Short answer
By tests that anyone can apply to any book. A book from God (﷾) will say it is from God (﷾). It will describe a God who is one, eternal and unchanging, as creation itself shows. It will not contradict itself or get history wrong. Its prophecies will come true. It will carry a sign from God (﷾) that can still be examined. And it will reach us through honest people we can name. The Qur'an sets one of these tests for itself: had it come from anyone but God (﷾), people would find many contradictions in it. The Prophet (ﷺ) was known as truthful even by his enemies. Islam's answer is that the Qur'an passes these tests where the Bible fails.
Full explanation
Creation and conscience come first
Both scriptures say that the world points to its Maker. From creation, reason reaches a God who is one, eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful and unchanging. This knowledge does not depend on any holy book, so it can be used to judge one. Suppose a man who claims to be a prophet teaches something about God (﷾) that creation rules out. Then he is not from God (﷾). The Qur'an calls the things of creation ayat, which means signs. It uses the same word for its own verses, and it tells the reader to look at them and reason. Conscience points the same way. God (﷾) placed in every soul a sense of right and wrong. The Qur'an calls this the fitra, the nature God made man with. So a prophet's teaching can also be weighed morally. But conscience only tells a man that right and wrong exist. A standard that does not bend with each generation has to come from God (﷾).
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.”
“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
“Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for the profit of mankind; in the rain which Allah Sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they Trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- (Here) indeed are Signs for a people that are wise.”
“On the earth are signs for those of assured Faith, As also in your own selves: Will ye not then see?”
“So set thou thy face steadily and truly to the Faith: (establish) Allah's handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah: that is the standard Religion: but most among mankind understand not.”
“By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;-”
Many books claim to come from God (﷾), and they cannot all be right
The Bible, the Qur'an, the Book of Mormon and the Bhagavad Gita all claim to come from God (﷾). They disagree about God (﷾), sin and salvation. Two contradictory claims cannot both be true, so a claim alone proves nothing. The Bible itself warns that false prophets will show great wonders. It also gives a test: a prophecy that fails was not spoken by the Lord.
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
Test 1: does the book say it is God's (﷾) word?
The Qur'an claims every word for God (﷾). It says the Prophet (ﷺ) did not speak from his own desire, and that what he delivered was revelation. Some Bible writers call their words their own. Luke opens with a historian's preface, saying it seemed good to him to write an ordered account. Paul marks some rulings as his own and not the Lord's.
“Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him:”
“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,”
“But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away.”
“Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.”
Test 2: does it describe God (﷾) rightly?
The Qur'an's God (﷾) is one, begets no one and has no equal. The Bible's own prophets agree that God (﷾) does not change and is not a man. But Church teaching says God became a man. It says he was tempted by the devil, though the Bible says God (﷾) cannot be tempted. It also says he did not know the Hour (the Last Day), though God (﷾) knows everything.
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
“I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.”
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?”
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:”
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.”
Test 2 continued: eternal, forgiving and all-kind
Three more of God's (﷾) attributes fail on the Church's account. First, God (﷾) is eternal and does not change. Yet Colossians calls Jesus 'the firstborn of every creature'. A firstborn has a beginning, but the eternal God (﷾) has none. On the Christian account God's (﷾) nature also changed, because the Son became a man. Matthew reports him crying out that God (﷾) had forsaken him. Second, God (﷾) forgives the one who turns back from sin. Yet many Christians teach that He would not forgive sin without a blood sacrifice. They cite Hebrews 9:22: "without shedding of blood is no remission". But the Bible says the wicked man who turns from his sins will not have them held against him. And Jesus said God (﷾) wants mercy, not sacrifice. Third, God (﷾) is all-kind. Yet many Christians read John 14:6 to mean that everyone who has not accepted Christ goes to Hell. That would include the billions who never heard of him. The Qur'an says God (﷾) does not punish until He has sent a messenger. Each point has its own page. They are "Is Jesus the Creator?", "Can God forgive sins without the blood of Jesus?" and "What happens to people who never heard of Islam or of Jesus?".
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”
“But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.”
