Muslims openly deny the Bible. They claim that the Bible which we have in our possession today is no longer the authentic Word of God. And they boldly declare that the Bible has become corrupted. However, it may come as a surprise for Muslims to learn that by denying the Bible, they are actually taking a stand against Allah. According to the Qur’an, Muslims cannot reject the Bible and still be a Muslim. Allah commands Muslims to unconditionally believe in all the sacred Scriptures which he revealed to mankind. And the Qur’an acknowledges that the Bible is the primary Scripture inspired by Allah. And the commandment to believe in the Bible can still be found in the Qur’an today.
We will begin our discussion by pointing out two important facts. Fact Number One: The Qur’an acknowledges the Bible as the inspired Scripture of Allah. Fact Number Two:The Qur’an states unequivocally that the Scriptures of Allah cannot be corrupted by anyone. Neither will it become corrupted at any time in the future. When we consolidate these two facts together we learn an important truth. We learn that since the Bible is the inspired Scripture of Allah, it cannot become corrupted at any time. The Bible has to remain as the authentic Word of God for the Qur’an to be true. We will now provide the evidences. Muslims, if you are truly interested in your eternal salvation, then read this article carefully. We will begin with the following Qur’anic verses:
Surah 5:44: “Lo!We did reveal theTorah, wherein is guidance and a light.” (Pickthall)
Surah 4:163:“We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.” (Yusuf Ali)
Surah 5:46:“And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was revealed before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him theGospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was revealed before it in the Torah – a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off evil.” (Pickthall)
All the above Qur’anic verses prove that theTorah, the Psalms and the Gospel are the inspired Scriptures of Allah. Speaking of theTorah and the Gospel, the following Qur’anic verses testify that these Scriptures were given to“the followers of the Bible.” In other words, only in the Bible these revealed Scriptures of Allah can be found:
Surah 5:65-66: If the followers ofthe Bible would but attain to true faith and God-consciousness,…and if they would but truly observe the Torah and the Gospel andall theRevelation that has been bestowed from on high upon them by their Sustainer, they would indeed partake of all the blessings of heaven and earth. (Muhammad Asad)
Surah 5:68: Say: “O followers ofthe Bible! You have no valid ground for your beliefs -unless you truly observe the Torah and the Gospel, andall that has been bestowed from on high upon you by your Sustainer!” (Muhammad Asad)
The above Qur’anic verses emphasize that “the followers of the Bible”can attain salvation only if they “truly observe theTorah and the Gospel,and all that has been bestowed” upon them.Could these inspired Scriptures of Allah become corrupted? Would Allah allow that to happen? Before we look into the Qur’an for the answer, Muslims must not forget the fact that the Qur’an acknowledges the Bible as the inspired Word of Allah. Now listen to what Allah says in the Qur’an:
Surah 10:64: “None can change the Words of Allah. This is indeed the Supreme Triumph.” (Pickthall)
Surah 6:115: The Words of your Lord are perfect in truthfulness and justice. No one can change His Words. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (A. Bewley)
Surah 18:27:“And recite and teach what has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord; none can change His Words, and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him.” (Yusuf Ali)
In total violation to the teachings of their own sacred book, Muslims are taught to believe that some unknown Jews and Christians corrupted the Bible. Muslims must now choose between believing the lie that some Jews or Christians corrupted the“Words of Allah” and believing the truth in the Qur’an which states that the Bible cannot be corrupted. This is not a trivial matter since the salvation of the Muslims depends very much on making the right choice. We will now come to the main focus of our discussion. Can a Muslim reject the Bible and still remain a Muslim? What has Allah to say on this matter? According to the Qur’an, Muslims must unconditionally believe in all the revealed Books of Allah:
Surah 2:285:The Messengerbelieves in what has been sent down to him from His Lord,and so do the believers. Each believes in Allah and His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, we do not differentiate between any one of His Messengers. They say: ‘We hear and obey. (We ask) Your forgiveness Lord, and to you is the arrival’. (Qaribullah)
Therefore, for Muslims to worship Allah in an acceptable manner, it is compulsory for them to believe in all the Books of Allah. This is a precondition in the Qur’an that every individual Muslim must submit to in order to be a worshipper of Allah. This unwavering commitment is demanded from all those who claim to be Muslims. By stating“Books” (plural) and not“Book” (singular), the Qur’an confirms that Allah does not support the idea that his earlier Books had become obsolete through corruption. The concept of the Bible becoming a corrupted Book did not originate with Allah. It originated with desperate Muslims.
