“And if You (Muhammed) are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto you, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before you. Verily the Truth from your Lord has come to you. So be not of those who doubt.” (Qur’an 10:94)
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Before we get started, we would like to address you: the curious, the truth seeker, the student of comparative religion. The state of apologetics and polemics between Muslims and Christians today has reached a point that neither side wants to give an inch. It is up to you, the truth-seeker, to open your heart to the truth. We are not able to win any over We are simply able to try and convey the message to the best of my abilities.
Addressing the thought process of why Christians try to take this approach with Muslims.
In other words, even if Christians did manage to convince Muslims to accept one of their competing canons of the Bible, that does not automatically mean that the Bible itself is a revelation from Allah. Thus, the Muslim considers Christianity. Equally possible is that the Muslim would question why the Qur’an would endorse any competing Christian canon of the Bible that is riddled with errors. The Qur’an asking us to follow error for guidance would mean that the Qur’an itself is in error. Thus, rather than becoming a Christian, the Muslim might very well become an Agnostic.
“That is Allah—your True Lord. So what is beyond the truth except falsehood? How can you then be turned away?” (Qur’an 10:32)
So let us come to the matter.
Does the Qur’an teach that ‘The Bible’ was corrupted?
One of the amazing things that Muslims believe today, especially Muslim apologists, is that the Qur’an teaches that the Bible is corrupted. There could be nothing further from the truth.
Nowhere in the entire Qur’an will you find any of the following statements:
“The Bible has been corrupted.”
“The Vedas have been corrupted.”
“The Gospel was corrupted.”
“The Torah was corrupted.”
“The Book of Mormon was corrupted.”
These statements are just not there!
Does the Qur’an endorse the various Christian canons known as the Bible?
However, the following statements are also not there:
“The New Testament is from Allah.”
“The Bible is from Allah.”
“The Book of Tobit is from Allah.”
“The Book of Mormon is from Allah.”
“The Injeel equals the 22 books of the New Testament”
“The Torah equals the first 5 books known as the Pentateuch.”
“Mark 16:9-20 is canon.”
But do Muslims have the right to question the Bag Ga-vita, Book of Mormon, the Book of Tobit, The book of Jude, The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Mark 16:9-20, or the Zen Avesta?
Our answer to that is simply yes!
Based upon the Qur’an, Muslims have the right to view with skepticism any claim that a revelation is from Allah.
Before you proceed, you may also wish to read the following article:
We believe that Allah has sent a prophet to every people and thus has communicated to that prophet. However, not all of those communications sent by Allah to his prophets were preserved in their original or pristine forms.
“For We assuredly sent among every People an apostle,(with the Command), “Serve Allah, and eschew Evil”: of the People were some whom Allah guided, and some on whom error became inevitably (established). So travel through the earth, and see what was the end of those who were ungrateful” (Qur’an 16: 36)
“Of some apostles, We have already told you their story; of others, We have not;- and to Moses, Allah spoke direct;” (Qur’an 4:164)
“We did send messengers before you: of them, there are some whose story We have related to you, and some whose story We have not related to you. (Qur’an 40:78)
So one can readily see from the above that Muslims believe in the universality of the message of Islam. Every nation had a prophet sent to them. One of the proofs that Muslims would use to establish this is that every language on this earth has a word for Allah/God.
Specific types of revelations are mentioned in the Qur’an.
The Qur’an mentions four specific types of revelation in the Qur’an: The ‘Suhuf’ of Abraham. The ‘Taurat’ of Moses. The ‘Zabur’ of David and the ‘Injeel’ of Jesus.
Scrolls that Abraham had. (Which the Christians and Jews do not accept nor acknowledge)
We would now like to examine the use of the word ‘Suhuf’ in the Qur’an.
“The admonition will be received by those who fear(Allah):
But it will be avoided by those most unfortunate ones, Who will enter the Great Fire, In which they will then neither die nor live. But those will prosper who purify themselves, And glorify the name of their Guardian-Lord, and (lift their hearts) in prayer. Day (behold), you prefer the life of this world; But the Hereafter is better and more enduring. And this is in the earliest (Revelation),-The Suhuf of Abraham and Moses.” (Qur’an 87:10-19)
“Nay is he not acquainted with what is in the Suhuf of Moses-
And of Abraham who fulfilled his engagements?-Namely, that no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another; He has promised a Second Creation (Raising of the Dead)..” (Qur’an 53:36-38 and verse 47)
Prima Qur’an Comments:
Now to our knowledge, there is no Christian or follower of Judaism who believes that Abraham was given a collection of scrolls that was a revelation from Allah.
