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Responding to Muslims on S. 6:34: Does the Word of Allah Change?

March 25, 2018 by Jason Petersen Leave a Comment

 

Introduction

When I encounter Muslims, I often tell them that S. 6:34 says that the word of Allah never changes, yet they argue that the The Old and/or New Testament became corrupt (despite having no manuscript evidence whatsoever). In essence, if they claim the Bible was corrupted, they cannot believe S. 6:34 when it says that Allah’s word doesn’t change.

The Meaning of ‘Word’

Muslims will quickly point out that the context demands that we interpret ‘word’ in S. 6:34 as Allah’s promises and the fulfillment of his prophecy. They argue that S. 6:115 shows what was truly meant by S. 6:34. Let us look at both of them.

S. 6:34, “And the messengers indeed were rejected before thee, but they were patient when rejected and persecuted, until Our help came to them. And there is none to change the words of Allah. And there has already come to thee some information about the messengers.”

The context of S. 6:34 is a rejection of Allah’s word by the polytheists.

S. 6:115 reads, “And the word of thy Lord has been accomplished truly and justly. There is none who can change His Words; and he is the Hearer, the Knower.”

The Lack of a Linguistic Argument

The issue with their rebuttal is that there is an absence of a linguistic argument. In order to argue that a word must be defined in a certain way, you need to be able show the intended definition for the word that is in dispute. It’s true that surrounding terms in a passage may help shed light on which definition to use, but the helpfulness of using surrounding passages to discern the definition of a word is limited only to choosing which definition to use. It is not possible to validly ascertain a definition for a term using a contextual reading if the definition one employs in a passage is not a known definition for the term in question.

An Incomplete Hermeneutical System

Messianic Judaism has a hermeneutic that can be obtained from the Bible itself (it’s called ‘pardes’). Messianic Judaism is a logical system at its core. We start with the Bible, which we come to believe and better understand by the Holy Spirit, and from the Bible we see hermeneutical principles that are applied that can be reverse engineered into a set of rules for the interpretation of the Bible.

Islam, on the other hand, has no such system. The closest that Islam has to a system of interpretation is called ‘Tafsir bi-al-ma’thur.’ This method involves interpreting the Qur’an using other parts of the Qur’an or other authorative sources; however, there are no universal rules that are used within this method. There isn’t any device put into place within the hermeneutical method that will signal to you when you have taken the Qur’an out of context. There is also no part of the method that allows you to take a universal proposition such as “and there is none to change the word of Allah” and reduce it to a single instance such as the one in S. 6:117. In fact, the hermeneutics that Muslims use are not brought out by the Qur’an itself. Rather, Islamic traditions regarding interpretations are introduced into the Qur’an.

There is no complete system of Islamic hermeneutics. Because of this, we have to grant the propositions of the Qur’an for argument’s sake and then follow those propositions to their logical conclusion when evaluating the claims of the Qur’an.

Does Allah’s Word Change or Not?

Does Allah’s word change? If Allah’s word does change, it is not possible to know if anything that the Qur’an teaches is true. If it does not change, the Muslim, believing that the Bible was written by Allah, must conclude that the Bible is the Word of God, and because the Qur’an contradicts the Bible, the Bible is true and the Qur’an is false, for the Bible came before the Qur’an.

At this point, it is common for the Muslim to object, “S. 6:34 refers to Allah’s words not books or scriptures.” But isn’t anything in writing that is given by Allah his own word? Is it not true that whatever is promised in the Qur’an is the words of Allah? Whether words are spoken or in writing, they are still words. and the meanings of those words are the same regardless of how they are communicated. Whether promises are spoken or in writing, they are still promises.

It is also worthwhile to mention that if limiting the definition of ‘word’ in S. 6:34 is of any significance, it means that Allah’s words do change. This is because if there is no verse in the Qur’an that states universally that what Allah says is always true, what Allah says is can either be false or subject to change. If we cannot know if what Allah says is true or not, the Qur’an is of no benefit to anyone.

Conclusion

Muslims must rely on conspiracy theories (they typically allege that references to Muhammed were taken out of the Bible in order to deceive people despite having no manuscripts or scrolls to back up that claim) and an inconsistent and incomplete system of interpretation in order to defend their faith. The issue that I have pointed out with S. 6:34 is more than enough to give cause to reject Islam as the faith of the one-true God.

My book on Apologetics:

Filed Under: Articles, Comparative Religion, Polemics, Uncategorized Tagged With: Islam, Polemics

The Epistemological Argument Against Atheism

January 30, 2018 by Jason Petersen 2 Comments

atheist, induction

 

In 2013, I made an epistemological argument against atheism from modal logic. In this article, I will present this argument again, but it will be a more clear and concise presentation.

A Framework is Needed

In order to discern a true proposition from a false one, you must have some sort of methodology for making a distinction between a true belief and a false belief.

The Problem of Induction

Since there is no omniscient being given the truth of atheism, all knowledge (the possession of the truth) must be acquired inductively.[ref] Unfortunately for our dear atheists, induction cannot be an account for knowledge. There are several reasons for this:

1. In induction, the truth of the premises does not guarantee the truth of the conclusion.

2. Since the truth of the conclusion is not guaranteed, all conclusions that are reached through induction are probabilistic.

3. You cannot validly reason to a universal truth from a particular truth by using induction.

4. There is no rule in logic that allows for the validity of inductive inferences.

The Consequences of Being Stuck with Induction

Since induction only draws conclusions on the basis of probability, there is always a possibility of the conclusion being false. Because there is no way to demonstrate the truth of the conclusion by using induction, atheists are stuck in skepticism. They say they try to evaluate the claims on the basis of evidence, but evidence is acquired inductively. Just because they think they see evidence for a claim doesn’t make the claim in question true. Thus, there is no interpretative framework for atheists that allow them to discern true propositions from false ones. Thus, atheists are stuck in epistemological skepticism.

The Epistemological Argument from Atheism

Given what has been discussed, I will construct a hypothetical syllogism.

1. If atheism is true (A), atheists can only begin with induction (B).[ref]

2. If atheists can only begin with induction (B), it is not possible for them to know anything to be true (C).

3. Therefore, if atheism is true (A), atheists cannot know anything to be true (C).

 

Footnotes:

1. In this article, ‘induction’ is defined as an argument or process of probabilistic inference.

 

My book on Apologetics:

 

Filed Under: Articles, Critques of Atheism, Polemics Tagged With: Apologetics, atheism, epistemological argument against atheism, Epistemology, induction

Why Islam Cannot Account For Knowledge

July 20, 2014 by Jason Petersen Leave a Comment

Introduction

When anyone thinks of presuppositional apologetics, it is commonly thought of as an apologetic that is used against atheists. This is not so. The primary contention of the presuppositional apologetic is that all other worldviews other than Christianity will inevitably reduce to skepticism. The approach that one can take with Muslims(Which will be covered in this article) or any other is the same as dealing with an atheist. In order to resolve the conflicts of worldviews, the presuppositions of each worldview must be internally examined. If any inconsistency is found, then that worldview is irrational.

Allah is a Deceiver

Not only is Allah described as a deceiver, he is described as the greatest of all deceivers. The Qur’an says, “But they (the Jews) were deceptive, and Allah was deceptive, for Allah is the best of deceivers” (S.3:54). Certainly, this is in contrast to the Christian God. The God that is revealed through The Bible cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19.) Muslims scholars have attempted to respond by saying that S.3:54 is being misinterpreted. They will reword the verse to say “plot” instead of deceive, and then go on to say that Allah only plots against evil. They will then attempt to bring up the following verses from The Qur’an:

“We have always sent messengers who were proficient in the language of their people, so they could explain the matter clearly. Allah guides or leads astray whomever He pleases. He is the most Powerful, the Wisest!  (S.14:4)”

“Had Allah wished, He would have created you all as a single nation. But He guides or leads astray whomever He pleases. And you would very definitely be interrogated regarding everything you used to do!  (S.16:93)”

The most condemning issue with the Muslim’s response is that the Arabic in The Qur’an doesn’t translate to plotters, rather, it translates to deceiver. [acp footnote]1[/acp] It is also interesting that the verses that are quoted support our point that Allah is a deceiver. Of course, if Allah is the ultimate authority, then he is not accountable to anyone. This is something that Christians must accept because The Bible says the very same thing about God in Romans 9. It would not be wise for the Christian to attack the fact that Allah has the ability to lead people astray, rather, we must attack it from the angle that Allah does indeed lead people astray. We should not approach this issue from a moral standpoint, rather, we should approach it from an epistemological standpoint. In other words, the point that should be pressed is that if Allah does directly lead astray and deceive, then a major issue for Islamic epistemology arises. If Allah can and does deceive(unlike the Christian God), then according to the Qur’an, Allah’s revelation to the Islamic people cannot be considered trustworthy.

Second, there are other verses that support the notion that Allah, as defined by the Qur’an is a deceiver:

“And verily, those before them did deceive/scheme (makara), but all deception/scheming is Allah’s” (S. 13:42).