In the above Qur’anic verse, it is mandatory for faithful Muslims to say,“We hear and obey” in response to Allah’s commandment “to believe” in all his inspired Books. And this commandment is still the standing order of Allah in the Qur’an today. So how can Muslims today obey this commandment if they do not accept the Bible as the inspired Book of Allah? To deny the Bible is to deny the Books of Allah. Therefore, the rejection of the Bible by Muslims would without fail result in their denial of one of the fundamental requirements of Islam.
Muslims, who believe in the corruption of the Bible, are placing themselves in a very precarious position regarding their standing with Allah. By believing in the corruption of the Bible, Muslims are actually accusing Allah of commanding them “to believe” in something that he very well knows is no longer the authentic Word of God. Would not that make Allah an unjust and unreasonable deity? Therefore, to genuinely believe in the integrity of Allah, Muslims must believe in the Bible and accept it as the uncorrupted Word of God. In total agreement with Allah’s commandment in the Qur’an, the commitment to believe in all the previous Books of Allah is also stressed in the Hadith.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 300:
Narrated by Abu Huraira: One day while Allah’s Apostle was sitting with the people, a man came to him walking and said, “O Allah’s Apostle. What is Belief?” The Prophet said, “Belief is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the meeting with Him, and to believe in the Resurrection.”
Sahih Bukhari is recognized as the most authentic Hadith in the Muslim world. By their misguided belief that the Bible has become corrupted, Muslims have ensnared themselves. They have made it virtually impossible for them to obey a vital requirement of Allah – the requirement to put faith in the Holy Bible. Muslims have failed to realize the full implication of their action when they reject the Bible as the authentic Word of God. When they reject the Bible, they are in truth rejecting Allah.
Muslims realize that they are caught in a dilemma. How are they going to reconcile the clear commandment of Allah to believe in the Bible with their cherished idea that the Bible has become a corrupted Book? To circumvent their defenseless position, Muslims conjured up the most preposterous argument. They say: “Of course we believe in the Bible, but in the previously existing uncorrupted Bible.” Does their statement make any sense at all? Not only is their reasoning absolutely faulty but it is also in direct violation to the teachings of the Qur’an.
Since Muslims use this excuse frequently, it is necessary to deliberate on this matter a little further. In order to expose the absurdity of their claim, we will use an allegory that compares very closely to the irrationality of their argument. To illustrate:
Let’s sayAbdullah was an honest cop. But in time he became corrupted and turned bad. He turned bad long before the time you were even born. Therefore, during the entire course of your life, you only know him as a corrupted cop. Suppose you were asked to testify about Abdullah. Would it make sense for you to say, “Of course I believe(present tense) in him but in the honest cop he was before.”?
Try saying this in a court of law. We are living in the present moment. Therefore, any estimation of an individual must be contemporaneous with your current opinion of that person. This is especially true if you express your estimation in the present tense. It is either you presently“believe” in the integrity of that person or not. It is the same with your opinion of the Bible. Therefore, your declaration to Allah that you “believe” in the Scriptures of the Bible while in actual fact you do not is not only self-contradictory but also deceitful. You are not only lying to Allah but you are also calling him a liar since he has solemnly confirmed in the Qur’an that “none can change his Words.”
