Quran Issues: The Christian Scriptures

 

Overview

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It is commonly stated by Muslims that the revelations given to Jesus and communicated to his followers (often referred to as the Gospel or Injil) have been either corrupted or lost. However, the Quran (3:2-4, 3:45-51, 3:64-65, 5:46-47, 5:65-68, 5:109-111, 7:156-157, 9:111, 48:28-29 & 57:27) makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost. This means that there is a strong disconnect between what the Quran and modern Muslims say about the Gospel. According to the Quran, the Gospel given to Jesus is reliable and available. According to modern Muslims, the Gospel given to Jesus is either unreliable or unavailable. 

 

The Quran references the Gospel in the present tense and instructs the people during Muhammad’s lifetime to read and obey it. For instance, the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime are told to judge by (5:46-47) and uphold (5:65-68) the Gospel. These activities would be impossible if the Christians no longer possessed the Gospel (how can a person follow a revelation they no longer have) and illogical if the Gospel had been corrupted (why should a person follow a revelation that is no longer reliable). The Quran also states that it confirms the Gospel (3:2-4) and that descriptions of Muhammad (7:156-157) as well as the true believers of the past (48:28-29) can be found in the Gospel that is with the Christians and between their hands (4:47). The Quran (6:114-115) further says that none can alter or change God's words, which some Muslims believe applies to all of God's revelations and not just the Quran. It should be noted too that entire copies of the Christian Scriptures pre-date the Quran by three-hundred years, meaning that it's clear what the Christians had and were reading during the lifetime of Muhammad. 

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The Quranic belief in the inspiration, preservation and authority of the Christian Scriptures is problematic for Muslims and is typically referred to as the 'Islamic Dilemma'. If the Quran is true then the Christian Scriptures are also true because the Quran confirms the truthfulness of the Christian Scriptures. However, the Christian Scriptures contradict the Quran which means that the Quran is false. Alternatively, if the Christian Scriptures are false then the Quran is also false because the Quran confirms the truthfulness of the Christian Scriptures. Either way, the Quran is false. It is likely that Muhammad unwittingly confirmed the truthfulness of the Christian Scriptures (Gospel or Injil) for political reasons and to bolster his prophethood without realising that the Christian Scriptures conflict with his theological teachings, hence the 'Islamic Dilemma'. It is also likely that Muhammad mistakenly thought that the Gospel was a book given to Jesus from God rather than a collection of writings authored by the followers of Jesus. The early Christians often referred to the Four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) as the 'Gospel' in the singular. 

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The following is an outline of the ten occasions when the Gospel given to Jesus is mentioned by name in the Quran. Additional Quran passages are provided thereafter.  

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The Quran 3:2-4

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Quran 3:2-4 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 3:2-4, the revelations that have been sent down to Muhammad (the Quran) confirm what was sent down before in the Torah and the Gospel.

 

The Quran 3:2-4 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(2) God: there is no god but Him, the Ever Living, the Ever Watchful. (3) Step by step, He has sent the Scripture down to you [Prophet] with the Truth, confirming what went before: He sent down the Torah and the Gospel (4) earlier as a guide for people and He has sent down the distinction [between right and wrong]. Those who deny God’s revelations will suffer severe torment: God is almighty and capable of retribution.

 

The Quran 3:45-51

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Quran 3:45-51 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 3:45-51, God will teach Jesus the scripture and wisdom from the Torah and the Gospel.

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The Quran 3:45-51 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(45) The angels said, ‘Mary, God gives you news of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, who will be held in honour in this world and the next, who will be one of those brought near to God. (46) He will speak to people in his infancy and in his adulthood. He will be one of the righteous.’ (47) She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me?’ [The angel] said, ‘This is how God creates what He will: when He has ordained something, He only says, “Be”, and it is. (48) He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel, (49) He will send him as a messenger to the Children of Israel: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will make the shape of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it and, with God’s permission, it will become a real bird; I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead back to life with God’s permission; I will tell you what you may eat and what you may store up in your houses. There truly is a sign for you in this, if you are believers. (50) I have come to confirm the truth of the Torah which preceded me, and to make some things lawful to you which used to be forbidden. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. Be mindful of God, obey me: (51) God is my Lord and your Lord, so serve Him - that is a straight path.”’

 

The Quran 3:64-65

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Quran 3:64-65 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 3:64-65, the people of the book should not argue about Abraham since the Torah and the Gospels (plural) were not revealed until after Abraham’s lifetime.

 

The Quran 3:64-65 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(64) Say, ‘People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all: we worship God alone, we ascribe no partner to Him, and none of us takes others beside God as lords.’ If they turn away, say, ‘Witness our devotion to Him.’ (65) People of the Book, why do you argue about Abraham when the Torah and the Gospels were not revealed until after his time? Do you not understand?

 

The Quran 5:46-47

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Quran 5:46-47 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 5:46-47, the Gospel was given to Jesus and the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime should judge by it. The instruction to judge by the Gospel shows that the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime had the Gospel that was given to Jesus, for it would be impossible for them to judge by a revelation they no longer had and illogical for them to judge by a revelation that had been corrupted and would consequently cause them to judge incorrectly. Quran 5:46-47 therefore confirms the accessibility and reliability of the Gospel during the lifetime of Muhammad. 

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The Quran 5:46-47 (Abdul Haleem)

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(46) We sent Jesus, son of Mary, in their footsteps, to confirm the Torah that had been sent before him: We gave him the Gospel with guidance, light, and confirmation of the Torah already revealed - a guide and lesson for those who take heed of God. (47) So let the followers of the Gospel judge according to what God has sent down in it. Those who do not judge according to what God has revealed are lawbreakers.

