Owning a Bible Ok?

[SolaceinIslam]

:sl:

Last night I was reading an Islamic book and a reference was made to the Bible in pointing out on of the "errors" in the Bible. Since I am a revert to Islam, I gave my Bible away when I embraced Islam. Last night, however, I regretted that. I think it would have been nice to be able to point out the errors in the Bible to my non-muslim family or even to just look at the specific books and verses when reading Islamic literature with reference to the Bible. It would also be nice to read the Bible "through new eyes" now that I know all the mistakes in it.

As far as I know the old and new Testaments (in their original forms) are also considered to be books of Allah. Therefore, I thought buying another copy of the Bible should be ok. When I did a search, I found the following fatwa which shows the opposite....

Question :


A Muslim man says: I wanted to give a copy of a translation of the meanings of the Qur’aan to a kaafir man, but he said “I will not take it unless you take from me a copy of the Bible in Arabic, and I will not read it unless you read [the Bible].” Should I do that or not?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who replied as follows:

He should not do that, because the Bible may have an effect on the Muslim, but it seems that the Qur’aan will not have an effect on this evil person, because he is insisting that the Muslim should take the copy of the Bible. So he should not agree to that. If he goes right, then it will be for the benefit of his own self, and if he goes astray, it will be to his own loss.

Question:

Should he pretend to agree to read [the Bible], without really meaning it?

Answer:

He should not agree to anything, because that will make this person feel proud. And Allaah knows best.



Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (www.islam-qa.com)

Would it be wrong of me to own a Bible even if just for comparitive purposes - Considering that I knew the Bible before embracing Islam and knowing that it would not affect me in any way (i.e. pursuade me that Christianity is the true religion)?

:w:

[IceQueen~]

hey sis-have u read 'the choice' by ahmed deedat? he has really good arguements in there masha allah to do with the bible and its prophecies about prophet muhammad (saw) and stuff like that..:w:

[Trumble]

I think it would have been nice to be able to point out the errors in the Bible to my non-muslim family or even to just look at the specific books and verses when reading Islamic literature with reference to the Bible. It would also be nice to read the Bible "through new eyes" now that I know all the mistakes in it.

Would you, having pointed out all those errors in the Bible, then sit and listen with an open mind while your non-muslim family pointed out what they perceive as "errors" in the Qur'an?

[Abdul Fattah]

Would you, having pointed out all those errors in the Bible, then sit and listen with an open mind while your non-muslim family pointed out what they perceive as "errors" in the Qur'an?

I am always open to discuss Islam with my family matters even if they would claim to have errors of the qur'an.
But your hypotetical question is based on the assumption that such errors exist. :)
You're welcome to try and show them on this forum. Isnahllah we'll be able to refute them.

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[Trumble]

But your hypotetical question is based on the assumption that such errors exist.

No it wasn't. I made a point of saying 'what they perceive as "errors"' rather than just 'errors'. Doesn't matter, you answered the question anyway.

[Muhammad]

:sl:

Here's another answer given from that site:


Question :

Am I entitled to obtain a copy from the Bible to know the book Allah sent to Jesus? And is the existing Bible aurate for I heard that the true one did sink in the Euphrates?

Answer :

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not permitted to have any of the books prior to Islam because of the following :

- Anything helpful in them Allah illustrated in the Qur’an.
- The Qur’an contains wha makes one in no need of such books.

Allah, Subhanahu Wata’ala, says, “It is He who has sent down the Book ( the Qur’an ) to you ( Mohammad ) in truth, confirming wha came before it. “ therefore, everything useful in these Books is mentioned in the Qur’an.

With regard to the second qustion, the words sent by Allah to Jesus and of which we may benefit are already in the Qur’an. Furthemore, the existing Bible is distorted, for there are four different scripts, each of which is violating the others. But seekers of knowledge who have the sight of differentiate between truth and wrong can study these books to refute what evil they include.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen may Allaah have mercy on him.

al-Da’wah magazine, no. 1789, p. 43. (www.islam-qa.com)

:w:

[azim]

Asalaamu alaykum.

Mm, I'm quite suprised that the scholars have taken this view.

I own a Bible, well technically one was given to me (Christian preachers). I read parts of it, for several reasons. Like the sister SolaceinIslam said, to check up errors and contradictions (although this usually doesnt help in dawah at all), to look up specific verses that refer to Islamic views and beliefs and that contradict established Church doctrine, to have a look through what the Bible says about a certain Prophet compared to Islam and also because the Bible is a very important part of English literature and I study the English language. I'm not a comparative religion expert or anything, but I go to a Catholic college and the Bible has helped me convey Islam to Christians as well as strenghtening my own faith.

