Understanding Christianity and Islam - Part 6 (The Qur’an and the Bible: Claims of Revelation Compared)
The Qur’an and the Bible: Claims of Revelation Compared
At the heart of both Christianity and Islam is a sacred text. For Muslims, it is the Qur’an. For Christians, it is the Bible. Both are believed by their followers to be revelations from God. But are their claims of divine origin equally supported by evidence, consistency, and historical reliability?
Let’s look at the similarities and crucial differences between the Bible and the Qur’an, not just in belief, but in how they came to us.
What Is the Bible?
Written over 1,500 years, by more than 40 authors, across 3 continents.
Composed in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Includes historical narratives, poetry, prophecy, letters, and eyewitness accounts.
Contains the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books), unified in message, centred on God’s plan of redemption through Christ.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God…” (2 Timothy 3:16)
What Is the Qur’an?
Believed by Muslims to be the final, unaltered word of Allah, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over 23 years.
Written in classical Arabic, organized into 114 surahs (chapters).
Claims to confirm previous scriptures (Torah, Psalms, Gospel), but also claims they were corrupted over time.
Muslims believe the Qur’an is eternally preserved in heaven and transmitted verbatim through the angel Jibril (Gabriel).
Key Questions of Comparison
How Did Each Text Come to Us?
The Bible:
The Old Testament was preserved by the Jewish community for centuries.
The New Testament was written by eyewitnesses and close associates of Jesus.
Over 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament exist today, more than any other ancient work.
Manuscript discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the remarkable preservation of the Old Testament.
The Qur’an:
Revealed to Muhammad orally, then later memorized and compiled.
After Muhammad’s death, Caliph Uthman commissioned an official version and ordered all variant copies to be burned.
The earliest complete Qur’anic manuscripts (e.g., Topkapi, Samarkand) show minor variations from today’s standardized Hafs version.
Scholarly Note: While Muslims emphasize oral memorization (ḥifz), historical research shows early Qur’anic texts were not entirely identical and underwent editorial stages.
Is Each Text Internally Consistent?
The Bible:
Though written over centuries, it displays thematic and theological unity — creation, fall, redemption, restoration.
Fulfilled prophecies and cross-references across books demonstrate coherence.
Tensions (like divine judgment and mercy) are resolved in Christ, not contradicted.
The Qur’an:
The Qur’an claims consistency (Qur’an 4:82), yet contains:
Conflicting accounts (e.g., creation narratives, timelines of judgment).
Theological tensions (e.g., Allah’s mercy vs. arbitrary judgment).
Divergence from earlier scriptures it claims to confirm.
Abrogation (Naskh): Later verses override earlier ones (Qur’an 2:106), raising questions about eternal consistency.
How Were They Preserved and Transmitted?
The Bible:
Transmission was through scribes and faithful copying, even during persecution.
Modern textual criticism allows scholars to trace and verify changes, ensuring high confidence in accuracy.
The earliest full NT manuscripts date within 250 years of the originals, very close by ancient standards.
The Qur’an:
Memorization played a key role, but the earliest written codices show textual diversity.
Uthman’s standardization removed alternative readings, yet Qira’at (variant readings) still exist.
Today, 10 accepted canonical readings are used in different parts of the Muslim world.
Scholarly Note: Western Qur’anic scholars like Angelika Neuwirth and Nicolai Sinai affirm textual fluidity in the Qur’an's early transmission.
Key Differences in Revelation
What Makes a Revelation Reliable?
Historically verifiable
Consistently transmitted
Theologically coherent
Transformational in power
By these criteria, the Bible stands firm as a text that:
Was written and preserved in the light of history.
Was open to scrutiny, not hidden or altered.
Bears the weight of fulfilled prophecy.
And reveals a God who speaks, acts, and redeems.
Final Thought: Revelation or Repetition?
The Qur’an affirms that God gave the Torah and the Gospel, but then rejects their central claims, especially about Jesus' divinity, death, and resurrection.
Meanwhile, the Bible doesn’t merely claim to be divine; it proves it by:
Prophetic accuracy
Historical reliability
Consistency across centuries
And a message that culminates in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
(Isaiah 40:8)
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