the long war against God

the Torah and the Gospel, the earlier revelations from God, have lost their original authenticity, since the words and interpolations of man have been incorporated into them. this is one of the reasons for which the Qur'an was sent. that the holy books preceded the Qur'an were distorted by man is related by God as follows:

Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say "This is from God" to sell it for a paltry price. Woe to them for what their hands have written! Woe to them for what they earn! [QS al-Baqara 79]

Among them is a group who distort the Book with their tongues so that you think it is from the Book when it is not from the Book. They say, "It is from God," but it is not from God. They tell a lie against God and they know it. [QS al 'Imran 78]

distortion of the Torah and the New Testament led proliferation of false beliefs among their adherents. these holy books include beliefs and ideas that derive from outside of God's true religion. this manifests itself in the distortion of the true revelation, and the depiction of God as a being with weaknesses and imperfections peculiar to human beings. (truly, God is above what they ascribe to Him)

in the corrupted Torah, for instance, a story has been fabricated in which God is depicted as a being who was defeated in wrestling bout with the Prophet Jacob (as). similarly, in another tale, it is claimed that having created the world in six days, God became weary and rested on the seventh day. however, God, being exalted far above any imperfections, cannot become weary or in need of rest. this is related in the Qur'an as follows:

We created the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, in six days and We were not affected by fatigue. [QS Qaf 38]

this reveals that the adherents of these books have swerved from the straight path, and have not had an accurate understanding of God and His attributes.

the Qur'an, on the other hand, is under God's protection, and is the only book revealed by God to have survived intact. the Qur'an is the book of Islam, the only true religion:

It is We Who have sent down the Reminder and We Who will preserve it. [QS al-Hijr 9]

If anyone desires anything other than Islam as a religion, it will not be accepted from him, and in the hereafter he will be among the losers. [QS al 'Imran 85]

the Qur'an refers to the erroneous beliefs adopted by Christians and Jews, and makes known the correct belief. for instance, their saying, "God has a son (Jesus)," which is one of the tenets of Christianity, is said to be merely an irrational belief and a lie said against God:

People of the Book! Do not go to excess in your religion. Say nothing but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God and His Word, which He cast into Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers. Do not say, "Three." It is better that you stop. God is only One God. He is too Glorious to have a son! Everything in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him. God suffices as a Guardian. [QS an-Nisa' 171]

Christian belief maintains that God created the universe and then left it to its own. yet, God commands Will over the universe at every single moment; it is constantly within His control. nothing can happen without His Will and control:

God, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and the earth and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. [QS al-Baqara 255]

to counter these false notions, and many others not mentioned here, God gives His sublime attributes for us in the Qur'an. this is in order to, not only answer these erroneous claims, but also to guide those guilty of them to the true religion of God.

everyone must acknowledge that God is One, and that nothing is comparable to Him; He is free of any weaknesses. He encompasses everything, He exercises His command over creation at every moment, He is near to man, He has the power to do anything, He is the Most Merciful, He is the Just, He is the King of the Day of Judgement, He sees and hears everything, and is the most sublime in attributes.