The Quran: Who Wrote It?

Is the Quran today the same as the original teachings from Muhammad himself?  Of course Sunni Muslims would say yes.  In fact, all Muslims must agree that they are, but, in the Shiite sect of Islam, not all are in full agreement of the source of the final product of the original teachings.  To remove Christian bias, we will look at the historical quotes from Muslims themselves and see how accurate the Quran is.

Did Muhammad Write The Quran?

There are no eyewitnesses anywhere in the Qur’an who said they saw Muhammad talk to an angel, nor did anyone say he met or talked with Allah.  The teachings of Muhammad, came from Muhammad himself, only, verbally.  Muhammad did not know how to read or write.  

“Before this, you did not read any book, nor did you write anything with your hands”. (29:48). Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet (7:157)

So if Muhammad could not read or write, who wrote it? The Qur’an was revealed gradually over a period of 23 years to his followers, who then memorized what he said and in some cases write it down on various formats. It was written on leaves and bone and such.  The majority of the teachings of Muhammad were memorized by his followers.

Muhammad himself did not perfectly memorize all that was revealed to him. 

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ud: … (Muhammad said) I am only a human being and I forget just as you do; so when I forget, remind me … (Sunan Abu Dawud: bk. 3, no. 1015; also Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 1, bk. 8, no. 394) 

So, when the divine revelation was forgotten, they simply replaced the divine revelation with something they felt was better or similar.

We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it … (Qur’an 2:106, Saheed International)

So the importance of his followers to memorize what he taught was very important.

Did Muhammad’s Reciters Perfectly Transmit His Teachings?

The battle of Yamama in 632AD, after Muhammad’s death, made his followers realize the need to write his teachings down.  Over 700 Muslims were killed, over 400 were followers who had his teachings memorized were killed.  What if everyone who only had it memorized were all killed?

Muhammad’s close friend, Salim, who had memorized a great deal of what Muhammad taught, was one of the over 400 reciters killed in the battle of Yamama.

“Abdullah bin ‘Amr mentioned ‘Abdullah bin Masud and said, “I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet saying, ‘Take (learn) the Qur’an from four: ‘Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu’adh and Ubai bin Ka’b.’”(Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 61, Number 521)

Zuhri reports, ‘We have heard that many Qur’an passages were revealed but that those who had memorised them fell in the Yemama fighting. Those passages had not been written down, and following the deaths of those who knew them, were no longer known; nor had Abu Bakr, nor `Umar nor `Uthman as yet collected the texts of the Qur’an.  (John Burton, The Collection of the Qur’an, pp. 126-127, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, Kitab al-Masahif’, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 23:)

Different Versions of The Quran?

Here we already see, as recorded by Muslim sources, that portions of the teachings of Muhammad were lost.  However, during the reign of Abu Bakr, Hafsah (a wife of Muhammad) kept for herself a written copy of Muhammad’s teachings and kept it until 667AD.  In fact, there were others who also had memorized the teachings of Muhammad in different dialects and versions.

“Masruq reported: We used to go to Abdullah Bin Amr and talk to him. Ibn Numair said: One day we made a mention of Abdullah Bin Masud, whereupon he said: you have made mention of a person whom I love more than anything else. I heard Allah’s Messenger as saying: Learn Qur’an from four persons: Ibn Umm Abd (i.e., Abdullah Bin Masud – he started from him – then Muadh bin Jabal and Ubayy bin Kab, then Salim the ally of Ali Hudhaifa. (Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 6024)

“Anas is reported to have said: Four persons collected the Qur’an during the lifetime of Allah’s Messenger and all of them were Ansar: Muadh Bin Jabal, Ubayy Bin Kab, Zaid Bin Thabit, Abu Zaid. Qatada said: Anas, who was Abu Zaid? He said: He was one of my uncles. (Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 6029)

“Narrated Ibn Mas’ud: I heard a person reciting a (Quranic) verse in a certain way, and I had heard the Prophet reciting the same verse in a different way. So I took him to the Prophet and informed him of that but I noticed the sign of disapproval on his face, and then he said, “Both of you are correct, so don’t differ, for the nations before you differed, so they were destroyed.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 4, bk. 56, no. 682) 

“Concerning the arrangement of the Qur’an in the manuscript of Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan said, “I found in a manuscript of `Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud the surahs of the Qur’an in accordance with the following (different) sequence … These are one hundred and ten surahs.” (Al-Nadim, p. 53)…  One of our reliable friends has informed us, saying that the composition of the surahs according to the reading of Ubayy ibn Ka’b is in a village called Qariyat al-Ansar, two parasangs from al-Basrah, where in his home Muhammad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Ansari showed us a Qur’anic manuscript, saying, “This is the copy of Ubayy which we have, handed down from our fathers.” I looked into it and ascertained the headings of the surahs, the endings of the revelations, and the numbers of verses. … one hundred and sixteen surahs. (Al-Nadim, pp. 58-61)

The witness accounts to differing renderings between Masud’s version and Ubayy’s version.  Both of them were reciters of Muhammad.  A discovery of the early San’a 1 (Standford 07) manuscript proves there were different versions of the Quran outside of Ziad’s version.  

Due to the loss of a great deal of followers who only had Muhammad’s teachings memorized, Abu Bakr appointed Zaid ibn Thabit to compile all remaining Muhammad teachings.  Aside from potentially losing the teachings of Muhammad, there was a growing issue of differences between the different reciters of the teachings; this was also causing confusion and conflict.

“Hudaifa b. al Yeman came to `Uthman direct from the Aderbaijan and Armenian frontier where, uniting the forces from Iraq and those from Syria, he had had an opportunity to observe regional differences over the Qur’an. “Commander of the faithful,” he advised, “take this umma in hand before they differ about the Book like Christians and Jews.” `Uthman sent asking Hafsa to lend him the sheets [inherited by her father, `Umar, from Abu Bakr, and now in her possession] “so that we can copy them into other volumes and then return them.” She sent her suhuf to `Uthman who summon Zaid, Sa`id b. al `As, `Abdul Rahman b. al Harith b. Hisham and `Abdullah b. al Zubair and commanded them to copy the sheets into several volumes. Addressing the group from Quraish, he added, “Wherever you differ from Zaid, write the word in the dialect of Quraish for it was revealed in that tongue.“… When they had copied the sheets, `Uthman sent a copy to each of the main centers of the empire with the command that all other Qur’an materials, whether in single sheet form, or in whole volumes, WERE TO BE BURNED…‘ (Burton, pp. 141-142- citing Ahmad b. `Ali b. Muhammad al `Asqalani, ibn Hajar, “Fath al Bari“, 13 vols, Cairo, 1939/1348, vol. 9, p. 18)

“Ibn Abbas reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: “If there were for the son of Adam a valley full of riches, he would long to possess another one like it, and the son of Adam does not feel satisfied but with dust.” And “Allah returns to him who returns (to him).” Ibn Abbas said: I do not know whether it is from the Qur’an or not; and in the narration transmitted by Zuhair it was said: I do not know whether it is from the Qur’an, and he made no mention of Ibn Abbas. (Sahih Muslim: bk. 5, no. 2285) 

The Official Version, Not Authorized by Muhammad?

The solution?  Create a single source text in one specific approved rendering and dialect (Quraish, the Ziad version) and burn the rest.  But some of those who were closest to Muhammad disagreed with conforming to Ziad’s version.  By this time, Umar took power after Abu Bakr and then Uthman after him.  Hafsah, a wife of Muhammad, refused to give hers so that it would not be burned.  Even Abdullah Bin Masud, a direct follower of Muhammad, disagreed with Ziad’s version.

“Abdullah bin Masud reported that (he said to his companions to conceal their copies of the Qur’an) and further said: He who conceals anything shall have to bring that which he had concealed on the Day of Judgment, and they said: After whose mode of recitation do you command me to recite? I in fact recited before Allah’s Messenger more than seventy chapters of the Qur’an and the companions of Allah’s Messenger know that I have better understanding of the Book of Allah (than they do), and if I were to know that someone had better understanding than I, I would have gone to him. Shaqiq said: I sat in the company of the companions of Muhammad but I did not hear anyone having rejected that (that is, his recitation) or finding fault with it. (Sahih Muslim, Book 031, Number 6022).

This consolidation effort continued because of the continued discrepancies between the different teachings.  Abdullah’s variant readings were attacked by those who were in power.