However, what is important for Muslims to realize is the fact that they do not have a say in this matter. Their opinion does not matter in the least. It is Allah who is commanding them today in the Qur’an to believe in all his revealed Books. Can Allah be wrong? Will Allah command Muslims to declare their belief in something that is no longer true? Of course not! Therefore, Muslims must faithfully submit to the will of Allah. As long as Surah 2:285 exists in the Qur’an, it is an irrefutable testimony by Allah that the Bible which we have in our possession today is the authentic Word of God. As long as this Qur’anic verse exists, Muslims everywhere must individually declare their belief in the Bible as the Word of God in order to remain a Muslim.
Let us now examine this issue from the perspective of another commandment that Allah gave to the Muslims:
Surah 3:84: Say, We believe in God and in what has been sent down to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes. We believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets fromtheir Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. It is to Him that we have surrendered ourselves. (W. Khan)
All Muslims agree that Allah communicates to them today through the Qur’an. Allah’s commandment for Muslims in Surah 3:84still exists in the Qur’an today. Read the above Qur’anic verse once again carefully. Allah is clearly telling Muslims today that just as it is vital for them to believe in the Qur’an, it is equally vital for them to“believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets from their Lord.”
This places the validity of the Scriptures that were given to the Jews and the Christians on par with the validity of the Qur’an. But more than that, it also proves to the enduring validity of these Scriptures even after the arrival of the Qur’an. In other words, the previously revealed Scriptures are equally and currently of value to the Muslims. For Surah 3:84to be true, the previous Scriptures must not only remain authentic but they must also be available to the Muslims today. So where can Muslims find these Scriptures of Allah today? The Scriptures that were given to the Jews and the Christians make up the contents of the Bible that we have in our possession today. It is only in the Bible that Allah has preserved these Scriptures. And it is only in the Bible that these Scriptures can be found.
Therefore, the Bible is vital for the salvation of the Muslims. It is important for Muslims to note that Allah’s commandment to believe in the Scriptures of the Bible is stated in the present tense. The fact that Allah could command Muslims even now to believe in the Scriptures of the Bible can only mean one thing. It means that the Bible is still valid. It is still trustworthy. And it has not turned bad through corruption. Without a doubt the Bible that we have in our possession today must truly be the authentic Word of God. Otherwise, it would mean that Allah is commanding Muslims to believe in something that has gone bad. Muslims must honestly ask themselves, how can they obey the commandment of Allah to believe in the Bible without personally accepting it as the authentic Word of God?
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER
All too often we hear Muslim apologists claiming that the requirement to believe in the previous Scriptures does not apply to the Bible of our day. They claim that it applies to the uncorrupted Scriptures which existed before but which no longer exists today. Some others say that the Bible contains some authentic words of Allah, but most of it is corrupted. When Muslim apologists make such baseless accusations against the Bible, they do not attack the Christians but Allah himself. Attacking God’s Word is an attack on God himself. Their claims are faulty for many reasons. We will review a few of these reasons that expose the absolute absurdity of their claims.
FIRSTLY: If what these Muslim apologists say is true, then the Qur’an becomes false. And Allah becomes a liar. It makes no sense at all for Allah to inspire verses in the Qur’an authorizing Muslims to proclaim their belief in the Bible if Muslims today can longer abide by this commandment. How can the Qur’an continue to command present-day Muslims to believe in the Scriptures which no longer exist today? How can the Qur’an continue to command present-day Muslims to believe in the Scriptures which have become corrupted? Are Muslims trying to ridicule Allah by claiming to believe in all his revealed Scriptures while in the same breath they deny his Scriptures?
If the previous Scriptures are truly lost, how can Muslims then honestly say that they believe in something which they do not have any knowledge of? Would not that be hypocritical? Also, if the Scriptures of the Bible have truly become corrupted, does not the insistence of Allah that Muslims believe in these Scriptures prove that he is ignorant of the fact that they are no longer authentic? Imagine, the Scriptures of Allah becoming corrupted without his knowledge. Either this is true or Allah is knowingly commanding Muslims to believe in Scriptures which have become corrupted. Muslims take your pick.
