The Quran Confirms the Bible Has Never
Been Corrupted
[NOTE- The material presented here
is meant to be used in lectures and debates. We have compiled some of the best
arguments and objections on this subject in order to assist Christians in their
evangelistic outreaches and programs. Permission is given to use this material.
In fact, portions of this material
were successfully used in refuting a Muslim neophyte named Nadir Ahmed in a live
debate held on July 16, 2003 at Paltalk titled “What the Quran says about the
Bible.” If and when possible, we will try to make tapes of the debate available
for anyone who is interested in hearing it for themselves.]
The following material is a
compilation of evidences from the Quran which Christians can use to prove that
the first Muslims believed that Holy Bible is the inspired and preserved Word of
God. The first Muslims clearly did not believe that the text of Holy Scriptures
was unreliable, but actually appealed to the biblical text for verification
purposes.
We would like to preface our
comments by saying that we do not believe that the Quran is the word of God. We
do believe, however, that the Quran is the earliest record we have that details
the beliefs and practices of the first Muslims. As such, we appeal to it solely
for historical purposes to show Muslims that their own sources support the
authenticity and reliability of the Holy Bible. Hopefully, by God’s sovereign
grace, our aim is to lead Muslims to reexamine their view of God’s pure Word,
the Holy Bible, and embrace its teaching on the real Jesus of history for
salvation.
The dilemma for the Muslim is
quite apparent. To accept the Quran is to accept its testimony that the Holy
Bible is the preserved Word of God. And yet to accept the Holy Bible is to
reject both the Quran and Muhammad. The first Muslims evidently thought that by
appealing to the Holy Bible they would be verifying the prophetic claims of
Muhammad. Little did they realize that their appeal to the Holy Scriptures for
verification purposes actually proves that Muhammad cannot be a true prophet
since he contradicts the message of God’s true prophets and messengers,
especially the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son.
On the flip side, to attack the
Holy Bible is to discredit the Quran which confirms the authority, availability,
and authenticity of the previous scriptures. Either way, Muslims are in a no win
situation.
With this said, we now turn our
attention to the evidence of both the Quran and Islamic traditions.
1. The Quran presumes that the
Previous Revelation was available during Muhammad’s time
Before
providing the Islamic evidence supporting the authority, authenticity and
preservation of the Holy Bible, we need to first address the following passage
that Muslims often bring up:
“Allah made a
covenant of old with the Children of Israel and We raised among them twelve
chieftains, and Allah said: Lo! I am with you. If ye establish worship and
pay the poor-due, and believe in My messengers and support them, and lend unto
Allah a kindly loan, surely I shall remit your sins, and surely I shall bring
you into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Whoso among you disbelieveth
after this will go astray from a plain road. And because of their breaking their
covenant, We have cursed them and made hard their hearts. They change words
from their context and forget a part of that whereof they were admonished.
Thou wilt not cease to discover treachery from all save a few of them.
But bear with them and pardon them. Lo! Allah loveth the kindly. And with those
who say: ‘Lo! we are Christians,’ We made a covenant, but they forgot a part
of that whereof they were admonished. Therefore We have stirred up enmity
and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection, when Allah will inform them
of their handiwork. O People of the Scripture! Now hath Our messenger come unto
you, expounding unto you much of that which ye used to hide in the Scripture,
and forgiving much. now hath come unto you light from Allah and plain
Scripture,” S. 5:12-15 Pickthall
It is assumed that “changing words from
their context” implies that the previous scriptures have been tampered with.
Several responses are in order. First, even if this were the case this would
only be referring to the Jews, and even then, not all of the Jews. The Quran
testifies that there were many from the People of the Book who wouldn’t deal
falsely with God’s Word:
"Not all
of them are alike. Some of the People of the Book are an upright people.
They recite the signs (or verses) of God in the night season and they bow down
worshipping. They believe in God and the last day. They command what is just,
and forbid what is wrong and they hasten in good works, and they are of the
righteous. S. 3:113-114
“Of the
people of Moses there is a section who guide and do justice in the light of
truth… After them succeeded an (evil) generation: They inherited the Book,
but they chose (for themselves) the vanities of this world, saying (for excuse):
‘(Everything) will be forgiven us.’ (Even so), if similar vanities came their
way, they would (again) seize them. Was not the covenant of the Book taken
from them, that they would not ascribe to Allah anything but the truth? AND THEY
STUDY WHAT IS IN THE BOOK. But best for the righteous is the home in the
Hereafter. Will ye not understand? As to those WHO HOLD FAST BY THE BOOK and
establish regular prayer, - never shall We suffer the reward of the
righteous to perish.” S. 7:159, 169-170 A. Yusuf Ali
Secondly, the passage says nothing about
changing words from the text of Scripture. In fact, when we consult the earliest
Muslim views we soon discover that the Jews were accused of changing words by
misinterpreting the text. In the words of early Muslim exegete Ibn Kathir, taken
from his comments on S. 5:13, 15:
Then Allah
informs us of the punishment He inflicted upon them when they violated His
Covenant. Allah says, <because of their breach of their covenant, We have
cursed them>, that is, because they broke their pact, Allah expelled them
from His Guidance. And <made their hearts grow hard> so they will not
accept their guilt. The verse, <they change the words from their context>
means THAT THEY MISINTERPRETED THE VERSES OF ALLAH, according to their own
desires, and fabricated lies against Him. We ask Allah to save us from that…
Allah informs
us that He has sent His messenger Muhammad with the guidance and the religion of
truth for all the people of the earth; Arabs and non-Arabs, illiterate and
literate… the Prophet has come to explain that which they have altered,
misinterpreted and distorted and to ignore most of their unnecessary
alterations. Al-Hakim reported in his Mustadrak, on the authority of Ibn
Abbas, “Whoever disbelieves in stoning to death (Rajm) in Islam has
indeed disbelieved the Qur’an and has no appreciation of Allah’s verse, <O
people of the Scripture! Now has our Messenger come to you, expounding to you
much of that which you used to hide in the Scripture>; therefore, stoning
to death is that which the People of the Scripture concealed.” Al-Hakim said
that the Isnad of this Hadith is Good. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Part 6
Surat An-Nisa’, ayat 148 to 176 Surah Al-Ma’idah, ayat 1 to 181, abridged by
Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa'i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London, 2000 first edition],
p. 128, 130-131; capital and underline emphasis ours)
Commenting on the same expression in
5:41, Ibn Kathir repeats:
<They
change the words from their places> that is, THEY
MISINTERPRET THE WORDS AND ALTER THEM KNOWINGLY… (Ibid., p. 167; capital
emphasis ours)
Ibn Kathir’s comments on S. 3:78 are
also pertinent to this very issue:
Mujahid.
