Introduction
Islam is not in-and-of-itself actually a worldview. Instead, it would be classified under the theistic worldview. However, Islam is a major world religion and the perspective of such a large portion of mankind --more than 1.2 billion people-- that it warrants consideration ...though I won't cover everything that has already been considered under our "theistic worldview" article, which says, in a nutshell: the Theistic Worldview holds that: [1] God is absolutely holy, infinite, powerful and personal; [2] God created all the universe, and everything is subject to him and dependent on him; [3] When a human dies, he continues on either in heaven or in a place of punishment; [4] The basis of ethics and morality is God's nature, will and character; and [5] History is a sequence of events as God has planned it.
As a Christian writer, I commend Islam for its strong and positive points which are in overall accord with the Theistic Worldview. The word "Islam" means "peace" or "submission," and the key concept is submission to God or "Allah," as he is called. Arab Christians also often call God "Allah." -- Both Christians (and the Bible) and Muslims agree that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, holy, merciful, and sovereign over everything. Both groups agree that there is one and only one God, and that all mankind will have to answer to that morally perfect God on a final judgment day when God will judge the wicked to a just punishment.
Contrasting Views - - On the other hand, I would like to offer some constructive criticism to help people evaluate a few important contrasts in the views of the Islamic and Christian perspectives.
Concerning Scriptures:
In Islam, the Qur'an is held to be the divinely revealed scriptures, and the actual words of God, given in the Arabic language to Mohammed, who is considered to be the final prophet of Allah, who received the Qur'an from God and transmitted it to mankind. Thus, Islam is seen as a revealed religion (as are Christianity & Judaism).
But regarding the Bible, Muslims generally think that though the Bible perhaps used to be legitimate and pure revelation from God, it has down through the years become corrupted --so it cannot be fully trusted now, and the Quran needs to correct the Bible.
However, this current website has already expressed significant considerations on this topic, which you are encouraged to read fist before going any further.
So, please go and read: My Sympathies for Muslims of Islam
So, does a view of the Bible being "corrupt" agree with what the Quran actually teaches? --No. It doesn't. --Rather, the Quran actually teaches that the Bible should still be regarded as legitimate and faithful revelation from God. This was the view of Mohammed, and every true and faithful Muslim should hold the same view.
Jesus Christ said to God: "Your word is truth" (John 17:17). -- All of this is underscored in the Gospels, by Jesus Christ, who referred to virtually the entire Old Testament (including Samuel, Kings, Job, Isaiah, Daniel and the other prophets) as being the actual words from God himself, and Jesus quoted them as being the authoritative Word of God. -- The Muslim and the Christian must see it the same way.
So, then the idea that the Bible has been changed and corrupted must be regarded as a false notion which is untenable for the Muslim (and everyone else).
--Why? Because first of all, the early Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible were already well established for 500 years by the time of Mohammed (therefore, the Bible cannot possibly be a copy of the Quran, because it pre-dated the Quran by so many centures); . . . and secondly, because the Quran is unambiguous about the fact that "There is nothing that can alter the words of God" (Sura 6:34; 10:64 and Sura 18:27), and it has been clearly established that the Quran strongly declares the Bible to be revealed "words of God," and therefore, the Quran is saying that nothing can substantially alter the Bible. God will protect it. This must be recognized. And the Christian would agree with this view of the Bible.
The above Quranic declarations about the Bible were made 500 years after the Bible wording was fully given by God and then copied many times. And according to the Quran, Allah watches over all words revealed from God, and guards them from corruption (Sura 15:9). Indeed, we find that the Bible has been guarded by God from corruption because there were so many thousands of copies made of the original manuscripts, and by comparing those copies we can know without a doubt what the original wording actually was (and by rejecting the tiny minority of misspellings, etc., on any particular verse in a few copies). --Thus, it is the fact that we do have the accurate wording of the Bible, which has not changed before nor since the time of Mohammed; as the Quran says the Bible was true and unchangeable at that time (in 600 AD); and, in fact, we still have the same thousands of old copies of Bible books in libraries today that existed long before the time of Mohammed.
-- Thus, it goes directly against the Quran to consider the Bible to be changed and corrupted. The notion of Biblical corruption is, therefore, anti-islamic.
And indeed, the Bible also declares the same sort of thing --in the strongest terms:
"Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens" (Psalm 119:89). -- "All men are like grass,... The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:6,8). -- "Every word of God proves true" (Prov. 30:5). -- Jesus said, "It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law" (Luke 16:17). And concerning his own words, Jesus declared: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matthew 24:35).
In the final analysis, all people should rest assured that we have the original text of the Bible well guarded and not corrupted. In fact, this view is what the Quran requires of the Muslim. So I want to encourage all my Muslim friends to read, study and believe all that the Bible teaches. It really is the written truth from God. -- There are some good translations available online, such as the "NIV" and the "ESV." You can read them at:
biblegateway.com OR blueletterbible.org
. . . Please come back. - - This article is still being completed. . .
God loves you, my friend, and that's why he provided the Bible to explain the work and ministry of Jesus Christ, who came to provide the way of salvation. We invite you to investigate, by reading the Bible.
. . . To understand more about Islam in comparison with actual Christianity (which is biblical) please read several of the excellent articles at the CARM.com website.
