There is a common held conviction among Muslims that the Bible has become corrupted. They believe that the Bible has been changed. Almost every Christian-Muslim dialogue begins with the Muslim allegation of Bible corruption. Because of this erroneous belief, Muslims are taught to reject the Holy Bible as the Word of God. Unless this misconception is cleared at the very beginning, a meaningful dialogue with Muslims will not be possible.
The objective of this work is to demonstrate that the accusations raised against the Holy Bible by Muslims are not only false but also meaningless in light of what the Qur’an, the true authority in Islam, actually teaches about the Holy Bible. We will use the Qur’an – Islam’s own sacred book – to prove the integrity of the Bible. This article is essential for all who desire to engage in the preaching of the Gospel to the Muslims. However, it is also equally essential for the individual Muslim who sincerely aspires to know what his own sacred book reveals about the Bible.
Of course, Christians do not need the Qur’an to establish the credibility of the Bible. However, since Muslims believe in the Qur’an, it is used here exclusively for the purpose of proving to Muslims that their own sacred book confirms the integrity of the Holy Bible. The Bible teaches Christians to be always ready to make a defense, so we will use this article to do just that.
1 Peter 3:15: “Always be ready to make a defense before everyone that demands of you a reason for the hope in you.”
Christians know for sure that it is not Allah, the deity worshipped by Muslims who inspired the writings of the Holy Bible. The true source who both inspired the writings of the Holy Bible and revealed it to mankind is none other than Jehovah God. However, in order to explain to Muslims what the Qur’an teaches about the integrity of the Bible, we have to go along – at least for the duration of this article – with the Qur’an’s claim that the Bible was sent to mankind by Allah.
The Qur’an states that the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel were all revealed by Allah. In other words, they are the Words of Allah.
THE REFERENCE OF THE TORAH IN THE QUR’AN
The Arabic word for Torah is Taurat or Tawrat:
Surah 5:44: “Lo! We did reveal the Torah, wherein is guidance and a light.” (Pickthall)
“Surely We revealed the Taurat in which was guidance and light.” (Shakir)
THE REFERENCE OF THE PSALMS IN THE QUR’AN
The Arabic word for Psalms is Zabur or Zaboor:
Surah 4:163: “We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.” (Yusuf Ali)
“…and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zaboor (Psalms).” (Hilali-Khan)
THE REFERENCE OF THE GOSPEL IN THE QUR’AN
The Arabic word for Gospel is Injil or Injeel:
Surah 3:2-4: “Allah! There is no god but He…It is He Who sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind.” (Yusuf Ali)
Surah 5:46: “And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah – a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil).” (Pickthall)
“And We sent after them in their footsteps Isa, son of Marium, verifying what was before him of the Taurat and We gave him the Injeel in which was guidance and light.” (Shakir)
All these Qur’anic verses explicitly acknowledge that the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are the “Words of Allah.” And the Qur’an adds that they contain “guidance and light” for “mankind.” Thus, Allah himself testifies in the Qur’an that there is guidance and light in the Torah and the Gospel. A careful consideration of Allah’s purpose in sending the Torah and the Gospel to mankind can help us discern why it is both vital and absolutely necessary for the integrity of these Scriptures to be kept intact and maintained as such for all eternity.
Since Allah sent the Torah and the Gospel as “guidance and light for mankind,” would it make sense to believe that he would allow his guidance and light to become corrupted? To do so would result in the opposite of his intended purpose for the Torah and the Gospel. It would now lead people into spiritual darkness. For Allah to send the Torah and the Gospel with the command to obey them but then to later permit them to become a false guide through corruption would result in his leading astray untold millions of sincere believers. This is especially true when the command to obey the Torah and the Gospel can still be found in the Qur’an today.
Before we proceed on in our discussion, it is important to familiarize ourselves with a couple of terms that are used in the Qur’an. One: The Qur’an uses the term “People of the Book” to describe the Jews and Christians. Two: The Qur’an uses the Arabic term Al-Kitab for the Bible. According to the Arabic–English Dictionary, the term Al-Kitab is translated as follows: (1) Bible (2) Holy Writ (3) Holy Scripture (4) Scripture (5) Book.
The Arabic term, Al-Kitab is translated as the following in the various English translations of the Qur’an: Bible, Scripture(s), Revelation(s) and Book(s).
In our compilation of this article, we extracted many essential verses from the Qur’an. Not only do these Qur’anic verses support the integrity of the Bible but they also prove why the Bible will always remain as the unchanged Word of God. All these essential verses from the Qur’an along with appropriate commentaries are reproduced here in this article. And we have enumerated these supporting Qur’anic verses as Testimonies. Let us now begin our discussion by considering the numerous Testimonies of the Qur’an that prove why the Bible has not been changed, will not be changed and cannot be changed in the course of time.
TESTIMONY NUMBER ONE
Muslims claim that the Torah and the Gospel in our present Bible have become corrupted. Let us see what Allah himself testifies in the Qur’an:
Surah 10:64: “No change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.” (Yusuf Ali)
None can change the Words of Allah. This is indeed the Supreme Triumph. (Pickthall)
The above Qur’anic verse clearly states that there can be no changing to the “Words of Allah.” As shown at the beginning of this article, the Qur’an itself testifies that the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are the “Words of Allah.” As such, Allah guarantees that they cannot be changed. From the very beginning of its compilation, the contents of the Bible consist of nothing else but the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel. Since the Qur’an testifies that these Scriptures are the very “Words of Allah,” then there can be no changing to the Bible. If it does, then the Qur’an is wrong.
“None can change the Words of Allah” says the Qur’an. In total violation to the teachings of their own sacred book, Muslim apologists claim that the Jews and the Christians corrupted their Scriptures. Two very important points are taught in the Qur’an. One: The Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are the “Words of Allah.” Two: “None can change the Words of Allah.” Whether Muslims agree or not, they are now compelled to make a choice here. They must now choose between believing the lies propagated by Muslim apologist who claim that simple humans corrupted the incorruptible “Words of Allah” and believing Allah’s clear testimony in the Qur’an which states that the Holy Bible cannot be corrupted.
If the claim that the Jews and the Christians altered the Bible is true, then they must surely be more powerful than Allah. Not only would this prove Allah’s defeat at the hands of weak humans but it also proves that the Qur’an’s testimony to the authenticity of the Torah and the Gospel is false. To believe in the corruption of the Bible is the same as rejecting the teachings of the Qur’an. Surely, God has the power to preserve his Word.
It would therefore require a denial of the Qur’an itself to believe that the Bible has been changed through corruption. If the claim of corruption is true, then the promises of Allah in the Qur’an to preserve his Word become a lie. This not only makes Allah a liar but it would also make the Qur’an false.
Knowing that their position is impossible to defend, Muslims conjure up another lie. They try to wriggle out of this difficulty by claiming that it is not the original Torah and Gospel revealed by Allah that has become corrupted but only the Torah and the Gospel in the Bible. How can this be true when the only existing Torah and Gospel at the time when Allah authenticated these Scriptures in the Qur’an are the very ones that were already existing in the Bible? A simple comparison of our Bible with the Bibles that existed during the time of Muhammad shows that nothing has changed. It is for this reason Allah could say:
Surah 5:66: If they had observed the Torah and the Gospel and what was revealed to them from their Lord, they would surely have been nourished from above and from below. (Wahiduddin Khan)
And this command of Allah can still be found in the Qur’an. Can you imagine the length that Muslims are willing to go to maintain the lie that only the Torah and the Gospel in our present Bible have become corrupted? This claim by Muslims is a preposterous lie. This can be seen by the fact that whenever Muslims say that the coming of Muhammad is prophesied in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, the only Torah and the only Gospel they quote to support their claim is from the Torah and the Gospel which are recorded in our present Bible. Will they be quoting the Torah and the Gospel from our present Bible to authenticate Muhammad’s prophethood if they had any reason to believe that these are not the Torah and the Gospel that were originally revealed by Allah? If Muslims are sincere in their belief that the Torah and the Gospel in our present Bible are different from the originals, why do they still quote from these Scriptures to support their claim that the coming of Muhammad is prophesied in the Bible? Are not Muslims then guilty of validating Muhammad’s prophethood on the basis of Scriptures that have become false through corruption?
Apart from the Bible, Muslims cannot produce a single copy of the supposedly original Torah and Gospel to back their claim. So where are these Scriptures? After all, if the Scriptures of Allah are not even supposed to suffer a minuscule change in them, can they truly become lost completely? Will Allah’s claim to preserve his Scriptures make any sense if at the same instance these Scriptures are permitted to become lost? What good is Allah’s preservation of his Scriptures if they are not preserved from becoming lost? Surely, preservation from corruption would make no sense if it does not include preservation from loss. So where are the original uncorrupted Torah and Gospel?
While not having a single copy of the alleged original Torah and Gospel and at the same instance claiming that the Torah and the Gospel in the Bible have become corrupted, Muslims are forced to accept the following blasphemous conclusion. They have to admit that these two essential Scriptures of Allah have either become lost or they have become corrupted. Thus, by denying the Torah and the Gospel in our present Bible, Muslims themselves are guilty of proclaiming that the Qur’an is not the Word of God. The Qur’an’s clear testimony that the “Words of Allah” cannot become lost or corrupted is now shown to be false by Muslims themselves.
The dilemma for Muslims is that even if we were to accept that the original Torah and Gospel are not the ones recorded in the Bible, then the fact that these originals are now lost proves that the Qur’an is false since it assures us that the “Words of Allah” will be preserved forever.
However, the truth is that besides the Torah and the Gospel which are preserved in the Bible, no such authentic Torah or Gospel as claimed by Muslims exists. Otherwise, Muslims would be quoting from these so called originals to support their claim that Muhammad is prophesied in the Scriptures of the Jew and Christians. That is why the only Torah and Gospel which Muslims refer to are the ones recorded in the Bible. These are the originals. Islam falls apart if Muslims are unwilling to accept this simple fact since the only alternative left for them is to accept the indisputable conclusion that Allah lied in the Qur’an. He lied that he will preserve his Word.
Interestingly, Muslims are willing to accept certain parts of the Bible as authentic. They are willing to accept as authentic parts of the Torah and the Gospel which they believe prophesies about the coming of Muhammad. The fact that Muslims are willing to accept certain parts of the Torah and the Gospel in the Bible as the authentic “Words of Allah” while rejecting the rest as corrupted is an undeniable proof of their admission that parts of the “Words of Allah” have become corrupted. At the same instance, it is also an admission that the only available Torah and the Gospel are the ones found in our present Bible. This reveals that their claim of corruption is actually directed to the original “Words of Allah.” So no matter how hard they attempt to cover their lies, they still end up denying Allah and the Qur’an.
Therefore, in reality Muslims are actually accusing the original “Words of Allah” of becoming corrupted. This is blasphemy. Can the “Words of Allah” become corrupted? “No” says the Qur’an while Muslims say, “Yes.” This means that each time Muslims charge the Torah and the Gospel in the Bible with corruption, they are also at the same instant claiming the Qur’an to be false.
