Some of this begins to enter the realm of footnote items. The AI and subsequent data was not setup to attach footnotes to the main text, it would be magnitudes more complex. So these might not have direct citation to a verse; that is, I couldn’t associate the footnote, if it is one, to it’s verse as it wasn’t clear.
[“Laws of the Religion”]
The Laws of the Religion as Ordained by Allah Allah has ordained for you the same religion which He had ordained for Noah, and that which We have revealed to you (O Muhammad), and that which We had ordained for Abraham, Moses, and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided therein.
[Burden of Sin]
The Injil (Gospel) was brought forth with clear proofs and guidance, as mentioned in the verse: “And when Jesus came with clear proofs, he said: ‘I have come to you with wisdom, and to make clear to you some of that about which you differ'” (Quran 43:63). It is said that they were given good for those who did good, and evil for those who did evil. Faith in this world is what will be taken into account on the Day of Judgment. The power and ability to do good or evil are gifts from Allah.
[God’s Support and Guidance]
God supported Jesus with the Gospel and a spirit… Jesus was aided by Gabriel, who is the Holy Spirit… They [people in general?] were aided by Muhammad. They [prophets?] were aided by angels and soldiers. The word “aid” means power…
Shamun: This is a name mentioned in the Quran, which some scholars believe refers to Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples.
[Below are footnote snapshots clearly, absent the original text they belong to, they, along with other items here, are nonetheless interesting statements.]
Regarding Jesus, son of Mary: `Isa Ibn Maryam` (Jesus, son of Mary) is mentioned in several verses: + As one who believes in Allah and His words. + As the Word of Allah, whose name is the Messiah. + Along with his mother and Uzair (Ezra), as those who are called upon by others. + Along with his mother, Uzair, and the angels, as those who are distant from the Fire. + As one who creates, but not in the same way as Allah.
`Isa` is also mentioned as one who has not died yet (in reference to the verse: “so that they may believe in him before his death”).
–
Regarding the Word of Allah The phrase “the Word of Allah” refers to Jesus, son of Mary.
[I wish I knew what this was citing. . .]
He replied to them after a thousand years: “You are not many.” Jesus replied to them about it…
The phrase “we blew into her from Our spirit” refers to the story of Maryam, who gave birth to Jesus without a father. According to Ibn Abbas, this story is mentioned in the Quran (Quran 3:42-59).
[This is interesting, because it shows how “in those times” people did not count dates and the passage of time the same as we do now. If you ask different people, they might measure years differently…]
…There were 540 years between Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them… Mujahid There were 560 years between Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them..
The word “Nasrani” (نصراني) means Christian, and is derived from the Arabic word for Nazareth, the city where Jesus Christ was born. According to Ibn Abbas, Nasrani refers specifically to the followers of Jesus Christ, who are considered to be a separate community within Islam.
The phrase “yahuza” is mentioned in the context of Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
[People of the Book Groups]
The People of the Book and Their Various Groups The people of the book, including Jews and Christians, are mentioned in various contexts throughout Islamic history. Here, we will explore some of the different groups that are referred to as “people of the book” or “ahl al-kitab.”
Ahl al-Kitab refers to Jews and Christians who possess scriptures that were revealed by God. * The Quran mentions the people of the book in several verses, including 3:64, where it says, “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you…”
Ahl al-Tawrat (People of the Torah) * Ahl al-Tawrat refers specifically to Jews who possess the Torah. * The Quran mentions the people of the Torah in several verses, including 5:44, where it says, “Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light…”
“Ahl al-Injil (People of the Gospel) * Ahl al-Injil refers specifically to Christians who possess the Gospel. * The Quran mentions the people of the Gospel in several verses, including 5:46, where it says, “And We sent, following up on their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary…”
Ahl al-Qibla (People of the Qibla) * Ahl al-Qibla refers to Muslims who face towards the Kaaba in Mecca during prayer. * The Quran mentions the people of the qibla in several verses, including 2:142-150, where it describes the change of the qibla from Jerusalem to Mecca.
Ahl al-Badw (People of the Desert) refers to Bedouin Arabs who live in the desert.
