THEOS prōtos

Let us set our preconceived notions and biases aside and consider what is stated in the Qur’an.

Below are 4 quick points of fact that can be useful information as we read through what the Qur’an says about The Bible, Christians, Corruption, and confusion.

1. The Bible was officially canonized in the 4th century.
   • Old Testament in Hebrew, Ketef Hinnom Scrolls, 700 BC
   • Old Testament in Greek, the Septuagint, 250 BC
   • Old Testament in Hebrew and Aramaic, Dead Sea Scrolls, 150 BC
   • New Testament in Greek, Papyrus 45, 52, 90, 98, 104, and 137, dated to 100 to 200 AD.
   • The four great uncial codices: Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, and Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, 200-400 AD.
   • Biblical canonization processes; collecting, verifying, and validating the source and authorship (each book/manuscript) to compile into one collection (The Bible) was made complete after 360AD.
2. Muhammad was born in 570AD and died in 632 AD.
   • 272 years after the Bible was canonized
   • 536 years after Jesus died (assuming a 34 AD crucifixion [Josephus, Jewish Historian, Non-Christian, Antiquities; the Talmud]).
3. The Qur’an began being written around 630 AD and even after the death of Muhammad.
   • Initially it was all memorized, but then later started being written down
4. Not all who claim to be Muslim or Christian actually represent the faith as a whole. Heretical apostate Christians cults are not Christians of The Bible; are all those who mass murder innocent Muslim women and children in busy shopping markets via suicide bombing after praising Allah, do they represent all of Islam? I would hope not. That same logic must be applied to Christianity. Christianity IS what is revealed in the Bible, anything outside of that is not true Christianity.

Does the Qur’an Support The Bible?

Surah 2:41 (Translated by Hilali Khan): “And believe in what I have sent down (this Qur’an), confirming that which is with you, [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], and be not the first to disbelieve therein, and buy not with My Verses [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] a small price (i.e. getting a small gain by selling My Verses), and fear Me and Me Alone.”

This confirms not only that the Old Testament and New Testament are viewed as God’s Words but ALSO the current version they had at the time of this Islamic revelation, around 630 AD.

THEREFORE the Biblical Canon since 630AD and prior, was confirmed as God’s Word according to the Qur’an.

Even if we were to assume all other copies since were corrupted after 630AD, we currently, now, as your read this, have so many pre Islamic biblical manuscripts that we know that it hasn’t changed.

Surah 2:87 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of apostles; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the holy spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you an apostle with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride? “

Here we see the Qur’an support The Torah (The Book of Moses) and the Apostles of Jesus and Jesus himself as the authority of God.

Surah 2:113 (Translated by Hilali Khan): “The Jews said that the Christians follow nothing (i.e. are not on the right religion); and the Christians said that the Jews follow nothing (i.e. are not on the right religion); though they both recite the Scripture. Like unto their word, said (the pagans) who know not. Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection about that wherein they have been differing.”

Jews (excluding Messianic Jews) rejected the New Testament, while the Christians taught the Old Testament in a new light; the Qur’an says BOTH Old and New Testament are Scripture.

Surah 3:3 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).”

Here the Qur’an validates “the Book” was inspired by God which includes the Law of Moses and the New Testament described as “the Gospel.” The Book, at this point in history was The Bible.

Surah 4:163 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.“

This statement essentially encompasses the Books of the Bible with exception to the Paulinian epistles.

Surah 5:46 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.“

Notice how Jesus is the middle man between the “the Law that had come before him” and then Jesus, with the Gospel. We call these the synoptic gospels.

Surah 10:37 (Translated by Hilali Khan) “And this Qur’an is not such as could ever be produced by other than Allah (Lord of the heavens and the earth), but it is a confirmation of (the revelation) which was before it [i.e. the Taurat (Torah), and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.], and a full explanation of the Book (i.e. laws and orders, etc, decreed for mankind) – wherein there is no doubt from the the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns,and all that exists)“

Here, much like what we are doing now, the Qur’an states that itself is a confirmation of the legitimacy and authority and divine nature of The Bible, but then it tries to catch on the coattails of truth like all the other religious with the claim of being a more full explanation. If this is true, then Mormonism is true, Jehovah’s Witnesses are true, Seventh Day Adventists is true, Christian Science is true because they all claim to be a more full explanation of the Bible; but they all say the Bible is from God, but not each other.

Surah 10:94 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt.“

Here Muslims are divinely instructed to ask Christians about The Bible if they, themselves have any doubt. Why? because “the Book from before thee” is Truth. Thus this earlier scripture must have been preserved to make such a request.

Here, even a quote from Ibn Ishaq, an 8th-century Muslim historian and hagiographer: “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” (Ibn Ishaq’s “Sirat Rasulallah”, translated as “The Life of Muhammad”, by A. Guillaume, Karachi: Oxford, 1998, pp. 103-104, bold added.)

Without question, the references to “the Gospel” is The New Testament.

These statements support the divine source and divine authority of The Bible in the Qur’an. It is absolutely clear that the Qur’an teaches that The Bible is the Word of God.

What Does the Qur’an Say About Christians?

Surah 29:46 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).”

Who are “the People of the Book”? Well, since these words were spoken and not written but memorized, “the book” can only be The Bible. So, who are “the People of” the Bible? Christians. Here, the God of the Bible, Old and New Testaments are supported as the Word of God in the Qur’an.

Surah 5:68 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “Say: “O People of the Book! Ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.” It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith.“

Again, People of The Book, or People of the Bible, or Christians are told, in the Qur’an to “sand fast” by what is taught IN THE BIBLE (“the law, the gospel and all revelation“). The “and all the revelation that has come to you” may also imply the Epistles as well since they too would have already been included in the Bible at the time of this.