Narrated Ibrahim: The companions of ‘Abdullah (bin Mas’ud) came to Abu Darda’, (and before they arrived at his home), he looked for them and found them. Then he asked them: “Who among you can recite (Qur’an) as ‘Abdullah recites it?” They replied, “All of us.” He asked, “Who among you knows it by heart?” They pointed at ‘Alqama. Then he asked Alqama. “How did you hear ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud reciting Surat Al-Lail (The Night)?“ Alqama recited:
“By the male and the female.” (Qur’an 92:3)
Abu Darda said, “I testify that I heard the Prophet reciting it likewise, but these people want me to recite it:
“And by Him Who created male and female.” (Qur’an 92:3)
But by Allah, I will not follow them.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: vol. 6, bk. 60, no. 468; also Sahih Muslim: bk. 4, no. 1799-1802) 

‘Yazid b. Ma`awiya was in the mosque in the time of al Walid b. `Uqba, sitting in a group among them was Hudaifa. An official called out, ‘Those who follow the reading of Abu Musa, go to the corner nearest the Kinda door. Those who follow `Abdullah’s reading, go the corner nearest `Abdullah’s house.’ Their reading of Q 2.196 did not agree. One group read, ‘Perform the pilgrimage TO GOD’ The others read it ‘Perform the pilgrimage TO THE KA’BAH.’ Hudaifa became very angry, his eyes reddened and he rose, parting his qamis at the waits, although in the mosque. This was during the reign of `Uthman. Hudaifa exclaimed, ‘Will someone go the Command of the Faithful, or shall I go myself? This is what happened in the previous dispensations.’ He came over and sat down, saying, ‘God sent Muhammad who, with those who went forward, fought those who went back until God gave victory to His religion. God took Muhammad and Islam made strides. To succeed him, God chose Abu Bakr who reigned as long as God chose. God then took him and Islam made rapid strides. God appointed `Umar who sat in the midst of Islam. God then took him also. Islam spread rapidly. God next chose `Uthman. (Burton, p. 143, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 11;)

We were sitting in the mosque and `Abdullah was reciting the Qur’an when Hudaifa came in and said, ‘The reading of ibn Umm `Abd! [ie. `Abdullah] The reading of Abu Musa! By God! if I am spared to reach the Commander of the Faithful, I will recommend THAT HE IMPOSE A SINGLE QUR’AN READING!’ ‘Abdullah became very angry and spoke sharply to Hudaifa who fell silent. (Burton, p. 142, Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 13)

Hudaifa said, ‘The Kufans say, “the text of `Abdullah“; the Basrans say, “the text of Abu Musa“. By God! if I reach the Commander of the faithful, I WILL RECOMMEND THAT HE DROWN THESE READINGS.” (var. Masahif) `Abdullah said, ‘Do and God will drown you, but not in water!’ (Burton, pp. 146-147- citing Abu Bakr `Abdullah b. abi Da’ud, “K. al Masahif”, ed. A. Jeffery, Cairo, 1936/1355, p. 13).

“The Syrians,” we are told, “contended with the `Iraqis, the former following the reading of Ubayy ibn Ka`b, the latter that of `Abd Allah ibn Mas’ud, each accusing the other of unbelief.” (Labib as-Said, The Recited Koran: A History of the First Recorded Version, tr. B. Weis, et al., Princeton, New Jersey: The Darwin Press, 1975, p. 23) 

As the political preasure against Abdullah mounted, eventually, Ziad’s version (Utmanic textual tradition) became the source for the current rendering of the Quran.  But, still remains some issues.

The Incomplete Teachings of Muhammad

When Umar heard people declaring that they knew the entire Qur’an, he said to them: “Let none of you say, ‘I have learned the whole of the Koran,’ for how does he know what the whole of it is, when much of it has disappeared? Let him rather say, ‘I have learned what is extant thereof’” (Abu Ubaid, Kitab Fada’il-al-Qur’an).

Ziad’s versions was also dependent on Abu Musa’s reciting of Muhammad’s teachings but with that came a problem.  He forgot some of what Muhammad taught.

Abu Musa al-Ash’ari sent for the reciters of Basra. They came to him and they were three hundred in number. They recited the Qur’an and he said: You are the best among the inhabitants of Basra, for you are the reciters among them. So continue to recite it. (But bear in mind) that your reciting for a long time may not harden your hearts as were hardened the hearts of those before you. We used to recite a surah which resembled in length and severity to (Surah) Bara’at. I have, however, forgotten it with the exception of this which I remember out of it: “If there were two valleys full of riches, for the son of Adam, he would long for a third valley, and nothing would fill the stomach of the son of Adam but dust.” And we used to recite a surah which resembled one of the surahs of Musabbihat, and I have forgotten it  (Sahih Muslim 2286).

Not just there, but other places where teachings of Muhammad had been forgotten.

We used to recite a surah similar to one of the Musabbihat, and I no longer remember it, but this much I have indeed preserved: ‘O you who truly believe, why do you preach that which you do not practise?’ (and) ‘that is inscribed on your necks as a witness and you will be examined about it on the Day of Resurrection’. (As-Suyuti, Al-Itqan fii Ulum al-Qur’an, Page 526).

Another one of Muhammad’s wives (Aishah) also noticed that some verses were being left out.  Even teachings relating to stoning and breastfeeding were not included in Ziad’s version because, well, one of her written records was eaten by a goat.

A’isha . . . said, “Surat al-Ahzab (33) used to be recited in the time of the Prophet with two hundred verses, but when Uthman wrote out the codices he was unable to procure more of it than there is in it today [i.e. 73 verses].” (Abu Ubaid, Kitab Fada’il-al-Qur’an)

“It was narrated that Aishah said: “The Verse of stoning and of breastfeeding an adult ten times was revealed, and the paper was with me under my pillow. When the Messenger of Allah died, we were preoccupied with his death, and a tame sheep came in and ate it.” (Sunan ibn Majah 1944).

When considering all this, we see that the current version of the Quran is lacking a lot of Muhammad’s teachings.  Of what was consolidated we can only truly conclude that it is the version of Ziad and what he chose to include.  Even in his version, it still lacks all the teachings that were lost when followers of Muhammad were killed or simply forgot what he said.  Those who disagreed with his version were attacked and their versions were eventually burned.  But we don’t need their copies to know that the current version of the Quran is incomplete.  The testimony from those who were close to Muhammad himself prove this.  This leads to more questions regarding the reliability of the Quran.

Perfect Preservation?

How do we know Abdullah’s version is not the actual or more acurate words of Muhammad?  It is historically recorded that his version was different.  If both Abdullah and Ziad were both followers of Muhammad, who decided that Ziad’s version was the true version?  Ziad?  Because he had political backing?  Does politics and power determine truth?  That is actually a minor problem.

The real problem is the claim that the Quran has been perfectly preserved.  This is logically not possible given the historical evidences from Muslim sources.  By their own witness, passages have been lost, forgotten, and cherry picked to create the Quran we have today. The only thing that can be stated is that Ziad’s version has been preserved, but not all the teachings of Muhammad.  In fact, it is not clear that Ziad’s versions is the perfect preservation of Muhammad’s teachings because it differed from Abdullah’s versions of what Muhammad taught.  Not to mention there were other versions that may have also differed that were lost and burned.

The one thing that we can conclude is that Ziad ibn Thabit is the primary source for the modern Quran.

Surah 15:9 boldly declares “Indeed, it is We who sent down the Qur’an and indeed, We will be its guardian.”  But what happens if this declaration fails?  Given the Muslim sources recording the loss of verses and forgotten verses it is proven to not have been completely guarded.  This means the angels and chosen followers of Allah were unable safe guard the preservation of the revelations of Muhammad perfectly.  How then can it be divine and not just the teachings of Ziad ibn Thabit?

A claim that can be made is that Ziad ibn Thabit’s version of the remaining teachings of Muhammad have been perfectly preserved.  This is only true if we leave out the facts of the loss of teachings prior to Ziad’s final product.  But then, who are Muslims really following?  The teachings of Ziad ibn Thabit?  They can’t say the teachings of Muhammad because, as shown above, some of his teachings have been lost AND others differed from Ziad’s version.  So they can not say for sure they are following the teachings of Muhammad.  The claim of a supernatural mathematical system that proves the perfect preservation only validates Ziad ibn Thabit’s version because it is not possible to include the calculations of teachings that were lost, forgotten, and burned.

Jesus and Islam

Jesus is one of the greatest figures in the world.  For Christians, he is the absolute greatest of all, but in Islam, he I just a highly respected prophet to the Jews.  Given the sharp differences in the two understandings of Jesus, both can not be true.  What does Islam and Muslim scholars say about Jesus?
The Quran teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin

He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son. 20 She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?” 21 He said: “So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, ‘that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us’: It is a matter (so) decreed.” (19:19-21, Yusif Ali)

The Quran admits something even deeper:

Hardly a single descendant of Adam is born without Satan touching him at the moment of his birth. A baby who is touched like that gives a cry. The only exceptions are Mary and her son“ [cf. Q 3: 36].

Oddly we see some Catholic/Eastern Orthodox influence in this understanding were as Mary is seen as also sinless but the point is that Jesus is stated as being sinless.

BUT this is the first major difference, Islam believes that Jesus was just another created person, except he was perfect.

The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was. (3:59, Yusif Ali)

According to Islam, Jesus was nothing more than a perfect servant and THE example for Israel.

When (Jesus) the son of Mary is held up as an example, behold, thy people raise a clamour thereat (in ridicule)! 58 And they say, “Are our gods best, or he?” This they set forth to thee, only by way of disputation: yea, they are a contentious people. 59 He was no more than a servant: We granted Our favour to him, and We made him an example to the Children of Israel. (43:57-59, Yusif Ali)

Yet, not only being a created perfect person and servant; he also performed miracles:

We have made some of these messengers to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank; and We gave clear miracles to Isa (Jesus) son of Marium, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so there were some of them who believed and others who denied; and if Allah had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but Allah brings about what He intends. (2:253, Shakir) 

Along with performing miracles, he was given direct revelations from God:

He said: “I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet. (19:30, Yusif Ali) 

Thus, because he was a perfect servant and example performing miracles and having divine revelations; he then is to be obeyed

When Jesus came with Clear Signs, he said: “Now have I come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which ye dispute: therefore fear Allah and obey me. (43:63, Yusif Ali) 

BUT again, this is where sharp differences take form in exactly who Jesus is.  Despite being a perfect servant and example performing miracles and having divine revelations requiring obedience; he is not to be worshiped.

And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah’?” He will say: “Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. (5:116, Yusif Ali)

Two issues stand out.  First, why is the Quran mentioning the worship of Mary too?   We see again where the author of the Quran thinks that is what is being taught.  Well, according to the Catholic Church this is true, but this was not true for all of Christendom.  The idea for the worship of Mary began to develop around the 4th and 5th century with the development of the apocryphal The Book of Mary’s Repose. The Armenian church accepted this idea and then John of Damascus became a proponent of its teachings which had been established in the East by Emperor Maurice around AD 600.  Lets be clear, this is a much LATER created teaching that was not found in the earliest Church fathers.  Here we see the author of the Quran picking up on this new-ish Catholic-Eastern Orthodox doctrine and assuming that is what the Apostles taught; which is untrue.

Secondly, if Jesus was appointed as THE sinless prophet and example and spoke the revelations of God; why would God need to question him about what he taught?   How could there be doubt about the truthfulness and faithfulness of Jesus? 

But it does not end there.  To combat the historic teachings of Jesus, the author(s) of the Quran must then denounce other teachings that they disagree with.  They denounce Jesus being taught that he is the Son of God.

The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! (9:30, Yusif Ali).

Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. 35 It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be”, and it is. (19:34-35, Yusif Ali)

But that was not the only teaching the author(s) of the Quran (misunderstood) disagreed with.  Not only did Christendom teach throughout history that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God but also He was the Triune God. 

O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not “Trinity”: desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. (4:171, Yusif Ali)

Clearly the author(s) of the Quran did not understand the teaching of the Triune God.  The author declares monotheism when he says “Allah is one Allah”. Yes. This is true.  There is only one God.  The Trinity also teaches that there is only one God.  BUT the doctrine of the Trinity declares that Jesus is a person of the one Triune God and all glory belongs to the One Triune God. 

As confusion and misunderstanding continues by Muslims about what Christianity declares, the author(s) seem to draw their understanding of Christian teachings from writings denounced by Christianity.   Despite the historical proofs of non Christian authors in regards to Jesus’ crucifixion, the author(s) of the Quran seem to buy into a later gnostic teaching about Jesus’ death.

That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”;- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not. (4:157,Yusif Ali)

Modern Islamic scholars try to spin this as though this is only a metaphoric teaching in a spiritual sense but when we consider the earliest Islamic teachings we see what is actually meant by this statement in the Quran.

Ibn Abbas said, “Just before Allah raised Jesus to the Heavens, Jesus went to his disciples, who were twelve inside the house. When he arrived, his hair was dripping with water (as if he had just had a bath) and he said, ‘There are those among you who will disbelieve in me twelve times after you had believed in me.’ He then asked, ‘Who among you will volunteer for his appearance to be transformed into mine, and be killed in my place. Whoever volunteers for that, he will be with me (in Paradise).’ One of the youngest ones among them volunteered, but Jesus asked him to sit down. Jesus asked again for a volunteer, and the same young man volunteered and Jesus asked him to sit down again. Then the young man volunteered a third time and Jesus said, ‘You will be that man,’ and the resemblance of Jesus was cast over that man while Jesus ascended to Heaven from a hole in the roof of the house. When the Jews came looking for Jesus, they found that young man and crucified him. Some of Jesus’ followers disbelieved in him twelve times after they had believed in him. — (Al-Nasa’i, Al-Kubra, 6:489)

Ibn Ishaq’s (d. 761) report of a brief accounting of events leading up to the crucifixion, firstly stating that Jesus was replaced by someone named Sergius, while secondly reporting an account of Jesus’ tomb being located at Medina and thirdly citing the places in the Qur’an (3:55; 4:158) that God took Jesus up to himself.

Yet even within Islam, there are disagreement about whether Jesus himself was crucified. Ja’far ibn Mansur al-Yaman (d. 958), Abu Hatim Ahmad ibn Hamdan al-Razi (d. 935), Abu Yaqub al-Sijistani (d. 971), Mu’ayyad fi’l-Din al-Shirazi (d. 1078) and the group Ikhwan al-Safa agree with the historicity of the Crucifixion, reporting Jesus was crucified and not substituted by another man.

Where did this substitution idea come from? We can find this idea expressed in the Gnostic Nag Hammadi documents Apocalypse of Peter (2nd to 3rd century) and The Second Treatise of the Great Seth (3rd Century). The First Council of Nicaea in 325AD rejected these writings as authentic and declared their teachings as heretical. So we see the author(s) of the Quran picking up these unauthentic teachings and adding their own spin to it.

What About The Gospels?

Muslims are told to respect Jesus as a legitimate prophet of God who spoke the words of God. 

And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah. (5:46, Yusif Ali)Then, in their wake, We followed them up with (others of) Our messengers: We sent after them Jesus the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, We did not prescribe for them: (We commanded) only the seeking for the Good Pleasure of Allah; but that they did not foster as they should have done. Yet We bestowed, on those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious transgressors. (57:27, Yusif Ali)

Here we see the author(s) of the Quran agreeing that the Gospel from Jesus is divine.   We are even in agreement that “the monasticism which they invented” is not from God.  The gradual development of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox traditions and all its invented teachings are not from God and not found in the teachings of Jesus.   Thus, Christians and Muslims agree that the teachings of Jesus are from God.

The Quran teaches that they can not deny the Gospels.

”Whatever the people of the Book [Jews and Christians] tell you, you should not attest to, nor deny, but say: ‘We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us.”[Bukhari: 4485] [The Quran: Al-Baqarah 2:136]

In fact, the Quran teaches the The Bible is of God.

“Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and to Al-Asbaat [the Twelve Tribes of Israel], and that which has been given to Moses and Jesus, and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)” [The Quran: Al-Baqarah 2:136]

Narrated ‘Ikrima: Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about their Books while you have Allah’s Book (the Qur’an) which is the most recent of the Books revealed by Allah, and you read it in its pure undistorted form?” (Sahih Bukhari; Volume 9, Book 93, Number 613)