 

The Quran 5:65-68

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Quran 5:65-68 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 5:65-68, the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime should uphold the Gospel. The instruction to uphold the Gospel shows that the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime had the Gospel that was given to Jesus, for it would be impossible for them to uphold a revelation they no longer had and illogical for them to uphold a revelation that had been corrupted and would consequently cause them to uphold beliefs and practices that are incorrect. Quran 5:65-68 therefore confirms the accessibility and reliability of the Gospel during the lifetime of Muhammad. 

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The Quran 5:65-68 (Abdul Haleem)

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(65) If only the People of the Book would believe and be mindful of God, We would take away their sins and bring them into the Gardens of Delight. (66) If they had upheld the Torah and the Gospel and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would have been given abundance from above and from below: some of them are on the right course, but many of them do evil. (67) Messenger, proclaim everything that has been sent down to you from your Lord - if you do not, then you will not have communicated His message - and God will protect you from people. God does not guide those who defy Him. (68) Say, ‘People of the Book, you have no true basis [for your religion] unless you uphold the Torah, the Gospel, and that which has been sent down to you from your Lord,’ but what has been sent down to you [Prophet] from your Lord is sure to increase many of them in their insolence and defiance: do not worry about those who defy [God].

 

The Quran 5:109-111

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Quran 5:109-111 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 5:109-111, God taught Jesus the scripture and wisdom from the Torah and the Gospel.

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The Quran 5:109-111 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(109) On the Day when God assembles all the messengers and asks, ‘What response did you receive?’ they will say, ‘We do not have that knowledge: You alone know things that cannot be seen.’ (110) Then God will say, ‘Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour to you and to your mother: how I strengthened you with the holy spirit, so that you spoke to people in your infancy and as a grown man; how I taught you the Scripture and wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel; how, by My leave, you fashioned the shape of a bird out of clay, breathed into it, and it became, by My leave, a bird; how, by My leave, you healed the blind person and the leper; how, by My leave, you brought the dead back to life; how I restrained the Children of Israel from [harming] you when you brought them clear signs, and those of them who disbelieved said, “This is clearly nothing but sorcery”; (111) and how I inspired the disciples to believe in Me and My messengers - they said, “We believe and bear witness that we devote ourselves [to God].”’

 

The Quran 7:156-157

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Quran 7:156-157 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 7:156-157, the Christians during Muhammad’s lifetime have the Gospel and can find Muhammad described within it.

 

The Quran 7:156-157 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(156) … God said, ‘I bring My punishment on whoever I will, but My mercy encompasses all things. I shall ordain My mercy for those who are conscious of God and pay the prescribed alms; who believe in Our Revelations; (157) who follow the Messenger - the unlettered prophet they find described in the Torah that is with them, and in the Gospel - who commands them to do right and forbids them to do wrong, who makes good things lawful to them and bad things unlawful, and relieves them of their burdens, and the iron collars that were on them. So it is those who believe him, honour and help him, and who follow the light which has been sent down with him, who will succeed.’

 

The Quran 9:111

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Quran 9:111 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 9:111, those who kill and are killed fighting for God will inherit the garden paradise that has been promised in the Torah, the Gospel and the Quran.

 

The Quran 9:111 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(111) God has purchased the persons and possessions of the believers in return for the Garden - they fight in God’s way: they kill and are killed - this is a true promise given by Him in the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. Who could be more faithful to his promise than God? So be happy with the bargain you have made: that is the supreme triumph.

 

The Quran 48:28-29

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Quran 48:28-29 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 48:28-29, true descriptions of the believers can be found (present tense) in the Torah and the Gospel. ​

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The Quran 48:28-29 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(28) It was He who sent His Messenger, with guidance and the religion of Truth, for him to show that it is above all [false] religion. God suffices as a witness: (29) Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Those who follow him are harsh towards the disbelievers and compassionate towards each other. You see them kneeling and prostrating, seeking God’s bounty and His good pleasure: on their faces they bear the marks of their prostrations. This is how they are pictured in the Torah and the Gospel: like a seed that puts forth its shoot, becomes strong, grows thick, and rises on its stem to the delight of its sowers. So God infuriates the disbelievers through them; God promises forgiveness and a great reward to those who believe and do righteous deeds.

 

The Quran 57:27

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Quran 57:27 makes no mention of the apparent corruption of the Gospel that was given to Jesus and neither does it say that the Gospel was lost.

 

According to Quran 57:27, God gave Jesus the Gospel and placed compassion and mercy into the hearts of Jesus’ followers.

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The Quran 57:27 (Abdul Haleem)

 

(27) We sent other messengers to follow in their footsteps. After those We sent Jesus, son of Mary: We gave him the Gospel and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers. But monasticism was something they invented - We did not ordain it for them - only to seek God’s pleasure, and even so, they did not observe it properly. So We gave a reward to those of them who believed, but many of them were lawbreakers.

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Additional Quran Passages

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The Quran 4:47 (Abdul Haleem)

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(47) People of the Book, believe in what We have sent down to confirm what you already have before We wipe out [your sense of] direction, turning you back, or reject you, as We rejected those who broke the Sabbath: God’s will is always done.

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The Quran 4:47 (Sahih International)

 

(47) O you who were given the Scripture, believe in what We have sent down [to Muhammad], confirming that which is with you, before We obliterate faces and turn them toward their backs or curse them as We cursed the sabbath-breakers. And ever is the decree of Allah accomplished.

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The Quran 6:114-115 (Abdul Haleem)

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(114) [Say], ‘Shall I seek any judge other than God, when it is He who has sent down for you [people] the Scripture, clearly explained?’ Those to whom We gave the Scripture know that this [Quran] is revealed by your Lord [Prophet] with the truth, so do not be one of those who doubt. (115) The word of your Lord is complete in its truth and justice. No one can change His words: He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.

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