But, why are Muslims so adamant in promoting the idea that our Bible has become corrupted. Why do they resort to such dishonesty even though the Qur’an confirms the integrity of the Bible? In fact, many verses of the Qur’an testify to the authenticity and integrity of the Scriptures of the Jews and the Christians. As such, the Bible has to be perfect at the time of the Qur’an’s revelation. Since the Qur’an testifies that God’s Word cannot be altered or corrupted, it rules out any possibility of the Bible ever becoming corrupted at a later point in time. The reason for such insistence on the claim of Bible corruption is because when later generation of Muslims ventured into neighboring Christian lands, they found that the teachings of the Bible were contrary to the version that Muhammad had taught them.
Well there can be only two possible responses to this discovery. Muslims had to either accept that their Prophet had erred in his teachings or to believe on the presupposition that the Bible itself had been changed. Regrettably, they chose the latter course. Therefore, Muslims base their belief on a presupposition and then seek “evidences” to justify it. Thus, before a Muslim even picks up a Bible, he is led to believe it is no longer the Word of God. Sadly for Muslims, they have to insist that the Bible was changed, otherwise they cannot remain a Muslim!
A sincere study of the evidences proves that the Muslim’s assumption of Bible corruption is based purely on conjecture. When these evidences are honestly and objectively examined, the only conclusion that can be reached is that the Bible which we have in our possession today is the same as it was originally revealed by God. Yes! The Bible that we have today is the authentic uncorrupted Word of God.
We will now consider further evidences in the Qur’an that confirm the integrity of the Bible. In the later part of this article, we will also provide evidences that exist for the Bible’s textual history in the oldest manuscripts that are available to us to prove just how strong the verifications are in favor for the authenticity of the Bible.
TESTIMONY NUMBER TWO
The following Qur’anic verse gives further proof that God’s Word cannot be changed.
Surah 6:115: “Perfected is the Word of thy Lord in truth and justice. There is naught that can change His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower.” (Pickthall)
Perfect are the words of thy Lord in truthfulness and justice; no man can change His words; He is the All-hearing, the All-knowing. (Arberry)
Muslims who claim that the Bible has become corrupted must also be willing to accept that the above Qur’anic verse is false to its claim. This Qur’anic verse states very plainly, without any clause or qualification, that none can change the “Word of thy Lord.” In other words, under no circumstance can anyone or anything change the Scriptures of Allah. And this means that it will remain unchanged for all eternity. Therefore, should the Bible become corrupted at any time – past, present and future – then the statement of Allah in the above Qur’anic verse becomes false at the same instant.
The Qur’an also states very clearly that Allah is “All-hearing” and “All-knowing.” This indicates he is listening and he knows and he is watching over his Word. So who changed the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel without the knowledge of Allah? Therefore, either the Qur’an is right and Allah’s Word cannot be changed, or the Qur’an is wrong and the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel have been changed. It cannot be both ways.
This is not just an issue about the integrity of the Bible but also an issue that is integral to the integrity of Allah himself. If Allah is powerless to protect the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel which the Qur’an unquestionably acknowledges as the inspired Words of Allah, how can Muslims then trust him with their eternal salvation? Salvation is very much dependent on the integrity of the Scriptures. Without the integrity of the Scriptures, there can be no salvation. Muslims say that Allah is Great (Akbar) and Powerful (Al Qawie) and yet at the same instant they believe that he is unable to protect his Holy Word from distortion by defiant humans. It is utterly evil for someone to believe that an all-powerful God would allow his Holy Word to become corrupted at the hands of weak human beings.
Some Muslims claim that the above Qur’anic verse applies only to the preservation of the Qur’an. To make such a claim is to distort the meaning of this Qur’anic verse. If Allah’s intention is only to preserve the Qur’an, he would have stated emphatically: “No one can change the Qur’an.” But the Qur’an does not say that. The above Qur’anic verse states very clearly in Arabic that it is the “Kalimah of thy Lord” (Word of thy Lord) that will remain unchanged. This means every Word of Allah.
And the Qur’an itself testifies that the Bible (Al-Kitab) which consists of the Torah, Psalms and the Gospel is the divine “Word of thy Lord.” Therefore, when Allah says “nothing can change his words,” it means not a single word in any of the Scriptures of Allah. To say Allah’s words were changed in the Bible but not in the Qur’an would make the above Qur’anic verse a preposterous lie because it shows that, at least, some of Allah’s words can be changed. This would mean Allah lied in the Qur’an. Either that or we could believe that these Muslims who claim the Bible is changed are the ones who are lying. What Muslims fail to understand is that it is either all or nothing.
Additionally, take note of Allah’s declaration in this Qur’anic verse, “Perfected is the Word of thy Lord in truth and justice.” At the time when this Qur’anic verse was revealed, the Qur’an was still in the process of compilation. Would it not be a little premature to testify that the Qur’an is already the “Perfected Word of thy Lord” even before its completion? The Qur’an was very much incomplete when this verse was revealed and it is impossible to see how this verse can be used to prove its exclusive preservation. This is the language of hypothesis and presupposition.
TESTIMONY NUMBER THREE
Time and again the Qur’an testifies that no one can change the Words of God.
Surah 18:27: “And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord; none can change His Words, and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him.” (Yusuf Ali)
“…there is none who can alter His words.” (Shakir)
Once again Allah declares that “none can change or alter his Words.” In their desperation to fault the Bible, some Muslim apologists state that the above verse applies only to the integrity of the Qur’an. The absurdity of such reasoning can be easily exposed.
To illustrate: Assume you purchased an insurance policy that covers the cost of the damages of all your houses in the event of a disaster. And you were guaranteed that all the houses are included in the policy. The policy is signed and documented on paper. Say, in time two of your houses were damaged by fire. However, when you filed your papers to make your claim, you are told by the insurance company that you are mistaken. They now tell you that the policy covers only the third undamaged house. Would you accept this? Would you not use the document that details the terms of the policy to sue the company? Absolutely! And would you not logically conclude that this company is a fraud?
This is exactly the same when Muslims make the absurd claim that Allah’s pledge to protect his Scriptures does not cover the first two Books but only the third. By doing so, they are portraying Allah as a fraud. Well, do we have a written document that states with absolute certainty that Allah will protect all his Scriptures? Yes, we have! We have the Qur’an.
Surah 10:64: The Word of God shall never change. That is the supreme triumph. (W. Khan)
Surah 6:115: No one can change His Words. (S. V. Ahamed)
Surah 18:27: There is none who hath power to change His Words. (Sale)
The above three Qur’anic verses are simple and clear to understand. They clearly state that the “Word of God” cannot be changed by anyone. They do not say that the Qur’an cannot be changed but the “Word of God” cannot be changed. Well, are the Torah and the Gospel acknowledged as the “Word of Allah” in the Qur’an? Most certainly! Are the Torah and the Gospel revealed by Allah? Absolutely! How can these Scriptures then become corrupted? And for the benefit of our Muslim readers, we will provide a further Qur’anic verse to reaffirm this point:
Surah 3:3: “He has verily revealed to you this Book, in truth and confirmation of the Books revealed before, as indeed He had revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” (Ahmed Ali)
In view of the undeniable fact that the Torah and the Gospel are the Words of Allah and since no one can change the Words of Allah, how can Muslims then claim that the promised protection does not include the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians. Are they are not bearing false witness against Allah? Are they are not lying against the Qur’an which says over and over again, “No one can change His Words.”?
The Qur’an not only authenticates the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians as the revealed Words of Allah but it also commands Muslims to believe in them. If Muslims continue to believe that these Scriptures have become corrupted, then they are committing a very serious error of invalidating the promises and commandments of Allah in the Qur’an. They can either believe that Allah failed in his promises to protect his revealed Scriptures or they can believe that the Bible is the preserved Word of God. They cannot have it both ways.
In order to maintain the deceit that the Bible has become corrupted, Muslims blasphemously deny the present Torah and Gospel as the revealed Scriptures of Allah. Of course, Muslims will tell you that they believe in the Torah and Gospel, but in the once uncorrupted Torah and Gospel which they claim existed before. Do Muslims really understand the absurdity of what they are saying? When Allah said, “No one can change His Words,” it means not a single Scripture of Allah can be changed at any time. In other words, from the time they were revealed, the Torah and Gospel are meant to be preserved forever by Allah. As such, there cannot be such a thing as a once existing uncorrupted Torah and Gospel. What Muslims fail to understand is that in order for the Qur’an to be true, the Torah and Gospel have to be available at all times and have to remain uncorrupted for all eternity.
Can Allah’s guarantee to preserve the Torah and Gospel be true if these Scriptures are not available in their original form today? Can the Torah and Gospel truly be the eternal Words of Allah if they have become completely lost? Would it make sense for Allah to promise that the Torah and Gospel will remain eternally untouched by corruption if he at the same instance he allows them to become eternally lost? For the Qur’an to be true, the Torah and Gospel must not only be available today but they must available to us without having become corrupted. That is what Allah guaranteed in the Qur’an. Nothing less than that. Therefore, there cannot be such a thing as a once upon a time uncorrupted Scriptures of Allah. That very statement is a fallacy. Muslims are guilty of blasphemy when they say this.
Now consider another example. Suppose a man who owns three well-built houses tells you that nothing can destroy his houses. Say, in time a storm destroyed two of his houses. Now, would the claim that nothing could destroy his houses be true? It does not matter if it is House No 1 or House No 2, as long as a single house is destroyed, his claim will be utterly false. Is not Allah making exactly the same claim in the Qur’an as this man in the illustration?
Surah 6:115: Nothing can change His Words. (Ali Quli Qara’i)
Therefore, if the Torah and the Gospel are truly destroyed through corruption as Muslims wants us to believe, then the claim of Allah will be equally false like that of the man in this illustration. In fact, it does not matter if it is the Torah or the Gospel, as long as a single Scripture of Allah is corrupted, Allah’s claim will become false. And Muslims are willing to go as far as labeling Allah a fraud by insisting that he only meant to preserve the Qur’an and not the Bible. To say that the Bible has been permitted by Allah to become corrupted is to believe that Allah lied in the Qur’an. Again, this would make the Qur’an false since it states that God’s Word cannot be changed.
During the course of Muhammad’s prophetic career (610 C.E. – 632 C.E.), he received the Qur’an piecemeal over a period of 23 years. This means that the Bible, which was in circulation during that period of time, could not have been corrupted. Otherwise, the Qur’an cannot make the bold claim that “none can change His Words.” The question that Muslims must answer is that since the Qur’an says that the Scriptures of the Bible is from Allah and Allah’s words cannot be changed, how did the Bible become corrupted? Any Muslim who even contemplates to answer this question will find himself calling Allah a liar and the Qur’an a lie. In fact, the Qur’an Allah testifies that not a single word or sentence that comes from Allah can be changed.
Surah 50:29: “The sentence that cometh from Me cannot be changed, and I am in no wise a tyrant unto the slaves.” (Pickthall)
According to this Qur’anic verse, not a sentence of Allah can be changed. Imagine, if not even a sentence of Allah can be changed, can a Book of Allah be changed? And in total violence of the teachings of the Qur’an, Muslims make the absurd claim that the Bible has been changed. They deliberately choose to ignore the true meaning of this Qur’anic verse.
Muslims do not believe the Bible has been changed because they have found evidences to merit such a belief. They believe it has been altered because they have to in order to maintain the conviction that the Qur’an is the Word of God. If the Bible is the unchanged Word of God, then the Qur’an automatically fails because it contradicts the Bible in numerous vital areas. Thus, before a Muslim even picks up a Bible he is led to believe it is no longer an authentic book. The dilemma for Muslims is that they are in trouble when they believe that the Bible has been changed and they are still in trouble when they believe it is not.
TESTIMONY NUMBER FOUR
In the following Qur’anic verse, Allah’s pledge to protect his “Words” from corruption is specifically addressed to the Apostles who came “before” the time of Muhammad. Allah promised the Apostles that “there is none that can alter the Words of Allah.” Here, Allah is giving evidence to the fact that the Scriptures in their possession, which were revealed “before” the time of the Qur’an, cannot be altered.
Surah 6:34: “Rejected were the Apostles before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the Words (and decrees) of Allah. Already hast thou received some account of those Apostles.” (Yusuf Ali)
Messengers before you were also denied but they were steadfast in the face of the denial and injury they suffered until Our help arrived. There is no changing the Words of Allah. And news of other Messengers has come to you. (A. Bewley)
In the above Qur’anic verse, Allah assured the Apostles who lived “before” the time of Muhammad that “there is no changing the Words of Allah.” The Scriptures that were given to the Apostles “before” the time of Muhammad is not the Qur’an but the Holy Bible. When the Qur’an says “none can alter the Words of Allah,” it simply means that nothing, no one, nobody, not a soul can change or alter the Scriptures of Allah. In other words, no one can corrupt the Holy Bible. Now, if at the same instance some Muslim scholars, apologists, imams, muftis or your Muslim neighbors were to tell you that Allah’s earlier Scriptures have been changed, who do you choose to believe? Do you believe the Qur’an is true in its statement that nobody can change the Words of God or do you believe that the Qur’an is false and the Words of God can be changed?
When the Qur’an says “none can alter the Words of Allah,” it means nothing, no one, nobody, not a soul can change or alter the earlier Scriptures of Allah. In other words, no one can corrupt the Holy Bible. Now, if at the same instance some Muslim scholars, apologists, imams, muftis or your Muslim neighbors were to tell you that Allah’s earlier Scriptures have been changed, who do you choose to believe? Do you believe the Qur’an is true in its statement that nobody can change the Words of God or do you believe that the Qur’an is false in its statement that nobody can change the Words of God?
For Muslims to believe that the Bible was corrupted by the Jews or Christians amounts to a very serious denial of the teachings of the Qur’an. A Muslim who denies the teachings of the Qur’an would no longer be qualified as a Muslim. Muslims cannot deny the Bible and continue to remain a Muslim. To attack the Bible is to attack the standing of the Qur’an which validates the authority, authenticity and infinity of the Bible.
According to the Qur’an:
(1) No one can change the Word of Allah.
(2) The Bible, which consists of the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel, is the Word of Allah.
(3) So, no one can change the Bible.
Since the Bible is supposed to be the Word of Allah, it is to be protected and kept pure through all eternity by the power of Allah. This is promise of Allah in the Qur’an. In addition, the Qur’an emphatically states that for Muslims to be assured of their salvation, they must believe in the Scriptures of the Bible:
Surah 2:4: And those who believe in what is sent down to you, and what was sent down before you (such as the Torah, Gospel and Psalms, and the Scrolls of Abraham); and in the Hereafter they have certainty of faith. (Ali Ünal)
Yes! For Muslims to “have certainty of faith,” they must believe in the Holy Bible. This means they must believe in all the teachings that are inspired within its pages. The Bible was completed more than five centuries before the arrival of the Qur’an. If someone wrote a book today that contradicts a historical document written at the time when the event occurred, the person who wrote the second book centuries later has the burden to prove that the older document was false. He also has to prove that his newly forwarded facts are true. The document written at the time of the event would not have to prove itself against a latter document. This is true to the principles of the science of history. And history is on the side of the Bible.
TESTIMONY NUMBER FIVE
To say that the Bible has become corrupted means that the contents of the Bible have become corrupted. And the Torah, which consists of the five major Books of Moses, is an essential part of the Bible. This would then mean, if not all, at least a substantial portion of the Torah must have become corrupted. As such, Allah would have warned us to refrain from either reading or consulting these “corrupted Scriptures” in the Bible. However, we do not find a single warning or restriction against the Bible in the Qur’an. In fact, the opposite is true. In the Qur’an, Allah encourages us to “read” and “study” the Scriptures of the Bible. And Allah admonishes: “Bring the Torah and study it, if you are men of truth.”
Surah 3:93: “Say: Produce the Torah and read it (unto us) if ye are truthful.” (Pickthall)
Say: “Bring ye the Torah and study it, if ye be men of truth.” (Malik)
And this admonition to “read” and “study” the Scriptures of the Bible is not restricted to just the Torah but it encompasses the entire Scriptures of the Bible. In fact, the Qur’an insists that the entire Bible is an indispensable Book for Muslims. And especially so in times of personal crisis regarding their faith. Even Muhammad was commanded by Allah to “ask those who have been reading the Book from before him” to clear his doubts about the reliability of the Qur’an. Consider now the authoritative strength given to the Bible in the following verse which was revealed specifically for Muhammad:
Surah 10:94: “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: the Truth hath indeed come to thee from thy Lord: so be in no wise of those in doubt.” (Yusuf Ali)
But if you (Muhammad) are in doubt as to what We have revealed to you, ask those who read the Book before you. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. (Pickthall)
“The Book from before thee” refers to the Scriptures of the “People of the Book.” The Qur’an describes the Jews and the Christians as the “People of the Book.” Now, why would Allah command Muhammad to refer to the Scriptures of the Jews and the Christians if these Scriptures have indeed become corrupted? In fact, the command in Surah 10:94 enforces upon Muhammad the obligation to recognize the Holy Bible as the only source of divine illumination that is available to Muslims to determine the validity of the Qur’an. No other options existed for Muhammad.
Although Muhammad was addressed in this Qur’anic verse, the command given here applies equally to all Muslims. Allah is commanding Muslims to seek clarification from those who read the Bible when they have serious doubts about the Qur’an. In other words, it is telling them to consult the Bible to clear any doubts that they may have regarding the reliability of the Qur’an. Allah is commanding Muslims to consult the Bible as a means of establishing the truth. Thus, instead of warning Muslims to refrain from either reading or consulting the Bible, the Qur’an encourages them to seek guidance from it. And especially so at a critical time when their faith is undermined by doubts and uncertainties.
Hence, as long as the Qur’an exists and Muslims read it, the Bible should be at hand to clear any disbelief that might arise with reference to the Qur’an. It would be absolutely absurd for Allah to command Muslims to seek guidance from a people whose Scriptures had become corrupted. If the claim of corruption is really true, it would be extremely foolish for Allah to direct Muslims to seek guidance from those who study the Bible.
How would Muslims today apply the commandment given to them in Surah 10:94? In order for Muslims today to obey this essential command from Allah to consult the Bible when they are in doubt, it would be absolutely necessary for the Bible to remain uncorrupted. Thus, the above Qur’anic verse is yet another existing proof why the Bible will continue to remain as the uncorrupted Word of God. It has to for the benefit of Muslims. According to the Qur’an itself, the Bible is the standard of authenticity by which the Qur’an is measured.
In spite of the Qur’an’s validation for the authenticity of the Bible, Muslims continue to claim that the Bible has become corrupted. Yet, when it comes to the Qur’an, they say it remains pure and unadulterated because of Allah’s protection upon it. Do Muslims believe in two Allahs? One who could protect his Scriptures and the other who could not?
TESTIMONY NUMBER SIX
The following Qur’anic verse confirms yet once again that Allah will guard his Word or Message from corruption.
Surah 15:9: “We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).” (Yusuf Ali)
In their desperation to fault the Bible, we find Muslims falsely asserting that the above Qur’anic verse applies only to the integrity of the Qur’an. This deception can be easily exposed when we consider Allah’s intended purpose for revealing this verse in the Qur’an. Allah is stating a divine principle here. He is saying that since he is the originator of “the Message,” he “will assuredly guard it.” Who does the Qur’an say is the originator of “the Message” in the Torah and the Gospel? Is it not Allah? It is important to note that the verses, which immediately follow the above Qur’anic verse, provide vital evidences that “the Message” mentioned here involves principally “the Message” that was sent to the apostles “before” the time of Muhammad.
It is important to note that the verses, which immediately follow the above Qur’anic verse, provide vital evidences that “the Message” mentioned here involves principally “the Message” that was sent to the apostles “before” the time of Muhammad.
Surah 15:10-11: “We did send apostles before thee amongst the religious sects of old: But never came an apostle to them but they mocked him.”(Yusuf Ali)
Let us now read the texts in full:
Surah 15:9-11: We have without doubt sent down the Message and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption). We did send apostles before thee amongst the religious sects of old: But never came an apostle to them but they mocked him. (Yusuf Ali)
Take note of the words of Allah. Immediately after saying, “We have without doubt sent down the Message,” Allah adds, “We did send apostles before thee.” The immediate reference to the “apostles” that were sent before the time of Muhammad suggests that Allah’s assurance to guard “the Message” from corruption involves principally the Scriptures that he gave to those who were sent before Muhammad. Thus, the context itself supports the view that Allah’s pledge to protect “the Message” includes the Scriptures that were given to the prophets and apostles before the arrival of Muhammad. Therefore, the promised protection applies equally to all the Scriptures that were revealed and delivered by Allah. We will now provide more evidences from the Qur’an itself to prove this truth even more conclusively.
It must be noted that Surah 15:9 does not say that only the Qur’an will be exclusively guarded as Muslims try to claim. But rather it says that “the Message” will be guarded. In fact, the word Qur’an is not even mentioned at all in this verse. The Arabic word for “Message” is “Zhikri.” That Allah’s divine protection from corruption includes the Holy Bible can be seen by the fact that the earlier Biblical Scriptures are also referred to as the “Zhikri” (Message) of Allah” in the Qur’an. Consider now the following Qur’anic verses:
Surah 21:105: Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (Zhikri) (given to Moses):“My servants the righteous shall inherit the earth.” (Yusuf Ali)
Surah 16:43: “And before thee also the apostles We sent none but men, to whom We granted inspiration: If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message (Zhikri).” (Yusuf Ali)
There are many more similar verses in the Qur’an but the above is sufficient to prove our point. These passages in the Qur’an establish the fact that the Scriptures which the Jews and Christians possessed at the time of Muhammad were part of that “Message” which Allah promised to preserve. The Qur’an confirms the fact that the Bible contains “the Message” of Allah in it. Therefore, since the Bible consists of “the Message” of Allah, it is included in its entirety in the pledge made by Allah to preserve his “Message.” To believe in the corruption of the Bible is to believe in the failure of Allah to guard his “Message” which means Allah is guilty of breaking his divine promise of ensuring their preservation. This is a very serious accusation against Allah by Muslims. Are Muslims willing to accept this? Further evidences from the Qur’an:
Surah 40:53-54: We did aforetime give Moses the Book of Guidance and We gave the book in inheritance to the Children of Israel, – A Guide and a Message (Zhikraa) to men of Understanding. (Yusuf Ali)
All the above Qur’anic verses establish the truth that the revelation given to Moses, David and the Apostles, which the Jews and Christians had in their possession at the time of Muhammad, had all been sent down by Allah. They are his “Message.” Thus his promised preservation applies to them primarily.