We know that it is The Bible and Christians being spoken to here, they are the context here, because of this “has come to you from your Lord.” This all, in context, can only be referring to Christians and divinely inspired Word of God, The Bible.

In the following verses we see Jews and Christians are urged to teach the truth of their scriptures and to obey them: Say: “O People of the Scripture! Stress not in your religion other than the truth” (5:77 MP/80 AYA). Do ye enjoin right conduct on the people, and forget (to practice it) yourselves, and yet ye study the Scripture? (2:44 AYA).

Was the Qur’an supported Bible, corrupted?

Muslims now claim that the current bible we have has been corrupted and is not the same one that is mentioned here, in the Qur’an. Again, let us turn to what the Qur’an itself says about their own claim.

Surah 6:34 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali):”Rejected were the messengers before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the words (and decrees) of Allah. Already hast thou received some account of those messengers.”

Who were the messengers? The Apostles. How were they rejected? They were all murdered in the 1st century. This was a well known fact at this point in history when the Qur’an was being compiled.

The “account of those messengers” are the biblical writings, The Bible. At this point in history the Arab world had access to The Bible. In fact, a fully compiled Bible had already existed for around 300 years already (The Vulgate, ~330AD).

So, what does the Qur’an say about the words of God? Well, NO ONE can alter the words. That’s an interesting statement. Keep this in mind as we continue.

Surah 6:114-115 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “Say: “Shall I seek for judge other than Allah? – when He it is Who hath sent unto you the Book, explained in detail.” They know full well, to whom We have given the Book, that it hath been sent down from thy Lord in truth. Never be then of those who doubt. The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in truth and in justice: None can change His words: for He is the one who heareth and knoweth all.“

Notice that these verses are speaking in PAST TENSE about “The Book.” Again, this is only talking about the canonized Bible and cannot be talking about the Qur’an; because Muhammad made it clear the words were spoken to him and all the earliest followers if Islam only memorized the words, they weren’t initially written. There was no “book” of the Qur’an at the time of these words.

Then, here again we see the Qur’an state: “None can change His words” which is an absolute and explicit statement of fact.

Surah 10:64 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.“

Again, driving this point home, the Qur’an makes it absolutely and explicitly clear that NO ONE can change the word of God.

It’s Not the Bible That was Corrupted

Surah 3:78 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, “That is from Allah,” but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!”

This is not attack on The Bible but on those who fail to teach the Bible. Interestingly this was in the 7th century and at this time the Roman Catholic Church was starting to really take shape, pushing the idea of a Pope and Mary worship (the Qur’an notices this too). This doesn’t support the Bible’s corruption because, remember, we have thousands of manuscripts of the Bible dated long before the 7th century.

Surah 3:178 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “And remember Allah took a covenant from the People of the Book, to make it known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it; but they threw it away behind their backs, and purchased with it some miserable gain! And vile was the bargain they made!“

All we need to do is compare the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Septuagint, The Vulgate, and all the other Codexis prior to 7th century to see that, well, it’s doctrines haven’t changed.

The Corrupted Church and Splinter Sects, not Bible, of the Qur’an

What was the church doing in the time prior to and during the time of Muhammad? To get a grasp as to how messy and corrupt the church (not the Bible) had become, just follow the line of Popes merely 100 years before Islam.

You will notice 2 things: 1) all the drama and issues of the Church were related to MONEY and POWER. 2) all the things they argued about weren’t even mentioned in “the Book” but are all about power and their own authority and later tradition.

Surah 2:121 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “Those to whom We have sent the Book study it as it should be studied: They are the ones that believe therein: Those who reject faith therein – the loss is their own.”

“Have sent” is past tense, even most Islamic Scholars in their commentaries understand “the Book” to reference the Old and New Testaments (The Law and the Gospel). We know that at this time in history, “the Book” couldn’t have been corrupted because the Qur’an commands that it “should be studied” and those who study this Book, come to faith in God’s sent book.

Surah 5:14 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a covenant, but they forgot a good part of the message that was sent them: so we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the day of judgment. And soon will Allah show them what it is they have done.“

You know, in one sense the author of this passage in the Qur’an is right. Just a simple read over of Papal history just 100 years before Muhammad all the way to today, yes, the Catholic Church has forgetting a good part of the message that was sent to them. BUT that doesn’t mean the Bible (The Book) has been corrupted, that only means the Catholic Church is corrupt.

Surah 2:59 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “But the transgressors changed the word from that which had been given them; so We sent on the transgressors a plague from heaven, for that they infringed (Our command) repeatedly.”

Again, when talking about what they knew at the time of this writing, the Catholic Church had been pushing ideas not found in the bible. Just a quick glance over Roman Catholic Catechisms proves how much they have changed from the time of the Apostles.

Surah 2:78-79 (Translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali): “And there are among them illiterates, who know not the Book, but (see therein their own) desires, and they do nothing but conjecture. Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: “This is from Allah,” to traffic with it for miserable price! – Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.”

This could very well be in reference to their claim of some sort of Sacred Tradition they plug into their literacies and call Sacred Tradition equal to Holy Scripture. But, again, this doesn’t prove the Bible has been corrupted, we have, today, as you read this, documents written before the time of Islam that is validated and confirmed by the Qur’an.

Surah 3:19 (Translated by Hilali Khan): “Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam. Those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) did not differ except, out of mutual jealousy, after knowledge had come to them. And whoever disbelieves in the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, then surely, Allah is Swift in calling to account.”

This does NOT state that Scripture itself was corrupted, because, well, that would contradict what the Qur’an has said about Scripture. But it does show that the Qur’an teaches that it is THE PEOPLE who misquote, misinterpret, and it is THEY who are corrupted, not the Scripture.

Major problem for Islam is that they claim to have the uncorrupted revelation of God, but they too have different views and interpretations, and thus, teach different teachings than each other. Their own history proves that one may have original writings, but teach it differently later. This must be what the Qur’an speaks of or their own argument is invalid.

Jesus even pointed this out when he said “saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. ³ Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them.” (Matt. 23:2).

Nasoraeanism or Sabianism refers to an Arab gnostic Jewish sect that had their own gnostic writings. The Elcesaites were an ancient Jewish Christian gnostic sect in Lower Mesopotamia, then the province of Asoristan in the Sasanian Empire that was active between 100 and 400 CE. Ebionites were a Jewish Christian gnostic sect that existed during the early centuries. All these later sects were outside of orthodoxy and yes, they corrupted the writings prior to them. These are those whom the Qur’an may be talking about. Christians also call their teachings heresy, according to “the Book.”

Gnostic and Apocrypha Writings

At the time of Muhammad, there were a lot of heretical, unorthodox, gnostic, and cult writings that confused even people in the church for a long time. Gnosticism, Valentinianism, Marcionism, Montanism, Adoptionism, Docetism,  Arianism, monophysitism, and monothelitism to name just a few. John of Damascus even noted that he thinks Muhammad spoke to an Arian Monk about Christianity. Arianism is a heresy and was consumed.

So, yes, Gnostic writings and other heretical writings did, in fact, corrupt the message and words of God, but despite this, we still have the writings before them and the writings that THEY read and were disagreeing with; This is where the Church and Islam would agree, yes, THOSE writings were corrupted, the Gnostic writings.

None of the gnostic writings were canonized into the Bible.

Surah 21:51-71 is a perfect example. This story is NOT in “the Book” nor did the People of The Book ever think it was. The apocrypha Book of Jubilees (Book of Jubilees 12:12-14) is the earliest mention of this story. But, that book, was never considered the words of God by the Jews or by Jesus, or by the Apostles of Jesus. It was never quoted by them. This story is literally a Jewish Midrashic legend and myth (Midrash Rabbah 38:13). Not only did Muhammad get this legend from Midrashic Jewish traditions but he also picked up the MISTRANSLATION in the story as well.

The name of Abraham’s original home is “Ur of the Chaldeans.” The city name “Ur,” however, has the same consonantal structure as a Hebrew word for “light” that in Aramaic means “fire.” Thus, when some Aramaic interpreters approached the text, instead of “Ur of the Chaldeans” they read “fire of the Chaldeans.” You can see that Surah 21:51-71 is similar to Midrash Rabbah 38:13 and Book of Jubilees 12:12-14; but the Book, the Bible, actually says something else in Genesis 11:28. This mistranslation is seen in the Aramaic Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Genesis 11:27-28 commentary too. Midrash Pirk de-R. Eliezer‘s commentary on Nehemiah 9:7 (cf Genesis 15:7) does the same thing in mistranslating the word “Ur” for “fire” (Gerald Fiedlander, pirk de-R. Eliezer (The Bloch Publishing Company, 1916) 188). This simple mistranslation in Jewish commentary and apocrypha writings is then adopted by Muhammad, unknowingly.

The Midrashic author unknowingly misinterprets “Ur of the Chaldeans” as “fire of the Chaldeans,” crafting a narrative of God bringing Abraham out of this “fire” to justify his interpretation. This misreading by Aramaic-speaking Jews led to the belief that Haran perished in the “fire of the Chaldeans,” subsequently giving rise to the notion that Abraham was rescued from that fire. Consequently, the legend emerges only in post-exilic Judaism, where Aramaic prevailed as the primary language. We can thus trace the origin of this legend, recognizing it as an imaginative Midrashic interpretation stemming from a mistranslation rather than a reflection of true ancient history. The author of the Quran, therefore, reiterated a legend and myth that was widespread among contemporary Jews, mistakenly accepting it as authentic and biblical history, when it is, in reality, a later myth of human creation.

The Mess the Catholic Church Caused in Muhammad’s Time:

Lets look at the behaviors of the Catholic church leaders leading up to the arrival of Muhammad. You will notice several things:

1. The church cared more about growing it’s own power and authority in a made up office; instead of following Christ and evangelizing the Arab world.
2. The church was constantly infighting, causing schisms, instead of evangelizing the Arab world.
3. Sacred Traditions were being pushed at this time, none of which are in Scripture, which the Qur’an also alludes to. This is their core premise for the “corruption” of God’s Word, which, isn’t entirely wrong.

Pope Simplicius (died 483AD) Simplicius worked to maintain the authority of Rome in the West, though no such authority is supported in “The Book”. Simplicius held a synod in Rome, which pronounced anathemas against eastern heretical bishops Peter Fullo, John of Apamea, and Paul of Ephesus in his attempts to grow the power of Pope in Rome and belittle the leadership to the East.

Pope Felix III, after Simplicius, died 1 March 492 AD.  In his first synod, Felix excommunicated Peter the Fuller. In 484, Felix also excommunicated Peter Mongus, an act that brought about a schism between East and West.

In 494 AD, Pope Gelasius I asserted that papal authority was superior to secular authority in a letter to emperor Anastasius I, who chose to ignore it. This continued down the road that would lead to mass Church corruption, culminating in the Saeculum obscurum, or the Rule of the Harlots.

Pope Anastasius II died 19 November 498 AD The church had been in a serious doctrinal dispute since 484AD, between the Eastern and Western churches of Christianity, known as the Acacian schism, but his efforts resulted in the Laurentian schism. These issues were all about who has the right to baptize and appoint to positions, of course, Rome wanted that authority and power to itself.  

Pope Silverius died 2 December 537 AD The Liber Pontificalis alleges that Silverius had purchased his elevation from King Theodahad.  Vigilius, who was in Constantinople as apocrisiarius or papal legate, was brought to Rome to replace Silverius as the pontiff. Silverius was accused of offering to betray Rome to the Goths. When Silverius returned to Italy, instead of holding a trial Belisarius handed him over to Vigilius, who according to the Liber Pontificalis banished Silverius to the desolate island Palmarola (part of the Pontine Islands), where he starved to death a few months later.

