Why Muslims Should Read the Bible

  • by Dick Bailey
  • Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
  • Series: Muslim Questions and Bible Answers

“Why should we read or listen to the Bible?  It has been corrupted, cancelled and replaced by the Qur’an.”

WHY DO MUSLIMS THINK LIKE THIS?:  They have been taught all their lives:

1) - that the Jews and Christians have changed (corrupted) the Bible:

- (Sura 3:78) “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 God,’ but it is not from God.  It is they who tell a lie against God, and (well) they know it.!”

- (Sura 5:13,14,44)  “God did aforetime take a covenant with the children of Israel…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 them…the Jews – men who will listen to any lie, - will listen even to others who have never so much as come to thee.  They change the words from their (right) times and places…”

- (Sura 3:187) “And remember God took a covenant from the People of the Book, to make it known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it.  But they threw it away behind their backs, and purchased with it some miserable gain!  And vile was the bargain they made!”  

- (Sura 2:101) “And when there came to them an apostle from God, confirming what was with them, a part of the people of the Book threw away the Book of God behind their backs, as if (it had been something) they did not know.”

2) - that the Qur’an was sent to guard and confirm the message of the Bible by restoring its original message.

- (Sura 5:51) “To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety…”

[Yusuf Ali’s note #759:  “After the corruption of the older revelations, the Qur’an comes with a twofold purpose: (1) to confirm the true and original message, and (2) to guard it, or act as a check to its interpretation.”]

3) - that each prophet replaced the previous prophet, and that the revelations given to previous prophets have been cancelled and replaced by the revelation given to the succeeding prophet.  Muhammad was the final prophet, and so all previous revelations have been cancelled and replaced by the Qur’an.

4) - that there are “many different Bibles” (different translations with different readings, with the apocryphal books included in some translations but not in others).

5) - that there are many contradictions & mistakes in the Bible (higher criticism literature), and that, “The RSV preface says there are about 50,000 mistakes in the KJV.”

6) - that there are many things in the Bible which contradict the Qur’an, so it must have been changed.

SHORT ANSWERS:

ANSWER #1: You are talking about different translations from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.  There may be different words used in different translations, but the meaning is the same because it is translated from the same original languages.  In the same way, there are at least 10 different English translations of the Qur’an available, but the original Arabic is the same.

ANSWER #2:  “I know you believe the Bible has been changed.  I don’t believe that, but I just want you to know what is actually written in the Bible.   I am not asking you to believe it; just to read it and see what it says.  Whether or not you believe it is up to you.”

ANSWER #3:  How is it possible for Allah’s Word to be changed?  Allah is eternal and so His Word is eternal and unchangeable!  How can man change what Allah protects?

ANSWER #4:  Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

LONGER ANSWERS:

ANSWER #5: God says His Word cannot be changed!:

- (Psalm 119:89,152) Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens...Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.

- (Ecclesiastes 3:14) I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.  God does it so that men will revere him.

- (Is. 40:8) The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

- (1 Peter 1:23-25) ...born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God...

[We need to freely admit and explain the problem of variant readings in the earliest manuscripts to show how Christian scholars have dealt with it by carefully preserving all the readings.  We also need to explain that the sum total of all such variant readings is very small compared to the whole Bible, and that they in no way affect the any important teaching of Scripture.]

ANSWER #6: Ask, “When was the Bible changed – before Muhammad or after Muhammad?”  

If they say, it was changed before Muhammad, then appeal to the verses in the Qur’an (see above) which say, in the present tense, that the Taurat and Injil are the Word of Allah (in the time of Muhammad).

If they say, it was changed after Muhammad, then mention the many ancient copies of the Bible in the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek which pre-date Muhammad, are in museums today and contain the same exact message as present day Bibles.  Also the Bible was translated into various ancient languages before Muhammad, such as:  Greek Septuagint in the 2nd century B.C., Latin Vulgate 382-390 A.D., Armenian 400 A.D. and Syrian 500 A.D. When we compare all these with modern copies of the Bible, we find the message is unchanged.   

ANSWERS FROM THE QUR’AN:

ANSWER #7  At the time of Muhammad, the Qur’an talks about the Taurat (Torah) and Injil (New Testament) being the Word of God in the present tense:

- (Sura 5:46,47,71)  “But why do they come to thee for decision, when they have (their own) Law before them?  Therein is the (plain) co mmand of God; yet even after that, they would turn away, for they are not (really) people of faith.  It was We who revealed the Law (to Moses).  Therein was [all other translators use “is”!] guidance and light… Say: ‘O People of the Book!  Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.’” [see also 5:48-50; 4:47,136]

- (Sura 10:94) “If thou were in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee…”

- (Sura 3:3) “…And He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this as a guide to mankind…”

ANSWER #8  The Qur’an also says the words of Allah cannot be changed, therefore the Taurat and Injil could never have been changed:

- (Sura 6:34) “…There is none that can alter the words (and decrees) of God…”

- (Sura 6:115) “The Word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in truth and in justice;  None can change His words...”

- (Sura 10:64) “No change can there be in the words of God...”