OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, The testimony of the Qurʾān to the. The references in the Qurʾān to the sacred scriptures of the Jews and Christians are very many, and in all cases Muḥammad refers to these sacred writings with the highest respect and veneration. He acknowledges their inspiration, admits the existence of such documents in his own day, and appeals to them in support of his own mission.
The following verses of the Qurʾān, in which there are references to the Old and New Testament, have been placed in chronological order, and the translations given are for the most part from Sir William Muir’s Manual on “The Coran,” published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge:—
[Sūrah lxxxvii. 18]: “Verily this is in the books of yore; the books of Abraham and Moses.”
[Sūrah liii. 37–40]: “Hath he not been told of that which is in the pages of Moses, and of Abraham who acted faithfully? That a burdened soul shall not bear another’s burden, and that there shall be nothing (imputed) to a man, but that which he himself hath wrought,” &c.
[Sūrah xxxii. 23–25]: “And verily We gave Moses the book: wherefore be not in doubt as to the reception thereof, and We made it a direction to the Israelites. And We made from among them leaders who should direct according to Our command, when they were steadfast, and believed in Our signs. Verily thy Lord, he will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection as to that concerning which they disagree.”
[Sūrah liv. 43]: “Are your unbelievers (Ye Makkans) better than those (i.e. of the days of Noah, Lot, Moses, &c., just referred to;) or is there an immunity for you in the Scriptures?”
[Sūrah xxxiv. 30]: “And the unbelievers say:—We will not believe in this Qurʾān, nor in that (which was revealed) before it.”
[Sūrah xli. 45]: “And verily We gave Moses the book, and they fell to variance concerning it.”
[Sūrah xlv. 15, 16]: “And verily We gave the children of Israel the book, and wisdom, and prophecy, and We nourished them with pleasant food, and We exalted them above the rest of the world; and We gave them plain directions in the matter (of religion;) and they fell not to variance until after divine knowledge (or the Revelation,) had come unto them, out of jealousy among themselves. Verily, thy Lord will decide between them on the Day of Judgment, concerning that about which they disagree.”
[Sūrah xxxvii. 34]: “Verily when it is said unto them:—There is no God but the Lord; they arrogantly reply,—What! shall we give up our gods for a phrenzied poet? Nay, he cometh with the truth, and attesteth (the Revelations,) of the (former) apostles.”