HOW CAN WE KNOW
THE TRUTH
OF THE GOSPEL?
Iskander Jadeed

THE QUESTIONS:
How can you prove the Fatherhood of God to
Christ?
It is said that the Torah and the New Testament
have been changed. What is your opinion?
Do you have any evidence that Christ died on
the cross?
Is not the existence of "four gospels" evidence
that the New Testament has been changed?
M.Z.S. TRIPOLIS-LEBANON

HOW CAN WE KNOW
THE TRUTH
OF THE GOSPEL?
by
Iskander Jadeed
THE GOOD WAY • RIKON/SWITZERLAND

AH Rights Reserved
Order Number: RPB 4380 ENG
First English edition: 1987
English title: How Can We Know the Truth of the Gospel?
All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James
Version, Holy Bible, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
All Qur'an quotations are taken from The Koran Interpreted, by
Arthur J. Arberry
The Good Way «P.O. Box 66*CH-8486 Rikon • Switzerland
Internet://www.the-good-way.com
e-mail: info@the-good-way.com

My Dear Friend,
I am very pleased to note that you have the
inclination to investigate the truths of the Gospel.
It is good that you have this desire, for we find
Paul, the apostle and hero of the Faith saying:
"Test everything. Hold fast to the good" (First
Epistle to the Thessalonians 5:21).
From the opening remarks in your letter, it
seems you want to discuss some Christian beliefs.
However, your enthusiasm carried you into the
realm of argument with "The People of the Book",
contrary to the Koranic injunction "... save in the
fairer manner" (Al-Ankabut 46).
But you have forgotten the warning of the Ko-
ran which says, "Yet how will they make thee their
judge seeing they have the Torah, wherein is God's
judgment?" (Al-Maidah 43). In your attempt to
object to most of the sensitive Christian beliefs,
you have used references from the Koran rather
than the Holy Bible which the Koran appointed as
arbiter for any disputes between Christians and
Muslims. Proof of this fact is that Muhammad
himself was referred to "The People of the Book"
to confirm the truth of any belief. The Koran says:

"So if thou art in doubt regarding what We have
sent down to Thee, ask those who recite the Book
before thee" (Yunus 95).
This command requires of every Muslim, in
settling any doctrinal dispute with The People of
the Book to accept the judgment of the Book
itself Accordingly, another text in the Koran says:
"Surely, We sent down the Torah, wherein is gui-
dance and light; thereby the Prophets, who had
surrendered themselves gave judgment for those
of Jewry as did the masters and the rabbis follow-
ing such portions of God's Book as they were
given to keep... and whoso judges not according
to what God has sent down - they are the unbe-
lievers" (Al-Maidah 45).
It follows then that the Christian is not bound
whatsoever to the texts of the Koran. On the
Contrary, the Koran calls him to cling to his Book,
saying: "Say, People of the Book! You do not
stand on anything until you perform the Torah
and the Gospel and what was sent down to you
from your Lord" (Al-Maidah 48).
I shall now reply to your objection to several
Christian doctrines:

I. TH€ SONSHIP OF CHRIST
In your attempt to challenge the Sonship of
Christ, you used two Koranic verses, Sura Al-
Ikhlas and Maryam, but you neglected to refer to
a verse in Sura Al-Anaam which says, "The Crea-
tor of the heavens and the earth - How should He
have a son, seeing that he has no consort, and He
created all things and He has knowledge of every-
thing?" (Sura Al-Anaam 102).
My purpose in referring to this verse, is to draw
your attention to the weakness of the arguments
Islam puts forward when it challenges the Sonship
of Christ. Before the rise of Islam some followers
of Christianity, mostly of heathen backgrounds,
spread a heresy which said that the Virgin Mary
was a goddess. Perhaps they identified her with
their goddess "Al-Zahra". This heretical group
called themselves "Maryamites" or the Followers
of Mary. The scholar Ahmad Al-Makreezy men-
tioned them in his book, "Al-Kawl-Al-Ibreezy"
(p. 26). Likewise another writer, Ibn-Hazm, refers
to this heresy in his book, "Al-Milal Wal-Ahwaa
Wal-Nihal" (p. 47). At present there is not a single

