My rebuttal to Sam and Jochen's "Is the Torah like the Qur'an, or is it not?" article:
This article is a rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's and Jochen Katz' article that is located at: http://www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/torah_like_it.htm.
They wrote:
In several places the Quran challenges the unbelievers to produce something similar to it:
And if you are in doubt as to that which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it (min mithlihi) and call on your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful. But if you do (it) not and never shall you do (it), then be on your guard against the fire of which men and stones are the fuel; it is prepared for the unbelievers. S. 2:23-24
Or do they say: He has forged it? Say: Then bring a chapter like this (mithlihi) and invite whom you can besides Allah, if you are truthful. S. 10:38
Or, do they say: He has forged it. Say: Then bring ten forged chapters like it (mithlihi) and call upon whom you can besides Allah, if you are truthful. S. 11:13
Say: If men and jinn should combine together to bring the like of this Quran (bimithlihi hatha al-Qurani), they could not bring the like of it, though some of them were aiders of others. S. 17:88
Or do they say: He has forged it. Nay! they do not believe. Then let them bring an announcement like it (mithlihi) if they are truthful. S. 52:33-34
Based on these verses, Muslims are convinced that the Quran is absolutely unique and unparalleled. For many it is an important element in their belief in the divine origin of the Quran that nobody was ever able to meet this particular challenge. The various issues around the challenge to bring a Surah like it are discussed in detail in the section Is the Qur'an Miraculous? In this current article we want to focus on the amazing fact that there are statements in the Quran which acknowledge that this challenge has already been met! The Quran asserts that the revelation given to Moses is similar and equal to the Quran. Consider the following passage:
Now that the Truth has come to them from Us, they are saying: "Why is he (Muhammad) not given the like of what was given to Musa?" Have they not rejected that which was given to Musa before? They claim: "These (Torah and Qur'an) are the two works of sorcery complementing each other!" And they say: "We believe in neither." Ask them: "Bring a Book from Allah which is a better guide THAN THESE TWO, I will follow it, if what you say be true!" S. 28:48-49 Malik
Muhammad challenges the unbelievers to bring a book which is not only a better guide than the Quran, but also better than the book of Moses!
[ Note: There exists a variant reading in Sura 28:48. However, most translators render the passage similarly to the above quoted translation by F. Malik, and Ibn Kathir also bases his comments on this version. The variant readings of this verse are discussed in the article, Books or People?, in the section on "Different Versions of the Qur'an". ]
Ibn Kathir's commentary reads:
<Two kinds of magic, each helping the other!>
‘Ali bin Abi Talhah and Al-‘Awfi reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said that this refers to THE TAWRAH and the Qur’an, because Allah says next ...
<Say: "Then bring a Book from Allah, which is a better guide than these two that I may follow it.">
Allah often mentions the Tawrah and the Qur’an together, as in the Ayat ...
<Say: "Who then sent down the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance to mankind ..."> until ...
<And this is a blessed Book which We have sent down.> (6:91-92)
And at the end of the same Surah, Allah says ...
<Then, We gave Musa the Book, to complete (Our favor) upon those who would do right> (6:154) ...
<And this is a blessed Book which We have sent down, so follow it and have Taqwa of Allah, that you may receive mercy> (6:155).
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 7 (Surat An-Nur to Surat Al-Ahzab, Verse 50), abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh, Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition, August 2000], p. 418; cf. online edition; bold and capital emphasis ours)
This presumes that the book of Moses was (a) available during Muhammad’s time, and (b) equal to the Quran in terms of guidance. The Quran goes on to state that the previous scriptures are similar to it, being just like it (mithlihi), the very same expression as found in the verses quoted at the beginning of this paper:
Say: Have you considered if it is from Allah, and you disbelieve in it, and a witness from among the children of Israel has borne witness of one like it (mithlihi), so he believed, while you are big with pride; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people ... And before it the Book of Musa was a guide and a mercy: and this is a Book VERIFYING (it) IN the Arabic language that it may warn those who are unjust and as good news for the doers of good. S. 46:10, 12 Shakir
Ibn Kathir comments:
<(at the same time), a witness from among the Children of Israel has testified to something similar>
meaning, ‘the previous Scriptures that were revealed to the Prophets before me all testify to its truthfulness and authenticity. They have prophecied, well in advance, about things similar to that which this Qur’an informs of.’ Concerning Allah’s statement ...
<and believed>
‘this person who testified to its truthfulness from the Children of Israel, due to his realization that it was the truth.’