Ahl al-Hadith (People of Hadith) refers to scholars who specialize in the study and transmission of hadiths, which are sayings and actions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Ahl al-Tafsir (People of Tafsir) refers to scholars who specialize in the interpretation and explanation of the Quran.
. . .
[This next section, unhighlighted below, is my commentary.]
It’s worth taking note that none of this is referring to the Bible, it means the original messages, it’s understood though that items like the Bible contain remnants. I would cite the following article: The claim that the Quran was plagiarized from the scriptures of the People of the Book – Islam Question & Answer
However, it is difficult to follow, I ran it through AI for more of a laymen summary, so the following is a summary based on that article that is easier to follow:
Question
How do we respond to those Christians who claim that the Quran was plagiarized from the Bible due to the similarities between both religions such as the concept of Paradise and Hellfire, Day of Judgement, common Prophets such as Noah, Moses, Jesus, Adam, etc, and other similarities between the two books.
I am asking because this is a very common argument that Christian apologists make when asked why they can’t accept Islam. They ask that why should they believe in a book that came 200 years after their Bible and “plagiarized” certain concepts from it. Now I am already able to understand there is many problems with the argument they are making but can you help me with a comprehensive answer that refutes their version of the Bible and proves the Quran.
Thank You and May Allah Bless us all.
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
Divine Origin vs. Plagiarism
The similarity between the Quran and the Bible is not evidence of copying. Both share common stories and themes because they come from the same divine source. If one cannot accept the divine origin of the Quran, then the critics try to claim it was copied. However, if we look at the facts, the Quran’s content points to revelation from Allah, not plagiarism.
The Prophet’s Illiteracy
The Quran itself states that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) could neither read nor write: “You were not able to read any book before this [Quran], nor were you able to write anything with your right hand…” [al-‘Ankabut 29:48]1
[This clearly shows he did not study or copy earlier scriptures.]
Hadiths and biographies also confirm that he was unlettered. In his society, writing was rare, so his inability is typical of the time.2
[Example: A narration from Ibn ‘Umar explains that the early Muslim community was unlettered, meaning they neither wrote nor calculated.]
Availability of the Bible in Arabic
There is no historical evidence that an Arabic translation of the Bible existed during the Prophet’s time.
[Western scholars like Bruce Metzger3 and Thomas Patrick Hughes agree that Arabic versions appeared only centuries later.]
The People of the Book (Jews and Christians) maintained their scriptures in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek and did not make them available in Arabic.4
The Claim of an Intermediary Teacher
Some critics argue that the Prophet might have learned biblical stories from a teacher. However:
His life is well documented, and there is no record of him spending years studying such texts.
Meetings with figures like the monk Bahirah or Waraqah ibn Nawfal were either very brief or occurred only after revelation began, making it impossible for him to have gained such detailed knowledge.
[In short, there’s no historical proof he ever studied the Bible.]
Conclusion: Revelation from Allah
Since the Prophet was unlettered and had no access to an Arabic Bible, the knowledge he brought could not have come from human sources. Instead, the Quran contains stories and teachings that were revealed by Allah. Verses such as:“This is an account of the unseen [the distant past], which We reveal to you; neither you nor your people had any knowledge of it before this…” [Hud 11:49]
confirm that these accounts are divine, not borrowed.