What evidences do Muslims have that Surah 15:9 is even about the Qur’an rather than the books of the Bible? Read Surah 15:9 carefully and see if you can find any evidence in it to prove that it is speaking exclusively about the preservation of only the Qur’an. We will now look at another important Qur’anic verse that confirms that the Bible is the “Message” of Allah:
Surah 21:7: “Before thee, also, the messengers We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message (Zhikri).” (Yusuf Ali)
(O Muhammad), even before you We never sent any other than human beings as Messengers, and to them We sent revelation. Ask the People of the Book if you do not know. (Maududi)
“…then ask the people of the reminder (Jews and Christians).” (Farook Malik)
Observe carefully the proclamation of Allah to Muhammad, “If ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message.” Since Muhammad was told to “ask of those who possess the Message,” this would automatically exclude the Message given to Muhammad in the Qur’an. Who then are these people who possess “the Message” of Allah? The translation of the above Qur’anic verse by Farook Malik clearly identifies that these were the Jews and Christians who were contemporaries of Muhammad.
This clearly identifies who were the original possessors of Allah’s “Message.” Allah is telling Muhammad to learn from the Jews and Christians who possess his “Message” if he is unaware of certain essential truths. Thus, the Qur’an recognizes both the validity and the availability of uncorrupted Bibles at the time of Muhammad. It could therefore command Muhammad to seek confirmation for the authority of Allah’s “Message” from the Jews and Christians.
For Allah to command Muhammad to go to the Jews and Christians proves beyond any doubt that “the Message” in their possession must have remained uncorrupted. As such, we can be sure that in harmony with Allah’s promise, “the Message” will continue to be protected by Allah for all eternity. If Muslims cannot recognize this simple fact then they must accept the fact that Allah is a deceiver. Additionally, this Qur’anic verse also states very clearly that the messengers who came before Muhammad were inspired (wahi) by Allah. Therefore, “the Message” they wrote were “the Message” of Allah.
Contrary to the lies propagated by Muslim apologists, if God’s standards are consistent, then his promised preservation will be applied to all his divine Books equally. God cannot guard just one of his Books and leave the others to be tampered with. We cannot trust a God who treats his divine Books with partiality. We cannot trust a God who protects some of his Books and allow others to become corrupted. This is especially true when it is reinforced in the promise of Allah: “None can change the Words of Allah. This is indeed the Supreme Triumph.” (Surah 10:64).
“This is indeed the Supreme Triumph.” This expression means that the most excellent, the most majestic victory of Allah is his capability to preserve his Scriptures. The authenticity of Allah is very much dependent on his capability to maintain the authenticity of his Scriptures. Since the Scriptures of the Bible are recognized as the “Words of Allah” in the Qur’an, will Allah allow anything or anyone to change his “Messages” in the Bible? The Bible was completed about six hundred years before the arrival of the Qur’an. Therefore, if it is at all possible for the Christians or Jews to alter the “Words of Allah,” then Muslims must accept the fact that Allah lied in the Qur’an. They must accept the fact that he lied when he testified: “We will assuredly guard it from corruption.” (Surah 15:9). The Muslim’s position is simply too dangerous for them to maintain. Allah says: “Nobody can change my Word.” In defiant, Muslims say: “No, it was changed.” Who should we believe? Allah or Muslims?
We will look at Surah 16:43 once again, but this time to highlight another significant point from this verse:
Surah 16:43: The apostles We sent before you were but men whom we inspired with revelations and with Scriptures. Ask the People of the Book, if you know not. (Dawood)
It can be seen that time and again Allah commands Muhammad to consult the Jews and Christians on matters that are crucial for his salvation. One such matter was the divine inspiration of Apostles. They were inspired to write the previous Scriptures. The only Scriptures that the Qur’an recognizes are the ones recorded in the Holy Bible. Would it be logical for Allah to command Muhammad to consult a people who studied corrupted Scriptures? But it gets better than that. In the following Qur’anic verse, Allah commands Muhammad to “ask” the Messengers/Apostles who were sent before his time. In other words, Muhammad was commanded by Allah to consult the Messengers/Apostles who lived and died before his time. According to Islamic theology, the last Messenger who was sent before Muhammad was Jesus Christ. No other Messengers or Apostles were sent between the time of Jesus and Muhammad. So, how can Muhammad consult them when they were already dead?
Surah 43:44-45: The Qur’an is a reminder to you and to your people and you will soon be questioned about it. You can ask Our Messengers whom We sent before you if We had commanded them to worship other gods besides the Beneficent God?” (Muhammad Sarwar)
The (Qur’an) is indeed the message, for thee and for thy people; and soon shall ye (all) be brought to account. And question thou our Apostles whom We sent before thee; did We appoint any deities other than (God) Most Gracious, to be worshipped? (Yusuf Ali, Original 1938)
Since all the Messengers/Apostles, had already passed away before the time of Muhammad, how could Allah then command Muhammad to consult them? How could this be possible? The only way for Muhammad to inquire from the Messengers/Apostles who had died before his time is by consulting their writings. Would this be possible if what they wrote in the Scriptures had become corrupted? Muslims have to decide. Either the Bible is the uncorrupted Word of God or Allah is suffering from schizophrenia. How can Allah command Muhammad to consult dead persons? This is not said with the intent to insult but to stress the ridiculous position of Muslims when they accuse the Bible of corruption or falsification.
TESTIMONY NUMBER SEVEN
Surah 2:136: Say (O Muslims): ‘We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac and Jacob, and the tribes and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinctions between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.” (Pickthall)
If the claim of corruption is true, then why are Muslims today still commanded to believe in the earlier Scriptures that were given to the prophets before the time of Muhammad? Every Muslim readers of the Qur’an – in the past and in the present – are commanded by Allah to make this “Declaration of Faith” to believe in all the revealed Scriptures of Allah. Muhammad received the Qur’an piecemeal for a period of twenty-three years. It is important to note that Surah 2 (Al-Baqarah) is a Medinan Surah. [1] This means that even more than thirteen years after Muhammad began to receive his revelations, the Muslims there were still commanded to believe in the Scriptures of the Jews and Christians.
These Scriptures of the Jews and Christians are more accurately known as the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Greek Scriptures respectively. Therefore, contrary to the belief of many Muslims, this Qur’anic verse proves that the Scriptures given to the Jews and Christians were never meant to be abrogated by the arrival of the Qur’an. Since the commandment to believe in the Hebrew and Christian Greek Scriptures were given even after the arrival of the Qur’an, proves that the Bible remained as the authentic Word of Allah. Thus, Allah himself confirms the integrity of the Bible in the Qur’an.
The above “Declaration of Faith” not only commands Muslims to believe in the earlier Scriptures but also to make “no distinctions” between the various Scriptures of Allah. Therefore, the amount of faith that Muslims have in the Qur’an must also likewise be given to the Bible. But, how can Muslims continue to obey this command today when they are taught by their religious leaders that the Bible in our possession has become corrupted? How can Muslims believe in something that they have no knowledge of? To believe in the Bible as commanded by Allah, Muslims have to know and understand the contents of these Scriptures. These Scriptures must be read to be believed and accepted as the Word of God.
The obedience to this command of Allah is only possible if authentic copies of the Bible are within the reach of every sincere Muslim who wants to obey him. As testified in the above Qur’anic verse, the commitment to believe in the previous Scriptures is laid upon every single Muslim by Allah. Since this is a standing order in the Qur’an, can any Muslim continue to believe in the validity of this Qur’anic verse if the Bible is no longer the authentic Word of God today? Can Muslims today expect Allah to require them to believe in something that is no longer available? Or in something that has become corrupted? To reject the Bible as the Word of God would then lead to a rejection of this “Declaration of Faith” in the Qur’an. In turn, this means Muslims are guilty of rejecting one of the most important requirements of Allah in the Qur’an.
For the above Qur’anic verse to have any real meaning to Muslims today, they must stop their baseless claim that the Bible in our possession has become corrupted. To deny the Bible as the Word of God will without fail lead to the denial of the Qur’an. Muslims strongly argue that the Qur’an must be perfect because Allah would preserve his Word unfailingly. Yet, if the Torah and the Gospel are the Scriptures of Allah, how can Muslims then dare to accuse Allah of failing to preserve them? Is this not an act of blasphemy against Allah?
If Allah failed to preserve his inspired Word in the first instance (Torah) and in the second instance (Gospel), why should Muslims trust him with the third (Qur’an)? Since it is Allah who orders Muslims to “make no distinctions” between any of his Scriptures, can we then expect Allah to make the very same distinctions that he himself forbids? Will he then make the distinction of only protecting the Qur’an while permitting his other Scriptures to become corrupted?
To believe in the integrity of Allah, one has to believe in the integrity of all the Scriptures of Allah. By this it means that the Bible will be equally preserved by Allah without distinction. If the claim of corruption is true, it would then mean that Muslims who are living today will no longer be able to follow the commandment given in the above Qur’anic verse. And this would actually mean that parts of the Qur’an are no longer valid for Muslims today. Can Muslims now claim the Qur’an to be the eternal word of God when some of its instructions are no longer possible to be implemented today? Certainly not! This is especially true when the command to obey the Scriptures that were given to the earlier prophets can still be found in the Qur’an today.
TESTIMONY NUMBER EIGHT
Muslims are groomed from young to deny the Bible as the Word of God. Since Muslims believe that the Qur’an is superior to all the other Revelations of God, they make influenced distinctions in favor of the Qur’an over the Bible. However, they fail to understand that according to the Qur’an, a Muslim cannot deny any of the revealed Books of Allah. Additionally, he is commanded not to make any distinctions between the various revealed Books of Allah. The Qur’an clearly states that all the revealed Books of Allah are to be equally esteemed and accepted without distinction by Muslims.
Surah 3:84: Say: “We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam).” (Yusuf Ali)
Muslims who believe that the protection of Allah is confined to the Qur’an only, should seriously contemplate the words of the above Qur’anic verse. This verse makes it clear that Allah’s assurance to protect “His Words” would include every single one his revealed Scriptures. Allah states: “We make no distinction between one and another among them.” Should Allah protect some and leave others to become corrupted, then he is certainly making partial distinctions. And the Qur’an recognizes only four Scriptures of Allah by name. They are the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel and the Qur’an.