<while you rejected (the truth)!>
‘whereas you have arrogantly refused to follow it.’ Masruq said: "That witness believed in his Prophet and Book, while you disbelieved in your Prophet and Book." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 9 (Surat Al-Jathiyah to the end of Surat Al-Munafiqun), First Edition: September 2000, pp. 52-53; cf. online edition)
Sir William Muir writes:
A Jew, either residing in the vicinity of Mecca, or having visited it perhaps from Medina or elsewhere,—at any rate known at Mecca,—is quoted to the people of Mecca as bearing testimony to the correspondence of the Corân with the Jewish Scriptures, and accordingly believing in it. "Does not this," says Mahomet, "prove the divine inspiration of the Corân, and yet ye proudly reject it?"
So Baidhâwi,—
??? ???? ??? ?????? ??? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ??????? ??????? ?????? ???????? ?? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ??????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ????? ??????? ????
"To the like-thereof, i. e. like the Corân, and the meaning is that the contents of the Tourât (Pentateuch) by their purport attest the Corân, as corresponding therewith, or resembling it;—and thus prove its being from God. And believed, that is, in the Corân, when he (the Jew) saw the intimations of Inspiration corresponding with the truth." (Sir William Muir, The Corân: Its Composition and Teaching, p. 84; bold emphasis ours)
Note the structure of the argument: assuming the divine origin of the Torah, the author of the Quran argues that because the Quran is "like the Torah", therefore it is of divine origin as well. In this context at least, the Quran seeks to derive its authority from the authority of the Torah. However, the relation of "being like it" is symmetric, i.e. "the Quran being like the Torah" implies also "the Torah being like the Quran". Thus, based on the testimony of the Quran itself, the Torah is like it, and therefore meets the above quoted challenge "to bring something like it".
My response:
Two points had been raised above:
1- The Miracle of the Noble Quran and the impossibility of any one imitating this Holy and Divine Book of GOD Almighty.
2- The Noble Quran is like the Torah.
Very fair. Let us now examine them in more details.
Point #1:
As I mentioned in my previous rebuttal regarding the clarity of the Noble Quran's Text, and the Supernatural Eloquence, Style and Language of the Holy Book:
It is only normal for the Noble Quran's Arabic Text not to be comprehended by anyone who speaks Arabic. It is a Miraculous Holy Book with Miraculous Language, Style, Text and Eloquence. It is definitely not for everyone to read, in a sense that they won't understand it. But yet, those who speak Arabic are almost always overwhelmingly impressed by Its Mysteries, Miraculous Language and Inspiration. The Noble Quran can not in anyway be imitated. Many have tried and failed. The following link from brother Saifullah's Islamic Awareness web site has tons of proofs and materials regarding this subject:
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Miracle/
The reader must also remember that this is not the Bible! The Bible was re-rewritten
many times, and its text is less than normal where it actually needs a lot of
modifications and twisting to make it even sound mature and serious sometimes, because for the most part it was written in a street language
style, especially in the New Testament.
There is definitely no super natural eloquence in the text of the Bible what
so ever. The following links, again from brother Saifullah's web site, have
excellent references and proofs regarding it:
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Miracle/ijaz.html#3 (Exposes the poor style and lack of eloquence in the NT)
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/
http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Bible/Text/Canon/
And from brother MENJ's web site:
http://www.bismikaallahuma.org/Bible/Text/
Point #2:
There are two sub-points that have to be addressed regarding this main point:
(a)- The current Bible is not the Original True and Divine Word of GOD Almighty.
(b)- The similarity between Moses' Torah and the Noble Quran.
(a):
The reader first has to know that today's bible is not the Original True and Divine Word of GOD Almighty. It had been tampered with and altered by man. Man's corruption and fabricated stories have destroyed the perfection of the bible. There are also tons of books that have not been added to today's "Bible" or "Old and New Testament Canons".
The different "Canons" of the Bible!
Different and conflicting variations of "gospels" and "books" that are disagreed upon by the Churches today.
For proofs on all of this from the Bible's very own
theologians and historians quotes, please visit:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/authors_gospels.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.com/contra.htm
Here is a sample of some contradictions and man's alterations of the Bible
along with the theologians' and historians' quotes of the KJV and NIV bibles:
II Samuel 10:18 talks about David slew the men of 700
chariots of the Syrians and 40,000 horsemen and Shobach the commander.
I Chronicles 1:18 says that David slew the men of 7000 chariots and 40,000 footmen
I Chronicles 9:25 says that Solomon had 4000 stalls for
horses and chariots.
I Kings 4:26 says that he had 40,000 stalls for horses
Ezra 2:5 talks about an exile Arah having 775 sons.
Nehemiah 7:10 talks about the same exile Arah having 652 sons.
II Samuel 24:13 So God came to David, and told him, and said unto
him, shall SEVEN YEARS OF FAMINE come unto thee in thy land? or will thou flee three
months before thine enemies, while they pursue. thee?