Christian who believes in it. In fact Christians
consider it to be an insult aimed at the majesty of a
holy God who transcends all bodily attributes.
Christian theologians fought this error vigorously
using every Scriptural and logical argument until
it disappeared by the end of the seventh century.
From the foregoing we can see that the Koran
did not criticize the Christian's doctrine but only
this Maryamite heresy whose origins were hea-
then. Because heathenism was common through-
out Egypt, Arabia and Greece its adherents be-
lieved that their gods married and had children.
Christians, however, do not believe the sonship of
Christ to be after the manner of physical procrea-
tion through a consort. They believe him to be the
Son of God in the sense of issuing from Himself in
the Divine Being. "He is the Word of God and
from His Spirit."
Paul the apostle referred to this truth when he
stated: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to
be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God -
the gospel he promised beforehand through his
prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son,
who as to his human nature was a descendant of

David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was
declared with power to be the Son of God by his
resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our
Lord" (Romans 1:1-4).
In reviewing the sayings of Christ we find clear
declarations confirming his divine sonship, for
instance: "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah,
for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my
Father in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each
of you..." (Matthew 18:35).
"Why were you searching for me? Didn't you
know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke
2:49).
And Jesus answered them, "My Father is
always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am
working" (John 5:17).
We also read in the Gospel, "I have shown you
many great miracles from the Father. For which of
these do you stone me?" (John 10:32).
The Gospel account of Christ's baptism in the
river Jordan, relates that a voice from heaven was

heard on that occasion saying: "... this is my Son,
whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matt-
hew 3:17).
And now let us return to the verse of the Koran:
"Who has not begotten, and has not been be-
gotten." Imam Al-Baidawi interprets it as follows:
"has not begotten," in the sense that he had no
sexual relationship and was not in need of a helper
(or consort), nor a successor... "and has not
been begotten" means, he lacks nothing and no
emptiness precedes him. So "birth" (or begetting)
as used in the Sura Al-Ikhals cannot mean
anything but birth in the sexual, physical sense.
And this, categorically, is not the belief of the
Christians!

II. TH€ nil€G€D PR€-€MIN€NC€ OF MUHRMMRD
Muslims consider Muhammad to be superior to
all other prophets.
If Christ were only a prophet, I would have had
debated with you to find out who is greater. How-
ever, there is no question that Christ is greater
than all other prophets and all the angels and
archangels. He is above all creation in heaven
and on earth: above that which is seen and unseen.
So it is unnecessary to discuss this subject further.
In John 1:1-5 we read about Christ: "In the be-
ginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was with God in
the beginning. Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been
made. In him was life, and that life was the light of
men. The light shines in the darkness, but the
darkness has not understood it." Hebrews 3:1-6
says, "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the
heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the
apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was
faithful to the one who appointed him, just as
Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has

been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,
just as the builder of a house has greater honor
than the house itself. For every house is built by
someone, but God is the builder of everything.
Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house,
testifying as a son over God's house. And we are
his house, if we hold on to our courage and the
hope of which we boast."
We also read in Hebrews 1:1-6, "In the past
God spoke to our forefathers through the pro-
phets at many times and in various ways, but in
these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom he made the universe. The Son is the radi-
ance of God's glory and the exact representation
of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful
word. After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in
heaven. So he became as much superior to the
angels as the name he has inherited is superior to
theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say,
'You are my Son; today I have become your
Father?' Or again, when God brings his firstborn
into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels
10

worship him.'" Psalm 2:7 says, "You are my Son;
today I have become your Father." Further, we
read in Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

