• Christian missionaries’ claims that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) copied the Bible are utterly baseless, devoid of any credible evidence, and entirely without merit.
• This work aims to decisively refute these fallacious assertions.
Christian missionaries who assert that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) copied the Bible do so without any substantive evidence. Moreover, their arguments are consistently baseless, such as the claim that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) spent 40 years memorising the Bible.
This article endeavours to dismantle these falsehoods, in shaa Allah.
1. The Qur’an Accurately Aligns Titles and Terminology with the Appropriate Time Periods, Unlike the Bible
In the Book of Genesis, the title “Pharaoh” is used to refer to the king of Egypt during the times of both Abraham and Moses. Joseph, who lived during the New Kingdom period, and Abraham, who is associated with the Hyksos period, both interacted with Egyptian rulers. During the Hyksos era, when they ruled Egypt, the title “Your Majesty, King” was commonly used for the king. During this time period, the title Phoroah was not used.
The Qur’an makes a clear distinction in its use of terminology. In Chapter 12, Prophet Yusuf refers to the Egyptian ruler as “Malik” (King), while in the story of Prophet Musa, the term “Pharaoh” is used. This distinction is unmistakably clear.
This clarity is notably absent in the Bible, further emphasising that the Qur’an never replicates the biblical narrative. Rather, it stands as unparalleled in its uniqueness, truth and divine essence.
(Qur’an 12:50)
(Qur’an 20:43)
2. There was no Arabic translation of the bible at the time
Ernst Würthwein pens in his book, The Text Of The Old Testament:
“With the victory of Islam the use of Arabic spread widely and for Jews and Christians in the conquered lands it became the language of daily life. This gave rise to the need of Arabic versions of the Bible, which need was met by a number of versions mainly independent and concerned primarily for interpretation.” (Ernst Würthwein, The Text Of The Old Testament).
Consequently, the earliest translations of the Hebrew Bible into Arabic emerged following the advent of Islam. In fact, the oldest extant manuscript of the Old Testament in Arabic dates back to the first half of the ninth century.
“The oldest dated manuscript containing the Gospels in Arabic is Sinai Arabic MS 72. Here the text of the four canonical Gospels is marked off according to the lessons of the temporal cycle of the Greek liturgical calendar of the Jerusalem Church. A colophon informs us that the MS was written by Stephen of Ramleh in the year 284 of the Arabs, i.e., 897 AD.” (Sidney H Griffith, The Gospel in Arabic: An Enquiry into Its Appearance in the First Abbasid Century, Oriens Christianus, Volume 69, p. 131-132.)
3. The Illiteracy of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w): The Qur’an’s Rebuttal to Claims of Plagiarism
“And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Otherwise the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.” (Qur’an 29:48)
Furthermore, the enemies of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) were well aware of this.
4. The Qur’an asserts its uniqueness with the Challenge of Imitability
There are countless versions of the Bible.
In stark contrast, there is one Qur’an. The Qur’an presents a profound challenge to humanity’s ability to replicate it: “Produce one chapter like it”. Despite centuries of attempts, no one has succeeded, illustrating the unmatched superiority of the Qur’an, the unchanged, divine, incomparable and entirely unmediated word of God.
