Quran 3:3-4, 3:48-50, 5:43-48, 10:94, 18:27 and the
Question Every Seeker Must Answer
Introduction
In the previous parts we examined what the Quran says about the Torah, the Gospel and the immutability of God’s Word. We have seen that the Quran acknowledges the earlier revelations, that the people of the Book are addressed as possessors of God’s revelation and that the Quran states multiple times that no one can change God’s words. Now we arrive at a topic often known as the “Islamic Dilemma”. This term is used by Christian apologists (e.g.: GodLogic and Sam Shamoun) to describe a fundamental question that arises when the Quran’s statements about the Bible are placed side by side. It is not an attack on Muslims. It is a logical question. How can the Quran’s statements about the Bible be reconciled with each other?
What is the Islamic Dilemma?
The argument can be summarized simply.
The Quran says that:
- The Torah comes from God.
- The Gospel comes from God.
- God’s words cannot be changed.
- The people of the Book possess their scriptures.
- The people of the Book are called to follow these scriptures.
At the same time, the teachings of the Quran differ from the teachings of the Bible on important points. This leads to a dilemma.
- If the Bible is reliable, then problems arise for the Quran.
- If the Bible is not reliable, then problems arise for statements of the Quran.
That is the core of the argument.
Quran 3:3-4
One of the most important passages reads:
Quran 3:3-4
“He has sent down to you the Book with the truth, confirming what preceded it. And He has sent down the Torah and the Gospel.”
Note the word “confirming” . The Quran does not present itself as a book that corrects earlier revelations. The Quran says that it confirms earlier revelations. That immediately raises a question. How can a book confirm something while simultaneously contradicting important parts of it?
What does confirming mean?
- When an accountant confirms a document, he acknowledges its accuracy.
- When a judge confirms a statement, he declares it reliable.
- When a witness confirms a story, he supports that story.
Confirming does not normally mean:
“I agree with most things, except the most important ones.”
From a Christian perspective, this is therefore an important question.
Quran 3:48-50
About Yeshua we read:
Quran 3:48
“He will teach him the Book, the Wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel.”
According to the Quran, Yeshua confirms the Torah that already existed before Him.
Quran 3:50
“And I confirm what was before me of the Torah.”
Again we see the same pattern. The revelations build on each other. The later revelation confirms the earlier one.
Quran 5:43
We already saw:
Quran 5:43
“How can they take you as judge while they have the Torah in which God’s judgment stands?”
Here an important problem arises for the doctrine of complete textual falsification. Why does the Quran refer to the Torah as a source of God’s judgment when that Torah would no longer be reliable? That would make no sense.
Quran 5:46
Quran 5:46
“We gave him the Gospel in which there is guidance and light.”
Note that the Quran does not speak in the past tense as if the Gospel has disappeared. The Gospel is described as guidance and light.
Quran 5:47
Quran 5:47
“Let the people of the Gospel judge according to what Allah has sent down therein.”
This remains one of the most difficult verses for the theory of complete Bible falsification. Christians are commanded to judge according to the Gospel. How can one judge according to a book that no longer exists?
Quran 5:68
Quran 5:68
“O people of the Book, you stand on nothing until you uphold the Torah and the Gospel.”
Again, Jews and Christians are referred to their own scriptures.
1. Not to a lost original.
2. Not to an unknown version.
But to the books they possess.
Quran 10:94
Now we arrive again at the central verse.
Quran 10:94
“If you are in doubt about what We have sent down to you, then ask those who read the Book before you.”
The question remains the same. Why does the Quran refer to the people of the Book if their scriptures are corrupt? A corrupt source cannot be a reliable witness.
Quran 18:27
Quran 18:27
“No one can change His words.”
This verse forms one of the greatest challenges for the theory that God’s revelation has been lost. If no one can change God’s words, how can the Torah have been completely changed? How can the Gospel have been completely changed?
The three possibilities
When all the above verses are read together, three possible conclusions arise.
Possibility 1
The Bible was reliable in the time of Muhammad. This solves many problems. But then another problem arises.
The Bible teaches:
-
- Yeshua was crucified.
- Yeshua died.
- Yeshua rose from the dead.
The Quran contradicts these matters.
Possibility 2
The Bible was already falsified before Muhammad.
-
- But then a new problem arises.
- Why does the Quran refer to the Torah?
- Why does the Quran refer to the Gospel?
- Why does the Quran refer to the people of the Book?
- Why are they called to follow these scriptures?
Possibility 3
The Bible was falsified after Muhammad. But this possibility clashes with the historical data. We possess manuscripts from centuries before Muhammad. These manuscripts contain the same core message that is read in the Bible today.
The manuscripts speak
Important examples are:
Codex Sinaiticus
Codex Vaticanus
Codex Alexandrinus
In addition, there are many older papyri. These documents are older than Islam. When they are examined, it appears that:
-
- the crucifixion is present;
- the resurrection is present;
- the messianic expectation is present;
- the gospel is present.
These teachings therefore already existed before Muhammad.
The question of the crucifixion
Here lies ultimately the heart of the discussion.
- The Bible teaches everywhere that Yeshua was crucified.
- The Gospels teach this.
- The apostles teach this.
- The first Christians taught this.
- The oldest manuscripts contain this.
- The earliest church history contains this.
- Even non-Christian sources confirm this.
Among others:
- Tacitus
and - Flavius Josephus
refer to the death of Yeshua.
Therefore historians consider the crucifixion to be one of the most certain facts from antiquity.
Why this is so important
Because the gospel rests on it. Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 15:3
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”
And:
1 Corinthians 15:17
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.”
Christianity stands or falls with these events.
The question every Muslim must ask themselves
- If the Quran confirms the Torah…
- If the Quran confirms the Gospel…
- If the Quran says that no one can change God’s words…
- If the Quran calls Christians to live according to the Gospel…
- If the Quran refers to the people of the Book…
Why then would Christians believe that their Bible is unreliable?
That is the central question.
The question every Christian must be able to answer
Christians must not only believe.
- They must understand why they believe.
- Can you explain why the Bible is reliable?
- Can you explain why God’s Word has been preserved?
- Can you explain why the resurrection is historically important?
- Can you explain why the prophets point to Yeshua?
Every Christian should study these questions.
The final conclusion
When the relevant verses of the Quran are placed side by side, a fundamental tension arises according to many Christian apologists.
- The Quran confirms the earlier revelations.
- The Quran refers to the people of the Book.
- The Quran calls them to follow their scriptures.
- The Quran declares that God’s words cannot be changed.
Yet the message of the Quran deviates on crucial points from the message of the Bible. Therefore many Christian researchers conclude that the Bible is not refuted by the Quran, but is rather indirectly confirmed. For Christians, the call of Lord Yeshua therefore remains central:
John 5:39
“Search the Scriptures.”
And the call of Paul:
1 Thessalonians 5:21
“Test everything, hold fast to what is good.”
Truth need not fear investigation. God’s Word stands firm. And every sincere seeker is invited to carefully examine the evidence and reach a conclusion for themselves.
>>Unveiling the Prophetic Timeline of Yeshua: Historical Study<<
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