Muslims have often used verses from the Gospel of Barnabas to challenge Christians. They claim that the Injil is corrupted. They believe that the Gospel of Barnabas is the true Injil.
However, a well-known former Muslim professor at Al-Azhar University, Dr. Abbas Mahmoud Al-Aqqad, encouraged Muslims to distance themselves from it. Many of its teachings contradict the Quran. In his book, Hayatul Masih fit Tarikh was Kusyufil ‘ashril Hadiets, he explained the falsehood of the book of Barnabas. He concluded that it is an attack on both Christianity and Islam.
The Gospel of Barnabas Contradicts the Quran
It made sense to Dr. Al-Aqqad that the Gospel of Barnabas would be false. Many of its teachings contradict the Quran:
1. Muhammad is the Messiah, not Isa Al-Masih
The Gospel of Barnabas says “Mohammad is the Messiah …” (See ch 3, 42, & 82). Yet the Quran clearly states that the Messiah is Isa Al-Masih.
2. There are seven heavens, not nine.
The Gospel of Barnabas says that there are nine heavens (ch 178). However, Qs 2:29 and Qs 17:44 say there are seven heavens. It seems that the writer of the Gospel of Barnabas read Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, which has nine levels in Paradise.
3. One wife or four?
Qs 4:3 says, “Marry another woman of your choice or two or three or four.” This is the opposite of what the Gospel of Barnabas teaches. “Let a man be content with the wife his creator has given him, and let him forget every other woman” (Gospel of Barnabas, ch 115).
The Gospel of Barnabas Contradicts the Injil
The Gospel of Barnabas contradicts the main teachings the Quran, therefore a Muslim shouldn’t consider it true. But it also contradicts the Injil.
The main teaching of the true Injil is that we are sinners and deserve punishment. Our good works and charity aren’t enough to cleanse our sins.
Therefore, we need God Himself to set us free from sin’s bondage and punishment. God’s way is to send Isa Al-Masih to save us from them. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus [Isa Al-Masih] our Lord” (Romans 6:23). We’d like to consider trusting in Isa so you can be saved from sin’s punishment.
[We invite you to visit us at https://www.isaandislam.com/way-of-salvation to learn more about God’s gift of Salvation. God loves you and waits to hear from you. Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6). For a deeper understanding of Isa, we suggest you subscribe to “Isa, Islam, and Al-Fatiha” at this link.]
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