Dar Al-Andalus Limited, rpt. 1993
3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar
Rashad Khalifa, Ph.D.
Quran The Final Testament Revised Edition
ISBN 0-9623622-2-0
These translators are honest enough to admit that the Quran has suffered
textual tampering (Khalifa) and presents fables as actual history (Asad).
Shabir:
The introduction to this Bible includes an article entitled: How to Read
Your Bible. This article makes a lot of valuable points. I reproduce
for your edification some of the main points offered in that introduction.
Everything listed in the points below is directly asserted in the article
itself or implied therein. I have only summarized. I did not improvise.
Where I use my own words I still represent the ideas of the authors.
Often, you will notice the presence of quotations marks. These mark off
the included words as the words actually used by the editors of the
New American Bible, St. Joseph Medium Size Edition. The article from
which the points are drawn is found on pages 17 to 35 of the introduction.
Consider these points; use them politely and wisely.
Response:
The problem with Shabir's source is that it is based primarily on assumptions
that have no basis in fact. Assertions are made that often go against the
clear biblical and archaeological evidence. Furthermore, Shabir applies a
critical approach to the scriptures that can be used more forcefully against
the Quran. Yet, Shabir fails to use this method against the Quran since to
do so would debunk his belief that it is God's well preserved word.
Shabir:
What the Scholars Confess About the Bible in General
The Bible is not necessarily the most read book or the best understood book.
The Bible was inspired by God. But "This does not mean that God
dictated His message as a businessman dictates a letter to a secretary.
God takes the author as he is and leaves him free to choose his own
means of communication."
Response:
Correction. Although it is true that God did not override the individual
author's method of writing, God sovereignly chose these men whom he
equipped with the spiritual gifts and unique personalities to record
the Bible. God employed these unique individuals to record his word by
using their personalities in the process to give us the different
literary styles of writing found in the Holy Bible.
The Holy Bible itself testifies that God both chooses and equips all
men for his sovereign purposes:
"The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you
in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed
you as a prophet to the nations.' 'Ah, Sovereign LORD,' I said,
'I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.' But the LORD said to me,
'Do not say, "I am only a child." You must go to everyone I send
you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the LORD. Then the
LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'Now,
I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over
nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow,
to build and to plant.'" Jeremiah 1:4-10
"Paul, an apostle-sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ
and God the Father, who raised him from the dead... But when God, who
set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal
his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not
consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles
before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to
Damascus." Galatians 1:1, 15-17
"To this John replied, 'A man can receive only what is given him
from heaven.'" John 3:27
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are
different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds
of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each
one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one
there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the
message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by
the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to
another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing
between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and
to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work
of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he
determines." 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting
shadows." James 1:17
Shabir:
"Some authors chose existing folk tales and even beast fables to
bring out their point."
Response:
First, the authors of the Holy Bible clearly denied that they were
using folktales or beast fables when reporting historical events. In fact,
the inspired authors actually warned against believing in myths and fables:
"Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that
have been fulfilled among us just as they were handed down to us by
those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the
word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything
from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly
account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know
the certainty of the things you have been taught." Luke 1:1-4
"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus
so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines
any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies.
These promote controversies rather than God's work-which is by faith."
1Timothy 1:3-4
"Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales;
rather, train yourself to be godly." 1 Timothy 4:7
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.
Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number
of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn
their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
2 Timothy 4:3-4
"This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they
will be sound in the faith and will pay no attention to Jewish myths
or to the commands of those who reject the truth." Titus 1:13-14
"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you
about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were
eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from
God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying,
'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' We ourselves
heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on
the sacred mountain." 2 Peter 1:16-18
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched
- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have
seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which
was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what
we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And
our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."
1 John 1:1-3
Second, those who have studied myths agree that the Holy Bible is
completely unlike these mythical fables. J. B. Philips comments on the
alleged mythological elements contained within the Holy Bible, specifically
the Gospels:
"I have read, in Greek and Latin, scores of myths, but I did not
find the slightest flavour of myth here. There is no hysteria, no careful
working for effect, and no attempt at collusion. These are not embroidered
tales. The material is cut to the bone." (Philips, The Ring of Truth
[New York: The Macmillian Company, 1967], p. 77)
C. S. Lewis, former Professor of Renaissance Literature at Cambridge and
Oxford and a modern myth writer himself stated:
"First, then, whatever these men may be as Biblical critics, I distrust
them as critics. They seem to me to lack literary judgement, to be imperceptive
about the very quality of the texts they are reading... If he tells me that
something in a Gospel is legend or romance, I want to know how many legends
and romances he has read, how well his palate is trained in detecting them
by the flavour; not how many years he has spent on that Gospel... I have
been reading poems, romances, vision-literature, legends, myths all my life.
I know what they are like. I know that not one of them is like this."
(Lewis, Christian Reflections [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967],
pp. 154-155)
World-renowned archaeologist Merril F. Unger comments on the historical
nature of the OT, specifically the Pentateuch, and its alleged mythical elements:
"Before the advance of research in Biblical lands, especially in the last
half century, reams of what has been subsequently proved by archaeology to
be sheer nonsense were written by scholars who viewed the Bible as legend,
myth, or at best unreliable history. Acting as a corrective and a purge,
archaeology has exploded many of these erratic theories and false
assumptions that used to be paraded in scholarly circles as settled facts.
No longer can higher critics, for example, dismiss the Hebrew patriarchs
as mere legendary figures or deny that Moses could write. Archaeology
has shown the falsity of both these and numerous other extreme contentions."
(Unger, Archaeology and the Old Testament [Zondervan Publishing
House; Grand Rapids, MI 1954], p. 15)
And,
"In the greatest possible contrast to the confusion and contradiction of these
polytheistic narratives the Genesis account with chaste beauty and simplicity,
which are eloquent evidences of its divine inspiration, presents the one
Eternal God as Creator and Sustainer of all things. He creates all things
out of nothing. By His omnipotent word He speaks worlds into being.
As Creator He exerts control over all the elements of the universe."
(Ibid., p. 34)
The Israeli biblical scholar Gaalyah Cornfeld continues:
"The historicity of the Exodus is undeniable, though it is not possible to
establish from any outside source the name of the disparate elements or
'mixed multitude' (12:38), nor the size of the group that gathered eventually
at Kadesh-Barnea before the invasion of Transjordan. But we do have
contemporary documents which establish the historical background of the
period of bondage and escape." (Cornfeld, Archaeology of the Bible:
Book by Book [Harper & Row Publishers; New York, 107], pp. 35-36)
Third, it is the Quran that actually contains fables as history,
a fact even admitted by Muslims!
According to the Quran, Solomon had animals under his control and actually
would have conversations with them much like the way humans do:
"And there were gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the
jinn and humankind, and of the birds, and they were set in battle order;
Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants!
Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving.
And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord,
arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and
my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me
in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves. And he sought among the birds
and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?
I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily will slay him, or
he verily shall bring me a plain excuse. But he was not long in coming,
and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not,
and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings. Lo! I found
a woman ruling over them, and she hath been given (abundance) of all things,
and hers is a mighty throne. I found her and her people worshipping the sun
instead of Allah; and Satan maketh their works fairseeming unto them, and
debarreth them from the way (of Truth), so that they go not aright; So that
they worship not Allah, Who bringeth forth the hidden in the heavens and
the earth, and knoweth what ye hide and what ye proclaim..." S. 27:17-25
Muslim Muhammad Asad must allegorize this passage since he was seemingly
aware of the difficulty in viewing this historically:
"In this instance, Solomon evidently refers to his own understanding
and admiration of nature (cf. 38:31-33 and the corresponding notes) as well
as to his loving compassion for the humblest of God's creatures, as a great
divine blessing: and this is the Qur'anic moral of the LEGENDARY story
of the ant." (Asad, p. 578, f. 17)
Now compare this fable with the credible historical version of the Holy Bible:
"God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of
understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom
was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than
all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan
the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his
fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs
and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from
the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls He also taught
about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen
to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of
his wisdom." 1 Kings 4:29-34
The Quran even claims that both the winds and jinns (demons) were subservient
to Solomon:
"And to Solomon (We subjected) the wind strongly raging, running
by his command towards the land which We had blessed. And of everything
We are the All-Knower. And of the Shayâtin (devils) (from the jinns)
were some who dived for him, and did other work besides that; and it
was We Who guarded them." S. 21:81-82
"So, We subjected to him the wind, it blew gently to his order
whithersoever he willed, And also the Shayâtin (devils) from the
jinns (including) every kind of builder and diver, And also others
bound in fetters. [Saying of Allâh to Solomon]: 'This is Our gift,
so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked'." S. 38:36-39
Ibn Kathir in his commentary on Solomon 's control over the winds states
that Solomon was using the wind to travel by a flying carpet!
Muslim Alhassan Albasri claimed:
Solomon was traveling on his carpet from Damascus to have lunch in "Istcher",
then he moved from there to Kabel to spend the night. Between Damascus and
Istcher a month traveling for the one that is traveling fast. And between
Istcher and Kabel a month traveling for the one who is traveling fast.
Muhammad Asad:
"In this as well as in several other passages relating to Solomon,
the Qur'an alludes to many POETIC LEGENDS which were associated with
his name since early antiquity and had become part and parcel of
Judeo-Christian and Arabian lore long before the advent of Islam.
Although it is undoubtedly possible to interpret such passages in a
'rationalistic' manner, I do not think that this is really necessary.
Because they were so deeply ingrained in the imagination of the people to
whom the Qur'an addressed itself in the first instance, these legendary
accounts of Solomon's wisdom and magic powers had acquired a cultural
reality of their own and were, therefore, eminently suited to serve
as a medium for the parabolic exposition of certain ethical truths with
which this book is concerned: and so, without denying or confirming
their MYTHICAL character, the Qur'an uses them as a foil for the
idea that God is the ultimate source of all human power and glory, and
that all achievements of human ingenuity, even though they may sometimes
border on the miraculous, are but an expression of His transcendental
creativity." (Asad, p. 498, f. 77)
Another Quranic fable includes S. 18:9-23, 25-26 and the Story of the
Sleepers of the Cave. According to this tale, several youths and their
dog fled to a cave where according to one version of the story they
slept for 309 years.
Once again, here is Asad:
"... We may, therefore, safely assume that the LEGEND of
the Men of the Cave- stripped of its Christian garb and the superimposed
Christian background- is, substantially, of Jewish origin... But
whatever the source of this LEGEND, and irrespective of whether it
is of Jewish or Christian origin, the fact remains that it is used
in the Qur'an IN A PURELY PARABOLIC SENSE: namely, as an illustration
of God's power to bring about death (or 'sleep') and resurrection (or
'awakening'); and, secondly, as an ALLEGORY of the piety that
induces men to abandon a wicked or frivolous world in order to keep
their faith unsullied, and of God's recognition of that faith by His
bestowal of a spiritual awakening which transcends time and death."
(Ibid., p. 439, f. 7)
And,
"The future tense in sayaqulun points once again to the
LEGENDARY character of the story as such, and implies that all
speculation about its details is irrelevant to its parabolic, ethical
purport." (Ibid., p. 442, f. 31)
Need we say more?
Shabir:
There is a difference between INSPIRATION and REVELATION. The entire
Bible is inspiration but not the whole Bible is revelation. The authors
of the Bible were inspired to search for meaning in life and in the events
of history. The search for answers was inspired, but the answers found
were not necessary revealed by God. But some of those answers are written
in the Bible by the human authors. Some of what they wrote clearly cannot
be attributed to God. "Think of the 'holy wars' of total destruction,
fought by the Hebrews when they invaded Palestine. The search for meaning
in those wars centuries later was inspired, but the conclusions which
attributed all those atrocities to the command of God were imperfect
and provisional."
An example of such atrocities is in Judges1:1-18. Read it for yourself.
Response:
Shabir and his source impose their definition of inspiration upon the
Bible writers since the authors of the Holy Scriptures do not define
inspiration in this manner. Here is how the Bible views its own inspiration:
The Old Testament View of Inspiration
"The LORD said to Moses, 'Come up to me on the mountain and stay
here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and
commands I have written for their instruction.'" Exodus 24:12
"Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it,
but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you... See,
I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me,
so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take
possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom
and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees
and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'
What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way
the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other
nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this
body of laws I am setting before you today? Only be careful, and watch
yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have
seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them
to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you
stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, 'Assemble
the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to
revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to
their children.' You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain
while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and
deep darkness. Then the LORD spoke to you out of the fire. You heard
the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared
to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to
follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. And the LORD
directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to
follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess."
Deuteronomy 4:2, 5-14
"So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests,
the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
and to all the elders of Israel." Deuteronomy 31:9
"After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this
law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites
who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: 'Take this Book
of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD
your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.'"
Deuteronomy 31:24-26
"After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD
said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 'Moses my servant is
dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the
Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-to the Israelites.
I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the
great river, the Euphrates-all the Hittite country-to the Great Sea
on the west. No one will be able to stand up against you all the days
of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never
leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will
lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to
give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all
the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right
or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not
let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it
day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written
in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.'"
Joshua 1:1-8
"And the people said to Joshua, 'We will serve the LORD our God
and obey him.' On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and
there at Shechem he drew up for them decrees and laws. And Joshua
recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took
a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place
of the LORD." Joshua 24:24-26
"These are the last words of David: 'The oracle of David
son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High,
the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel's singer of songs:
"The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my
tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me:
'When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear
of God'"'..." 2 Samuel 23:1-3
"They stood where they were and read from the Book of the
Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent
another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God...
You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands,
decrees and laws through your servant Moses."
Nehemiah 9:3,14
"You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not
withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water
for their thirst. ... For many years you were patient with them.
By your Spirit you admonished them through your prophets.
Yet they paid no attention, so you handed them over to the neighboring
peoples." Nehemiah 9:20,30
"Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:" Psalm 102:18
"The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son
of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah,
kings of Judah." Isaiah 1:1
"The LORD said to me, 'Take a large scroll and write on it with
an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. And I will call in Uriah
the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses
for me.'" Isaiah 8:1-2
"And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book,
that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever." Isaiah 30:8
"Look in the scroll of the LORD and read: None of these
will be missing, not one will lack her mate. For it is his mouth that
has given the order, and his Spirit will gather them together."
Isaiah 34:16
"I will bring upon that land all the things I have spoken against
it, all that are written in this book and prophesied by Jeremiah
against all the nations." Jeremiah 25:13
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Write in
a book all the words I have spoken to you.'" Jeremiah 30:2
"In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah,
this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 'Take a scroll
and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel,
Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to
you in the reign of Josiah till now...' So Jeremiah called Baruch
son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah dictated all the words the LORD
had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll... Baruch son
of Neriah did everything Jeremiah the prophet told him to do; at the
LORD's temple he read the words of the LORD from the scroll."
Jeremiah 36:1-2,4,8
"After the king burned the scroll containing the words that
Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the LORD came
to Jeremiah: 'Take another scroll and write on it all the words that
were on the first scroll, which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned up.
Also tell Jehoiakim king of Judah, "This is what the LORD says:
You burned that scroll and said, 'Why did you write on it that the
king of Babylon would certainly come and destroy this land and cut
off both men and animals from it?' Therefore, this is what the LORD
says about Jehoiakim king of Judah: He will have no one to sit on
the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the
heat by day and the frost by night. i will punish him and his children
and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and
those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster
I pronounced against them, because they have not listened."'
So Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son
of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on it all the words
of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire.
And many similar words were added to them."
Jeremiah 36:27-32
"This is what Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah in
the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, after
Baruch had written on a scroll the words Jeremiah was then dictating:
'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:'"
Jeremiah 45:1-2
"In the thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day,
while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were
opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth of the month - it
was the fifth year of the exile of King Jehoiachin - the word of
the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, by the Kebar
River in the land of the Babylonians. There the hand of the LORD
was upon him." Ezekiel 1:1-3
"The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri during
the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and
during the reign of Jeroboam son of Jehoash king of Israel: When
the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him,
"Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness,
because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the
LORD.'" Hosea 1:1-2
"The word of the LORD that came to Joel son of Pethuel."
Joel 1:1
"The vision of Obadiah. This is what the Sovereign LORD
says about Edom- We have heard a message from the LORD: An
envoy was sent to the nations to say, "Rise, and let us go against her
for battle'" Obadiah 1
"The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:"
Jonah 1:1
"The word of the LORD that came to Micah of Moresheth during
the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah-the vision
he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem." Micah 1:1
"An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision
of Nahum the Elkoshite." Nahum 1:1
"The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet received."
