Question 16: Isn't it true that the Qur'an is copied from the Bible?

Question 16: Isn't it true that the Qur'an is copied from the Bible?

No. This is not true. All evidence show that the Qur’an could not have been copied from the Bible.

Take for example the story of the flood that occurred in the days of the prophet Noah, on whom be peace. This event is narrated in both the Bible and the Qur’an. A careful examination of the two versions will show that the Qur’anic version could have come from no other source but God alone.

One important difference between the two accounts is that whereas the Bible describes the flood as a worldwide flood (see Genesis ch. 7) the Qur’an mentions it as a local flood affecting the people of Noah (see Qur’an 7:59-64). Today it is acknowledged that no record exists of a worldwide flood occurring at the time specified in the Bible. How did the author of the Qur’an avoid this mistake unless the author was God Himself?

The closest thing in history to a flood like the one described in the Bible and the Qur’an, is a discovery made by Archaeologist Sir Charles Leonard Wooley. In 1929 he discovered remains from a flood which occurred around 4000 B.C. His findings are described in the book entitled The Bible as History by Werner Keller. Keller tells us:

The incredible discovery at Ur made headline news in the United States and in Britain (The Bible as History, 2nd Revised Edition, Bantam Books, 1980, p. 27).

But was this a worldwide flood? After describing the extent of the flood, Keller explains:

Looking at the map we should call it today ‘a local occurrence’ (p. 28).

"In other words," writes Keller, that flood was "obviously not of sufficient magnitude for the Biblical Flood" (p. 29). Furthermore, he says: "A flood of the unimaginable extent described in the Bible still remains ‘archaeologically not demonstrated’" (pp. 29-30).

Another comparison will again demonstrate that the Qur’an was not copied from the Bible. In the Bible we are told that God drowned the Pharaoh and his army when they pursued Moses, on whom be peace, and his people (see Exodus 14:28). The clear indication in that description is that the body of the Pharaoh perished in the sea. However, the Qur’an dared to differ and prove true. In the Qur’an we find that God promised to preserve the body of the Pharaoh as a sign for later generations (see Qur’an 10:90-92).

True to the Qur’anic promise, the mummified body of the Pharaoh was discovered by Loret in 1898 at Thebes in the Kings’ Valley (see The Bible, the Qur’an and Science by Dr. Maurice Bucaille, p. 238). From there it was transported to Cairo. Elliot Smith removed its wrappings on July 8, 1907 and gave a detailed description in his book entitled the Royal Mummies (1912).

From which source did the author of the Qur’an derive this information? How did the author of the Qur’an know that the Pharaoh’s body was preserved whereas the knowledge that the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead was not discovered until recently? And how could the author of the Qur’an predict that the body of the Pharaoh will be discovered later, unless the author was God Himself?[/b]