Truth & Tech

A friend (thanks Joe!) recently posted a short YouTube video that was such a great video to dig into. The original video will be below for reference. But it caused me to dig into things a little deeper. The main points of the video are the headers below for points 1-3 and then I dug into it a little more. But with Islam being founded in the 7th century and currently sits as the world’s second-largest religion with nearly 2 billion followers globally (1.8 to be exact), it’s significant that there is a lot of places where the Quran points to Christianity!

1. PROPHET NAMES CONTAINING “YAHWEH”

The name of God in Islam is Allah — a generic Arabic word for “god” that was used by pre-Islamic pagans to refer to a supreme deity among many. Exodus 3:14-15 is clear that God’s personal, revealed name is Yahweh (“I AM WHO I AM”). The Quran never uses the name Yahweh, yet ironically preserves it embedded in the Hebrew names of its own prophets.

Zechariah (Zakariya) — Hebrew: “Yahweh Remembers” — mentioned 7 times in the Quran:

• Surah 3:37-40 — guardian of Mary, prays for a son in old age
• Surah 6:85 — listed among the righteous prophets
• Surah 19:2-7 — receives the announcement of John’s birth
• Surah 21:89 — prays not to be left without an heir

John (Yahya) — Hebrew: “Yahweh is Gracious” — mentioned 5 times:

• Surah 3:39 — announced as “confirming a Word from Allah”
• Surah 6:85 — listed with the righteous prophets
• Surah 19:7, 19:12 — named by God, given Scripture as a boy
• Surah 21:90 — bestowed upon Zechariah as an answer to prayer

Jesus (Isa / Hebrew Yeshua) — Hebrew: “Yahweh Saves” — mentioned ~25 times by name across 15 surahs (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 19, 21, 23, 33, 42, 43, 57, 61), with ~93 total references including indirect ones (“son of Mary,” etc.)

Every time the Quran uses these names, it implicitly invokes the name of Yahweh — a name Islamic theology does not recognize as divine. The Quran borrowed the prophets but not the God whose name they carry.

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2. JESUS AS “WORD OF GOD” (KALIMAT ALLAH)

Jesus is referred to as God’s Word in the Quran — a title given to no other prophet. Early Muslim scholars were confused by this designation and struggled to explain it without conceding Christian theology.

Key verses:

• Surah 3:45 — “Allah gives you good tidings of a Word from Him (bi-kalimatin minhu), whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, distinguished in this world and the Hereafter”
• Surah 4:171 — “The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His Word (kalimatuhu) which He directed to Mary and a spirit from Him”
• Surah 3:39 (indirect) — John the Baptist is described as “confirming a Word from Allah” — Muslim commentators agree this refers to Jesus

Muslim scholarly attempts to explain this title:

• Al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and Tabarsi interpreted “Word” as meaning Jesus was created by God’s command word “Be!” (kun) — making him the result of the word, not the Word itself
• Allamah Tabataba’i acknowledged the connection to God’s creative command, arguing Jesus was “directly created by the command of God without the mediation of a father”
• John Gilchrist noted this title is “applied on no less than three occasions to Jesus, is not applied to anyone else in the Quran, yet no attempt is made to explain it”

The biblical answer the Quran borrows but cannot explain:

John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:14 — “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

In Christianity, the Word (Logos) is pre-existent, eternal, uncreated, and divine — identified with God himself. The Quran borrows this title but strips it of its theological content, leaving Muslim scholars without a coherent framework for why Jesus alone holds it.

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3. JESUS AS “AL-MASIH” (THE MESSIAH)

The Quran calls Jesus “al-Masih” (the Messiah/Christ) 11 times across 9 verses — the only prophet to receive this title. Yet Islamic theology has no developed meaning for it.

Quranic occurrences:

• Surah 3:45 — “his name will be al-Masih, Jesus, son of Mary”
• Surah 4:157 — “We killed al-Masih, Jesus son of Mary” (denial of crucifixion)
• Surah 4:171 — “al-Masih, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah and His Word”
• Surah 4:172 — “al-Masih will never be too proud to be a servant of Allah”
• Surah 5:17 — “Those who say Allah is al-Masih have disbelieved” (used twice)
• Surah 5:72 — “Those who say Allah is al-Masih have disbelieved, while al-Masih said ‘worship Allah’” (used twice)
• Surah 5:75 — “al-Masih, son of Mary, was naught but a messenger”
• Surah 9:30 — “Christians say al-Masih is the son of Allah”
• Surah 9:31 — “They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and also al-Masih”

The theological gap:

• In Judaism, “Messiah” (Mashiach) means “anointed one” — carrying expectations of a Davidic king, a priestly figure, one who restores Israel and establishes God’s kingdom
• In Christianity, “Christ” (Christos) carries the full weight of anointed king, prophet, and high priest — the one who fulfills all Old Testament messianic prophecy
• In Islam, the title has no developed meaning. As one scholarly source puts it: “the idea of messianism, which is of central importance in Judaism and Christianity, is alien to Islam as represented by the Quran”

Muslim scholars offered disconnected folk etymologies:

• Some suggested it means “he used to touch (yamsah) the sick and heal them”
• Qadi al-Nu’man said it meant he was sent “to remove (masaha) their impurities”

None connect to the actual Hebrew meaning. The Quran acknowledges Jesus is “the Anointed One” without any framework for what that anointing means, who anointed him, or what role it serves.

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4. THE VIRGIN BIRTH

The virgin birth is affirmed in the Quran but reduced to a demonstration of God’s creative power. In Christianity, it fulfills prophecy and proves Jesus’ divine nature.