Habakkuk 1:1
"Then the LORD replied: 'Write down the revelation and make it
plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.'" Habakkuk 2:2
"The word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi,
the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, during
the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah:" Zephaniah 1:1
"In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth
month, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to
Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of
Jehozadak, the high priest:" Haggai 1:1
"In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of
the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of
Iddo:" Zechariah 1:1
"An oracle: The word of the LORD to Israel through
Malachi." Malachi 1:1
Jesus' view of the OT Text
Jesus quotes the Old Testament as the inspired, revealed Word of God:
"Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from
Jerusalem and asked, 'Why do your disciples break the tradition of
the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!' Jesus
replied, 'And why do you break the command of God for the sake of
your tradition? FOR GOD SAID, "Honor your father and mother" and
"Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death." But
you say that if a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever help
you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,"
he is not to "honor his father" with it. Thus you nullify THE WORD
OF GOD for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was
right when he prophesied about you: "These people honor me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are but rules taught by men."'" Matthew 15:1-9
Jesus alludes to and quotes Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Exodus 21:17,
Leviticus 20:9 and Isaiah 29:13 as the authoritative word of God. Again,
"Jesus replied, 'You are in error BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW THE
SCRIPTURES OR THE POWER OF GOD. At the resurrection people will n
either marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels
in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead - have you not read
WHAT GOD SAID TO YOU, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? He is not the God of the dead but of
the living.'" Matthew 22:29-32
In this passage, Jesus cites Exodus 3:6 as God's Word. Once more,
"The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God,
tell these stones to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'IT IS
WRITTEN: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God."' Then the devil took him to the
holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.
'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. For
it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you, and
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone."' Jesus answered him, 'IT IS ALSO
WRITTEN: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test."' Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,'
he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him,
'Away from me, Satan! FOR IT IS WRITTEN: "Worship the Lord
your God, and serve him only."'" Matthew 4:3-10
Jesus cites Deuteronomy 8:3, 6:16 and 6:13 with authority in
combating the Devil. In fact, Satan himself quotes Psalm 91:11-12
as authoritative!
"Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and
across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was
his custom, he taught them. Some Pharisees came and tested him by
asking, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?' 'What did
Moses command you?' he replied. They said, 'Moses permitted
a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.' 'It was
because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,'
Jesus replied. 'But at the beginning of creation God "made them
male and female." "For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined
together, let man not separate.'" Mark 10:1-9
"While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, 'How is
it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of
David? David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:
"The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I put your
enemies under your feet.'" David himself calls him `Lord.' How then
can he be his son?' The large crowd listened to him with delight."
The Lord affirms that David wrote Psalm 110:1 by the Holy Spirit
that was speaking through him.
"But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser
is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you
would believe me, for he wrote about me." John 5:45-46
The Lord Jesus affirms Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch as well
as quoting Genesis 1:27 and 2:24 as being historically true events
that were later revealed and written down.
Again,
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets;
I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you
the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest
letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear
from the Law until everything is accomplished." Matthew 5:17-18
"Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I have said
you are gods"? If he called them `gods,' to whom the word of God came -
and the Scripture cannot be broken -'" John 10:34-35
In these two passages, the Lord Jesus affirms the binding authority
and infallibility of the OT text. Although we can quote much more
from the Gospels on Jesus' view of the OT, these examples sufficiently
demonstrate that the Lord Jesus viewed the Old Testament of his day,
which is virtually identical to what we have in our possession now,
as the inspired, revealed word of God. Not once did he ever assume
that the scribes had corrupted the text of the OT.
Interestingly, Jesus implicitly points to the inscripturation of the
Gospel by his followers under the guidance of the Holy Spirit:
"Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days
away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking
for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. 'But not during the
Feast,' they said, 'or the people may riot.' While he was in Bethany,
reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper,
a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of
pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why
this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's
wages and the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly.
'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has
done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you,
and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have
me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand
to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel
is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told,
in memory of her.'" Mark 14:1-9
Jesus affirms that the gospel will be proclaimed throughout the world,
which demonstrates that the Good News of Christ is for all flesh.
Secondly, the manner in which the gospel has been proclaimed throughout
the world is through it being written down and translated in almost
every language known to man.
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything
I have said to you." John 14:26
This leads us to the NT writers' view of the Holy Bible and their
writings:
"This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but
in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual
words." 1 Corinthians 2:13
"If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him
acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord's command."
1 Corinthians 14:37
"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the
word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word
of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work
in you who believe." 1 Thessalonians 2:13
"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord,
because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share
in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brethren, stand firm
and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of
mouth or by letter from us." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 NASB
"and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,
rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man
of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:15-17
Paul is not limiting inspiration to the OT text, since elsewhere to
Timothy he includes Luke as part of God-breathed revelation:
"For the Scripture says, 'Do not muzzle the ox while it is
treading out the grain,' and 'The worker deserves his wages.'"
1 Timothy 5:18
Paul mentions Deuteronomy 25:4 along with Luke 10:7, classifying both
on the same level of authority as inspired Scripture:
"Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you,
for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from
house to house." Luke 10:7
The Apostle Peter claims:
"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture
came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy
never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God
as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21
The apostle Peter then proceeds to classify Paul's letter as scripture:
"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our
brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which
ignorant and unstable people distort as they do the other Scriptures,
to their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:15-16
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his
servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his
angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw -
that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed
is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those
who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time
is near." Revelation 1:1-3
"I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and
patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos
because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. On the Lord's
Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice
like a trumpet, which said: 'Write on a scroll what you see and
send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.'" Revelation 1:9-11
"I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described
in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of
prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life
and in the holy city, which are described in this book."
Revelation 22:18-19
All these writers believed that they were not simply writing their own
words, but God's word, which was revealed through them by the Holy Spirit.
These writers also believed in the revelatory nature of the OT as the
few select passages below clearly demonstrate:
"In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering
about a hundred and twenty) and said, 'Brothers, the Scripture had to
be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth
of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested
Jesus - he was one of our number and shared in this ministry... For,'
said Peter, 'it is written in the book of Psalms, "May his place
be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it," and, "May another take
his place of leadership."'" Acts 1:16-17,20
Here Peter alludes to two passages, Psalm 69:25 and 109:8.
"When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to
God. 'Sovereign Lord,' they said, 'you made the heaven and the earth
and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit
through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "Why do the
nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take
their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against
his Anointed One."'" Acts 4:24-26
This is a quote from Psalm 2:1-2.
"Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,
'So I declared on oath in my anger, "They shall never enter my rest."'
And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For
somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: 'And on
the seventh day God rested from all his work.' And again in the passage
above he says, 'They shall never enter my rest.' It still remains
that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel
preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore
God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later
he spoke through David, as was said before: 'Today, if you hear
his voice, do not harden your hearts.'" Hebrews 4:3-7
The author sites Psalm 95:11, Gen. 2:2, and Psalm 95:7-8 as God speaking.
"The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
'This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the
Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their
minds.' Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember
no more.'" Hebrews 10:15-17
In this passage, the author attributes the authorship of Jeremiah 31:33
and 34 to the Holy Spirit of God.
Islamic View of the Inspiration of the Holy Bible
It is interesting to discover that the Quran never attacks the integrity
of the biblical text, but affirms its authority and preservation, a fact
which we document in this article.
Here are a select handful of passages from the Quran affirming this point:
"Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him,
as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes,
and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto
David the Psalms; And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before
and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and Allah spake directly
unto Moses; Messengers of good cheer and of warning, in order that mankind
might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah was ever
Mighty, Wise." S. 4:163-165
According to this passage Muhammad was inspired like the prophets before
him. This means that it is the Quran that must resemble the Holy Bible
in its structure and definition of inspiration, not the other way around.
"But why do they (the Jews) come to thee for decision, when they have
the Torah in which IS the command of God." S. 5:46
"And let the People of the Gospel judge by what God has revealed in
it. If any fail to judge by what God has revealed, they are licentious."
S. 5:50
"Say, O People of the Book! You are not (founded) on anything UNTIL
you PERFORM the TORAH and the GOSPEL, and what was revealed to you
from your Lord." S. 5:71
"Say, who sent down the Book that Moses brought as a light and a guidance
to people? YOU PUT IT INTO SHEETS OF PAPER showing some of them
and concealing much." S. 6:91
The Jews had the Book of Moses yet concealed much of what was written in
it by refusing to show it to others. The Quran never once claims that
the revelation given to the prophets before Muhammad had been corrupted.
This is not just the opinion of Christians, but of some of the Sahabah
such as Ibn Abbas:
"From Kitaab (the book of) Al-Tawheed, Baab (chapter)
Qawlu Allah Ta'ala, 'Bal Huwa Qur'aanun Majeed, fi lawhin Mahfooth
- Or, the Book of the Oneness of God, the Chapter of Surat Al-Borooj
(no. 85), Verses 21, 22 which says, `Nay this is a Glorious Qur'an,
(Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved': `They corrupt the word' means 'THEY
ALTER OR CHANGE ITS MEANING,' YET NO ONE IS ABLE TO CHANGE EVEN A SINGLE
WORD FROM ANY BOOK OF GOD. THE MEANING IS THAT THEY INTERPRET THE WORD
WRONGLY.'" (Please read this
article for more information.)
Ibn Ishaq quotes the Gospel of John as THAT Gospel that was given to Jesus
and that also mentions Muhammad. Yet, Ishaq never even hints that this
particular Gospel is inauthentic or corrupt:
"Among the things which have reached me about what Jesus the Son of Mary
stated in the Gospel which he received from God for the followers of the
Gospel, in applying a term to describe the apostle of God, is the following.
It is extracted FROM WHAT JOHN THE APOSTLE SET DOWN FOR THEM WHEN HE
WROTE THE GOSPEL FOR THEM FROM THE TESTAMENT OF JESUS SON OF MARY:
'He that hateth me hateth the Lord. And if I had not done in their presence
works which none other before me did, they had not sin: but from now they
are puffed up with pride and think that they will overcome me and also
the Lord. But the word that is in the law must be fulfilled, 'They hated
me without a cause' (i.e. without reason). But when the Comforter has
come whom God will send to you from the Lord's presence, and the spirit
of truth which will have gone forth from the Lord's presence he (shall
bear) witness of me and ye also, because ye have been with me from the
beginning. I have spoken unto you about this that ye should not be in
doubt.
"The Munahhemana (God bless and preserve him!) in Syriac is Muhammad;
in Greek he is the paraclete." (Ishaq, Life Of Muhammad, trans.
Alfred Guillaume, pp. 103-104)
The following is taken from John 15:23-16:1. Furthermore, Ishaq also
affirms the legitimacy of Paul as an apostle of Christ' gospel message:
"God has sent me (Muhammad) to all men, so take a message from me, God
have mercy on you. Do not hang back from me as the disciples hung back
from Jesus son of Mary. They asked how they hung back and he said, 'He
called them to a task similar to that which I have called you. Those
who had to go a short journey were pleased and accepted. Those who had
a long journey before them were displeased and refused to go, and Jesus
complained of them to God. (T. From that very night) every one of them
was able to speak the language of the people to whom he was sent.'
(T. Jesus said, 'This is a thing that God has determined that you should
do, so go.')
"Those whom Jesus son of Mary sent, both disciples and those who came
after them, in the land were: Peter the disciple AND PAUL WITH HIM,
(PAUL BELONGED TO THE FOLLOWERS AND WAS NOT A DISCIPLE) to Rome.
Andrew and Matthew to the land of the cannibals; Thomas to the land of
Babel, which is in the land of the east; Philip to Carthage and Africa;
John to Ephesus the city of the young men of the cave; James to Jerusalem
which is Aelia the city of the sanctuary; Bartholomew to Arabia which is
the land of Hijaz; Simon to the land of Berbers; Judah who was not one
of the disciples was put in place of Judas.'" (Ibid. p. 653)
Interestingly, other Muslim sources confirm the above statement from
Ishaq:
"Among the apostles and those disciples around them, whom Jesus sent out,
there were Peter and his companion Paul." (A history of the
Christian Church, Thalabii Qisas al-Anbiyaa, pp. 389-390;
Tabarii, Taarikh al-umam wa-l-muluuk II/II, 1560)
Amazingly, Bukhari even quotes one of Paul's letters and attributes the
saying to God!:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "ALLAH SAID, 'I have prepared for My righteous
slaves (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear
has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of.'"
(Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 589)
According to this Hadith, Muhammad purportedly claims that Allah is
the author of the preceding quotation. Compare what Allah is supposed
to have revealed to Muhammad with what Paul says in his first letter
to the Corinthians:
"However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.'"
1 Corinthians 2:9
Paul paraphrases the following citation from Isaiah:
"Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye
has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait
for him." Isaiah 64:4
Hence, according to the Hadith the one who inspired Paul's saying,
which Muhammad alludes to in virtually identical language, is none
other than God!
This basically means that Muslims have no basis to object to Paul's
writings since both Ishaq and Bukhari attribute Paul's work to God,
implying that Paul was a legitimate representative of Christ's
teachings. The only way for Shabir to avoid the significance of
these early Islamic traditions is to deny the traditions completely,
something he cannot do seeing that he is a Sunni Muslim.
All these passages from the Holy Bible and Islamic sources serve to
discredit the liberal claims of both Shabir and the editors of the
New American Bible and their unbiblical view of what inspiration means.
It should also be pointed out that the Quran does not always contain
the words of God, but of others as well. The following examples
demonstrate this point:
"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to
Allah, Lord of the Worlds, The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of
the Day of Judgment, Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask
for help. Show us the straight path, The path of those whom Thou
hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of
those who go astray." S. 1:1-7
Obviously, God would not be praying to himself and hence these cannot
be his words.
"Such is Allah, your Lord. There is no God save Him, the Creator
of all things, so worship Him. And He taketh care of all things.
Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth (all) vision.
He is the Subtile, the Aware. Proofs have come unto you from your
Lord, so whoso seeth, it is for his own good, and whoso is blind
is blind to his own hurt. And I am not a keeper over you."
S. 6:102-104
Again, God cannot be the speaker here since he would never say
that he was not the keeper over man.
"Shall I seek other than Allah for judge, when He it is
Who hath revealed unto you (this) Scripture, fully explained?
Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (aforetime) know that
it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou of the
waverers." S. 6:114
Here we have a person (presumably Muhammad) asking a rhetorical
question if whether he should seek some other judge besides God.
Yet the same speaker shifts into the first person plural without
any indication that there are two persons speaking in the passage.
Hence, either God is asking the question or it is Muhammad who
claims to have given inspired Scripture, or we have Muhammad's
words and God's words mixed in together.
"Glorified be He Who carried His servant by night from
the Inviolable Place of Worship to the Far distant place of
worship the neighbourhood whereof We have blessed,
that We might show him of Our tokens! Lo! He, only He,
is the Hearer, the Seer." S. 17:1
We have God allegedly speaking in the third person where he is
evidently praising himself. From there, God proceeds to speak
in the first person plural and then proceeds again to third
person usage!
"I am commanded only to serve the Lord of this land which He
hath hallowed, and unto Whom all things belong. And I am
commanded to be of those who surrender." S. 27:1
Again, either this is God saying he is commanded to worship the
Lord of the land, or we have Muhammad's words mixed in with God's
words (allegedly).
"We come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto
Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us
and all that is between those two, and thy Lord was never
forgetful." S. 19:64
We either have angels speaking here or God claiming that he only
comes down at the command of Muhammad's Lord. Either way, Shabir
is left with problems.
"Lo! verily, ye and that which ye worship, Ye cannot excite (anyone)
against Him. Save him who is to burn in hell. There is not one
of us but hath his known position. Lo! we, even we
are they who set the ranks, Lo! we, even we are they who
hymn His praise." S. 37:161-166
Once more this passage clearly demonstrates the fallacy that the
Quran contains nothing but the words of God.
In relation to the biblical wars, there are very good reasons why
God allowed these wars and alleged atrocities. The reason God
commanded Israel to fight and kill their enemies was due to the
fact that these nations were living in rebellion and in disobedience
to God. Hence, God's holiness demanded that justice be enacted upon
these nations:
"After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say
to yourself, 'The LORD has brought me here to take possession of
this land because of my righteousness.' No, it is on account of
the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to
drive them out before you." Deuteronomy 9:4
Some of the wickedness of these nations included the following:
"The LORD said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them:
"I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where
you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of
Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the
LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them
will live by them. I am the LORD. No one is to approach any close
relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. Do not dishonor
your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is
your mother; do not have relations with her. Do not have sexual
relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father.
Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's
daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same
home or elsewhere. Do not have sexual relations with your son's
daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you. Do
not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife,
born to your father; she is your sister. Do not have sexual relations
with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative. Do not
have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your
mother's close relative. Do not dishonor your father's brother by
approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. Do
not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's
wife; do not have relations with her.Do not have sexual relations with
your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother. Do not have
sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual
relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter;
they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. Do not take your
wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while
your wife is living. Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations
during the uncleanness of her monthly period. Do not have sexual
relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her. Do
not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must
not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. Do not lie with a man
as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Do not have sexual
relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not
present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is
a perversion. Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because
this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became
defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its
sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep
my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you
must not do any of these detestable things, for all these
things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and
the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit
you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
Everyone who does any of these detestable things-such persons must
be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do not
follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you
came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God."'"
Leviticus 18:1-30
The Holy Bible also records actual events as they transpired without
necessarily condoning such events. Hence, anytime one reads something
that is contrary to the law of God this does not mean that the Bible
writers condoned such actions. Rather, they are recording history as
it transpired.
Finally, for Shabir to even adopt this method is simply dishonest since
the Quran and the hadith report many atrocious and murderous acts committed
by Muslims:
"When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying): I am with you. So make
those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of
those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each
finger." S. 8:12
"Apostle! Rouse the believers to fight!" S. 8:65
"Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters
wherever ye find them, and take them (captive), and besiege them,
and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and
establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free.
Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." S. 9:5
"Fight those who believe not in God nor the last day...
Nor acknowledge the religion of truth (Islam), (even if they are)
of the People of the Book, until they pay Jizya (tribute tax) with
willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." S. 9:29
"O Prophet! Strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites!
Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell,
a hapless journey's end." S. 9:73
"O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near
to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah
is with those who keep their duty (unto Him)." S. 9:123
"Say to the desert Arabs behind: Ye shall be summond (to fight)
against a people given to vehement war: then shall, ye fight, or
they shall submit. Then if you show obedience, God will grant you
a goodly reward, but if ye turn back as ye did before, He will
punish you with a grievous penalty." S. 48:16
Some violent acts entailed the use of deception and murder on the
part of Muslims. In Sahih al-Bukhari 5:369, we are told that
Muhammad allowed Masalama to use outright deception to achieve his
purpose of murdering Kab Ibn Ashraf. The tradition then goes on to
record that Ashraf brutally killed and beheaded Kab, a thing pleasing
to Muhammad.
Another treacherous murder took place when Muhammad sent Umar ibn
Adai to kill Asma bint Marwan, a poetess who wrote poetry insulting
Muhammad. According to Nisa Muhammad (Muhammad's Women),
p.102, authored by Muslim Sania Qur'aa, Adai "came to her at night
and put away her baby (editor: she was nursing her infant) and
killed her by the sword; then he went to Mohammed and Mohammed
said, 'you've revenged God and his Apostle, Omeir.'" (See
also Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, p. 243)
Jesus tells us quite plainly that one who uses deception to achieve
a goal, especially if that goal is to murder, cannot possibly be
from God:
"You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your
father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and
has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is
a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44
Shabir:
The Bible is a collection of many books of different kinds.
"A major disadvantage is that these books are not put together
systematically as the books of a modern library."
Response:
Why should it be put together systematically as the books of
a modern library? The fact is that the Holy Bible is vastly
more coherent and systematic than the Quran with all its
disjointed suras.
The following are quotations from Ali Dashti, Twenty-Three
Years: A study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad, Allen
and Unwin, London, 1985.
"Among the Moslem scholars of the early period, before bigotry
and hyperbole prevailed, were some such as Ebrahim on-Nazzam
who openly acknowledged that the arrangement and syntax of
the Qor'an are not miraculous and that work of equal or greater
value could be produced by other God-fearing persons." (p. 48)
"It is widely held that the blind Syrian poet Abu'l-`Ala ol-Ma'arri
(368/979-450/1058) wrote his Ketab ol-fosul wa' l-ghayat,
of which a part survives, in imitation of the Qor'an." (p. 48)
"The Qor'an contains sentences which are incomplete and not fully
intelligible without the aid of commentaries; foreign words,
unfamiliar Arabic words, and words used with other than the normal
meaning; adjectives and verbs inflected without observance of
the concords of gender and number; illogically and ungrammatically
applied pronouns which sometimes have no referent; and predicates
which in rhymed passages are often remote from the subjects.
These and other such aberrations in the language have given
scope to critics who deny the Qor'an's eloquence. The problem
also occupied the minds of devout Moslems. It forced the commentators
to search for explanations and was probably one of the causes of
disagreement over readings." (pp. 48-49)
"To sum up, more than one hundred Qor'anic aberrations from
the normal rules and structure of Arabic have been noted.
Needless to say, the commentators strove to find explanations
and justifications of these irregularities. Among them was
the great commentator and philologist Mahmud oz-Zamakhshari
(467/1075-538/1144), of whom a Moorish author wrote: 'This
grammar-obsessed pedant has committed a shocking error. Our
task is not to make the readings conform to Arabic grammar, but
to take the whole of the Qor'an as it is and make Arabic
grammar conform to the Qor'an.'" (p. 50)
"In the field of moral teachings, however, the Qor'an cannot be
considered miraculous. Mohammad reiterated principles which
mankind had already conceived in earlier centuries and many places.
Confucius, Buddha, Zoroaster, Socrates, Moses, and Jesus had said
similar things." (p. 54)
"Neither the Qor'an's eloquence nor its moral and legal precepts
are miraculous. The Qor'an is miraculous because it enabled Mohammad,
single-handedly and despite poverty and illiteracy, to overcome his
people's resistance and found a lasting religion because it moved
wild men to obedience and imposed its bringer's will on them." (p. 57)
Thomas Carlyle, whose comments on Muhammad in Heroes and Hero
Worship (1841) are often quoted with approval by Muslims,
states in reference to the Quran:
"A wearisome confused jumble, crude, incondite, endless iterations,
longwindedness, entanglement; most crude incondite-insupportable
stupidity, in short! Nothing but a sense of duty could carry any
European through the Koran." (Carlyle, Sartor Resartus: On Heroes
and Hero Worship [London, 1973], p. 299)
"His Koran has become a stupid piece of prolix absurdity; we do
not believe, like him, that God wrote that!"(Ibid, p. 344)
The great scholar Noldeke claims:
"On the whole, while many parts of the Koran undoubtedly have
considerable rhetorical power, even over an unbelieving reader,
the book aesthetically considered, is by no means a first rate
performance... Let us look at some of the more extended
narratives. It has already been noticed how vehement and abrupt
they are where they ought to be characterised by epic repose.
Indispensable links, both in expression and in the sequence of
events, are often omitted, so that to understand these histories
is sometimes far easier for us than for those who heard them first,
because we know most of them from better sources. Along with
this, there is a good deal of superfluous verbiage; and nowhere
do we find a steady advance in the narration. Contrast in these
respects the history of Joseph (xii) and its glaring improprieties
with the admirably conceived and admirably executed story in
Genesis. Similar faults are found in the non narrative portions
of the Koran. The connexion of ideas is extremely loose, and even
the syntax betrays great awkwardness. Anacolutha [want of syntactical
sequence; when the latter part of the sentence does not grammatically
fit the earlier] are of frequent occurrence, and cannot be
explained as conscious literary devices. Many sentences begin
with a 'when' or 'on the day when' which seems to hover in the air,
so that commentators are driven to supply a 'think of this' or
some such ellipsis. Again, there is no great literary skill evinced
in the frequent and needless harping on the same words and phrases;
in xviii, for example 'till that' occurs no fewer than eight times.
Mahomet, in short, is not in any sense a master of style."
(Ibn Warraq, Why I am not a Muslim
[Prometheus Books; Amherst NY, 1995], pp. 110-111)
In fact, Richard Bell and W. M. Watt believe that the uneasiness of
the Quranic structure strongly affirms that the text has been altered:
"There are indeed many roughness of this kind, and these, it is here
claimed, are fundamental evidence for revision. Besides the
points already noticed-hidden rhymes, and rhyme-phrases not woven
into the texture of the passage - there are the following: abrupt
changes of rhyme; repetition of the same rhyme word or rhyme phrase
in adjoining verses; the intrusion of an extraneous subject into
a passage otherwise homogeneous; a differing treatment of the same
subject in neighboring verses, often with repetition of word and
phrases; breaks in the length of verses; sudden changes of the
dramatic situation, with changes of pronoun from singular to plural,
from second to third person, and so on; the juxtaposition of apparently
contradictory statements; the juxtaposition of passages of different
date, with the intrusion of late phrases into early verses.
"In many cases a passage has alternative continuations which follow
one another in the present text. The second of the alternatives is
marked by a break in sense and by a break in grammatical construction,
since the connection is not with what immediately precedes. But with
what stands some distance back." (Bell & Watt, Introduction
to the Quran [Edinburgh, 1977], p. 93; Warraq, pp. 112-113)
Shabir:
"Edifying interpretation of events" is "often intermingled" with history.
Response:
If by edifying interpretation Shabir's source means to imply that the writers were presenting their own understanding of history, then this is clearly wrong. The Bible writers were inspired to give God's interpretation of history, not their own.
Shabir:
"The Bible is God's word and man's word. One must understand man's word first in order to understand the word of God."
Response:
Obviously, since God employed human language and human literary devices to record his word. Hence, it becomes incumbent to study the biblical languages and word meanings as well as the literary methods that were in existence during the time these individual authors wrote. This helps us to better understand the truth of Scripture.
Shabir:
The Bible contains "Beast Fables." Examples: Genesis; Numbers 22, 22-35.
Response:
This is clearly false. It is the Quran that contains "Beast Fables", not the Holy Bible. See above.
Shabir:
Speeches of persons in the Bible are not necessarily what the persons said. "It is the inspired author who wants to state something by putting these words into the mouth of a person with authority."
The book known as Acts of the Apostles in the Bible often puts words into the mouths of its characters.
Response:
In order for this theory to work, the authors must have written their accounts long after the eyewitnesses were dead, otherwise it would not have been possible for them to get away with forged sayings of Jesus or the Apostles. Yet, the evidence supports that these were eyewitness accounts and could not contain forged speeches seeing that the eyewitnesses were still alive to prevent this from happening.
The following lines of evidence from archaeology, the Church fathers, as well as the internal witness support the early dating and authenticity of the Holy Bible, specifically the NT text.
First, the early Patristic writings solidify the case for the preservation of the NT text and its early composition, as well as the extensive usage of the New Testament, especially that of the four Gospels:
"Of the four gospels alone there are 19,368 citations by the church fathers from the late first century on. This includes 268 by Justin Martyr (100-165), 1038 by Ireneaus (active in the late second century), 1017 by Clement of Alexandria (ca. 155-ca. 220), 9231 by Origen (ca. 185-ca. 254), 3822 by Tertullian (ca. 160s-ca. 220), 734 by Hippolytus (d. ca. 236) and 325 by Eusebius (ca. 265-ca. 339...) Earlier, Clement of Rome cited Matthew, John, 1 Corinthians in 95 to 97. Ignatius referred to six Pauline Epistles in about 110, and between 110 and 150 Polycarp quoted from all four Gospels, Acts and most of Paul's Epistles. Shepherd of Hermas (115-140) cited Matthew, Mark, Acts, I Corinthians, and other books. Didache (120-150) referred to Matthew, Luke, 1 Corinthians, and other books. Papias, companion of Polycarp, who was a disciple of the apostle John, quoted John. This argues powerfully that the Gospels were in existence before the end of the first century, while some eyewitnesses (including John) were still alive." (Norm Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics [Baker Books, Grand Rapids; 1999], pp. 529-530)
Furthermore, we have MSS portions which push the dates of the NT books right into the the first century.
The John Ryland Papyri:
Manuscript portions of the Gospel of John, located in the John Ryland Library of Manchester, England and believed to be the oldest known fragment of the New Testament, dated AD 130, within 40 years of the original.
Lukan Papyrus:
"The Lukan papyrus, situated in a library in Paris has been dated to the late 1st century or early 2nd century, so it predates the John papyrus by 20-30 years (Time April 26, 1996, pg.8). But of more importance are the manuscript findings of Mark and Matthew! New research which has now been uncovered by Dr. Carsten Thiede, and is published in his newly released book on the subject, the Jesus Papyrus mentions a fragment from the book of Mark found among the Qumran scrolls (fragment 7Q5) showing that it was written sometime before 68 AD It is important to remember that Christ died in 33 AD, so this manuscript could have been written, at the latest, within 35 years of His death; possibly earlier, and thus during the time that the eyewitnesses to that event were still alive!"
Magdelene Manuscript:
"The most significant find, however, is a manuscript fragment from the book of Matthew (chapt.26) called the Magdalene Manuscript which has been analyzed by Dr. Carsten Thiede, and also written up in his book The Jesus Papyrus. Using a sophisticated analysis of the handwriting of the fragment by employing a special state-of-the-art microscope, he differentiated between 20 separate micrometer layers of the papyrus, measuring the height and depth of the ink as well as the angle of the stylus used by the scribe. After this analysis Thiede was able to compare it with other papyri from that period; notably manuscripts found at Qumran (dated to 58 AD), another at Herculaneum (dated prior to 79 AD), a further one from the fortress of Masada (dated to between 73/74 AD), and finally a papyrus from the Egyptian town of Oxyrynchus. The Magdalene Manuscript fragments matches all four, and in fact is almost a twin to the papyrus found in Oxyrynchus, which bears the date of 65/66 AD Thiede concludes that these pap
yrus fragments of St. Matthew's Gospel were written no later than this date and probably earlier. That suggests that we either have a portion of the original gospel of Matthew, or an immediate copy, which was written while Matthew and the other disciples, and eyewitnesses to the events were still alive. This would be the oldest manuscript portion of our Bible in existence today, one which co-exists with the original writers!"
"What is of even more importance is what it says. The Matthew 26 fragment uses in its text nomina sacra (holy names) such as the diminutive "IS" for Jesus and "KE" for Kurie or Lord (The Times, Saturday, December 24, 1994). This is highly significant for our discussion today, because it suggests that the godhead of Jesus was recognized centuries before it was accepted as official church doctrine at the council of Nicea in 325 AD There is still ongoing discussion concerning the exact dating of this manuscript. However, if the dates prove to be correct then this document alone completely eradicates the criticism leveled against the gospel accounts (such as the 'Jesus Seminar') that the early disciples knew nothing about Christ's divinity, and that this concept was a later redaction imposed by the Christian community in the second century (AD)."
(NOTE- The preceding citations can be found at the following web site.
Other, more extensive, copies of the New Testament include the Chester Beatty Papyri, containing major portions of the New Testament and dated early 3rd century, the Bodmer Papyrus, dated late 2nd century, the Codex Sinaiticus, dated AD 350, and the Codex Vaticanus, dated AD 325 - AD 350. Some of the codices contain the entire New Testament. It can be seen that, as far as the time gap between the original writing of the New Testament and the earliest extant manuscripts, there is no work from the ancient world which can compare to the New Testament. As Sir Frederic Kenyon, former Curator of the British Museum, says
"The net result of this discovery [of the Chester Beatty Papyri] ... is, in fact, to reduce the gap between the earlier manuscripts and the traditional dates of the New Testament books so far that it becomes negligible in any discussion of their authenticity. No other ancient book has anything like such an early and plentiful testimony to its text." (Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, The Bible and Modern Scholarship [London: John Murray, 1948], 20, as cited in McDowell, Evidence That Demands A Verdict, p. 49)
Add to this list the possible discovery of several NT quotations found in Qumran:
"Jose O'Callahan, a Spanish Jesuit paleographer, made headlines around the world on March 18, 1972, when he identified a manuscript fragment from Qumran... as a piece of the Gospel of Mark. The piece was from Cave 7. Fragments from this cave had previously been dated between 50 B.C. and A.D. 50, hardly within the time frame established for New Testament writings. Using accepted methods of papyrology and paleography, O'Callahan compared sequences of letters with existing documents and eventually identified nine fragments as belonging to one Gospel, Acts, and a few Epistles. Some of these were dated slightly later than 50, but still extremely early...
Mark 4:28 7Q6 A.D. 50
Mark 6:48 7Q15 A.D?
Mark 6:52, 53 7Q5 A.D. 50
Mark 12:17 7Q7 A.D. 50
Acts 27:38 7Q6 A.D. 60+
Rom. 5:11, 12 7Q9 A.D 70+
1 Tim. 3:16; 4:1-3 7Q4 A.D. 70+
2 Peter 1:15 7Q10 A.D. 70+
James 1:23, 24 7Q8 A.D. 70+
"... Both friends and critics acknowledge that, if valid, O'Callahan's conclusions will
revolutionize New Testament theories. If even some of these fragments are from
New Testament, the implications for Christian apologetics are enormous. Mark and
Acts must have been written within the lifetimes of the apostles and contemporaries
of the events. There would be no time for mythological embellishment of the records...
They must be accepted as historical... There would hardly be time for a predecessor
series of Q manuscripts... And since these manuscripts are not originals but copies,
parts of the New Testament would be shown to have been copied and disseminated
during the lives of the writers. No first-century date allows time for myths or legends
to creep into the stories about Jesus."
(Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, p. 530)
(please see this article for more information.)
Hence, if further research confirms O'Callahan's theories this would establish beyond any reasonable doubt the reliability of the New Testament. Even without these discoveries, the evidence from the Patristic writings and MSS overwhelmingly supports the authenticity and reliability of the biblical text.
Archaeology has also solidified the case for the eyewitness nature and accuracy of the Holy Bible. It should be first mentioned that most attacks on the Bible stem from arguments from silence, i.e. the fact that no independent archaeological research has been discovered in support of certain recorded biblical events. Yet, such arguments only prove that as of yet archaeology has failed to furnish evidence in regards to an event related in the Bible.
This is far different from archaeology providing evidence to show that certain events did not occur in the same manner in which the Bible says it did. In fact, not one archaeological discovery has ever proven the Bible wrong; discovery after discovery has demonstrated the amazing historical accuracy of scripture. The following quotations from the world's leading archaeologists affirms this fact:
"Nowhere has archeological discovery refuted the Bible as history." (John Elder, Prophets Idols and Diggers [New York; Bobs Merrill, 1960], p. 16)
"Near Eastern archeology has demonstrated the historical and geographical reliability of the Bible in many important areas. By clarifying the objectivity and factual accuracy of biblical authors, archaeology also helps correct the view that the Bible is avowedly partisan and subjective. It is now known, for instance, that, along with the Hittites, Hebrew scribes were the best historians in the entire ancient Near East, despite contrary propaganda that emerged from Assyria, Egypt, and elsewhere." (E. M. Blalklock, editor's preface, New International Dictionary of Biblical Archeology [Grand Rapids, MI; Regency Reference Library/ Zondervan, 1983], pp. vii-viii)
The late William F. Albright, one of the world's foremost archeologists, stated:
"There can be no doubt that archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of Old Testament tradition." (J. A. Thompson, The Bible and Archeology [Grand Rapids, MI; Eerdmans, 1975], p. 5)
Nelson Glueck, world-renowned Jewish archeologist, concurs:
"As a matter of fact, however, it maybe clearly stated categorically that no archeological discovery has ever controverted a single biblical reference. Scores of archeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or exact detail historical statements in the Bible." (Norman Geisler & Ron Brooks, When Skeptics Ask; A Handbook on Christian Evidences [Wheaton, IL; Victor, 1990], p. 179)
It should be noted that both Albright and Glueck were not conservative Christians and did not believe in the inspiration of scripture. Their conclusions were based strictly on the archaeological data, forcing them to make the above admissions. Earl Radmacher, former president of Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, notes:
"I listened to him [Glueck] when he was at Temple Emmanuel in Dallas, and he got rather red in the face and said, 'I've been accused of teaching the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Scripture. I want it to be understood that I have never taught this. All I have ever said is that in all my archaeological investigation I have never found one artifact of antiquity that contradicts any statement of the Word of God.'" (Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands A Verdict, p. 22)
Sir Frederic Kenyon mentions, "The evidence of archaeology has been to re-establish the authority of the Old Testament, and likewise to augment its value by rendering it more intelligible through a fuller knowledge of its background and setting."
Millar Burrows of Yale states, "On the whole, archaeological work has unquestionably strengthened confidence in the reliability of the scriptural record."
Archaeologist Joseph P. Free confirms that while thumbing through the book of Genesis, he mentally noted that each of the 50 chapters are either illuminated or confirmed by some archaeological discovery. He also affirms that this would be true for most of the remaining chapters of the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. John Ankerberg & John Weldon comment on Fee:
"As Joseph P. Fee (1910-1974), who did extensive excavations at the city of Dothan for ten years, observed, 'In my lifetime I have heard many messages or sermons that could have some point driven home by the effective use of some archaeological item.'
The New Testament, then, has not only survived in more manuscripts than any other book from antiquity, but it has survived in purer form than any other great book." (Geisler & William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible-Revised and Expanded [Moody Press: Chicago Ill, 1986], pp. 474-475)
The fact is that the Holy Bible is also vastly superior to the Quran in terms of MSS and in preservation:
"... Even the Koran, which did not originate until the seventh century A.D.,
has suffered from a large collection of variants that necessitated the Orthmanic
(sic) revision. In fact, there are still seven ways to read the text
(vocalization and punctuation), all based on Orthman's (sic) recension,
which was made about twenty years after the death of Muhammad. Cf. Arthur Jeffrey
(sic), Materials for the History of the Quran Text, and the more
recent work of Richard Bell, Introduction to the Qu'ran. (Ibid, p. 475, f. 41)
B. F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort, the editors of The New Testament in Original Greek, also commented:
"If comparative trivialities such as changes of order, the insertion or omission of the article with proper names, and the like are set aside, the works in our opinion still subject to doubt can hardly mount to more than a thousandth part of the whole New Testament." (B.F. Westcott, and F.J.A. Hort, eds., New Testament in Original Greek, 1881, vol. II, 2.)
Sir Frederick Kenyon states:
"... no unbiased scholar would deny that the text that has come down to us is substantially sound." (Kenyon, The Bible, as cited in McDowell, Evidence, p. 49)
Kenyon continues:
"It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain: Especially is this the case with the New Testament." (Sir Frederic G. Kenyon, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts [New York: Harper and Brothers, 1941], 23 as cited in McDowell, Evidence, p. 45)
Kenyon concludes:
"The interval between the dates of original composition and the earliest extant evidence becomes so small as to be in fact negligible, and the last foundation for any doubt that the Scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written has now been removed. Both the authenticity and the general integrity of the books of the New Testament may be regarded as finally established." (Kenyon, The Bible and Archaeology, pp. 288f)
F. F. Bruce comments:
"The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical author, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning. And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt. (Bruce, p. 15)
Stephen Neil and Tom Wright concur:
"Anyone who reads the New Testament in any one of half a dozen Greek editions, or in any modern translation, can feel confident, that, though there may be uncertainties in detail, in almost everything of importance he is close indeed to the text of the New Testament books as they were originally written." (Neil & Wright, The Interpretation of the New Testament 1861-1986 [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988], p. 86)
Hence, both Shabir and his sources are clearly in error over this issue.
Shabir:
The description of the heavens and the earth in Genesis, chapter 1, is not necessarily a true description. That description is conditioned by the time and culture in which it was written.
"Do not be shocked about this!"
Response:
First, how do these individuals know that the Genesis 1 account is not necessarily a true account of creation? Were they there to witness the origin of the universe? If not, then it is arrogant to say that Genesis is not true seeing that an event that happened only once in the past and cannot be repeated again simply cannot be disproved.
Since we assume that the NT is reliable and accurately reports the words of the historical Jesus and since Jesus believed in the Genesis account of creation, and since Jesus rose from the dead we believe that we are justified in agreeing with the risen Lord on this issue.
Finally, the Quran itself holds to a similar view on the creation of the universe and hence the time and culture in which Muhammad lived must have conditioned his thinking on creation. Thus, Shabir "should not be shocked about this!"
Shabir:
"The sacred writers attribute quite a number of human characteristics to God." This too is "conditioned by time and culture."
Response:
The only problem with this type of argumentation is that it can be used against the Quran since it also applies human qualities and characteristics to God. Using the logic employed by Shabir and his source, Muhammad's "time and culture" must also have conditioned him in attributing a number of human characteristics to God. For example,
The Quran gives God a face:
"Every one upon it will disappear while your Lord's face will remain full of majesty and splendor." S. 55:26-27 (T. B. Irving - The First American Version of the Quran).