They do not believe this, and we do not contain such a collection of scrolls today. This becomes a matter of belief. Now there are three pieces of information above that we have found to be very interesting.
Namely, the following:
Who will enter the Great Fire?
Mention of the Hereafter.
The promise of a Second Creation (Raising of the Dead).
Now, the Qur’an says that these three items are mentioned in the scrolls of Ibrahim and Moses.
However, a person can search the five books attributed to Moses and find nothing mentioned concerning the afterlife, the rising of the dead, or the hellfire. This is proof enough that the Torah today that Christians and Jews reference is not what Allah had in mind.
There are three possibilities:
A) Either the Qur’an is in error in making such an assertion.
B) This particular revelation is lost (either forever or somewhere at the bottom of the sea or in some temple waiting to be discovered).
C) The ‘Suhuf’ of Ibrahim and Moses today is mostly intact with some editing of the text.
As Muslims, We find it highly suspicious that the teachings about the raising of the dead and the hereafter would not be in the Torah. Especially since the Hebrew slaves came out of Egypt; a culture immersed in afterlife theology.
In fact, the jewishvirtuallibrary, which is to represent all things Jewish, accurately had the following to say:
“Jewish teachings on the subject of the afterlife are sparse: The Torah the most important Jewish text, has no clear reference to the afterlife at all.”
Source:(http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/afterlife.html)
A Look At Taurat In the Qur’an
We would now like to look at the use of the word ‘Taurat’ in the Qur’an.
Torah/Tawrat: meaning teaching, instruction or law.
“But why do they come to you for a decision, when they have the Taurat before them?- therein is the (plain) command of Allah. yet even after that, they would turn away. For they are not (really) People of Faith. It was We who revealed the Taurat (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to Allah’s will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of Allah’s book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah has revealed, they are (no better than) the ungrateful. We ordained therein for them: “Life for life, eye for eye, nose or nose, an ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.” But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah has revealed, they are (No better than) wrong-doers.
To you We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and assessing it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that has come to you. To each among you have We prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah. it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which you dispute. (Qur’an 5:43-45 and verse 48)
Prima Qur’an Comments:
In regard to verse 43 above, there is a sublime oral tradition or ‘hadith’ about the Prophet Muhammed (saw) that relates to us the following:
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar:
A group of Jews came and invited the Messenger of Allah (saw) to Quff. So he visited them in their school. They said: AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Messenger of Allah (saw) who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it saying: I believed in you and in Him Who revealed you. He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik from Nafi'(No. 4431).
Source: (https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4449)
This whole account relates to what to do with married people who committed adultery. Do Muslims continue the practice that Allah revealed to Moses (as) or not?
Among the Jewish community in Madinah, this very issue came up. The charge was that the aristocracy committed adultery so much that the Jews dare not stone for every account of adultery. Muhammed (saw) had a man who could read, read the verse of the stoning, and it was applied.
The Qur’an says the following about the Taurat that Moses was given.
“By its standard have been judged the Jews.”
The Qur’an than goes on to say in verse 44 that If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah has revealed, they are (no better than) ungrateful disbelievers. We see that in this statement based upon verse 43 the Jews were chided for coming to Muhammed (saw) when they had the law before them.
Verse 45 states that it was revealed to them “Life for life, eye for eye, nose or nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.”
This statement of the Qur’an appears to also agree in principle with the statement found in Exodus 21:24-25. “Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
However, the very curious thing is why do Christians/Perennialist/Pseudo-Islamic scholars only quote part of the verse of the Qur’an?
The verse in total says, But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by what Allah hath revealed, they are wrong-doers.
You do not find this statement: “But if anyone remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself.” in the sacred text of the Jews and Christians!!
Anyone who does not assert that the Qur’an is affirming revelation sent before it is also missing the fact that the Qur’an itself is setting its own criteria for truth is just being dishonest. As Allah clearly says, “And if any fail to judge by what Allah has revealed, they are wrong doers.”
Notice that verse 48 states: “To you, we have sent Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and assessing it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah has revealed.
The scripture that is being assessed is that which came before is the Qur’an. If it was perfectly preserved, it would not be in need of assessment.
It is very tongue in cheek for a person, be they a Jew or a Christian, to say:
“Oh, the Qur’an is confirming the revelation before it, but the Qur’an itself is not revelation.”
