Does the Qur’an replace the Bible?

The Qur’an is the holy book of Islam and is considered by Muslims to be the final revelation from God. It was revealed to the prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years, beginning in 610 AD. The Qur’an speaks highly of the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel as originally revealed to Moses, David, and Jesus. However, it also asserts that over time the original message in these earlier scriptures was corrupted or distorted. As a result, Muslims believe that the Qur’an represents the final, perfect, and uncorrupted word of God.

The Bible is the holy book of Christianity. It consists of the Old Testament (the Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament. Christians believe that the Bible, in its original manuscripts, is the inspired word of God and contains no errors or contradictions. They believe that the Old Testament points forward to Jesus as the Messiah, while the New Testament contains the life and teachings of Jesus along with the history and theology of the early Christian church.

When examining the relationship between the Qur’an and the Bible, there are a few key points to consider:

• The Qur’an speaks positively about the Bible and affirms several biblical prophets and stories. It confirms the virgin birth of Jesus, his miracles, and his second coming. However, it denies the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
• The Qur’an asserts that the Bible’s original message has been distorted or corrupted over time. As a result, when there are conflicts, the Qur’an’s teachings supersede the biblical text.
• Muslims believe Muhammad is prophesied in the Bible, while Christians do not accept this claim.
• While both texts share similarities in values, ethics, and stories, there are also significant theological differences, particularly regarding the nature of God, the doctrine of the Trinity, and the identity and work of Jesus Christ.

So in summary, while the Qur’an speaks highly of the Bible, it does not view the Bible as the final, authoritative, unchanged word of God. Only the Qur’an holds that distinction in Islamic theology. The Qur’an serves as the lens through which Muslims interpret the Bible. When the Bible aligns with the Qur’an’s teachings, it is affirmed. When there are discrepancies, the Qur’an supersedes the biblical text. Therefore, while the Qur’an does not completely reject or replace the Bible, it is considered the final and most important revelation from God in Islam.

The Qur’an’s View of the Bible

The Qur’an refers to the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel as previous revelations from God to prophets before Muhammad. For example:

• “He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” (Qur’an 3:3)
• “Say, “We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him.” (Qur’an 3:84)
• “We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].” (Qur’an 4:163)

These verses demonstrate that the Qur’an speaks positively about the previous scriptures and affirms the biblical prophets. The Qur’an even goes as far as to say that the Torah and the Gospel contain “guidance and light” (Qur’an 5:44) and encourages Christians to judge according to the Gospel (Qur’an 5:47).

However, the Qur’an also asserts that the biblical text became corrupted from its original form given by God:

• “Do you covet [the hope, O believers], that they would believe for you while a party of them used to hear the words of Allah and then distort the Torah after they had understood it while they were knowing?” (Qur’an 2:75)
• “Among the Jews are those who distort words from their [proper] usages and say, “We hear and disobey” and “Hear but be not heard” and “Ra’ina,” twisting their tongues and defaming the religion. And if they had said [instead], “We hear and obey” and “Wait for us [to understand],” it would have been better for them and more suitable. But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few.” (Qur’an 4:46)

As a result of the alleged corruption of the biblical texts, Muslims believe that when theological conflicts arise between the Bible and the Qur’an, the Qur’an’s teaching must be followed rather than the biblical text which is deemed to have been altered.

Key Differences Between the Qur’an and the Bible

While the Qur’an speaks positively about the Christian and Jewish scriptures, there are also some key theological differences between the Qur’an and the Bible:

• The nature of God – The Bible teaches that God is Triune, existing eternally in three persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Qur’an rejects this as polytheism and teaches that God is absolutely one (tawhid).
• Jesus – The Qur’an affirms the virgin birth of Jesus and recognizes him as the Messiah sent by God. However, it denies that Jesus is the divine Son of God or part of the Trinity. It also denies Jesus was crucified or resurrected.
• Salvation – In Christianity, salvation is attained by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. In Islam, salvation is attained through good works and obedience to the commandments of Allah.
• The afterlife – Both teach of a day of resurrection and judgment. But the Islamic conception of paradise is different from the biblical picture of heaven.
• Revelation – Christians believe Biblical revelation ended with the writings of the Apostles that comprise the New Testament canon. In Islam, the Qur’an supersedes all previous scriptures as the final revelation from God through the prophet Muhammad.

These theological differences result in conflicting doctrines between the two faiths. The Qur’an explicitly challenges historic Christian beliefs on Jesus’ divinity, crucifixion, and the nature of the Triune Godhead.

Muhammad in the Bible?

The Qur’an states that Muhammad is prophesied in both the Old and New Testaments:

• “Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel…” (Qur’an 7:157)
• “[Jesus said,] “O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” (Qur’an 61:6)

However, when examining the Bible, there is no explicit reference to Muhammad. Some Muslim scholars argue Deuteronomy 18:15-18 or John 14:16 refer to future prophets after Moses and Jesus and could include Muhammad. Yet, most biblical scholars do not find references to Muhammad in these texts.

Christians recognize Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit and the ongoing guidance of the Spirit to believers, but they do not see biblical evidence that a later prophet would supersede or contradict Jesus’ teachings or that biblical revelation would continue after the ministry of Christ and his apostles.

How Christians View the Relationship Between the Bible and Qur’an

Given the theological differences between the Bible and the Qur’an, Christians do not accept the Qur’an as divinely inspired or as an authoritative holy book:

• Christians see support within the Qur’an itself for the reliability of the Bible in its unaltered form (Qur’an 10:94, 2:136, 4:136, 5:68). The Qur’an affirms the inspiration of the Torah and the Gospel.
• The Bible contains over 5,700 ancient Greek New Testament manuscripts that enable scholars to have great confidence in the textual reliability of the biblical documents. This provides significant evidence for the Bible’s accuracy from the time of its writing.
• Christians see the continuity in revelation throughout the Bible and God’s unfolding plan of redemption culminated in the coming of Jesus Christ. The New Testament witness about Jesus is seen as the ultimate revelation of God’s truth and redemption. It fulfills Old Testament prophecies.
• Based on the significant differences between biblical and Islamic theology, Christians cannot accept Muhammad as a legitimate prophet of the same God, nor the Qur’an as divinely inspired. The Qur’an contradicts previous revelation and the historic Christian understanding of Jesus.
• Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are supported by extensive historical evidence and eyewitness testimony recorded soon after the events took place. This lends credibility to the New Testament accounts.

As a result, from the Christian perspective, the Bible maintains authority as the complete, unchanged, and final revelation from God for Christians. While Christians respect Muslims’ right to belief, they cannot accept the Qur’an as inspired or authoritative.

Conclusion

In summary, while the Qur’an speaks positively of the Christian and Jewish scriptures, it also asserts the Bible became corrupted over time and is superseded by the Qur’an. It does not view the Bible as the final, authoritative word of God. When theological conflicts arise between the two texts, Muslims adhere to the teachings of the Qur’an. Christians, in contrast, believe the Bible is the complete and unchanged word of God and find no credible evidence that the Qur’an could be added as new revelation. While Muslims and Christians share some common roots, the differences between their scriptures have significant theological implications.