Dear Friend,

We welcome you warmly to this study of the Biblical faith!

The famous Muslim poet of the thirteenth century AD, Jalalu'l-Din Rumi, told the story of an elephant in a dark room. Some men brought this elephant to Arabia, and the people flocked to see it. Unfortunately the room in which it was kept was so dark that the visitors could only “see” the elephant by touch. One of them touched the elephant's trunk, and was convinced that it looked like a pipe. Another felt the ear, and said it looked like a fan. Others argued that it looked like a wall (the side), a tree trunk (a leg), a rope (the tail), and so on. Each one of them had a small part of the truth, but none knew what an elephant really looked like. This Bible course has been compiled to help Muslims to understand the “elephant” of the Biblical faith, as we find it in its original form in Al-Kitab, or rather, Al-Kutubul-Muqaddas, the “Holy Scriptures,” that is, the Bible. The different Christian denominations may vary in form or tradition, but nearly all still adhere to the basic teaching of the Bible. You may find that the true Biblical message that you will discover in the Bible differs from your own idea of Christianity. This is quite understandable, if your knowledge of the Biblical faith did not have its source in the Bible, or if you consulted random verses in the Bible. As you continue your study, you will realize that the loose living and the obvious godlessness of so much of the Western world is not Christianity, but in fact a rejection of the Biblical teaching. It is good for a Muslim to ask a Christian about God's revelation in the Bible. As Sura 10:94 says,

“If thou wert in doubt as to what We have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading The Book from before thee.”

Of necessity this course cannot provide deep insight or a detailed study of the Bible and its teaching. It will, however, provide a foundation on which your further studies can be built. We hereby invite you to join us in an exploration of the Bible. May you discover why many millions of people experience a new kind of life and great joy through the study of this Book. At the end of each chapter of the course, you will find a “Test Yourself” section to help you grasp the message of that chapter. In the preparation of this study we used the numbering and text of the English translation of the Qur'an by Abdullah Yusuf Ali published by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf of Lahore, Pakinstan. If you are interested in the other Bible study courses available from Biblecor in English and other languages, you should write to Biblecor and ask for the latest catalogue.