The only authority given to any revelation that precedes the Qur’an comes from the Qur’an itself. Anyone who misses this point is either being deceitful or simply hasn’t thought about it deeply enough.
Note: The Qur’an never says that the Torah is the five books known today as (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
Note: The Qur’an never says that the Torah is the five books known today as (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy)
If we examine the above statement of an eye for an eye. One may wonder. What happens if a person is blind and that person now blinds someone else?
If we take a text at face value and literal interpretation, it can become very problematic.
This is why in Rabbinical Judaism there is an understanding that Allah gave Moses the Torah as a written revelation as well as an oral Torah.
An example of the Oral Torah being quoted by the Qur’an
“On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person- unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land-it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people.”
This could easily be a quote of/or something that predates Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5
Source: (https://www.sefaria.org/Mishna_Sanhedrin.4.5?lang=bi)
This alone is enough to refute the ‘Kara-rite’ Jews and ‘Protestant’ Christian claims that Islam only validates and accepts a written Torah.
“Muhammed is the apostle of Allah. and those who are with him are strong against the Ungrateful, (but) compassionate among each other. You will see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Injeel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Ungrateful with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.” (Qur’an 48:29)
There is no such similitude that we know of in the sacred text of what the Jews and Christians would consider the Taurat or the Injeel.
So there are three possibilities for this:
A) The Qur’an is wrong that such a similitude exists.
B) The entirety of the Taurat and Injeel message is not with us today.
C) The Taurat and the Injeel are not with us at all.
As a Muslim, we would hold that option B would be our position. We use the Qur’an as the final criterion.
“Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet, the Unlettered, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the Taurat and the Injeel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.” (Qur’an 7:157)
The verse above says that Muhammed (saw) is mentioned in the ‘Law’ and the ‘Gospel’. Now there are a few ways Jews, and Christians and Muslims can approach this.
A) When it says ‘The unlettered” it could mean that this prophet is not spelled out by name. Or there could be a reference to a person who is illiterate. It could be a form of what we know as metonymy. Jesus (as) is not mentioned by name in the TNCH, for example. We
It could also be that there are allegories about this Prophet in the Torah and the Gospel that are preserved therein.
B) His name is mentioned in black and white and since we do not see that in today’s Torah or Gospels, then obviously, today’s Torah and Gospels are not what the Qur’an has in mind.
C) The Qur’an is in error as today’s Torah and Gospel of Jesus are intact and mention nothing about Muhammed (saw).
We are inclined to go with option A, and we give our reasons and justifications for doing so with the following entry:
https://primaquran.com/2024/01/14/are-prophets-jesus-muhammed-foretold-in-the-old-testament
Prima Qur’an Conclusion on the ‘Taurat’.
In the end, we do not believe that the Qur’an states, for Muslims in black and white terms, what the Taurat is. We do know for certain that the Qur’an, nor the sacred oral tradition, state that Taurat are the five books commonly attributed to Moses. No one has yet proved this to us.
Even in the above hadith, where the prophet Muhammed (saw) says to bring the Torah, the burden of proof could go either way. By calling it part of the ‘Taurat’, the Torah is as appropriate as calling Qur’an 2:256 the Qur’an, even though it is not the entire Qur’an.
However, one argument that is brought forward and that is easily debunked is the idea that: “Well, Allah hasn’t revealed anything to Muhammed (saw) yet.”
This cannot be a solid argument because of the previous verse we mentioned.
“But why do they come to you for a decision, when they have the Taurat before them?- therein is the (plain) command of Allah. yet even after that, they would turn away. For they are not (really) People of Faith”. (Qur’an 5:43)
One would be hard-pressed to believe that the Torah brought to Muhammed (saw) consisted of the five books commonly attributed to Moses. Let us argue that it could have simply been a scroll and that scroll is what we find in the book of Leviticus today. This would not argue that the entire book of Leviticus is endorsed; nor would it argue that the five books commonly attributed to Moses were endorsed either.
It would be a huge fallacy to assume, based upon today’s printing press, that every Jew and Christian had copies of their respective scriptures in one whole volume or corpus and took it with them everywhere they went.
This is wishful thinking indeed.
So on what basis could Muslims question the claims made about today’s so-called Taurat?
Muslims have a basis to question the claims made about today’s ‘taurat’ do to the internal evidence itself.
