Changing of Divine Books

By Mohammad A Rahman

A cursory analysis of revealed religions shows us that God created Adam as the first human being. Adam received revelation from God to guide his people toward God and he did so well according to the commandment of God. However, after his passing away, his teachings gradually got mixed up with falsehood. Before long, God sent another prophet with divine message for if He did not, men would have had an excuse to remain in misguidance saying that they were not warned. This new prophet did exactly what Adam did. But the same process of mixing of truth with falsehood repeated after the passing away of this new prophet. And God sent another prophet. This process continued with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and many other known and unknown prophets. The followers of Jesus were not different from this either. Then, came Prophet Muhammad, the last and final messenger. Even though, religion was perfected through him and Qur’an was revealed to him as the final message of God to mankind, he warned his followers that they would also follow this very process of distorting the divine message:

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri: The Prophet said, "You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure (lizard), you would follow them." We said, "O Allah's Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He said, "Whom else?" (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

God took it unto Himself to protect the Qur’an from any distortion as there was going to be no other prophet after Muhammad:

It is an unassailable Scripture. Falsehood cannot come at it from before it or from behind it. (It is) a revelation from the Wise, the Owner of Praise. (Qur'an 41:41-42)

However, Prophet Muhammad told us that his followers would tread the path of previous nations exactly. It seems that we have found a contradiction between what Prophet Muhammad said and what Qur’an says. But those who have studied the books of the Muslims will find that the followers of Muhammad applied a new technique to distort the divine message, that is by saying, “Yes, Qur’an says this, but it means otherwise” and they bring ‘evidence’ by referring to some fabricated traditions attributed to Prophet Muhammad. After the demise of Prophet Muhammad, his traditions were not written down for few centuries. Many Muslim rulers came who were no better than brutes, nay, worse than them. Many ‘cottage’ industries were created to manufacture reports to justify their wrongdoings. These spurious traditions were attributed to Prophet Muhammad. M. Shibli, the dean of India's Sunni historians of Islam, writes in his famous biography of Prophet Muhammad, Sira-tun-Nabi, volume I, 4th printing, published by the Maarif Printing Press, Azamgarh, U.P., India, in 1976:

"Among all those extraneous forces which affect and influence the writing of history, none is more powerful than the government. But it will always be a source of pride for the Muslims that their pen was never subdued by the sword. Work on the compilation and collation of Hadith was begun in the times of the Banu Umayya. For full 90 years, from Sind in India (Indo-Pakistan) to Asia Minor and Andalusia in Spain, Ali and the children of Fatima were cursed from every pulpit in every mosque after every Friday sermon. Thousands and thousands of hadith (traditions; statements of the Prophet) glorifying Muawiya, were manufactured, and were put into circulation. In the times of the Abbasis, hadith were invented foretelling the birth and the excellence of each (Abbasi) khalifa by name. But what was the result of all this stupendous effort? The traditionalists (the collectors of the statements of the Prophet) declared publicly at the same time (during the caliphates of the Umayyads and the Abbasis) that all these hadith were spurious, and they rejected them. Today, we are proud to say that the science of hadith is free from all that filth and garbage."

Almost, but not quite. Traces of filth and garbage can still be found in the books of the Muslims. Holy Qur’an has talked about how the previous nations distorted the divine books:

And when Allah made a covenant with those who were given the Book: You shall certainly make it known to men and you shall not hide it; but they cast it behind their backs and took a small price for it; so evil is that which they buy. (Qur’an 3:187)

But on account of their breaking their covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard; they altered the words from their places and they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of; and you shall always discover treachery in them excepting a few of them; so pardon them and turn away; surely Allah loves those who do good (to others). (Qur’an 5:13)

O followers of the Book! Why do you confound the truth with the falsehood and hide the truth while you know? (Quran 3:71)

Those whom We have given the Book recognize him (Muhammad) as they recognize their sons, and a party of them most surely conceal the truth while they know (it). (Qura’n 2:146)

Of those who are Jews (there are those who) alter words from their places and say: We have heard and we disobey and: Hear, may you not be made to hear! and: Raina, distorting (the word) with their tongues and taunting about religion; and if they had said (instead): We have heard and we obey, and hearken, and unzurna it would have been better for them and more upright; but Allah has cursed them on account of their unbelief, so they do not believe but a little. (Qur’an 4:46)

Have ye any hope that they will be true to you when a party of them used to listen to the word of Allah, then used to change it, after they had understood it, knowingly? (Quran 2:75)

Therefore woe be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands and then say, "This is from Allah," that they may purchase a small gain therewith. Woe unto them for that their hands have written, and woe unto them for that they earn thereby. (Quran 2:79)

And lo! there is a party of them who distort the Scripture with their tongues  (Qur’an 3:78)

These are the specimens of the verses of the Holy Qur’an, wherein Almighty God has made mention of the alterations and concealment of facts indulged in by previous nations.

Holy Qur’an has threatened in the strongest of words against hiding the truth:

Lo! Those who hide the proofs and the guidance which We revealed, after We had made it clear to mankind in the Scripture: such are accursed of Allah and accursed of those who have the power to curse. (Qur'an 2:159)

This threat fell on deaf ears as we have seen above what the followers of Prophet Muhammad have done.

The Gospel of Barnabas has recorded almost exactly what the priests did to the teachings God. Just when Jesus started preaching the words of God, his fame spread quickly. Jesus was very critical of the priests and the scribes for their misguidance. The priests and scribes wanted to discredit Jesus in front of a huge gathering and said to Jesus:

This people desireth to see thee and hear thee; therefore ascend to the pinnacle, and if God give thee a word speak it in the name of the Lord. (Gospel of Barnabas, Ch 12)

In this opportune time, Jesus wasted no time to reveal the priests and scribes:

Then ascended Jesus to the place whence the scribes were wont to speak. And having beckoned with the hand for silence, he opened his mouth, saying: 'Blessed be the holy name of God, who of his goodness and mercy willed to create his creatures that they might glorify him. Blessed be the holy name of God, who created the splendor of all the saints and prophets before all things to send him for the salvation of the world, as he spoke by his servant David, saying: "Before Lucifer in the brightness of the saints I created thee." Blessed be the holy name of God, who created the angels that they might serve him. And blessed be God, who punished and reprobated Satan and his followers, who would not reverence him whom God willeth to be reverenced. Blessed be the holy name of God, who created man out of the clay of the earth, and set him over his works. Blessed be the holy name of God, who drove man out of paradise for having transgressed his holy precept. Blessed be the holy name of God, who with mercy looked upon the tears of Adam and Eve, first parents of the human race. Blessed be the holy name of God who just punished Cain the fratricide, sent the deluge upon the earth. burned up three wicked cities, scourged Egypt, overwhelmed Pharaoh in the Red Sea, scattered the enemies of his people, chastised the unbelievers and punished the impenitent. Blessed be the holy name of God, who with mercy looked upon his creatures, and therefore sent them his holy prophets, that they might walk in truth and righteousness before him; who delivered his servants from every evil, and gave them this land, as he promised to our father Abraham and to his son for ever. Then by his servant Moses he gave us his holy law, that Satan should not deceive us: and he exalted us above all other peoples.

'But, brethren, what do we to-day, that we be not punished for our sins?'

And then Jesus with greatest vehemence rebuked the people for that they had forgotten the word of God, and gave themselves only to vanity; he rebuked the priests for their negligence in God's service and for their worldly greed; he rebuked the scribes because they preached vain doctrine, and forsook the law of God; he rebuked the doctors because they made the law of God of none effect through their traditions. And in such wise did Jesus speak to the people, that all wept, from the least to the greatest, crying mercy, and beseeching Jesus that he would pray of them; save only their priests and leaders, who on that day conceived hatred against Jesus for having thus spoken against the priests, scribes, and doctors. And they meditated upon his death, but for fear of the people, who had received him as a prophet of God, they spoke no word. (Gospel Barnabas, Ch 12)

Jesus had repeatedly pointed out what the priests and scribes innovated so much so that they wanted to kill him without delay:

But the scribes and priests, having understood that he spoke against the traditions of the elders, were kindled with greater hatred. And like Pharaoh they hardened their heart: wherefore they sought occasion to slay him, but found it not. (Gospel of Barnabas, Ch 34)

It appears that the Pharisees and the scribes only preached without acting upon it. They were just like hypocrites diametrically opposite of what prophets used to do. That is why we see Jesus rebuking the Pharisees and scribes in the strongest words:

And Jesus continued, saying: "O doctors, O scribes, O Pharisees, O priests, tell me. You desire horses like knights, but you desire not to go forth to war: you desire fair clothing like women, but you desire not to spin and nurture children; you desire the fruits of the field, and you desire not to cultivate the Earth; you desire the fishes of the sea, but you desire not to go a fishing; you desire honour as citizens, but you desire not the burden of the republic; and you desire tithes and first fruits as priests, but you desire not to serve God in truth. What then shall God do with you, seeing you desire here every good without any evil? Truly I say to you that God will give you a place where you will have every evil without any good."

And again:

Jesus answered: "And you, O high priest of God, why have you not quieted this sedition? Are you also perhaps, gone out of your mind? Have the prophecies, with the Law of God, so passed into oblivion, O wretched Judea, deceived of Satan!"

Jesus has categorically mentioned that truth preached by previous prophets got mixed with falsehood. He also predicted that his teachings will be distorted by his followers. However, the Messenger of God (Muhammad) would cleanse it from all impurities:

Truly I say to you that if the truth had not been erased from the Book of Moses, God would not have given to David our father the second. And if the book of David had not been contaminated, God would not have committed the Gospel to me; seeing that the Lord our God is unchangeable, and has spoken but one message to all men. Wherefore, when the Messenger of God shall come, he shall come to cleanse away all wherewith the ungodly have contaminated my book. (Gospel of Barnabas, CH 124)

As God lives, in whose presence my soul stands, if the Book of Moses with the book of our father David had not been corrupted by the human traditions of false Pharisees and doctors, God would not have given his word to me. And why speak I of the Book of Moses and the book of David? Every prophecy have they corrupted, in so much that today a thing is not sought because God has commanded it, but men look whether the doctors say it, and the Pharisees observe it, as though God were in error, and men could not err. (Gospel of Barnabas, CH 189)

And again:

Accordingly, if our high-priests and priests, with the Pharisees, persecuted me because the people of Israel has called me God, they would be doing a thing pleasing to God, and God would reward them; but because they persecute me for a contrary reason, since they will not have me say the truth, how they have contaminated the Book of Moses; and that of David;, prophets and friends of God, by their traditions, and therefore hate me and desire my death therefore God has them in abomination. (Gospel of Barnabas, Ch 159)

We see a striking similarity between the Holy Qur’an and the teachings of Jesus as recounted in Gospel of Barnabas so far as distortion of divine message is concerned. We would like to point out that all men are a single nation. So, how can their ways be different?

(All) people are a single nation; so Allah raised prophets as bearers of good news and as warners, and He revealed with them the Book with truth, that it might judge between people in that in which they differed; and none but the very people who were given it differed about it after clear arguments had come to them, revolting among themselves; so Allah has guided by His will those who believe to the truth about which they differed and Allah guides whom He pleases to the right path. (Qur’an 2:213)