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By Br. Naser Al-Moghamis
Authenticity of the Bible
The belief in the original holy Books revealed to the Prophets before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is one of the six pillars of Faith in Islam:
Say (0 Muslims): "We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and to the Tribes, and that which has been given to Moses and Jesus, and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)." (Qur'an, 2:136)
The Qur'an mentioned the names of some of these Books: Scriptures of Abraham, the Torah, the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injeel (Gospel). The Scriptures of Abraham were completely lost, while some parts of the original Torah, Psalms and Gospel are still preserved in the Bible mixed with what people's own hands wrote, as confirmed in the Qur'an: Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby. (Qur'an, 2:79)
The original Torah and Gospel are the literal Word of Allah revealed to his Prophets Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them - pbut), whereas the books of the Bible are merely narratives or stories written in the third person, i.e., the sayings and deeds of the Prophets were written by historians and not by the Prophets themselves. For example, the book of Deuteronomy is one of the five books attributed to Prophet Moses (pbuh). If this book was really revealed to Prophet Moses (pbuh) or even written by him, how could it mention his death:
And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no-one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died... (Deuteronomy 34:5-7)
The Gospel revealed to Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was lost and many gospels were written. The church chose four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and destroyed or banned the rest. Although these gospels include some fragments of the original Gospel, it is very clear that none of them is the Gospel of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), because:
All the four gospels contain many contradictions and errors while the Gospel of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) which is the Word of Allah was free from contradictions and errors.
These gospels are different accounts or reports of the life of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), written by men. They mention his birth, his alleged crucifixion and death, etc, which cannot be mentioned in the Gospel revealed to Prophet Jesus (pbuh) during his mission.
Authenticity of the Qur'an
Allah has promised to protect the Qur'an from corruption and adulteration:
No doubt We have sent down the Qur'an and surely We will guard it (from corruption). (Qur'an, 15:9)
Allah has truly fulfilled His Promise and for more than fourteen hundred years, not a single word or even letter has been changed.
The Qur'an exists in its original Arabic text and not even mixed with the words of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is purely and completely the Word of Allah.
No honest scholar, Muslim or non-Muslim has ever raised any doubt about the purity and genuineness of the Qur'an. The Qur'an has been transmitted to us in the most reliable ways. It was written down and learnt by heart by hundreds of people during the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). One of the copies of the Qur'an which was written few years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is still in existence in Tashkent. Furthermore, since the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), thousands and hundreds of thousands of Muslims have memorized the Qur'an in succession.
The Biblical and the Qur'anic Styles
The Biblical Style
The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, there were two women... They became prostitutes in Egypt, engaging in prostitution from their youth. In that land their breast were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed. The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah ... Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem...
When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her nakedness ... there she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals' were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. (Ezekiel 23:1 -20)
The Qur'anic Style
And Allah puts forward the example of a city enjoying security and quiet, abundantly supplied with sustenance from every place, but it disbelieved in the Favors of Allah. So Allah made it taste extremes of hunger and fear, because of that which they used to do. (Qur'an, 16:112)
As for Aad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: "Who is mightier than us in power?" Did they not see that Allah Who created them was mightier than them in power? And they used to deny Our Signs. So, We sent against them a furious wind through days of disaster, that We might make them taste the torment of disgrace in the life of this world. And verily, the torment of the Hereafter will be more disgracing, and they will not be helped.
And as for Thamud, We gave them guidance, but they preferred blindness to guidance; so the stunning punishment of humiliation overtook them because of what they used to earn. And We saved those who believed and used to fear Allah, keep their duty to Him and avoid evil. (Qur'an, 41:15-18)
Commentary
In order to show the seriousness of idolatry and sins committed by Israel and Judah, the Bible pictured Samaria and Jerusalem as two sisters who engaged in prostitution. This prostitution metaphor is often used in the Bible, (Ezekiel 16:2-32; Jeremiah 3:1).
The writer of these verses used very lewd sexual expressions and words which obviously cannot be from Allah. If any moral person cannot utter these words, then how could we believe that Allah spoke them!
In contrast, when the Qur'an talks about the sins committed by some people and their punishment, it uses very noble and impressive language which moves the reader to tears and fills the heart with awe. It does not take long for the reader to recognize the beauty and majesty of the Word of Allah.
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