What does the Qur’an teach about the Bible?

If you want to share the gospel with Muslims, your conversations will be more effective when you understand what they believe about the Bible, explains Imtiaz Khan

 

“We want to encourage Christians to share the gospel with Muslims, but before they do that it’s helpful for them to know how Muslims will understand what they’re saying,” says Imtiaz Khan.

Imtiaz is Islam Missiologist Training Director at London City Mission, and we’re speaking to him straight after LCM’s The Bible & The Qur’an conference, which explored what the Qur’an teaches about the Bible.

The event acknowledged that often Christians want to speak to Muslim friends and neighbours but don’t know where to begin or feel daunted at the thought of being unable to answer their questions.

It’s important, says LCM, for Christians to understand what Muslims think about the Bible and the Qur’an, because it can present quite a challenge. So we asked Imtiaz to give us a taste of his teaching.

The Islamic dilemma

It’s useful to begin by looking at ‘the Islamic dilemma’, Imtiaz says, because it can be central to many conversations.

“This phrase refers to the tension in how Muslims view the Bible,” he explains. “The Qur’an affirms the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospels as God’s Word, yet it also contradicts their teachings.

“To explain this, Muslims are taught that the Bible was later changed. But the Qur’an itself never says the text was corrupted; rather, it declares that God’s Word cannot be altered.

“This raises the question: if the Bible was truly changed, why does the Qur’an still affirm it as God’s Word?”

Same words, different meanings

Imtiaz explains that although the Qur’an often uses the same words and terminology as the Bible, it assigns very different meanings to them. This can give the impression that Islam and Christianity share more common ground than they actually do. But on closer examination, the use of biblical terms in the Qur’an reveals that while the words may sound familiar, their meanings are fundamentally different. These are some examples:

1. The gospel

Christian belief: “Gospel” refers both to the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and the theological message of salvation and forgiveness of sins through Jesus. When we talk about “sharing the gospel” we mean Jesus’ message.

Muslim belief: Though the Qur’an uses the term “Gospel” (Injil in Arabic), it does not mean the same as in Christianity. Rather than referring to Jesus’ message of salvation or the four canonical Gospels, the Injil is described as a specific revelation given to Jesus, yet no evidence of such a text exists.

Christian belief: Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, resulting in the fall of all humanity.

Muslim belief: Adam made a mistake and did not fully obey God, but there is no concept of sin, fall or judgment. As a result, there is no concept of or need for salvation in the Qur’an.

3. Jesus – born of a virgin as the Messiah

Christian belief: The Bible presents Jesus’ virgin birth as the fulfilment of prophecy, signalling that Yahweh was sending the Messiah to inaugurate God’s Kingdom and redeem humanity from sin.

Muslim belief: The Qur’an affirms Jesus’ virgin birth and calls him the Messiah, but the title carries no prophetic or royal significance. Unlike the Bible story, it makes no connection to Jewish expectations, focusing instead on Allah’s power; He spoke a word and Jesus was created.

4. The second coming

Christian belief: The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead and bring those who have accepted him into God’s presence for eternity, fulfilling the Old Testament promise of God dwelling with his people.

Muslim belief: In Islam, Jesus is also expected to return, but his mission is to correct misunderstandings about his life – particularly claiming that he was not crucified – rather than to judge or bring people into God’s presence.

5. Jesus – Son of God or prophet?

Christian belief: The Bible calls Jesus the Son of God, both as a Messianic title and to highlight his unique relationship with the Father. He also fulfils the three key Old Testament offices – prophet, priest and king – surpassing Moses as prophet, reigning as the promised Davidic king and serving as the eternal high priest.

Muslim belief: The Qur’an emphasises that Jesus cannot be the Son of God, since Allah has no wife and it is not fitting to his might. In Islam, “Son of God” is understood literally, while the Bible denies any biological sonship, teaching that Jesus has always existed with the Father. The Qur’an presents him solely as a prophet of Allah.

How to speak to Muslims about the Bible

With this basic knowledge of some Muslim beliefs, what’s the best way to begin a conversation about the Bible? Imtiaz says it depends, firstly, on who you’re speaking to.

“If you’re talking to a Muslim whose understanding is grassroot level, their knowledge will be minimal, so I would recommend starting with parables; the stories of Jesus.

“There’s power in this because many Muslims hear them and are fascinated how Jesus’ life, teaching and miracles are so unique.

“We hear lots of stories of Muslims going on to read the Bible, their hearts being touched by the Holy Spirit and them becoming believers.”

But a different approach is needed when you’re talking to someone who is more informed.

“You’ll meet Muslims who have learned how to bring arguments against Christianity to prove that Islam is true, and with them you can go a little deeper. The approach we’d recommend is to listen carefully, don’t jump in to talk a lot, learn what’s important to them and then ask questions.

“You can expect many objections, but let’s suppose someone says, ‘The Bible has been changed.’ The key is to help our Muslim friends think and question their assumptions. They believe that the true gospel, the Injil, was given directly to Jesus, which is why they disregard the four Gospels in the Bible. But this raises important questions: When was this Injil given to Jesus? Is there any evidence that it ever existed in history? If it was meant to guide people, did it actually guide them at some point? And how would you know this?

“You can explain that there are many thousands of manuscripts that provide evidence for when the biblical Gospels were written, who wrote them, what context they were written in, and also to support the account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.”

Another example is the Bible’s claim that Jesus is the Son of God.

“They may insist Jesus was only a prophet, assuming Christians see him as the Son of God in a literal, biological sense. Ask them: does the Bible actually teach this? Which passages?

“Reading the Gospels shows that no one claims Jesus became God’s Son at birth. Instead, the Bible presents Jesus as God made flesh, revealing his unique and eternal relationship with the Father.”

Imtiaz suggests using questions to gently challenge assumptions, like putting a small stone in someone’s shoe, prompting them to think and reflect on what they believe.

“The important thing to remember is that disagreement is often inevitable, since we differ in our interpretations. Yet, while we may disagree, we must do so with love and gentleness, just as the Bible teaches.”

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.