Quranic passages:

Surah Al-Imran (3):42-47:

• Angels announce Jesus to Mary (3:45)
• Mary responds: “How will I have a child when no man has touched me?” (3:47)
• God replies: “Such is Allah; He creates what He wills”

Surah Maryam (19):16-35:

• Gabriel appears to Mary in human form (19:17)
• Mary asks: “How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?” (19:20)
• Angel replies: “Your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people’” (19:21)
• Mary gives birth by a palm tree; the infant Jesus speaks from the cradle (19:22-33)

Additional references: Surah 21:91, 66:12

The Islamic interpretation: The Quran explicitly parallels Jesus’ birth to Adam’s creation — Surah 3:59: “The example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.” The virgin birth demonstrates creative power, nothing more.

The Christian significance the Quran misses:

• Fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 — “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (meaning “God with us”)
• Proves Jesus’ divine nature — he has no human father because God is his Father
• The virgin birth is part of the Incarnation: God taking on human flesh (John 1:14)
• Part of a chain of prophecy: born of a woman (Genesis 3:15), of Abraham’s line (Genesis 12:3), of David’s line (2 Samuel 7:12-16), in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)

The Quran affirms the miraculous birth but strips it of its prophetic fulfillment context and its connection to divine identity.

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5. EVIDENCE THE QURAN BORROWED FROM OTHER SOURCES

Extensive scholarly research has identified numerous parallels between Quranic narratives and pre-existing Jewish, Christian, and other religious texts. The Quran appears to draw heavily from Talmudic traditions, apocryphal gospels, and Syriac Christian legends — often retelling stories not found in the Bible but found in these extra-biblical sources.

From Jewish Talmudic/Midrashic Sources:

• Surah 5:27-31 — Raven teaches Cain to bury Abel — from Midrash Tanhuma (~6th c. CE)
• Surah 5:32 — “Killing one soul = killing all mankind” — from Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 (~200 CE)
• Surah 21:51-71 — Abraham smashes his father’s idols (not in the Bible) — from Midrash Genesis Rabbah 38:13 (~5th c. CE)
• Surah 27:17-44 — Solomon, hoopoe bird, Queen of Sheba, glass floor — from Targum Sheni of Esther (4th-7th c. CE)
• Surah 2:63, 7:171 — Mountain raised over Israel as threat — from Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 88a (~5th c. CE)

The Quran itself seems to acknowledge the Jewish origin of 5:32 by introducing it: “We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul…”

The Abraham idol-smashing story (Surah 21:57-63) is virtually identical to Midrash Genesis Rabbah 38:13 — Abraham smashes all idols except the largest, places the hammer in its hand, and claims the largest one did it. This story appears nowhere in the Bible.

From Apocryphal Gospels:

• Surah 3:49, 5:110 — Jesus makes birds from clay that come alive — from Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Ch. 2 (late 2nd-3rd c. CE)
• Surah 3:46, 19:29-33 — Jesus speaks from the cradle as an infant — from Arabic Infancy Gospel (pre-Islamic)
• Surah 3:35-37 — Mary dedicated to temple; lots cast for guardianship; Zechariah as guardian; miraculous feeding — from Protoevangelium of James (mid-2nd c. CE)
• Surah 19:23-26 — Palm tree and spring during Jesus’ birth — from Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew / Palestinian Christian oral tradition (pre-Islamic)

The clay birds story (Surah 5:110) comes from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a text rejected by the early church as fictional. The Quran treats it as historical.

Mary’s temple dedication, the casting of lots for her guardianship, and Zechariah finding her miraculously fed (Surah 3:35-37) come from the Protoevangelium of James, not from any canonical gospel.

From Syriac Christian Sources:

• Surah 18:9-26 — Seven Sleepers of the Cave (Ashab al-Kahf) — from Syriac homily by Jacob of Serugh (~521 CE)
• Surah 18:83-102 — Dhul-Qarnayn travels to ends of the earth, builds wall against Gog and Magog — from Syriac Alexander Legend (mid-6th c. CE)
• Surah 18:60-82 — Moses and Khidr (mysterious guide performs seemingly unjust acts) — from Alexander Romance + Jewish legend of Elijah and Rabbi Joshua ben Levi (3rd c. CE+)

Scholar Kevin van Bladel (2008) argued definitively that “the Quranic story of Dhu l-Qarnayn is a retelling of a specific Syriac text” about Alexander the Great.

The Seven Sleepers story was a well-known Syriac Christian legend widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean before Islam.

The Mary/Miriam Confusion:

• Surah 19:28 — Mary (mother of Jesus) is addressed as “O sister of Aaron”
• Surah 3:35-36 — Mary’s mother is called “the wife of Imran” (Amram — the father of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam per Exodus 6:20)
• Surah 66:12 — Mary is called “the daughter of Imran”
• This appears to confuse Mary the mother of Jesus (1st century BCE) with Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron (~1400 BCE) — a gap of approximately 1,400 years

Key scholarly works on Quranic sources:

• Gabriel Said Reynolds — The Quran and the Bible: Text and Commentary (2018) — The Quran depends heavily on audience knowledge of the Bible and emerges from late antique religious culture
• Kevin van Bladel — “The Alexander Legend in the Quran 18:83-102” (2008) — The Dhul-Qarnayn passage is a direct retelling of a Syriac text
• Abraham Geiger — Judaism and Islam (1833) — Pioneering study identifying Jewish sources in the Quran
• W. St. Clair Tisdall — The Original Sources of the Quran (1905) — Cataloged parallels with Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian, and Sabaean sources
• Tom Holland — In the Shadow of the Sword (2012) — Islam’s origins are best understood within the broader context of late antiquity

Original Video: