Islam’s Credibility Problem

Of the four religions with the most adherents—Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism—only Christianity claims to have a monopoly on Truth.

I freely admit that this is an audacious claim. If I wanted to be politically correct and avoid offending anyone, I would say that all religions are equally valid. However, the claim is not mine, but Christ’s: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) [i]

Is His claim valid? Does Christianity have any right to consider itself the One True Religion? To answer that question we must know a lot about both Christianity and the other religions so that we can compare them. In the next chapter we will discuss Buddhism, and indirectly, Hinduism. But we begin with Islam.

We waste words if we merely look at individuals or history, for mankind has often misused religion for wicked purposes. (People have misused patriotism this way, too.) So we must not judge Islam by its wars of conquest in the seventh and eighth centuries, its discrimination against non-Muslims, or the violence of modern-day Muslim terrorists, any more than we should judge Christianity by the Inquisition, Europe’s religious wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, or the Salem witch trials. We must instead judge Islam by what it says about itself. We must delve into its holy book, the Qur’ân (or Koran).

Like the Old and New Testaments, the Qur’ân preaches one God [ii] and holds Abraham in high esteem. [iii] It speaks of the mercy and forgiveness of God [iv] and promises eternal life to those who follow its teachings, [v] while warning of God’s ultimate judgment upon the wicked. [vi] So is there any difference between Christianity and Islam, between the Bible and the Qur’ân? There is all the difference in the world.

The Qur’ân immodestly calls itself a perfect book, a revelation of God’s truth, “without any crookedness”; [vii] thus, “no falsehood could enter it.” [viii] The great proof that Islam is true, according to Muslims and the Qur’ân itself, is that its founder, Muhammad, a man who was said to be illiterate, could produce a book of such poetry, eloquence, quality, and substance. [ix] But for me, the Qur’ân itself proves that Islam cannot be from God. For the Qur’ân has a credibility problem. . . .

Beyond Blind Faith is available on Amazon.com.

[i] Contrary to what some say, this does not necessarily mean that only Christians will be saved; salvation is ultimately up to God. But it does mean that if God saves some non-Christians (and I believe He will), He will do so through Jesus Christ, and because of what He did for all of us on the cross.

[ii] For example, see the following verses in the Qur’ân: 2:255, 3:6, 3:18, 3:62, 5:73, 6:19, 6:102, 6:106, 9:31, 29:46, 37:4, 37:35, 38:65, 39:6, 40:3, 40:65, 41:6, 44:8, 47:19, 59:22, 59:23, 73:9, 112:1. (The Qur’ân has 114 chapters, each of which is named. For example, Chapter 2 is “The Cow.” For convenience, only chapter numbers, not chapter names, are used in citations herein.)

[iii] Qur’ân,2:130, 2:135, 3:67-68, 3:95, 4:125, 6:161, 16:120-123.

[iv] Qur’ân,1:3, 2:37, 2:54, 2:160, 2:173, 2:182, 2:218, 2:235, 3:30-31, 3:74, 3:89, 3:155, 4:25, 4:29, 4:43, 4:64, 4:96, 4:99-100, 4:106, 4:110, 4:152, 5:3, 5:34, 5:39, 5:74, 5:98, 6:54, 8:69-70, 9:27, 9:102, 16:18, 16:47, 17:25, 24:22, 25:6, 25:70, 26:9, 33:5, 33:24, 33:43, 33:50, 33:59, 33:73, 34:2, etc.

[v] Qur’ân, 11:108, 18:30-31, 25:15-16, 39:73-75, 43:69-73, 82:13, 83:22-24.

[vi] Qur’ân,4:168-169, 5:10, 18:49, 21:47, 23:102-103, 33:63-68, 33:73, 34:3-5, 39:68-72, 56:1-9, 69:13-18, 77:1-37, 81:1-14, 82:1-5, 82:9-19.

[vii] For example, Qur’ân, 39:27-28 says:

And We have cited for the people in this Quran from every example, that they may take heed. A Quran in Arabic, without any crookedness, that they may be righteous.

See also Qur’ân, 2:176, 4:82, 6:66, 17:105, 18:1, 41:41-42, 69:40-43, 98:1-3.
Except as otherwise indicated, all quotes from the Qur’ân are from “Quran,” an English translation by the Progressive Muslims Organization.
For those who would prefer an easier read, I recommend The Koran, translated with notes by N. J. Dawood (Penguin Books 1999). For example, Dawood translates 39:28, in relevant part, as: “a Koran in the Arabic tongue, free from any flaw. . . .”)

[viii] Qur’ân 41:42

[ix] Qur’ân, 10:38, 11:12-14, 16:103, 28:48-49, 52:33-34