Sunday, December 5,
2010 am
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A BRIEF STUDY OF ISLAM (3)
The Bible vs. The Qur’an
We have examined the history of the beginning of Islam and noted
some facts about this influential world religion.
Our goal in this study is to better understand this religion so
that we can defend the truth of God’s word against its beliefs (1 Pet.
3:15). In our lesson today
we want to examine their book of faith, the Qur’an (Koran) and contrast
it with the Bible.
In our effort to give a defense of our faith and to share it with
others, in this case Muslims, the better we understand the origin and
content of the Qur’an, the better equipped we will be defend the truth
as opposed to it.
a.
It is the
book of Islam. It contains
114 chapters, called suras with a total of 6,616 verses.
In total, the Qur’an is about a third the size of the Bible.
With the exception of the first sura which is only 7 verses and
an introduction to the Qur’an, the other chapters are presented
primarily based upon length.
The 2nd sura is 286 verses long.
It was written originally in Arabic – with claims to be pure
Arabic. Some Muslims believe
that it must be preserved and learned in its original language.
Many Muslims see translations, even into other languages as
unacceptable or spurious, because such cannot with complete accuracy
portray the original intent.
That is why devout Muslims will
seek to learn Arabic. In
some Islamic countries, the people begin committing the book to memory
before age 10.
b.
The Qur’an
was revealed to Mohammed in a series of revelations over a 23 year
period beginning in 610 AD until the year of his death, by the angel
Gabriel. Muslims believe
that it is “the verbal divine guidance and moral direction for mankind.”
c.
After his
death, the various visions of Mohammed which had been memorized by many
and/or written down were compiled by Abu Bakr, the first caliph into
what would become the Qur’an.
Around 646-650 AD, the third caliph, Uthman started noticing
slight variations in Arabic and ordered a standardized text.
After producing several thousand copies, he ordered all other
variants (some 24 variants) destroyed. The
Qur’an of today is said to be very close to these original documents.
d.
The
content of the Qur’an consists of accounts of events in the life of
Mohammed, as well as accounts of many Biblical stories, both from the
Old and New Testament. Most
of these accounts vary from how they are revealed in the Bible.
You also find lessons related to morals living.
e.
The
other writings – In addition
to the Qur’an, Muslims consult the
Hadith and Sunnah.
“The Sunnah is the basic legal code of Islamic Jurisprudence.”
It is the rulings among Islamic states (i.e. Islamic
theocracies). It
depicts some events in the life of Mohammed concerning ethics and
living.
Hadiths are a narration of some of the things Mohammed said and did in
his life. “The Hadith
expounds Muhammad’s crucial, everlasting commandments.”
These writings helped to clarify teachings in the Qur’an and are
to be treated as binding upon Muslims.
In fact, according to
www.islamonline.net “It is impossible to understand the Qur’an without reference to Hadith.”
IF YOU WANT to know how to act around a Muslim, the information is found
in the Hadith. For example:
Muslims are to pass a drinking vessel to the right, shaking with the
left hand is considered an insult, Muslim are forbidden from eating
shell fish (shrimp, lobster and clams, etc.), and they will not eat lard
based baked goods.
In reality this is a commentary and some additional teachings based on
their Qur’an. Just as the
Jews in the time of Christ (and even today) view some of the writings
and commentaries on the Law as binding application (i.e. that which
Jesus constantly had problems with), so it is with the Hadith and Sunnah.
These books are LARGE collections of writings from different men.
The book Unveiling Islam reports there are 4 versions
of the Hadith that are popular.
We teach (and rightly so) that commentaries upon the word of God need
to be treated as such. We
condemn the traditions of men just as Jesus did.
That is why we reject creed books and similar teachings found in
some “Christian” religions such as Catholicism.
They are NOT inspired and are NOT
binding. All a good
commentary can do is shed light on a text, but it is still the text that
we must reverence. (1 Cor. 4:6. 2 Tim. 3:16-17)
Unveiling Islam, chapter 5, Sunnah and Hadith: The Other Books
II.
The integrity of the Qur’an
a.
The
most important key to establishing the relevance of the Bible vs. the
Qur’an is to determine the integrity of these works.
One of the first things you will be confronted with when talking
with a Muslim about salvation is their view of the Bible.
Before you can make a case for Christ, you have to establish the
integrity of the Bible as being without error and the message God
intended for us to receive.
This is done by understanding HOW we got our Bibles.
We will examine this in much greater detail at a later date
(early next year).
b.
How do
we determine the integrity of a work,
especially one that claims to be inspired of God?