The Quran gives God a hand:
"The ones who swear allegiance to you merely swear allegiance to God. God's hand rests above their hands..." S. 48:10
The Quran gives God an eye:
Allah said: "Granted is thy prayer, O Moses! And indeed We conferred a favour on thee another time [before]. Behold! We sent to thy mother, by inspiration, the message: 'Throw [the child] into the chest, and throw [the chest] into the river: The river will cast him up on the bank, and he will be taken up by one who is an enemy to Me and an enemy to him: But I endued thee with love from Me: And [this] in order that thou mayest be reared under Mine eye.'" S. 20:36-39 - King Fahd Holy Quran
The Quran seats God on the throne:
"He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six days; then He mounted the throne." S. 57:4 - M. M. Pickthall English Translation
The Quran also attributes forgetfulness and repentance to God:
"Then Adam received commandments from his Lord, and his Lord relented towards him; for He is Oft-Repenting (Huwat Tawwaab), Most Merciful." S. 2:37
"And remember Moses said to his people: 'O my people! ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf; so turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker.' Then He relented towards you: for He is Oft-Repenting (Huwat Tawwaab), Most Merciful." S. 2:54
"Such as took their religion To be more amusement And play, and were deceived By the life of the world. That day shall We forget them As they forgot the meeting Of this day of theirs, And as they were wont To reject Our Signs." S. 7:51
"The Hypocrites, men and women, are alike: they enjoin evil, and forbid what is just, and tighten their purse's strings. They have forgotten Allah: so He hath forgotten them. Verily the Hypocrites are rebellious and perverse." S. 9:67
Shabir:
The Psalms are a collection of poems full of feeling. Psalm 137, verses 8 and 9 pronounces a blessing on one who grabs a Babylonian baby and dashes it against a rock. In this psalm "The feeling, the thought, the total poem is inspired (guided) by God, though it is not necessarily revealed truth!" But this is not the only Psalm which is not necessarily revealed truth. To find out for yourself, "Read some psalms!"
Response:
Let us quote the Psalm in context to see what in fact the Psalmist meant:
"By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion! How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget [its skill]. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. 'Tear it down,' they cried, 'tear it down to its foundations!' O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, HAPPY IS HE WHO REPAYS YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO US-he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks." Psalm 139:1-7
When the Psalm is read in context, we discover that Psalmist was asking that justice be served. The Psalmist was echoing the following Mosaic injunctions where the punishment of a criminal must match the crime that he/she committed, no more no less:
"Anyone who takes the life of someone's animal must make restitution-life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death." Leviticus 24:18-21
"Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." Deuteronomy 19:21
It was a common practice for invading armies to kill and dash children and women as the following OT citations show:
"Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him as a gift forty camel-loads of all the finest wares of Damascus. He went in and stood before him, and said, 'Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram has sent me to ask, "Will I recover from this illness?"' Elisha answered, 'Go and say to him, "You will certainly recover"; but the LORD has revealed to me that he will in fact die.' He stared at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Then the man of God began to weep. 'Why is my lord weeping?' asked Hazael. 'Because I know the harm you will do to the Israelites,' he answered. 'You will set fire to their fortified places, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women.' Hazael said, 'How could your servant, a mere dog, accomplish such a feat?' 'The LORD has shown me that you will become king of Aram," answered Elisha.'" 2 Kings 8:9-13
"But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors, the roar of battle will rise against your people, so that all your fortresses will be devastated- as Shalman devastated Beth Arbel on the day of battle, when mothers were dashed to the ground with their children. Thus will it happen to you, O Bethel, because your wickedness is great. When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be completely destroyed." Hosea 10:13-15
"Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at the head of every street. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains." Nahum 3:10
Interestingly, Isaiah even predicted that Babylon would also be ravaged and have their children dashed to pieces in the same way they had done to others:
"Whoever is captured will be thrust through; all who are caught will fall by the sword. Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses will be looted and their wives ravished. See, I will stir up against them the Medes, who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants nor will they look with compassion on children. Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians' pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flocks there. But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged." Isaiah 13:15-22
Hence, the Psalmist was not being cruel in his request, but was demanding what God's Law required, "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" etc., something in which the Quran is in complete agreement:
"Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light, by which the prophets who surrendered (unto Allah) judged the Jews, and the rabbis and the priests (judged) by such of Allah's Scripture as they were bidden to observe, and thereunto were they witnesses. So fear not mankind, but fear Me. And My revelations for a little gain. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are disbelievers. And We prescribed for them therein: The life for the life, and the eye for the eye, and the nose for the nose, and the ear for the ear, and the tooth for the tooth, and for wounds retaliation. But whoso forgoeth it (in the way of charity) it shall be expiation for him. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are wrong-doers." S. 5:44-45
Furthermore, although the editors of the New American Bible might deny the revelatory nature of the Psalms, Shabir cannot if he truly believes in the Quran. The reason why he cannot is that the Quran affirms that God personally revealed the psalms to David and the rest of the writers:
"And if they deny thee, even so did they deny messengers who were before thee, who came with miracles and with the Psalms (Zuburi) and with the Scripture giving light." S. 3:184
"Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms (Zabuuraa);" S. 4:163
"And thy Lord is Best Aware of all who are in the heavens and the earth. And we preferred some of the prophets above others, and unto David We gave the Psalms (Zabuu-raa)." S. 17:55
"And if they deny thee, those before them also denied. Their messengers came unto them with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), and with the Psalms (Zuburi) and the Scripture giving light." S. 35:25
Finally, If Shabir is troubled by Psalm 139:8-9 then he should definitely have problems with the following Quranic passages:
"The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish. His wealth and gains will not exempt him. He will be plunged in flaming Fire, And his wife, the wood-carrier, Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre." S. 111:1-5
Abu Lahab was Muhammad's uncle. Both he and his wife were bitter enemies of Muhammad. Hence, it is not surprising to find Muhammad cursing his uncle and his wife for giving him a hard time. Ali Dashti claimed that these words were uttered by Muhammad seeing that it would be unbefitting for a merciful God to utter such curses.
"And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them (qaatalahumu llahu anna yu'fakoona); how they are turned away! S. 9:30 Shakir
And the Jews say, 'Ezra is the son of ALLAH,' and the Christians say, 'the Messiah is the son of ALLAH;' that is what they say with their mouths. They only imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before them. ALLAH's curse be on them! How they are turned away. Sher Ali
The Jews said, "Ezra is the son of GOD," while the Christians said, "Jesus is the son of GOD!" These are blasphemies uttered by their mouths. They thus match the blasphemies of those who have disbelieved in the past. GOD condemns them. They have surely deviated. Rashad Khalifah
"Some of the Jews have said that Ezra is the son of God and Christians have said the same of Jesus. This is only what they say and it is similar to what the unbelievers who lived before them had said. May God destroy them wherever they exist!" Muhammad Sarwar
Interestingly the word for "destroy," "condemns," "curse" also appears in verse 29 where it says to kill or fight against the people of the Book, unless they pay the Jizya tax. Hence, we find Muhammad calling upon God to curse and destroy Christians and Jews who believe that Ezra and Jesus are the sons of God.
Shabir:
What the Scholars Confess About the Gospels in Particular
"What did the authors of the Gospels do? In the congregations, mainly in the cities around the
Mediterranean, they found scores of narratives about Jesus, the beloved Founder of the Christian faith. The writers took those narratives and frequently even remolded and refashioned them to bring out the lesson they wanted to teach."
Therefore the four Gospels are not really biographies of Jesus. They are "digests of Christian teaching concerning the risen Lord Jesus."
"A remarkable fact is that for a long time Christians misunderstood" this truth about the Gospels.
Response:
We have already demonstrated why these theories do not hold any weight, seeing that the evidence is overwhelmingly in support of the early dating and accuracy of the NT books. This is even admitted by the Quran!
Shabir:
The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel chapter 1, verses 1-17, is not an absolutely true genealogy. First, Matthew took it perhaps from the family of Joseph. Second, "the sacred writer refashioned this document to a list of three times fourteen ancestors."
Response:
To summarize an account is not the same as falsifying a report. Matthew accurately summarized Jesus' genealogy to bring out his intended purpose of 14 generations, the precise numerical value of David's name in Hebrew! This is far different from falsifying the genealogy of Jesus.
Shabir:
"Reading the Gospels, one should distinguish historical facts from theological elaboration."
The Gospels often represent Jesus in controversy and conversation. "One may ask: Was Jesus involved in these conversations? Did He answer exactly as related in the Bible? It is not certain."
There may be some true events and "controversies which supplied the background materials for the conflict stories of the Gospels. But as these accounts now stand, they are literary forms used by the Gospel writers in their catechisms to bring out what they had to tell the opponents of early Christianity."
Response:
It is not certain to those who presuppose that Jesus did not say what the Gospels report he said. Yet, the evidence is in favor of the historical reliability of the Gospels in accurately reporting Jesus' words, albeit at times in a summarized fashion. So far, neither Shabir nor his source has given us any evidence for their claims apart from mere hypothetical assertions devoid of facts.
In relation to whether Jesus was in fact involved in these debates and controversies, here is Bruce again:
"John's accurate knowledge of Jewish customs, beliefs, and methods of arguments led a great rabbinical scholar, the late Israel Abrahams, to say: 'My own general impression, without asserting an early date for the Fourth Gospel, is that the Gospel enshrines a genuine tradition of an aspect of Jesus' teaching which has not found a place n the Synoptics.'