The entire Qur'an (Shakir translation) is available in the column at right.

For a topical index of the Qur'an and Hadiths, this website has a good summary.

Around the late 1980s, I decided to read the Qur'an. I did not want to discuss Islam without first having an understanding of the religion because I honestly had no knowledge, and only knew what other people said about the religion.

Once I began reading it, rather quickly I realized that this is a very different religion with no similarity to Judaism nor Christianity, something apologists have claimed incorrectly.

I had repeated heard that Islam is born of the same source as Judaism and Christianity, but when I read the Qur'an it was quickly apparent such assertions were not true.

When I arrived at the 2nd Sura, verses 105 and 106, I saw what comprises the primary foundation of Islam -- built upon the Jewish Torah, affirming or improving it.

Additionally, I have researched for many years, and while some sites are obviously attempting to make people think Islam is not really any different or more violent than Judaism or Christianity, other sites are viciously anti-Islamic to the point of misrepresenting the Qur'an by changing the proper translation to make it seem worse than it is.

This is frustrating to me because I believe in "intellectual integrity", so I have actually used multiple translations of the original Qur'an to ensure a proper understanding. The copy of the Qur'an I have included on this website (in the column at right) is a scholarly translation widely used without any of the pro- or anti-Islamic modifications.

The Foundation of Islam
Islam is founded upon the belief that the Jews were traitorous to the original "book" (Torah) given to Moses by angels (Of course, Judeo-Christian belief is that it was given directly by God Himself), and that Christians had perverted the teachings of the prophet Jesus (not the son of God, nor God-incarnate). This is discussed directly in Qur'an, Sura 5.41-50, very clearly damning the Jews and Christians for perverting the original revelations of God. I further discuss this below, but let's first consider "Why a new revelation?"

Why A New Revelation
The religion of Islam was established from an insistence that the descendents of Ham, Ishmael, and Esau (all of whom were cursed in some way, according to the Old Testament Torah) also have a Divine revelation.

The 4,000 years of curse under which these people groups have lived has never been broken. Rather than finding delivery from the valence of their forefathers, the Arab nations have perpetuated their hatred for Israel and embodied that bitterness in calls for the murder of all non-Muslims with an special hatred for Jews and Christians [Qur'an, Sura 5.51].

As for the main tenet of Islam, the key is the claim that the Jews (and later the Christians) have not been faithful to God's purpose (this ignores the promise God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel that they would forever be the chosen of God).

The entire faith of Islam is actually based on the one premise found in these two verses:

    [Sura 2.105] Those who disbelieve from among the followers of the Book do not like,
                        nor do the polytheists, that the good should be sent down to you from
                        your Lord, and Allah chooses especially whom He pleases for His mercy,
                        and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace.
 
    [Sura 2.106] Whatever communications We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We
                        bring one better than it or like it. Do you not know that Allah has power
                        over all things?

This is further reinforced in these verses:

    [Sura 10.37] And this Quran is not such as could be forged by those besides Allah,
                        but it is a verification of that which is before it and a clear explanation
                        of the book, there is no doubt in it, from the Lord of the worlds.

    [Sura 32.23] And certainly We gave the Book to Musa, so be not in doubt concerning
                        the receiving of it, and We made it a guide for the children of Israel.

    [Sura 42.13] He has made plain to you of the religion what He enjoined upon Nuh and
                       that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon
                       Ibrahim and Musa and Isa that keep to obedience and be not divided
                       therein.
                             (In order: Nuh=Noah, Ibrahim=Abraham, Musa=Moses, Isa=Jesus)

There are more including: Suras 4.50 and 5.52 (Have you noticed yet that there is no logical order to the Qur'an? It's like the "angels" had all these things to tell Muhammad, and the result is a purée of religious language where everything is all mixed up and scattered throughout the 114 chapters/Suras in no meaningful chronology or logical arrangement.)

The "book" referred to in the Qur'an is the Torah (first 5 books of the Old Testament representing the law given by God to Moses), and interestingly, in Sura 2.85 the Qur'an actually states that those who only believe in part of the Torah will burn in hell. It says:

"Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? What then is the re ward of such among you as do this but disgrace in the life of this world, and on the day of resurrection they shall be sent back to the most grievous chastisement, and Allah is not at all heedless of what you do."

The "polytheists" include the Christians who believe God has revealed himself in three persons. The "polytheists" also include Hindus and others.

Since Sura 2.106 clearly states that the new revelation will confirm or improve upon the "book" (i.e. Old Testament Torah), an analysis can easily confirm whether this is true.

While my initial inquiry into the teachings of Islam was to simply purchase and read a copy of the Qur'an, over the years I have expanded my inquiry to examine both pro-Islamic and anti-Islamic websites.

I find that often the pro-Islamic sites simply ignore (i.e. do not even address) their own scriptures that do not fit with the narrative they are trying to promote.

While some of the anti-Islamic sites are vitriolic (thus less valuable to me, seeking an intellectual honesty), some are balanced in that they will actually acknowledge commonality as well as diversity in the Qur'an and Hadiths.

For a more thorough introduction to this understanding of the differences between the Qur'an and the Bible, visit here.

Does Islam Live Up To Its Claims?
The table below is a very limited selection of topics and an analysis of the Torah (the law given to Moses) and of the Qur'an to show that Islam does not validate its main premise, because God has confirmed that He NEVER changes (see Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:27; Hebrews 1:12, 13:8).

