The Qur’an testifies that the Bible is True and was not corrupted

Part 1

Farsi Bible

“Thy Word is Truth” John 17:17

کلام تو حقیقت است

(Farsi/Persian)

The picture is of the Bible in Farsi/Persian. کتاب مقدس = “Holy Book”

Now, the Bible is true on its own power and evidence; it does not need the Qur’an to “prove” it is true.

But, since it affirms both the OT and the NT – “The Gospel” as revelations from God, and since they were written long before the Qur’an, then the Qur’an at least demonstrates that the Bible is true and historically the previous Scriptures from the one true God of those same Scriptures. The verses we use from the Qur’an below are a good starting place to try to get Muslims to see that the Scriptures actually were not corrupted.

I recommend that you use the Bible a lot, especially the Gospels, in evangelism with Muslims, even though they will say that many parts of it are corrupt. Keep preaching and teaching the Word of God. But you can also use some verses from the Qur’an to demonstrate to Muslims that the Bible actually was never corrupted; at least Muhammad did not think so. It was only later that the Muslims had to come up with the doctrine that the Bible has been changed and corrupted. The is called “Tahreef” (تحریف) , which means “changed”, “corrupted”.

The Qur’an is not inspired or from God, but Muhammad thought he was getting revelations from God and he thought this was “completing all monotheistic religion”. Since it contradicts the gospel of grace and the truth of the Scriptures, we know that this was not really Gabriel who appeared to Muhammad. (Galatians 1:8-9)

I have interacted with many Muslims over the years on this issue. Recently this issue came up again when I was sharing the gospel with a Muslim.

Christians have rightly used Surah 10:94 to exhort Muslims to read the Gospel and ask the people of the previous Scriptures.

Surah 10:94 – “If you are in doubt as to what We have revealed unto you, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before you: the Truth has indeed come to you from your Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt.”

Arabic of Surah Yunis (Jonah) 10:94

فَإِن كُنتَ فِي شَكٍّ مِّمَّا أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ فَاسْأَلِ الَّذِينَ يَقْرَءُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكَ ۚ لَقَدْ جَاءَكَ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ

A Muslim friend recently rejected this, in discussion with him:

“Before I do so I would like to stress the Quran does in no way shape or form ask us to consider what you have today as 100% inspired.”

The key phrase in his statement is, “what you have today”. So ask the Muslim when he thinks the Bible was corrupted to get a better feel of where he is coming from. If he says “before Muhammad”, then he has a problem, because Muhammad affirmed the previous revelations from God. Since the Bibles we have today are essentially the same as the Bible manuscripts long before Muhammad came along; our Muslim friends are wrong.

Dr. James White has adequately shown in debates with Bart Ehrman and Shabir Ally and others that the honesty and openness we have about the history of the text and the textual variants do not affect any major doctrines and are a very small percentage and that is an issue of scribal errors, not affecting the doctrines of inspiration or inerrancy. I highly recommend Dr. James White’s DVDs and debates against liberal skeptics and agnostics/apostates like Bart Ehrman, John Shelby Spong, John Dominic Crossan, and the ACLU lawyer Barry Lynn; and also his debates against Muslims, especially the ones against Shabir Ally, a top Muslim apologist and debater; and all of his debates against Roman Catholics, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. (http://www.aomin.org – go to the store to order them.)

The Scriptures are essentially the same (textual variants about John 5:4, and Mark 16:9-20 and a few other minor passages do not affect any major doctrine of the Bible) as those long before Muhammad’s time, (many Manuscripts from 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th centuries – all before Muhammad; and “there is no changing of God’s word” (Qur’an 10:65; 6:116; 18:27; 6:34); and “ask the people reading the book before you” means both the Torat (OT) and the Injeel (NT); you are therefore wrong.

Furthermore, Mark 16:6-8 affirms the crucifixion, death, burial, and empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Some Muslims try to use the fact that in the most ancient manuscripts we have of Mark, we don’t have verses 9-20 of chapter 16, and then they try to discount the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Moreover, all of the other true teachings of Mark 16:9-20, Jesus’ death and resurrection, appearances to the disciples, the Great Commission, the ascension, are testified for us in Matthew, Luke, John, and Acts chapter 1.

Surah 10, Yunis (Jonah) was revealed in the Meccan period (610-621), Pickthall says in the last 4 years of the Meccan period before the Hegira. The Hegira is the “flight” or “immigration” from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD, fleeing from the pagan Quraysh tribe who had rejected his message of monotheism. (The Meaning of the Glorious Koran, Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall, p. 157)