What does the Quran say about the Bible?
- 5:46, “And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”
- 3:3, “It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).” [The “Book” also includes the Bible in Surah 3:23.]
- 10:37, “This Qur’an is not such as can be produced by other than Allah. on the contrary it is a confirmation of (revelations) that went before it, and a fuller explanation of the Book – wherein there is no doubt – from the Lord of the worlds.”
Were the writers of the Bible inspired by God according to the Qur’an?
- 21:7, “Before thee, also, the apostles We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message.”
What does the Qur’an tell Christian to do with the Bible?
- 5:68, “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.’ It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith.”
What does the Qur’an tell the Muslim to do with the Bible?
- 29:45, “Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.” [“What is sent of the Book” includes the Bible (see 3:23).]
What must the Muslim do who doubts Revelation according to the Qur’an?
- 10:94, “If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt.” [The book “of those who have been reading the Book” is the Bible in Surah 10:37.]
Should Muslims reject the Bible today?
- 4:136, “O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messenger, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.”
Should Muslims place the Qur’an above the Bible?
- 2:136, “Say ye: ‘We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).’”
- 2:285, “The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. ‘We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His apostles.’ And they say: ‘We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.’”
The Breath of God 
Hi Scott,
Again, I thank you for this dialogue and seeking the truth.
If you want any explanation of the Quran in detail, you can go to this website, http://www.tafsir.com, which is a trusted source and look up any verse. For the verse, 3:23 that you are asking about, here is the verse and the explanation:
Verse:
Have you not seen those who have been given a portion of the Scripture. They are being invited to the Book of Allah to settle their dispute, then a party of them turned away, and they are averse.
Explanation:
Allah criticizes the Jews and Christians who claim to follow their Books, the Tawrah and the Injil, because when they are called to refer to these Books where Allah commanded them to follow Muhammad , they turn away with aversion. This censure and criticism from Allah was all because of their defiance and rejection.
Note: Injil means gospel. There are passages in the old and new testament of the prophecy of the coming of Muhammad (peace be upon him)
As for the rest of your post, I would like to state that I am not here to argue. I have already stated my facts in my previous post and my purpose here is to correct the mistake of 1) the actual insertion [the Bible] and 2) to show you that Muslims consider it scandalous or a grave error to even think to interpret the Quran by our own will any way we wish. If everyone did that, we would could have thousands of different interpretations by unqualified people who are not well learned in the Quranand volumes of hadith, all the Islamic sciences and original Arabic language, its grammar structures and eloquence rules or any of the other qualifications that’s needed to interpret the Quran.
It’s like taking anyone off the street and letting them practice surgery on you. Would you trust me with your life in a situation like that? Then if your life is important, I’m sure you would agree that your faith is even more important.
I will not take any quotes from the Bible because there is overwhelming evidence that the Bible is not in it’s original form (it’s not even in it’s original language to begin with) and has been altered with additions, subtractions and changes so it’s not the word of God in totality, although, there are remnants of God’s word in it.
But let me ask you this, What if I am right and the Bible is not the word of God in totality? Are you going to base your entire faith, which is the most important thing in this life and the hereafter, to following the word of MAN? Or, would you follow a scripture that is proven without a shadow of a doubt that is the word of God and has been preserved?
You don’t have to take my word for it. All the research is out there by Christians and Muslims alike. You owe it to yourself to find the truth and if you are sincere in your prayers to ask for the truth, God will surely show you.
Still what is the Book of the People of the Book? Why are there 2 different books in 3:23, “Hast thou not turned Thy vision to those who have been given a portion of the Book? They are invited to the Book of Allah, to settle their dispute, but a party of them Turn back and decline (The arbitration).”? Show me in each of these passages how the reference is to the Qur’an. Why does 10:37 claim to be a confirmation and an explanation of another Book? What is it? Again, you must believe that there was another book before the Bible. If the bible is God’s Word, why would He allow His revelation in the Bible to be corrupted and not the revelation of the Qur’an?
If I added the commentary in brackets “[The Bible]” to the English translation of the Qur’an, which is really not the Qur’an, then why does it matter? I did not add this hence the brackets. I do this with greater respect and reverence for the Christian Scriptures to avoid presenting much time lecturing on context. Everyone has the right to challenge my understanding by the context. If I’ve offended you then please forgive me, but you given me little to reconsider a retraction.
I don’t care what “Christian scholars” that you appeal to. The Bible tells of many false teachers. Before the Qur’an, there was the Bible. For evidence, see Codex Alexandrinus that agrees with the Byzantine generations of Scriptures add to this the agreeing Textus Receptus. Whatever Scholars that you are referring to are not scholars at all when they ignore 20,550+ manuscripts confirming the Scriptures. Add to this that anyone reading the Scriptures and familiar with the early church fathers knows that the Bible is in pristine order. I could as well bring to your remembrance of other “Scholars” who would say worse about the Qur’an. There’s not an ounce of factual evidence that the bible have been corrupted especially when I can use the 5th century copy that agrees with the 16th century. Friend, you are ignorant of the Bible, Jesus, and His Apostles. What manuscript evidence is there for the Qur’an? How do you know that it has not been corrupted?
Lastly, Jesus said that His words would judge the world (John 12:47, 48). He said that He would be ashamed of those on judgment day who are ashamed of His words (Luke 9:27). He said that his words are spirit and life (John 6:63). He said that His words would never pass away (Matt. 24:35). He said that He gave these words to His Apostles (John 17:8) and would give more by the Spirit (John 16:12-13). He told us to observe all things (Matt. 28:20). Who was the greater prophet and apostle: Jesus or Muhammad? Why would Jesus’ words cease to exist? Why should I trust “Christian scholars” and believers of Muhammad over Jesus who said His words would never pass away? Friend, how bold are you to consider the words of Jesus first who came first and then Muhammad’s? If you did, you’d agree with us in not recognizing the Qur’an.
Just wanted to clarify something in my post,
“…the Quran is the ONLY scripture on earth that is preserved [IN TOTALITY]as the word of God.”
I’d like to address your query in your second paragraph. Again, it is very simple so I hope to clear up the confusion.
Q: “How does 21:7 exclude the apostles of Jesus?”
A: When looking at the Arabic words used here, the explanation from other verses and hadith about this verse, the context of the text of this verse and the fact that this chapter 21 is called “The Prophets”, it is a fact that this verse speaks about the messengers that came before. We believe in all of the messengers and prophets like Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad etc.
Q. What is “the scripture which He sent to those before” 4:136?
Are you saying that the Quran is referring to the inspired writings of Jesus, but not to the Bible?Are you saying that reference to the Christians as “People of the Book” is referring to another book than the Bible?
What was the true book that Christians had in time of Muhammad?
What was Jesus’ Gospel then?
Where did it go?
Does the Quran ignore that Christians followed the New Testament as is confirmed by the existence of the Old Latin and, or the Greek Byzantine New Testament allied with Codex Alexandrinus?
What about 4 centuries of church fathers quoting from the New Testament? What was the Book of the “People of the Book”?
What book is the Quran a confirmation and a fuller explanation of (10:37)? I could go on and on.
What other book is there?
A: Sounds like there is a lot of confusion in your questions. In order to be a Muslim (one who submits entirely to worshipping the One God alone without any partners in peace), we must believe in all of the scriptures listed here in their ORIGINAL form:
-“sheets” of scripture given to Abraham (peace be upon him)
-Torah
-Psalms
-Gospel
-Quran
The key word here is the “original” form. All of these in their original forms had the same message to believe in one God and not associate partners with Him. It is a known fact that all of these except the Quran have been either lost or altered.
In fact, it is proven and admitted by Christian scholars that there is not even a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of the ORIGINAL gospel in our present day (where it is proven that we have the exact original copy of the Quran). It is also well known and admitted by Christian scholars that people have inserted words or changed meanings of the gospel and therefore we as Muslims, cannot follow something that has been altered. (For proof on this, you can watch this short video for a glimpse of what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3anSlKeZO8) And so, because as Muslims, we take it as a grave sin to alter, even one letter or one vowel sound of the word of God, we are left to only follow what we know 100% sure what is preserved and the Quran is the ONLY scripture on earth that is preserved as the word of God.
I hope that clears up some of the confusion. I thank you for asking these questions and seeking the truth sincerely objectively and if you need more information, feel free to contact me.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your response. The answer is simple and it lies in the original Arabic language of the text you are quoting.
Ahlul Kitab = People of the Book
This is a proper noun. In the Arabic language when the two words are merged, they go together and cannot be separated.
kitab= book (literally); or proper noun for another name of the Quran
injeel = gospel (bible)
In the Quran, when the word kitab is mentioned, it is referring to the proper noun. In other words, it’s another name for Quran, as there are many names of the Quran. This is common knowledge to Muslims and is a well known, widespread fact as you can see in this reference: http://www.islamicity.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2320. The bible is referred to in the Quran as the injeel (gospel).
With this piece of information, your argument of the insertion [the Bible] cannot be true. In fact, this is the first time that I’ve ever come across someone inserting that into the translation. If you look at the first page of any translation of a Quran, it should state that in no way do Muslims view the translation to be the Quran. The only Quran that is the word of God is preserved in it’s original language, Arabic (because of course, meanings are lost through any translation).