It is important for Muslims to take note of the fact that in this Qur’anic verse, Allah is commanding Muslims to believe “in the Books given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets.” This is only possible if uncorrupted copies of the original Scriptures that were “given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets” were available to Muslims at the time when this Qur’anic verse was revealed. And they must be identical to the originals in every detail. Otherwise it would be impossible for Muslims to obey this commandment of Allah.
And since the command for Muslims to believe “in the Books given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets” still exists in the Qur’an today, it proves that this commandment to believe in the previous Scriptures of Allah is still mandatory for present-day Muslims. This is only possible if Allah ensured that uncorrupted copies of the original Books are still available for Muslims today. Otherwise, this Qur’anic verse has no meaning at all for Muslims in our day. But where can Muslims find these Scriptures of Allah today? The Books of Allah such as the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel can only be found in the Bible. And for Muslims to believe in them today as required by Allah, the Bible must be kept free from corruption.
The Qur’anic verse in Surah 3:84 is emphatically pointing to the fact that it will be impossible for Muslims to “believe in Allah” without believing in the “Books of Moses, Jesus, and the prophets.” And equally important is the fact that this Qur’anic verse commands Muslims to “make no distinction between” the various Books of Allah. This means that they are all held to be equally true and equally preserved.
Actually Surah 3:84 needs no explanation. Its message is crystal clear. It simply states that it is mandatory for Muslims to believe not only in the Qur’an but also in the previous Books of Allah. To believe in the previous Books of Allah, one must know what it is and understand what it says. In other words, it involves reading, studying and understanding of what are written in them. The Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are among the Books of Allah that comprise the Scriptures of the Bible. Ask yourself, will a Muslim be able to read the Torah, the Psalms or the Gospel in the Bible if the original messages in them are lost or corrupted?
For Muslims to truly confess their belief in the earlier revealed Books of Allah, they must accept them as the uncorrupted Word of God. The teachings of the Qur’an do not give Muslims the personal right to deny the Bible as the Word of God. Can any Muslim who deny the earlier Books of Allah, stand before the judgment seat of Allah and truly testify that he believes in these Books? Can he do so when he has not even touched or studied or valued them as the Word of God? In direct violation to Allah’s commandment, Muslims are taught to renounce the previous Scriptures of Allah. A failure to believe in the previous Books of Allah amounts to a rejection of the Islamic “Declaration of Faith.” This means a rejection of Islam. A Muslim cannot be a Muslim and at the same time deny the Bible as the Word of God.
The Six Pillars of Faith in Islam:
(1) Belief in Allah
(2) Belief in His Angels
(3) Belief in His Books
(4) Belief in His Messengers
(5) Belief in the Day of Judgment (Resurrection)
(6) Belief in Divine destiny
We can be confident that Allah’s protection encompasses all of his Holy Books. It will be improper for the one telling Muslims not to make any distinction between his Books, to do so himself. Thus, we can be certain of Allah’s impartial preservation of all his revealed Scriptures. If he preserves one, he will preserve the other. That is why Allah commands Muslims to “believe in the Books given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets.” In other words, Allah is telling Muslims to accept the Bible that we have today in our possession as the uncorrupted Word of God. The Qur’an maintains that the Bible is the Word of God and it makes no distinction between any of the Books of Allah. Muslims who attack the Bible are, in fact, attacking the Qur’an.
TESTIMONY NUMBER NINE
We will continue on with our discussion as to why a Muslim cannot deny the Bible and still be a Muslim. Once more we can see in the following Qur’anic verse the same requirement of Allah . The requirement for all Muslims to unconditionally believe in all his revealed Books:
Surah 2:285: The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from His Lord, and so do the believers. Each believes in Allah and His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers, we do not differentiate between any one of His Messengers. They say: ‘We hear and obey. (We ask) Your forgiveness Lord, and to you is the arrival’. (Qaribullah)
The worship of Allah requires Muslims to believe in all the Books of Allah. This is a predetermined condition on the part of Allah that every individual Muslim must obey. It is an uncompromising condition. By stating “Books” (plural) and not “Book” (singular), the Qur’an confirms that Allah does not support the idea of Muslims that the earlier Books had become corrupted. The concept of the Bible of ever becoming a corrupted Book did not originate with Allah. How can Muslims today truly say, “We hear and obey,” to the command to believe in all the Books of Allah if the Bible is no longer the uncorrupted Word of God? To deny the Bible is to deny the Books of Allah. The rejection of the Bible by Muslims would without fail result in a denial of their religion.
Muslims, who believe that the Bible has become corrupted, are placing themselves in a very dangerous position regarding their faith. This is because any declaration of faith in the previous Scriptures by Muslims will now mean that such expressions of faith are only be a formality – an outward display of piety. And this is hypocrisy. To sincerely believe in the Bible, Muslims must accept it as the uncorrupted Book of Allah. For Muslims to believe in the corruption of the Bible is to believe that Allah is now deliberately demanding them “to believe” in something that he very well knows is no longer the valid Word of God. Such a requirement would make Allah both unreasonable and immoral. In harmony with the above Qur’anic verse, this unconditional requirement to believe in the previous Books of Allah is also stressed in the Hadith.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 300:
Narrated by Abu Huraira: One day while Allah’s Apostle was sitting with the people, a man came to him walking and said, “O Allah’s Apostle. What is Belief?” The Prophet said, “Belief is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the meeting with Him, and to believe in the Resurrection.”
Sahih Bukhari is recognized as the most authentic Hadith in the Muslim world. By their misguided belief that the Bible has become corrupted, Muslims have made it virtually impossible for them to obey a fundamentally vital requirement in Islam – the requirement to put faith the Bible. Muslims have failed to realize the full implication of their action in rejecting the Bible as the uncorrupted Word of God. When they reject the Bible, they are in truth rejecting Allah.
Muslims are caught between obeying the clear commandments of Allah to believe in the integrity of the Bible and believing that the Bible has become corrupted. Thus, they find themselves in a dilemma. To circumvent this complicated situation, Muslims end up deceiving themselves. The make the impossible claim, “Of course we believe in the Bible, but in the previously existing uncorrupted Bible.” Does their statement make any sense? Not only is their reasoning faulty but it is also in direct conflict with the teachings of the Qur’an.
Since Muslims use this excuse frequently, it is necessary to expose this deception. To expose the error of their ways, we need to make a comparison. To illustrate: Let us say Abdullah was an honest cop. But he became corrupted and turned bad. He became as such long before you were born. Therefore, during the course of your entire life, you only know him as a bad cop. Now, would it make sense for you to say, “Of course I believe (present tense) in him but in the honest cop he was before?”
Try saying this in a court of law and see if your statement carries any weight to exonerate that person. We are living in the present moment. Therefore, your estimation of the person expressed in the present tense must be contemporaneous with your current opinion of that person. It is either you presently “believe” in the goodness of that person or not. It is the same with the Bible.
Now, let us look at this issue from Allah’s standpoint. We will refer back to the commandment that he gave to Muslims in Surah 3:84:
Say, We believe in God and in what has been sent down to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes. We believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. It is to Him that we have surrendered ourselves. (W. Khan)
The above commandment can still be found in the Qur’an today. When something turns bad, it is no longer good. The good in it is gone. Today, Allah talks to Muslims through the Qur’an. And he tells them in the present tense that they should “believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets from their Lord.” This can only mean one thing. It means that all these previous Books are still good and have not turned bad through corruption. It means that they are still valuable for Muslims even to this day. Thus, the Bible that we have today must be the uncorrupted Word of God. Otherwise, it would mean that Allah is commanding Muslims to believe in something that has gone bad.
We will look further into the absurd claims of Muslims. As discussed earlier, some Muslim apologists argue that the requirement to believe in the previous Scriptures does not apply to the present Bible but to the once uncorrupted Scriptures of the Jews and Christians that existed before but are now lost. Some others say that the Bible contains some true and authentic words of Allah, but not all of it is authentic. Still others claim that some of its passages were lost and it underwent many alterations and additions. When Muslim apologists assert such baseless accusations against the Bible, they do not attack the Christians, but Allah himself. Attacking God’s Word is an attack on God himself. Their remarks are faulty for many reasons. Among them are some of the following reasons:
Firstly: If what these apologists say is true, it would make no sense for Allah to command all Muslims to declare their belief in the earlier Scriptures which he revealed to the Jews and the Christians. How can the Qur’an continue to command present-day Muslims to believe in a lost text? How can the Qur’an continue to command present-day Muslims to believe in a corrupted text? Can Muslims honestly claim that they believe in the previous Scriptures and in the same hypocritical breath say that they are now lost or corrupted?
Additionally, if the previous Scriptures are truly lost or corrupted, how can Muslims truly say that they believe in something that they have no knowledge of? Would not this be a classic example of blind faith? Are these Muslims now accusing Allah of encouraging blind allegiance in the Qur’an?
Since the entire world of Islam is unable to produce a single copy of the hypothetical “previously existing authentic Scriptures,” how can Muslims then submit to Allah’s command to “believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus and the prophets from their Lord.”? Muslims are now left with two choices. Either they accept the Bible that we have today as the original uncorrupted Word of God or they can choose to reject Allah, the Qur’an and the mandatory Islamic “Declaration of Faith.” They can also choose to ignore the commandments of Allah in Surah 2:285 and Surah 3:84. In short, they can choose to leave Islam.
Secondly: How can the former Scriptures get lost as some Muslim apologists falsely claim when Allah personally guaranteed that all his Scriptures will be assigned his divine protection? Consider now the confirmation of Allah’s protection of the former Scriptures in the following Qur’anic verse. For the benefit of our Muslim readers – who are fed lies by their religious leaders – we have provided five different translations of this Qur’anic verse. We want them to have an accurate understanding of Allah’s determination regarding the integrity of the Scriptures that were revealed before the time of the Qur’an. Allah told Muhammad:
Surah 5:48: Then We revealed the Book to you (O Muhammad!) with Truth, confirming whatever of the Book was revealed before and protecting and guarding over it. (Maududi)[2]
And to you We have revealed the Book containing the truth, confirming the earlier revelations and preserving them from change and corruption. (Ahmed Ali)
And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it and a watcher over it. (Pickthall)
And We have revealed to you the Book with the truth, verifying what is before it of the Book and a guardian over it.” (Shakir)
To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety.” (Yusuf Ali)
The above Qur’anic verse tells us that the purpose of the Qur’an is not only to confirm (verify) the Bible but also to “guard it in safety.” Not only do we learn of Allah’s pledge to personally protect his earlier Scriptures, but we are told here that he has also assigned the Qur’an the same sacred duty to guard and protect his earlier Scriptures from corruption. Though it is not revealed exactly how the Qur’an is supposed to do this, but we are nevertheless informed in no uncertain terms that the Qur’an was sent to stand as a “guardian” or “watcher” over the Bible. The Arabic word “Muhaimin” (Watcher) carries the meaning of as “one who safeguards” or “preserves.”
