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Lesson One
All true people of faith have been united in their belief in Allah
and His Word. Throughout history Allah has sent His Word through various
prophets. By that Word mankind has learned much about Allah and how
to obey and please Him. Allah's Word has always been the most precious
possession of people of faith. It has directed their actions and their
relationship with Allah. Thus, faith in Allah's Word is one of the basic
signs of a follower of Allah. Yet, what does faith in Allah's Word really
involve? If I claim to have faith in Allah's Word, what should be my
relationship to that Word?
It is sometimes claimed, for example, that while we must believe in
all Scripture as given by Allah, we cannot accept or live by them all
because one or more Scripture has been changed. Others feel earlier
Scripture has been abrogated or made out of date by more recent Scriptures.
These are extremely serious charges. If such charges are false, then
those who claim otherwise are committing a terrible offense against
Allah. They are denying and rejecting what Allah has given them, a truly
terrible act for anyone desiring to be a servant of Allah. Thus, what
faith in Allah's Word really involves is a question that deserves our
serious attention and study. Is Allah's Word reliable, trustworthy and
applicable for us today? Let us examine what the Quran has to say about
the reliability of Scripture.
One of the most basic attributes of Allah is His omnipotence. This
means that he is all powerful, and no one - neither man, nor angel,
nor Satan - can frustrate His plans or nullify His wishes. It is a simple
result of Allah's omnipotence that, as He gave Scripture to man, so
He is able to preserve it from corruption by man. That is the very clear
teaching of the Quran. The following verses are quite explicit in this:
Perfected is the Word of thy Lord in truth and Justice. There is
naught that can change His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower.
Sura 6:115
There is no changing the Words of Allah.
Sura 10:64
And recite that which hath been revealed unto thee of the Scripture
of Thy Lord. There is none who can change His words, and thou wilt
find no refuge beside Him.
Sura 18:27
That Allah should keep His Word uncorrupted is very necessary if we
consider His purpose in sending it. Allah sent His Word as a light and
a direction for mankind. He would certainly never allow that light to
become corrupted. To do so would be to result in the opposite of what
He intended. It would lead people away from Allah and into sin and darkness.
For Allah to send His Word and command people to obey it but then allow
it to be corrupted and become a false guide would result in His leading
astray untold millions of sincere believers.
Similarly, to abrogate or set aside His Word without clearly stating
that fact and specifying the Scriptures abrogated would also be to lead
astray sincere followers. Certainly if Allah had annulled His earlier
Scriptures, He would have given clear instruction of that in His Word.
Yet, such is totally lacking.
It is because Allah has neither allowed His Word to be corrupted nor
annulled that the true believer is commanded to have faith in that Word.
The Quran says:
O ye who believe, Believe in Allah and His messenger and the Scripture
which He hath revealed unto His messenger, and the Scripture which
He revealed aforetime. Whoso disbelieveth in Allah and His angels
and His Scriptures and His messengers and the Last Day, he verily
hath wandered far astray.
Sura 4:136
But say, I believe in whatever Scripture Allah hath sent down.
Sura 42:15
Lo. Ye are those who love them though they love you not, and ye believe
in all the Scripture.
Sura 3:119
Yet, true faith is not just an intellectual assent. Faith also involves
a commitment to follow and to obey and to refer to for direction when
in doubt. Thus, we find verses such as the following:
Say: O People of the Scripture. Ye have naught (of guidance) till
ye observe the and the and that which was revealed unto
you from the Lord.
Sura 5:68
And if thou art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee,
then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee.
Sura 10:95
Such commands would certainly not have been given had the and
been corrupted or abrogated. Further, the Quran is explicit in
describing why the believer should refer to and obey Scriptures such
as the and the . It is because they contain light and direction
for Allah's people. Thus:
How come they unto thee for judgment when they have the , wherein
Allah hath delivered judgment? Lo, we did reveal the , wherein
is guidance and a light.
Sura 5:43,44
If the Quran taught that Allah's Word had been changed or abrogated,
obviously the above would never have been written. Instead, we would
expect the Quran to give clear teaching on that fact and give the Scriptures
that were so abrogated. Such is, however, simply not the case and is
the reason why those who make such claims do not use verses from the
Quran in support of their claims.
In the light of such facts, some will agree that at the time the Quran
was given, the and were pure and uncorrupted. But they
go on to claim that it was at a later date, after the Quran was written,
that the hateful work was done and the Scriptures changed. Yet, such
a claim is easily dispensed with as false by simple facts of history.
It is an undisputed fact that many copies of Allah's Word that were
made long before the giving of the Quran are presently in existence
in museums around the world. These copies of the originals are in both
the original Greek and Hebrew language and in many different translations
in other languages. Some of the very early Scriptures go back to 800
years before the Quran. Yet, except for minor scribal errors, they agree
perfectly with each other and with our present Scriptures.
A striking confirmation of this was seen when in 1947 and following
many ancient copies of Scripture were discovered in the Qumran caves
around the Dead Sea in Palestine. These manuscripts belonged to the
library of a Jewish community which lived in that area from 125 B.C.
to A.D. 70. It was found that those copies, some dating 700 years before
the Quran and all at least 500 years before it, agree totally with our
present texts. Thus, it is clear that no corruption has taken place
after the Quran.
The above testimony concerning the reliability of Scripture should
satisfy any true believer in the Quran. Some, however, do not seem to
accept even such evidence. For such people we would simply ask the following
questions:
First, if it is claimed that Scripture was changed, how was it done?
Copies of both the original Scriptures and translations were made very
early and accompanied believers as they spread throughout Africa, Asia
and Europe. Not only were copies kept in places of worship, but individual
believers would often have their own personal copy. For any one man
or group of men to attempt to track down and corrupt all Scriptures
on three continents was clearly an impossible task. Not only would it
have been impossible to track down all copies, but it would be unthinkable
to imagine that all believers would have allowed their copies to be
corrupted. As the Quran says:
And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who
believe to be those who say: Lo, we are Christians. That is because
there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud.
Sura 5:82
Sincere believers such as these would never have submitted their Scriptures
to corruption.
Our second question is, Who would have done such a terrible thing?
Some claim the Jews and the Christians together. Yet, both groups were
suspicious of each other and would never have worked together. As is
recorded in the Quran:
And the Jews say the Christians follow nothing, and the Christians
say the Jews follow nothing true; yet both are readers of the Scripture.
Sura 2:113
And while they could not have worked together, it is equally unthinkable
to suppose they could have worked independently. Had one group ever
attempted such a thing, the other would immediately have exposed their
evil plans.
A third question that needs to be answered is, Where is the original
and uncorrupted copy of Scripture? History carries no record that such
an impossible task was ever done. Thus, as evidence, those who claim
Allah's Word was changed should be able to show the original Scripture
and point out the changes. Yet, such has never been possible.
A final and most important question that needs an answer is, Why would
anyone seek to change their Scriptures? There are, after all, strict
prohibitions in Allah's Word against any man attempting such an ungodly
work as to change that Word. Thus, in the it is written:
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
If anyone adds anything to them, Allah will add to him the plagues
described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book
of prophecy, Allah 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
Considering such severe penalties involved, why would anyone try to
change Allah's Word?
In view of what we have just examined, we feel an honest inquirer can
reach no other conclusion but that Allah's Word is both trustworthy
and binding on all those who are His people. We would request only that
those who think otherwise provide proof for their claims. May we each
read and obey Allah's Holy Word.
QUESTIONS:
The first nine questions below are multiple choice. Simply press the
button by the statement you feel best answers the question. Question
ten asks you to put down your own ideas. Answer it truthfully and to
the best of your knowledge.
1. According to the Quran, can Allah's Word be changed?
a. Yes, quite easily.
b. No, never.
c. Yes, but only very infrequently and with great effort.
2. Who has Allah said would protect Holy Scripture from being changed?
a. Angels.
b. Allah Himself.
c. The prophets.
3. What would be the result if Allah were to allow His Word to be changed?
a. Thousands of faithful believers would be led astray.
b. No serious results would follow.
c. Many would be thereby encouraged to read and obey Allah's Word.
4. According to the Quran, who is required to believe in all of Allah's
Word?
a. All true believers.
b. Only some believers.
c. No one.
5. According to the Quran, the contains:
a. Correct instruction and light.
b. Some mistakes.
c. Information irrelevant for today.
6. Copies of the and in the original languages are in existence
from:
a. Several hundred years before the Quran.
b. The time of the Quran.
c. Only long after the Quran.
7. The and were originally written in:
a. Hebrew and Greek.
b. English.
c. Arabic and Urdu.
8. The holy :
a. Severely warns people against attempting to change Allah's Word.
b. Encourages people to change Allah's Word.
c. Says nothing about changing Allah's Word.
9. The and could not have been changed after the Quran
was given because:
a. Jews and Christians would not have cooperated in such a task.
b. Allah has promised to keep His Word uncorrupted.
c. Both of the above.
10. What would you say to someone who says that the , and
have been changed and corrupted?
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