Does the Qur'an replace the Bible?

Muslims teach that the Qur'an is their holy book. Therefore, anything that teaches in contradiction with the Qur'an must be wrong or corrupted, including the Bible. However, this does not mean that the Qur'an teaches that it was provided to replace the Bible. Instead, the Qur'an often speaks very highly of the Bible and its messengers.

Sura 2:87 in the Qur'an speaks of the books written by Moses, stating, "We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of messengers." Additional revelation from Allah did not replace the Torah; the Torah was affirmed as being from Allah.

Sura 3:3 teaches, "It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong)." According to the Qur'an, Allah sent the Law and the Gospels. Therefore, even the Qur'an does not replace the Bible. For Muslims, the Qur'an is considered the final revelation of Allah through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad the prophet.

As a Muslim, you do not need to fear the Bible or deny its important role in history. Instead, the Qur'an speaks highly of its important role and teachings.

Another important question to ask yourself as a Muslim is, "Can Allah's words be replaced?" The Qur'an teaches they cannot: "Rejected were the messengers before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the words (and decrees) of Allah. Already hast thou received some account of those messengers" (Sura 6:34). The Qur'an teaches that Allah revealed the Law and Gospels (Sura 3:3). If so, the Qur'an would be additional revelation, not a replacement for the Bible.

This is very important, because it shows that the Bible is not to be neglected by the Muslim, but rather should be studied to further understand God's revelation. The Gospel of John, in particular, was written to help make known the teachings of Jesus (Isa), named as one of the many prophets in the Qur'an. A Muslim can freely read these teachings and discuss them with others to help understand God's will for his or her life. As you do, you may realize there is much additional information available, especially about Jesus, that can help you to understand how a person can have eternal life (John 3:16) and have assurance of paradise (1 John 5:13).

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