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The Gentle Answer to the Muslim Accusation of Biblical Falsification
The Gentle Answer is a scholarly response to a claim that many Muslims have been making in relation to non-Muslims for more than 1200 years: that the text of the Bible is corrupt and/or falsified. The Muslim claim affects both Jews and Christians and has been a source of discouragement and bad feeling for non-Muslims living in Muslim-majority societies. At the same time, Muslims claim that their scripture, the Qur'an, is exactly the same in every detail since the time it was first recited. Both claims continue to be made boldly in the age of Internet websites and YouTube. Academic scholarship on the Bible and the Qur'an supports neither of the Muslim claims, but since critical writing on the Bible is more abundant and has a longer history, Muslim polemicists have selectively used Western biblical criticism in an attempt to support the traditional Muslim accusation of biblical falsification. Only comparatively recently have the techniques used in biblical criticism been applied to the Qur'an. The Gentle Answer responds to the Muslim claims by placing the Bible and the Qur'an on a level scholarly playing field to show that the scholarly questions about the Qur'an are at least as challenging as questions about the Bible. Since many of the scholarly questions are similar, Muslims and non-Muslims have good reason to work together at the answers. In the meantime, Muslims and non-Muslims have the opportunity to enter a friendly faith conversation in which the contents of the scriptures themselves are carefully considered and discussed. The Gentle Answer responds in such a way as to invite conversation rather than to perpetuate the acrimony that has often accompanied discussion of religious differences. Respect for the accuser means taking issues of truth seriously. It means doing one's best to thoroughly understand the accusation. It also means commending one's own faith with an understanding of the accuser's worldview. Differences in faith between Muslims and non-Muslims show no sign of going away in the years to come. But in a world of considerable political tension and violence, Muslims and non-Muslims must seize the freedom to openly discuss their differences together while nurturing mutual respect and committing to peaceful coexistence.
- GenresIslamChristianity
402 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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August 29, 2017
Dr. Gordon Nickel has produced a scholarly volume called The Gentle Answer to the Muslim Accusation of Biblical Falsification. In this book, Dr. Nickel draws upon research which he has been engaged in for several years on the topic of how the Qur’an and various Muslim commentators on its text have regarded the previous scriptures. He does so in an irenic and non-combative matter, emphasizing the importance of mutual understanding rather than polemical argumentation. He has previously written another work on this subject, called Narratives of Tampering in the Earliest Commentaries on the Qur'an (Brill, 2010), where he focuses narrowly in on various “tampering” (taḥrif) texts that appear in the Qur’an, and the commentaries on these texts by Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 767) and al-Tabari (839-923). He concludes that neither the Qur’an nor these early Muslim commentators teach the concept of textual falsification of the previous scriptures (taḥrif al-nass), but instead teach that the previous scriptures had merely been misinterpreted by those who had received them (taḥrif al-mana).
Building on the research contained in Narratives of Tampering, Dr. Nickel expands upon the Qur’anic textual tradition in The Gentle Answer, bringing in a wider variety of scholarship to bear on the comparative reliability of the Bible and the Qur’an, as well as making it more accessible to non-specialists. The Gentle Answer is divided into four parts. Section One deals with the accusation of falsification as it appears in Islamic writings, in an attempt to discern whether they teach textual corruption of the Bible or merely misintepretation. Section Two deals with the textual reliability of the Bible, in response to Muslim polemics against its reliability. Section Three deals with modern critical scholarship regarding the Qur’an, with a focus on the history of its textual transmission and how much can be known from the early period of Islamic history. Finally, Section Four presents the Biblical picture of history, and how it finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, while answering various objections to the Christian view thereof.
Dr. Nickel begins Section One by speaking of how many modern Muslims, following the lead of 19th century polemicist Rahmat Allah Kairanwi, have rejected the possibility of reading and reasoning together about the Bible and the Qur’an in favour of a more belligerent approach of trying to disprove the other’s scriptures. He contrasts this with the approach of Egyptian Jurist al-Biqā’ī, who took a respectful approach to the Bible and appealed to it for its historical content, and encourages readers to take this approach with regards to the Bible (ch. 1). He then goes into an exegesis of the various Qur’anic texts that speak of the Bible, showing that none of them conclusively point to an accusation of textual falsification (ch. 2). He then goes to show that many of the earliest Islamic commentators on the Qur’an likewise assumed an intact Bible in their exegesis of the Qur’an (ch. 3). He then points to some stories in the ḥadīth collections that assume an intact Bible at the time of Muhammad (ch. 4). He then examines some of the Islamic sources that do teach textual falsification, and show how most of them have to do with one particular incident when Muhammad’s description is allegedly removed from a copy of the Torah (ch. 5). He concludes Section One by bringing together all the evidence and showing that they point to the falsity of the accusation of textual falsification (ch. 6).