Source: (https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/many-rabbis-agree-that-ezra-changed-the-torah-text/)
“How can you say, We are wise, and the Law of the Lord is with us’? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie,” (Jeremiah 8:8)
Note (Whenever you see that term ‘law of the Lord’ the Hebrew word is Torah)
“And Hiil-kiah, the high priest, said unto Shaphan, the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hil-kiah gave the book to Sha phan, and he read it.” (2 Kings 22:8)
“The accession of Josiah and his eagerness to restore the worship of Jehovah led to the renovation of the Temple, and in the course of this, B.C. 621, the book of Deuteronomy was discovered. The priest took it to the king, who joyfully welcomed it and set about putting its program of religious reformation into effect. The dramatic story is told in 2 Kings 22 and 23. Josiah put a stop to the idolatrous practices of the people,…”
Source: (Edgar J. Goodspeed ‘How came the Bible?’ pgs. 22-23)
The Book of Deuteronomy is thought to be written by Moses.
“So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knows of his sepulcher unto this day. And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.” (Deuteronomy 34:5-7)
Prima Qur’an Comments:
Does this mean that Allah, in His wisdom and power, could not choose to reveal to Moses the time of his death? It’s true Allah could have done so. Yet this response seems more like a theological response to what is plain to anyone who reads this.
It is most likely that Moses did not write, “I am 120 years old when I die.” The fact that the whole context refers to Moses in the third person supports this view.
Something fascinating and a step ahead may have been something like this. “The Lord revealed to me that I will be 120 years old when I die.”
Which 10 commandments?
You may hear many times people bring up the so called:
‘The 10 commandments’.
This might be an interesting challenge when engaging with our Jewish or Christian friends. It is not an exhaustive list to memorize. Ask your Jewish or Christian friend the next time you meet them to recite ‘The 10 commandments’.
Remember the Jews and Christians tell us that Allah gave Moses ‘The 10 commandments’. In fact, it is the only revelation known to be written directly by Allah. We are then told that Moses broke these the stones which the commandments were written on. So Allah said that he would re-write them.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.” (Exodus 34:1)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write these words, for according to the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”(Exodus 34:1)
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Deuteronomy 5:6-21)
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery.“ You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:2-17)
“Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. “Do not make any idols. “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. “The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. “No one is to appear before me empty-handed.“ Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest. “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year. Three times a year all your men are to appear before the Sovereign Lord, the God of Israel. I will drive out nations before you and enlarge your territory, and no one will covet your land when you go up three times each year to appear before the Lord your God. “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me along with anything containing yeast, and do not let any of the sacrifice from the Passover Festival remain until morning.“ Bring the best of the first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God. “Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.” (Exodus 34:11-26)
And the LORD said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the first ones, and I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets which you broke.” (Exodus 34:1)
What was written on the first two tablets which Allah gave and Moses broke? The book of Exodus doesn’t record it.
The two different sets of 10 commandments are also problematic for many people to accept.
Lost records and books according to the Bible?
“Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the LORD, What he did in the Red sea, and in the brooks of Arnon, And at the stream of the brooks that goes down to the dwelling of Ar, and rest upon the border of Moab.” (Numbers 21:14-15)
What is this ‘Book of the Wars of the Lord’?
Who wrote it, and where is it?
If Numbers is the Torah that was written by Moses, then is the Torah quoting a historical document no longer with us?
Is this document inspired?
If it is inspired, then the idea that inspired writing can be lost to posterity should no longer be unheard of among Jews and Christians.
If this document is uninspired, then it should be understood that one may be inspired to quote from uninspired documents.
A Look At The Zabur In the Qur’an
Here is a look at the mention of the ‘Zabur‘ in the Qur’an. The mention of ‘Zabur‘ to our knowledge comes in three places.
The word Zabur is: understood to be a song or music.
“And it is your Lord that knows best all beings that are in the heavens and on earth: We did bestow on some prophets more gifts than others: and We gave to David the Zabur” (Qur’an 17:55)
“We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Apostle after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, Solomon and to David We gave the Zabur.”(Qur’an 4:163)
“Before this, We wrote in the Zabur, after the Message: My servants the righteous shall inherit the earth.” (Qur’an 21:105)
Many people today, both Muslim and non-Muslim, wish to associate the Zabur with the Psalms that are mentioned in the Bible.
The reason many do this is probably due to the statement above in Chapter 21, “My servants, the righteous, shall inherit the earth.”
Some see a parallel to this statement in Psalms 37:29 that says,
“The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.”
There is a huge difference in that the Qur’an does not state that the righteous will inherit the land ‘forever‘. The statement mentioned in the Qur’an in its exact form is nowhere to be found and is lost. The closest proximity would be the passage citation of Psalms 37:29
Other than the quote above, we have no idea why Muslims or non-Muslims would assume that Zabur is the Psalms of David in today’s Bible?
