Bible as Witness

I enjoy reading a certain blog, which is warm, thoughtful, and intelligent in its offering of Islam and seeking of mutual understanding between Islam and Christianity.

It is human nature to try to understand each other's faith, and defend one's own, by looking for inconsistencies and error. In the course of reading a very kind entry on this subject, I realized that Muslims probably do not understand the cultural context of Christianity, in that the Gospels and Epistles are the "giving of witness" and not a holy book that is dictated by God word for word. The giving of witness is one of the first things that God taught humans, documented in the Bible, and that Allah taught humans, documented in the Qur'an. In the Qur'an the Prophet (peace be upon him) wrote one document from one inspirational source. The Bible, both Old and New Testament, by contrast, is a collection of witness, where the witness of its truth is the Holy Spirit (see the Romans quotation by St. Paul for further explanation.) So long as the Gospels adhered to the guidelines for the giving of witness as outlined by God to Moses (See Genesis and Deuteronomy) there is no error in the substance of the Gospels. See my example how the witness is important, and not the number of stones.

http://change2islam.blogspot.com/

Dear slave of Allah. May peace be upon you. Some time ago you addressed this blog entry to a Sir, a gentleman. Since one has not replied I hope that you accept this reply from a Christian Lady.The Bible is witness by many people. I have researched witness in both the Bible and the Qur'an and find that the format of witness given by the Bible is entirely consistent with the instructions of those who were informed by God, Allah. Here is how witness is to be given in testimony:

This is the first mention of giving of witness in the Bible, where it is an attestation of an event through the testimony of men, in the presence of a council.

Genesis 23:10-20
Now Ephron was present with the Hittites. So Ephron the Hittite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites who sat on his town council: “Please, sir, listen to me! I give you both the field and the cave in it; in the presence of my kinsmen I make this gift. Bury your dead!” But Abraham, after bowing low before the local citizens, addressed Ephron in the hearing of these men: “Ah, if only you would please listen to me! I will pay you the price of the field. Accept it from me, that I may bury my dead there.” Ephron replied to Abraham, “Please, sir, listen to me! A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver-what is that between you and me, as long as you can bury your dead?” Abraham accepted Ephron’s terms; he weighed out to him the silver that Ephron had stipulated in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver at the current market value.Thus Ephron’s field in Machpelah, facing Mamre, together with its cave and all the trees anywhere within its limits, was conveyed to Abraham by purchase in the presence of all the Hittites who sat on Ephron’s town council. After this transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field of Machpelah, facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Thus the field with its cave was transferred from the Hittites to Abraham as a burial place.

The second mention of witness in the Bible is the placement of stones as a token of witness.

Genesis 32:45-54
Then Jacob took a stone and set it up as a memorial stone. Jacob said to his kinsmen, “Gather some stones.” So they got some stones and made a mound; and they had a meal there at the mound. Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed. “This mound,” said Laban “shall be a witness from now on between you and me.” That is why it was named Galeed-and also Mizpah, for he said: “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters, or take other wives besides my daughters, remember that even though no one else is about, God will be the witness between you and me.”Laban said further to Jacob: “Here is this mound, and here is the memorial stone that I have set up between you and me. This mound shall be witness, and this memorial stone shall be witness, that, with hostile intent, neither may I pass beyond this mound into your territory nor may you pass beyond it into mine. May the God of Abraham and the god of Nahor [their ancestral deities] maintain justice between us!” Jacob took the oath by the Awesome One of Isaac. He then offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kinsmen to share in the meal. When they had eaten, they passed the night on the mountain.

Notice that twice God, the Awesome One, is proclaimed the ultimate witness to these attestations. And if years from that time, if Laban and Jacob were asked how many stones were used to make the mound, and they recalled different numbers, this has no bearing on the perfection of their witness before God.

Deuteronomy 18:6
The testimony of two or three witnesses is required for putting a person to death; no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.This was first mention that while one witness does not suffice for the ultimate penalty of death, witness by two or three is acceptable.

Deuteronomy 24: 1-3
When a man, after marrying a woman and having relations with her, is later displeased with her because he finds in her something indecent, and therefore he writes out a bill of divorce and hands it to her, thus dismissing her from his house: if on leaving his house she goes and becomes the wife of another man, and the second husband too, comes to dislike her and dismisses her from his house by handing her a written bill of divorce…

This is the first mention in the Bible of witness in the form of a written document. Notice that each written document is the witness of the one man.

Romans 8:16
The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.Here St. Paul correctly affirms that the Holy Spirit, sent from God, bears witness. The Apostles of Jesus Christ believed that the Holy Spirit is their witness and so were especially careful in the recording of their witness.

From the Qur'an

Surah 2: 282
O you who believe! When you deal with each other in contracting a debt for a fixed time, then write it down; and let a scribe write it down between you with fairness; and the scribe should not refuse to write as Allah has taught him, so he should write; and let him who owes the debt dictate, and he should be careful of (his duty to) Allah, his Lord, and not diminish anything from it; but if he who owes the debt is unsound in understanding, or weak, or (if) he is not able to dictate himself, let his guardian dictate with fairness; and call in to witness from among your men two witnesses; but if there are not two men, then one man and two women from among those whom you choose to be witnesses, so that if one of the two errs, the second of the two may remind the other; and the witnesses should not refuse when they are summoned; and be not averse to writing it (whether it is) small or large, with the time of its falling due; this is more equitable in the sight of Allah and assures greater accuracy in testimony…Allah teaches you, and Allah knows all things.

Surah 5:106
O you who believe! Call to witness between you when death draws nigh to one of you, at the time of making the will, two just persons from among you, or two others from among others than you, if you are travelling in the land and the calamity of death befalls you; the two (witnesses) you should detain after the prayer; then if you doubt (them), they shall both swear by Allah, (saying): We will not take for it a price, though there be a relative, and we will not hide the testimony of Allah for then certainly we should be among the sinners.

Surah 16:84, 89
And on the day when We will raise up a witness out of every nation, then shall no permission be given to those who disbelieve, nor shall they be made to solicit favor.And on the day when We will raise up in every people a witness against them from among themselves, and bring you as a witness against these-and We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything, and a guidance and mercy and good news for those who submit.

Surah 22:78
And strive hard in (the way of) Allah, (such) a striving as is due to Him; He has chosen you and has not laid upon you any hardship in religion; the faith of your father Ibrahim; He named you Muslims before and in this, that the Apostle may be a bearer of witness to you, and you may be bearers of witness to the people; therefore keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and hold fast by Allah; He is your Guardian; how excellent the Guardian and how excellent the Helper!Surah 24:13Why did they not bring four witnesses of it? But as they have not brought witnesses they are liars before Allah.

Surah 28:75
And We will draw forth from among every nation a witness and say: Bring your proof; then shall they know that the truth is Allah’s, and that which they forged shall depart from them.Surah 39:69And the earth shall beam with the light of its Lord, and the Book shall be laid down, and the prophets and the witnesses shall be brought up, and judgment shall be given between them with justice, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.

Surah 85:3, 7, 9
And the bearer of witness and those against whom the witness is borne.And they were witnesses of what they did with the believers.Whose is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is a Witness’ of all things.

I hope you do not mind that it took me a while to respond, when I saw you did not receive a reply from the Sir addressed. I am careful in my thought and words and tend to reply only after some time, letting others speak first.I hope this helps you to understand the Christian brothers and sisters better by knowing that they are continuing to be consistent with the structures and dictates of giving witness as defined in the Bible and the Qur'an. Hence it is the witness between Laban and Jacob that is important, not the number of stones with which they mark their witness.

God bless.