Skip to main content

God's Last Messenger?

There are great contradictions between the Bible and the Quran. The stories of the Quran are distorted stories of the Bible.

Books

Chapter 1: Christianity's Solid Foundation - Fifth: The Quranic Proof

Page 7 of 9: Fifth: The Quranic Proof

FIFTH: THE QURANIC PROOF

The Quranic proof is an external proof of the inspiration of the Bible. And before I quote the Quran to prove the authenticity of both the Old and the New Testament, I would like to state that I am using the Quran because our Muslim friends believe in it. Another fact should be emphasized, the fact that we have ancient copies of the entire Bible which are called the Codices. These Codices go back to the year 350 AD. I will mention some of these codices:

  1. The Codex Vaticanus (325-350 AD) is kept at the Vatican Library in Rome.
  2. The Codex Sinaiticus (350 AD) is kept in the British Museum.
  3. The Codex Alexandrinus (400 AD) is kept in the British Museum.
  4. The Codex Ephraemi (400 AD) is kept in the French Library.
  5. The Codex Bezac (450 AD) is kept in the Cambridge Library.

These ancient Codices were in existence before the Quran which came after 600 AD. What the Quran states in its verses is a proof that these codices are inspired by God.

The Quran states explicitly that the Old and the New Testaments to which I referred, and which were in the hands of many Jews and Christians in the days of Muhammad, are the inspired Word of God.

In Surat Al-Maidah 5:43,44 we read:

How can they choose you as a judge when they have the Torah, which contains God’s judgment?... We have sent down the Torah containing guidance and light (T.B. Irving - The First American Version of the Quran).

It is clear from this Quranic verse that it was not necessary for the Jews to go to Muhammad for judgment, because they have the Torah which came down from heaven, and contained all the needed guidance and light. There was no place for Muhammad.

Again in Surat Al-Maidah 5:46,47 we read:

And had Jesus the son of Mary follow in their footsteps in order to confirm what had come before him from the Torah and we gave him the Gospel which contains guidance and light, to confirm what he already had in the Old Testament, and as guidance and lesson for those who do their duty. Let the people of the Gospel judge by what God has sent in it. Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are perverse (T.B. Irving - The First American Version of the Quran)

According to this Quranic verse, Jesus confirmed the Torah, which He actually did on many occasions as we stated before. He proclaimed the Gospel. More importantly, the people of the Gospel - the Christians - should judge by the Gospel. They are not in need of the Quran. The Quran says, "Those who do not judge by what God has sent down in the Gospel are perverse."

It is clear from these Quranic verses that the Torah and the Gospel were sent down from God.

What is the Gospel?

A Muslim friend said to me, "The Quran mentions only one Gospel which was given to Jesus Christ, but in the New Testament there are four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. How do you explain that?"

First of all let me say that the word "Gospel" is the translation of the Greek word "Evangelion" which means the Good News or the Joyful News.

The Good News which was given to Jesus is that God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to "demonstrate His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

The apostle Paul defines the Gospel in the following words:

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you... that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once (I Corinthians 15:1-6 - NKJ).

In this passage we see that the death of Jesus Christ was to fulfill the Scriptures, and that His burial and resurrection were also to fulfill the Scriptures. The crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ were not a man made story. It was a Biblical and historical reality, foretold in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament.

The Gospel was given in four books, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The four books were in reality one gospel in different settings, but their focal point was the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Matthew is the Gospel of Jesus the King.
The Gospel of Mark is the Gospel of Jesus the Servant.
The Gospel of Luke is the Gospel of Jesus the Perfect Man.
The Gospel of John is the Gospel of Jesus the Son of God.

But the four Gospels concentrated on one issue, the crucifixion, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The four Gospels are in reality one Gospel.

Let us go back to the Quran. In Surat Al-Maidah 6:68 we read:

Say: "People of the book, you will not make any point until you keep up the Torah and the Gospel" (T.B. Irving - The First American Version of the Quran).
It is clear from this Quranic verse that the Quran does not supersede the Torah or the Gospel, because if the Quran superseded them, why is it that the people of the book will not make any point or have any guidance until they keep up the Torah and the Gospel?

There came a time in the life of Muhammad when he doubted the revelations he received. Allah commanded him to ask those who read the Scriptures that were before him, the Torah and the Gospel, that is the whole Bible.

And if thou [Muhammad] art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture [that was before thee],verily the truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be not thou of those who deny the revelations of Allah, for then wert thou of the losers (Surat Yunus 10:94,95).

This verse declares that the Quran does not supersede the Torah and the Gospel. Muhammad had to ask those who read the Bible before him to be sure of the revelations he received.

The verses I mentioned from the Quran are explicit in confirming the authenticity of the Bible.

Then we read in Surat Al-Hijir 9:15:

Lo! We even We, reveal the reminder [that is the Word of God] and Lo! we verily are its guardian. (Muhammad Pickthall - Translation of the Quran).
Again in Surat Yunus 10:64:
There is no way to alter God’s Word.

It is very clear from these verses that Allah promised to guard His word. There is no way to alter it.

Now read the following words:

If God is immutable, unchangeable, and most certainly He is, then this principle must be applied to all His books. He cannot guard one of His books and leave the other to be tampered with. No one would trust a God who guards some of His Word and leaves some to be tampered with. The conclusion is, since the Bible is the Word of God, then it is guarded and kept pure throughout history by the power of God. We have no choice but to accept it as such without any dispute, and receive it as a solid foundation to prove the deity of Jesus Christ and that He is God’s Last Messenger.
Sixth: The Archaeological Proof
Page
  • Hits: 30767