speech and style so that the listener would not be bored when he listens to the same thing repeated.” [Excerpted from his book: Unmoothaj Jaleel fi As’ilah wa Ajwibah ‘an Gharaa’ib Aay At-Tanzeel]
Allaah Knows best.