Contrasting the Qur'an with the Bible: Which Is the True Holy Book?

Summary: Billions of Christians consider the Bible the basis of their faith, and billions of Muslims do the same for the Qur'an. Here's a look at some basic differences in the two best sellers.

The Qur'an recognizes the Bible and Muslims “accept the Torah of Moses (peace be on him), the Psalms of David (peace be on him) and the Gospel (Injeel) of Jesus,” naming among others a dozen men from Bible history as prophets.

The Five Pillars of Islam are:
1. Confession of Faith that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.
2. Prayer five times a day to "Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book
3. Fasting during daylight in the month of Ramadan
4. Tax on wealth for upkeep of the poor and those who have no earning capacity
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca once during life if able to afford it

It seems strange that there is no code of law as we find in the Bible that governs our behavior. The founders of America recognized Moses as law-giver when they made him the central figure above the Supreme Court entrance.

How surprised a heathen spy might have been if, during Israel's supremacy, he could have crept into the Most Holy Place of Solomon's Temple to discover the secret of Israel's greatness was not an idol studded with gems, but a law—the principles of which could enable wise choices for every situation in life!

Obedience to physical laws results in health and Moses wrote the first comprehensive health code that includes quarantine for infectious diseases. Whole villages were spared from Bubonic Plague and Smallpox when they practiced quarantine hundreds of years ago, but foolish political leaders thumb their noses at this with porous borders, inviting Ebola into the US.

Moses detailed the clean and unclean animals in Leviticus 11, but also said not to eat the fat nor the blood of animals (sources of heart disease and cancer for animals that are poorly inspected when a cow carcass can pass an inspector every 5-10 seconds and chickens go past more than 2 per second.)

Biblical teaching is that our bodies are God's temple and we should not indulge appetites or passions to the detriment of His presence in us. This would save us from overwork—God wants us to have a Sabbath day of rest and refreshment with social opportunities, friendships, spiritual focus and study.

Just as obedience to health laws enhances life, obedience to the moral law results in happiness. Those who lie, steal or cheat on their spouse aren't happy and in the end, we might wonder how happy Muslim women are under Sharia law.

Makers of cars or equipment offer an owner's manual with guidelines, like God gave in the Bible, and in the heart of the 10 Commandments we find the seal of God that originally had His name (where you see LORD in all caps, God's name was removed by translators and replaced by the generic title), and it gave His title, Creator, and dominion of heaven and earth, Exodus 20:8-11.

Islam has no corresponding Creator, Owner's Manual or Code of Laws by which one would know right from wrong—this latter aspect was praised by Abraham Lincoln.

Beyond its instructions on our duty to God, the Bible offers help on how to live life, how to rear our children. It has a curriculum—biographies of great men to model after, business principles in the Proverbs, poetry to sooth the spirit in the Psalms, and prophecies full of insight for our time because the God of the Bible “declares the end from the beginning.”

As an example, we consider the book of Daniel with its explanation of four great kingdoms from Daniel's time—Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia and Rome, in Daniel 2. In Daniel 7, we see greater detail as those kingdoms were represented by beasts of prey and the papacy is foreseen as a little horn that grew out of the 4th beast which was Rome. The Protestant Reformers believed that Daniel 7:21,24,25 described the Catholic Church nearly 1,000 years before its oppressive reign.

Muslims might be impressed to see the Bible's prophecy that includes militant Islam! The angel, Gabriel, told Daniel that his vision of a ram and goat was “at the time of the end,” Daniel 8:17. But in the conflict, the ram has its horns broken and gets stomped. The horns represent the kings of Media and Persia, verse 20.

Historians tell us that prophecy was fulfilled when Alexander the Great conquered them in 331 BC. But “at the time of the end,” we should understand those areas are now Iraq and Iran. This suggests that the God of the Bible truly sees the end from the beginning and it also reveals that Daniel has a double application—what proved true in history is assurance to us that it will work out as foretold for the end-times as well.

Islam teaches that Allah is all powerful, but the Bible reveals a Creator who not only spoke the universe into existence, but He knows the end of everything from the beginning. And more than that, the Bible reveals a God of love who, when man rebelled against God and chose his own way, found a way to win us back by paying the ultimate price.

This is also seen in a story Muslims know. It's about Abraham whom God asked to take his son and sacrifice him. When the son asked, Where is the sacrifice, Abraham replied, God will provide Himself a lamb,” Genesis 22:8. Yes, God paid the ultimate price in sacrificing His own Son as the lamb foretold in Isaiah 53--”All we have gone astray, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” verses 6,7.

The Savior painted a picture of a loving Father who rejoices over the salvation of each person who is reconciled to Him by love, not by force, whippings or beheadings—this is something that false religions don't seem to understand.

If there are still questions about which is the true holy book, note that Islam teaches it was Ishmael who Abraham was going to offer as a sacrifice. The Bible says it was Isaac. Can we know? The Bible says a ram was sacrificed to spare Isaac.

We get further insight from Daniel 8 where, “at the time of the end,” a [militant] ram gets stomped and its horns are broken by a goat that flies from the west. When ISIS and militant Islam are broken, and Isaac (Israel) spared, may Muslims and everyone see the God of the Bible as the only one who is capable of being all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving—and truly worthy of our worship.

Muslims celebrate the sacrifice of the ram—it's called Al Adha. But few have seen it explained in the Injeel. Muslims may appreciate this information, http://www.injil.org/Books/adha.htm

It would be of interest to most readers to see the role of the Catholic Church in mentoring young Muhammed by Khadija. A former Jesuit priest who spent years in the Vatican offers revealing insights to history at http://www.scribd.com/doc/6017945/The-Prophet