If the Bible was corrupted before the time of the Qur’an, why was the Qur’an sent down to protect that which has already become corrupted? Would not that be foolish on the part of Allah? Why would Allah assign the Qur’an to act as a guardian over corrupted Scriptures? Why guard the Scriptures that have already turned bad. Therefore, the only sensible choice left for Muslims is to accept the fact that the Bible has remained pure and authentic at the time when this verse was revealed. Otherwise, this Qur’anic verse makes no sense.
However, if the corruption of the Bible were to take place after the time of the Qur’an’s revelation, then it means that the Qur’an has failed in its sacred duty to act as a protector of Allah’s Scriptures. So precisely when did the alleged corruption of the Bible take place? Can Muslims enlighten us on this? They cannot do so without faulting the Qur’an. And they cannot do so without faulting Allah. Therefore, the Muslim argument of the alleged corruption of the Bible having occurred either before or after the Qur’an does not matter in the least to us. Both are wrong. Both make Allah a liar and the Qur’an false.
Instead of insisting on their baseless claim of Bible corruption, Muslims can learn a vital lesson from the above Qur’anic verse. This verse gives Muslims an opportunity to comprehend the determination of Allah regarding the preservation of the Scriptures that came before the time of the Qur’an. For Allah to assign the Qur’an with the sacred duty to guard his former Scriptures in such a determined way reveals that it is his divine will that his previous Scriptures remain uncontaminated by corruption. Therefore, the occurrence of corruption to any of his former Scriptures means the failure of Allah’s divine will. It also means that Allah was unable to see through the fulfillment of his divine will. Thus, if the claim of corruption is true, then the person or persons involved in the alleged corruption of Bible must be more powerful than Allah. Are Muslims willing to accept this?
Islam teaches that both Allah and the Qur’an serve as protectors and guardians of the Scriptures that were given to the Jews and Christians. Therefore, the claim by Muslims that the Bible was abrogated with the arrival of the Qur’an is a contradiction to the teachings of the Qur’an. If the Muslim claim is true, then there would be no need for the Qur’an to act as a “guardian” or “watcher” in such a determined way over the Torah and the Gospel that are to be done away with at the instant of its arrival. Muslims must remember that it is Allah who assigns the Qur’an with this sacred duty of protection over his previous Scriptures. Thus, if the Bible is changed in any way, it means that the Qur’an has failed in its duty to protect the Bible. It also means that Allah is a failure. And this means that both he and the Qur’an are not to be trusted. It also means that Allah had failed to foresee the failure of the Qur’an. The failure of the Qur’an is the failure of Allah.
Thirdly: Since some Muslim apologists claim that original authentic copies of the Bible existed before but are now corrupted or lost, we need them to answer and enlighten us on the following questions:
- If original uncorrupted Bible existed before, how is it possible for mere humans to corrupt the Book of Allah?
- Is this not an admission that Almighty Allah was defeated at the hands of weak humans?
- Who changed this once existing uncorrupted Book of Allah that Allah himself guaranteed that none could change?
- Would not Allah’s pledge to protect his Scriptures apply primarily to these early original Scriptures that functioned as the foundation of his divine communication to mankind?
- Why did Allah then fail to protect these once existing authentic Scriptures?
- Are you not accusing Allah of deceiving his worshippers by saying something that is not true in the Qur’an?
- Are you not accusing Allah with failure to protect his once existing uncorrupted Scripture?
- Are you not also preventing sincere Muslims from obeying the requirement to believe in all the Books of Allah?
In their desperation to prove the Bible wrong, these apologists are willing to blasphemously insult Allah and betray their Muslim brothers. As for those Muslim apologists who say that the Bible contains only partial truths and not all of it is the authentic words of Allah, Allah gives them the following warning in the Qur’an:
Surah 2:85: “Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye rejects the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life? – And on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.” (Yusuf Ali)
What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? What shall be the recompense of those of you who do that, but degradation in the present life, and on the Day of Resurrection to be returned unto the most terrible of chastisement? And God is not heedless of the things you do. (Arberry)
Allah asks: “What, do you believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part? The above Qur’anic verse was revealed as a warning for all those who commit the grave error of accepting some parts of Allah’s Book while rejecting the rest. It clearly states that the “most terrible of chastisement” is awaiting those who “believe in part of the Book, and disbelieve in part.” So, those Muslims who cherry pick some parts of the Bible while denying the rest is forewarned of a terrible punishment by Allah. Most Muslims do not realize the seriousness of their action in not accepting the complete Bible. “The Book” or “Al-Kitab,” as it is known in Arabic, is literally what the term “Bible” means. More on this later.
To avoid Allah’s wrath, it is absolutely crucial for Muslims to accept the complete Bible (Al-Kitab) as the Word of God. Who has given Muslims the divine right to decide which verses to choose and which verses to reject from the Bible? Are they now acting as God? Do Muslims have an “authentic Bible” to compare with the one we have in our possession so as to know which parts of our Bible are authentic and which parts are untrue? If we were to accuse you of forging someone’s signature without ever producing a single signature of the original signature of that person, would you accept that?
Consider now another serious charge that Allah levels against these Muslims:
Surah 4:136: O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before him. Any who deny Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.” (Yusuf Ali)
The Qur’an very clearly says that anyone who “denieth His Books hath gone far, far astray.” Notice, it does not say Book but Books. Since no Books were revealed by Allah after the Qur’an, it must then be referring to the Books that were revealed before the Qur’an. The Qur’an recognizes only four major Books – the Torah, Psalms, Gospel and the Qur’an. Three out of the four Books mentioned here can only be found in the Bible which is in our possession today. This means that if a Muslim believes only in the Qur’an but not in the Bible, he “hath gone far, far astray” and a “grievous penalty” is waiting for him. If you as a Muslim believe that the above two Qur’anic verses (Surah 2:85 and Surah 4:136) are Allah’s eternal Words, then carefully reassess what you have been taught to believe. Ask yourself:
(1) Does it make sense for Allah to warn me that if I deny his Books, I have gone far, far astray if his Books are no longer in existence? (2) Does it make sense for Allah to warn me that if I deny his Books, I have gone far, far astray if his Books are corrupted? (3) Does it make sense for Allah to prepare for me a grievous penalty if I deny his Books when they are no longer in existence or corrupted?
Just think! Can Allah punish or hold you accountable for rejecting his Books if they are truly corrupted or lost? Certainly not! However, since the warning that Allah will personally hold you accountable for denying his Books can still be found in the Qur’an today, then this means that right now as you read this warning in the Qur’an, there has to be a preserved and uncorrupted Bible for you to deny. Otherwise, this warning will make no sense for the millions of Muslims who read this warning of Allah in the Qur’an today.
So there is no excuse for you as a Muslim not to submit to the teachings of the Bible. To claim that Allah allowed the corruption of all his other Books with the exception of the Qur’an will only invalid the teachings of the Qur’an. How can you accuse the Bible of corruption when the Qur’an speaks of it with such respect and reverence?
TESTIMONY NUMBER TEN
Surah 6:84-89: And We gave to him Isaac and Jacob, each did We guide. And before him We guided Noah and among his seed, David and Solomon and Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron. For thus do We reward those who do good. And Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias, all righteous ones… It is to these We gave the Book and the Judgment and Prophethood. But if they disbelieve therein, then, indeed, We shall entrust it to a people who will not disbelieve. (H. S. Aziz)
We gave him Isaac and Jacob: all (three) guided: and before him, We guided Noah, and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron: thus do We reward those who do good: And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous: These were the men to whom We gave the Book, and authority, and prophethood: if these (their descendants) reject them, Behold! We shall entrust their charge to a new people who reject them not. (Yusuf Ali)
The above Qur’anic verse is speaking of the earlier Prophets of God who were given “the Book” and “the Judgment” and “the Prophethood.” The Prophets to whom Allah gave “the Book” were faithful men of earlier times. These men were specifically chosen and guided by Allah. And the Qur’an provides a list of the names of these faithful men. It includes names such as David, Moses, Jesus and the names of many other Biblical characters.
However, these faithful men died long before the time of Muhammad. Therefore, when Allah told Muhammad, “if these disbelieve therein,” he was not referring to them but to “their descendants” who were the contemporaries of Muhammad. Thus, Yusuf Ali’s translation of the Qur’an fittingly inserts the term, “their descendants” in parenthesis to help the readers understand to whom Allah was referring to when he said, “if these disbelieve therein.” Yes, if they were to reject the Bible, then Allah will “entrust their charge to a new people who reject them not.”
This Qur’anic verse is important for the following vital reasons. Firstly, we have Allah’s guarantee that the Bible will always be entrusted to the care of those who believe in it as the Word of God. In other words, it will always be in the hands of those who preserve it. Here, we can see Allah’s determination to protect his “Book” – the Holy Bible – from falling into the wrong hands. He will act to ensure its safety, so that it will always remain pure. He will, without fail, secure his “Book” from the dangers of corruption from those who are determined to destroy or corrupt it. Thus, we can be confident that Allah will protect and preserve the Bible at all times. As such, it will only be entrusted to a people who will protect his “Book” from corruption.
Secondly, we can see that even after the coming of the Qur’an, Allah manifested his determination to ensure the continued preservation of the Bible. The Qur’an reveals Allah’s determination to maintain the purity of the Bible for all eternity. If the Qur’an is sent to replace the Bible – on the grounds of corruption as Muslims claim – then it would hardly make any sense for Allah to ensure that the Bible is always kept in the safe hands of those who will maintain its purity. Why ensure the safety of a corrupted “Book” that is to be done away with? This exposes the lying claims of Muslims that the Qur’an was sent to replace the Bible. And more importantly, this Qur’anic verse rules out the possibility of the Bible ever becoming corrupted after the time of Muhammad. Allah will ensure it does not.
This Qur’anic verse proves once again that the Bible which was available at the time of Muhammad and which is in our hands today is the authentic Word of God. In this Qur’anic verse we find once again the assurance of Allah that the Bible will always remain as the uncorrupted Word of God. Muslims who deny the trustworthiness of Bible are in fact denying the trustworthiness of Allah.
TESTIMONY NUMBER ELEVEN
In Testimony Number Ten we discussed Surah 6:84-89. We will now continue on in our discussion by considering Surah 6:89-90. These verses provide us with another strong evidence regarding the integrity of the Bible. And the evidences from these Qur’anic verses are also substantiated by the most authentic Hadith in the Muslim world.
Surah 6:89-90: These were the men to whom We gave the Book, and Authority, and Prophethood: if these (their descendants) reject them, Behold! We shall entrust their charge to a new people who reject them not. Those were the (prophets) who received Allah’s guidance: Copy the guidance they received; Say: “No reward for this do I ask of you: This is no less than a message for the nations.” (Yusuf Ali)
Let us analyze the above Qur’anic verses. Allah told Muhammad: “These were the men to whom We gave the Book.” “Those were the prophets who received Allah’s guidance.” “Copy the guidance they received.”