Next, in Section Two, Dr. Nickel begins by surveying the kinds of questions Muslims have asked about the Bible over the centuries, and how Christians have met their challenges (ch. 7). He then tackles four common false assumptions regarding the Bible, and provides a detailed clarification of each one (ch. 8). Then, he focuses in on the four Gospel accounts, showing how they form one coherent narrative and answering accusations of contradiction between them (ch. 9). After this, he goes into the textual history of the New Testament, showing how they point to its reliability (ch. 10). He then does the same thing with the Old Testament (ch. 11). He then concludes this section by pointing to the wealth of Biblical manuscripts to show how the accusation of textual falsification cannot possibly be true on textual-critical grounds (ch. 12).
Next, in Section Three, Dr. Nickel tackles the problem of critical scholarship on the Qur’an, beginning by highlighting the various uncertainties behind the origins of the Qur’an that have been raised by Muslim scholars themselves (ch. 13). He then looks at the most common questions scholars ask about the Qur’an, and provides a survey of the literature dealing with each question (ch. 14). Next, he focuses in on the problem of contradictory accounts within the Qur’an, and the attempts to explain these via the concept of abrogation. He also looks at discrepancies between the Qur’anic stories and their equivalents in the Bible (ch. 15). He then examines the historical evidence behind the collection of the Qur’an, showing how the sources are in conflict as to when the Qur’an was collected, and providing evidence that it most likely occurred during the reign of Abd al-Malik, rather than during the Rashidun caliphs (ch. 16). After that, he looks at the Qur’anic account of key biblical stories and how they are similar or different, as well as taking down claims regarding the “Gospel of Barnabas” (ch. 17). Finally, he looks at textual criticism of the Qur’an, showing from manuscript evidence how its early textual history is neat or as uniform as traditional Muslim accounts claim it is (ch. 18).
In the final section, Dr. Nickel begins by speaking about various Old Testament messianic prophecies and how they point to Jesus as the Messiah (ch. 19). He then focuses in on the sevant song in Isaiah 53 and its use in the New Testament (ch. 20). Next, he looks at the “Lamb of God” motif found in the Gospels, and how this is significant for the biblical concept of atonement (ch. 21). The other motif that he looks at is the “Son of God” motif, as it appears in the Old and New Testaments, as well as how the Qur’an misunderstands this title (ch. 22). After this, he looks at the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18 about a prophet who is to come, how the New Testament applies this prophecy to Jesus, and how Muslims attempt to co-opt this as a prophecy of Muhammad (ch. 23). And in the final chapter, he closes his discussion by speaking about the Holy Spirit, who is sent by Jesus to aid his disciples, how those passages regarding the Spirit also are co-opted by Muslims, and why such an interpretation is untenable (ch. 24).
The reading level of The Gentle Answer is intermediate. It should be emphasised that Nickel is not writing an introduction to Islam. For this reason, it is highly recommended that those who do not have prior knowledge of Islam read other more introductory level texts first, such as Understanding the Koran by Mateen Elass (Zondervan, 2009), and What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an by James R. White (Bethany House Publishers, 2013). After having read these texts, the reader should be prepared to navigate the issues that are raised by Nickel in his book.
All throughout the book, Nickel addresses a hypothetical Muslim reader, showing how he has self-consciously written the book to appeal to a Muslim audience, rather than being strictly for internal consumption by Christians (as is the case with many books on Islam written by Christians). Much of the contents of the book presuppose an audience that already has some prior knowledge of the basic tenets of the Islamic faith, as well as the terminology that is used to express those beliefs. Important figures in Islamic thought such as Ibn Kathir, Ibn Taymiyya, al-Tabari, etc., are mentioned, and their views are presented so that readers are conscious of the historical developments in Christian-Muslim dialogue. By contrast, the description of the Biblical faith presupposes much less prior knowledge. The sections on the Christian faith by and large stick to the Bible and do not delve into complex theological concepts or famous Christian historical figures. This makes it helpful for Muslims to understand the Christian faith better, as they are not presented with concepts that they are not already familiar with.
Even the order of the contents of the book reflects this emphasis on engaging a Muslim audience. The Gentle Answer begins by speaking about topics and themes that would be highly familiar to a Muslim audience (the Qur’an and the exegetical tradition surrounding the Qur’an, as it relates to the other scriptures), and ends on a Gospel-focused note by describing the Christian worldview and, more specifically, the Christian doctrine of salvation.