The answer is that we must scrutinize it – weigh it according to
evidence. This would include
examining the integrity of its contents (internal evidence) as well as
the manner in which is was developed (external evidence).
Honest and thorough examination can go a long way in verifying
the validity of some work.
As Christians we ought to be willing and able to verify the Bible as the
Word of God (2 Tim. 3;16,17, 1 John 4:1, Acts 17:11).
And that involves more than showing someone a couple of passages
that say it is inspired. If
we cannot have faith in the integrity of the Bible, we are NOT going to
obey its teachings.
The religion of Islam centers around the teachings of the Qur’an.
Islam claims that it is the mother of all books and to be
accepted above and over any other book, including the Bible.
We have noted in our study that while Mohammed taught that the
Bible was God’s word, he also taught that it had been corrupted by men
over time. Therefore, when
there are contradictions between the Bible (both Old and New Testaments)
and the Qur’an, the latter is accepted by Muslims as the true account.
This provides a convenient “out” whenever they are shown
differences between the Bible and the Qur’an.
But that does NOT change our need to examine some of these
differences in this lesson.
If you are to be able to teach
and convert a Muslim, you need at least some familiarity with this book
as it is contrasted with the Bible.
Our goal in this lesson is to show WHY the Qur’an should be
rejected based upon its integrity (or lack thereof).
c.
Claims
of inspiration – Surah15:9 is
one verse that claims the Qur’an is perfect in every way.
It says, “We have without doubt,
sent down the message; and we will assuredly guard it (from
corruption).” The confidence
that Muslims have in the Qur’an goes so far as to call it a miracle in
itself. It is described as a
gift from God with no error or equal.
I mention this because we shall see if the statement is true.
d.
Claims
about the Bible – for all
intensive purposes, Islam rejects the Bible.
The Qur’an DOES claim it
as the word of God, when it contradicts the Qur’an they believe
the message of the Qur’an is accurate and the Bible has been corrupted.
But on more than one occasion, the Bible (both Old and New Testament)
are described as inspired.
Surah 29:46, Mohammed is commanded to speak with “People of the Book” (a
reference to the Bible), “We believe in the Revelation which has come
down to us and in that which came down to you.
Our God and your God is One.”
Surah 10:94 says, “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 has indeed come down to you from your Lord: so be in no wise of
those who doubt.”
Surah 3:2-3, “He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus)
… as a guide to mankind.”
Surah 5:68, “People of the Book! …Stand fast by the Law, the Gospel and
all the revelation that hath come to you from your Lord.
It is the revelation that has come to thee from your Lord.”
i.
Questions: Why the differences
between Biblical accounts and those in the Qur’an?
Mohammed used other sources as
well. While time
will not permit a detailed explanation, there is evidence that Mohammed
also relied upon pseudepigraphical writings as a resource for some of
the gospel stories in the Qur’an.
These are books that were rejected by some or most Bible scholars
as false. When we hear of
the Gospel of Judas and the Gospel of Thomas and the apocryphal books in
the Catholic Bible not accepted as part of the Word of God by all Bible
believers AND when you combine this with traditional stories passed down
verbally by Jews in that region at that time (most could not read and
written texts were rare) you have a variety of sources that Mohammed
possibly had access to as he compiled the Qur’an’s versions of many of
the Biblical accounts.
ii.
The
inspiration dilemma: If
Muslim’s claim that God can and will preserve His word in the Qur’an,
and they claim that the Bible was the word of God, why did the same
standard not apply to the Old Testament and New Testament?
Why did God ALLOW them to be corrupted and not allow the Qur’an
to be corrupted?
e.
Changes
to the Qur’an – one of the
claims made about the Qur’an is that it is an exact word-for-word copy
of God’s final revelation, words inscribed on tables that have existed
in heaven. Surah 85:21-22
says, “Nay, this is a glorious Qur’an, [inscribed] in a tablet
preserved.” Thus Muslims
treat the Qur’an as an exact dictated revelation.
BUT, their early history reveals some problems.
As Mohammed received his revelations, others would write them
down on whatever was available (Mohammed was supposedly illiterate) or
if nothing was available, people would try to memorize what he received
and then these “reciters” would tell it to the people.
Since Mohammed did not anticipate dying when he did, he did not
make arrangements for preserving his visions.
When he died, as efforts were made to preserve everything,
according to Sahih Al-Bukhari, a Muslim scholar, large sections of
Mohammed’s visions were lost during the Battle of Yamama when a number
of the reciters died before everything could be written down.
To further complicate matters, after the death of Mohammed, various
versions of the Qur’an spread throughout various Islamic communities.
When Uthman, the 3rd caliph chose one to be the formal
version (based upon one of the older manuscripts that was in the dialect
Mohammed actually spoke) he ordered the rest destroyed, thereby removing
other possibilities that could have been more accurate.
(NOTE: One of the ways that we verify the Bible’s accuracy today
without the original documents is by comparing the thousands of
manuscripts and documents we have available.
It is a KEY to verification and determination of accuracy.)
So the Qur’an is actually, the version that Utham decided ought
to be the correct version.
(Many of the details above are from Unveiling Islam, An Insider’s
Look at Muslim Life and Belief, by Ergun Mehemet Caner and Emir
Fethi Caner, © 2002, ch. 4, “The Qur’an: Mother of Books”, Revelation –
Periods and Methods of Revelation.)
ANOTHER problem is presented
in some changes made as Mohammed was receiving revelation.
For example there was controversy over a series of passages known
as the “Satanic verses.” (Surah
53:21-23). In the original
text, Mohammed publicly pronounced that three idols could intercede on
behalf of Muslims. But it
was quickly realized that this was idolatry and the pronouncement was
canceled with the explanation that Satan had interjected this text, but
God (Allah) replaced it with His own, better verses.
http://www.answering-islam.org/Hahn/satanicverses.htm
The point is, the Qur’an is NOT without questions as to its integrity.
f.
The
nature of prophecy – Let us
take a few moments to talk about prophecy itself.
Deuteronomy 18:17-22 speaks of how one verifies a true prophet.
Namely, what he says comes to pass.
Muslims claim that Mohammed prophesied of future events.
i.
One of the
stronger prophecies they appeal to is found in Surah 30:2-4, , “
030.002-004 The Roman Empire has been defeated- In a land close by; but
they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious-
Within a few years. With God is the Decision, in the past and in the
Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice-“
This prophecy said that within a few
years the Roman Empire would be defeated.
It was supposedly prophesied around AD 614-615, after Persia
defeated the Byzantines and captured Jerusalem.
History records that in AD 628 (14 years later) the Byzantines
defeated Persia supposedly against insurmountable odds and reclaimed
Jerusalem, which supposedly accords with this particular prophesy.
http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/false_prophecies.htm
While I am not a historian, I will give the benefit of the doubt.
Having said that, notice some things about this prophecy:
1.
It is vague and broad and has
reference to an event that happened only a few years later.
2.
When the
“prophecy” was written (assuming it was written before the event) world
events were already developing that made these events of interest and
relevant to that generation.
3.
It was a
plausible “guess” as to what would happen.
Similar to one saying today, “I predict that within a few years,
the American economy is going to again be robust and unemployment is
going to fall by several percentage points.”
An economist might even become more precise.
BUT DOES SUCH QUALIFY AS TRUE prophecy
4.
Consider this in contrast with prophecies of the Bible.
a.
Isaiah is
a prophet who prophesied around 750 BC to Israel and Judah.
He prepared Israel for Assyrian captivity.
Notice Isaiah 45:1, “Thus
says the Lord to His anointed, To
Cyrus, whose right hand I have held— To subdue nations before him
And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So
that the gates will not be shut:” Consider that before this event
happened, Assyria fell to Babylon which fell to Medo-Persia in 536 BC.
NOTICE that Isaiah prophesied OVER 200 years before the event AND
even NAMED the leader! There
is no QUESTION about such being a prophecy and verifying Isaiah spoke
for all-knowing Jehovah God.
b.
The book
of Daniel is another remarkable prophecy written over the course of some
75 years. The events unfold
beginning AROUND 600 BC and continue until AROUND 520 BC.
Daniel was taken Captive to Babylon along with others (Daniel 1)
and served the king of Babylon.
He also saw the fall of Babylon some 50-70 years later and
continued to prophecy for Darius the Mede who along with Cyrus the
Persian ruled the world at that time.
Among the known prophecies of Daniel was
Dan. 2:44 where he
interprets the dream of Nebuchadnezzar describing 4 kingdoms, noting
that during the 4th kingdom (Babylon, Medo-Persian,
Macedonian, & Roman) God would set up His kingdom.
That happened. But
even more remarkable is the various events Daniel prophecies of
specifically. Daniel made
VERY specific prophecies that occurred during each of these 4 empires.
His prophecies were so specific and accurate that critics of the
Bible (and book) state it could not have been written during the life of
Daniel.
c.
Contrast
that with a prophecy to take place within about a decade based upon then
unfolding world events.
ii.