The “prophets who received Allah’s guidance” received it through the “Book” that he revealed to them. And Allah commanded Muhammad to “copy the guidance” written in that “Book.” For Allah to command Muhammad to copy the “guidance” of the earlier prophets proves that the “guidance” recorded in their “Book” was kept intact by them. Otherwise it would mean that Allah is commanding Muhammad to copy something which had already become corrupted.
Thus, the above Qur’anic verses prove once again the authenticity of the Bible at the time of Muhammad. Readers are strongly encouraged to remember this vital fact regarding the authenticity of the Bible at the time of Muhammad. It will be shown in the later part of this article why it is impossible for the Bible to become corrupted after that period of time.
Muhammad received his revelations piecemeal within a period of twenty-three years. According to Islamic scholars, Surah Al-Anam (Surah 6:89-90) is a late Meccan Surah. It was revealed just one year before the Hijrah, which means it was revealed nearly about thirteen years after the start of the Qur’an’s revelation. [3] But why did Allah command Muhammad to copy the guidance of the previous “Book” after more than a decade had passed since the beginning of the Qur’an revelation? Because contrary to the lies propagated by Muslims, it was never the intention of Allah to replace the Bible with the Qur’an. That is why Allah commanded Muhammad to follow the inspired guidance written in the Bible even at this late stage of his prophetic career.
Since Muslim scholars assert that the Qur’an was revealed progressively as the state of affairs warrants it, why was Allah telling Muhammad to refer back (regress) to the former Scriptures? Why did not Allah provide Muhammad with the needed progressive revelations to guide him as the situations warrant it instead of directing him back to the guidance recorded in the former Scriptures? Since the Qur’an was still being revealed piecemeal to Muhammad, is it not appropriate for Allah to reveal new verses in the Qur’an to guide Muhammad instead of telling him to “copy the guidance” of the previous Scriptures?
The answer to all the above questions lies with the simple truth that according to Allah, the Bible is irreplaceable. As such, the Bible was indispensable for Muhammad. He was commanded to “copy the guidance” written in it and to follow them. If the Bible is good enough for Allah and if it is good enough for Muhammad, why is it not good enough for the average Muslims? As stated earlier, the above Qur’anic verses are substantiated and clarified by the most authentic Hadith in the Muslim world. Let us read the Hadith.
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 156:
Narrated By Mujahid: That he asked Ibn Abbas, “Is there a prostration in Surat-al-Sad?” (Sura 38:24) Ibn Abbas said, “Yes” and then recited: “We gave… So follow their guidance.” (Sura 6:85-90) Then he said, “He (David) is one them (i.e. those prophets).” Mujahid narrated: I asked Ibn Abbas (regarding the above Verse). He said, “Your Prophet (Muhammad) was one of those who were ordered to follow them.”
It is interesting to note that according to the above Hadith, among the guidance that Muhammad was told to follow was the guidance given to David. He is considered as a prophet in Islam. And the Qur’an testifies that David was guided by Allah.
Surah 6:84: “We guided Noah, and among his progeny, David.”
And now Muhammad was told to follow the guidance given to David. The inspired guidance that David received was the Book of Psalms. And the Qur’an verifies this in the following Qur’anic verses:
Surah 4:163: We have sent thee inspiration… and to David We gave the Psalms. (Yusuf Ali)
Surah 17:55: And we preferred some of the prophets above others, and unto David We gave the Psalms. (Pickthall)
When Muhammad was told to “copy the guidance” of the earlier prophets, it included the Book of Psalms. Surprisingly, in the entire Qur’an, we can find only an incomplete single sentence from the Book of Psalms.
Surah 21:105: Certainly We wrote in the Psalms, after the Torah: ‘Indeed My righteous servants shall inherit the earth.’ (Ali Quli Qara’i)
This certainly cannot be everything that was divinely revealed in the Book of Psalms. Surely there must be many more valuable “guidance” in the Book of Psalms for Muhammad to copy and obey. For Allah to command Muhammad to follow what was revealed to David, even after the commencement of the Qur’an, proves that the Book of Psalms must be of great value to Muhammad. Muslims claim that the Qur’an was sent to reveal and restore what was allegedly lost or corrupted in the Bible. If true, where is the rest of the Book of Psalms? Why are the contents of the genuine Book of Psalms, which was supposedly corrupted in the Bible, not restored authentically in the Qur’an?
Muslims, if you really want to know what the rest of the Book of Psalms teaches, where can you find them? If it is not in the Qur’an, then where is it? Do you really believe that Allah would allow the inspired Book of Psalms, which he commanded Muhammad to copy, to suddenly disappear after that? How can an entire Book of Allah just disappear into oblivion?
It may astound Muslims to know that God has preserved the entire Book of Psalms. The complete collection of Psalms can be found in the Holy Bible – a grand total of 150 Surahs. And we will now quote the same verse that was plagiarized by the Qur’an from the Book of Psalms in the Holy Bible.
Psalms 37:29: “The righteous themselves will inherit the earth and they will reside forever upon it.”
And another gem from the Book of Psalms says:
Psalm 89:34: “My promise I will not break, nor alter the Word that is gone out of my lips.”
The Book of Psalms contains many precious truths. Muslims do not realize what they are really missing when they deny the Bible. As an example, we will now quote Psalms 15 in its entirety to show sincere Muslims what they are really missing from the Word of God. Please read the inspired guidance provided in Psalms 15:1-5. These inspired verses explain to us how we can draw close to God. They reveal to us what acts of holy conduct and deeds of godly devotion must a worshipper of the true God manifest to draw close to him. Please read the beautiful words expressed here in Psalms 15:1-5:
O Jehovah, who will be a guest in your tent?
Who will reside in your holy mountain?He who is walking faultlessly,
And practicing righteousness,
And speaks the truth within his heart.The one who does not slander with his tongue.
To his companion he has done nothing bad,
Or bring disgrace on his neighbor.In his eyes anyone wicked is certainly rejected,
But those fearing God he honors.He keeps an oath even when it hurts him,
And yet he does not alter.His money he has not given out on interest,
Nor has he taken a bribe against an innocent one.Whoever does these things will never be shaken.
Are there any hints of corruption in these beautiful verses? As a Muslim, are you not concerned by the fact that Muhammad accepted the guidance of the Bible and believed in them, while you are taught not to do so today by your religious leaders? Does not Islam teach you that it is mandatory for you to follow the example set by your Prophet? Would Allah who ordered Muhammad to copy and follow the Scriptures of the Bible, prevent you and other Muslims from doing so?
Should the Bible be corrupted in any way, Allah would not have commanded Muhammad to copy it. In fact, there is not a single reason whatsoever for Muslims to doubt the Bible. And this assurance comes from none other than Allah himself. If Muslims were to reason logically they would arrive at only one conclusion. If the Qur’an says the Bible is the Word of Allah, then according to the Qur’an it cannot be changed. As such it must be accepted and followed as it was done so by Muhammad at the command of Allah.
The Torah was revealed more than twenty centuries before the time of the Qur’an. And the Qur’an testifies to the authenticity of the Torah. In fact, the Qur’an testifies to the authenticity of the entire Scriptures of God that is contained in the Bible. Here are some points for Muslims to ponder:
(1) How can the Torah that had remained authentic for more than twenty centuries suddenly become corrupted only after the coming of Islam?
(2) How can the Torah that had transcends time and culture to provide guidance to Muhammad – years after he began to receive his own revelation – suddenly become corrupted?
(3) How can the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel which served as Allah’s only solution to deal with the serious doubts that Muhammad developed, suddenly become invalid after that? (See Surah 10:94).
(4) If Allah considers the Bible to be an invaluable guide for Muhammad who is an Arab (a foreigner), how can this precious Book suddenly become obsolete only after Muslims realized that the teachings of Muhammad contradicted the Bible?
It is unthinkable for the Bible which contains the Scriptures of Allah within its pages to become corrupted. The inspired writings of the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel that can be found within the pages of the Bible are the eternal Words of the Almighty God. And they will forever remain as his eternal Words.
A MUSLIM OBJECTION
There is an objection that is often raised by Muslims that needs to be addressed. Not that this objection is valid by any means. But it needs to be addressed because it has been used persistently by Muslims as a pretext to reject the Bible. Some Muslims apologists claim that the word “Bible” does not appear in the Qur’an. Therefore, they assert that whenever it is stated in the Qur’an that “None can change God’s Word,” it applies only to the preservation of the Scriptures that were originally given to the prophets such as Moses, David, Jesus, and not to the Bible. Is this true? Is their argument valid?
If Muslims are sincere in their claim that Allah’s promise to preserve from corruption applies only to the Scriptures that were given to the prophets such as Moses, David and Jesus, should not they then at least accept these Scriptures as the uncorrupted Word of God? Why do Muslims then reject the Torah, Psalms and Gospel, which were given to Moses, David and Jesus? Why do they then blasphemously claim that these Scriptures have become corrupted? Additionally, if the Qur’an’s testimony of preservation applies only to these Scriptures, where are these preserved Scriptures today? Are they in the possessions of Muslims today? Can Muslims produce them to prove how vastly they differ from the Torah, Psalms and Gospel that we have in the Bible today? If not, how can the very Scriptures which were supposed to be preserved by Allah become lost? Does not this claim by Muslims make the Qur’an false?
Now, let’s get to the bottom of this subject. The claim that the term “Bible,” or their Arabic equivalents do not appear in the Qur’an is a deception by Muslim apologists. The English term “Bible” comes through the Latin from the Greek word “Biblos,” which simply means “Book.” And “Biblia” means “Little Books.” The Bible is a collection of sixty-six little books that make up its content.
Therefore, instead of expecting to find the term “Bible” in the Arabic Qur’an, Muslims should honestly examine to see whether the Qur’an refers to the “Bible” by its Arabic equivalent, namely “Al-Kitab” which means “the Book.” And this is precisely what we find in the Qur’an. Thus, references to the Bible as “Al-Kitab” meaning “the Book” can be found in numerous passages of the Qur’an. Consider now the following example:
Surah 2:113: The Jews say, ´The Christians have nothing to stand on, ´ and the Christians say, ´The Jews have nothing to stand on, ´ yet they both recite the Book. (A. Bewley)
The Jews said, “The Christians are nothing” and the Christians said, “The Jews are nothing” whereas they both read the Book. (Ahmed Raza Khan)
The Muslim Commentary on the Qur’an, “Tafsir-ul-Qur’an,” by Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi, gives the following explanation on Surah 2:113:
“The fact that both sides appealed to the same source of authority – served also to narrow and intensify the struggle.” “The new religion … asserted that it had been founded to fulfill the mission of Judaism, and endeavored to prove the correctness of this allegation from the Bible, the very book upon which Judaism is founded.”
Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi is a renowned Sunni Muslim scholar who is esteemed for his Commentary on the Qur’an. The fact that Maulana Daryabadi clearly identifies that the Arabic term, “Al-Kitab” actually means “the Bible” illustrates the fact that there are, at least, some honest Islamic scholars who correctly recognize that the term “Book” or “Scripture” used in the Qur’an is indeed the “Holy Bible.” Surah 2:113 is just one among the numerous verses in the Qur’an that confirms this truth.