Ash-Sha'bi, Al-Hassan, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi' bin Anas said that,
<who
distort the Book with their tongues.>
means, "They
alter (Allah's Words)."
Al-Bukhari
reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that the Ayah means they alter and add
although none among Allah's creation CAN REMOVE THE WORDS OF ALLAH FROM HIS
BOOKS, THEY ALTER AND DISTORT THEIR APPARENT MEANINGS. Wahb bin Munabbih
said, "The Tawrah and Injil REMAIN AS ALLAH REVEALED THEM, AND NO LETTER IN
THEM WAS REMOVED. However, the people misguide others by addition and false
interpretation, relying on books that they wrote themselves." Then,
<they say:
"This is from Allah," but it is not from Allah;>
As for
Allah's books, THEY ARE STILL PRESERVED AND CANNOT BE CHANGED."
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this statement ... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir – Abridged,
Volume 2, Parts 3, 4 & 5, Surat Al-Baqarah, Verse 253, to Surat An-Nisa, verse
147, abridged by a group of scholars under the supervision of Shaykh
Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, Riyadh,
Houston, New York, Lahore; First Edition: March 2000], p. 196; bold and capital
emphasis ours)
This is confirmed by Imam Al-Bukhari. In
Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitaab Al-Tawheed, Baab Qawlu Allah Ta'ala, "Bal Huwa
Qur'aanun Majeed, fi lawhin Mahfooth" (i.e. in Sahih al-Bukhari, Book "The
Oneness of God", the Chapter on Surat Al-Borooj (no. 85), Verses 21, 22 saying,
"Nay this is a Glorious Qur'an, (Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved.") we find in
a footnote between 9.642 and
643:
"They corrupt the word"
means "they alter or change its meaning."
Yet no one is able to change even a single word from
any Book of God. The meaning is that they interpret the word
wrongly. [... and he continues to speak about how the Qur'an is preserved
...] (http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Bible/ibnabbas.html)
Some Muslims have sought to undermine Wahb’s positive testimony to the
preservation of the Holy Bible by claiming that he was a narrator of Jewish
traditions, otherwise known as Isrâ'îliyyât narrations, and was a storyteller.
Several responses are in order. First, this falsely assumes that these Jewish
narrations are unreliable as opposed to the Muslim sources being the ones in
error. A Muslim cannot assume what he has yet to prove.
Second, just because Wahb narrated Jewish stories doesn’t imply that ALL his
narrations were taken from the Jews. One needs to first show that his statement
regarding the Bible does not reflect the early Muslim view, but rather the
Jewish position which Wahb was familiar. The proof that Wahb was reflecting THE
MUSLIM VIEW can be gleaned from his comments regarding the Gospel. The Jews, for
the most part, did not believe in the Gospel, which clearly shows that Wahb’s
statement DID NOT COME FROM THEM. Rather, it was something he picked up after
his conversion to Islam by the other Muslims.
Third, there have been and continue to be Muslims who view Wahb as a reliable
source of Islamic traditions, DESPITE his narration of Jewish traditions:
Concerning Wahb, al-Hâfidh
Ibn Hajar (d. 852H) said…
126 - Wahb Ibn Munabbih Ibn Kâmil al-Yamânî, the father of
cAbdallâh
al-Abnâwî. He is trustworthy
[thiqah]...[1]
Ibn
Hajar places him in category three of hadîth narrators who come
immediately after category two, which includes extremely precise and firmly
established hadîth narrators, and after category one which is reserved
purely for the Companions of the Prophet(P).
According to al-cIjlî (d. 261H), Wahb is:
A successor, thiqah....[2]
The
editor of this edition placed a footnote to al-cIjlî's comment
saying:
He is also declared thiqah by Abû Zurcah,
al-Nasâ'î, Ibn Hibbân and others.[3]
Imâm
al-Suyûtî (d. 911H) includes him in his book of hadîth memorisers.[4]
Many
of the hadîth scholars have recorded his hadîth, including al-Bukhârî,
Muslim, Abû Dâwûd and al-Tirmidhî.
To
summarize the views of various hadîth specialists on Wahb, let us
consider the following quote…
If we examine what the scholars and critics said concerning Wahb, we would be
convinced that he was above the defamation made against him, innocent from any
accusation that would scratch his fairness and honesty. Al-Dhahabî said:
He was trustworthy and honest and transmitted a lot from the books of
isrâ'îliyyât.
Al-cIjlî
said: Trustworthy and a successor, he was appointed in the Court of Sancâ'.
Ibn Hajar said: Wahb Ibn Munabbih of Sancâ'
was a successor. He was trusted by the public of scholars
except al-Fallâs
who said: He is weak, what led him to this stance is that
[Wahb]
was suspected of having a controversed opinion regarding Qadar
[i.e.,
predestination].
An-Nasâ'î and Abû Zurcah
said: He was trustworthy. Ibn Hibbân has mentioned him in his book of
trustworthy narrators. Al-Bukhârî himself used to rely on him and trusted
him. We can find in al-Bukhârî one report from him through his brother
Hammâm from Abû Huraira concerning the writing of hadîth....[5]
So the conclusion here is
that Wahb is consider to be a thiqah even though he transmitted
isrâ'îliyyât
traditions along with
the Islamic ones. The scholars have rejected the
isrâ'îliyyât
traditions which do not
satisfy the criteria as listed
above.
(http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/Ulum/israel.html)
The
authors conclude:
The
above discussion is self-explanatory. The obvious conclusion is that each
hadîth is discussed on the basis of its strengths and weaknesses; whether in
chain of narrators (isnâd) or the text (matn). We find that Wahb Ibn
Munabbih and Kacb al-Ahbâr are considered as trustworthy
narrators of hadîth because they transmitted the Islamic traditions
faithfully along with
isrâ'îliyyât
traditions. Just because they had also transmitted
isrâ'îliyyât
traditions along with the Islamic ones does not make them 'untrustworthy' or
'fabricators' of hadîth because they did not attribute these
isrâ'îliyyât
traditions to the Prophet(P). Muslim scholars have rejected the
isrâ'îliyyât
traditions on the basis that they do not satisfy the critieria of truthfulness
according to the
above set of rules.
In a response to an
accusation against Kacb al-Ahbâr, Wahb Ibn Munabbih, and
others who had knowledge in the previous books and transmitted it in the Islamic
literature, Dr. Muhammad Husayn al-Dhahabî says…
As for his
saying [i.e., the critic]: "In general they [Kacb and the others]
introduced to the Muslim's creed and knowledge a lot of what had left bad
affects." If [the critic] wanted to put the blame of the bad affects upon Kacb
and the others then we don't agree on this, because whatever Kacb and
the others narrated from the People of the Book they didn't say it is from
the Prophet(P) and [thus] they didn't lie to Muslims
about it, but they were only reporting it as the Israelite tradition which
existed in their own books. We are not obliged to believe anything of it
nor we are requested to trust it...."[10]
Fourth, the English translators of Tafsir Ibn Kathir made sure to omit
everything from Ibn Kathir which they considered weak and unreliable:
Careful analysis and eforts
[sic] have been made and taken to ensure that weak Hadith are not
included within the abridged version of the English translation. (http://www.ibnkathir.com)
These same translators left
Wahb’s statement intact, which shows that they considered it sound. Otherwise,
they would have expunged it if had been weak.
Fifth, if the traditions which contain Israiliyyat narrations must be rejected
as inauthentic then the Quran must be tossed out as well since it contains MANY
narrations from apocryphal and legendary Jewish sources. See the following links
for the documentation:
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Saifullah/borrow.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Sources/index.html
Finally, the debate over which
tradition is sound and which narrator was reliable is an indication of the
chaotic and corrupt state of the Islamic religion. This is one of the reasons
why we personally do not believe in Islam since the very foundation upon which
it sits is shaky and weak. As we stated, our sole purpose in quoting the Quran
and the traditions is to convince those Muslims who do believe in it that their
own sources forces them to accept the Holy Bible as God’s inspired and preserved
Word.
Returning to the subject at hand, we are
told in Sunan Abu
Dawud, Book 38 (Kitab al Hudud, i.e. Prescribed Punishments), Number 4434, we
are told:
Narrated
Abdullah Ibn Umar:
A group of Jews came and invited the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) to
Quff. So he visited them in their school.
They said:
AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce
judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Apostle of Allah
(peace_be_upon_him) who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then
brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on
it saying: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee.
He then said: Bring me one who is
learned among you. Then a young man was brought. The transmitter then mentioned
the rest of the tradition of stoning similar to the one transmitted by Malik
from Nafi' (No. 4431)."
After mentioning this very same hadith,
Ibn Kathir comments:
… They
arranged a pillow for the Messenger of Allah and he sat on it and said…
((Bring
the Tawrah to me))
He was
brought the Tawrah and he removed the pillow from under him and placed the
Tawrah on it, saying…
((I
TRUST YOU AND HE WHO REVEALED IT TO YOU.))…
These Hadiths state that the Messenger of Allah issued a decision that
conforms with the ruling in the Tawrah, not to honor the Jews in what they
believe in, for the Jews were commanded to follow the Law of Muhammad only.
Rather, the Prophet did this BECAUSE ALLAH COMMANDED HIM TO DO SO… (Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 3, Parts 6, 7 & 8 (Surat An-Nisa Verse 148 to the
end of Surat Al-An’am), Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, First edition,
January 2000, pp. 181-182; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Evidently, neither Muhammad nor his
first companions understood S. 5:12-15 to be referring to textual corruption.
Commenting on the meaning of tahrif, Thomas F. Michel, the English
translator of Shaik-ul-Islam, Ibn Taymiyya’s response to Christians, states:
The term
tahrif finds its origin in the Quran. In its verbal form it indicates an
accusation hurled four times (4:46; 5:13; 5:41; 2:75) against Jewish leaders
and carries the meaning that they quote their Scriptures wrongly out of context.
On this basis a distinction was made early in the polemical tradition between
tahrif al-lafz and tahrif al-ma‘na, the first referring to actual
textual distortion and corruption, the second referring to the false and
distorted interpretation of basically sound texts.
The early
Muslim polemicists, such as ‘Ali al-Tabari, the Zaydi al-Qasim ibn Ibrahim, and
Al-Hasan ibn Ayyub, applied the concept of
tahrif al-ma‘na to the Christian as well as Jewish Scriptures. The later
polemicists of the Ash‘arite school such as AL-BAQILLANI, AL-GHAZALI, and
FAKR AL-DIN AL-RAZI, approached the Bible AS BASICALLY SOUND IN ITS TEXT but
misinterpreted by Christians and Jews.
Ibn Hazm in his Al-Fisal fi
al-Milal wal-Ahwa wal-Nihal, carefully built a case for the verbal
corruption of the biblical text. According to Ibn Hazm, the Bible is not a
message of God which contains some erroneous passages and words, but is of the
status of an anti-Scripture, “an accursed book,” the product of satanic
inspiration. His conclusion marked A DEPARTURE FROM THE PREVAILING OPINION
BEFORE HIS TIME and was followed by subsequent writers only with careful
qualifications. Although the majority of later polemicists rejected Ibn Hazm’s
conclusions as extreme, by the strength of his argumentation he influenced all
subsequent polemical literature. The question of tahrif of scripture was
one that no polemicist-Christian, Muslim, or Jewish-could leave untreated.
(Michel, A Muslim Theologian’s Response to Christianity [Caravan Books;
Delmar, NY, second printing 1999], pp. 89-90; bold and capital emphasis ours;
bold and capital emphasis ours)
Furthermore, if one continues reading
the rest of Surah 5 one will soon discover that the first Muslims were correct
since the author of the Quran believed that the original revelation remained in
its true and pure form:
"But why do
they come to thee for decision, WHEN THEY HAVE (THEIR OWN) TORAH BEFORE
THEM?- THEREIN IS THE (PLAIN) COMMAND OF ALLAH; yet even after that, they
would turn away. For they are not (really) People of Faith. It was We who
revealed the Torah (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard
have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islám) to Allah's
will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the
protection of Allah's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear
not men, but fear Me, and sell not My signs for a miserable price. If any do
fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are
unbelievers. We ordained therein for them: 'Life for life, eye for eye, nose
or nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.' But if
any one remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for
himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed,
they are wrong-doers." S. 5:43-45
"And in their
footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, CONFIRMING THE TORAH THAT CAME
BEFORE HIM: We sent him the Gospel: therein IS guidance and light,
AND CONFIRMATION OF THE TORAH THAT HAD COME BEFORE HIM: a guidance and an
admonition to those who fear Allah. Let the people of the Gospel judge by
what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of)
what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel." S. 5:46-47
This is not the only time where Jesus is
said to have confirmed the Torah:
"And Allah
will teach him the Book and Wisdom, THE TORAH and the Gospel, And
(appoint him) as a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): 'I
have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of
clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a
bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I bring
the dead into life, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what
ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe; (I
have come to you), TO ATTEST THE TORAH WHICH WAS BEFORE ME. And to make
lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you
with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me. S. 3:48-50
Ibn Kathir states:
<the
Tawrah and the Injil>. The Tawrah is the Book THAT ALLAH SENT DOWN TO
MUSA, son of Imran, while the Injil is what Allah sent down to Isa, son of
Maryam, peace be upon them, AND ISA MEMORIZED BOTH BOOKS…
<If you
believe. And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Tawrah,>
affirming the Tawrah AND UPHOLDING IT," (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged,
Volume 2, Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, pp. 163, 165; bold and
capital emphasis ours)
The following passages further show that
the previous scriptures were available during Muhammad’s time.
“What! do you
enjoin men to be good and neglect your own souls while you read the Book;
have you then no sense?” S. 2:44 Shakir
Ibn Kathir writes:
… And you
READ ALLAH’S BOOK (THE TAWRAH) and know what IT promises to those who do not
fulfill Allah’s commandments…
<While you
recite the Scripture (Tawrah)! Have you then no sense?>
You forbid
the people from rejecting the prophethood and the covenant that you have
mentioned WITH YOU IN THE TAWRAH, while you yourselves have forgotten it,
meaning that ‘you have forgotten the covenant that I made with you that you will
accept My Messenger. You have breeched My covenant, and rejected what you
know IS in My Book.’ (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 1, Parts 1& 2
(Surat Al-Fatihah to Verse 252 of Surat Al-Baqarah), Shaykh Safiur-Rahman
Al-Mubarakpuri, First edition, January 2000, pp. 211-213; bold and capital
emphasis ours)
The Quran continues:
“And when
there cometh unto them a scripture from Allah, confirming that IN THEIR
POSSESSION…” S. 2:89 Pickthall
Again, here is Ibn Kathir:
<confirming what is with them> meaning the
Tawrah…
<And when there came to them
(the Jews), a Book (this Qur’an) from Allah confirming what is with them (the
Tawrah) and the Injil (Gospel)>
Abu
Al-‘Aliyah said, “The Jews used to ask Allah to send Muhammad so that they would
gain victory over the Arab disbelievers. They used to say, ‘O Allah! Send the
Prophet THAT WE READ ABOUT- IN THE TAWRAH- so that we can torment and
kill the disbelievers alongside him’…” (Ibid., p. 293)
The Quran chastens Jews and Christians:
“The Jews
say, 'The Christians are not (founded) upon anything.' And the Christians say,
The Jews are not (founded) upon anything.' And yet they READ the Book (Kitab).”
S. 2:113
The earliest Muslim biographer Ibn Ishaq
gives us the reason why this verse was supposedly “revealed”:
"When the
Christians of Najran came to the apostle the Jewish rabbis came also and they
disputed one with the other before the apostle. Rafi' said, ‘You have no
standing,’ and he denied Jesus and the Gospel; and a Christian said to the Jews,
‘You have no standing’ and he denied that Moses was a prophet and denied the
Torah. So God sent down concerning them: ‘The Jews say the Christians have no
standing; and the Christians say that the Jews have no standing, and yet they
read the scriptures. They do not know what they are talking about. God will
judge between them on the day of resurrection concerning their controversy,’
i.e. each one reads IN HIS BOOK THE CONFIRMATION OF WHAT HE DENIES, so
that the Jews deny Jesus though THEY HAVE THE TORAH in which God required
them BY THE WORD OF MOSES TO HOLD JESUS TRUE; while IN THE GOSPEL IS WHAT JESUS
BROUGHT IN CONFIRMATION OF MOSES AND THE TORAH HE BROUGHT FROM GOD: so each one
denies WHAT IS IN THE HAND OF THE OTHER." (Ishaq, Life Of Muhammad,
trans. Alfred Guillaume [Oxford University Press, Karachi], p. 258; bold and
capital emphasis ours)
Muslim Scholar Mahmoud M. Ayoub, while
commenting on S. 2:97-98, quotes Umar ibn al-Khattab:
(97, 98)
These two verses were sent down, as Wahidi relates, on the authority of Ibn
'Abbas, when the Jews of Medina came to the Prophet saying, "We shall ask you
concerning certain matters. If you answer us truthfully, we will follow you.
Tell us who of the angels comes down to you, for there is no prophet but that an
angel comes to him from his Lord with the [charge] of apostleship and
revelation. Who is your angel?" He answered, "He is Gabriel." They said, "He is
the one who comes down with strife and battle; he is our enemy. Had you said,
'Michael,' the angel who comes down with rain and mercy, we would have followed
you" (Wahidi, p. 26). Wahidi further relates on the authority of al-Sha'bi that
'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I used to frequent the Jews in their schools
WHEN THEY STUDIED THE TORAH AND MARVEL AT HOW THE TORAH CONCURS WITH THE
QUR'AN AND HOW THE QUR'AN CONCURS WITH THE TORAH. They said to me, 'O 'Umar,
there is no one dearer to us than you.' 'Why?' I asked. 'Because,' they said,
'you come to us and enjoy our company.' I answered, 'I come to marvel at how
THE BOOKS OF GOD CONFIRM EACH OTHER'…" (Ayoub, The Qur'an and Its
Interpreters, Volume One [State University of New York Press, Albany, 1984],
p. 127; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Again:
Those to whom
We have given the Book STUDY IT AS IT SHOULD BE STUDIED: They are the
ones that believe therein: Those who reject faith therein,- the loss is their
own. S. 2:121
M.M. Ayoub states:
Zamakhshari
interprets the verse as follows: "'They to whom we have given the scriptures'
are the faithful among the people of the Book who recite the scriptures in their
true recitation, neither altering nor changing what they contain of the
description of the Apostle of God. Those who have faith in their scriptures
are contrasted with 'whosoever rejects faith in it [the scriptures],' that is,
alterers. 'These shall be the losers' because they exchange guidance for error."
(Zamakhshari, I, p. 308) (Ayoub, pp. 149-150)
Hence, according to Zamakhshari there
were Jews and Christians who did not alter the scriptures but preserved and
recited it as God intended. Therefore, how can one study the Book if the Book
did not remain intact?
Returning to the Quran, we read:
"All food was
lawful to the Children of Israel except what Israel made unlawful for itself
before the Torah was revealed. Say, 'BRING the Torah and READ it, if you
are men of truth.' If any, after this, invent a lie and attribute it to God,
they are indeed transgressors." S. 3:93-94
They measured
not God with a true measure when they said, ‘God has not sent down aught on any
mortal.’ Say: ‘Who sent down the Book that Moses brought as a light and a
guidance to men? YOU PUT IT INTO PARCHMENTS, REVEALING THEM, and hiding much;
and you were taught that you knew not, you and your fathers.’ Then leave them
alone, playing their game of plunging. This is a Book We have sent down, blessed
AND CONFIRMING THAT WHICH WAS BEFORE IT… S. 6:91-92 A.J. Arberry
It is quite clear that these passages
affirm that the original Torah and the Book of Moses were in the possession of
the people of Muhammad’s time.
Shall I seek
other than Allah for judge, when He it is Who hath revealed unto you (this)
Scripture, fully explained? Those unto whom We gave the Scripture
(aforetime) know that it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou
(O Muhammad) of the waverers. 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. S. 6:114-115 Pickthall
Some Muslims claim that this passage
refers to the decrees or laws of Allah regarding, for instance, who will be
allowed to accept the guidance. It isn’t referring to his Books per se.
Yet, there is nothing in the immediate context which rules out the Scriptures
from being part of the words which Allah claims can never be changed. In fact,
there are Muslims who go so far as to use passages such as the above to prove
that the Quran cannot be abrogated or changed:
The claim of abrogation is in complete contempt of God's
words in the Quran:
"The word of your Lord is complete, in
truth and justice. NOTHING SHALL ABROGATE HIS WORDS."
6:115
"A.L.R. This is a book whose AYATS HAVE
BEEN PERFECTED" 11:1
"……the words of God are UNCHANGEABLE"
10:64
As is plainly clear from the above
Quranic words, God asserts that the words of the Quran are perfect, harbour no
contradictions and cannot be abrogated. Yet sadly these scholars have
invented the greatest lie against the Quran, claiming that there are verses in
the Quran that abrogate and invalidate other verses. (http://www.quran-islam.org/160.html)
Muslim apologist and author Akbarally
Meherally exhorts Muslims to follow the primary document of Allah:
The Qur'an (Koran) - the revealed "Words
of Allah" to the Prophet of Allah, is an
uncompromising Primary Document.
NONE can change its Message.
"No change there can be in the Words of
Allah that is the Supreme Triumph."
Qur'an 10 : 64
The Word of thy Lord doth find its
fulfillment in truth and in justice: none can change His Words: for He is
the one who heareth and knoweth all. Wert thou to follow the common run of those
on earth they will lead thee away from the Way of Allah. They follow nothing but
conjecture: they do nothing but lie.
Qur'an 6 : 115 - 116
This document is protected from falsehood
by Allah, who has Revealed it.
"No falsehood can approach it ("Words of
Allah - Qur'an") from before or behind it: it is sent down by One Full of
Wisdom, Worthy of all Praise. "
Qur'an 41: 42
(http://www.mostmerciful.com/profoundly-significant-question.htm)
The next Muslim writer applies the
passage to God’s laws contained within the revelation:
… In the
Quranic concept of God, people do not have to individually please him by prayers
and sacrifices but have to follow His laws, which have been clearly outlined
in His book. The God of the Quran does not bend towards anyone. He has
permanent and objective attributes and is the fountainhead of unchangeable
laws (called KALIMAT-I-ALLAH (6:34, 6:115, 10:64, 18:27),
SUNNAT-I-ALLAH (17:77, 33:62, 35:43, 48:23), and KHALQ-I-ALLAH (30:30) by the
Quran)… (http://www.icgt.org/MonitorPastArticles
/TheConceptofGod2.htm)
Another Muslim applies 6:115 to the Book
in heaven, which includes all the revelation:
… Sometimes
the following verses are quoted to show that the Quran contains everything: -
"And perfected are the words of your Sustainer with truth and justice; there is
none who can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing." (6:115)
"… nothing have we omitted from the Book." (6:38). This refers to the
Book in heaven. (http://www.stockhits.com/board/bbs0057.html)
This Muslim writer uses the verse, and a
host of others, to prove that the penalty of stoning adulterers is un-Quranic:
In the light
of the above it is unimaginable to think that the Nabi would have authorized
Rajm as punishment for adultery. In 1979 the Govt. of Pakistan enforced the
Hudood Laws as per Hanafi Fiqah regarding theft, adultery, defamation and wine.
The punishment for adultery is very clear in the Quran 'Flog each of them with a
hundred stripes' (24:3). At another place the Quran clearly points out that:
'The word of thy Lord doth find its fulfillment in truth and in justice; none
can change His words' (6:115). The Quran does not differentiate between
married and unmarried and there is absolutely no mention of Rajm. As such any
changes or addition to clear Quranic injunctions is 'Shirk'. 'He does not share
His command with any person whatsoever' (18:26). The companions of the Nabi also
followed these injunctions, which would be our guide for all times to come.
These injunctions need no confusing or contradictory interpretations and
additions. Everything is clearly defined in them. 'We have sent down to them a
Book explaining all things, a mercy and glad tidings to Muslims (17:89) 'And We
have explained to man in the Quran every kind of similitude (17:89). There are
no contradictions in the Quran and the Quranic injunctions 'Do they not consider
the Quran (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah they would surely have
found therein much discrepancy' (4:82). These ayats affirm all injunctions,
laws, principles and punishments given in Quran 'None can change His words
(18:27) 'The word of thy Lord find its fulfillment in truth and in justice and
none can change His words (6:116). 'Is it not enough for them that we have
sent down to them the Book which is rehearsed to them?'(29:51). (http://www.toluislam.com/pub_online
/previous_issues/january00/rajm.htm)
The following Muslim writes:
Verily, the Qur’an is the pure
word of Allah, never been changed by anyone, not even by Allah’s Messenger.
Allah makes this very clear…
The Qur’an will forever remain
as the pure and undistorted Book of Allah to mankind. No one can ever change it.
Allah promises to protect it from any form of human manipulation. He assures
us:
The word of
the Rabb does find its fulfillment in truth and in justice. None can
change His words for He is the One Who hears and knows all. (6:115) (http://www.wefound.org/DivineMessage/7MessageIV.htm)
In his exposition of an Islamic state,
this next Muslim states:
2.
The sovereignty in practice shall be that of the Qur'an, which means that
the government shall be obedient to the laws based on the fundamental principles
of the Qur'an.
(6:115)
Perfected is the Word of thy Sustainer in truth and justice. There is nothing
that can change His Words[...]
(5:44)
[...]Those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are disbelievers.
(5:47)
[...]Those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are wrong-doers.
(6:114)
Shall I seek other than Allah for judge when it is He who has revealed unto you
(this) Book, fully explained? [..]
(6:116)
If you obeyed most of those on earth they would mislead you far from Allah's
way. They follow nothing but an opinion, they do but guess.
(45:18)
And We have set thee (O Muhammad) on a clear road
of commandment; so follow it, and follow not the whims of those who know not. (http://members.aol.com/MAmalek2/qbook16.htm)
Note that the preceding author also
quotes verses which refer to the previous books.
Allama Shabbir Usmani believes that S.
6:115 (116 in his version) refers to the Quran:
… and the
Jews and Christians also know well on the basis of tidings in their Books that
the Holy Qur’an is indeed sent down from God. Its tidings are all true, its laws
are moderate and just and no one has the power to change them. In the
presence of such a guarded Book and the perfected and guarded Laws… (The
Noble Qur’an Tafseer-E-Usmani [Darul-Isha’at Urdu Bazar, Karachi-1 Pakistan,
1999], p. 615, fn. 108; underlined emphasis ours)
Finally, the online Pooya/M.A. Ali
English translation and commentary of the Quran writes:
"There is
none who can change His words" is a challenge that the Quran, the revealed
word of Allah, will never, like the earlier heavenly scriptures, be tampered
with or made to lose its originality and genuineness, as has been explained
by Aqa Mahdi Puya in his essay "The originality of the Holy Quran". To save the
Quran from tahrif (change), under the command of Allah, the Holy Prophet
left the Quran in the safe hands of his Ahl ul Bayt. Refer to hadith al
thaqalayn in the introduction under "Essentials: For the readers of the Holy
Quran". (http://www.al-islam.org/quran/)
The translators’ assertion that the
previous scriptures have been altered fails to take their own interpretation
seriously and/or apply it consistently. If the Holy Bible is the word of God,
then it too cannot be altered. Note the following:
1.
No one can change the words of God.
2.
The Bible (Torah, Zabur, Injil) is the word of God.
3.
Therefore, no one has or can change the Bible.
The candid admission of the preceding
Muslims demonstrate that there is absolutely NOTHING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF S.
6:115 THAT EXCLUDES THE BOOKS OF GOD from being part of those very words which
Allah says cannot be changed. The only real reason stopping a Muslim from
embracing this interpretation is an a priori assumption that the Holy
Bible has not been preserved from corruption.
The Quran claims that Muhammad is
predicted in the Torah and Gospel:
“Those who
follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they
will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) WITH THEM. He
will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He
will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul;
and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear.
Then those who believe in him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the
light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.” S. 7:157
Ibn Kathir notes:
This is a
description of the Prophet Muhammad in the Books of the Prophets. They
delivered the good news of his advent to their nations and commanded them to
follow him. His descriptions were still apparent in their Books, as the
rabbis and priests well KNOW. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sakhr Al-'Uqayli
said that a bedouin man said to him, "I brought a milk-producing camel to
Al-Madinah during the life time of Allah's Messenger. After I sold it, I said to
myself, 'I will meet that man (Muhammad) and hear from him.' So I passed by him
while he was walking between Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I followed them until they
went by a Jewish man, WHO WAS READING FROM AN OPEN COPY OF THE TAWRAH. He
was mourning a son of his who was dying and who was one of the most handsome
boys. The Messenger of Allah asked him (the father),
<I ask you
by He Who has sent down the Tawrah, do you not find the description of me and my
advent in your Book?>
He nodded his
head in the negative. His son said, 'Rather, yes, by He Who has sent down the
Tawrah! We find the description of you and your advent in OUR BOOK. I
bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that you
are the Messenger of Allah.' The Prophet said (to the Companions),
<Stop the
Jew (the father) from (taking care of) your brother (in Islam).>
The Prophet
then personally took care of the son's funeral and led the funeral prayer on
him. This Hadith is sound and is supported by a similar Hadith
in the Sahih narrated from Anas.
Ibn Jarir
recorded that Al-Muthanna said that 'Ata bin Yasar said, 'I met 'Abdullah bin
'Amr and asked him, 'Tell me about the description of Allah's Messenger IN
THE TAWRAH.' He said, 'Yes, by Allah! He is described IN THE TAWRAH,
just as he is described in the Qur'an,
<O
Prophet! Verily, We have sent you as a witness, and a bearer of glad tidings,
and a warner.> [33:45]
as a safe
refuge for the unlettered ones. [author's note- what follows is a paraphrase of
Isaiah 42:1-7] 'You are My servant and Messenger. I have called you
'Al-Mutawakkil' (who trusts in Allah), not hard or harsh.' Neither uttering
foul speech in the markets nor returning evil deed with one in kind. Rather, he
forgives and forgoes. Allah will not end his life until He straightens through
him the crooked religion, so that they might proclaim, 'There is no deity worthy
of worship except Allah.' He will open through him sealed hearts, deaf ears and
blind eyes.'" 'Ata then said, 'I also met Ka'b and asked him the same question,
and his answer did not differ from 'Abdullah's answer, even concerning one
letter." Al-Bukhari recorded from 'Abdullah bin 'Amr. It was also recorded by
Al-Bukhari [up to the word] forgoes. And he mentioned the narration of 'Abdullah
bin 'Amr then he said: "It was common in the speech of our Salaf that they
describe the Books of the People of the Scriptures AS THE TAWRAH, as some
Hadiths concur. Allah knows best." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir - Volume 4 (Surat
Al-Ar'af to the end of Surah Yunus), Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri,
First Edition: May 2000, pp. 178-179; bold emphasis ours)
The Quran provides further evidence for
the authority of the Holy Scriptures:
Lo! Allah
hath bought from the believers their lives and their wealth because the Garden
will be theirs: they shall fight in the way of Allah and shall slay and be
slain. It IS a promise which IS binding on Him in the Torah and the Gospel
and the Qur'an. Who fulfilleth His covenant better than Allah? Rejoice then
in your bargain that ye have made, for that is the supreme triumph. S. 9:111
The next passage is most interesting:
"But (now),
when the Truth has come to them from Ourselves, they say, 'Why are not (Signs)
sent to him, like those which were sent to Moses?" Do they not then reject (the
Signs) which were formerly sent to Moses? They say: 'TWO KINDS OF SORCERY,
EACH ASSISTING THE OTHER!' And they say: 'For us, we reject all (such
things)!' Say: 'Then bring ye a Book from Allah, which is a better guide THAN
EITHER OF THEM, that I may follow it! (Do), if ye are truthful!'" S.
28:48-49
Here, Muhammad defends the Book of Moses
and the Quran. Ibn Kathir states:
<Two kinds
of magic, each helping the other!>
‘Ali bin Abi
Talhah and Al-‘Awfi reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said that this refers to THE
TAWRAH and the Qur‘an, because Allah says next…
<Say:
"Then bring a Book from Allah, which is a better guide than these two that I may
follow it.">
Allah often
mentions the Tawrah and the Qur‘an together, as in the Ayat…
<Say: "Who
then sent down the Book which Musa brought, a light and a guidance to mankind…">
until…
<And this
is a blessed Book which We have sent down.> (6:91-92)
And at the
end of the same Surah, Allah says…
<Then, We
gave Musa the Book, to complete (Our favor) upon those who would do right>
(6:154)…
<And this
is a blessed Book which We have sent down, so follow it and have Taqwa of Allah,
that you may receive mercy> (6:155).
(Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged) Volume 7 (Surat An-Nur to Surat Al-Ahzab, Verse 50),
Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, First Edition, August 2000, p. 418; bold
and capital emphasis ours)
Two things to note here. First, the
unbelievers claimed that both the Book of Moses and the Quran assisted each
other. This implies that the Book of Moses must have been available for
examination. Otherwise they would not have been able to know whether the two
books confirmed each other. Their statement also confirms that the Quran did not
come to expose corruption to the previous scriptures, but rather it came to
confirm and assist them.
Secondly, Muhammad challenges the
unbelievers to produce a book containing better guidance than either the Book of
Moses or the Quran. This would have been a very foolish request on Muhammad's
part, if in fact Moses’ Book had been tampered with. Defending a book that was
no longer the pure word of God, but contained additions or deletions, having the
words of fallible men mixed in with God's words would only have discredited
Muhammad. It would have proven to the unbelievers that much like the previous
scriptures, the Quran was nothing more than the words of Muhammad combined with
preexisting Biblical and mythical stories. Such a book could be easily matched
and refuted. The fact that Muhammad defends it only reaffirms that the Quran
does not teach Biblical corruption.
The following passages provide
additional support for my argument:
“We did
indeed aforetime give the Book to Moses: be not then in doubt of its
reaching (thee): and We made it a guide to the Children of Israel. And We
appointed, from among them, leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long
as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our Signs (Ayat-
Verses). Verily thy Lord will judge between them on the Day of Judgment, in
the matters wherein they differ (among themselves) S. 32:23-25
"This Qur'an
is not such as can be produced by other than God; but it is a verification of
that WHICH IS BETWEEN HIS (ITS) HANDS, and the explanation OF THE BOOK,
wherein there is no doubt, from the Lord of the worlds." S. 10:37
"And
BEFORE THIS was the Book of Moses as a guide and a mercy: and THIS BOOK
is a verification (of it) in the Arabic tongue to warn those who transgress
and as glad tidings to the righteous." S. 46:12
"Behold, We
turned towards you a company of Jinns listening to the Qur'an ... When the
(reading) was finished they returned to their people as warners. They said, ‘O
our people! we have heard a Book REVEALED AFTER MOSES attesting to (the truth
of) that WHICH IS BETWEEN HIS (ITS) HANDS - guiding to the truth and to a
straight path.’" S. 46:29-30
Finally:
"The (Qur'an)
is indeed a message for you (Muhammad) and your people, (all of) you shall be
brought to account, and ASK those of our apostles whom we sent before thee,
'Did We appoint any deities other than the Most Merciful whom they should
worship?'" S. 43:23-25
Since all the apostles had died, the
only way for anyone to ask them anything is by consulting their writings. Yet,
it would be impossible to know with certainty what their message was if these
writings had been corrupted!
2. Muslims commanded to follow the
Previous Revelation
"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." S. 10:94
Now then, for
that (reason), call (them to the Faith), and stand steadfast as thou art
commanded, nor follow thou their vain desires; but say: "I believe in
whatever Book Allah has sent down; and I am commanded to judge justly
between you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord: for us (is the responsibility for)
our deeds, and for you for your deeds. There is no contention between us and
you. Allah will bring us together, and to Him is (our) final goal. S. 42:15
Those are
they unto whom We gave the Scripture and command and prophethood. But if these
disbelieve therein, then indeed We shall entrust it to a people who will not be
disbelievers therein. Those are they whom Allah guideth, SO FOLLOW THEIR
GUIDANCE. Say (O Muhammad, unto mankind): I ask of you no fee for it. Lo! it
is naught but a Reminder to (His) creatures. S. 6:89-90
Sir William Muir writes:
The people referred to in the
opening Words are the Jews and Christians. The preceding verses contain an
enumeration of the chief patriarchs of the Israelites and Christians, from
Abraham to Jesus, including "David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, Aaron,
Zacharias, John," &c., With "their fathers, offspring, and brethren." The text
proceeds:—"These are they to whom We have given the Book, and Wisdom, and
Prophecy; and if these (the people of Mecca, Jelalooddeen; the Coreish,
Baidhâwi,) reject the same, verily We have made (or shall make) it over to a
people who will not be disbelievers therein.
"The Book, meaning the Scripture generally," الكتاب يريد به الجنس We have made
it over, that is, its guardianship or care," وكلنا بها أي بمراعتها Baidhâwi; "we
have committed the custodianship over it," وكلنا بها أرصدنا لها —Jelalooddeen.-
http://muhammadanism.org/Coran/p102.htm
The hadith record:
Narrated Mujahid:
That he asked Ibn 'Abbas, "Is there
a prostration Surat-al-Sad?" (38.24) Ibn Abbas said, "Yes," and then recited:
"We gave...So follow their guidance." (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." (Sahih
Al-Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 156)
3. Allah swears to protect the Bible
We read in the Quran:
“Verily,
we have sent down THE REMINDER (thikra), and, verily, we will guard it.
And we sent before thee among the sects of those of yore.” S. 15:9-10 Palmer
This passage connects the Reminder
not just with that which was sent down to Muhammad, but also with what came
before him. In S. 15:6, the Quran is called the Reminder:
“And they say: O thou unto whom the Reminder (thikru) is revealed,
lo! thou art indeed a madman!” Pickthall
Yet, S. 15:9-10 the Reminder/Message
refers to the revelation given to all the Apostles. In fact, elsewhere the Bible
is called the Reminder/Message:
“And We did
not send before you any but men to whom We sent revelation -- so ask the
followers of the Reminder (thikri) if you do not know -- With clear
arguments and scriptures; and We have revealed TO YOU the Reminder (thikra)
that you may make clear to men what has been revealed to them, and that haply
they may reflect.” S. 16:43-44 Shakir
“And We sent
not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men, whom We inspired. Ask the
followers of the Reminder (thikri) if ye know not?” S. 21:7 Pickthall
“And We
verily gave Moses and Aaron the Criterion (of right and wrong) and a light
and a Reminder (thikran) for those who keep from evil,” S. 21:48
Pickthall
“And verily
we have written in the Scripture, after the Reminder (thikri): My
righteous slaves will inherit the earth:” S. 21:105 Pickthall
“And We
verily gave Moses the guidance, and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit
the Scripture, A guide and a reminder (thikra) for men of
understanding.” S. 40:53-54 Pickthall
This means that Allah will protect the
Bible from corruption. The following passage further substantiates this:
"And indeed
it is a revelation of the Lord of the worlds - brought down by the trustworthy
spirit – upon your heart, so that you be one of the warners – [revealed] in a
clear Arabic dialect - and indeed it IS [also] IN the scriptures (Arabic-
Zubur) of old. Is it no evidence for them that the scholars of the
Israelites know him [to be a true prophet]?" 26:192-197
Ibn Kathir claims:
