Christianity VS Islam
- Mar 4
- 5 min read
In this article we provide some common questions Muslims love to ask Christians, answers for those questions, and follow up questions you can ask your Muslim friends in return to continue the conversation. This article is great for Life Groups or Bible Study groups. Keep in mind though while having a conversation you are not there to win an argument, but to win the person to Jesus. Islam is a very sticky and zealous religion so the conversation must remain respectful but also be bold in your Faith and don't be afraid to ask questions back. God Bless!
SECTION 1: 10 Most Common Muslim Questions to Christians about the Bible (Easy to Hard)
1. Why are there so many different versions/translations of the Bible? We have one pure version of the Quran, but you don’t have one trusted Bible.
2. If the Bible is the word of God, why does it contain human authors, genealogies, and historical accounts instead of being like the Qur’an (pure revelation)?
3. How can you trust the Bible when it was written many years after Jesus by people who never met him (especially the Gospels)? Christians say that Jesus died in 33ad, but Mark is ~70-75AD, Matthew ~75-80AD, Luke ~80-90AD, John ~90-100AD
4. Where did Jesus himself clearly say, “I am God, worship me” in those exact words?
5. Why do you say God is three persons (Trinity) when the word “Trinity” is not in the Bible and the Bible repeatedly says God is One? The trinity teaches that there are 3 gods.
6. How can God have a son? Doesn’t that imply God had sexual relations like the pagan gods?
7. Why does the Bible contain apparent contradictions? (Examples: Judas’ death (Matthew 27:5 & Acts 1:18, Different tomb accounts in all 4 gospels, God repenting Gensis 6:6, Can God be seen? Exodus 33:20 vs Gensis 32:30, Exodus 33:11)
8. Paul vs. Jesus: Why do Christians follow Paul’s teachings (faith alone, no circumcision, eating pork) when Jesus never abolished the Law? So why don’t you Christians follow the law?
9. Hasn’t the Bible been corrupted (tahrif)? We don’t have the original manuscripts anyway. Sure, we have old manuscripts but not the originals.
10. If Jesus is God, why did he pray to himself? John 17, say the Father is greater than I? John 14:28, and say he doesn’t know the Hour? Mark 13:32?
SECTION 2 – Concise Christian Answers to the 10 Questions
1. Why so many different Bibles? Different versions are translations from the original languages, not different Bibles; the core message is identical.
2. Why isn’t the Bible like the Quran a pure revelation? God revealed Himself progressively through real history and human writers, making Scripture both divine and relatable. The Bible was written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit.
3. Gospels written 30–70 years after Jesus, within living memory of eyewitnesses; authors were eyewitnesses or closely connected to them.
4. Where did Jesus say, “I am God, worship me” in those exact words? Jesus claimed divinity repeatedly (“I and the Father are one” John 10:30; “Before Abraham was, I AM” John 8:58; “I am the Frist and the Last” Revelation 1:11)
5. Where is Trinity in the Bible? The word “Trinity” isn’t in the Bible, but the doctrine is (one God in three distinct persons: Father, Son, Spirit). One God – Deuteronomy 6:4, James 2:19, Trinity called God – Father: Isaiah 44:6, Son: Hebrews 1:8, Spirit: 2nd Samuel 23:2-3 & Acts 5:3-4) (All one name Matthew 28:19)
6. How can God have a son? Does that mean sex? “Son of God” means sharing the divine nature, not physical begetting or sex; “only begotten” = unique.
7. Apparent contradictions are resolved with context:• Judas hanged himself, then fell and burst (complementary).• The four Gospels give different details because they are independent eyewitness-based reports (like four witnesses in court focusing on different aspects). They supplement, not contradict, each other. • Anthropomorphic language (applying human characteristic to God, an animal, or object; That book feels lonely. That dog feels happy.) — God expresses grief in human terms, but He does not change His mind or nature (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29).• No one can see God’s full essence and live (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:16). 1. Yet in the Old Testament, people saw visible manifestations of God (theophanies) — e.g., the Angel of the Lord, the burning bush, or the glory on Sinai. 2. Christians believe the ultimate visible appearing of God is Jesus Himself: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).
8. Did Paul hijack Christianity and contradict Jesus? Paul was commissioned by the risen Jesus and confirmed by the apostles; Jesus said the Spirit would guide them into further truth (John 16:13).
9. Hasn’t the Bible been corrupted? Over 5,800 Greek NT manuscripts; variants are minor and no doctrine is affected. Qur’anic claim of corruption lacks evidence.
10. If Jesus is God why does he pray and say the Father is greater than I and he doesn’t know the time or hour? Jesus is fully God and fully man. In His humanity He prayed and limited knowledge; “Father greater than I” refers to role, not essence. Father, Son, Spirit are same in essence but 3 distinct persons.
SECTION 3: Christian Follow Up / Counter Questions Same Logic Applied
1. You criticize multiple Bible translations—yet the Qur’an has multiple Arabic qirā’āt (Hafs, Warsh, etc.) with wording differences (Surah 2:184 singular vs plural in the word for people & Surah 37:12 Who Marvels? Allah or Muhammad? Hafs and Warsh Translations say different things. Why is textual variation acceptable for the Qur’an but not the Bible?
2. You object to human authorship—yet Islamic sources say the Qur’an was memorized, compiled, and standardized by human companions. Why is human involvement a problem only for the Bible?
3. You reject late Gospel writing—yet we possess no complete Qur’an manuscripts from Muhammad’s lifetime, and Uthman standardized the text decades later. Why is that delay acceptable?
4. You demand exact words—where does Muhammad explicitly say, word for word, “The Qur’an is uncreated and co eternal with Allah,” a core Sunni belief?
5. You reject the Trinity because the word is not in the Bible—yet the word “tawḥīd” is not found in the Qur’an. Why accept doctrines defined later for Islam but not Christianity?
6. You reject divine sonship as implying sex—yet the Qur’an calls Jesus the Word (Kalimatullah) and Spirit (Rūḥullah) of Allah. If Allah’s Word and Spirit proceed from Him without partners, why is incarnation impossible?
7. You accuse the Bible of contradictions—using the same standard, how do you explain Qur’anic tensions on creation days (7:54 vs 41:9–12), human origins (dust, clay, water, fluid), forgiveness (39:53 vs 4:48), compulsion in religion (2:256 vs 9:29), and abrogation (6:115 vs 2:106)?
8. You accuse Paul of hijacking Christianity—yet Uthman burned variant Qur’ans and imposed one recension. Why trust Islamic authorities to preserve revelation but not Christian ones?
9. You claim Bible corruption—yet the Qur’an says Allah’s words cannot be changed (6:115) and tells Christians to judge by the Gospel they had (5:47). When exactly was corruption supposed to occur?
10. You question Jesus praying—yet Qur’an 33:56 says Allah performs ṣalāh upon Muhammad. If prayer implies inferiority, who is Allah praying to?
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