I Chronicles 21:11 SO God came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose
thee. Either THREE YEARS OF FAMINE or three months to be destryed before thy foes, while
that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee;
How did Judas die?
"And he cast down the pieces of silver into the temple and departed, and went out and
hanged himself." (Matthew 27:5)
"And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed
out." (Acts 1:18)
2 Samuel 6:23 Therefore MICHAL the daughter of Saul had no child
unto the day of her death.
2 Samuel 21:8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare
unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of MICHAL the daughter of Saul, whom
she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
2 Kings 24:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the
daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the
LORD.
26th year of the reign of Asa I Kings 16:6-8
36th year of the reign of Asa I 2 Chronicles 16:1
How old was Ahaziah when he began to reign?
22 in 2 Kings 8:26
42 in 2 Chronicle 22:2
Who was Josiah's successor?
Jehoahaz - 2 Chronicle 36:1
Shallum - Jeremiah 22:11
Also, your original scriptures are all doubtful according to the Bible's own theologians and historians. It's quite hilarious that even the Bible itself admits that it has been tampered with and corrupted by man's garbage:
"`How can you say, "We [the Jews] are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?' (From the NIV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)"
The Revised Standard Version makes it even clearer: "How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'?
But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.
(From the RSV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)"
And regarding who wrote the books and gospels of the Bible, as I quoted above, here is a sample of what the NIV Bible's theologians and historians wrote:
"Serious doubts exists as to whether these verses belong to the Gospel of Mark. They are absent from important early manuscripts and display certain peculiarities of vocabulary, style and theological content that are unlike the rest of Mark. His Gospel probably ended at 16:8, or its original ending has been lost. (From the NIV Bible Foot Notes, page 1528)"
"Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the Scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the author was Luke. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1643)"
"The writer of this letter does not identify himself, but he was obviously well known to the original recipients. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1856)"
"The letter is difficult to date with precision....(From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1905)"
"It seems safe to conclude that the book, at least in its early form, dates from the beginning of the monarchy. Some think that Samuel may have had a hand in shaping or compiling the materials of the book, but in fact we are unsure who the final author or editor was. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 286)"
"Although, according to tradition, Samuel wrote the book, authorship is actually uncertain. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 322)"
"The date of the composition is also unknown, but it was undoubtedly during the monarchy. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 322)"
"The author is unknown. Jewish tradition points to Samuel, but it is unlikely that he is the author because the mention of David (4:17,22) implies a later date. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 360)"
"Who the author was cannot be known with certainty since the book itself gives no indication of his identity. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 368)"
"There is little conclusive evidence as to the identity of the author of 1,2 Kings. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 459)"
"Whoever the author was, it is clear that he was familiar with the book of Deuteronomy. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 459)"
"According to ancient Jewish tradition, Ezra wrote Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah (see Introduction to Ezra: Literary Form and Authorship), but this cannot be established with certainty. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 569)"
"Although we do not know who wrote the book of Esther, from internal evidence it is possible to make some inferences about the author and the date of composition. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 707)"
"The unknown author probably had access to oral and/or written sources....(From the NIV Bible commentary, page 722)"
"Regarding authorship, opinions are even more divided....(From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 773)"
etc...
Please visit: Contradictions and proofs of Historical Corruptions
in the Bible, and see exactly what I mean,
instead of acting like a total fool and saying things that even the Bible refutes in it!
It is quite obvious that Christians today believe in third party authors' words as the words of GOD. This is a very serious corruption in the Bible that must be taken into deep consideration by the Bible's followers. Please visit "Is the Bible the true word of GOD?" to see a full and complete paper about the logical corruptions in the Bible, along with many Christian famous priests and ministers opinions that agree with the Bible's corruption. I have their personal quotes in that site.
Also, as to the parts of the Bible that Muslims believe are closest to the Truth, please
visit: www.answering-christianity.com/warning.htm
After that, please visit: Prophet Muhammad was foretold in many places in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments.
(b):
Now to the Similarity of Moses' Torah to the Noble Quran:
Important Note: In this section below, I first start it off by showing that Salvation even in the NT is not limited to Jesus. I then move on to Moses' (peace be upon him) Tablets and their relationship with the Islam. And last, I prove from both the Bible and the Noble Quran how the Jews were treacherous to the Prophets and why Allah Almighty removed His Covenant with them.
The Moses' Tablets section below is the direct answer to the point. But I wanted to address it in its full scope to help the reader see how the Moses' Law is similar to Islam.
From http://www.answering-christianity.com/jesus_paradise.htm:
10- What is the core belief of Christianity then?