“Even so have we placed in every city, ringleaders of its wicked ones, to scheme therein : but only against themselves shall they scheme! and they know it not” (S.6:123).

Since Allah is deceptive, the purpose that is intended by the Muslim who is bringing up S.14:4 and S.16:93 is negated. These verses explain that even though people may think they can deceive Allah, but the thought that Allah can be deceived is a deception from Allah himself. The Muslim may respond by saying that the Qur’an teaches that Allah will not deceive anyone who is a devoted follower of Islam, but rather, only those who turn against Allah will be deceived by Allah. This apologetic from the Muslim leads to a very serious issue in Muslim epistemology.

The Soteriology of Islam Reduces to Skepticism

The Muslim might persist that our argument for Allah being a deceiver is invalid because Allah only plots/deceives against the wicked. The question that one might ask is, “How does Allah determine who is wicked and who is good?” We will see that as a judge, Allah is corrupt, and because he is corrupt, he is a deceiver.

First, it is imperative that any Christian who is going to press this antithesis has knowledge about salvation in the Muslim worldview.  In the Islamic worldview, salvation isn’t guaranteed by Allah. The Qur’an teaches that both faith and works are necessary for salvation in Islam, “To those who believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised forgiveness and a great reward” (S.5:9).

Such a notion by the Qur’an leads to a big issue in Muslim soteriology. If works are a necessary component of salvation, then what percentage of good works are needed for salvation? The Qur’an says that everyone’s good and evil deeds will be weighed. (S.21:47) If the good outweighs the bad, then the Muslim will be able to enter heaven. The Muslim will be considered “righteous” if 50.1% of their works are good works.  However, someone who can only do 50.1% good works cannot be considered righteous. After all, anyone who scores 50.1% on a test has certainly failed that test. Allah lies by calling those righteous who are not righteous. It is like a corrupt judge in a government. If you do a few things for them, they will let you slide. This means that Allah is not a holy god. He is not a just god. Allah’s conception of morality is corrupt. This is because the evil deeds of the Muslim shall be overlooked due to the good things they did for Allah.

Based on all of this, Muslims cannot truly know if they are saved or not until after they die. One cannot simply keep a tally of all of the good things and bad things that they have done throughout every day of their life. Because of this, the Islamic soteriology collapses into skepticism, for the Mulsim cannot truly know if they are saved, for Allah does not guarantee salvation by faith. Further, the fact that Allah falsely calls Muslims righteous makes Allah a liar and a corrupt judge of what is Holy. This inference falls directly in line with the Arabic word used for “deceive” in S.3:54.

If the Qur’an is true, The Bible is true

According to the Qur’an, The Bible is the Word of God.(S. 2:40-42, 89,126; 3:3,71, 93; 4:47; 5:47-51, 69-72; 6:91; 7:157; 29:45,46; 35:31.) When The Qur’an references The Bible, the Qur’an calls it “The Book.” The Qur’an repeatedly tells Muslims that The Bible is trustworthy:

And believe in that I have sent down, confirming that which IS with you, and be not the first to disbelieve in it. And sell not My signs for a little price; and fear you Me. S. 2:41

And when there came to them a Book from Allah verifying that which they have, and aforetime they used to pray for victory against those who disbelieve, but when there came to them (Prophet) that which they did not recognize, they disbelieved in him; so Allah’s curse is on the unbelievers. S. 2:89 Shakir

And when they were told, ‘Believe in that God has sent down,’ they said, ‘We believe in what was sent down on us’; and they disbelieve in what is beyond that, yet it is the truth confirming what IS with them. Say: ‘Why then were you slaying the Prophets of God in former time, if you were believers?’ S. 2:91

Say: Whoever is the enemy of Jibreel — for surely he revealed it to your heart by Allah’s command, verifying that which IS before it and guidance and good news for the believers. S. 2:97 Shakir

And when there came to them an Apostle from Allah verifying that which they have, a party of those who were given the Book threw the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they knew nothing. S. 2:101 Shakir

He sent down to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming all previous scriptures, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel. S. 3:3 Khalifa

And when God took compact with the Prophets: ‘That I have given you of Book and Wisdom; then there shall come to you a Messenger confirming what IS with you — you shall believe in him and you shall help him; do you agree?’ He said. ‘And do you take My load on you on that condition?’ They said, ‘We do agree.’ God said, ‘Bear witness so, and I shall be with you among the witnesses.’ S. 3:81

You who have been given the Book, believe in what We have sent down, confirming what IS with you, before We obliterate faces, and turn them upon their backs, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-men, and God’s command is done. S. 4:47