So what happen?  When did the charge of corrupting the words of Jesus happen?  Clearly it did not come from the time of Muhammad or from his followers after him.  Islam was still trying to formulate an official Quran after the death of Muhammad and some of his close reciters.  But once the differences of teachings within Islam were ironed out and the officially recognized version of the Quran was created; then the massive differences between the Bible and Quran became obvious.
Dr. John Wijngaards pointed out: “In the Qur’an Muslims are told to respect the Gospel revealed to Jesus Christ and read by Christians. The Qur’an presupposes that the Gospel possessed by Christians is in fact identical with the original one proclaimed by Jesus. In the first four centuries after Muhammad (600 – 1000 AD) no Muslim theologian seriously contended that the Gospel texts were not authentic. They might accuse Christians of giving a wrong interpretation to the words; they would not dispute the words themselves. As studies of Muslim apologetics have shown it was only with Ibn-Khazem who died at Cordoba in 1064, that the charge of falsification was born.”
The Gospel of John was written only 60 or so years after Jesus lived.  His gospel poses a problem for the core teachings of Jesus in Islam.  The core theme throughout The Gospel of John is the deity of Jesus and Sonship- Son of God.  Not to mention the specific record of the crucifixion of Jesus.  Are these the corruptions?  
Clement of Rome, a disciple of the Apostles, quoted from the gospels as though they were the absolute authority of God spoken by Jesus himself.  He was alive when eye witnesses of Jesus were still alive.  He had no doubt of their authenticity.Quadratus of Athens even knew some who experienced Jesus’ miracles first hand.Irenaeus of Lyons records who exactly wrote the gospels and he was alive during the time of the disciples of the Apostles.  He does not question the authenticity of the gospels.Flavius Josephus, a Jewish non-christian historian, begins writing in the 1st century and he unintentionally validates what is recorded in the gospels as fact and authentic. 
Because Islam supports the early gospels as being from God and there is ZERO early historical proofs of its corruptions, let us now consider what Jesus is recorded saying in John 17:14-19¹⁴ I have given them Your word.
The world hated them
because they are not of the world,
as I am not of the world.
¹⁵ I am not praying
that You take them out of the world
but that You protect them from the evil one.
¹⁶ They are not of the world,
as I am not of the world.
¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth;Your word is truth.
¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world,
I also have sent them into the world.
¹⁹ I sanctify Myself for them,
so they also may be sanctified by the truth.If the gospels are of God and Jesus protected the Apostles from Satan; than the teachings of Jesus from the Apostles are not corrupted.  Word variants may exist, but the teachings remain.  Since Islam agrees that the Gospels are of God; what do the Gospels teach about Jesus?

• Jesus pre-existed before Abraham (John 8:48-59, 17:5) 
• Jesus knew what only God could know (John 6:64, 16:30)
• Jesus said he would raise himself up from the dead (John 2:19)
• Jesus says he is the Son of God (John 1:34, 49, 3:18, 5:19, 6:45-47, 8:55, 10:36, 14:13, 15:15, 16:15, 19:7, 20:31)
• Jesus is Divine (John 1:1,1:4, 8:57-58, 10:30-33)
• The Apostles knew what Jesus taught about himself (John 9:38, 20:28) 
• Jesus himself was on the cross (John 19:26-30)

And these are only quotes from Jesus out of The Gospel of John.  Many more can be found in the other gospels.  

The teachings of Jesus in the Quran are, on the surface, very similar to what is recorded in the gospels.  But where did the disconnect come from?  Two thing:

1.  The author(s) of the Quran failed to actually understand the teachings of Jesus and what was recorded in the gospels.  They could not deny the divine nature of the gospels but had to explain why there was misunderstanding.  They could not understand the sonship and divinity of Jesus; thus instead of agreeing a misunderstanding exists, they believed that it was the gospels that were at fault.
2. The author(s) of the Quran ignorantly listened to early heretical teachings that distorted what the gospels actually taught; believing that these false teachings (corrupted Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions and Gnostic writings) were from the gospels, they then concluded that the gospels were corrupted when in fact it was their sources.

Because the author(s) of the Quran concluded that they did not misunderstand the gospels about Jesus and that it was the gospels that were wrong; they then had to conclude that the gospels were corrupted in order to maintain the divine source of the original gospels.

John Damascene (c. 675 or 676 – 4 December 749)

“… a false prophet named Mohammed has appeared in their midst. This man, after having chanced upon the Old and New Testaments and likewise, it seems, having conversed with an Arian monk, devised his own heresy. Then, having insinuated himself into the good graces of the people by a show of seeming piety, he gave out that a certain book had been sent down to him from heaven. He had set down some ridiculous compositions in this book of his and he gave it to them as an object of veneration.”

Arianism (rejected at the First Council of Constantinople in 381AD) teaches that the Son of God was created, denies the Trinity, and teaches that the Holy Spirit is just a power or force.   Docetism (rejected at the First Council of Nicaea in 325AD) teaches that Jesus only appeared to be physically present on the cross but was not actually.  The same ideas found in the Quran.  The author(s) of the Quran got their understandings from heretical sources and not from the gospels.

The Quran agrees with the gospels on minor details about Jesus but rejects the most important details of his identity.