Here a just a few items that, for me, was conclusive that the Qur'an not live up to its claim (the 2nd Sura, verses 105 and 106). Such inconsistency with stated purpose and actual intent was sufficient for me to dismiss this religion as not acceptable to me.

Conclusion
True prophecy comes to pass just as the inspired messenger foreshadowed. If the prophecy fails, the prophet is rightly counted as false (Deut. 18:22; Jer. 28:1-17). By the same token, if a later prophet contradicts an earlier prophet, both cannot be true. One or the other is false.

The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, does NOT claim to be an independent revelation; rather, it affirms the validity of the Bible, and claims to build upon its teaching. Nevertheless, the Qur'an contradicts the teaching of the Bible. Therefore, based upon this internal contradiction, the rules of reason and revelation affirm that the Qur'an cannot be true (Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Pet. 3:14-18).

Further, Jesus is an acknowledged "prophet" in the Qur'an. Yet Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 that the Torah would not pass until the end of time. The Apostle Paul also said in Galatians 1:8 "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!" Since the Qur'an reverses many things in the Torah and was delivered to Muhammad by "angels", the natural conclusion is that "cursed angels" are the source of the Qur'anic revelation. This is no surprise, for Paul also says that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).

For a brief curriculum, click here. This curriculum is designed to introduce students to the religion of Islam in a manner consistent with the "more noble" principle of the Bereans.

Jews and Christians are Apostate, So States the Qur'an, Thus Never Have Friendship with Them
You see, the "angels" that delivered the Qur'an to Muhammad clearly state that the Jews and Christians are apostate, failing to live up to the original revelations given in the times before Muhammad [Qur'an, Sura 5.41-50] and because of that Allah has given the clear revelation to Muhammad. Further, the "angels" immediately follow that with an instruction to Muhammad that if a Muslim actually becomes friends with Jews or Christians, they are damned to Hell for all eternity [Qur'an, Sura 5.51 and Sura 4.144-146].

In my research, I have come across one particular site that I believe is a genuinely honest appraisal of the teachings of the Qur'an and Hadiths. It also has detailed documentation of terrorism since 9/11/2001. The Qur'anic texts quoted are correct without the misrepresentations that some sites who are rabidly anti-Islamic include. For terrorist tracking and an honest and deep look into Islam and the "prophet", visit The Religion of Peace website.

Understanding the "Valences" Descended from the Table of Nations

All nations of the Earth find their origin as recorded in Genesis 10 and all people of the Earth derive from Noah. This is an historical fact, regardless of religious affiliation, or atheism. The table of nations and the genealogy of nations leading to God's covenant with Abraham contains the key to understanding both our current drama of the 21st century, and also to the bitterness experienced among the various "races" of mankind.

It is a matter of history that the Earth has been populated from the descendents of Noah and his sons' children as they dispersed across the Earth. Japheth and his children populated the northern territories, both east and west. Shem and his children populated the middle eastern areas. Ham and his children migrated into the lands that are now Israel and also into the African continent.

The curse of Ham's son (Canaan) for his father's ridicule of Noah, the chosen of God to provide deliverance for mankind from the flood, has never been overcome. In fact, the curse of Canaan is sometimes viewed by religious historians as a curse against the entire family of Ham. (His sons are Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan, representing the peoples of Ethiopia/Sudan, Egypt, Libya, and Palestine respectively giving rise to the populations of the dark skinned races.)

Also, many years later, the curses of both Ishmael and Esau have always plagued the majority of those who populate the Palestinian, Persian, Arabian, and Egyptian areas. Thus through Ham, and select descendants of Shem, came all the curses that plague the various races of humanity who demonstrate such anger and hatred in the world today.

These facts remain today to be troubling realities for the descendents of Noah's sons. Either consciously or unconsciously, the hostility demonstrated by these descendents toward those who have been "blessed" is inherent in their world view. In acknowledging this historical reality, a bitter denial is anticipated, yet the facts remain. The error of those thus embittered is in the incorporation of the curses into their own present time experience. This means that those thus embittered are living in the "valence" of a distant ancestor.

VALENCE means "the capacity of one person or thing to react with or affect another in some special way, as by attraction or the facilitation of a function or activity", and "The degree of attraction or aversion that an individual feels toward a specific object or event".

Valences determine the functioning rules of one's universe. Think of this as being influenced by an ancestor's reality such that it fashions one's view of the world and one's position within that world, and also such that its unstated presence governs events in one's life and one's reactions to those events.

Because these curses are historical fact and their utterance became universal truths, many individuals today live in that ancient valence. They are angry and they deny the true source. As a result, their anger and hatred are passed from one generation to the next, and may even have demonstrated their permanence as self-fulfilled prophecies--such as occurred through slavery or as in defiance of history by demanding a different Divine revelation.

The correct solution is to recognize and rise above the valence of historical record such that each individual can be freed from multi-generational servitude to that valence. The curses are thousands of years past, yet they persist to each new generation only because the descendents of those who were cursed have never broken the cycle of bondage.

Examine what groups are angry and consider who carries immutable "chips on their shoulders". When any such group is identified, then trace their lineage to the table of nations and you will find the original curse that plagues the progeny. This endeavor reveals the true source of the collective pain perpetuated within the identified group, and more importantly, correctly identifies the first elemental valence (perhaps the first of many) in which they live.

With that certain knowledge, true freedom awaits their grasp.