CHAPTER EIGHT
Are the Koran and the Bible Changeless?
In order to survive time and human tinkering, supernatural power must be present to preserve the revelations given by God. We see this in the Bible, for it has been preserved without error in the Eastern Greek texts, the Textus Receptus, the King James Bible, Luther's Bible, and a number of other Bibles which are translated from divinely preserved Greek and Hebrew texts.
But, is it true of the Koran and the Hadith? Ahmed Deedat and the Mullahs delight in attacking Christians by mocking at the various versions and translations of the Bible in English.
The fact is, they DO disagree and contradict each other, that is, if we arrogantly assume that the Bible is not preserved in one inerrant text. I saw a famous evangelist get a good whipping in a debate with Ahmed Deedat because he was too timid to take a stand for one Bible. There is one Bible which stands the test of time, the Bible God uses. It has not followed the decline of zeal and power as we terminate the Church age-- that is the King James Bible.
Dear Christian friend, if you don't take a narrow stand on this issue, you will be devoured by the Mullahs and Imams when you dare to witness to them. They will read several contradictory readings from various versions of the Bible to you, then they will mercilessly pound you until you have to admit that you don't have the preserved Word of God. I promise you, it will happen, and you will have no power to witness to them. Close this book now if you think you can win the Bible translation or version war with the Mullahs. They are studying their Bibles and getting ready for you!
Even the sincere Muslim seeker will ask you why your Bible disagrees with some other Christian's Bible. What will you do, give this unbeliever a sixteen-hour course in textual criticism 101? The Koran is written in classical Arabic, which the Muslim has difficultly understanding, but he wants no other Koran. The English of the King James Bible is old, but it will appeal to the Muslim because of its exalted and authoritative style. Don't tell me the new translations are helping modern Christians to be stronger and read their Bibles more. Don't tell me they help in soul winning. It is glaringly obvious that the new translations have had a cooling effect on the Lord's Church worldwide. Why start a Muslim out on this spiritual baby food?
You ought to know also that the Van Dyke text of the Arabic Bible is based only upon the Textus Receptus. It also has an exalted style compared to the modern Arabic Bibles which the Bible societies are peddling all over the Muslim world today. Van Dyke, (as well as Samuel Zwemmer) in 1928, distrusted those Bible mutilators, Westcott and Hort, just like any Bible believer should today.
(FOOTNOTE 15: 186 / 153 / 661 I note that G.J.O. Moshey, in Who Is This Allah, Chick Publishing, uses only the KJV. It is the only book I recommend for use with Muslims.)
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We believe that the Bible is supernaturally preserved in the KJV, so we now want to see if the Islamic Scriptures are preserved by Allah exactly as they were given to Muhammed, the Hanif, who claimed he received them in a cave outside of Mecca. (FOOTNOTE 16: 106 / 139 / 2061) This time we start with the Hadith:
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IS THE KORAN CHANGELESS--
CAN IT BE TRUSTED?
Al Hadis, Book 3, Chap. 37, No. 601, Huzaifah reported that the Apostle of Allah said: "Read the Quran with the tunes (reading tones) of the Arabs and their accents, and guard yourselves from the tunes of the paramours and the tunes of the People of the Books (Christians and Jews). There will soon appear a people after me who will sing the Quran with songs and mournings. It will not cross their throat. Their hearts will be tried... (judged)." Attested by Baihaqi, Razimi.
So, the Koran clearly must be preserved right down to the tonal accents in Arabic alone. Is it really that way though? Is the Koran pure only in Arabic?
Same Book and Chap, No. 605, Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Messenger of Allah said: "The Quran has been revealed upon seven dialects. For every verse therein, there is an inner and outer meaning; and for every end, there is study (of tones)." Attested by Sharhi Sunnat.