We believe that it is a grave sin to add, subtract or change anything from the Quran, even if it is one vowel sound and this is why the Quran is the ONLY preserved scripture on earth today. In fact, millions of people have memorized the entire Quran from cover to cover so if anyone did insert things like [the Bible] into a passage, it would be detected by millions immediately.
May I ask who inserted [the Bible] into these passages and with what authority?
I appreciate your kindness and that you addressed these passages from the Quran. Thank you for showing the “kitab” refers to the Quran too as is presented in 3:23. Now, is not “kitab” the word of the Book of “the People of the Book (‘kitab’)” [Christians] in 3:23 (also v20)? What book is this? For this, I have edited this post for clarity.
I must ask. How does 21:7 exclude the apostles of Jesus? What is “the scripture which He sent to those before” 4:136? Friend, let me understand the summary of your thoughts here. Are you saying that the Quran is referring to the inspired writings of Jesus, but not to the Bible? It sounds like you are. Are you saying that reference to the Christians as “People of the Book” is referring to another book than the Bible? Again, it sounds like you are. What was the true book that Christians had in time of Muhammad? What was Jesus’ Gospel then? Where did it go? Does the Quran ignore that Christians followed the New Testament as is confirmed by the existence of the Old Latin and, or the Greek Byzantine New Testament allied with Codex Alexandrinus? What about 4 centuries of church fathers quoting from the New Testament? What was the Book of the “People of the Book”? What book is the Quran a confirmation and a fuller explanation of (10:37)? I could go on and on. What other book is there?
For Christians, the Quran reflects back upon the Bible with these words. For which the Bible says, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8-9). We see clear contrary teaching from the Quran, which tells us to “stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord” (5:68). That is why these verses are the most important passages of the Koran.
Thanks for this post. I appreciate you including Quranic verses. I am happy that you are including some of the verses that pertain to the People of the Book on your blog. I would like to clarify a few of the verses that you stated because some words in parenthesis have been added to these verses that are not correct. I hope that you can do some further research to see that what I am posting below are well-known facts taken from the original Arabic lanague as well as explanations of the Quran:
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Your quote:
Were the Writers of the Bible Inspired?
21:7, “Before thee, also, the apostles We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message.”
My response:
It is very clear from the Arabic language and looking at the verses in context before and after that the correct word you translated “apostles” is not refering at all to the Bible and the apostles of Jesus (peace be upon him). It is very clear that the verse here is referring to messengers that were sent in the past (and Muslims believe in all the messengers of God). The Bible is not even mentioned or referred to in this verse or any verses before or after in context to this verse.
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Your quote:
3:3, “It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book [the Bible], confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).”
My response:
Again, here the words [the Bible] has been inserted into this verse when it is very well known that Allah uses the word “kitab” or book to refer to the Quran. Kitab is another word for the Quran as there are many words used to mean the Quran and this is very well known amongst Muslim scholars. I am not sure how you got the insertion [the Bible] but that is incorrect. However, the part of the verse that you have correct is “and the Gospel (of Jesus)”, where the Arabic word used here is “injeel” translated to English would be “gospel”.
The same error is displayed her for 35:31 and 29:45, 10:94.
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Your quote:
Should Muslims Reject the Bible Today?
4:136, “O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messenger., and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.”
My response:
This verse (especially when viewed in context) has no mention of the Bible or Christians. Messenger here is referring to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). As Muslims, we must believe in all of the original books/scriptures that Allah (one God) has sent to mankind and the *original* form of the Bible is included here, which would be different from the present day Bible.
This leads to my comment for your next section, “Should Muslims Place the Koran above the Bible?”. Muslims believe in all of the prophets and messengers of God, Allah, because they all came with the same message and so we also believe in His original scriptures He revealed. The only scripture left on the earth that is in its original form is the Quran.
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I hope this clarification has helped. I thank you for posting this information. If you need more proof or references for my response, feel free to contact me at info@greekmuslims.com or from our blog, http://www.greekmuslims.com.
I couldn’t help to notice the title of this post, “The Most Important Verses from the Koran”. I would have to disagree. One of the most important verse from the Quran relating to the People of the Book (Christiands and Jews) would be:
“People of the Book, do not exaggerate your religion. Do not say about Allah except the truth. Indeed, the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a Messenger (and Prophet) of Allah, and His Word (Be) which He gave to Mary, and a (created) spirit by Him. So believe in Allah and His Messengers and do not say: ‘Trinity.’ Refrain, it is better for you. Allah is only One God. Exaltations to Him that He should have son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth, it is sufficient that Allah is the Guardian.” (Qur’an 4:171)