Christians often say wild and amazing things about their religion depending on who their talking to - 'Christianity says this', 'Chrisitianity teaches that' etc... and almost none of it is in the Bible. Just one example I can think of is in the movie Kingdom of Heaven, one of the characters says regarding Muslims 'their Prophet [pbuh] says 'submit', ours tells us to 'decide''. Knowing the teachings of the actual Bible help to throw of these annoying onslaughts with hidden insults in them.

Having said that, I think aside from its uses in terms of studying the English language, I could have done all of the above without owning an actual Bible (masha'Allah - we have the internet :p). Having heard the fatwa, I will probably get rid of my Bible after I finish college.

[searchingsoul]

I too am surprised that the scholars take this position. It's hard to discount a source if we do not know what lies within the source. This sort of reminds me of the early christian church forbidding people from reading christian articles. Being caught with a written text was sometimes punishable by death. This of course was prior to the creation of the christian bible. The church wanted people to believe what they were told by the priests, and not question.

[SolaceinIslam]

:sl:

Some Islamic scholars quote verses from the Bible in support of some Islamic statements - I was reading about Abraham the other day and the Islamic author used a verse from the Bible to support what he was saying. Therefore, I did not think it would be wrong to own a Bible.

There are no errors in the Quran. The Bible is not in its original form and I have read some of Ahmed Deedat's books pointing out some of the mistakes in the Bible.

:w:

[Hijaabi22]

Has Any1 Heard Of Dr Zakir Naik???? He Pinpointed Every Single Error In The Bible Mashaallah A Very Top Knowledgable Bruo!

[------]

Yep and he also said the the qur'an should be given and arabic and english text together so if there are any errors in the english translation people can always refer back to the arabic :D

[Woodrow]

I can only express my own opinion, if I am wrong, astraghfirullah.

I think first thing to keep in mind is the intent, with which someone is giving you a Bible or why you are getting one. If some one is giving one with any conditions attached to it, then it is wrong to take it. I think some valid reasons for having one are:

Scholastic purposes
As a tool for communicating with Christians
Reaffirmation of the Qur'an
Historical knowledge
Language studies
Understanding people

One of the best tools to use with dialogue with Christians is to be able to honestly tell them that you have a Bible, have read it, and you find that what you read supports your belief that the Qur'an is true. Keep in mind that although the Bible has been altered through various changes, some undeniable truths have been able to remain. To me that fact alone is the work of Allah(swt), to show that what is in the Qur'an is difficult for mankind to argue against.

If understood, A bible can be an excellent tool to show the truth of the Qur'an. If a person knows the Bible, when discussing the Qur'an, it can be best to begin by discussing what you know a Christian already knows is true.

I would also suggest that if any person is inclined to read the Bible for valid reasons, it is best to read several versions and not just one. As that will keep you focused on the fact that it has been changed many times to suit specific ideologies. a suggestion is that as a minimum a person should compare the King James version and a Catholic version. I think a scholar should have The KJV, Latin Vulgate, A Greek Version and an Aramaic one from the Coptic Church. Knowing those shows a very clear flow as to how the language changed throughout the centuries.


Just my opinions.

[Nicola]

I too am surprised that the scholars take this position. It's hard to discount a source if we do not know what lies within the source. This sort of reminds me of the early christian church forbidding people from reading christian articles. Being caught with a written text was sometimes punishable by death. This of course was prior to the creation of the christian bible. The church wanted people to believe what they were told by the priests, and not question.

very good point...also all cults use this tactic today.

[babagrr]

Assallaamu alaykum

I found your question in the cyber-advise forum thingy and also saw that they closed the topic.

Q: Did anyone answer your questions to your satisfaction?

Thanks and have a lovely day further

BabaGrr

[babagrr]

Assallaamu alaykum

For those who do not have enquiring minds, it is ok to hide in a place of safehaven and to reject and ban ownership of the bible and other works, for that matter.

I do have a copy of the bible, talmud, the dead-sea-scrolls and some other books and this did not affect my faith in anyway whatsoever.

Indeed, it only strengthened my resolve.

Those who provided the answers; were they Christian before?
Do they have doubt in the Qur'aan or in their ability to maintain their beliefs?

****
Also, why show your family the errors in the bible when you could show them proof of islam using their own book?

One doesn't need the Qur'aan to show Christians that Islam is the true religion and moreover, one doesn't need to belittle or attack what they believe in for them to see the light of Islam.

****
When I reverted to Islam, I was not allowed to read any non-islamic books.
That included magazines, political reviews or any other work that was not passed by the group of directors of the particular institute where I was studying.

If I wanted to be brain-washed, I would've specifically requested that and it just highlighted their own insecurity regarding their faith.

Enquire, read, question and be free.

[scentsofjannah]

:sl:

i have a bible at home.Someone gave it to my sis.