What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an

1. Understanding the Qur'an is essential for meaningful Christian engagement with Muslims.

The Christian engagement with Islam will be a defining issue for the twenty-first century.

Know their beliefs. Christians are called to share the gospel with all people, including the world's over one billion Muslims. Effective witness requires understanding what Muslims believe, particularly about their sacred text, the Qur'an. Ignoring or misrepresenting their faith is disrespectful and hinders genuine dialogue.

Bridge the terminology gap. The vast literature and unique terminology of Islam can be daunting for outsiders. Engaging with resources that explain Islamic beliefs from a Christian perspective, while also encouraging direct reading of the Qur'an, helps bridge this gap. This preparation allows Christians to respond to Islamic claims with accuracy and truthfulness.

Equip for dialogue. Many Muslims are eager to discuss their faith, and Christians should be prepared to engage in open and frank dialogue. Understanding the Qur'an provides a foundation of knowledge and insight for these conversations, enabling Christians to minister the life-giving gospel effectively and respectfully.

2. The Qur'an presents a specific, often misunderstood, view of Muhammad's role and experiences.

Muslims deny Muhammad any role other than passive reception for the Qur’anic text, yet the rest of the human family can be forgiven for considering his importance—his life, his experience, his understanding—as a proper context for the Islamic holy book.

Muhammad's life context. The Qur'an's revelations are deeply intertwined with the historical events of Muhammad's life, from his early years in Mecca to his later political and military activities in Medina. Understanding this context, including events like the Hijra, battles, and personal relationships, provides crucial perspective on the Qur'an's content and development.

Controversial incidents. Early Islamic sources, while revered, also record incidents that raise questions for non-Muslims and even some modern Muslims. These include:

• Muhammad's initial fear of demonic possession after his first revelation.
• The "Satanic Verses" incident, where early sources suggest a revelation accommodating pagan deities was later attributed to Satan.
• The story of Zaynab bint Jash, where a revelation permitted Muhammad to marry his adopted son's divorced wife, altering social custom.

Prophet and statesman. Unlike Jesus, Muhammad's role evolved from a persecuted prophet to a powerful political and military leader. This shift influenced the nature of later Qur'anic revelations, which increasingly addressed issues of law, governance, and warfare, a stark contrast to the teachings of Christ.

3. Tawhid (unitarian monotheism) is the core of Islam, fundamentally contrasting with the Christian Trinity.

Tawhid, the glorious monotheistic truth, the heart of Islamic faith, is to the Muslim what the Trinity is to the Christian: the touchstone, the nonnegotiable, the definitional.

Absolute oneness. Tawhid is the absolute, unitarian oneness and uniqueness of Allah, defining Islamic worship and belief. The Shahada, Islam's core confession, begins with "There is only one God worthy of worship," emphasizing this singular focus. Any deviation is considered shirk, the unforgivable sin of associating partners with Allah.

Shared monotheistic roots. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all claim Abrahamic roots and affirm belief in one true God. The Qur'an states that all prophets, including Moses and Jesus, were sent with the same message: "there is no god but I, so worship Me!" This leads Muslims to believe figures like Abraham and Jesus were Muslims in the sense of submitting to God.

Distinct understandings of God. While both faiths are monotheistic, their understanding of God's nature differs fundamentally. Islam's tawhid is strictly unitarian, while Christianity's monotheism is Trinitarian, believing in one God existing as three co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This difference is a primary point of conflict and misunderstanding.

4. The Qur'an fundamentally misunderstands and misrepresents the Christian doctrine of the Trinity.

The Qur’an’s representation of the Trinity as “three gods” comprised of Allah, Mary, and Jesus is a complete canard and raises serious questions for the honest Muslim who wishes to believe the Qur’an truthful in all things because its author is Allah.

"Say not three." The Qur'an directly addresses Christian beliefs about God, particularly in Surahs 4 and 5, commanding "say not three." It associates this "three" with polytheism, immediately asserting "Allah is only One God." This indicates the Qur'an's author understood Christian belief as a form of tritheism (three separate gods).

Misidentified triad. Early Islamic commentators, interpreting the Qur'an's condemnation of "three," often identified the Christian Trinity as Allah, Mary, and Jesus. This is evident in texts like Surah 5:116, where Allah asks Jesus if He told people to take Him and His mother as "two gods other than Allah." This demonstrates a profound misunderstanding of Christian theology.