Christians reading the book will find the book to be helpful as well for explaining to Muslims why they believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and why it has a better claim than the Qur’an to be the truth. The use of Islamic terminology throughout the book may be confusing to those who are not familiar with them, but helpfully, Nickel provides a glossary of Arabic terms at the back of the book. The author does not water down the contents of the book, but is at the same time aware of the limitations of his readers’ knowledge, and make sure that the reader does not get lost in the mass of information presented.
In summary, I highly recommend Gordon Nickel’s The Gentle Answer to Muslims who want a non-polemical and respectful yet comprehensive and scholarly case for the reliability of the Bible that takes into consideration their particular presuppositions. I would also highly recommend this book to Christians who have some background in studying Islam, and desire a more in-depth treatment of the most pertinent issues surrounding Christian-Muslim encounters in this day and age.
Building on the research contained in Narratives of Tampering, Dr. Nickel expands upon the Qur’anic textual tradition in The Gentle Answer, bringing in a wider variety of scholarship to bear on the comparative reliability of the Bible and the Qur’an, as well as making it more accessible to non-specialists. The Gentle Answer is divided into four parts. Section One deals with the accusation of falsification as it appears in Islamic writings, in an attempt to discern whether they teach textual corruption of the Bible or merely misintepretation. Section Two deals with the textual reliability of the Bible, in response to Muslim polemics against its reliability. Section Three deals with modern critical scholarship regarding the Qur’an, with a focus on the history of its textual transmission and how much can be known from the early period of Islamic history. Finally, Section Four presents the Biblical picture of history, and how it finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, while answering various objections to the Christian view thereof.
Dr. Nickel begins Section One by speaking of how many modern Muslims, following the lead of 19th century polemicist Rahmat Allah Kairanwi, have rejected the possibility of reading and reasoning together about the Bible and the Qur’an in favour of a more belligerent approach of trying to disprove the other’s scriptures. He contrasts this with the approach of Egyptian Jurist al-Biqā’ī, who took a respectful approach to the Bible and appealed to it for its historical content, and encourages readers to take this approach with regards to the Bible (ch. 1). He then goes into an exegesis of the various Qur’anic texts that speak of the Bible, showing that none of them conclusively point to an accusation of textual falsification (ch. 2). He then goes to show that many of the earliest Islamic commentators on the Qur’an likewise assumed an intact Bible in their exegesis of the Qur’an (ch. 3). He then points to some stories in the ḥadīth collections that assume an intact Bible at the time of Muhammad (ch. 4). He then examines some of the Islamic sources that do teach textual falsification, and show how most of them have to do with one particular incident when Muhammad’s description is allegedly removed from a copy of the Torah (ch. 5). He concludes Section One by bringing together all the evidence and showing that they point to the falsity of the accusation of textual falsification (ch. 6).
Next, in Section Two, Dr. Nickel begins by surveying the kinds of questions Muslims have asked about the Bible over the centuries, and how Christians have met their challenges (ch. 7). He then tackles four common false assumptions regarding the Bible, and provides a detailed clarification of each one (ch. 8). Then, he focuses in on the four Gospel accounts, showing how they form one coherent narrative and answering accusations of contradiction between them (ch. 9). After this, he goes into the textual history of the New Testament, showing how they point to its reliability (ch. 10). He then does the same thing with the Old Testament (ch. 11). He then concludes this section by pointing to the wealth of Biblical manuscripts to show how the accusation of textual falsification cannot possibly be true on textual-critical grounds (ch. 12).
Next, in Section Three, Dr. Nickel tackles the problem of critical scholarship on the Qur’an, beginning by highlighting the various uncertainties behind the origins of the Qur’an that have been raised by Muslim scholars themselves (ch. 13). He then looks at the most common questions scholars ask about the Qur’an, and provides a survey of the literature dealing with each question (ch. 14). Next, he focuses in on the problem of contradictory accounts within the Qur’an, and the attempts to explain these via the concept of abrogation. He also looks at discrepancies between the Qur’anic stories and their equivalents in the Bible (ch. 15). He then examines the historical evidence behind the collection of the Qur’an, showing how the sources are in conflict as to when the Qur’an was collected, and providing evidence that it most likely occurred during the reign of Abd al-Malik, rather than during the Rashidun caliphs (ch. 16). After that, he looks at the Qur’anic account of key biblical stories and how they are similar or different, as well as taking down claims regarding the “Gospel of Barnabas” (ch. 17). Finally, he looks at textual criticism of the Qur’an, showing from manuscript evidence how its early textual history is neat or as uniform as traditional Muslim accounts claim it is (ch. 18).