Pope Vigilius died 7 June 555 AD The fullest account is in the Breviarium of Liberatus of Carthage, who portrays Vigilius “as a greedy and treacherous pro-Monophysite who ousted and virtually murdered his predecessor.” In exchange for being made Pope, Liberatus claims he promised Empress Theodora to restore the former patriarch of Constantinople, Anthimus, to his position. Empress Theodora sought to win him as a confederate to revenge the deposition of the Monophysite Patriarch Anthimus I of Constantinople by Agapetus and also to gain aid for her efforts in behalf of the Monophysites. Vigilius is said to have agreed to the plans of the intriguing empress who promised him the Holy See and 700 pounds of gold (Surah 3:178 could be in reference too). Vigilius was consecrated and enthroned as pope on 29 March 537. After the death of Silverius, Vigilius was recognized as pope by all the Roman clergy, even though the manner of his elevation was not regular.

Pope John III died 13 July 574 AD Pope John went to Naples, where the former governor Narses was preparing to go to the imperial capital, Constantinople, and beg him to take charge. He had been recalled by the new emperor, Justin II, in response to Italian petitions over his oppressive taxation. This Pope supported the oppressive taxation.

Pope Pelagius II died 7 February 590, when Muhammad was around 20 years old. Pelagius appealed for help from Emperor Maurice against the Lombards, but to no avail, forcing Pelagius to “buy” a truce and turn to the Franks, who invaded Italy, but left after being bribed by the Lombards. Pelagius labored to promote clerical celibacy (not prescribed in “the Book”), and he issued stringent regulations on this matter. Pelagius fell victim to the plague that devastated Rome at the end of 590. His successor, Gregory I, thought his regulations of clerical celibacy too strict, and modified them to some extent.

Pope Gregory I was born around 540 AD and died around 604 AD. Around 570 AD, the old Patriarch Eutychius of Constantinople wrote a now-lost book about the General Resurrection. Eutychius argued that the resurrected body would be “more subtle than air, and no longer palpable.” Gregory disagreed. As they could not reach an agreement, the Byzantine emperor Tiberius II Constantine stepped in to resolve the matter. He ruled in favor of the idea that the resurrected body is tangible and ordered the burning of Eutychius’ book. This disagreement left a “bitter taste for the theological speculation of the East” for Gregory, influencing him throughout his papacy. The “East” is also where Islam originated.

Pope Gregory I received generous donations from wealthy families in Rome, who wanted to atone for their sins (not prescribed in “the Book”), following his example. This practice of giving was a form of penance not mentioned in “The Book,” which may relate to Surah 3:178. At this time, the church owned between 1,300 and 1,800 square miles (3,400 and 4,700 km²) of productive farmland. Historian Norman Cantor noted that Gregory was both a skilled leader and administrator, but his writings portray him as a superstitious monk, lacking in theological depth, and overly focused on saints, miracles, and relics.

Pope Honorius I died on 12 October 638, shortly after Muhammad’s time. He recognized the rise of Islam and thought its beliefs resembled those of Arius. At the Third Council of Constantinople on 16 September 681, the monothelites were condemned, and Honorius was specifically mentioned as having followed them. A Latin translation of the council’s Acts was soon shared and signed by Bishops in the West. Pope Leo’s successors and later councils repeated the condemnation of Pope Honorius, which was included in Breviary lessons until the eighteenth century.

John of Damascus’ Critique of Islam

John of Damascus, a prominent Church Father, criticized Islam in his work “The Fount of Knowledge.” He referred to Islam as the “heresy of the Ishmaelites” and its followers as Agarenes, Ishmaelites, and Saracens. According to John of Damascus, they were originally idolaters worshipping the morning star and Aphrodite. In the 7th century, Muhammad, whom John of Damascus describes as a false prophet, introduced a new heresy after supposedly studying the Old and New Testaments and conversing with an Arian monk. Muhammad presented a book that he claimed was sent from heaven, which John of Damascus criticizes as containing ridiculous compositions.

The Corrupted Qur’an

Now, the whole argument in Islam against Christianity is utterly dependent on the assumption that the incorruptible unchanging words of Allah were corrupted and changed by Christians later. But, if the Law and or the Gospel can be corrupted, being as how it is God’s words, that means the Qur’an too could be corrupted by fanatical followers (exact same argument against Christianity), so, has it?

Left out verses

Narrated Ibn Abbas: Umar said, “Ubai was the best of us in the recitation (of the Qur’an) yet we leave (out) some of what he recites“. Ubai says, “I have taken it from the mouth of Allah’s Apostle and will not leave for anything whatever“. But Allah said: “None of our revelations do we abrogate or cause to be forgotten but We substitute something better or similar” (Qur’an 2:106). (Bukhari: vol. 6, hadith 527, p. 489; book 61)

Leaving verses out and substituting are two different things.

Disappeared verses

It is reported from Ismail ibn Ibrahim from Ayyub from Naafi from Ibn Umar who said: “Let none of you say ‘I have acquired the whole of the Qur’an’. How does he know what all of it is when much of the Qur’an has disappeared? Rather let him say ‘I have acquired what has survived.‘” (as-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur’an, p.524).

There is objective evidence of a whole section of the Qur’an that is now said to be missing in the as-sunan al-Kubra of al-Baihaqi, an extensive collection of hadith records not regarded as authentic as the six major works we have mentioned but nonetheless of great interest and importance.

Different Versions of the Qur’an and different lengths of same verses

Ubayy ibn Ka’b is said to have recalled a time when Suratul-Ahzab (the thirty-third Surah) once was the same length as Suratul-Baqarah (the second Surah), which means it must have had at least two hundred verses not found in its text today (Al-Baihaqi, As-Sunan al-Kubra, Vol. 8, p.211). Significantly this missing section is said to have contained the verses commanding the death sentence for adulterers.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, one of the early authorities on the Qur’an text and a companion of Muhammad, is reported to have said to the reciters of Basra: “We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah) Bara’at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it: “If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust“. ( Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, p.501).”

 Sahih al-Bukhari 4987; Book 66, Hadith 9 reveals something very interesting about the words in the Qur’an:

” Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman came to `Uthman at the time when the people of Sham and the people of Iraq were Waging war to conquer Arminya and Adharbijan. Hudhaifa was afraid of their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the Qur’an, so he said to `Uthman, “O chief of the Believers! Save this nation before they differ about the Book (Qur’an) as Jews and the Christians did before.” So `Uthman sent a message to Hafsa saying, “Send us the manuscripts of the Qur’an so that we may compile the Qur’anic materials in perfect copies and return the manuscripts to you.” Hafsa sent it to `Uthman. `Uthman then ordered Zaid bin Thabit, `Abdullah bin AzZubair, Sa`id bin Al-As and `AbdurRahman bin Harith bin Hisham to rewrite the manuscripts in perfect copies. `Uthman said to the three Quraishi men, “In case you disagree with Zaid bin Thabit on any point in the Qur’an, then write it in the dialect of Quraish, the Qur’an was revealed in their tongue.” They did so, and when they had written many copies, `Uthman returned the original manuscripts to Hafsa. `Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur’anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt.“

Several takeaways here. 1) After Muhammad died, there were “differences in the recitation of the Qur’an,” That’s massive. Also notice this is BEFORE the Qur’an as canonized. 2) The reference to “differ about the Book as Jews and the Christians did before” isn’t accurate and is a false assumption (which shouldn’t be if these writings are to be reliable and honest). The Christians accepted the Old Testament, the Scriptures of the Jews, no difference there. It was the non-messianic Jews alone that disagreed about the New Testament, but not ALL Jews disagreed (the 1st century Christians were mostly Jewish). Also, of course Jewish mystic and gnostic sects of course disagreed and so did unorthodox gnostic Christian cults did to. But, these groups were deemed heretically unorthodox and thus weren’t real Christians anyway. 3) This also invalidates the Muslim argument claiming the Bible had been “changed” and corrupted when the Qur’an itself was rewritten (“rewrite the manuscripts“) due to differences and the differing manuscripts were burnt. The fact they were burnt doesn’t change the fact that they existed. Thus, different versions of the Qur’an did in fact existed according to Hudhaifa’s own words; even Uthman ordered Zaid bin Thabit to rewrite Quranic manuscripts and to literally burn the ones that were different, in their own words (https://sunnah.com/bukhari/66/9).

Another proof of that the Qur’an has changed, we read in Sahih al-Bukhari 2801; Book 56, Hadith 18:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) sent seventy men from the tribe of Bani Salim to the tribe of Bani Amir. When they reached there, my maternal uncle said to them, “I will go ahead of you, and if they allow me to convey the message of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (it will be all right); otherwise you will remain close to me.” So he went ahead of them and the pagans granted him security But while he was reporting the message of the Prophet (ﷺ) , they beckoned to one of their men who stabbed him to death. My maternal uncle said, “Allah is Greater! By the Lord of the Ka`ba, I am successful.” After that they attached the rest of the party and killed them all except a lame man who went up to the top of the mountain. (Hammam, a sub-narrator said, “I think another man was saved along with him).” Gabriel informed the Prophet (ﷺ) that they (i.e the martyrs) met their Lord, and He was pleased with them and made them pleased. We used to recite, “Inform our people that we have met our Lord, He is pleased with us and He has made us pleased “ Later on this Qur’anic Verse was cancelled. The Prophet (ﷺ) invoked Allah for forty days to curse the murderers from the tribe of Ral, Dhakwan, Bani Lihyan and Bam Usaiya who disobeyed Allah and his Apostle.”

They “used to recite” a specific verse, but then “this Quranic verse was cancelled” yet, God didn’t cause that “canceled” verse to be forgotten, because, well, here it is: “Inform our people that we have met our Lord, He is pleased with us and He has made us pleased” This is literally a change in the Qur’an, as noted in this Hadith.

If all that was clear enough, history still records other details:

““I was one of the guards of Hajjaj b. Yusuf. Al-Hajjaj wrote the Mushaf. Then he sent them to the military capitals (al-amsar). He sent one to Medina. The members of Uthman’s family disapproved of that. They were told: ‘get out the Mushaf of Uthman b. Affan, so that we may read it!’ They answered: ‘It was destroyed on the day when Uthman was killed.’” (Umar Ibn Shabba, Ta’rikh al-Madina al-munawwara, (Mecca, 1979) Vol I:7, (quoted in Alfred-Louis de Prémare, “ Abd al-Malik b. Marwan and the Process of the Qur’an’s Composition,” in Ohlig and Puin, The Hidden Origins of Islam, 204))“

The members of Uthman’s family knew it was different than the one they had (and probably memorized).

Islamic sources indicate that the Quran was compiled on two distinct occasions: initially during the caliphate of Abu Bakr and subsequently during the caliphate of Uthman. Furthermore, additional editorial revisions of the different Qur’ans occurred during the caliphate of ‘Abd al-Malik. The sources also document the implementation of a systematic campaign aimed at the destruction of non-conforming different Qur’an codices, executed on two separate occasions, first during Uthman’s caliphate and later during that of ‘Abd al-Malik. Notably, in the year 45/665, the suhaf, or sheets, compiled by Zayd b. Thabit for Abu Bakr were abolished by the governor of Medina.

So, the obvious question is, if the Qur’an is the infallible and perfect word of God, why were there different versions? This is NOT the same as different translations. There are different translations of the Qur’an now. We can get on the internet and have it translated in English, but that’s not different in message, just language. But here, this wasn’t about translation, it was about message. There existed different Qur’anic verses that were completely different, so different, that they had to be burned on several historic purges.

Not only did the try to burn all the differing manuscripts, but they threated to murder those who read from the different versions of the Qur’an:

“This concerns the rajaz of the Bedouin [rajaz k-rajaz al-A’rab]. By God, if I can find someone who will read it, I will kill him, and I will even rub his mushaf with a side of pork.” (Alfred-Louis de Prémare, “ Abd al-Malik b. Marwan and the Process of the Qur’an’s Composition,” in Ohlig and Puin, The Hidden Origins of Islam, 208)

Thus, proving different versions of the Qur’an did in fact exist.

What did Uthman’s Qur’an say? What was it’s message?

“Malik also said: ‘Uthman’s Mushaf has disappeared [taghayyaba]. And we have found no information about it among the authoritative writers[al-ashyakh].” (Ali al-Samhudi, Wafa al-Wafa bi-akhbar dar al-Mustafa, ed. Muhammad Muhyi I-Din Abd al-Hamid (Cairo, 1955; repr. Beyrouth: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, 1984), Vol. 2:669 (quoted in Alfred-Louis de Prémare, “ Abd al-Malik b. Marwan and the Process of the Qur’an’s Composition,” in Ohlig and Puin, The Hidden Origins of Islam, 205).)

“Ibn Wahb reported back to us, and said, ‘I interrogated Malik concerning the Uthman’s mushaf, and he said to me ‘it has disappeared.” (Ibn Abi Dawud, Kitab Al-Masahif, pg. 35, lines 18-19 (quoted in Alfred-Louis de Prémare, “ Abd al-Malik b. Marwan and the Process of the Qur’an’s Composition,” in Ohlig and Puin, The Hidden Origins of Islam, 205).)

Historically then, we know of the existence of the Abd al-Malik commissioned Al-Hajjaj’s Qur’an and Uthman’s Qur’an.

But even Malik’s commissioned version of the Qur’an was different: ““Then followed the affair of Hajjaj who would not give up his material but put it together, omitting many things among which they say were verses concerning the sons of Umayya and the sons Abbas with names mentioned.” (Al-Kindi). (N.A. Newman, “The Early Christian-Muslim Dialogue: A Collection of Documents from the First Three Islamic Centuries” (Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute, 1994)

Forgotten verses

Abu Musa also said: “We used to recite a surah similar to one of the Musabbihaat, and I no longer remember it, but this much I have indeed preserved: ‘O you who truly believe, why do you preach that which you do not practise?’ (and) ‘that is inscribed on your necks as a witness and you will be examined about it on the Day of Resurrection‘. (as-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur’an, p.526).”

If God’s words cannot be lost or forgotten by man if God wills them to never be lost or forgotten, why was Abu Bakr As-Siddiq worried about losing the words of God when he said: “I am afraid that more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra’ on other battlefields, whereby a large part of the Qur’an may be lost.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari: Volume 6, Book 61, Number 509). This begs the question, were parts of the Qur’an lost? You’ll notice that he also states “So I started looking for the Qur’an and collecting it from (what was written on) palmed stalks, thin white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, till I found the last Verse of Surat At-Tauba (Repentance) with Abi Khuzaima Al-Ansari, and I did not find it with anybody other than him.” Here we see that only 1 person was left alive that knew this verse. If he was the last person to know that verse, where there others who were the only ones to know another verse, that were killed in battle? And if that isn’t a possibility, why was Abu Bakr As-Siddiq worried?

Quoted Words Not in the Qur’an 

This tradition, to the effect that this passage once formed a part of the Qur’an text, is so widely reported that it must be authentic in its basic details. As-Suyuti’s selection of some of the other hadith records quoting this text shows just how extensive the authorities for it were, one of which reads: Abu Waqid al-Laithii said, “When the messenger of Allah (saw) received the revelation we would come to him and he would teach us what had been revealed. (I came) to him and he said ‘It was suddenly communicated to me one day: Verily Allah says, We sent down wealth to maintain prayer and deeds of charity, and if the son of Adam had a valley he would leave it in search for another like it and, if he got another like it, he would press on for a third, and nothing would satisfy the stomach of the son of Adam but dust, yet Allah is relenting towards those who relent.‘” (As-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur’an, p.525).

This verse is expressly said to have been a part of the Qur’an text that was revealed to Muhammad in the two records of the hadith deriving from Abu Waqid and Ubayy ibn Ka’b and, in the narrative of Abu Musa recorded in as-Suyuti’s selection, it is stated to have been one of the Qur’an verses, indeed a portion of a whole surah, that was abrogated. It is also acknowledged as such in the works of commentators on the Qur’an such as Abu Ubaid in his Fadhail al-Qur’an and Muhammad ibn Hazm in his Kitab al-Nasikh wa’l Mansukh, both authors stating that it was a valid text of the Qur’an before it was withdrawn. It is thus one of many passages which, although Allah is said to have caused it to be forgotten upon its retraction, remained in the memories of the companions and has duly been preserved as one of the missing verses of the Qur’an.

Stone Married Adulterers, or not?

One of the most well-known passages said in hadith records to be missing from the Qur’an relates to the so-called “stoning verses” wherein Muhammad is said to have been commanded to stone to death married people who commit adultery. The records all state that the second Caliph of Islam, Umar, once brought the existence of these missing verses to the attention of the Muslim public during one of his sermons from the minbar (the pulpit) of the mosque in Medina. “Allah sent Muhammad (saw) with the Truth and revealed the Holy Book to him, and among what Allah revealed, was the Verse of the Rajam (the stoning of married persons, male and female, who commit adultery) and we did recite this Verse and understood and memorized it. Allah’s Apostle (saw) did carry out the punishment of stoning and so did we after him. I am afraid that after a long time has passed, somebody will say, ‘By Allah, we do not find the Verse of the Rajam in Allah’s Book’, and thus they will go astray by leaving an obligation which Allah has revealed.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, p.539).

The tradition of this stoning verse has been recorded throughout history

Zirr ibn Hubaish reported: “Ubayy ibn Ka’b said to me, ‘What is the extent of Suratul-Ahzab?’ I said, ‘Seventy, or seventy-three verses’. He said, ‘Yet it used to be equal to Suratul-Baqarah and in it we recited the verse of stoning‘. I said, ‘And what is the verse of stoning‘? He replied, ‘The fornicators among the married men (ash-shaikh) and married women (ash-shaikhah), stone them as an exemplary punishment from Allah, and Allah is Mighty and Wise.“‘ (As-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur’an, p.524).

Other Missing Verses

A’isha (the third wife of the Prophet Muhammad) (Allah be pleased with her) reported that it had been revealed in the Qur’an that ten clear sucklings make the marriage unlawful, then it was abrogated by five sucklings and Allah’s Apostle (saw) died and before that time it was found in the Qur’an. (Sahih Muslim, Vol. 2, p.740).

The SAME arguments Muslims make using the Qur’an can also be used against Muslims with the Qur’an, and that is the crux of the issue.

Ubayy ibn Ka’b,  also known as Abu Mundhir, was a companion of the Muhammad and a person of high esteem in the early Muslim community; he has been recorded as saying that words are missing out of the Qur’an. Umar ibn al-Khattab stated they he knew for a fact words were being left out. Even later than that, Ismail Ibn Ibrahim stated that words vanished, disappeared over time copying the Codexis AND HE was agreeing with what he read ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb write about the issue. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari literally said some of the words had been forgotten. Umar ibn al-Khattab even read the missing words in public in his time. Lastly, Muhammad’s own (3rd) wife, Aisha bint Abi Bakr, said there were other words lost.

And whole issue is literally talking about the original words, their own, worrisome that the Words of God had been forgotten and lost… so is Surah 6:34, 115; 10:64 true or not?

Sahih al-Bukhari 2807; Book 56, Hadith 23 proves this all the more:

“Zaid bin Thabit said, “When the Qur’an was compiled from various written manuscripts, one of the Verses of Surat Al-Ahzab was missing which I used to hear Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) reciting. I could not find it except with Khuza`ima bin Thabjt Al-Ansari, whose witness Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) regarded as equal to the witness of two men. And the Verse was:– “Among the believers are men who have been true to what they covenanted with Allah.” (33.23)“

Clearly God didn’t cause the verse to be forgotten because Zaid bin Thabit recited it and here we are today, quoting it still. Despite this verse MISSING from the early manuscripts as Zaid bin Thabit stated, it was LATER added to the Qur’an. Nonetheless, the original manuscripts were imperfect and lacked, as shown here. Also, if the original reciters forgot this verse in their manuscripts, how? What else did they forget?

What about the Bible’s original words? Well, the Qur’an makes it clear that the original Words of God found in the Old and New Testaments could still be known, even in HIS TIME (7th century)! He even directs Muslims to ask Jews and Christians who are of The Book to ask them questions! Why would he tell them to do that if he felt (if God told him) the Book was corrupted?

SUMMERY

• The Qur’an agrees the Old and New Testaments come from God (Surah 2:41, 87, 113; 3:3, 93; 4:163; 5:43, 46, 73, 110-111; 10:37, 94).
  • Muslims and Christians do not disagree.
• The Qur’an agrees that Jews and Christians have and know God’s Word (Surah 2:44, 121; 5:68; 29:46)
  • Muslims and Christians do not disagree.
• The Qur’an agrees that God’s Words cannot be altered or changed (Surah 6:34, 114-115; 10:64).
  • Muslims and Christians do not disagree.
  • Manuscript Evidence supports this: Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation, 2nd-4th century Manuscripts, quotes from 2nd-4th century Church Fathers, The Vulgate, and all the biblical manuscripts discovered, older than Islam, show that The Bible has not changed.
• The Qur’an agrees that there existed Old and New Testament teachers who were corrupted (Surah 2:59, 78-79; 3:19, 78, 178; 5:14).
  • Again, Muslims and Christians do not disagree.
  • The Qur’an is correct in that the Elcesaites, Ebionites, all the Gnostics, and future corrupt Popes all distorted and corrupted the words of God and wrote their own heretical false “words of god.”
  • Christianity agrees with this: Catholic doctrines that developed later such as Mariology, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, corrupt the words of God and make their own writings; but can’t change the actual Word of God because it still exists today.

Written with a Human Mind

This is where Islam fails in understanding, it assumed that these cults, splinter sects, gnostic teachings, and unorthodox Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox churches represented the entire orthodoxia Biblical Christian beliefs, but they don’t. The People of The Book, still have the Book, the very Book Muhammad spoke of, and they know it’s the Word of God. The People of The Book reject all that which is not spoken of in The Book.

The Qur’an also fails to really and truly understand orthodox Christian teachings, such as the Trinity. It confuses the doctrine and blends in the growing heresy of Mary Worship mixed with the assumption that the the Gnostic writing about Mary was orthodox, when it was flat out rejected by the early church. Despite this; the Christian doctrine is literally mischaracterized in the Qur’an:

Surah 5:73 “They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.“

“One of three“? That’s not what Christianity had taught since this understanding was given a name. Christianity is a MONOTHEISTIC TRINITARIAN faith. One God, of 3 persons.