“But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
“Who receiveth guidance, receiveth it for his own benefit: who goeth astray doth so to his own loss: No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another: nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning).”
| God (﷾) is | What scripture says | The Church's account |
|---|---|---|
| One, and not a man | The Qur'an: God (﷾) begets no one and has no equal. The Bible has God (﷾) say that He is God, and not man (Hosea 11:9). | God became a man. |
| Eternal and unchanging | “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6). The eternal God (﷾) has no beginning. | Colossians calls Jesus “the firstborn of every creature”, and a firstborn has a beginning. The Son became a man and cried out that God (﷾) had forsaken him. |
| Beyond temptation | “God cannot be tempted with evil” (James 1:13). | God became a man who was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). |
| All-knowing | God (﷾) knows everything. | The one Christians call God made man did not know the Hour (Mark 13:32). |
| Forgiving | The wicked man who turns from his sins will not have them held against him (Ezekiel 18:21-22). Jesus said God (﷾) wants mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13). | Many Christians teach that God (﷾) would not forgive sin without a blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22). |
| All-kind | The Qur'an: God (﷾) does not punish until He has sent a messenger. | Many Christians read John 14:6 to mean that all who have not accepted Christ go to Hell, including the billions who never heard of him. |
A true prophet cannot contradict what creation teaches about God (﷾), since both come from the same Source.
Test 3: is it free of contradiction?
The Qur'an stakes its origin on this test. It says a book from anyone other than God (﷾) would contain much discrepancy, and it invites every reader to look. Hostile readers have looked for fourteen centuries. The page "Does the Qur'an contain contradictions or errors?" answers what they claim to find. The Bible makes no such challenge, and its accounts disagree. Kings says Ahaziah, a king of Judah, was twenty-two when he began to reign. Chronicles, telling the same event, says he was forty-two. Both numbers cannot be right.
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.”
“Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name also was Athaliah the daughter of Omri.”
Test 4: is it credible in history?
Take the title of Egypt's ruler. The Qur'an calls the ruler in Joseph's day 'the king' and keeps 'Pharaoh' for the ruler in Moses' day. That matches how Egyptian records use the title. No one could read those records until the hieroglyphs (the old Egyptian writing in pictures and sound-signs) were deciphered again in 1822. Genesis calls both men Pharaoh. The full case is on the page "Why does the Qur'an call Joseph's ruler 'King' but Moses' ruler 'Pharaoh'?". The Bible's own text also holds words that Moses could not have written. The five books of Moses record his death and burial. They add that no one knows his grave "unto this day".
“The king (of Egypt) said: "I do see (in a vision) seven fat kine, whom seven lean ones devour, and seven green ears of corn, and seven (others) withered. O ye chiefs! Expound to me my vision if it be that ye can interpret visions."”
“Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.”
The letter, read to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in Paris in September 1822, in which Champollion set out how Egyptian hieroglyphs work. It marks the start of their decipherment; before it, no one had been able to read them for well over a thousand years.
“So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Beth–peor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day.”
Test 5: do its prophecies come true?
When the Romans had just been beaten by Persia, the Qur'an said they would win within a few years. The Arabic word it used, bid', means a small number, usually three to nine. They did win. The Qur'an also said the Prophet's (ﷺ) uncle Abu Lahab would burn in the Fire, so that he would die an unbeliever. He lived for years afterwards. He could have disproved it by claiming to be Muslim, and he never did. In Matthew, Jesus says some standing there would not die before seeing the Son of man coming in his kingdom. The verse before describes that coming: with angels, to reward every man. All those standing there died. A true prophet of God (﷾) does not prophesy falsely. So, as Matthew reports it, the saying cannot be Jesus' word. By the Bible's own test, it is not the word of the Lord. This does not deny his return, which Islam affirms. It is about the time Matthew gives.
“The Roman Empire has been defeated- In a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious- Within a few years. With Allah is the Decision, in the past and in the Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice-”
“Perish the hands of the Father of Flame! Perish he! No profit to him from all his wealth, and all his gains! Burnt soon will he be in a Fire of Blazing Flame!”
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”
Test 6: a miracle that can still be examined
Both books report miracles, and the Qur'an confirms many of the miracles of Jesus. But a reported wonder cannot settle the question alone, since the Bible says false prophets will show wonders too. The Qur'an's own miracle is a book that anyone can examine today. It challenges mankind and the jinn (unseen beings God (﷾) created from fire) together to produce its like. It came through a man who, as his own people knew, could not read or write.
“Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.”
“And thou wast not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.”
“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
Test 7: honest messengers and a chain we can check
Everything depends on knowing what a prophet actually said. The Prophet's (ﷺ) own tribe, who soon became his enemies, told him they had never known him to lie. Abu Sufyan, a leader of Mecca who was then still an enemy, said the same before the Byzantine emperor. The Prophet's (ﷺ) sayings are recorded with named chains of narrators. Scholars check each chain, and only the reports that pass are accepted as authentic. The Qur'an was carried by memory and writing together. Muslims hold, and al-Bukhari records, that Gabriel went over the Qur'an with the Prophet (ﷺ) every year, and twice in his last year. Muslims also hold that God (﷾) Himself guards the Qur'an from change. The oldest copies of the New Testament can be checked too. Mark shows why a checked chain matters. The two oldest complete Greek manuscripts of Mark stop at 16:8. They lack the twelve verses that later copies carry after it.
Ibn Abbas reports that when the Prophet (ﷺ) first gathered the clans of Quraysh at the hill of Safa, he asked whether they would believe him if he warned them of cavalry in the valley. They answered yes, because they had never known him to say anything but the truth. He then told them he was a warner of a severe punishment.
Abu Sufyan, at the time still an enemy of the Prophet (ﷺ), was questioned by the Byzantine emperor Heraclius. Asked whether they had ever accused Muhammad of lying before he claimed prophethood, he answered no. Heraclius concluded that a man who did not lie about people would not lie about God.
Abu Hurayra reports that Gabriel went over the Qur'an with the Prophet (ﷺ) once every year, and twice in the year he died.
“We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”
On Mark 16:9-20, reports that the last twelve verses are absent from the two oldest Greek Bibles that survive in large part, Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, and from other early witnesses; that Eusebius and Jerome state the verses were missing from almost all the Greek copies known to them; that some manuscripts carry a different, shorter ending instead; and concludes that the Gospel as we have it from the earliest evidence ends at 16:8.
| Test | The Qur'an | The Bible as it now stands |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Does it say it is God's (﷾) word? | Yes, every word: the Prophet (ﷺ) did not speak from his own desire. | Some writers call their words their own. Luke writes as a historian, and Paul marks some rulings as his own, not the Lord's. |
| 2. Does it describe God (﷾) rightly? | God (﷾) is one, begets no one and has no equal. | Its prophets say God (﷾) does not change and is not a man. Yet the Church's God became a man who was tempted, though the Bible says God (﷾) cannot be tempted. |
| 3. Is it free of contradiction? | It invites every reader to look: a book from anyone but God (﷾) would contain much discrepancy. | Kings says Ahaziah was twenty-two when he began to reign. Chronicles, telling the same event, says forty-two. |
| 4. Is it true to history? | It calls Joseph's ruler “the king” and keeps “Pharaoh” for Moses' day, matching how Egyptian records use the title. | It calls both rulers Pharaoh. The books of Moses tell of his death and say no one knows his grave, words Moses could not have written. |
| 5. Do its prophecies come true? | When the Romans had just been beaten, it said they would win within a few years. They did. | Matthew has Jesus say some standing there would see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. They all died, so by the Bible's own test the saying, as Matthew reports it, is not the word of the Lord. |
| 7. Did it come through honest, named people? | His own people, who became his enemies, said they had never known him to lie before his mission. Al-Bukhari records that Gabriel went over the Qur'an with him every year, and twice in his last year. | The two oldest complete Greek manuscripts of Mark stop at 16:8 and lack the twelve verses later copies carry. |
Test 6, a miracle that can still be examined: both books report miracles, but the Qur'an's own miracle is a Book anyone can examine today. Apply the same tests to both books, and the Qur'an passes where the Bible fails.
Verse by verse
2 Timothy 3:15-16 — Second Epistle to Timothy, chapter 3, verses 15-16
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Cited for
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God" settles the question: the whole Bible is God's word.
