I found it very useful when I found what the Qur’an has to say about the Bible. You will be surprised how many passages there are in the Qur’an that speak directly to Christians. Muhammad lived 600 years after Christ and Christianity had a very strong influence in Syria. Muhammad made many journeys into Syria as a merchant. While he was there, he was exposed to Christianity and the stories of the Bible. Sura 5:68 is probably the only verse in the Qur’an that I fully agree with.
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.
I have absolutely no problem with this verse because that is exactly where I stand in my doctrinal belief system. Everything I believe and practice comes from the Bible, the Word of God. That is where all who call themselves Christians should stand.
The expression “people of the book” is found many times in the Qur’an. The book it is talking about is the Bible. The people of the book are the Jews and the Christians.
The modern Muslim clerics tell us that Muslims cannot read the Bible because the Bible was corrupted. They tell us that the Jews corrupted the Old Testament and the Christians corrupted the New Testament. They tell us that this corruption is the reason Allah gave the Qur’an to Muhammad.
If this is true, why did Muhammad tell the Christians and Jews to stand fast upon all they had received from their Lord? Why would he tell us to stand upon a corrupt text? It just doesn’t make sense.
Muhammad never taught that the text of the Scriptures were corrupt. In Sura 3:78, he did say that there are some groups of Christians who corrupt the Word of God with their tongues. He never said that the text was corrupted. We still have people today who corrupt the Word of God with there tongues. They twist it and take things out of context to make it say what they want it to say.
This is important because if you want to get a Muslim saved, you must get them into the Word of God. The Word of God is where the truth is found.
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17)
Saving faith only comes through God’s Word.
The Qur’an says they make no difference between the Scriptures of the Qur’an, and the Scriptures that were given before.
Sura 2:136 – We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes, and that given to Moses, and Jesus, and that given to all the prophets from their Lord. We make no difference between one and another of them.
The Qur’an teaches that there is no difference between the Scriptures of the Bible and the Qur’an. It says they come from the same God, and in the eyes of Islam they are all equal.
The Qur’an teaches that the Bible is inspired of God.
Sura 21:7 – Before thee [speaking of Muhammad], also the messengers we sent were but men to whom we granted inspiration. If you realize this not, ask of those who possess the message.
If you don’t believe they were inspired, go ask those who have the message, the Jews and the Christians. They have been teaching that the book, the Bible, is inspired.
The Qur’an teaches that the words of the Bible are guarded from corruption.
Sura 15:9 – We have, without doubts, sent down the message, and we will assuredly guard it from corruption.
Sura 5:48 – To thee we sent the scripture, in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety.
These two verses tell us that the Scriptures that came before the Qur’an are guarded in safety. When the modern clerics teach that the Bible is corrupt, they are teaching something that is contrary to the Qur’an and the teachings of Muhammad.
When you show a Muslim that the Qur’an says the Bible is guarded from corruption, and that it is inspired of God it opens their eyes, This gives them confidence that it is permissible to read the Bible with us. Our goal is to get them to read the Gospel of John. We need to read it with them and answer their questions. We also need to get them to pray to the God of Abraham, and ask him to speak to them, and confirm in their hearts that the Bible is God’s Word. This will open their eyes and bring them to faith.
