The Bible and the Qur'an The scholars of divinity and the writers on the history of religion usually discuss their subject under the heading of religions. For example, they talk of Prophet Abraham's religion, as the Jewish religion, the religion of Jesus, as the Christian religion, and the religion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon the all) as the religion of Islam. They regard every Prophet to whom a code of law was revealed as the founder of a separate religion.
But the Holy Qur'an has its own terminology and its own style. From its point of view there has been only one Divine religion from the beginning to the end. All Prophets irrespective of the fact whether they had or had not an independent code of law, had the same mission and preached the same message. Their basic principles called religion were the same. Their teachings differed only in rules and subsidiary matters of secondary importance which varied according to the requirements of the time, the peculiarities of the environment and the characteristics of the people whom these Prophets addressed. But in spite of the difference in the form of their teachings, all Prophets visualized one single goal. Apart from the difference of form, there was also a level in their teachings. The Prophets who came later, their teachings were of a higher level in keeping with the stage of the human development. For example, there is a vast difference in the level of the teachings of Islam and those of the earlier Prophets in respect of the genesis of man, the Hereafter and the conception of the world. In other words man vis-a-vis the teachings of the Prophets is like a student who is brought up step by step from class I to the highest class. This process signifies the development of religion, not the difference of religions. The Holy Qur'an has nowhere used the word religion in a plural form. From the point of view of the Holy Qur'an, there has always existed one Divine religion, not different religions. There exists one big difference between the Prophets and the great philosophers and other outstanding social leaders. Each eminent philosopher has had his own school. That is why so many schools of philosophy have always existed in the world. In contrast, the Prophets have always corroborated and never contradicted each other. Had any one of the Prophets lived in the time and environment of another Prophet, he would have preached the rules of law and conduct similar to those preached by the latter. The Holy Qur'an declares expressly that all Prophets form one single series. The earlier Prophets foretold about the later ones, and the latter Prophets acknowledged the earlier ones. The Holy Qur'a'n also says that Allah made a covenant with the Prophets to the effect that they would believe in each other and help each other. It says: "When GOD made the covenant with the Prophets, He said. 'Here are the Scripture and the wisdom which I have given you. Later a Prophet will come to you confirming what you possess. You shall believe in Him and you shall help him. He then said: 'Do you agree to this and take the responsibility I placed on you?' They answered: 'We agree. He said: 'Then bear witness and I will bear witness with you." (Surah Ale Imran, 3:81) Let us reiterate that God sent His guidance to all nations and all peoples through His chosen messengers (10:47). His Message finally was perfected through His last Messenger, Muhammad, the exalted (33:40). The Message has been meticulously preserved in the form of Al-Qur'an for all places, times and peoples forever (5:3, 34:28, 62:3). The Qur'an calls the Final Messenger Muhammad, "the best in conduct," (68:4) "the best role model for people," (33:21) and the "Mercy for the Worlds" (21:107). O People of the Book! Why do you deny the truth of God’s Messages to which you yourselves bear witness? (Wasn’t the Scripture revealed to you? And it foretells the advent of this Prophet). (Qur'an 3:70) [All this, the advent of Prophet Muhammad from the Ishmaelite descendants of Abraham has been foretold in the Bible. Genesis 21:13-18. Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7. Historically, the Gospel of Saint Barnabas, which was accepted and widely read in the churches, had ‘Muhammad’ in the exact Arabic form. But Pope Gelasius banned that Gospel in 496 C.E., probably because of finding the Arabic term distasteful. It was only in the 16th century C.E. when the Italian translation of Barnabas was discovered in Vienna, Austria. Obviously translations can never be as reliable as the original text.] 3:183 It is they (the Children of Israel) who assert, "Behold, God has taken a promise from us that we shall not believe in any Messenger unless he ordains for us a burnt offering." (Animal sacrifice that a fire from the Heavens would consume). Say, "Messengers before me came to you with clear Revelations, and, according to you, ordained that. Why, then, did you slay them, if you are truthful in your assertions?" (I Thessalonians ii, 15 / Matthew xxiii, 37) 3:184 Now, if they deny you (O Messenger), so were denied Messengers before you when they came with clear evidence of the Truth, and with books of Divine Wisdom, and the Light giving Revelation. 