Till today, the entire world of Islam is unable to produce a single copy of the allegedly previously existing authentic Scriptures. Therefore, how can Muslims then submit to Allah’s command to “believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets” when not a single person has these Scriptures in his or her possession? What happened to these Scriptures? At the time when Allah inspired the Qur’anic verses commanding Muslims to believe in the Scriptures of the Bible, the Bible was already distributed throughout the civilized world. And it was already translated into numerous languages. How could these Bibles – every single copy of them – just disappear suddenly without a trace? How could these Bibles that Allah commanded Muslims to put faith in just vanish?
In order for Muslims to believe in Allah and the teachings of the Qur’an, the only choice left for them is to accept the Bible, which is in our possession today, as the original authentic Word of God. Either Muslims acknowledge this fact or they can disregard the sacred commandments of Allah in Surah 2:285 andSurah 3:84. In short, they can choose to leave Islam. Moreover, Allah commands Christians to judge by the Gospel:
Surah 5:47: Let the followers of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein, and those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are the transgressors. (Maududi)
The only Gospel that Christians recognize today as their sacred Scripture is the same Gospel that the Christians who livedbefore and during the time of Muhammad had in their possession. How do we know that? It is because we have ancient copies of the Bible in various museums whichpredate Muhammad that are identical to the Bibles we have today. The only possibility for the Bible to reach us identically as the predated copies is by maintaining its authenticity and remaining unchanged throughout all these intervening years. We can find manuscripts of the Bible written four to five hundred years before the time of Muhammad that are on public display in museums today. When comparing our modern Bibles with these ancient manuscripts, it can easily be substantiate that the Bible we have today is the authentic unchanged Word of God.
Without the Bible it will be impossible for Christians today to live by this commandment of Allah in Surah 5:47. The commandment in the Qur’an authorizing Christians to judge by the Gospel is still the standing order of Allah today. Can the Christians judge by the Gospel if it is no longer available or if it is no longer authentic? Can Allah insist that Christians judge by the Gospel if it has truly become corrupted? Think about this carefully: The instant the Bible becomes corrupted, at the very same instant Surah 5:47becomes obsolete. And it is not Allah who abrogated this Qur’anic verse but some unknown Jews or Christians who corrupted the Bible.
SECONDLY: As pointed out at the onset of this article, the Qur’an guarantees that “None can change the Words of Allah.” Allah personally guaranteed that all his Scriptures will be assigned his divine protection. So how can the former Scriptures become lost or corrupted as Muslims falsely claim? We will now consider another Qur’anic verse which verifies the divine protection of the former Scriptures. For the benefit of our Muslim readers – who are fed lies by their religious leaders – we have provided five different translations of this Qur’anic verse. We want sincere Muslims to understand the extent of Allah’s determination to preserve the integrity of the Bible. Allah told Muhammad:
Surah 5:48:Then We revealed the Book to you (O Muhammad!) with Truth,confirming whatever of the Book was revealed before and protecting and guarding over it. (Maududi)
And to you We have revealed the Book containing the truth,confirming the earlier revelations andpreserving them from change and corruption. (Ahmed Ali)
And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth,confirming whatever Scripture was before it and a watcher over it.(Pickthall)
And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what is before it of the Book and a guardian over it.” (Shakir)
To thee We sent the Scripture in truth,confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety.”(Yusuf Ali)
Although the above Qur’anic verse needs no explanation, we will still consider the meaning of this verse as clarified by the esteemed Muslim scholar, al-Baidhawi.