11

III. TH€ fllTCROTION OF TH€ GOSP6L
Any religious book may be accused of altera-
tion. But there is a difference between making an
accusation and providing evidence for your accu-
sation. Your first 'proof is that the New Testa-
ment forbids divorce while the Koran allows it;
and the Gospel allows wine while the Koran prohi-
bits it. This seems surely to be quite a weak objec-
tion not based on true understanding for two
reasons:
1. The Gospel did not prohibit divorce, but
sought to limit the arguments of the Scribes and
Pharisees in interpreting the law of the Torah
concerning divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1). Christ
urged the people to go back to what God ordained
in the beginning (Genesis 2:24), namely, that man
and woman remain together for life. This was to
preserve the welfare of the family, to safeguard
public morals and to preserve the respect for the
wife as mother and spiritual partner with the hus-
band. Nevertheless, Christ allowed divorce only in
the case of adultery by either partner, a deed that
would loosen the marriage tie (Matthew 5:31). We
12

have seen in recent years that some Muslim think-
ers and leaders have imposed laws forbidding
capricious divorce in order to safeguard the integ-
rity of the family and nation. This may have been
in response to the prophetic tradition which says:
"To God the most hateful concess is divorce"
(Sunan Abi Davood Book 13 Section 3).
2. The gospel does not encourage drinking
wine, on the contrary it warns against it saying,
"And do not be drunk with wine, in which is
dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephe-
sians 5:18). It also says, "Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor
adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual
offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunk-
ards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the
kingdom of God" (I Corinthians 6:9-10).
Furthermore, the differences which exist be-
tween the Gospel and the Koran in legal matters do
not entitle you to judge that the Gospel has been
altered. If we were to start from this premise, what
is there to prevent the Christian from saying that
the Koran has been altered because it allows di-
vorce for reasons not recognized in the gospel?
13

IV. TH€ GOSPCL SRVS THAT CHRIST (I'SR)
UJHS CRUCIFI6D, BUT TH€ KORRN SRVS
THRT H€ UJRS NOT CRUCIFICD.
You seem to be like many people who try to
hold on to the letter of the Koranic text forgetting
that the Koran itself relates to us the Jewish na-
tion's testimony that they crucified Christ. For it
says, "We slew the Messiah, Jesus, Son of Mary,
The Messenger of God" (Surat Al-Nisa 157).
The Jewish nation has handed down this tradi-
tion from father to son from the first century until
today. But their testimony is not the only one
regarding the crucifixion of Christ. The following
are the reports of others who also testified to this
great event:
1. The Prophecies: This is evidence which can-
not be denied. Centuries earlier the prophets were
inspired to write many of the details surrounding
the death of Christ on the cross; such as,
a) Selling Christ for thirty silver coins - "I told
them, 'If you think it best, give me my pay;
14

but if not, keep it'. So they paid me thirty
pieces of silver" (Zechariah 11:12).
b)	Buying the potter's field with the money -
"And the Lord said to me, 'Throw it to the
potter' - the handsome price at which they
priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of
silver and threw them into the house of the
Lord to the potter" (Zechariah 11:13).
c)	Mocking and deriding Christ before his cru-
cifixion - "Dogs have surrounded me; a
bank of evil men has encircled me, they have
pierced my hands and my feet. I can count
all my bones; people stare and gloat over
me" (Psalm 22:16,17).
d)	The terrible wounds He received - "But he
was pierced for our transgressions, he was
crushed for our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon him, and by
his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
e)	He was silent in affliction - "He was oppress-
ed and afflicted, yet he did not open his
mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaugh-
ter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
15

16

silent, so he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah
53:7).
f)	He was whipped and spat upon - "I offered
my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to
those who pulled out my beard; I did not
hide my face from mocking and spitting"
(Isaiah 50:6).
g)	They laughed at him - "Many bulls surround
me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions tearing their prey open their
mouths wide against me" (Psalm 22:12,13).
h) They divided his garments among them-
selves and cast lots for his clothing - "They
divide my garments among them and cast
lots for my clothing" (Psalm 22:18).
i) He enquires why the Father has forsaken
him - "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me? Why are you so far from the
words of my groaning?" (Psalm 22:1).
j) A spear would pierce his side - "... they will
look on me, the one they have pierced, and
they will mourn for him as one mourns for

an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as
one grieves for a firstborn son" (Zechariah
12:10).
k) He would be crucified between thieves and
buried with the rich - "He was assigned a
grave with the wicked, and with the rich in
his death, though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth" (Isaiah
53:9).
1) Not one of his bones will be broken - "He
protects all his bones, not one of them will
be broken" (Psalm 34:20).
When we read the New Testament account we
see that all these prophecies were fulfilled to the
letter.
2. The Sign of the Cross: The early Christians
used the sign of the cross as a means of identifica-
tion when they were persecuted. They carved the
cross on their graves and in the catacombs where
they met, hiding from the tyranny of the Roman
emperor, Nero. Anyone visiting Rome can ob-
serve these signs.
17

3.	The Preaching of Christ Crucified by His
Disciples: Peter said to the Jews, "Men of Israel,
listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accred-
ited by God to you by miracles, wonders and
signs, which God did among you through him, as
you yourselves know. This man was handed over
to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge;
and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to
death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised
him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of
death, because it was impossible for death to keep
its hold on him" (Acts 2:22-24).
4.	The Proclamations of Christ Himself. The
writers of the Gospels reported that Christ men-
tioned his crucifixion and death frequently and
that their salvation from sin required his death on
the cross. The following is one example of such an
occasion: "Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusa-
lem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to
them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son
of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the
teachers of the law. They will condemn him to
death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be
mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third
day he will be raised to life!" (Matthew 20:17-19).
18

5. The Consistent Witness of Christian Tradi-
tions: Since the dawn of Christianity Christ's
followers have been celebrating 'The Lord's
Supper', which is also called 'the fellowship of the
Body and Blood of Christ'. This commandment
was ordained by Christ himself in the night that he
was betrayed. He told his disciples to do this in
remembrance of him. Christ said, "'I have eagerly
desired to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it
finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God'. After
taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, 'Take this
and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not
drink again of the fruit of the vine until the
kingdom of God comes.' And he took bread, gave
thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
'This is my body given for you; do this in
remembrance of me'" (Luke: 15-19).
Christ gave a confirmation that he died to atone
for our sins and was the sacrifice for mankind. The
disciples practised this sacrament and passed it on
to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was
betrayed, took bread, and when he had given
thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body,
19

which is for you; do this is remembrance of me."
In the same way, after supper he took the cup,
saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood;
do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of
me" (I Corinthians 11:23-25).
6.	The Testimony of History: History also re-
corded Christ's death. Historians recorded this
event, devoting lengthy passages to it in their ac-
counts. Some of those historians were: Tacitus, the
heathen historian, in the year 55 A.D.; Lucian,
the Greek, writing in 100 A. D.; Josephus, the Jew,
who lived a few years after the crucifixion. All the
writings agree with the Gospel account in regard
to the birth, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrec-
tion of Christ.
7.	The Testimony of the Roman Records: The
most important record is a report which Pilate
sent to Caesar Tiberias. In it he explains in detail
the activities of Christ, the accusations of the Jews
against him, and how it was necessary for him to
pass the death sentence on him by crucifixion in
order to avoid a riot. This document was one of
the foremost documents which the Christian schol-
20

ar, Tertullian, used in his famous defence of the
Christians.
8.	The Testimony of the Jewish Talmud: It is
well-known to all that the Jews are the nation
which follow the Torah written by Moses. Few
know the other important book of Jewish tradition
known as the 'Talmud'. This book contains a col-
lection of traditions from their forefathers, which,
in many instances, is a substitute for the Law of
God. Jesus rebuked them in this matter by saying,
"And why do you break the command of God for
the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew 15:3).
In the Talmud we read on page 42 that, "Jesus
was crucified one day before the passover, and
that it had been foretold 40 days earlier that he
would be killed because he was a magician and
purposed to deceive Israel and lead them astray."
9.	The Testimony of the Koran: There are at
least five passages in the Koran which confirm the
death of Christ. Three of them use the words
'death' or 'expiration':
1.	Sura Maryam 30
2.	Sura Al-Imran 55
3.	Sura Al-Maidah 116-117
21

The others use the word 'kill':
1.	Sura Al-Baqarah 87
2.	Sura Al-Imran 183
10. The Resurrection of Christ: The resurrec-
tion of Christ is perhaps the strongest evidence of
his death on the cross, because the holy Gospel
tells us that "Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked
Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a
disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the
Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took
the body. He was accompanied by Nicodemus,
the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.
Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus' body, the
two of them wrapped it with strips of linen. This
was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At
the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a
garden and in the garden a new tomb, in which no
one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish
day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby,
they laid Jesus there" (John 19:38-42). But on the
third day, before dawn, a great earthquake happen-
ed, for the angel of the Lord descended from
heaven and rolled away the large stone from the
22

door of the tomb. This frightened the guards, who
at Pilate's orders were guarding the dead after
they had sealed the tomb. It may be that the
dazzling form of the angel prevented the guards
from seeing that Christ had risen, when that took
place. However, the angel himself informed Mary
Magdalene and her companions that Christ had
risen, when they arrived early in the morning to
visit the dead.
Hence, the Resurrection is an incontrovertible
proof that the one crucified was Jesus Christ,
because Jesus himself had told the Jews, "Destroy
this temple and I will raise it again in three days"
(John 2:19). Everyone who denies this is virtually
accusing God, Christ and the angels of collusion
to deceive mankind.
The Jews' purpose in doing away with Jesus
was to stop the spread of Christianity, because
they perceived in His message an end to their
narrow fanatical racism. So when they succeeded
in convincing the Roman authorities to execute
Him, and He was laid in the tomb, they thought
they had attained their goal. But the Gospel of
God cannot be curbed by the forces of evil. It
23

didn't take long before it had spread to the far-
thest corners of the earth. There were thousands
who were attracted to the cross of Christ.
And so the Jews did not achieve their ends, but
only imagined that they had done so... Hence, the
words of the Koran, coming six hundred years
later. Those who were in dispute about him were
not sure of their facts and thought their own
thoughts to be true. They did not actually kill him,
because "He rose after three days!" The words of
the Koran, then, came as an affirmation of this
tremendous event: "Peace be upon me the day I
was born and the day I die, and the day I am raised
up alive" (Sura Maryam 34). And, "Jesus I will
take thee to Me and will raise Thee to Me, and I
will purify Thee of those who believe not..." (Su-
ra Al-Imran 55).
And now allow me to deal with the fanciful
tale which you mentioned in your letter which is
no more than a fable widespread among Muslims.
In short, it claims that a substitute was crucified in
place of Christ. Let me say that the prophetic
utterances before the Incarnation, as well as the
declarations of Christ himself makes of this "sub-
24

stitute" fable not only an unsuccessful invention
but also a very poor myth. Its worse fault is that it
makes God - the Exalted, the Esteemed, appear
unjust and as a deceiver. What greater injustice is
there than that he should cast the likeness of
Christ on another, who would then die in his
place, without the victim having a say in the
matter. And what worse deceit is there than from
God to inspire the prophets that Christ would be
coming to redeem the world by his sacrificial
death, thus removing their sin. Yet when the hour
would come he should change his plans, allowing
another to be put to death without explaining the
reasons, leaving people in doubt as to his honesty?
Did it not occur to you that the one wrongly
sacrificed would have filled the world with his
cries of innocence before being led to death?
Yes, such a story is so poor that everyone of
sound mind must reject it. Consequently, respec-
table Muslim scholars have rejected it, foremost
among whom is that authority Fakhr-Ed-Deen
Al-Razi. It was he who thoroughly investigated it,
concluding that it is a fabrication or a willful
distortion of received traditions. Read his com-
mentary on this subject in his exposition of Sura
Al-Imran 55.
25

V. RITCROTION OF TH€ SCRIPTURES
You said in your letter: "I believe that Fsa,
(Peace be upon Him), when he knew of their
conspiracy to crucify him 'left His book on earth.'
When the one who resembled was crucified, all
those books were burned. So certain people re-
wrote some of what they knew, adding much extra-
neous matter of their own invention. This explains
to us how there came to be a multiplicity of gos-
pels, each differing from the other. By contrast the
Koran was not fragmented nor altered. Likewise
the Torah was altered for it is no longer what
descended on Moses."
I do not wish to argue with you on the likeli-
hood that the Koran was fragmented or altered;
that is not my business. However, I first have the
basic right to enquire of you which books were
burnt completely? If you refer to the books of the
Gospel (Injil) this is an impossibility since they
had not been written as yet. If the books of the
Torah are meant, these were always strictly guard-
ed in the temples and synagogues. I do not know
if you mean literally that Jesus had a book which
26

he left on earth to fall into the hands of book-
burners; or that they altered its text or portions of
it.
I do not think that even a single Muslim in the
world would agree with you on this story which is
unacceptable to the logical mind. Especially since
the Muslim's Koran witnessed to the veracity of
the gospel, saying, "O People of the Book! You do
not stand on anything, until you perform the
Torah and the Gospel and what was sent down to
you from your Lord" (Al-Maidah, 71). And, "So
let the People of the Gospel judge according to
what God has sent down therein. Whosoever
judges not according to what God has sent down
they are the ungodly" (Sura Al-Maidah, 47).
If we add to these verses the charge to Muham-
mad to believe in what was written in the Holy
Bible (Sura Al-Shura, 15) you are faced with an
embarrassing question, namely: Is it right that,
hundreds of years after Christ's ascension to
heaven, God should call Muhammad to believe in
a defective book?
I don't think you are ignorant of the fact that
27

Muslims in every generation and age were enjoin-
ed by the Koran to believe the Holy Bible. For it
says, "O ye believers! Believe in God and his
Messenger, and in the Book which He has sent to
His Messenger, and the Book which he sent down
before" (Sura Al-Nisa, 135). And, "He has laid
down for you as religion that which He charged
Noah with, that We have revealed to thee, and that
we charged Abraham with, Moses and Jesus: 'Per-
form the religion, and scatter not regarding it'"
(Sura Al-Shura, 13).
If we delve deeply in the study of the Koran we
find within its pages not only tens of witnesses to
the truth of the Torah and the Gospel but also
several promises from God to maintain His word
free from tampering and alternation. Among
them are the following:
"It is We who have sent down the Remem-
brance and we watch over it" (Sura Al-Hijr, 9).
"... And Thou shalt find no changing the want
of God" (Sura Al-Ahzab, 62).
"No man can change the words of God" (Sura
Al-An'am, 34).
28

To say that the Word of God has been changed
is an admission that His promises written in the
Koran to safeguard that Word have failed. This is
impossible since God is faithful and just, able to
keep his Word. This is especially true since His
truth and His holiness demand it. Lastly, what,
my friend, can you make of the Koran when it
says, "Say, Bring a Book from God that gives
better guidance than these (The Torah and the
Gospel) and follow it, if you speak truly" (Sura
Al-Qasas, 49).
And now in fairness to the truth, I cannot but
ask those who allege alterations to the Scriptures
to say when these alterations occured.
If they occurred before the rise of Islam, then
why did the Koran testify to the Holy Bible, confir-
ming its contents and attesting their truth? If the
alleged changes occurred after the spread of Islam
this claim is also invalid since there are ancient
manuscripts of the Holy Bible kept in museums
which predate Islam by three centuries. The text of
these manuscripts do not differ in any respect
from the texts of copies in current circulation.
29

In this connection I cannot help asking if it
would be right for the Koran to testify to the
precious Scriptures as being Truth sent down by
God for man's guidance and mercy and subse-
quently attribute change to it? In practise, if such a
thing had happened it would have meant that the
Koran had failed in its task as guardian of the
Book. For it says: "And we have sent down to thee
the Book with the truth, confirming the Book that
was before it, and assuring it" (Al-Maidah, 48).
There is one final question concerning this sub-
ject: What is the position of those alleging change
in the face of solid (logical) factors which put an
end to the controversy about the Torah having
been changed? It is unreasonable to say that the
Jews changed it before Christ. Otherwise Christ
would not have attested to it and quoted from it.
Equally unreasonable is the view that they altered
it after Christ because it would have met with
opposition from the Christians. Indeed it would
have been impossible for the Jews and the Chris-
tians to agree on changing the contents of the
Holy Books, firstly because these are people at
odds with each other, and, secondly because the
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Holy Bible had spread throughout the whole
world and in many languages. There wa> ao way
to collect the countless copies of it in order to
corrupt its text.

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VI. MflNV GOSPCLS
Your claim that the existence of more than one
Gospel and Epistle proves that their substance
has been changed, is regrettable. It seems you do
not realize that the four Gospels, the Epistles, the
Book of Revelation and the Book of Acts together
comprise the "New Testament". Therefore,
having a number of books in the New Testament
does not mean that the Gospel has been corrupted
any more than the existence of 114 Suras in the
Koran would constitute proof that the Koran is
corrupted.
TO EVERY QUESTION
THERE IS AN ANSWER:
If our interpretation in this book has not dealt
with the verse for which you desired explanations,
or if you have any question concerning the Word
of God, please write to us. We, prompted by love,
are willing to reply to any inquiries you may have
in your mind and heart. Send your questions to:

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HOW CAN WE KNOW THE TRUTH
OF THE GOSPEL?
Dear Reader:
If you reply to 27 questions correctly, we will
send you another booklet from our list of publi-
cations.
1.	What do you understand of verse 95 of Sura
Yunus?
2.	Did the Koran attack the Maryamite Heresy,
and why?
3.	Does orthodox Christianity accept or deny
the beliefs and heresy of the Maryamites?
4.	Are the Koran's criticisms of the violent at-
tacks on infidelity and polytheism aimed at
Christians or Maryamites?
5.	Show the difference between the beliefs of the
Christians regarding Christ and those of the
Maryamites.
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6.	Explain in what sense Christians regard Christ
to be "Son of God".
7.	Give some of Jesus' statements which confirm
his divine Sonship.
8.	What type of birth is referred to in the Sura
Al-Ikhals?
9.	Is Jesus merely a Prophet? Are we right in
comparing Him with others?

10.	Write a brief summary of your understanding
of the texts from Hebrews 1:1-6 and Psalm 2:7.
11.	How did Christ explain the commandment
regarding divorce in the Gospel?
12.	In what circumstance did Christ permit di-
vorce?
13.	What is the teaching of the Gospel regarding
liquor and intoxicants?
14.	Do the differences between the Koran and the
Gospel entitle us to claim that either or both
have been changed?
15.	What is the testimony of the Jews which the
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Koran relates concerning the crucifixion of
Christ?
16.	Is the testimony of the Jews the only proof of
the crucifixion of Christ?
17.	Mention some of the prophecies which are
connected with the death of Christ.
18.	What sign did the early Christians use for
identification?
19.	What are the contents of Acts chapter 2 verses
22-24?
20.	Did Christ declare that He would be crucified
while He was still alive? Where?
21.	What ritual do the followers of Christ observe
to demonstrate His death, resurrection and
return?
22.	Is there anything in history which supports the
Gospels claim about the crucifixion of Christ?
23.	What is the name of the Jews' second book?
Does it mention the crucifixion of Christ?
24.	How many references are there in the Koran
supporting the death of Christ?
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25.	Which is the strongest evidence for the death
of Christ on a cross?
26.	Who asked Pilate for the body of Christ
when he hung on the cross?
27.	What happened 3 days after the death of
Christ?
28.	What do you understand of the expression,
"only a likeness of that was shown to them"?
29.	Who was the Muslim scholar who refuted the
story about the "likeness" or a substitute
being crucified in place of Christ?
30.	Does the Koran testify to the veracity of the
Gospel?
31.	Does the Koran call upon the People of the
Book to establish what is in their book of laws
or in others?
32.	Were Muhammad and his nation called to
believe in the Holy Bible?
33.	What do you understand of Sura Al-Qisas, 49?
34.	Can the Koran survive if the claim persists
that the Bible was altered?
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35.	Is it possible to collect all copies of the Bible
from every corner of the globe in order to alter
it?
36.	What does the New Testament consist of?
Send us your answers, together with your full
address clearly written, to the following address:

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