The Koran is pure only in Arabic, but it has seven tonal dialect forms. This is certain to affect the meaning since Arabic is spoken so differently from area to area, so that they often cannot understand each other. In any language this assures changed meanings. Also, Muhammed TELLS us that every text has double meanings, one of the meanings being hidden. This Semitic device, called "wax and gold," assures obscurity and distrust in the truth and its application to everyday life. It also explains how the Mullahs can evade any question by a Christian who tries to deal with the Koran or Hadith and question the meaning. The Mullah can claim, from his lofty Arab pinnacle, that you have no idea what the inner "gold" meaning is. The fact is, neither can he, for the Mullahs themselves debate and haggle over the Koran daily in the great mosques of the world.
Al Hadis, Book 3, Chap. 37, No. 75, Ibn Mas'ud reported: "I heard a man reading the Koran, and I heard the Prophet read it another way. I came with him to the Prophet and informed him. I noticed disgust on his face. He said: 'Both of you are correct. Don't disagree and verily those who were before you disagreed and so they were destroyed.' " Attested by Bukhari.
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Again, we see that there is very little certainty to the Koran except that it has to be read in Arabic. The same section of the Fazlul Maulana, Al Hadis, No. 78, which is too long to quote, makes it very clear that the Koran was compiled in seven stages by seven redactors (editors), each one making various additions or rearrangements, with the help of the angels Michael and Gabriel tutoring the redactors. We read NO such nonsense in any of the 66 books of the Bible.
Even in Muhammed's lifetime, Al Koran was evolving. No. 80 of the above text says that Muhammed didn't know the chapter divisions until Allah revealed them to him very late in the process. Ibn Abbas reports that Muhammed would get revelation and ask him to write it down. Muhammed would add various revelations over the years by instructing Ibn Abbas to add them to existing passages to bolster them up in content. In spite of this serial revelation process, numerous contradictions were left unedited by either Muhammed or Allah!
The reason for this process becomes clear when we realize that Muhammed was at first illiterate. (FOOTNOTE 17: 169 / 477 / 40; 186 / 139 / 654) Later, he read slowly (FOOTNOTE 18: Hadis, Bk. 3, Ch. 37, No. 71), and with little sign of comprehension unless someone else read to him or explained what he had just read. So it was convenient to pretend that Allah didn't mind where the accents were, even if the meaning changed, since Muhammed's policy was designed to hide his abject illiteracy. This is especially embarrassing when one considers that all of the Bible writers were literate. Personal scholarship was not required of Muhammed to speak for Allah, but the Bible writers were not so handicapped. Is this a miracle of revelation through ignorance, or is it possible that Muhammed was playing a bad joke on the Arabs?
THE SATANIC VERSES
Our discussion of preservation of the Koran would not be complete without a closer look at "The Satanic Verses." We begin by establishing Muhammed's position in Islam according to the Muslim catechism used in every Madrassa (Islamic school) to teach young Muslims their faith. After asking, "Which among the Sent Ones are to be specially known or honored?" the answer is a long list including Abraham, Jacob, Zechariah, John the Baptist, and, "Lord Muhammed, the Master of them all..." Another question asks, "What is the meaning of the utterance, 'Muhammed is the Apostle of God?" The answer is, "It means that Muhammed was a perfect man..." (FOOTNOTE 19: 213 / 326 / 545) Here is what the Koran says about Muhammed's perfection:
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Koran, Sura 53, verses 1-4, In the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful,
By the Star when it setteth,
Your companion (Muhammed) (FOOTNOTE 21: J.M. Rodwell, The Koran) erreth not, nor is he led astray,
Neither speaketh he from mere impulse.
The Koran is no other than a revelation revealed to him:
Today the claim is clear. Muhammed never made errors. But, look what follows in verse 19 of Sura 53. These are the "Satanic Verses" as they were originally given. The words that Muhammed claimed Satan put into his head during the revelation session are in caps:
Verse 19. Do ye see Al-Lat and Al-Ozza,
20. And Manat the third idol besides?
THESE ARE THE EXALTED FEMALES (elsewhere, SUBLIME SWANS),
MOUNTING NEARER AND NEARER TO ALLAH (FOOTNOTE 20: A. Yusuf Ali in his version of The Koran, note 5086)
AND TRULY THEIR INTERCESSION MAY BE EXPECTED,
21. What? Shall we have male progeny and Allah female?
22. This were indeed an unfair partition!
23. These are mere names: ye and your fathers named them thus:
Allah hath not sent down any warranty in their regard.
