I’ve made up a list of seven questions for educated and well read Muslims. They’re based on my research over the last several years. I think these are strong points that relate to Islamic historical and theological claims.
1) The Quran says that Allah gave the Injeel to Jesus Christ in Surah 5:46-47. Is there any evidence for the existence of this document between 30 and 600 AD?
2) The Quran says that the Jews are to pay the Jizya because they believe that Ezra is the Son of Allah. This is in Surah 9:29-30. Is there evidence that Jews ever believed Ezra was the Son of Allah?
3) Is there any evidence of any Christian sect that was Islamic before Muhammad? This includes belief that Jesus is the messiah, born of a virgin, and predicted a prophet to come named Ahmad. This group would also deny the deity and crucifixion of Jesus.
4) Is there any quote from the Quran, Muhammad, or one of the companions that Paul was a false teacher or shouldn’t be trusted?
5) Is there a quote from Muhammad or one of his companions that says the Quran is perfectly preserved as Allah promised in Surah 15:9?
6) The Quran condemns the Christians for their belief in the Trinity in Surah 5:73. Is there evidence from the Quran, Muhammad, or one of the companions that show knowledge that the Holy Spirit is part of the Christian Trinity?
7) Is there a statement in the Quran that says the Torah and Gospel in the possession of the People of the Book are corrupted or not to be trusted?
So these are my questions. They’re specifically aimed at Muslim apologists or any educated Muslim. Obviously to answer them, familiarity with the Quran and traditions of Muhammad is a must and I don’t expect the average Muslim to have this full knowledge.
I’d be happy for answers to these. If you can only answer some of them, feel free to give them. If you have a website and want to answer there, put a link in the comments section to your response.
As one can see, these questions are based on historical claims made by Islam and the understanding or lack thereof regarding the two religions that the Quran claims to fulfill, namely Christianity and Judaism. These questions also focus on key issues. Many people try to make large points about minor contradictions in the Quran or maybe weird episodes in the Hadith. I have no interest in that. I’m only interested in the core of our theological differences and other key issues.
God bless.
Hi Allan, here are a few thoughts on your questions :
1) There is no reason to assume that the Injeel is a written “document”. In fact, the original meaning of “Gospel” ( as in Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”, Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” etc) is not that of a written text, but simply a preached doctrine.
4) I suppose the closest Muslims could get on this one is Qur’an 3:48-50 where Jesus seems to be sent to the Jews only, so “Christianity for gentiles” is a mistake and a wrong turn in history. This allows Muslims to feel strong by joining many Protestants in the “Christians should return to Judaism” crowd (e.g. Paul Williams which you commented recently).
7) Several Muslims would make an “argument from silence” here. They would claim that Allah guarantees he will protect the Qur’an in 15:9, guarantees he has made Islam perfect (and so immune to human falsification) in 5:3, but since there are no similar claims about the other religions, one shouldn’t assume that they are equally protected.