And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what IS before it of the Book and a guardian over it, therefore judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their low desires (to turn away) from the truth that has come to you; for every one of you did We appoint a law and a way, and if Allah had pleased He would have made you (all) a single people, but that He might try you in what He gave you, therefore strive with one another to hasten to virtuous deeds; to Allah is your return, of all (of you), so He will let you know that in which you differed; S. 5:48 Shakir

And this is a Book We have revealed, blessed, verifying that which IS before it, and that you may warn the metropolis and those around her; and those who believe in the hereafter believe in it, and they attend to their prayers constantly. S. 6:92 Shakir

This Koran could not have been forged apart from God; but it is a confirmation of what IS before it, and a distinguishing of the Book, wherein is no doubt, from the Lord of all Being. S. 10:37

In their stories is surely a lesson to men possessed of minds; it is not a tale forged, but a confirmation of what IS before it, and a distinguishing of every thing, and a guidance, and a mercy to a people who believe. S. 12:111

And that We have revealed to thee of the Book is the truth, confirming what IS before it; God is aware of and sees His servants. S. 35:31

No indeed; but he brought the truth, and confirmed the Envoys. S. 37:37

Yet before it was the Book of Moses for a model and a mercy; and this is a Book confirming, in Arabic tongue, to warn the evildoers, and good tidings to the good-doers. S. 46:12

They said: O our people! we have listened to a Book revealed after Musa verifying that which IS before it, guiding to the truth and to a right path: S. 46:30

If the Qur’an is true, then The Bible must be true; therefore, the Muslim cannot reject the axiom of revelation, The Bible is the Word of God, for the Qur’an repeatedly says that The Bible is the Word of God. When the Muslim rejects scripture, they contradict the Qur’an.

If The Bible is true, The Qur’an is False

The Qur’an says that the Trinity in The Bible is God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary. Of course, the Trinity that is revealed in scripture is God the Father, God the Son(Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. The Qur’an also says that Christian worships three Gods.(Sura 5:73-75,116) Of course, this is not what The Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that there is one God that is revealed to us in three distinct persons.

Some Muslims will respond and say that the churches held Mary in great veneration and worshiped around statues of her holding Jesus. If this is true, it explains why Mohammed,the author of the Qur’an, would accuse Christians of worshiping Mary; however, if Mohammed had revelation from Allah about what the Christians believe and what The Bible says, as he claimed to have revelation from Allah on these matters, then he would have given the Biblical position and would not have said that Christians worship Mary. Instead, it appears that Mohammed appealed to observation(by his own or by others) of some church rituals. It should also be noted that Mohammed did not attempt to say that the Christians have turned their back on The Bible by worshiping Mary. This is yet another indicator that Mohammed was ignorant on what The Bible says about Mary. The Muslim might respond by asking, “Why is it that your church worshiped Mary?” The proper answer is that not all Churches are of God. The ultimate authority in Christianity is scripture, not tradition. If the Church says or does something that contradicts what scripture says, the Church is wrong. Just as some Churches have went astray in the time of the Apostle Paul, so too will other Churches go astray beyond the time of Paul. The actions of other Churches is simply not a valid objection to Christianity.

The Qur’an also claims that Jesus was not the Messiah, nor was he God, but rather, he was a messenger. This, of course, contradicts scripture. Jesus made it clear that he was God. The Qur’an says that The Bible is the Word of God, yet the Qur’an contradicts what The Bible teaches. Therefore, if what The Bible says is true, and what the Qur’an says concerning scripture is false, then the Qu’ran must be false.

Final Words on Islam

When the first principles and the presuppositions of Islam are taken into account, it is plain that at least two areas of Islam collapse into skepticism: soteriology and epistemology. The Muslim cannot know if they are saved, because they won’t know if they did enough good works to inherit eternal life. The epistemology of Islam is also called into question because the Qur’an repeatedly says that Allah is a deceiver. While the Muslim may object and say that Allah only deceives the wicked, we can also see that Allah deceives the Muslim because Allah falsely tells them that they are righteous. The Qur’an says that The Bible is God’s Word, yet the Qur’an contradicts The Bible. If the Qur’an is true, then The Bible must be true, but if the Bible is true, the Qur’an must be false.

Footnotes:

1.  Answering Islam, Allah: Truthful Or Deceiver? <https://answering-islam.org/authors/cornelius/makr.html> (14 March 2014).

Filed Under: Apologetics, Articles, Comparative Religion, Polemics Tagged With: Epistemology, Islam, Polemics, Qur'an

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