A mere conceit and their own impulses do they follow.
Yet have they "guidance" from their Lord come to them.
Muhammed, who was alleged to be unable to err in vs 1-4, added these verses when the revelation was first given. In the early days of Islam his hold on the ruling Kouraish tribe of Mecca was not certain, and he added this intercession option (the "Satanic verses" in large caps above) so that they could still honor their three favorite local goddesses. It worked well, and the Kouraish agreed to follow Muhammed. Later, after Muhammed had consolidated his grip on Mecca, he edited out the two accommodating verses and added the sarcastic blast just after them. Thus, he salvaged the monotheistic role of Allah. (FOOTNOTE 21: J.M. Rodwell, The Koran)
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Allat was the supreme goddess of Arabia, and the Bedouin Arabs thought of the three goddesses as the daughters of Allah. (FOOTNOTE 22: 111 / 499 / 307; 163 / 6 / 1341; 65 / 98-100 / 20-21) Allat was based in Taif near Mecca, and she was worshipped as a stone pillar around which the Arab women had to run naked as a phallic worship ceremony. Allat's history went back to Babylon where she was the patroness of Hell. (FOOTNOTE 23: 174 / 338-340 / 897-898; 173 / 60 / 993) It is interesting to read verses 21-23 in the above text. Muhammed did not clearly state that these ladies were totally pagan. He even indicates that Allah gives them "guidance," so they must have existed as real supernatural beings in Muhammed's mind, though they were pagan goddesses.
This is the way the "perfect" prophet, Muhammed, got revelation. Now consider the following cover stories given to him by Allah to explain the "Satanic Verses:"
Koran, Sura 16, verse 103, When we change one verse for another, and Allah knoweth best what he revealeth, they (Christians and Jews) say, "Thou art only a fabricator (how true)." Nay! but most of them have no knowledge.
Muhammed was clearly covering for his blunder in the "Satanic Verses." He resorted to the practice common to all Gurus, he called his detractors stupid, as if that answered the question. But there's more:
Koran, Sura 22, verses 50-52, But those who strive to invalidate our signs (Al Koran) shall be inmates of Hell. We (Allah?!) (FOOTNOTE 24: Verrrry interesting! It is peculiar that all through the Koran Allah speaks of himself as "we" even though Muhammed assures us that Allah is not more than one person. Who is the "we?" Does Allah have a partner after all? Please remember this when you get to the discussion of Allat.) have not sent any apostle or prophet before thee, among whose desires Satan injected not some wrong desire, but God shall bring to naught that which Satan had suggested. Thus shall Allah affirm his revelations, for Allah is knowing, wise! That he may make that which Satan hath injected, a trial to those in whose hearts is a disease, and whose hearts are hardened-- Verily, the wicked are in a far-gone severance from the truth!
This is an amazing admission indeed. Muhammed claims that every prophet before him was deceived by Satan at least once, and Allah is the one who sponsored this confusion. Later, Allah will clear up the errors for us. Since Muhammed claimed that Jesus Christ was only a prophet, this claim makes Jesus also able to speak Satan's words-- Blasphemy! Muhammed has some serious questions to answer:
1. What assurance do we have from Allah that he corrected, before Muhammed died, all of the mistakes which he, Allah, purposely planted in the Koran?
2. If these Satanic additions are allowed by Allah as snares for the unbelieving (vs 52), then how is it that a believing Muslim can be instructed by these Satanic errors?
3. Based upon the above verses, why didn't Muhammed leave the "Satanic Verses" in the Koran to confuse the unbelievers and instruct the Muslims? Why delete them?
