This is a fundamental difference between all religions and the teaching of the Bible. This article will give an overview of the Bible’s teaching on this important subject and contrast this with the teachings of the religion of Islam.
The Teaching of the Bible
Throughout the Old Testament the patriarchs and the prophets clearly have a personal relationship with God. The ‘Shema’, the foundational statement of the Old Testament reminds us that it is this relationship that is the essence of a saving faith:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6
God is referred to as ‘Father’ in the Old Testament, but it is relatively uncommon. The title usually describes God as the Creator or the Father of the entire nation of Israel, rather than in the deeply personal, individual sense often used in the New Testament.
“Moses asks, "Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?” Deuteronomy 32:6
“You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name”. Isaiah 63:16
“Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us?: Malachi 2:10
In the New Testament, Jesus frequently used the intimate term (such as "Abba") and this revolutionised how God is addressed. While the Old Testament only uses fatherly imagery or titles for God about 15 times, the New Testament explicitly refers to God as ‘Father’ nearly 250 times.
The New Testament uses the Greek word ‘patēr’ (πατήρ), as well as the intimate Aramaic word ‘abba’ (אבא), to establish God's identity as a loving and personal parent.
The title ‘Father’ is used in three primary ways across the New Testament:
1. In Relation to Jesus Christ
Jesus consistently refers to God as ‘my Father’ to emphasise his unique, divine relationship with his heavenly Father.
At the baptism of Jesus, God spoke from heaven, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prays using an intimate Aramaic term for father:
“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me…" Mark 14:36
In John’s gospel, Jewish leaders famously try to kill Jesus because He calls God His Father, which they correctly understand as a claim to divinity.
"For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:18
Jesus repeatedly stresses the close relationship he has with his heavenly Father:
“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11:27
“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30
“And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.’” Mark 14:36
2. In Relation to Believers
Jesus repeatedly corrects the teaching of the Pharisees because they were teaching that obedience to the Jewish laws was what pleased God whereas Jesus emphasised that it is the relationship with God that matters; this relationship will inevitably lead to living as God wants.
Jesus revolutionised how humans interact with God by instructing his followers to address the Creator as their own personal, heavenly parent.
Thus, in the Lord's Prayer, Jesus teaches His disciples to pray,
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. . . “ Matthew 6:9
After rising from the dead, Jesus tells Mary Magdalene,
“I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” John 20:17
Jesus instructed His disciples to approach God with the same intimate, familial relationship that He possessed.
“Pray then like this: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . .’”Matthew 6:9
“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11
“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’”John 20:17
It is this personal relationship with Jesus as our Lord and God that makes a person a Christian and saves them:
““Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?” John 14:8-10
“The one who loves me will be loved by my Father . . . ” John 14:21
3. In the Teaching of the Apostles
The Apostles expanded on this in their letters, explaining that faith in Christ brings believers into God's family. They continually address God as the Father of the Church and the source of all grace.
The Apostle Paul writes,
“. . . yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist. . . " 1 Corinthians 8:6
Paul explains that Christians have received from God the spirit of adoption, enabling them to cry out,
“Abba! Father!" Romans 8:15
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”Romans 8:15
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” Galatians 4:6
“. . . one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Ephesians 4:6
The Teaching of the Qur’an
Muslims do not call God ‘Father’ because Islam strictly maintains that God has no partners, offspring, or human characteristics. The Quran explicitly states that God “neither begets nor is born”. Instead, the relationship with the divine is defined as that of a Creator and His creation, with God referred to as the Lord or Sustainer, known in Arabic as ‘Rabb’.
To prevent any association of God with a physical or human form, Islam avoids familial titles. Referring to God as a father could imply that He has a family or begot a son, which is a core theological distinction.
In Islam, the relationship between humans and God is one of complete devotion and submission. Believers are considered ‘Abd’ (servants or slaves) of the Almighty, relying entirely on His ultimate sovereignty.
While Islam has 99 Names for Allah (such as the Merciful, the Provider, the Creator), "Father" is not among them. Although Muslims do not use the title of Father, God is still viewed as the ultimate source of mercy, care, and love - providing for all of humanity the necessities of life and similar comforting attributes, but without the physical or literal connotations of fatherhood.
The obvious conflict between the Qur’an and the Bible
The Quran explicitly teaches that the original Christian and Jewish Scriptures were divinely revealed by God. It refers to Jews and Christians respectfully as the 'People of the Book'. The Quran explicitly recognises several specific texts as holy books sent by God to earlier prophets:
The Tawrat (Torah): The revelation given directly to Prophet Moses (Musa), described in Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:44 as containing "guidance and light."
The Zabur (Psalms): The holy songs and divine wisdom revealed to Prophet David (Dawud).
The Injeel (Gospel): The Quran explicitly states that God gave Jesus the Injeel which it described as a text filled with “guidance and light.”
“And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous.” Surah 5:46
“And He will teach him writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel” Surah 3:48
“Say, “O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.” And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.” Surah 5:68
The Qur’an notes that God sent Jesus with the Gospel:
“Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy . . . ” Surah 57:27
However, there is a major distinction in Islamic theology between the original revelations sent by God and the modern Bible used today.
How modern Islam differs from the Bible
While the Quran affirms the divine origin of these texts, Islamic theology draws a firm line when it comes to the modern Jewish and Christian scriptures. To Christians, ‘The Gospel’ refers to the four biographical accounts of Jesus's life written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. To Muslims, the Injeel was a single message given to Jesus by God, not a book written about him by his followers.
The Quran claims that over the centuries, the original messages of the Torah and the Injeel were modified, corrupted, or partially lost through human intervention:
“So woe1 to those who write the ‘scripture’ with their own hands, then say, “This is from Allāh,” in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn.” Surah 2:79
This can refer to changes to the text) or misinterpreting what Jesus really meant.
Muslims are taught that the previous books were not perfectly preserved,
“And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.” Surah 5:48
This Surah states that the Quran acts as a ‘guardian’ or ‘corrector’ of the Bible The Quran is therefore used to filter the Bible; whatever matches the Quran is accepted as original truth, and whatever contradicts it is viewed as a human insertion. The Quran explicitly praises the original Torah and Gospel across multiple verses, describing them as divine guidebooks filled with light. However, it also clarifies that the Quran acts as a definitive lens to correct and judge where those original messages were altered over time.
This teaching itself gives rise to problems because elsewhere in the Qur’an both the Torah and the gospel are highly honoured using elevated, reverent language.
“He has revealed to you the Book in truth, confirming what came before it, as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel previously, as a guide for people. . . “ Surah 3:3-4
“Indeed, We revealed the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted to Allah judged by it for the Jews. . . “ Surah 5:44
“And We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming that which came before him of the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as a guidance and instruction for the righteous.” Surah 5:46
“And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion (Muhaymin) over it.. . . “ Surah 5:48.[
What is wrong with the Qur’an’s claim?
There is an internal logical flaw within Islamic theology. The Quran confirms that the Torah and Gospel are the authentic word of God but actively denies their central teachings concerning the deity and crucifixion of Jesus. By so doing it undermines its own validity.
There are three main arguments against the Qur’an’s claim:
The Law of Non-Contradiction
If the Quran's role as muhaymin requires the rejection biblical teachings, then it cannot logically "confirm" the original scriptures as it claims.
2. The Claim of Textual Distortion (Tahrif)
In order to explain the massive theological differences between the Bible and the Quran, Islamic scholars have said that previous texts were altered by Jews and Christians. However the existence of the immense volume of early, historically reliable New Testament manuscripts dating from centuries before Muhammad reveals that there are no significant alterations and that no teaching of Jesus and his apostles had changed over 500 years. The Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Sinaiticus, both around the 4th century AD, are the oldest near-complete copies of the Christian Bible, written in Greek (the Septuagint). Muhammad died in 632 AD.
Similarly there is abundant evidence that the Old Testament has not changed either. : The absolute oldest physical text from the Hebrew Bible consists of two tiny rolled silver amulets found near Jerusalem, the Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls dated around 600 BC. They contain the Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26.
The Nash Papyrus written in the 2nd century BC is a single papyrus sheet found in Egypt that contains the Ten Commandments and the ‘Shema’ from Deuteronomy 6. It was the oldest known biblical text prior to the Dead Sea discoveries.
The Dead Sea Scrolls (c. 3rd Century BCE to 1st Century CE): Discovered in Qumran, these represent the oldest large-scale collection of Old Testament texts. They include fragments of every book except Esther and multiple copies of Isaiah and were written between the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD.
The Septuagint is a translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. This was made by 70 rabbis in Alexandria around 200 BC. This also confirms that the meaning has not changed when using different languages.
It is untrue that the Scriptures have been changed
3. Biblical Finality
The New Testament claims to be the complete and final revelation from God. And contains warnings against accepting ‘any other gospel’. This renders any later text claiming authority or changing the Bible’s message invalid from a biblical perspective.
There is now much internal evidence showing that the Qur’an itself is untrue. Archeology of Mecca shows it was never the Mother of civilisation, there are no ancient buildings. There was very little water there, being situated in an arid region. It does not fulfil all the criteria given in the Qur’an and Hadith about this city. There was no stream, there never has been soil there, no olive or other trees grew there. The coins in the British museum confirm that the 7th century Arab Caliphs were not followers of the Qur’an, they had their faces displayed along with Christian crosses or Jewish menorah. They lived in Damascus which was a predominantly Christian city. There are now major problems with the Standard Islamic Narrative about the origin of the Qur’an. I have described these issues, highlighted by scholars, in my book ‘The Origins of Islam’.
As more and more educated Muslims are becoming disillusioned with the hateful behaviour of some Muslims who claim to be following the Qur’an and the Hadith there is a danger of many becoming atheists, even if for social and safety reasons they remain nominal Muslims. The evidence is becoming clear that Islam developed as a development of Nestorian Christianity which itself had moved away from what Jesus and his apostles taught. The young Arab empire needed its own religion.
BVP
This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.
Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching gospel centred local church. More details can be found on its website. It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock
Bernard can be contacted at berniepalmer1@sky.com