Tafsir al-Baidhawi:
Al-Baidhawiexplains that“watch over it”means, “The Qur’an is the protector of all the Sacred Books to preserve them from any kind of change.” – Qazi Nasiruddin Abusaeed Abudullah bin Umar al-Baidhawi (1300 A.D.) wrote a well known commentary on the Qur’an, originally called “Anwar-al-tunzeel” but now known as “Tafsir-e-Baidhawi”
Surah 5:48 tells us that the purpose of the Qur’an is not only to confirm the Bible as the authentic Scripture of Allah but also to “guard it in safety.”Not only is Allah personally determined to protect the Scriptures of the Bible, but he also assigned the Qur’an the same sacred duty “to preserve them from any kind of change.” Though it is not detailed exactly how the Qur’an achieves this, but we are nonetheless informed in no uncertain terms that the Qur’an was sent to stand as a “guardian” or“watcher” over the Bible. The Arabic word“Muhaimin” (Watcher)carries the meaning of as“one who safeguards” or“preserves.”
If the Bible was corruptedbefore the time of the Qur’an, why was the Qur’an sent down to protect a Book which has already become corrupted? Would not that be a foolish thing for Allah to do? Why would Allah assign the Qur’an to act as a guardian over corrupted Scriptures? Therefore, the only sensible choice left for Muslims is to accept the fact that the Bible has remained pure and authentic at the time when this Qur’anic verse was revealed. Otherwise,Surah 5:48 would be another obsolete text in the Qur’an.
However, if the corruption of the Bible were to take place afterthe time of the Qur’an’s revelation, then it means that the Qur’an has failed in its sacred duty to act as a protector of Allah’s Scriptures. This not only invalidates the authenticity of the Qur’an but also the credibility of Allah who inspired this Qur’anic verse. One error is one too many for a book claiming to be the Word of God.
So precisely when did the alleged corruption of the Bible take place? Can Muslims please enlighten us on this? They cannot do so without faulting the Qur’an. And they cannot do so without faulting Allah. Therefore, the Muslim argument of the alleged corruption of the Bible having occurred either before or after the Qur’an does not really trouble us in the least. Both are wrong. Any one of the claims – before orafter – makes Allah a liar and the Qur’an false. In their desperation to prove the Bible wrong, Muslim apologists are willing to blasphemously insult Allah and betray their Muslim brothers.
The solution for Muslims out of this dilemma is simple. Instead of insisting on their baseless claim of Bible corruption, Muslims will do well to ponder deeply on the teaching of the above Qur’anic verse. This verse gives Muslims an opportunity to comprehend the determination of Allah regarding the preservation of the Bible. For Allah to commission the Qur’an with the sacred duty to protect the Bible in such a determined way reveals the depth of his fortitude regarding the preservation of his previous Scriptures. Therefore, should any corruption of his former Scriptures really occur, it means that Allah was incapable of achieving his desired objective concerning the preservation of his Scriptures. Thus, if the claim of corruption is true, then the person or persons involved in the alleged corruption of Bible must be more powerful than Allah. Are Muslims willing to accept this?
Since the Qur’an was sent to serve as a “protector”and “guardian” of the Bible, the Muslim claim that the Bible was abrogated with the arrival of the Qur’an is a contradiction to the teachings of the Qur’an. If the Muslim claim is true, then there would be no need for the Qur’an to act as a “guardian” or“watcher” in such a determined way over the Scriptures that are to be done away with at its arrival. Muslims must remember that it is Allah who assigned the Qur’an with the sacred duty to act as a “protector” over his previous Scriptures. Thus, if the Bible is changed in any way, it means that the Qur’an has failed in its duty to protect the Bible. It also means Allah has failed to foresee the failure of the Qur’an. This would make both Allah and the Qur’an untrustworthy. The failure of the Qur’an means the failure of Allah.