We do not believe that there is a statement anywhere in the Qur’an or the sacred Hadith literature that states that the Psalms of David contained in today’s Bible is or has been corrupted.
Likewise, we also do not believe that there is a statement in the Qur’an or the sacred Hadith literature that equates the Zabur mentioned in the Qur’an with today’s Psalms of David in the Bible.
We believe this is fanciful thinking.
Any Muslim or Christian who disagrees with our position is welcome to state their reasons for doing so and provide the evidence.
A Look At The Injeel In the Qur’an
Injeel means: The good news. However, the etymological reality means revelation from an Angel.
First, let us look at some of the instances and mention of the Injeel in the Qur’an.
“Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our apostles: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary and bestowed on him the Injeel, and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah. but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors.”(Qur’an 57:27)
We believe that Allah had given Jesus the Injeel (Goodnews singular). We would repudiate the following attribution to Jesus:
“His disciples said unto Him, “If the case of the man is so with his wife, it is not good to marry.” But He said unto them, “All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are some eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb, and there are some eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven’s sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.”(Matthew 19:10-12)
Of course, we would repudiate this based upon what Allah has revealed: based upon what the Qur’an says above: ‘the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them‘.
Now it can be argued that this only has Jesus recommending the practice, but Muslims would argue that this is an interpolation put in the mouth of Jesus based upon our presupposition, and our belief in what the Qur’an states. This was not ordered upon people. So the Qur’an would not confirm the above statement, but it would repudiate it.
“Then will Allah say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit so that you did speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Injeel and behold! You make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breath into it and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) you when you didst show them the clear Signs, and the ungrateful among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic.” (Qur’an 5:110)
The Christians reject the above verse of the Qur’an because they say that this story of Jesus comes from apocryphal sources. This is a very dubious claim. They first want to assert that the Qur’an was an invention of Muhammed (saw), so they imagine that he retrieved this story from some Christians he had contacts with in Syria.
This would then beg the question. Wouldn’t those particular Christians find the story acceptable, and thus not apocryphal?
For example, let us imagine that Muhammed (saw) takes some source from the book of Revelation, Jude, or the book of James. There are many Christians of that time and era that would believe it to be spurious because those particular Christians only recognized a New Testament canon of 22 books.
For me, the Qur’an filling in some accounts of Jesus when he was a baby and his teenage years is very fulfilling and refreshing. I find it hard to believe that the ‘Son of God‘ walked around for 30 years of his life on this earth and didn’t do or say anything noteworthy?
For example, the New Testament says:
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”(John 21:25)
We have dealt with this line of attack (used by skeptics, atheist, and agnostics) here:
So it seems rather odd that some Christians that are still disputing canon and scripture with other Christians would find it scandalous that a story of Jesus not found in one particular canon, oral tradition, or the other would be very similar to one found in the Qur’an.
The Bible itself says there are many things that Jesus did that are not written down, and the whole world would be filled with books if everything was to be written. To begrudge the Muslim revelation about Jesus’ early life when the New Testament is silent about 30 years of his life seems a bit self-refuting.
“Allah has purchased of the believers their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in truth, through the Law, the Injeel, and the Qur’an: and who is more faithful to his covenant than Allah. then rejoice in the bargain which ye have concluded: that is the achievement supreme.” (Qur’an 9:111)
We have never found this statement anywhere in the Bible. As Muslims, this gives us pause that everything in the New Testament is the preserved word of God. The Qur’an specifically states that such a promise is made and binding. However, we have read the New Testament and have not found such a statement. As Muslims, it is a matter of self-evidence that the New Testament cannot contain all of Allah’s revelation given to Jesus, as the Qur’an states clearly that Jesus was given such a binding promise.
“And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Taurat and the Injeel” (Qur’an 3:48)
If we look carefully, we will note that in the above verse the ‘Book‘, ‘Taurat‘ and the “Injeel‘ are all different.
“Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom.”(Matthew 4:23)
Now this piece of information above is interesting. We believe every Christian would readily agree that Jesus was not teaching from a book. Jesus was not teaching from the Gospel of Matthew or Mark. These are writings that came much later. The Gospel that Jesus is teaching is what Muslims call, ‘the Injeel’. What Christians and Muslims dispute is the contents of this Injeel.
