The Koran

‘Many false prophets shall arise’ Matt. 24. 11.

Undoubtedly the Koran is an accurate record of the teaching of Mohammed. Although he did not write it himself, nevertheless Mohammed’s teaching was given in a poetic form, and with the retentive memories of his followers, an accurate record of his teaching would be the result.

But the Koran is a monologue. It is simply a record of the words of Mohammed. Therefore it stands alone and unsubstantiated. The fatal weakness of this position can best be illustrated by contrast with the Bible and the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is not a monologue, that is just the words of one man. The Bible contains the writings of many men, nine in the New Testament and many more in the Old Testament. The Bible was written over a span of 1,500 years. The Lord Jesus Christ could appeal to the many prophecies of previous centuries in the Old Testament to show how He had fulfilled them as the true Messiah. ‘Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself, Luke 24. 27. The Lord could appeal to His miracles as signs of His divine person and power, ‘Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake’, John 14. 11. These signs were observed by the apostles and duly recorded in scripture. The Lord’s resurrection from the dead was observed and recorded in the same manner, thus He was designated the Son of God, ‘Declared to be the Son of God with power … by the resurrection from the dead’, Rom. 1. 4. No such evidence of divine authority is found in the Koran, it is just the words of Mohammed.

When people make an important claim for themselves it must be substantiated. Even plain-clothed policemen carry warrant cards. To claim to be a prophet having special revelations from God to be passed on to all mankind is the greatest claim a person could make. But where is the evidence that this is true of the teaching of Mohammed as recorded in the Koran? All we have is Mohammed’s word for this. As the Lord Jesus Christ said, ‘If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.’ John 5. 31.

The defenders of Islam are acutely aware of this vacuum of evidence. They try to say that the Lord’s prophecies concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit are prophecies of the coming of Mohammed! To use such an argument only proves the weakness of the case being defended.

As the claim of Mohammed to be the ultimate prophet of God is unsubstantiated, the claim can only be accepted as an opinion of Mohammed. A claim no doubt sincerely held, but carrying no weight of authority. Opinions are not divine revelation.

That Mohammed’s teaching is only a human opinion, not a divine revelation, is shown by its inaccuracies in a vital area. Mohammed’s knowledge of Christianity was obtained from a corrupt source. His references to persons and incidents in the Old and New Testaments are shown to be erroneous when compared with those scriptures. The Koran is defended on this point by saying that the Jews and Christians have altered their scriptures. But this cannot be so because manuscripts exist in the original languages covering the whole of the Bible which are dated long before Mohammed began to teach about the year A.D. 615.

The pseudo claims of the Koran to be the final divine revelation are pre-empted by the statements that the divine revelation in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is complete and final. Even the followers of Mohammed themselves must accept this for they do recognize the Lord as a true prophet of God. Christ has fulfilled all the prophecies, ‘All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me’, Luke 24. 44. Christ has provided a complete salvation, ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved’, Acts 4. 12. Christ claimed to be God manifest in the flesh, ‘He that hath seen me hath seen the Father’, John 14. 9. Mohammed never made such a claim. Christ proved His claim by His miracles, ‘Believe me for the very works’ sake’, John 14. 11, Mohammed never performed any miracles. Christ made atonement for the sin of the world, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’, John 1. 29. Mohammed never performed any saving act. Christ rose from the dead. Mohammed is dead.

The Koran is merely a record of the opinions of Mohammed. However sincerely he held those opinions makes no difference to the fact that uncorroborated human opinions do not have divine authority.