The response
The verse before it speaks of the scriptures Timothy had known "from a child". When Timothy was a child, no book of the New Testament had been written. A book's word for itself cannot be the whole proof either. That is why tests are needed, as the Qur'an itself invites (4:82).
Where it lands — The verse cannot vouch for books that did not yet exist, so the Bible still has to pass the tests.
Matthew 16:28 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 16, verse 28
“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
Cited for
Jesus meant the Transfiguration six days later, when three disciples saw him in glory.
The response
The verse just before describes the coming meant. It is the Son of man coming in the glory of his Father, with his angels, to reward every man according to his works. That is the Judgment. It did not happen in the lifetime of anyone standing there.
Where it lands — Read in its own context, the promise did not come to pass. A true prophet does not prophesy falsely, so the saying as Matthew reports it cannot be Jesus' word. By Deuteronomy 18:22 the verse is not the word of the Lord.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Christians hold that the Bible is the inspired word of God, shown by fulfilled prophecy and by the resurrection of Jesus. Paul's words to Timothy state it directly.
Second Timothy says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. Christians read this as covering the whole Bible.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that God (﷾) revealed scripture to Moses and Jesus. But the verse before speaks of the scriptures Timothy knew from a child, when no New Testament book yet existed. And a book's word for itself is not the whole proof. That is why tests are needed, as the Qur'an itself invites (4:82).
Every religion's miracles cancel each other
Many sceptics follow Hume. Every religion reports miracles, they say, and each religion's miracles count against all the others. So no scripture can be proved by miracles.
The miracles of each religion count against all the others, so their witnesses cancel out.
Rebuttal
That is an argument against reports of miracles from long ago. The Qur'an's main test is not a report. It is a text that is here now, and anyone can examine it. The Qur'an says that if it had been from anyone other than Allah (﷾), people would have found many contradictions in it. And whoever doubts it may produce one chapter like it.
Sikh: the Guru and the Lord are one
Sikhs honour the Guru Granth Sahib, their scripture, as the living Guru. And Guru Arjan writes that the Guru and the Transcendent Lord, the Lord beyond all things, are one.
Guru Arjan writes that the Guru and the Transcendent Lord are One (Ang 864).
Rebuttal
If "the Guru" here is God's (﷾) Word, Islam agrees that God's (﷾) Word is His own. The question is which words are His, and the Qur'an offers a test of its claim. If it means a man, the Qur'an's messenger says he is a man like his hearers.
The Islamic perspective
A scripture from God (﷾) must agree with what creation teaches about God (﷾) and pass every test honestly applied. The Qur'an passes them. The Bible, as it now stands, fails most of them. The revelations God (﷾) gave to Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) are not in doubt.
The Bible and the Qur'an both say that creation shows God's (﷾) power and nature. So creation can be used to judge any book that claims to be revelation.
The Bible gives its own test of a prophet. If a prophecy does not come true, the Lord did not speak it.
The Qur'an claims that every word of it is revelation. But Luke and Paul describe parts of their writing as their own.
The Bible's prophets say God (﷾) does not change and is not a man. That rules out a God who became a man, was tempted and did not know the Hour.
On the Christian account God's (﷾) nature changed, since the Son became a man. Matthew reports him crying out that God (﷾) had forsaken him. The Bible says God (﷾) does not change.
Ezekiel says that if a wicked man turns from his sins, they will not be held against him. And Jesus said God (﷾) wants mercy, not sacrifice.
So in the Bible's own words, God's (﷾) forgiveness does not need blood.
The Qur'an says God (﷾) does not punish anyone until a messenger has warned them. So no one is condemned for a message that never reached him.
The Qur'an challenges its readers to find contradictions in it, as proof that it is from God (﷾).
The Qur'an foretold a Roman victory within a few years of a Roman defeat, and it came to pass.
Matthew reports a promise that some of those standing there would see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. It did not come true. So by the Bible's own test (Deuteronomy 18:22), the saying as written cannot be Jesus' word.
Deuteronomy records Moses' death, and says his grave is unknown "unto this day". So Moses did not write these words himself.
The Prophet's (ﷺ) enemies conceded that he had never lied before his claim to prophethood.
Gabriel went over the Qur'an with the Prophet (ﷺ) once every year, and twice in the year he died. Muslims hold that God (﷾) guards it from change.