Lack of accurate knowledge. The Qur'an's arguments against the Trinity consistently target a distorted version of the doctrine, often linking God having a "son" to pagan ideas of a male deity having a wife and offspring. This suggests the author lacked direct, accurate knowledge of Christian beliefs, which were well-defined centuries before the Qur'an's appearance.

5. The Qur'an's portrayal of Jesus differs significantly from the biblical account, denying His divine nature and crucifixion.

Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; a statement of the truth about which they [vainly] dispute.

Prophet, not Son of God. The Qur'an consistently presents Jesus (Isa ibn Mariam) as a revered prophet and messenger of Allah, born of a virgin and capable of miracles, but explicitly denies His divine sonship and deity. He is placed in the line of prophets like Moses and Abraham, delivering the same core message of monotheism.

Ahistorical narratives. The Qur'an includes stories about Jesus not found in the Bible but present in later, often Gnostic-influenced, legendary sources. Examples include:

• Jesus speaking from the cradle (Surah 19:29-33).
• Jesus creating birds from clay and bringing them to life (Surah 3:49).
  These narratives, while accepted as divine revelation in Islam, lack historical basis and appear to be drawn from pre-existing myths.

Denial of the cross. The most significant difference is the Qur'an's denial of Jesus' crucifixion in Surah 4:157, stating "They slew him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them." This single verse, lacking historical support and contradicting other Qur'anic texts implying Jesus' death, is the basis for Islam's rejection of the central event of Christianity.

6. Islamic salvation relies on weighing deeds and Allah's arbitrary mercy, not Christ's atonement.

Then those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful.

The Day of Judgment. The Qur'an emphasizes a terrifying Day of Judgment where each person's deeds will be weighed on scales. Success depends on having good deeds outweigh bad ones, leading to Paradise, while light scales result in eternal punishment in the Fire. This focus on individual accountability for deeds is central.

Mercy and decree. While the Qur'an frequently mentions Allah's mercy and forgiveness, the basis for this forgiveness is often presented as Allah's arbitrary will (qadar), not tied to a specific act of atonement for sin. Hadith literature reinforces this, with stories of individuals being forgiven massive sin debts based on a single good deed or Allah's decree made before birth.

No substitutionary atonement. Islam rejects the Christian concept of substitutionary atonement, where Christ's death pays the penalty for humanity's sins. The Qur'an states "no soul shall bear another’s burden." However, some hadith traditions suggest a form of substitution where Muslims' sins might be transferred to Jews or Christians in hell, a concept Christians find deeply troubling regarding divine justice.

7. The Qur'an commands Christians to judge by the Gospel, implying its existence and authority in Muhammad's time.

Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah had revealed therein.

Command to judge. Surah 5:47 explicitly commands the "People of the Gospel" (Christians) to "judge by that which Allah had revealed therein." This implies that the Gospel, as a divine revelation containing "guidance and a light," existed and was accessible to Christians in Muhammad's day.

Historical implication. This Qur'anic command is crucial because we possess copies of the New Testament (the Christian Gospel) that predate Muhammad by centuries. These manuscripts demonstrate that the Gospel existed in a form consistent with what Christians believe today, containing teachings about Christ's deity, crucifixion, and resurrection.

A dilemma for Muslims. If the Qur'an is true and commands Christians to judge by the Gospel, and the Gospel available in Muhammad's time (and today) contradicts core Qur'anic claims about Jesus and Muhammad, then a fundamental conflict arises. A Muslim must reconcile the Qur'an's affirmation of the Gospel's authority with its contradictory content.

8. Claims of biblical prophecies about Muhammad lack textual and historical support.

The most-cited text fails to fulfill the necessary conditions.

Qur'anic assertion. The Qur'an claims that the Torah and the Gospel contain descriptions and prophecies of Muhammad. Surah 7:157 refers to the "unlettered Prophet, whom they find described in their Torah and Gospel," and Surah 61:6 quotes Jesus as bringing "good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad."

Lack of biblical evidence. Muslims often point to specific biblical texts, such as Deuteronomy 18:18 (a prophet like Moses) and John 14-16 (the Helper/Paraclete), as fulfilling these prophecies. However, careful textual and historical analysis reveals:

• Deuteronomy 18 refers to a prophet from among the Israelites, not an Arab.
• John 14-16 clearly identifies the Helper as the Holy Spirit, not a human prophet, and describes characteristics only the Spirit fulfills.

Misinterpretation and eisegetical readings. Many Muslim claims rely on misinterpretations, linguistic speculation (like connecting "Ahmad" to "Paraclete" or "Muhammad" to a Hebrew word in Song of Solomon), and reading meanings into texts that were not intended by the original authors or understood by the original audiences. No historical evidence suggests Jews or Christians prior to Islam were expecting a prophet from Arabia.

9. The Qur'an incorporates pre-existing legends and traditions, not just divine revelation.

And yet there seems a tremendous amount of solid, verifiable, and balanced information indicating that at the very least Muhammad showed a familiarity with certain “legends of the ancients” that then appear in the Qur’anic text.

Accusations of "legends." The Qur'an itself records accusations from Muhammad's opponents that his revelations were merely "legends of the ancients." While the Qur'an condemns these accusations, external analysis reveals striking parallels between Qur'anic narratives and pre-existing Jewish and Christian legendary materials.

Examples of borrowed narratives:

• The story of Jesus speaking from the cradle appears in the 5th/6th century Arabic Infancy Gospel.
• The tale of Jesus creating birds from clay is found in the 2nd century Infancy Gospel of Thomas.
• The account of God suspending Mount Sinai over the Israelites is present in the Babylonian Talmud.
• The story of Cain being taught by a raven how to bury his brother is found in Jewish Midrash.

Lack of critical distinction. The Qur'an incorporates these legendary stories alongside narratives derived from the actual Hebrew and Christian Scriptures without differentiation. This suggests the author may not have distinguished between historical biblical accounts and later mythological accretions, a pattern consistent with reliance on oral traditions rather than direct access to the scriptural texts.

10. The Qur'an's textual transmission involved human collection, revision, and destruction of variants, unlike the New Testament's uncontrolled spread.

’Uthman sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered that all the other Qur’anic materials, whether written in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt.

Early, fragmented state. According to early Islamic sources like Sahih Al-Bukhari, the Qur'an was not compiled into a single volume during Muhammad's lifetime. It existed primarily in the memories of individuals (the Qurra) and on scattered written fragments. Concerns about losing parts of the revelation after battles led to the first collection under Abu Bakr.

The Uthmanic Recension. Around 18 years after Muhammad's death, Caliph Uthman ordered a standardized version of the Qur'an compiled by a committee led by Zaid bin Thabit. This was motivated by growing differences in recitation and text among Muslims across the expanding empire, threatening unity.

Controlled standardization. Uthman's committee produced several official copies and ordered the destruction (burning or boiling) of all other existing Qur'anic materials, whether fragmentary or complete copies. This created a controlled transmission, standardizing the text but also eliminating variant readings and making it difficult to verify the Uthmanic version against earlier forms.

11. Honest examination reveals the Qur'an's claims about Christianity are often based on misunderstanding and historical inaccuracies.

When we obey the command of Surah 5:47 and test Muhammad’s claims in the light of the gospel, of history, and of consistency and truthfulness, we find him, and the Qur’an, to fail these tests.

Inaccurate representations. The Qur'an's portrayal of core Christian beliefs, such as the Trinity (as three gods including Mary) and the nature of Jesus' sonship (as biological), is demonstrably inaccurate and based on misunderstanding. Its denial of the crucifixion contradicts overwhelming historical evidence.

Contradictions and inconsistencies. The Qur'an contains internal inconsistencies, such as differing parallel accounts of the same events and conflicting statements about Jesus' death. Its claim that the Bible prophesies Muhammad is unsupported by the biblical texts themselves.

Lack of historical grounding. The Qur'an incorporates legendary material as historical fact and shows a lack of direct, accurate knowledge of the biblical texts it claims to confirm. Its own history of collection and standardization, involving human decisions and the destruction of variant texts, contrasts with the uncontrolled, multi-sourced transmission of the New Testament.

Last updated: July 11, 2025