I have included 2 videos. One is made by a Christian working to prove that some stories in the Quran were taken from Jewish and Christian apocryphal works dating from the 2nd to 5th Cent. CE. These sources are works that were never included in the accepted canon of the Bible.
The second of these videos is a Muslim response to the video. Feel free to add to either side of the argument.
Is the validity of the Quran compromised if some of its stories were included in non-canonical works?
The Muslim man says that these claims have been refuted. If you are aware of references for these rebuttals please share this information with me.
God's blessings to you all!
Here is the source for the rebuttal of the Cain and Abel story
6 comments:
of course they will try to find faults in the quran. i just write this
(Alif Lam Mim). The revelation of the Book (this Qur'an) in which there is no doubt, is from the Lord of all that exists) (2:1-2).
Some scholars stated that this Ayah - 2:2 - contains a prohibition meaning, "Do not doubt the Qur'an.'' (Say: It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it (the Qur'an) is blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place far away (so they neither listen nor understand)) (41:44), and,(And We send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism and act on it), and it increases the Zalimin (wrongdoers) in nothing but loss) (17:82).
This is a sample of the numerous Ayat indicating that the believers, in particular, benefit from the Qur'an. That is because the Qur'an is itself a form of guidance, but the guidance in it is only granted to the righteous, just as Allah said, (O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord (i. e. the Qur'an, enjoining all that is good and forbidding all that is evil), and a healing for that (disease of ignorance, doubt, hypocrisy and differences) which is in your breasts, ـ a guidance and a mercy (explaining lawful and unlawful things) for the believers) (10:57).
from the tafsir ibn katheer
we believe in the Quran undoubtedly. let them say what they want about it. the truth will prevail
I don't think the guy in the refutation video did that great of a job though. He started talking about things that the guy had said in previous videos, and didn't specifically address each of the stories that he talked about in this video.
I would love to see someone do a more scholarly-type response.
As far as literary borrowing in the ancient world in concerned, it was quite common and not a big deal. The 4 gospels in the NT borrowed from each other and possible other sources. The Psalms contain hymns that were adapted versions of Ugaritic hymns to Ba'al.
What the Christian guy is trying to get at is that the sources of those stories of the Prophets were never considered part of sacred scripture, so he is doubting that God would use such stories as part of his message in the Quran.
Firstly, I don't see why he is saying that these alternative stories are categorically wrong. What's the difference between canonised and apocryphal accounts, fundamentally? I don't see it as black-and-white, right and wrong.
Secondly, I believe there were apocryphal Jewish/Christian oral traditions at the time of the Quran in that region, which Muhammad would certainly have heard. My own feeling is that if God truly spoke to Muhammad (which the jury's still out on for me), it was through things he already knew or had heard - I don't think the stories came out of thin air or that it was just a coincidence they were similar to these oral traditions. I also think that the message was probably NOT the stories themselves, but some lesson that was taught through the story in each case.
@Sarah, I agree. I have studied the history of the Hebrew Bible's composition, where similar borrowing can be seen. The stories of creation and Noah's flood have similarities to Sumerian stories and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Some of the Psalms contain verses almost identical to earlier material written in Ugaritic (that praises Ba'al instead of Yahweh). I think that my idea of Inspiration is not as black and white as most people's because of all the studying I've done. Yet, somehow, my actual faith and trust in God is stronger than its ever been!
Allah made Essa (Jesus) and Mosaa (Moses) the prophet and gave them the books. Muslims believe that Jews and christian have corrupted most of their holy books and hence they are not in their original forms. Now if you find something which is both in bible and Quran, then it does not mean that one is copy of another. It simply mean that you came across that part which is uncorrupted in bible. And more importantly, the actual author of Quran, and bible is God. Of course he is not changing his core messages in every single of his new book
I don't see any contradiction in this matter.
The hypocrisy of you're posts is to tied to the fact that:
1-you are very skeptical and critical of the Quran but you never question or offer critiques of the Bible or the Torah
2- Based on a series of irrational statements, you disapproved of how Muslims pray yet are you very open-minded and far less critical of the synagogue service, quite the opposite so full of appreciation
3-You posted a photo of a crazy Asura thing as if you've never seen weird bloody rituals around the world like Good Friday and Yom Kippur where ppl get whipped or nailed to crosses
4-You developed a sudden interest in the Saudi urban development only when the floods hit Jeddah
5- You're freaking out about Terrorists in Somalia, posting crazy news of mysterious sources (as if the Proud Somali ppl would allow that kind of none-sense!)
Apparently, the only reason you're write about other cultures is to Judge OR diss , since you hardly talk about the positive and beautiful aspects..
It's an Absolute hypocrisy, how you pretend to be educated, open-minded, meanwhile all of your 20+ posts about Somalia, Islam, Quran, Saudi, and Hijab fit one or more of the negative stereotypes on these topics!
You are openly trying to frame our culture in the most ignorant and distorted way and then you claim you wish ppl would stop being bias and afraid of Muslims < That 's disgusting!
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