What's Wrong with Islam?
Muslims must search the Bible, but the Bible refutes Islam.
September, 2020
Not long ago, a Muslim contacted me and asked, "why do you think I am doing wrong?" He suggested the Bible predicted there would be more messages from God, and that Islam was the fulfillment of those predictions.
I clarified that the issue is not that he was "doing wrong," so much as that I believe Islam, and the message of Muhammad, are not the truths which God wants us to understand. The Bible speaks of completion, in the sense of revelation, only when referring to Jesus as the fulfillment of those ideas (Matthew 5:17). It says we, those who believe, will one day be perfected (1 Corinthians 13:12; 15:50–54; 1 John 3:2). But it does not say, at all, that there will be a new and updated revelation given later; in fact, it says the opposite (Jude 1:3–4; Revelation 22:18–20).
There are places in the Bible which indicate others would come after Jesus—and that they would attempt to change His message. For example, we have Matthew 24:11, Matthew 24:24, Galatians 2:4, 2 Peter 2:1, and so forth. In Galatians 1:8–9, it is said that those who bring a different gospel—even those who claim to be angels—are cursed. And yet, there is no doubt that what is contained in the Bible does not agree with the teachings of Islam.
Because of that, the Qur'an itself presents a truly insurmountable contradiction. This tells us it cannot be true:
" [Allah] gave [Jesus the Son of Mary] the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous. And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient. " Qur'an 5:46–47
Muhammad is explicitly telling Christians to refer to the Bible (see also Qur'an 2:97; 42:15; 6:34; 10:64). He clearly, explicitly, and directly said that the words of the prophets were available for people to check his message (Qur'an 5:46–47). He explicitly, directly said that no one could change those words (Qur'an 10:64; 18:27; 50:29). And yet, we have absolute, empirical, undeniable proof that what the Bible says today is exactly what it has said since several centuries prior to Muhammad.
The Bible which existed at the time of Muhammad is exactly the same Bible which exists today. The translations we have now are based on manuscripts dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries; that's 300-400 years prior to Muhammad's life. Suggesting the modern Bible is not the same as the New Testament which describes Jesus is to claim Muhammad was a false prophet. Suggesting that Muhammad gave a message contrary to what Allah gave Isa is to claim Muhammad was a false prophet.
Hence the problem. If the Qur'an is telling Christians to refer to a divinely-protected Bible, and the Bible disagrees with Muslim doctrine, then Muslim doctrine is not correct. If the Qur'an was in error by telling Christians to read a false, deceitful Bible, then Muslim doctrine is not correct. Claiming that the text, or even the meaning, of the Bible was corrupted is not possible (Qur'an 2:97). As stated, we have explicit, hard evidence to the contrary.
Those who sincerely seek God will, eventually, find their way from Islam to the truth.
-- Editor