In the final section, Dr. Nickel begins by speaking about various Old Testament messianic prophecies and how they point to Jesus as the Messiah (ch. 19). He then focuses in on the sevant song in Isaiah 53 and its use in the New Testament (ch. 20). Next, he looks at the “Lamb of God” motif found in the Gospels, and how this is significant for the biblical concept of atonement (ch. 21). The other motif that he looks at is the “Son of God” motif, as it appears in the Old and New Testaments, as well as how the Qur’an misunderstands this title (ch. 22). After this, he looks at the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18 about a prophet who is to come, how the New Testament applies this prophecy to Jesus, and how Muslims attempt to co-opt this as a prophecy of Muhammad (ch. 23). And in the final chapter, he closes his discussion by speaking about the Holy Spirit, who is sent by Jesus to aid his disciples, how those passages regarding the Spirit also are co-opted by Muslims, and why such an interpretation is untenable (ch. 24).
The reading level of The Gentle Answer is intermediate. It should be emphasised that Nickel is not writing an introduction to Islam. For this reason, it is highly recommended that those who do not have prior knowledge of Islam read other more introductory level texts first, such as Understanding the Koran by Mateen Elass (Zondervan, 2009), and What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an by James R. White (Bethany House Publishers, 2013). After having read these texts, the reader should be prepared to navigate the issues that are raised by Nickel in his book.
All throughout the book, Nickel addresses a hypothetical Muslim reader, showing how he has self-consciously written the book to appeal to a Muslim audience, rather than being strictly for internal consumption by Christians (as is the case with many books on Islam written by Christians). Much of the contents of the book presuppose an audience that already has some prior knowledge of the basic tenets of the Islamic faith, as well as the terminology that is used to express those beliefs. Important figures in Islamic thought such as Ibn Kathir, Ibn Taymiyya, al-Tabari, etc., are mentioned, and their views are presented so that readers are conscious of the historical developments in Christian-Muslim dialogue. By contrast, the description of the Biblical faith presupposes much less prior knowledge. The sections on the Christian faith by and large stick to the Bible and do not delve into complex theological concepts or famous Christian historical figures. This makes it helpful for Muslims to understand the Christian faith better, as they are not presented with concepts that they are not already familiar with.
Even the order of the contents of the book reflects this emphasis on engaging a Muslim audience. The Gentle Answer begins by speaking about topics and themes that would be highly familiar to a Muslim audience (the Qur’an and the exegetical tradition surrounding the Qur’an, as it relates to the other scriptures), and ends on a Gospel-focused note by describing the Christian worldview and, more specifically, the Christian doctrine of salvation.
Christians reading the book will find the book to be helpful as well for explaining to Muslims why they believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God, and why it has a better claim than the Qur’an to be the truth. The use of Islamic terminology throughout the book may be confusing to those who are not familiar with them, but helpfully, Nickel provides a glossary of Arabic terms at the back of the book. The author does not water down the contents of the book, but is at the same time aware of the limitations of his readers’ knowledge, and make sure that the reader does not get lost in the mass of information presented.
In summary, I highly recommend Gordon Nickel’s The Gentle Answer to Muslims who want a non-polemical and respectful yet comprehensive and scholarly case for the reliability of the Bible that takes into consideration their particular presuppositions. I would also highly recommend this book to Christians who have some background in studying Islam, and desire a more in-depth treatment of the most pertinent issues surrounding Christian-Muslim encounters in this day and age.
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November 2, 2020 could I have a copy of this book in pdf " The gentle aswer to the muslim accusation of biblical
falsification 2015, of which I need this copy on my mobile teaching in tribal community of native Manobo tribe of sultan kudarat province, Cotabato ,Philippines.
That, I am request to grant and permit me to have a copy of this book in PDF version. Thank
you very much on your kindness to share this resources to us.
Yours truly in Christ name,
Rev. Pergil B. Almirante
Cornerstone Ministries Church
Lanao , Kidapawan, North Cotabato, Philippines
falsification 2015, of which I need this copy on my mobile teaching in tribal community of native Manobo tribe of sultan kudarat province, Cotabato ,Philippines.
That, I am request to grant and permit me to have a copy of this book in PDF version. Thank
you very much on your kindness to share this resources to us.
Yours truly in Christ name,
Rev. Pergil B. Almirante
Cornerstone Ministries Church
Lanao , Kidapawan, North Cotabato, Philippines
February 11, 2018
A must read!
January 17, 2021
Awesome book. Super well thought out.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews