;)
The Bible And The Qur’an Are Not The Same
Posted by From the Middle East in Bible & Theology
Question: What is another name for the uncreated Word of God that was sent down by God as the ultimate, final and authoritative revelation of Himself?
Christian Answer: Obviously Jesus!
Muslim Answer: Obviously the Generous Qur’an!
Early on in my time visiting with Muslims, I began to realize Muslims view the Generous Qur’an in a very different way than we view the Holy Scriptures. It seems essential to me that we understand what these differences are if we are to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap and effectively communicate exactly what it is we believe and how it is we live out those beliefs. With this in mind, I would like to propose that a comparison should not be made between the Holy Scriptures in Christianity and the Generous Qur’an in Islam. Rather, a more accurate comparison would be between Jesus and the Generous Qur’an. Here are some of the reasons:
Eternality - The Generous Qur’an is considered, by most Muslims,* to have existed in Arabic in eternity past with God. We do not believe this about the Holy Scriptures. We do, however, affirm One who existed in eternity past… namely, the Messiah.
Tanzeel - This word literally means “to send down” or “to lower.” Because of the eternality of the Generous Qur’an, it is viewed as sent down to Earth via the angel Gabriel. We do not view the Holy Scriptures this way, but do view the Living Word of God in this way. Jesus was “sent down” to Earth as the image of the invisible God.
Dictation - The Generous Qur’an is considered the actual speech of God. God did not inspire anyone to write it, He dictated it to Muhammad through Gabriel. This concept is present in the Holy Scriptures (i.e. the Ten Commandments and prophetic announcements), but dictation is not the only means through which God authors books. The Scriptures are certainly God-breathed, inspired and those who recorded them were carried along by the Spirit of God, but the authors’ respective personalities and various literary styles are evident as well.
Word of God - Due to the concepts of tanzeel and dictation above, Muslims consider the Generous Qur’an the exact speech of God. This concept would correspond to sections of the Holy Scriptures noted above, but not the entire canon. At the same time, Jesus is repeatedly referred to as the “Word of God” in the Generous Qur’an and it is one of his honorific titles in all Muslim sects to this day. We actually have a similar position though we do not hold to tanzeel or strictly dictation for the Holy Scriptures. We affirm Jesus himself as the “Word of God” (this title has deep philosophical meaning and significant implications from my perspective) and we affirm the Holy Scriptures as the written word of God with the caveat of inspiration rather than tanzeel and dictation.
Language - The only true Qur’an is in Arabic. It has existed in eternity with God in Arabic and is only truly valid in Arabic. Translations are not considered the true Qur’an, but normally titled “A Translation of the Meaning.” Ritual worship in Islam is always conducted in Arabic and all Muslims are encouraged to learn Arabic. Again, this is due to the concepts of tanzeel and dictation. While we, on the other hand, do affirm the Holy Scriptures as 100% accurate only in the original autographs (implied are the original languages as well), our view is much more lenient. We encourage the translation of the Holy Scriptures into all languages and believe that, for all practical purposes, understanding of God, man and salvation can come about through these translations. Based on the Day of Pentecost, when those present heard the Good News in their respective languages, we would even say that it is best for all to hear the Good News in their own “heart language.”
Final Revelation - Muslims would say that God’s final revelation is the Generous Qur’an. We, on the other hand, would say that Jesus is the way in which God has chosen to speak in these last days – the Messiah is the image of the invisible God. While we would affirm the Holy Scriptures as being the accurate record of Jesus, in the person of Jesus we see God’s ultimate revelation of Himself to humanity.
I am not really sure where to go from here. However, I am sure a few of you have questions or comments. I’m all ears.
Peace to you,
From the Middle East
* – There is a small minority (from a couple of different sects) who hold that the Generous Qur’an was created and, therefore, is not eternal.
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
Nice job Middle East! I always present Jesus in all my discussions with Muslims. If you compare the ‘Generous Qur’an’ with the Bible too often you end up trying to convince Muslims to give up their laws for our laws. That is not the Gospel. We must keep Jesus as the message beginning, middle, and end.
FTME, I appreciate you bringing this stuff to us. I’m learning a lot from you. Thanks!
Brother Strider,
Amen… it’s all about Jesus!
Peace to you brother,
From the Middle East
Brother Dave,
I am learning from our interactions as well.
Peace to you brother,
From the Middle East
[...] For more differences between the Qur’an and the Bible, see the full post The Bible and the Qur’an are not the Same. [...]
For me, one of the big apologetic advantages of Christianity over Islam is that it is truly a universal, transcultural religion, whereas Islam is much more ethnocentric, as evidenced in the exclusivity of the Arabic language as a legitimate transmitter of theological truth in the Qur’an.
An important upshot of this is that, as representatives of Christianity, we must be careful to make sure the faith we are representing truly is the universal faith of the Bible, and not our own culturally accommodated version of it.
As a matter of fact, I believe there is a sense in which Christianity finds its fullest, most authentic expression in the amalgamation of all cultural perspectives, as illustrated graphically by the multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language gathered around the throne of the Lamb in Revelation.
In the meantime, while we are waiting on this glorious moment, it is good for us, as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, to mix and mingle with those of other cultures, and to do our best to understand the world, and God’s revelation to all humanity by way of Jesus, and by way of the Bible, through the eyes of others.
Brother Bradley,
Thank you for the ht!
Peace to you brother,
From the Middle East
Brother David,
This is an excellent apologetic and one that I love to bring up with Muslims.
Regarding your second paragraph, I read once (cannot remember where) that the cross-cultural Kingdom worker has quite a difficult task. Why?
The Kingdom worker who serves among his own people must:
In addition to the points above, the cross-cultural Kingdom worker must:
Points four through six are physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausting and, as a result, it seems to me that we often export a very Western-understanding of Jesus even though he was really quite Eastern!
Amen to your last two paragraphs. I have learned much about Jesus as my eyes are becoming accustomed to seeing him through both a Western lens and an Eastern lens. Maybe God is doing just as big of a work in us as through us ;^)
Peace to you brother,
From the Middle East
FTME,
RE: “I have learned much about Jesus as my eyes are becoming accustomed to seeing him through both a Western lens and an Eastern lens. Maybe God is doing just as big of a work in us as through us.”
Yes, I think that is one of the “perks” of getting to be a cross-cultural missionary. It is also probably one of the main positive values of the short-term missions phenomenon, if it is approached with the right attitude. Though there is a very real sense in which we, as those who have already received the gospel, are taking the message we have already received to others, it is also true that, if we go only with the intent of exporting our own ideas and ways of doing things, rather than learning from others and receiving what they have to offer us, we are engaging in negative cultural imperialism.