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The Qur’an, From The Bible’s Point Of View

For the purpose of this study, the author assumes that there is significant religious purpose in the Qur’an and is studying it the same way he studies the Bible. After a year of research, this author is of the opinion that Islam was never meant to be a new religion. It was supposed to be a signpost pointing to Jesus. Unfortunately, these signs would not be obvious to Muslims since they have been buried by human interpretation. This author also has serious reservations concerning Islam.

This study looks at Islam and some of the claims of Muslims by examining the Qur’an. The Christian perspective is used because Islam was greatly influenced by the Christianity of that time. (In fact, Christians in the time of Muhammad, and even Christians today bear some responsibility for the way Islam developed.) Nevertheless, it will be shown that many Islamic claims are not supported in the Qur’an. This study demonstrates that the Bible remains the superior revelation and proposes a new way of understanding the Qur’an and Islam.

Muslim Claims

Muslims say their religion is the true way, the successor to Christianity and Judaism. They base this on several other “facts” and claims:

1. The Bible has been corrupted.
   
   1. If this is true, then Christianity and Judaism are incorrect, or illegitimate religions. Supposedly, this is one reason why Islam appeared. Islam was to correct the errors of these two religions. Jesus actually makes this claim impossible. Details
   
   2. The Qur’an actually supports the Bible so strongly there is no way the Bible could be corrupted. If the Bible was corrupted, the Qur’an would be lying. Details
   
   
2. The Qur’an came from God (Allah) through the angel Jibril (Gabriel?).
   
   Muslims say the Qur’an was the last revealed word from God, and as such takes precedence over all previous scripture. The differences between the Bible and the Qur’an and an examination of the source of Muhammad’s revelation demonstrates that the Qur’an is not the superior book. The Bible remains the superior revelation. Details
   
   
3. Ishmael was Abraham’s heir.
   
   1. As firstborn, Ishmael would be heir also to all the promises (blessings physical and spiritual) God gave to Abraham. If this is true, it would explain Islam as God’s way of “continuing” the promises and blessings to Abraham’s children (the Arabs). It would also mean Israel has no exclusive right to Palestine. This claim is not supported in the Qur’an. The Qur’an actually points to Isaac being the heir, not Ishmael. It would be unreasonable to think that God would ignore the children of Ishmael for 2600 years before sending Muhammad. Details
   
   2. The Qur’an never states that Ishmael received “a covenant”, although there is mention of a “house of prayer”. If this was the covenant, it does not compare with the one given to Isaac, Jacob and finally to Israel. Details
   
   3. The Qur’an shows a clear line of descent from Abraham to Jesus. God’s many blessings on this “line of prophets” show that His message culminated with Jesus and did not end with Muhammad. Details
   
   
4. Muhammad was the “last” prophet. (Surah 33:40)
   
   Muslims claim the Qur’an says Muhammad was the last prophet, bringing the true religion: Islam. There is another explanation for this verse, but it is not that Muhammad was the “last” prophet. Muhammad received the “Seal” of the prophets to serve the “function” of a prophet to the children of Ishmael when there were no prophets from Israel or Christianity. Details
   
   
5. The True Role of Muhammad & the Qur’an.
   
   Muhammad and the Qur’an did not supercede Jesus, Christianity or the Bible. They came to confirm the Bible message, to remind Christians (and Jews) that their faith had strayed. God sent Muhammad to preserve a portion of Ishmael’s children for the Last Days. Details

Related Articles

1. The Role Of Muhammad & The Qur’an
2. Holiness: Comparing The Bible & the Qur’an
3. The Uniqueness Of Jesus & Israel
4. A Common Error In Three Religions
5. Caution Concerning Angels: Part I, Part II
6. The Bible, The Qur’an & The “Trinity”
7. Reservations Concerning The Qur’an
8. Christian “Faith” & Its Effect On Islam.

The Qur’an Points To The Bible

The Qur’an has an extremely high regard for the prophets of the Bible and also for Jesus. It never says the Bible was corrupted. Over and over it tells how Jacob’s children (Israel), and even Jesus’ followers (Christians) failed to obey God. It warns against disobedience. The reader is encouraged to do good and reject evil. To submit to God’s will (to be a Muslim) is to follow what the prophets taught.

How does one follow the prophets’ teachings to obey God? The Qur’an does not make this clear. An example of this can be seen in the command that Muslims pray five times a day. The Qur’an does not say how one is to pray. In order to know how to pray, Muslims consult the Hadith and the Sunnah. These two books record Muhammad’s actions, life and sayings. Both of these books were written by men. They did not come from the angel. If a believer wants to hold only with what God revealed (rather than what men wrote), she or he must turn to the Bible.

Was Islam supposed to be a “new” religion? The various points above show that the Bible remains the superior revelation. The law, history, covenant, descriptions of God’s character, holiness, the deep spiritual teachings of Jesus, psalms, miracles, and prophecies are all in the Bible. The Qur’an refers to so much of the Bible it relies on the Bible’s authority. If we accept the Qur’an’s claim that it confirms the Bible, why would it lack the many details found in the Bible? This suggests it is simply a signpost pointing to the Bible. But if it is a signpost, the current form of Islam derived from it is easily misdirecting many people. If it isn’t a “signpost” for the Bible, this leaves many disturbing questions.

Afterword

We began with the hypothesis that the Qu’ran was an inspired book. We end with the conclusion that this is not the case. There are other web sites which do not begin with such a hypothesis. One might call them extremely “hard hitting.” They present the Qu’ran in a very negative light.