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Now, it is clear that the quotes above from Al Koran, and the "Satanic Verses" fiasco, are in direct contradiction with the Koran elsewhere. I use the translation given by Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri of The Islamic Center of America (FOOTNOTE 25: Inquiries about Islam-- Write Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri, Islamic Center of America, Detroit, MI. 1965, 20 / 111 / shelf.):
Koran, Sura 44:41-42, It (the Koran) is an invincible book. Falsehood does not invade it neither from before it nor from behind it, a revelation from a Mighty, Praised One.
So, the Koran indicates that the "Satanic Verses" event should have never happened, but Muhammed made it very clear that he had to change verses, and that Satan is permitted by Allah to put errors into Al Koran.
THE BIBLE IS CHANGELESS
AND YOU CAN TRUST IT
Here is how God inspired, or spoke through, the Bible writers. Please notice that none of them had to change any "Satanic Verses" as did Muhammed:
Bible, Job 32:8, But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Bible, II Peter 1:21, For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Apostle Paul is speaking to Timothy, his disciple:
Bible, II Timothy 3:16, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Bible, Psalms 138:2, I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
This means that God's Name cannot be known without an eternally changeless Word, or written Scripture.
God speaks to Isaiah:
Bible, Isaiah 51:15, But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Bible, Acts 7:37, This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet (Jesus) shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.
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God identifies to whom Moses was speaking-- who gave the Word to the Bible writers.
Bible, Acts 7:38 This is he, (Jesus) that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:
Jesus was on Mt. Sinai with Moses giving him the Law. He was NOT in Mecca in 625 AD giving the Koran to Muhammed!
Bible, Jeremiah 1:9, Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. (Not Satanic words!)
David says that God gave him the building plans of the temple:
Bible, I Chronicles 28:12, And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:
God can even give detailed building plans to holy men.
Bible, I Chronicles 28:19, All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
Muhammed did not receive any building plans for a new and holy Kaaba, rather; he used the old pagan Kaaba which had been built by the heathen Bedhoin Arabs. (FOOTNOTE 26: 51 / 16 / 345; 60 / 667 / 465; 50 / 40 / 18h ).
The Apostle Peter set the standard for a prophet who speaks for God:
Bible, I Peter 4:11, If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.
Muhammed couldn't quite get the oracle Satan out of his system, which we see when he added the "Satanic Verses" to Sura 53, only to toss them out later to rescue monotheism. He claimed that Allah used such tricks, letting Satan add his occasional comments to the canon, to see if the prophet is paying attention. Muhammed was not, and he went for it, right?
Next we will see that God's Word is to be read AND understood by the believer. It will not do to simply chant the Bible mechanically as the Muslim is to do with the Koran.
Bible, Nehemiah 8:5, And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: Verse 8, So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
The Bible is to be read AND understood. This is why the life of the Muslim is not changed by the Koran, he never understands who God is from his sterile reading exercise. Now, note how God expects all men (not just Arabs) of all tribes and cultures to read and understand his Word and Gospel:
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Bible, Mark 16:15, And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Bible, Revelation 1:11, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
The Gospel is found in perfection in heaven and, in earth, in the written Word of God. So, the Apostles had to have the written Word of God with them in every country they visited. This has resulted in the translation of the Bible into many languages so that the Gospel can be understood by every tribe in the world. By contrast, the Koran demands that the follower of Islam learn Arabic to get the pure truth. Allah is very limited to Arabic, while the God of the Bible, can preserve his Word in any language. Allah is really a very limited ignorant god who only understands Arabic.
If you reject the Bible as God's absolute and complete revelation, you fall into two grave errors, and these errors are serious enough to damn you to Hell, as they already have Muhammed:
The First Error-- Rejecting the Bible results in ignorance, which is no excuse. Bible, I Corinthians 14:38, The Apostle Paul says, "But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant." This means that there is no hope for those who remain willfully ignorant. Those who are ignorant of the Bible never get to know God's Son who can save them from damnation. They arrogantly join Muhammed who said, "God didn't have a son." Long ago, Roman Catholic theologians used to say, "the world is flat. If you go too far, you will fall over the edge." This was also the method of Muhammed. He thought that he could ignore Jesus by making a bold contrary lie, and men would simply believe it. Some do. I hope you don't believe this prophet who listened to Satan, Muhammed.
The second error is this-- God warns that those who add, or take away from his Word will be damned: Bible, Revelation 22:18, For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book (which is the damnation of the lost and Hell):
No Bible writer was told to say such a thing until the end of the last book of the Bible. Joseph Smith of the Mormons added his stack of books to the Bible, and he is screaming in Hell for water at this moment. Mary Baker Eddy Glover Patterson Fry, the founder of Christian Science, which is neither Christian nor scientific, added her health manual to the Bible, and she and all of those who believe her are damned to Hell.
The same goes for Muhammed. When he left this earth he woke up in Hell with his soul on fire, and the first thing he did was scream for water. Those who twist and mutilate the Gospel and the truths of the Bible will soon follow him.
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We will let the Apostle Paul, whom the Mullahs hate passionately, have the last word:
Bible, I Corinthians 14:37, If any man think himself to be a prophet, (like Muhammed) or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I (Paul) write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
The prophet Muhammed failed to believe and teach what the Apostle Paul taught from God, so Muhammed was not a true prophet and he was very unspiritual, indeed his willful ignorance was wicked.
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Dear Muslim friend, Muhammed is gone, and the errors in the Koran are still there. It is too late to correct them because the Prophet is needed. According to Muhammed's own claims, he must be on hand to do the correcting under inspiration. You have seen how the Koran disagrees with itself and the Bible, and you have seen how the "Satanic Verses" are not answered by the disclaimers or the politics and tricks of Muhammed.
Also, you have seen how the Bible makes no place for Satan on its pages except to condemn and expose him. No Bible writer ever had to go back and correct the revelation which God gave him. God did not have to give an eraser to his prophets.
Now, tell me, which is the truth? Which book is supernaturally preserved? Al Koran with its confusion, excuses, and cover stories, or the changeless Bible which lifts up God and the truth to the highest level? One of these books will take you to Heaven, and the other will damn you to Hell. It's time to decide which book you will trust with your soul.
A WARNING:
And now, a warning to beware of synergists, contextualists, and pragmatic preachers who claim to be "sharing the Gospel" by starting in the Koran and going to the Bible. I am forced to inform my Muslim reader that these people are highly dangerous. They have no stomach for the whole truth, and they are simply trying to woo you along to make half a commitment to the truth. They will leave you stuck between the demands of the Koran and the claims of the Bible. Run these alleged "Christians" off, get a King James Bible, and read it for yourself.
Start in Genesis where you will meet God, and don't stop until you get to know Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Friend. Chapter Twenty Six of this book will also help you to understand, and please feel free to write to me with your questions.
Steve Van Nattan
PO Box 39
Kingston, TN 37763
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There is more, much more, to completely cover the whole content of the Koran and the Hadith of Muhammed, but space does not permit, and the content of the Hadith gets even more vile. We have come as close to the edge of the unspeakable as we dare. I hope this answers the claim of Muhammed and the Mullahs-- that the Islamic books of revelation are an "extension" or "completion" of the revelation in the Bible. The fact is, they are mutually exclusive. Only one can be true.
I plead with you to count the cost. If Al Koran is a merely a book of human tricks and degraded stories which contradict the Bible, then what will you tell the God of the Bible when you stand before Him at the judgment?
You have two choices: trust only the Bible and find the truth, or trust only the Koran and receive eternal Hell fire from the God of the Bible. You cannot have both books! Carefully count the cost. Living in the light of the Truth is not cheap, but it brings eternal peace with God.
To which book will you submit?
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