including thepagesof Prophet Abraham )Ibraaheem(, thePsalmsof Prophet
David )Daawood(, theTorahof Prophet Moses )Moosaa(, theInjeel)Gospel(
of Prophet Jesus )'Eesaa(, and finally, theQuranof Prophet Muhammad.
Of these revealed texts only the Quran remains intact in its original
form. All of the others )ascomplete books( have been lost, their
remains have survived only as fragments or tampered with in some way
so as to make their authenticity doubtful. Nowhere in the Quran is the
Bible even mentioned, to say nothing of its being among the revealed
texts of Allah, or as Christian claim "The Word of God." Further, we
know from respected scholars that although some fragments ofthePsalms,
theTorah, and theInjeel)the teachings of Prophet Jesus( may be found
in the Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testaments, the Bible
cannot rightfully be called "The Word of God." Why is this so?
As one publisher )Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, llinois(
stated: "The Bible may look like one book, but it is actually
sixty-six books in one. Thirty-nine books make up what we call the Old
Testament, and twenty-seven make up the New Testament. It is possible
that more than forty writers were used by God to write all sixty-six
books." )Quoted from the "Holy Bible" – New Living Translation, Gift &
Award Edition, l997, p. vii(
So if the Bible is neither narrated by God nor written by Him, and, as
such, is not 'the word of God,' then what is it? By any objective
criteria, the Bible is a book containing a compilation of stories,
legends, folk tales, folk lore, myths, sagas, narratives, poetry,
fragments of scriptures )fragments from the Psalms, the Torah, and the
Injeel as already mentioned(, letters )esp. in New Testament(,
visions, dreams, accounts of events from doubtfulsources )not eye
witnesses(, editors' or scribes' notes, as well as human errors.
For those who believe in it, it is a book that has historical,
cultural, moral and ethical values, and a source of spiritual teaching
and guidance. It is a book held in highesteem, primarily by Christians
who see it as a divine book and the source of their religious beliefs.
But, in the final analysis it is only a book with many limitations
and imperfections which disqualify it from being called "The Word of
God." Whoever makes such a claim then the burden of proof rests with
him. On the contrary, the Glorious Quran is the Speech of Allaah and,
through the Angel Gabriel, was revealed to Prophet Muhammad; later
compiled into a book more than 14 centuries ago it remains preserved
in its original form until today.
Some common misunderstandings about the Bible include the following:
The Bible is one book, the Old Testament. The Bible contains sixty-six
books )or more depending upon the denomination one belongs to(.
The Old Testament )OT( is the Torah followed by the Jews. The OT
contains some fragments of the Torah which was lost and thePsalms, but
the Talmud is the book followed by the Jews and is totally unrelated
to the Bible.
The New Testament )NT( is the Gospel of Prophet Jesus, or the Injeel.
It is neither. It is made up of twenty-seven books, none of which was
narrated or written byProphet Jesus although the NT may contain
fragments of the Injeel )sayings and teachings of Prophet Jesus(. The
Injeel as revealed through Prophet Jesus has been lost. The fragments
which may be cited in the NT maynot be authentic or in their proper
context. So it is erroneousto equate the NT with the Injeel mentioned
in the Quran.
The Bible is a holy book, narrated,dictated by God and is infallible.
While this is a claim, this misconception has already been addressed.
Since the Bible is 'only' a book, there is no need to call it a
forgery, a corrupted text, etc. The Quran is the only authentic "Word
of God," His Speech, and Allah has promised to protect it from
distortion of any kind until the Day of Judgment and He has kept His
promise. Not one letter or syllable has been changed over the past l4
centuries.
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