Surah 4:171 “O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His Word, (“Be!” – and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Ruh) created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: “Three (trinity)!” Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allah is (the only) One Ilah (God), Glory be to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.“

Why does Muhammad inject Mary into the discussion about The Trinity? Well, it’s because of the Mary Worship that was progressing in the early proto-Catholic church. Even Muhammad could see it the same way non-Catholics and some Eastern Orthodox can too. To venerate something spiritual is to worship it, there’s no getting around that no matter what word you try to change the action to.

But the point is, Muhammad couldn’t understand what “the Book” was really teaching, couldn’t grasp this core doctrine that is laid out in completed total Holy Scripture. But instead bought into the lies of the false teachings and gnostic sects that did not actually represent Christianity and were not part of orthodox Christianity. Why couldn’t he recognize that?

Again, Christianity has always been a Monotheistic Trinitarian faith (One God in 3 persons). The Jews murdered Jesus because he blasphemed claiming to be God. Then after they killed him, his body vanishes and all his disciples claimed they saw him resurrected, talked with him, ate with him and gave them a mission; they fully understood what Jesus taught, that he was more than just a prophet, He was God incarnate; so they write it all down and were later martyred for it by Jews and by Rome. But, just as “The Book” and the Qur’an collaborated, God’s words cannot be forgotten, so, here we are today with their exact same teachings.

Endless Corrections

Aside from the false assumption that various fringe groups, errors from teachers, and splintered cults represent the entire orthodox Christian faith; The exact same argument Muslims make against the orthodoxy of Christianity is the same argument Mormons make. If the Muslim argument is valid and true, it must play out like this: Christianity was corrupted, but then corrected by Islam, but then Islam got corrupted, and was then corrected by Mormonism, and then the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and then all the future splinter groups that are “correcting” the previous “revelation”. And on and on the argument can forever go.

Christians don’t teach or believe that the Old Testament, the Torah, the Law of Moses, the Prophets, books of wisdom, the Psalms and so on, were corrupted in either. They didn’t ADD one book to FIX the other book. They both are fully and completely accepted as the divine word of God. The neat thing is that the entire New Testament also supports this and never contradicts the Old Testament. All the New Testament (“the Gospel”) does is FINISH God’s message left open at the closing of the Old Testament (“the Law”); validating the divine source and uniformity of this one single divine revelation (“the Book”). So complete are it’s teachings that it’s divine source is undeniable, even by Muhammad; but it renders the need for any additional books and revelations unnecessary when humbly and faithfully studied.

The evidentiary and empirical problem is for the Muslim argument; we have BC manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint) and archeological evidence that can be compared with all the 2nd through 4th century manuscript evidence (Papyrus 45 and 52, Codex Sinaiticus, the Vulgate), over 43,000 quotes from 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th century orthodox church scholars (Clement, Papias, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius), even compare the later manuscripts (totaling now over 2,000) and we see that, in fact, historically and in actuality, the message and content of Holy Scripture has never changed; just the languages used to convey this uniform unchanged message.

Another major difference between the Qur’an and the Bible, in regards to missing verses or changes, is the Bible’s theology is complete in it’s revelation of God and time itself. It encompasses the beginning of time and the end of time. Because we have such a vast collection of biblical manuscripts from such early times, we CAN know what got changed or added or lost later. There are a few additions to Scripture that scholars feel weren’t in the originals because they only show up in later manuscripts. Knowing what came first exposes what did not and makes finding additions, changes, and errors easy. Those few additions, even if taken away and removed OR left in and taught, do not add or subject act for any essential doctrine of God or of Jesus.

Abrogation

This is a convenient argument but is still self defeating. The Islamic principle of abrogation is that when a later verse is revealed then earlier verses that deal with the same topic are invalidated, or superseded.  Muslims will respond by saying that the verse was abrogated and something else was substituted in place. The justification for this is found in Surah 2:106-111 which states: “None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?“

Let’s think about that for a second, “none” of the revelations does God “abrogate” BUT, there’s a “BUT” despite the absolute and definite “NONE” before it, God may later choose to “substitute something better” Hu, that’s interesting. This leads to several problems.

1. The word “none” doesn’t mean “none” then. The line of logic here is contradictory.
2. If something needs to be substituted by something better, that means the first thing isn’t good enough, isn’t perfect, but is less than good, less than perfect, less than holy. This means that things written in the Qur’an, the words of God, weren’t good enough and had to be “substituted” by “something better” later.
3. This verse reveals some valid questions about God in Islam. Does God in Islam not know the best, perfect, most good words of truth from the start? Why does God have to later correct himself, or better clarify his truths? Does he not know how his initial verse will be understood? Does he not know that there was a better way to phrase something? The last line of Surah 2:111 is “Allah Hath power over all things?” Did he not have the power to reveal his words perfectly the first time?
4. The abrogated and substituted thing is still in the Qur’an. Thus, you have one thing that then is contradicted by another thing, in the Qur’an. One thing that was CHANGED by a later “something” that was “better”. But this just proves that the Qur’an DID change; it changed from that first thing to a better thing. Even replaced by a similar thing is still, literally, a change.

Final Thought and Questions

The issue with the Qur’an is, from their own founders quotes, they aren’t sure what exactly should have been in the Qur’an. Then, as they try to remember and paraphrase the best they can to try and remember what Muhammad told them, THEY aren’t even sure they are remembering it correctly. Because of this alone, it’s hard to make the claim that the Qur’an has never been changed or corrupted when it’s own founders couldn’t remember what was and was not at times. And the arguments in defense are so weak, illogical, irrational, and don’t fit known truths in reality.

1) Why would God give Muhammad a divine command or special revelation to be memorized, only to be forgotten before it even gets written down?

2) The divine commands and revelations that were written down and can’t be changed, why are there different word counts and lengths for the same verses or chapter?

3) And if these ideas are divine, why does it blatantly error and mischaracterize Christianity, yet also validate the faith at the same time?

4) And if God causes some revelations to be later forgotten, why are some of them still written for us today, but still not included in the Qur’an?