I’m guessing you’d answer “No” to the question in the subject line. I sure wouldn’t, but when some ding-dong burns a Quran, you can almost bet money someone’s going to die. (And double or nothing says that someone will have had nothing to do with the burning!)
Ever wonder why this is?
The whole answer is more than my brain can apprehend and would certainly take up more than 300 words, so here’s a part of the deal:
Most Muslims think of the Quran differently than most Christians do the Bible. (I say “most” because “Muslims” and “Christians” cover a whole bunch of different kinds of people.)
In an article on Zondervan Academic, Jeremy Bouma shares some of the late Nabeel Qureshi’s thoughts about how we think differently about our holy books.
The Quran Is Viewed as the Eternal Word of Allah
“As Qureshi explains, ‘[The Quran] is the closest thing to God incarnate [within Islam]… Its place in Islamic theology is that of Jesus in Christian theology’”
The Quran Is Understood as God’s Literal Words
“‘Since Muslims believe the Quran is an eternal expression of Allah, they do not think that the Quran was written by men in any sense. It is the very speech of Allah, inscribed on a heavenly tablet, from which it was read by Gabriel and dictated to Muhammad. Muhammad had nothing to do with shaping the text; he only relayed it.’”
The Quran Is the Why of Islam
“Perhaps the most critical difference between the Quran and the Bible, writes Qureshi, is that the Quran is ‘the basis of why Muslims believe in Islam.’ The Quran is Islam’s why in part because of its purported literary excellence, numerous prophecies, scientific knowledge, mathematical marvels, and perfect preservation.”
“‘Unlike the Quran, the primary use of the Bible is to serve as the basis of what Christians believe, not why they believe.’”
For Christians, our why is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. That’s also why we love Muslims and why we hope, pray and work so that they’ll meet him in a real way.
Special Request: A couple of times a year I invite Muslim Connect readers to partner in the cost of producing, sending and growing the email. Muslim Connect is free, but if you’ve found value in it, please consider sending a gift. Simply click here, find the “Staff” drop down and select “Shane Bennett.” Thank you very much.