In summary, the similarities between the Quran and the Bible are signs of a shared divine origin rather than evidence of plagiarism. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was unlettered and lacked access to any Bible in Arabic, which proves that the Quran is a revelation from Allah.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
References:
Hal al-Quran al-Karim Muqtabas min Kutub al-Yahud wa’n-Nasara? by Sami ‘Amiri
az-Zahirah al-Quraniyyah by Malik ibn Nabi
Madkhil ila al-Quran al-Karim ‘Ard Tarikhi wa Tahlil Muqarin by Muhammad ‘Abdullah Darraz
an-Naba’ al-‘Azim by Muhammad ‘Abdullah Darraz
as-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah as-Sahihah by Akram Diya’ al-‘Umari
Difa‘ ‘an al-Quran dida Muntaqidihi by ‘Abd ar-Rahman Badawi
- Quran.com confirms: You ˹O Prophet˺ could not read any writing ˹even˺ before this ˹revelation˺, nor could you write at all. Otherwise, the people of falsehood would have been suspicious. ↩︎
- Why Christians Were Denied Access to Their Bible for 1,000 Years | HuffPost Religion, In fact, per the article, “…[until] the Council of Nicaea called by the Emperor Constantine met in 325 C.E. to establish a unified Catholic Church. At that point no universally sanctioned Scriptures or Christian Bible existed…” In short, the Bible was a hard thing for a person to get ahold of, if you need to read more on this subject, enjoy: Censorship of the Bible – Wikipedia ↩︎
- Important Early Translations of the Bible, interesting quotes, “…However, by the year A.D. 600 the four Gospels had been translated into only eight of these languages. These were Latin and Gothic in the West, and Syriac, Coptic, Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic, and Sogdian in the East. One might have expected that Augustine and other Christian leaders in North Africa would have provided a translation of the Gospels in Berber or Punic, or that Irenaeus and his successors would have made a translation into the Celtic dialect used in Gaul. But there is no evidence of the existence of such versions in antiquity… When printing with movable type was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1456, only 33 languages had any part of the Bible… The early Armenian rendering of the Gospels, made in the fifth century, shows influence from the Old Syriac text… The Georgian Bible, completed, it seems, by the end of the sixth century, had an Armenian-Syriac foundation. The Peshitta Syriac version was also the basis of the Sogdian, Persian, and Arabic versions…”
Thus, pinpointing the exact year that an Arabic Bible emerged is difficult, but clearly there were none by 600 C.E., and given there was no printing press until the 1400s, it’s unlikely there was an Arabic translated Bible during the time of Muhammad. Thus, Arab Christians were using Greek or Syriac for their Bibles. ↩︎ - Without citing anything, most likely, most people would assume and know that most of what was known likely was an oral tradition. So the “people of the book” had some sort of remnant knowledge of varying accuracy, but what is was, is a guessing game depending on the time, place, language, church, etc. Later, liars like Henry Jessup exploited ignorance of people of these matters. . . ↩︎
[Sacred Houses in Islam, Tafsir 2:127]
The House of the Ka’bah (al-Bayt al-Haram) in Mecca is a sacred place for Muslims. It was built by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail, as mentioned in the Quran (2:127).
The Ka’bah is considered the holiest site in Islam and is the direction of prayer for Muslims all over the world. The House of Maryam (Mary), also known as Bayt al-Muqaddas (the Holy House), is a sacred place in Jerusalem. It is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ and is considered a holy site by both Christians and Muslims. The House of Umm Salamah, one of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad, was located near the Ka’bah in Mecca.
[I’m not sure why ‘The House of Maryam’ was added there? Translation issue? Purposeful?]
She was known for her piety and wisdom, and her house was often visited by the Prophet and his companions. The House of Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, was also located near the Ka’bah in Mecca. She was known for her kindness and generosity, and her house was a place of refuge for many people. The House of al-Aziz (the Mighty) is believed to be the house of the Pharaoh who ruled Egypt during the time of Moses.
It is mentioned in the Quran as a symbol of God’s power and authority. The House of the Torah (Bayt al-Tawrah) refers to the place where the Torah was revealed to Moses. It is considered a sacred site by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. The House of the Messiah (al-Masih) refers to the place where Jesus Christ lived and preached.
It is considered a holy site by Christians and is believed to be located in Jerusalem. The Bayt al-Maqdis (the Holy City) is another name for Jerusalem, which is considered a sacred city by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. These are just a few examples of the many houses mentioned in Islamic tradition. Each one has its own unique significance and importance in the history and theology of Islam.
[I’m not sure if this was Tafsir, AI commentary, or modern commentary from the Tafsir collectors.]
. . . Andrayis (Andrew?), one of Jesus’ disciples, is also referred to as the son of Wahb. . .
. . . Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples . . .
. . . Sa’diq, one of the three messengers sent by Jesus (peace be upon him), was mentioned in a narration. . . The name means truthful or righteous.
. . . Shalum, one of the three messengers sent by Jesus (peace be upon him), was mentioned. . .
. . . Saduq, one of the three messengers sent by Jesus (peace be upon him), was mentioned. . . might be the same as Sa’dig above?
. . . Futrus, one of the disciples of Jesus . . .
. . . Philip, one of the disciples of Jesus . . .