The following is an email-post I received. The structure of the post goes like this:
Name
Email
Subject
Date (automatically populated)
Contents
N. Lewis
bundlenick@juno.com
what are the beliefs of christianity
5/18/2005
In your own words, can you explain to me what the core beliefs of christianity are?
Mr. Lewis' question is a fair one, because after seeing the verses that I provided above (and there are more in the Bible), it is important to define what Christianity really is. The direct answer to the question is this: "Christianity simply means believing in the Messiah." A Messiahn or a Christian is one who believes that Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews. In other words, Jesus was the Prophet and Leader of the People of Israel.
The Messiah is by no mean the Creator of the Universe. All of the nonsense that was invented by the polytheist trinitarian pagans regarding Jesus being our GOD was all refuted. I would like to ask the reader to start with reading this article that refutes in great details Isaiah 9:6. The "God" title (El) that was given to the Messiah in this verse was also given to many others (including satan himself) before and after Jesus in the Bible. The only unique title for GOD Almighty that was never shared with anyone else is "Yahweh" or "Jehovah" which means "The GOD Almighty" or "The LORD". From that article you can branch out to the other related ones. Of course, you can also visit the main section that refutes trinity at: www.answering-christianity.com/at.htm.
Anyone and everyone who believes in Jesus as the Christ is a Christian. I am a Christian. I am also a Muslim. I am definitely not a polytheist trinitarian pagan. I am both a Unitarian and a Monotheist. That's what a Muslim is.
As we clearly saw in the Biblical verses above, Salvation is not limited to Jesus. Jesus is not even relevant when it comes to Salvation, in a sense that if one is a True believer in GOD Almighty, and loves GOD Almighty with all his heart and all his soul, and is good to people (i.e., he or she is righteous), then the person will win Eternal Life. This is not only according to Jesus, but it is also according to Islam as well, believe it or not. So the belief in Jesus being the mediator between you and your Creator and he is your saviour is all man-made. Jesus was no more than a Prophet and a True Believer:
"Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. (The Noble Quran, 19:34)"
"The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was. (The Noble Quran, 3:59)"
"And behold! God will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. (The Noble Quran, 5:116)"
"O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in God and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for God is one God: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is God as a Disposer of affairs. (The Noble Quran, 4:171)"
"Christ disdaineth nor to serve and worship God, nor do the angels, those nearest (to God): those who disdain His worship and are arrogant,-He will gather them all together unto Himself to (answer). (The Noble Quran, 4:172)"
Let's not also forget that the Early Christians' doctrines during the 1st and 2nd centuries, claimed that Jesus never got crucified, which is exactly what Islam also claims.
In a nut shell, if a person follows the Bible's Ten Commandments (except for the not working in the Sabbath one) and the Golden Rule (which is unfortunately not consistent in the Bible, but it is consistent in Islam), then he/she is a True Believer in GOD Almighty and he/she is a Righteous person. While nothing in the Noble Quran specifically says that we must follow the Bible's "Ten Commandments", but nonetheless, Moses' (peace be upon him) Tablets were mentioned in the Noble Quran, and they are believed to contain the Ten Commandments:
"And We ordained laws for him in the tablets in all matters, both commanding and explaining all things, (and said): "Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts: soon shall I show you the homes of the wicked,- (How they lie desolate)." (The Noble Quran, 7:145)"
"When Moses came back to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "Evil it is that ye have done in my place in my absence: did ye make haste to bring on the judgment of your Lord?" He put down the tablets, seized his brother by (the hair of) his head, and dragged him to him. Aaron said: "Son of my mother! the people did indeed reckon me as naught, and went near to slaying me! Make not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune, nor count thou me amongst the people of sin." (The Noble Quran, 7:150)"
"When the anger of Moses was appeased, he took up the tablets: in the writing thereon was guidance and Mercy for such as fear their Lord. (The Noble Quran, 7:154)"
Also, all of the beautiful Wisdoms and Divine Commands that exist in the Bible's Ten Commandments do exist in the Noble Quran and they do make up the bottom line and the core beliefs of Islam. Not only that, but they are also considered "Light" by Allah Almighty:
"It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to God's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of God's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers. (The Noble Quran, 5:44)"
"Of the people of Moses (i.e., the Jews) there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of truth. (The Noble Quran, 7:159)"
Again, please visit the link as mentioned above about Islam for more details and proofs.
You might then ask, what is the purpose of "Christ" or the "Messiah" if he is not GOD?
The question itself, which is often raised by the polytheist trinitarian pagans, is quite silly with all due respect to the reader. The Jews' leader on earth is no more than a human and a Messenger of GOD Almighty. No where in the Bible does it say that the Messiah is GOD Almighty. Again, please read the link above about Isaiah 9:6 and the "El" title that was given to many before and after Jesus in the Bible.
Anyway, after the Jews' continuos and never-ending treachery and evil against GOD Almighty and His Prophets, GOD Almighty Saw that sending more Prophets to them would be absolutely pointless and hopeless and would just add more to their corruption. That is why He switched to the Arabs who were pagans, fresh and ready for a Prophet, especially since they never had a Prophet. We must not forget also that Abraham and his son Ishmael, peace be upon them, went to Arabia and built the House of GOD Almighty there.
Please visit:
Paran or Mecca where Abraham, Hagar and Ishmael migrated to was mentioned in the Bible.
The detailed story of how the Kaaba was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael peace be upon them.
The Kaaba is the House of GOD Almighty, and it too was mentioned in the Bible.
GOD Almighty Sent His Final Messenger and Message to them. Let us briefly look at the Jews' treachery to see why GOD Almighty would end His Covenant with them:
"You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? "From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you. They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot say, 'Yes, I knew of them.' You have neither heard nor understood; from of old your ear has not been open. Well do I know how treacherous you are; you were called a rebel from birth. For my own name's sake I delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I hold it back from you, so as not to cut you off. (From the NIV Bible, Isaiah 48:6-9)"
"So I will disgrace the dignitaries of your temple, and I will consign Jacob to destruction and Israel to scorn. (From the NIV Bible, Isaiah 43:28)"
"But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment. (From the NIV Bible, Isaiah 50:11)"
"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. (From the KJV Bible, Matthew 21:43)"
Exodus 32
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the
mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who
will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt,
we don't know what has happened to him."
Exodus 32
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you
brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and
have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and
sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of
Egypt.'
9 "I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they
are a stiff-necked people.
Exodus 34
8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 "O Lord,
if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the Lord go with us. Although
this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take
us as your inheritance."
Deuteronomy 31
25 he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the
covenant of the LORD :
26 "Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD
your God. There it will remain as a witness against you.
27 For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been
rebellious against the LORD while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you
rebel after I die!
28 Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can
speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to testify against them.
29 For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from
the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall upon you because you
will do evil in the sight of the LORD and provoke him to anger by what your hands have
made."
Numbers 16
12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But
they said, "We will not come!
13 Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and
honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us?
14 Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or
given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men?
No, we will not come!"
Numbers 14
10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory
of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.
11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with
contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs
I have performed among them?
12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a
nation greater and stronger than they."
Numbers 14
22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I
performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten
times-
23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their
forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.
24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I
will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
Numbers 16
29 If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually
happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me.
30 But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the
earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go
down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with
contempt."
31 As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (From the KJV Bible, Matthew 23:37)"
"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?- Some ye called impostors, and others ye slay! (The Noble Quran, 2:87)"
"And remember ye said: "O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions." He said: "Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any town, and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of God. This because they went on rejecting the Signs of God and slaying His Messengers without just cause. This because they rebelled and went on transgressing. (The Noble Quran, 2:61)"
"As to those who deny the Signs of God and in defiance of right, slay the prophets, and slay those who teach just dealing with mankind, announce to them a grievous penalty. (The Noble Quran, 3:21)"
"God hath heard the taunt of those who say: "Truly, God is indigent and we are rich!"- We shall certainly record their word and (their act) of slaying the prophets in defiance of right, and We shall say: "Taste ye the penalty of the Scorching Fire! (The Noble Quran, 3:181)"
Jesus was the Jews' final hope for remaining as GOD Almighty's "Chosen People", and to come back to the Right Path of GOD Almighty. They instead tried to crucify him. The reason why they were at one time chosen by GOD Almighty was because they were True Believers in the One and Living GOD Almighty, while everyone else around them was an idol worshiper. Plus Jihad (Fighting in the Holy Cause of GOD Almighty and taking people out of the darkness of idol worship into the Light of GOD) started with them. But because they cowards, treacherous and hypocrites, they failed the test of GOD Almighty and couldn't carry the burden. The Muslims on the other hand who were later on chosen by GOD Almighty to carry this burden succeeded.
By the way, Jihad is definitely not limited to to the sword. Jihad simply means "struggling for the Holy Cause of GOD Almighty." Spreading the Holy Word of GOD Almighty and the True Worship to Him is what Jihad is all about. It can definitely be done peacefully especially in our world today where through the internet a person can reach millions:
From http://www.answering-christianity.com/peaceful_jihad.htm:
"Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness, with the (Quran). (The Noble Quran, 25:52)"
"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: For thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance. (The Noble Quran, 16:125)"
They wrote:
The evidence provided in this article has several implications.
It is evident from the above citations that the author of the Quran believed that the Holy Bible, or at least the book of Moses, met the Quran’s challenge to produce something like it. Yet if, as Muslims often claim, the book of Moses had been tampered with then how can a corrupted text BE LIKE THE QURAN seeing that it is no longer purely divine in origin? How can human additions match the so-called divinely inspired Quranic text? Are we to assume that the author of the Quran was asserting that a corrupted text claiming to be the book of Moses was of equal value as the Quran? Obviously not, which means that:
Furthermore, the Torah had to be readily available for comparison (a) with the Quran and (b) with those hypothetical competitors, should somebody take up the challenge "to bring a book better than these two". Neither the argument for the Quran based on its similarity to the Torah (S. 46:10) nor the challenge to bring a book better than the Torah (S. 28:49) would make any sense if the Torah is not available to actually perform the necessary comparison.
Our main point bears repeating: The Quran makes the statement that the Torah (as it was readily available at Muhammad's time) is equal to the Quran in value of guidance and "is like it". If Muslims want to maintain their charge that the Torah was corrupted, i.e. its text being "human" and uninspired, then this implies that the Quran is no better than a human product. This would be an absurd conclusion. Thus, the obvious assumption behind the formulations found in the Quran verses is that the Torah is in its entirety of divine origin, and the Quran is as well. The Quran neither states that the Torah was corrupted before the time of Muhammad, nor does it contain any warning or prophecy that such a corruption would happen in the future. It assumes and endorses the authority of the Torah without any reservations.
For a comprehensive discussion regarding the crucial topic of the relationship between the Qur'an and the previous scriptures, please see the various articles listed in the section "What the Qur'an Says About the Bible". Moreover,
In light of the foregoing, the only thing that a Jew or Christian need to do for the purpose of meeting the Quran's challenge is to present citations from the Holy Bible, which is actually vastly superior to the Quran.
We would like to emphasize explicitly that from the Christian perspective there is no comparison between the Holy Bible and the Quran, contrary to what the Quran claims. The Holy Bible is the inspired inerrant word of the true God, and the Quran is not. The Quran is only a very poor imitation of God’s true and pure word.
My response:
As the reader clearly saw above, I fully proved the following points that clearly refuted your points:
1- The Noble Quran's Text, and the Supernatural Eloquence, Style and Language of the Holy Book can not be imitated by anyone.
2- The current bible is not the Original Holy and True Word of GOD Almighty. Ironically, even the bible's own theologians and historians from the KJV and NIV bible admit to this fact.
3- The Moses' (peace be upon him) Tablets and the current "Ten Commandments" in the bible are the closest to what Islam Teaches and how to ultimately win Salvation, are what the Noble Quran referred to when Allah Almighty Said that the Moses' Torah is similar to the Noble Quran.
They wrote:
Those Muslims who despite all the evidence to the contrary still insist that the Quran teaches the corruption of the earlier scriptures, will have to face another dilemma:
Summary: When performing a careful analysis of all statements found in the Quran in regard to the Jewish and Christian scriptures, the conclusion can only be that the Quran teaches that these scriptures are genuinely the Word of God and upholds their integrity and authority. The widely propagated Muslim polemic that the Bible (including the Torah) has been corrupted and is no longer the original divinely inspired text, leads to several problems and absurdities. It places the Quran itself on the level of a corrupted text, since the Quran claims to be like the Torah, it turns the challenge of the Quran into a farce since in that case it has been met before it was issued, and it creates an internal contradiction in the Quran as the Quran then states both, that the challenge cannot be met, but also admits that there is a book (the Torah) which fulfills the challenge.
By making the charge of Bible corruption, Muslims are denying the clear message of the Quran. They have to reject several statements of the Quran to uphold this polemic. On the other hand, if Muslims were to follow the genuine teaching of the Quran that the Torah is truly the word of God, and accept the reasoning of the Quran, which seeks to derive its authority from "being like the Torah" and the Torah's divine authority, then they would have to denounce Islam as false, since the Quran irreconcilably contradicts the Torah on many essential teachings. The Quran only claims to be in confirmation of the Torah and the Gospel, but actually is in sharp contradiction to both the Jewish and the Christian scriptures that it appeals to.
The above discussion of the passages S. 28:48-49 and 46:10, 12 is merely one small aspect of a foundational dilemma for Islam. Several hundred years after the death of Muhammad and completion of the Quran, Muslims have developed their theory of Bible Corruption because they realized the teachings of Bible and Quran contradicted each other. However, this theory fails to achieve its purpose, i.e. to maintain the authority of the Quran. This is the dilemma:
Under neither of these assumptions can it be maintained that the Quran is the Word of God.
My response:
Again, all of these points had been refuted in great details above. The only new thing I need to mention here is that no Muslim today and neither the Noble Quran Says that GOD Almighty Scriptures had been corrupt. What we claim is that today's "Bible" is not the Original Holy and True Word of GOD Almighty.
There are few points that need to be addressed in order to make this clear:
1- Today's Bible, especially the New Testament, is a rewrite. What you have today from "scriptures" is nothing but a man-made rewrite by Constantine and his counsel of Nessia. Not only the Bible's own theologians and historians claim and admit this as I clearly showed some of their quotes above, but the bible itself clearly supports it as well. Let us look at the follow few examples about the bible's rewrites and corruption by men:
From http://www.answering-christianity.com/sake3.htm:
So, who then are the authors of the books of the Bible? Obviously the Church must know them very well since they are popularly believed to have received divine inspiration from God Himself. Right? Actually, they don't. For example, we will note that every Gospel begins with the introduction "According to....." such as "The Gospel according to Saint Matthew," "The Gospel according to Saint Luke," "The Gospel according to Saint Mark," "The Gospel according to Saint John." The obvious conclusion for the average man on the street is that these people are known to be the authors of the books attributed to them. This, however is not the case. Why? Because not one of the vaunted four thousand copies existent carries its author's signature. It has just been assumed that certain people were the authors. Recent discoveries, however, refute this belief. Even the internal evidence suggests that, for instance, Matthew did not write the Gospel attributed to him:
"...And as Jesus passed forth thence, HE (Jesus) saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and HE (Jesus) saith unto HIM (Matthew), follow ME (Jesus) and HE (Matthew) arose, and followed HIM (Jesus). (Matthew 9:9)"
Did "Matthew" write this about himself? Why then didn't Matthew write for example: "he (Jesus) saw ME, and my name is Matthew. I was sitting at the receipt of custom…" etc.
Such evidence can be found in many places throughout the New Testament. Granted, it may be possible that an author sometimes may write in the third person, still, in light of the rest of the evidence that we shall see throughout this book, there is simply too much evidence against this hypothesis.
This observation is by no means limited to the New Testament. There is even similar evidence that at least parts of Deuteronomy were not written by their claimed author, prophet Moses . This can be seen in Deuteronomy 34:5-10 where we read
"So Moses....DIED... and he (God Almighty) BURIED HIM (Moses)... He was 120 years old WHEN HE DIED... and there arose not a prophet SINCE in Israel like unto Moses....(Deuteronomy 34:5-10)"
Did Moses write his own obituary? Similarly, Joshua too speaks in detail about his own death in Joshua 24:29-33.
"And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, DIED, … And they BURIED HIM … And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that over lived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel ….(Joshua 24:29-33)"
Such evidence is part of the large cache which has driven the Biblical scholars to come to the current recognition that most of the books of the Bible were not written by their supposed authors. For example, the authors of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible by Collins honestly say that the author of "Kings" is "Unknown." But if the author is unknown then why attribute it to God? How can it then be claimed to have been "inspired"? Continuing, we read that the book of Isaiah is "Mainly credited to Isaiah. Parts may have been written by others." Ecclesiastics: "Author. Doubtful, but commonly assigned to Solomon." Ruth: "Author. Not definitely known, perhaps Samuel." and on and on.
Let us have a slightly more detailed look at only one book of the New Testament, that of 'Hebrews':
"The author of the Book of Hebrews is unknown. Martin Luther suggested that Apollos was the author...Tertullian said that Hebrews was a letter of Barnabas...Adolf Harnack and J. Rendel Harris speculated that it was written by Priscilla (or Prisca). William Ramsey suggested that it was done by Philip. However, the traditional position is that the Apostle Paul wrote Hebrews...Eusebius believed that Paul wrote it, but Origen was not positive of Pauline authorship."
From the introduction to the King James Bible, New revised and updated sixth edition, the Hebrew/Greek Key Study, Red Letter Edition
and one book of the Old Testament:
"In tradition, [David] is credited with writing 73 of the Psalms; most scholars, however, consider this claim questionable."
Encarta Encyclopedia, under "David"
Is this how we define "inspired by God"?
I asked a reverend of the local church in my neighborhood, on what gospel most often quoted and used, he quickly answered, the Gospel of St. John!
Let us examine the Contextual Problems of the Gospel of John - Highly Recommended! Even though this is a Darwinist site, but it has some very good and important historical facts about the Bible's corruption. What makes it interesting is that many of their articles were written by former Christian missionaries.
2- It is also important to know that there are tons of books that were left out from the "Canons". I am certain that many of these books perhaps contained the Original and True Holy Word of GOD Almighty. This is again addressed in great details at: http://www.answering-christianity.com/authors_gospels.htm. Let us look at few sections from the link:
3- The New Testament was written in the 3rd century by Constantine and his church by their own words:
As we clearly see above, the books and gospels of the bible were written by mysterious authors. The New Testament of today was written in the third century by Constantine and his church. That is why you read things such as:
"...And as Jesus passed forth thence, HE (Jesus) saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and HE (Jesus) saith unto HIM (Matthew), follow ME (Jesus) and HE (Matthew) arose, and followed HIM (Jesus). (Matthew 9:9)"
"And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? (From the King James Version Bible, John 1:19)"
"John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; (From the King James Version Bible, John 1:26)"
"For John was not yet cast into prison. (From the King James Version Bible, John 3:24)"
etc.....
It is quite possible and very highly probable that Constantine and his church selectively collected some letters from among 24,000 letters and wrote the 30 books and gospels of the New Testament with their OWN WORDS. Keep in mind that the 2nd century Christians mostly and widely believed that Jesus never got crucified. See the proof at: www.answering-christianity.com/early_christians.htm.
The following links contain details about Constantine, his work in the Bible and history:
http://www.kenanderson.net/bible/constantine.html
http://gbgm-umc.org/umw/bible/cea.stm
http://www.bibleufo.com/anomlostbooks.htm
http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/constantine.html
The point from this is that when you read "Jesus is the Son of
God", please keep in mind that it is quoted from a corrupted book. The
Old Testament makes numerous references about "son
of God" to many people. As I proved at: www.answering-christianity.com/son_translation.htm,
the word "son of God" literally means "SERVANT OF GOD"
in the original Hebrew.
The different "Canons" of the Bible!
Different and conflicting variations of "gospels" and "books" that are disagreed upon by the Churches today.
4- The Roman Catholic Encyclopedia admits that the Bible had been "altered":
From brother Amir AbdulRahim; may Allah Almighty always be pleased with him:
The subject of Mankind's Corruption of the Bible has interested me greatly, and I have taken a closer look at this subject. Its seems it's not only your site that brings this subject up, but a couple of Christian sites too.
For example, an article in the Catholic Encyclopaedia that you mentioned in regard to
the 'Theophilus' mentioned in Luke's Gospel (from your Just Who Are The Real Authors Of
The Bible? article) testifies to this fact (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14530a.htm):
"IV. TRANSMISSION OF THE TEXT
No book of ancient times has come down to us exactly as it left the hands of its author-- all have been in some way altered. The material conditions under which a book was spread before the invention of printing (1440), the little care of the copyists, correctors, and glossators for the text, so different from the desire of accuracy exhibited to-day, explain sufficiently the divergences we find between various manuscripts of the same work. To these causes may be added, in regard to the Scriptures, exegetical difficulties and dogmatical controversies. To exempt the sacred writings from ordinary conditions a very special providence would have been necessary, and it has not been the will of God to exercise this providence."
Lets just go through that again - "No book of ancient times has come down to us exactly as it left the hands of its author--all have been in some way altered." All have been in some way altered! In view of this blatant admission, how can anyone expect me, or any muslim, to follow an impure book?
When you compare this to the great lengths taken to preserve the original Qur'an, there's no contest!
Further from brother Vipor Poison; may Allah Almighty always
be pleased with him:
Luke 1:3
Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it
seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
The following is from the Catholic Encyclopedia:
http://newadvent.org/cathen/14625b.htm
http://newadvent.org/cathen/14625a.htm
If Theophilus existed in either the 2nd or the 4th centuries then how could the writer of this gospel be the same Luke who is supposed to be with Jesus in the 1st century.
Maybe he lived to about 200 years.. :)
Last and not least:
I would like the reader to read this article: What parts of the Bible do Muslims believe are closest to the Truth, and Why?
Responses to all of the so-called "Contradictions" in the Noble Quran.
My Rebuttals, and exposing the lies of the Answering Islam team section.
Rebuttals to Sam Shamoun's Articles section.
Rebuttals to Jochen Katz' Articles section.
My rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's "A Brief Rebuttal to Anti-Missionary Attacks on the Trinity" article.
What is the Role of the Holy Spirit in Islam? Why can't we call it GOD?
Errors and History of Contradictions and Corruption in the Bible.
Christians are Commanded to follow the Old Testament.
Allah, Islam, Quran, Muhammad questions and answers.
What is the place of Jews, Christians and non-Muslims in Islam?
"Allah" was GOD Almighty's Original Name in the Bible according to the Hebrew and Aramaic sources.