THIRDLY: We will now deal with the Muslim claim that the Bible contains only partial truths in it. We will let Allah handle this matter.To those Muslims who say that the Bible contains only partial truths and not all of it is the authentic, Allah gives them the following warning:
Surah 2:85: “Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye rejects the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life? – And on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.”(Yusuf Ali)
What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the present life,and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned unto the most terrible of chastisement? And God is not heedless of the things you do.(Arberry)
Allah asks: “What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? The above Qur’anic verse was revealed as a warning to those who commit the grave error of accepting only some parts of Allah’s Book while rejecting the rest. It clearly states that the“most terrible of chastisement” is awaiting those who commit such error. So, those Muslims who cherry pick some parts of the Bible while denying the rest is forewarned of a terrible punishment by Allah. Most Muslims do not realize the seriousness of their action in not accepting the complete Bible as the Word of God.“The Book” or “Al-Kitab,”as it is known in Arabic, is literally what the term“Bible” means.
To avoid Allah’s wrath, it is absolutely crucial for Muslims to accept the complete Bible (Al-Kitab) as the Word of God. What authority do Muslims have to decide which verses to choose and which verses to reject from the Bible? Are they now standing in the place of God? Do Muslims have an “authentic Bible” to compare with the one that we have in our possession so as to know which parts of our Bible to accept or reject? Can you recognize a forgery without the existence of a single copy of the original to compare with?
WARNING OF ALLAH
Allah sends out a serious warning against the Muslims who deny the Bible:
Surah 4:136: O ye who believe!Believe in Allahand His Messenger and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before him. Any who deny Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.” (Yusuf Ali)
Believers!Believe in Allah and His Messenger and in the Book He has revealed to His Messenger,and in the Book He revealed before. Andwhoever disbelieves in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Messengers and in the Last Day,has indeed strayed far away.
The above Qur’anic verse clearly reveals that all true Muslims must believe“in the Book He revealed before” the time of Muhammad. It also says that “whoever disbelieves in His Books has indeed strayed far away.” Notice, it does not say “Book” but “Books.”Since no Books were revealed by Allah after the time of the Qur’an, this verse must then be referring to the Books that were revealed before the Qur’an. Only four“Books” are recognized by name in the Qur’an. They are the Torah, thePsalms, the Gospel and the Qur’an. Three out of the four “Books”mentioned here as the“Books” of Allah can only be found in the Bible. This means that if a Muslim were to believe only in the Qur’an but not in the Bible, he “has indeed strayed far away.” And according to Surah 2:85 a“grievous penalty” awaits those who deny the Bible. If you believe that the Qur’an is the eternal Word of Allah, then as a Muslim you are in no position to deny the Bible.
It would be simply impossible for Allah to warn you that if you“disbelieve in His Books,” you have“strayed far away” if his previous Books are no longer in existence. It would be simply impossible for Allah to warn you that if you“disbelieve in His Books,” you have“strayed far away” if his Books are corrupted? It would be simply impossible for Allah to warn you of a “grievous penalty” if you“disbelieve in His Books”if they are no longer the authentic Words of God.
Since the warning of Allah against those who deny his Books can still be found in the Qur’an today, this means that right now at this very moment there has to be preserved authentic Bible for you to deny. Otherwise, this warning will make no sense for the millions of Muslims who read this warning of Allah in the Qur’an today.
So there is no excuse for you as a Muslim not to submit to the teachings of the Bible. To claim that Allah allowed the corruption of all his other Books with the exception of the Qur’an will make a mockery of the teachings of the Qur’an. How can you accuse the Bible of corruption when the Qur’an speaks of it with such respect and reverence?
Before we conclude, there is an important truth that is extremely essential for us to clarify. This concerns the authorship of the Holy Bible. While the Qur’an claims that Allah revealed the Bible to mankind, we know for a certainty that Allah was neither the author nor the inspiration behind the Holy Bible. However, for the duration of this article we had to concur with this preposterous claim in the Qur’an. It was a necessary approach that had to be taken in order to prove to the Muslims that their own sacred book confirms the integrity of the Holy Bible. Having said this, it is absolutely necessary to acknowledge and clearly identify the true Author of the Holy Bible. Provided below is a profound verse in the Bible that clearly identifies the true Author of the Holy Bible.
Psalms 83:18:“May people know that you, whose name isJehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.”
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