Other scholars too recognize this fact. Among them is the renowned Muslim translator of the Qur’an, Muhammad Asad. Muhammad Asad readily acknowledged that the term, “Al-Kitab” means “the Bible” and should therefore be translated as such. For the benefit of our readers, we will now provide a few examples from the translation of the Qur’an by Muhammad Asad. Only the relevant quote from the Qur’anic verses is cited here:
Surah 5:15: “O followers of the Bible!”
Surah 5:19: “O followers of the Bible!”
Surah 5:65-66: If the followers of the Bible would but attain to true faith and God-consciousness,…and if they would but truly observe the Torah and the Gospel and all the Revelation that has been bestowed from on high upon them by their Sustainer, they would indeed partake of all the blessings of heaven and earth.
Surah 5:68: Say: “O followers of the Bible! You have no valid ground for your beliefs -unless you truly observe the Torah and the Gospel, and all that has been bestowed from on high upon you by your Sustainer!”
All the above examples prove that the term “Book” or “Scripture” with reference to the Jews and Christians mean nothing else but the “Holy Bible.” Additionally, Surah 5:65-66 confirms the fact that besides the Torah and the Gospel, numerous other Scriptures were also given to the “followers of the Bible.” The Qur’anic verses make this clear by stating that the “followers of the Bible” were commanded to observe “the Torah” and “the Gospel” and “all the Revelation that has been bestowed from on high upon them.” This shows that in addition to the Torah and the Gospel, various other Scriptures were also “bestowed from on high” for them to observe. And all theses Scriptures in the Bible came under divine protection.
Similarly, Surah 5:68 also states that the “followers of the Bible” were commanded to observe “the Torah” and “the Gospel” and “all that has been bestowed from on high.” This Once again proves that the “followers of the Bible” were given additional Scriptures besides the Torah and the Gospel.
The Bible (Al-Kitab) is a composite Book consisting of numerous Scriptures within it. The Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are among those that are specifically named in the Qur’an. Although the Bible consisted of sixty-six individual writings, the entire collection is classified as “the Book” due to the fact the Author is one, God himself.
Just as a building may consist of many apartments within it, the Bible is composed of numerous Scriptures within it. Therefore, the claim of Muslims that the promised preservation does not apply to the Bible, but only to the Scriptures given to the prophets such as Moses, David and Jesus is like saying that the building will become useless through damage but not the apartments within it. Talk about absurdity.
Can Muslims please enlighten us as to how the apartments can be preserved while the building is destroyed? You just cannot. You have to preserve one to preserve the other. That is why Muslims who make this absurd claim end up contradicting the very claim they put forward. They destroy their own argument. And they end up blaspheming against Allah by saying that the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel are also corrupted. And not to forget, they eventually end up contradicting their own sacred book – the Qur’an which specifically confirms these Scriptures of Allah will be protected.
How much more delusional can one get? Can you not see the illusion that these Muslim apologists try to create to discredit the Word of God? This demonstrates the extent of deceit that some Muslims are willing to commit in order to invalid the Word of God – the Holy Bible. Do not allow yourselves to be deceived by all these trickery to discredit the Holy Bible. And this caution is also extended to all sincere Muslims.
TESTIMONY NUMBER TWELVE
Muhammad is commanded by Allah to make the following pledge:
Surah 42:15: “And follow not their desires but say: I believe in whatsoever Allah has sent down of the Book (all the holy Books, this Qur’an and the Books of the old from the Taurat (Torah), or the Injeel (Gospel) or the Pages of Ibrahim (Abraham))” (Hilali-Khan)
And say this: ‘I believe in every Book that Allah has revealed.’ (Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri)
And say to them: “I have given credence to all the Books Allah has sent down and in all of them do I believe.” (Al-Muntakhab)
Muhammad was commanded to believe in “all the Books Allah has sent down” – every single one of them. This means that in addition to the Qur’an, it is mandatory for Muhammad to believe in “the Books” that were sent to the Jews and the Christians – all of them. This confirms that “all the Books” that were sent to the Jews and the Christians must have remained absolutely authentic when this Qur’anic verse was revealed to Muhammad. In fact, the Qur’an directly commands every single Muslim to believe in all the Books of Allah.
Surah 4:136: O you who believe! Believe in God and His Messenger (Muhammad) and the Book He has been sending down on His Messenger in parts and the (Divine) Books He sent down before. Whoever disbelieves in God and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and the Last Day, has indeed gone far astray. (Ali Ünal)
The above Qur’anic verse commands Muslims to believe in all the Books of Allah. And no verses were ever revealed after this to abrogate the above commandment. In other words, even after the completion of the Qur’an, this remains as the standing order of Allah. If the previous Books of Allah have been changed in any way, it would be absurd for the Qur’an to command Muslims to believe in all the Books of Allah. For Muhammad and the Muslims to truly submit to the commandment of Allah, their faith cannot be based on the Qur’an only but also on all the other earlier Books of Allah. In other words, they must submit to the teachings of the Bible. All the previous Books of Allah can only be found in the Bible. Deny the Bible and all the previous Books of Allah just disappears into oblivion. Muslims will now be left with only the Qur’an. Can they then submit to Allah’s command to believe in all the Books of Allah? Can the Qur’an be the Word of God when the commandments written in it are irrelevant for Muslims today?
The command given to Muhammad to “believe in all the Books” not only proves the fact that the Scriptures of the Bible were available to Muhammad but it also proves that they have remained uncorrupted. They are identical to the original Scriptures. Thus, the authentic Hebrew and Christian Greek Scriptures not only existed but were also available during the time of Muhammad. Undeniable proof of this is shown in the following Qur’anic verse. Please read the verse carefully:
Surah 32:23: “We did indeed aforetime give the Book to Moses: be not then in doubt of it’s reaching (thee): And we made it a guide to the Children of Israel.” (Yusuf Ali)
And certainly We gave the Book to Musa, so be not in doubt concerning the receiving of it, and We made it a guide for the children of Israel. (Shakir)
Yes! It was available to Muhammad. When Allah says, “be not then in doubt of it’s reaching thee,” it is obvious that Allah was not talking about a corrupted Book of Moses. He was speaking about uncorrupted identical copies of the Book of Torah that he gave to Moses. If the copies of the Book of Moses were to reach Muhammad with alterations in it, then it cannot be spoken of as the Book that was given to Moses. And it will certainly be deceitful for Allah to say, “We gave the Book to Moses, be not in doubt concerning the receiving of it.”
The Torah was given to Moses more than fifteen centuries before the arrival of the Gospel. If uncorrupted copies of the Torah that were written centuries before the Gospel were available to Muhammad, then we can be sure that the rest of the later Scriptures of the Bible must have also reached him without corruption. Qur’anic evidences prove consistently that preserved copies of the Torah and the Gospel were available during the life-time of Muhammad. Like their Prophet, Muslims should accept the Holy Bible as the pure, unadulterated Word of God. Otherwise, they have “indeed gone far astray.” We are not the ones telling this but Allah.
TESTIMONY NUMBER THIRTEEN
Surah 2:41: And accept faith in what I have sent down (the Qur’an), which confirms what is with you (the Torah/Bible), and do not be the first to disbelieve in it – and do not exchange My verses for an abject price – and fear Me alone. (Faridul Haque)
And believe in that which I reveal, confirming that which ye possess already (of the Scripture), and be not first to disbelieve therein, and part not with My revelations for a trifling price, and keep your duty unto Me. (Pickthall)
How can Allah say to the Christians that the Qur’an is “confirming that which ye possess” if “that which ye possess” has already become corrupted? This passage from the Qur’an can be true only if the Bible has continued to remain pure and uncorrupted at the time when Muhammad received this Qur’anic verse. The purpose of the Qur’an is to confirm the Bible as the Word of God. To confirm the Bibles in the possessions of the Christians world-wide as the authentic Word of God. Renowned Muslims scholars acknowledge that in view of the fact that the Bible had already been distributed worldwide by the time of Muhammad, it would be impossible to corrupt the Bible after that since any corruption can easily be exposed. More on this later.
Surah 3:3: “He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” (Pickthall)
The root word for “confirm” or “confirming” as used in the Qur’anic Arabic of Surah 3:3 is “Saddaqa.” It means: “to confirm, to accept as true, establishing as true, to believe, to give credence.” Thus, when Muhammad used this word, he “confirmed” the Bible as the Word of God. And he “believed” that the Bible is the authentic Word of God.
The purpose of the Qur’an is to confirm the messages of God that are written in the Bible. This simply means that its duty is to prove the authenticity of these messages. Its purpose is not to correct, contradict or supersede it, but to authenticate it. The Qur’an uses the word “confirming” numerous times in connection with the previous Scriptures but never once to mean as “correcting” them.
For example, in a court of law if a witness confirms the statement of another witness, it means he or she is affirming the truthfulness of that statement. Thus, the confirmation of the authenticity of the Bible by the Qur’an is only possible if the Bible has still remained uncorrupted even after the Qur’an came into existence. This is because it is only possible after the Qur’an came into existence, for it to be on hand to confirm the Bible.
To know that the Qur’an is a confirmation of the previous Scriptures, Muslims have to study and examine both the Bible and the Qur’an. It is important for us to understand that by confirming the Bible, the Qur’an is actually validating its own merits by claiming that it contains the true original words of God in it. Notice Allah’s words carefully in Surah 2:41. Allah was telling the Jews and Christians not to doubt the Qur’an on account of the fact it confirms the Scriptures which is in their possession. Therefore, the basis to believe in the Qur’an is simply because it confirms the Bible. It would defy logic and intellect for the Qur’an to use a corrupted Book as a confirmation of its own authenticity.
Therefore, Muslims who try to discredit the authenticity of the Bible are guilty of attacking the very foundation upon which the Qur’an relies on to validate itself. The Qur’an is quite clear and very explicit regarding Allah’s position on the previous Scriptures. The Qur’an clearly testifies that the Bible which contains the Scriptures of the Jews and the Christians is the true and preserved Word of God. The function of the Qur’an was to confirm it.
By means of the Qur’an, Muhammad confirmed both the existence and the integrity of the Bible. Not a single word of the textual corruption of the Bible was ever uttered by Muhammad. According to the Qur’an, the Gospel confirms the Torah (Surah 5:46). If the Gospel confirms the Torah by maintaining harmony between the two Scriptures, how is the Qur’an supposed to confirm the Torah and the Gospel? By invalidating them?
TESTIMONY NUMBER FOURTEEN
Allah commands both Jews and Christians to judge by what was revealed in the Torah and the Gospel.
Surah 5:43: How come they unto thee for judgment when they have the Torah, wherein Allah hath delivered judgment for them? Yet even after that, they turn away. Such folk are not believers. (Pickthall)
“And how do they make you a judge and they have the Taurat wherein is Allah’s judgment? Yet they turn back after that, and these are not the believers.” (Shakir)
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