“It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, assessing what went before it; and He sent down the Taurat (of Moses) and the Injeel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong)”. (Qur’an 3:3)
The verse above in the Qur’an states that Allah gave the Injeel to Jesus and that he sent down Al Furqan (The Filter) that is able to distinguish, and it is one of the names of the Qur’an.
The next verse is also quite interesting.
“People of the Book! Why dispute you about Abraham, when the Law and the Gospel Were not revealed Till after him? Have you no understanding?” (Qur’an 3:65)
Now, this is an interesting point the Qur’an is driving home. We know that Abraham was not a Christian because Jesus brought his message after him. We also know that he didn’t follow rabbinical Judaism as the Law also came after him. So here we come full circle.
Sometimes, Christians will argue as such: “Oh, you Muslims, are supposed to look to the New Testament for guidance.” However, the Qur’an is calling both Christians and Jews to look back to that which is primordial, original, and primary.
“Let the people of the Injeel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah has revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel”(Qur’an 5:47)
*Note this is nowhere saying that Muslims need to look at the Injeel.
It also does not tell the Jews to judge by the Injeel.
This nowhere says that Muslims are to turn to the Injeel for direction and guidance. This statement is made to the people of the Injeel. Whatever they believe that Allah has revealed in it, then let them make judgments based upon that.
It’s not for Muslims because the following verse makes it clear when it says ‘So judge between them by what Allah hath revealed‘.
By the way, this text is proof that Muslims do not force Islam upon Christians. The Jews and the Christians, as history testifies, were able to derive their own marriage, divorce, and other laws based upon what they feel was revealed to them by Allah.
People may well ask what was that ‘Injeel’ that they were supposed to judge by? Notice that it says ‘what Allah has revealed therein’. The thoughtful Christian might ask how are we to know what Allah has revealed therein?
Of course, the average Christian is not asked to do redaction criticism. However, when we look at 2 Timothy 3:16 we get the following:
“Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness.” (English Revised Version)
We have chosen this translation in English because it more accurately reflects the Greek. One must remember that the ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’ factions of Christianity are in conflict over ‘Sola Scriptura’ meaning ‘scripture alone’.
Thus, the Protestant factions have mostly translated 2:Timothy 3:16 as ‘All scripture IS-inspired’.
For example, we have yet to receive a response from a Christian apologist of any sect about Paul’s First Corinthian Letter.
In 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul said: “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.”
While some would argue that Paul is referring to a previous section of 1 Corinthians (perhaps 5:1-8) rather than referring to a previous epistle, he then continued (in verse 10) to explain exactly what he meant by that statement, which is not what is said in 5:1-8. After explaining what the statement from the previous letter meant, Paul continued in 5:11 by showing the contrasting point, “But now I have written to you…”—explaining the difference between the statement from the previous epistle and the one from our 1 Corinthians.
So there are two ways to understand this.
That letter is inspired and thus not everything inspired by Allah is preserved.
Or, that letter is not inspired, and therefore everything written by Paul is not inspired by Allah.
The other matter is this curious statement at the end of John’s Gospel.
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)
As Muslims, we are a bit troubled that for 30 years of his life Jesus didn’t say anything. That, as Christian theology would have it, that Alah would ‘be in the flesh’ for 30 years not doing much of anything seems incredulous.
This really should be a matter of reflection for our Christian friends. Because if you believe that all of it is from Allah, then live your life according to it, be true and faithful.
However, if you are not sure about what Allah has revealed, then it means you have doubts. Many Christians will read (5:47) of the Qur’an, and they will totally ignore (5:66) and (5:68) mentioned below because it does not suit their interest.
Let’s look at the verses in context.
“To you We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and assessing it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that has come to you. To each among you have We prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah. it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48)
“And this (He commands): Judge you between them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, but beware of them lest they beguile you from any of that which Allah has sent down to you. And if they turn away, be assured that for some of their crime it is Allah’s purpose to punish them. And truly most men are rebellious.” (Qur’an 5:49)
“If only they had stood fast by the Taurat, the Injeel, AND ALL the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There is from among them a party on the right course: but many of them follow a course that is evil.” (Qur’an 5:66)
It is admonishing to stand fast not only by the Injeel and Taurat, but by all the revelation given by Allah.
Say: “O People of the Book! you have no ground to stand upon unless you stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.” It is the revelation that comes to you from your Lord, that increase in most of them their obstinate rebellion and ingratitude. But sorrow you not over an ungrateful people.” (Qur’an 5:68)
Again, the people of the book, the Jews, are told to come to terms with the Christians. This means accepting John and Jesus and prophets sent to other nations. The Christians are told to come to terms with the Zoroastrians, and the other nations on this earth that were sent revelation, including the Qur’an. It says ‘all the revelation that has come from your Lord.”
“And dispute you not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it is with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one, and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).” (Qur’an 29:46)
“We settled the Children of Israel in a beautiful dwelling-place, and provided for them sustenance of the best: it was after knowledge had been granted to them, that they fell into schisms. Verily Allah will judge between them as to the schisms amongst them, on the Day of Judgement.” (Qur’an 10:93)
“If you were in doubt as to what We have revealed unto you, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before you: the Truth hath indeed come to you from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt.”(Qur’an 10:94)
The Christians conveniently love to leave out the context of these verses. Verse 93 clearly states that the children of Israel fell into schisms.
Therefore, the understanding that they would give Muhammed (saw) would be very divergent one from the other. This is one of the main reasons why Muhammed (saw) had to be cautious.
When we take verse 94 in context with verse 93, what would we ask ‘those‘?
For example, if we asked about Jesus being Allah. What would rabbinical Judaism say?
If we asked the Kara-rites about hellfire and an afterlife in the Torah, what would their understanding be?
If we asked rabbinical Judaism about John the Baptist, what would be the response?
What about the followers of Zoroastrianism? They are also ‘those who have been reading the Book from before you ‘.
Notice also that there is a conditional statement placed at the beginning of verse 94 the Christians conveniently look over, the word ‘If’. Could the Christians or anyone claiming that Muhammed (saw) doubted anything in the Qur’an prove that he even once deferred a matter to the Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians?
“Oh, you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He has sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Anyone who denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messenger., and the Day of Judgement, has gone far, far astray.” (Qur’an 4:136)
It is a dubious claim to equate the word Injeel with the entire New Testament canon. It becomes dubious on many accounts. The word Injeel or Gospel has never come to mean in any dictionary, ‘The entire New Testament’. Any Christian making such a claim is being woefully uninformed. Second, even if the word Injeel would equate to the ‘New Testament’, which one would it be? The New Testament of 22 books or the New Testament of 27 books?
Again, who was the body that decided which books were ‘Inspired‘ by Allah and which were not?
Why are Christians still in dispute about 5 books? In reality, 12 books considering the ‘Catholic’, and ‘Orthodox’ ‘Old Testament’ canons are different from those accepted by ‘Protestants’.
We believe there are some other points that we will address here.
However, we believe what is given is sufficient for Muslims to give pause to the idea that what Christians today possess is the Word of Allah, in its entirety.
The following text is quite explicit in that not every time that Paul spoke was he being moved upon by the Holy Spirit.
“Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. But to the rest I, not the Lord, say this: If any brother has a wife who does not believe, and she is willing to live with him, let him not divorce her.” (1 Corinthians 7:12)
“Now concerning virgins: I have no commandment from the Lord, yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has made trustworthy.” (1 Corinthians 7:25)
The above statements are contrasted below with where Paul was making decisions while concurring with the Holy Spirit.
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.” (Acts 15:28)
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,” (Luke 3:23)
We are not comfortable with the fact that whoever is writing this has to guess the age that Jesus began preaching. Saying ‘about’. Though some may not find this very serious, we would hold inspiration from a deity to a different standard.
The next text is also troubling.
“Where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:15)
The above is quoted from Hosea 11:1-2.
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt, I called my son.
But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me.
They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images.” (Hosea 11:1-2)
We see the statement of Matthew 2:15 as a completely fraudulent and a dubious fulfilled prophecy claim.
We do not see the name of Jesus anywhere in the text of Hosea 11:1-2. We see that Israel is whom the text is talking about. Also, we believe that whoever wrote the piece in Matthew 2:15 completely ignored the context. We do not believe the context allows for this to be Jesus in any way, shape or form particularly. The reason being is that this statement ‘They sacrificed to the Baals, and they burned incense to images.’
As Muslims, we would never allow Jesus to sacrifice to false idols and burn incense to graven images!
These teachings are not compatible.
“Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Matthew 19:8-9)
O Prophet! When you divorce women, divorce them for their (legal) period and reckon the period, and keep your duty to Allah, your Lord. Expel them not from their houses nor let them go forth unless they commit open immorality. Such are the limits (imposed by) Allah; and whoever transgresses Allah’s limits, he surely has wronged his soul. You do not: it is possible that Allah will afterward bring about a reunion. Then, when they have reached their term, take them back in kindness or part from them in kindness, and call to witness two just men among you, and keep your testimony upright for Allah. Whoso believes in Allah and the Last Day is exhorted to act thus. And whoever keeps his duty to Allah, Allah will appoint a way out for him.” (Qur’an 65:1-2)
Finally, to those who are utterly blind, if this does not make you come to your senses about the matter, we are not sure what will.
