Muslims - which version is the correct of the 'Holy Book'?

Question

I keep reading that the Bible was corrupted at some point - curious which 'Holy Book' Muslims keep referring to? How do you know it is un-corrupted?

Glad to read folks figured out I was interested in the perspective on the Bible and Quran from Muslims.

Peace to you folks.

Answer 1

I'm a Christian, but I can answer this questions easily (I studied Islam extensively).

There are many different versions of the Bible, depending on when, where, by whom, and for whom it was translated. The Catholic Bible has a different number of books than the Protestant Bible.

If you look at the original texts in the Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew, you also come up with many different translations... some of them very different in the actual content. Most of the time, things were passed down orally and then written down centuries later (room for inaccuracies and corruption there).

The Bible has undergone a significant amount of revising throughout history, since the very beginning. In fact, the first 5 books of the Bible, commonly ascribed to Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) are actually a combination of several very different texts. That's why there are 2 creation stories for the world, 2 stories of the creation of Eve, and also 2 different versions of what are commonly referred to as the 10 commandments. (This particular editing was done because the texts came from two countries, Israel and Judah, and were combined long after the countries ceased to exist. Deuteronomy was discovered in a cave almost 700 years later than the rest of the Moses collections).

The idea that the Bible is a word-for-word account of what happened by God is not historically accurate. It was written by men, through a combination of sources, edited and compiled throughout history.

That's why Muslims say that some inaccuracies have seeped in. There's not even 1 Bible. There's many, so which one is the right one? Which translation?

For Muslims, it's easier because it all came down through the words of one man, the Prophet Muhammed. Whether you believe God talked to him or not, it's safe to say that THERE IS NO DEFINITIVE VERSION OF THE BIBLE. The Koran only has one form, and because Muslims believe it was God speaking through his Messenger, it's the pure Word of God, unlike the Bible. They have a point about the Bible, whether you believe in the Koran or not.

The Bible is not to be taken literally. Regardless of inaccuracies, different versions, etc, some of it is in the form of prose, other parts are poems, others are songs, etc...
As a Christian, I believe that the Bible was INSPIRED by God, but not literally the word of God. They are the words of men inspired by God. It's a guide to live by, but not to be taken completely literally.

Answer 2

The Holy Book of the Muslims is the Quran. It, in fact, has not been corrupted, as it has not been edited since its compilation. It is a collection of revelations of Prophet Muhammad and was compiled some years after his death. However, each passage was verified and anything of doubt was not included. The Quran that we read today is the same that was read in those days (thus no way to become corrupted).

If you are asking about which particular Bible the Quran refers to, then none in particular. The Quran mentions the Jewish and Christian Holy Books and acknowledges them as books given to humanity by God. The Bible in the Quran is referred to as "The Gospels" and thus does not point out which version it considers true. It refers to the Bible in the general sense.

As far as the corruption of the Bible, that is not a definitive fact. The issues that some people have with the Bible is that is not directly written by God (as is the claim of the Quran) and that it was edited many times after its original compilation. Its original compilation is also a source of doubt, as it was a voted affair (the Divinity of Jesus, for example, was a much debated topic in the early Christian world).

However, one can always say that all these decisions (as far as editing/voting goes) were inspired by God and that God would not let his revelation become corrupted. Either way, that the Bible is corrupted is a point of contention.

Answer 3

To first person:
What you said was very rude. I hope you would never say that to somebody's face in real life. What was going through your mind? What good is saying that when it causes the other person pain.

As for the question, the Bible is corrupted in that it has been changed many times and have you heard of Gnostic's? Check them out. They follow scripture that could have been in the Bible. Even Mary Magdalene left behind a Gospel. There many Gospels that were left out of the Bible. The Bible that we read today is only from people deciding which Gospel should be put in. I really don't think that the Bible is corrupted. That's too strong of a word. How about the Bible has errors?

Answer 4

The quran is the only book that is supposed to be followed. But many adhere to the hadith before the quran for jurisprudence. The quran has never been changed nor is capable of such a thing. Hanif muslims don't follow the hadith because they can not tell the authenticity of it. Like the bible, they don't know what has been changed, added, removed, etc.

This is a story from one of my freinds blogs:

The Quran is protected – An interesting incident
Mamoon al-Rashid, the khaliph of the Muslims, used to have religious gatherings in which Muslim scholars used to discuss various religious issues. On one such occasion, a Jew entered the discourse. He was notably well-dressed and respectable in appearance. His speech was eloquent. At the end of the discussion as the crowd began to disperse, Mamoon called him and asked : "Are you a Jew?"


“Yes”, he replied.


Mamoon asked him to accept Islam but he refused, saying : "I cannot leave my religion and the religion of my ancestors." Saying this, he left.


One year later, he returned but this time he had converted to Islam. He delivered a scholarly lecture on Islamic jurisprudence. At the end of the gathering, Mamoon addressed him : " Are you not the same person who had come last year?."


“Yes”, he replied.


“Why did you accepted Islam?”, Mamoon asked.


He answered : "After leaving your gathering last year I decided to do a comparative study of religion. As I am a fine calligrapher, I wrote three copies of the Torah in which I added and deleted a few words. With these copies of the Torah I entered a monastery. These copies were bought from me. I then wrote three copies of the Injeel in which I also added and deleted a few words. I entered a church and sold these also. Then I wrote out three copies of the Quran, and likewise added and deleted a few words. When I presented these to the booksellers they examined them before deciding to buy them. They found the additions and deletions in them and immediately did away with them. This was when I realized that this book was protected. This led me to embrace Islam."

(Ahkaamul Quran - Qurtubi volume 10, page 5-6)

PEACE!

Edit: This is a proof/ayat that the quran shall never be changed or corrupted. I forgot the percentage of muslims, but there is a percentage that remembers the entire quran from front to back. That if they get together, they can compose an exact replica of the original and they would not disagree on one surah. The quran will never be changed.

Answer 5

Muslims read the Koran. The bible has been put together by councils and scholars and many things were left out of it. The original texts have been mistranslated as well. The Koran has never been changed from the original.

Answer 6

There is no versions of quran and it un-changed since the time of it revelation, Actual quran thats we muslims recite is in arabic and it is not handled by anyone till now.The translations differ to some extend depeding upon the understanding of the translaters but the basic concept is never changed !

Answer 7

Gaeligekinney, you are absolutely correct... I'm impressed at the accuracy and inbias in which you were able to transmit your message. May peace be upon you, fellow scholar.

Corporate Kermit, how ignorant of you... I think the next time we speak I should use smaller words so that you may understand me, but forgive me if I can't lower myself to speak in a mentally disabled manner like you must be so used to. I hope you seek more knowledge...

Knowledge is power; power is freedom; freedom is peace...

May peace be upon you...

Answer 8

Superbobo,
The only diffence is that the Christian Bible exists in different verions and has several writers. Whereas the Coran exists in one version (that is its original version). And no. No religious book is corrupted. It is a matter of respecting others.
cheers!

Answer 9

It's un-corrupted because the original scrolls it was recorded on are still intact. Any translations come directly from these scrolls.

As-salaamu alaykum - Peace be upon you

Answer 10

If the Book iis Holy it is not corrupt for nothing of corruption is Holy.