3:187 And behold, GOD accepted a solemn pledge from those who had received the Scripture, "Make it clearly known to people, and never conceal it!" But they flung it behind their backs, and traded it away for a little gain. Then, how evil was the bargain they made! (2:16) O People of the Scripture! Our Messenger has come to you, to make the Truth clear, after an interval without Messengers. Lest you say, “No Messenger came to us to give good news and to warn.” Now has come to you the giver of glad tiding and warning. Behold, GOD has Power over all things and events. (Qur'an 5:19) O People of the Book! Now has come to you Our Messenger, to make clear to you much of what you have been concealing from yourselves and others. He ignores much of the irrelevant accounts and pardons much of your misdeeds. Now has come to you from GOD a Beacon of Light and a Clear Book. (Qur'an 5:15) Say, “Would you worship in place of GOD that which possesses no power of harm or benefit to you?” GOD it is Who is the Hearer, the Knower. (Qur'an 5:76) Say, “O People of the Book! Do not overstep the bounds of Truth in your religious beliefs. And do not follow the errant views of people who have gone astray long before, and led a great many others astray, and those who are still straying from the Even Way. (Qur'an 5:77) Say, “O People of the Book! Let us come to a mutual agreement, that we shall serve none but God. That neither shall we ascribe divinity to anyone beside Him, nor shall we take others for our lords beside God.” And if they turn away, then say, “Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him.” (Qur'an 3:64) O People of the Book! How come you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Do you not use your intelligence? (Qur'an 3:65) You argued in matters of which you had knowledge (with Moses and about Jesus); why dispute in matters that you know nothing about? Indeed GOD knows and you don't. (Qur'an 3:66) Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was an upright man who had surrendered to GOD. He never ascribed divinity to anyone beside One True God. (Qur'an 3:67) They say, "Be Jews or Christians, then you will be on the lighted road." Say, "Nay, ours is the Creed of Abraham, the upright. He turned away from all that is false, and he was not an idolater in any sense." (Qur'an 2:135) [And he was neither a Jew nor a Christian (3:67). Do you claim that Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribal Israelite Prophets were ‘Jews’ or ‘Christians’? Say, “Do you know better, or does GOD?” And who could be more unjust than he who conceals a testimony that he has from GOD? But GOD is not unaware of what you do. (Qur'an 2:140) [Amazingly, the Qur’an is alluding to a historical fact that was unanimously accepted from research done centuries later! Scholars of the Bible know that the concept of ‘Jewry’ came into being long after the Patriarchs and after Moses. Likewise, the concept of ‘Christianity’ was unknown during the life of Jesus.] O People of the Book! Why do you cloak the Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth that you are so well aware of? (Qur'an 3:71) 3:98 Say, “O People of the Book! Why do you deny GOD's Messages when GOD Himself is Witness to all that you do (including this denial of yours)?” (Qur'an 3:98) Will they not rather turn to GOD and seek His forgiveness? For GOD is Forgiving, Merciful. (Qur'an 5:74) And surely they disbelieve who say that God is one of three in a Trinity when there is no god whatever but the One God. Unless they desist from saying what they say, grievous suffering is bound to befall such of them as are bent upon denying the Truth. (Qur'an 5:73) The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a Messenger, like other Messengers before him who passed on. And his mother was a woman of truth. Both of them were human beings who had to eat food (like all other mortals). See how clearly We explain Our verses for them and note how they keep wandering in thought! (Qur'an 5:75) The Book: The Message of God revealed to prophets through the angels is called a Book. The Divine Message that was conveyed through a chain of prophets like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus, took its final form in the Qur'an. Therefore, the Qur'an is the Final Commandment, THE BOOK. It is for all times and for all nations. Moreover, the Qur'an is the most authentic Scripture in all history. Numerous scholars from all religions agree that the Qur'an is word for word, letter for letter, the same unchanged, unaltered Message as revealed to and preached by Messenger Muhammad, (pbuh). More than one and a quarter billion people in the world today believe in the Qur'an as the Final Word of GOD. The 21st century will prove to be the dawn of an era where all humanity will see what the 20% of it is seeing today. Moreover, Muslims will come to break the chains of false traditions, blind following, stagnant cultures and empty rituals. They will disown and discard the number two Islam Contrary to the Bible, the Qur'an declares that all messengers were men of life upright. They did not commit sins, nor did they violate Divine Values. Therefore, unlike in the Bible: Noah never drank alcohol, nor did his daughters made him commit sin with them. David did not fall for the beauty of his neighbor's wife. Nor did Solomon lean toward worshiping his wives' idols. Jacob did not deceive his old father Isaac. Nor did he have a wrestling match with God. Lot's daughters did not make him drunk nor did they lead him to sin. And Abraham did not tell any lies. Moses did not kill the Coptic intentionally, nor did he strike him in bias. And Jesus never rebuked his mother. Nor was he rude to his people. [Moment of reflection: If these great messengers faltered in character, who, then, would be the role model of character for us? And how could we expect virtue among their followers and people in general?] Further, God did not repent on creating such human beings. He never gets tired to need a day of rest. No sleep or slumber overcomes Him. He is not an angry, jealous, vengeful God. He favors no peoples or nations. His Laws support those who live by them. (2:255) Let's see what some great intellectuals have said about Islam, the Bible, and the Holy Qur'an Our civilization is standing at dangerous crossroads. The Bible cannot provide