“They say: “(Allah) Most Gracious has a son!” Indeed you have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, That they should invoke a son (like-kind) for (Allah) Most Gracious. For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should take a (like-kind) son.” (Qur’an 19:88-92)
There are too many verses in the New Testament that say Jesus is the son of God to make it compatible with the Qur’an.
So, since the Qur’an nowhere states that the Bible, Taurat, Injeel, Zabur or Suhuf are corrupted; then on what basis in the Qur’an do Muslims have the right to examine, investigate and question the Vedas, Book of Mormon, Infancy, Gospel of Thomas, Book of Revelation, Talmud, or book of Deuteronomy?
We as Muslims can do this based upon three verses in the Qur’an that tell us to be on our guard.
‘There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, ‘That is from Allah,’ but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah…’(Qur’an 3:78)
This, of course, is because most people during that time were illiterate (be they Jew, Christian, Zoroastrian, Pagan, or Muslim). They obviously could not read a book for themselves, but were told to be on their guard because of people not being forthcoming about what the text says, possibly taking advantage of their ignorance of the original language (that the person did not understand) or the fact that they were illiterate and couldn’t verify it.
We see this happening today and this is why all Muslims are encouraged to learn to read and write Arabic.
Every time you read a translation of the Qur’an you are reading someone’s theological musings as well. Same with any sacred literature that claims to come from Allah.
‘But because of their breach of their Covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard: They change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent…’(Qur’an 5:13)
Now some Christians may act in a very mischievous way by attempting to say that the Qur’an confirms the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, The book of Revelation, The Gospel of Barnabas, The Gospel of Mark 16:9-20, etc. will say that the above verse of the Qur’an is only talking about people who change things with their tongues.
Any truthful reader can see as obviously and plain as day that the Qur’an says, “that they forgot a good portion of what was sent” and they changed the words from their places. This can only happen if there is an oral tradition being passed along and some people willfully pervert this oral tradition before it becomes text/OR it is a reference to those who willfully change the text.
‘Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: “This is from Allah,” to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.’ (Qur’an 2:79)
No doubt this verse is directly related to the following man-made law that is attributed to Allah.
The following says that Jews can give interest to non-Jews but not to one another.
“Unto a foreigner you may lend interest; but not unto your brother you shall not lend interest, that Jehovah your God may bless you in all that you put your hand on, in the land wherever you go into possess it. When you shall vow a vow unto Jehovah your God, you shall not be slack to pay it: For Jehovah your God will surely require it of you; and it would be sin in you.” (Deuteronomy 23:20-21)
Allah (swt) says in relationship to those who made such scriptures and attributed to Him:
Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: “This is from Allah,” to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.’ (Qur’an 2:79)
This is the verse that conveniently is left out of the discussion. This verse does not say the Bible, or Injeel, Taurat, Zabur, etc. However, it does say that there are people who are in the habit of writing books and then saying, ‘this is from Allah‘. It is on this basis that Muslims have the right to be skeptical of the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, The Book of Mormon, The Vedas, The book of Tobit, Hebrews, The Gospel of Barnabas, The Gospel of Mark 16:9-20, etc.
Another point that the Qur’an categorically rejects is that Solomon (as) was involved in shirk (association of partners with Allah). May Allah (swt) project us!
“They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out, in the Mulki Sulaymān (Kingdom of Solomon). Sulaymān did not disbelieve, but the Shayāṭīn disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down upon the two Angels in Babylon, Hārūt and Mārūt, but neither of these two taught anyone, till they had said, “We are only a Fitnah (trial), so do not disbelieve.” And from these, people learn that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by the Leave of Allāh. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Akhirah (Hereafter). And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their own selves, if they but knew!” (Qur’an 2:102)
“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.” (1 Kings 11:4)
In the end, we have done our best to give an answer to the detractors of truth. If there are any mistakes, surely they belong to us. All the praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds!
“And when they hear what has been revealed to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they have recognized of the truth. They say, “Our Lord, we have believed, so register us among the witnesses.” (Qur’an 5:83)
To go back to the main section: https://primaquran.com/christianity/
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May Allah Guide the Christians to the truth so that they do not burn in hellfire.
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