Another
supposed prophecy is found in Surah 55:33 says, “O
company of jinn and human beings.
If you are able to pierce through the confines of the heavens and
earth, pierce through them.
You will not pierce through, except with a clear authority.”
It is argued in this text that it prophecies the exploration of
space.
NOTICE the vague and broad language of this text.
Piercing the sky can be done in many ways (such as an arrow).
Further, it does not say it would happen.
Does it meet the test of TRUE prophecy?
g.
The
integrity of the Bible
i.
Time will
not permit a detailed examination of how the integrity of the Bible has
been established without question, but when you put together ALL THE
EVIDENCE both internal and external there is NO question as to the
accuracy of this Bible, both in content and translation.
We will examine this in greater detail at a later date.
ii.
While the
entire contents of the Qur’an was uttered by ONE MAN over his life and
completely compiled within the generation after his death by his
contemporaries, the Bible was written over the course of 1600 years on 3
continents by some 40 different men from all different backgrounds with
complete harmony and a consistent theme leading up to the Savior, Jesus
Christ. Truly design demands
a designer (which Muslims will admit).
iii.
The
accuracy of translation was verified with the discovery of the Dead Sea
Scrolls in the 1940s & 50s.
Some of the scrolls contain large portions of the Hebrew Bible (i.e. The
Old Testament). The scrolls
are CONFIRMED to date back to between 150 & 70 BC.
Yet putting those manuscripts side by side with the manuscripts
used to produce reliable translations, the accuracy rate is extremely
high. Variations are
overwhelmingly minor such as misspelled words and word order (i.e. Jesus
Christ instead of Christ Jesus – NOTE: This is an example.
Jesus was not mentioned by name in these scrolls).
More on this at a later date.
iv.
Prophecies
concerning Jesus date back in some instances more than 1500 years to
Moses, David, Isaiah and many others.
They include prophecies of such detail that they are
unquestionable. For example
Read Psalm 22 and consider that in light of the crucifixion.
David could not have been speaking just of himself here.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem which was prophesied in
Micah 5:2, “But
you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of
Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the ONE to be Ruler in
Israel, whose going s forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
Also Daniel 2:44 concerning the kingdom of Acts 2.
III.
Problems with the Content of the Qur’an
a.
One final
observation that I would like to make in this lesson is to briefly note
some of the contradictions associated with the Qur’an as it relates to
the Bible. I mention these
because they challenge the integrity of the document itself and
demonstrate that both the
Bible and the Qur’an CANNOT be from God.
b.
The Qur’an
contradicts itself
Surah 7:54, 10:3, etc. state the earth created in 6 days, but surah
41:9-12 the narrative adds up to 8 days.
Surah 2:29 states that God created all things on earth, THEN He turned
to the heavens and made them into 7 firmaments.
BUT Surah 79:27-30 he reverses the order.
Humankind is created from a blood clot (surah 96:1-2), water (surah
21:30), burned clay (surah 15:26), dust (surah 3:59), etc.
All Muslims will go to hell and at some point the righteous will be
delivered (Surah 19:71-72) but in many other texts martyrs will go
directly to heaven (Surah 3:157-158)
For a detailed list and considerations of using such,
consider:
http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qi029.html
c.
The Qur’an
contradicts the Bible
The Qur’an contains many statements that are simply contrary to what the
Bible says.
Surah 28:9 says Pharaoh’s
wife adopted Moses. Exodus
2:10 says it was his daughter.
Surah 5:116 includes Mary
in the trinity (Father, Mary and Jesus) (Note: The Qur’an is condemning
such). NOTE: There was a
sect of Christianity (heretical) in the region of Arabia at that time
that taught this.
Surah 20:85-97 states that
the calf worshipped by Israel at Mt. Horeb was molded by a Samaritan,
but that term was not coined until Assyrian captivity.
Surah 37:100-111 – Ishamel
was the sacrifice instead of Isaac (Gen.22)
Surah 4;157 – Jesus was NOT
crucified.
We could add many other concerns with the
Qur’an such as contradictory scientific and historical statements, but
we simply present these things to give a brief understanding that there
ARE problems with the Qur’an.
Realize that Muslims will point out the same things about the
Bible, so rather than picking apart the Qur’an with inconsistencies
(some for which they have answers – just as we do for the Bible)
establish the validity of the Bible and show WHY the Qur’an does NOT
meet the level of integrity necessary to declare it from God.
That has been my goal in this lesson.
The bottom line is you need to know what you believe (1 Pet.
3:15).