workable foundations for the survival of mankind. (Lord Snell, The New World.) For the redemption of humanity we will have to look toward the owner [Mohammad] of the Qur'an not toward Christianity. (Lewis Mumford, Faith for Living.) The Bible cannot lead us to an international religion, nor can it unify all mankind. (Ehrich Fromm, The Sane Society.) The teachings of Islam can fail under no circumstances. No human mind can go beyond the Qur'an. (Johann Goethe - Letters to Eckermann, Sir Henry Elliott’s Collection) 2. The code of permanent values can only come through Revelation to chosen personalities (messengers) of God. (Albert Einstein 1879-1955 - Out of My Later Days) The word of Mohammad is a voice, direct from nature's own heart . . . all else is wind in comparison. (Thomas Carlyle - On Heroes and Hero Worship) If the society is not conducive to the growth of human personality, people would remain slaves even if such a society were perceived to be free. (Nicholes Berdyeau - Destiny of Man) For the development of SELF I need a society where others' benefit feels like my own. (Hastings Rashdall - Theory of Good and Evil) The development of the human personality [NAFS] can take place only collectively with other members of the society. (Robert Briffault - The Making of Humanity) The purpose of life is the development of humanity in a collective social order. (Prof A.N. Whitehead, British author teaching at Harvard in 1920s - Adventure of Ideas) Development of the self [self-actualization] can take place only in an equitable social system. (Robert Briffault, The Making of Humanity) International order for all mankind is the time's foremost demand. (John Reves - Politics in Future) The world needs not only for its development but also for its very survival a universal "way of life" in which economic, social, and moral values are uniform for all. (Frederick Hertz - Nationality, History and Politics) The purpose of life is development of the person and thereby, of all humanity en mass. (Prof A. N. Whitehead - Adventure of Ideas) The real progress entails development of an international social order in which every individual can grow to one’s full potential. (Hastings Rashdall - The Theory of Good and Evil) Islam offers a beautiful collective system which says Yes to Life. (Nicholes Berdyeau - The Divine and the Human) A complete way of life which would be universal is neither present in human instinct nor can we devise it through intellect. It can only come through Revelation. (Prof Alfred Cobban - The Crisis of Civilization) We need a religion that can transcend nationalism and make the world one Nation. (Robert Murray - The Individual and the State) Only Islam can transcend the boundaries of nationalism. (Arnold Toynbee, The World and the West) In order to make true progress, man must exercise his free will in accordance with the Divine guidance. Man must do this, not to put God under any obligation, but for the evolution of his own SELF. (British astronomer, Sir Arthur S. Eddington 1882-1944 - Science and the Unseen World) The time for nations has already passed. The era of mankind as one community is about to dawn. (W. Chardin - Building of the Earth) 19. The solution to humanity's problems lies not in internationalism. It rests in the Qur'anic teaching of universal brotherhood of all men. (Neveres Emery - The Anatomy of Peace) The world will shortly see a single government without borders in which the affairs of human beings will be a matter of counsel. (Gummer Murdael - Beyond the Welfare State) No tangible forces, no intangible powers, can stop Islam from becoming the universal faith. This is because only Islam can march along with the evolution of human civilization. (German born, American psychoanalyst, 1900-1980, Erich Fromm - The Sane Society) It is the sacred duty of our civilization that we revive the true human brotherhood which existed at the beginning of life and after which people divided. (Professor Hugh Miller - Country and State) The ideal society will be one where the wellness of others will feel like my own wellness. (German philosopher, Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 - Critique of Practical Reason) The teachings of Islam can fail under no circumstances. With all our systems of culture and civilization, we cannot go beyond Islam and, as a matter of fact, no human mind can go beyond the Qur'an. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the celebrated German poet and thinker, in his letters to J. Eckermann and Sir Henry Elliot)) In fact, Islam is so scientific that the noted Russian thinker, P.D. Ouspensky, stated that any science that collides with the Qur'an will turn out to be false. (Tertium organum) Sometimes people wonder if Islam has run its course. The bullet has been fired. What remains is just the empty barrel. This is a dangerously false assumption. Dangerous because it deprives humanity of the only hope it has. An examination of history bears out the fact that Islam has not failed, most Muslim countries have. And the Muslim countries have failed because they abandoned the Qur'an in favor of man-made books written centuries later! The moment they return to the Book, the Muslims will attain their lost glory. Or, whichever nation for that matter, embraces the Qur'an will establish the ideal state on the planet. Let us recall what George Bernard Shaw had said, "Mohammad, the wonderful man - in my opinion he must be called the Savior of humanity." -- "I predict that tomorrow's Europe will embrace Islam." Thus, the exalted Messenger will prove to be the Savior of humanity as he did 14 centuries ago. His sublime Message is perfectly alive and well. Source: http://quranwithdvd.com/BibleQuran.html ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
