A Qur’an-Only Rebuttal of the Islamic Doctrine of Biblical Corruption
Thesis:
The common Islamic claim that the Torah and Gospel were textually corrupted prior to or during the time of Muhammad is not supported by the Qur’an itself. In fact, the Qur’an presupposes the authenticity, availability, and authority of the previous scriptures, using them as a standard to test its own truth. Therefore, discarding or relativizing the Torah and Gospel undermines the Qur’an's claim to divine origin.
1. Introduction
One of the most persistent assertions in Islamic apologetics is that the Jewish and Christian scriptures—the Torah and Gospel—have been corrupted in their text. This doctrine, though prevalent in post-Qur’anic Islamic theology, creates a theological and logical contradiction when held alongside the Qur’an’s own internal claims. A plain reading of the Qur’an demonstrates not only its respect for earlier revelation but its dependence on the Torah and Gospel for validation. This essay will demonstrate, using the Qur’an alone, that the scriptures preceding it are upheld as trustworthy, and that to discard them nullifies the very foundation on which the Qur’an claims legitimacy.
2. The Qur’an Affirms the Divine Origin of the Torah and Gospel
The Qur’an consistently declares that the Torah and the Gospel were revealed by God:
“He has sent down upon you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” (3:3)
“Let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed in it.” (5:47)
These verses do not suggest that these scriptures had been altered or invalidated. In fact, they emphasize that they were revealed and remain applicable for the People of the Book. Nowhere does the Qur’an say, “Do not judge by the Gospel because it has been corrupted,” or “The Torah you possess is forged.” Instead, it issues the opposite instruction: judge by what is revealed in it.
3. The Qur’an Uses the Previous Scriptures as a Verification Standard
One of the Qur’an’s rhetorical strategies for validating Muhammad’s message is its appeal to prior revelation. This is clearest in Surah Yunus:
“If you are in doubt about what We have revealed to you, ask those who read the Scripture before you.” (10:94)
This verse assumes that:
The earlier scriptures are accessible,
They are truthful,
They serve as a litmus test for Muhammad’s revelation.
If those books were corrupted or untrustworthy, then such an appeal would be incoherent. You do not ask someone who reads a forged book to verify the truth of your own. This verse functions only if the earlier scriptures remain authoritative.
4. The Torah and Gospel Are Treated as Active, Reliable Legal Authorities
In Surah al-Mā’idah (5:43), a group of Jews brings a case to Muhammad, attempting to escape the Torah’s legal judgment. The Qur’an responds:
“But why do they come to you for judgment while they have the Torah, in which is the judgment of Allah?”
This verse is not describing a long-lost ideal. It refers to a Torah presently in their possession, which contains God’s judgment, and which they are guilty of neglecting. The Qur’an does not instruct Muhammad to reject their book, nor does it claim it has been rewritten. Instead, the criticism is leveled at the people who avoid the rulings of a still-valid revelation.
Likewise, in 5:66, the Qur’an says:
“If only they had upheld the Torah and the Gospel and what was revealed to them from their Lord, they would have eaten from above them and from beneath their feet.”
This shows that the failure is in application, not in the integrity of the scriptures themselves.
5. Misinterpretation, Not Textual Corruption, Is the Real Critique
When the Qur’an does accuse the People of the Book of wrongdoing, it targets interpretation, concealment, and misuse—not textual fabrication. The relevant verses include:
“They distort the words from their proper places.” (5:13)
“A party of them distort the Scripture with their tongues so that you may think it is from the Book, but it is not from the Book.” (3:78)
“Woe to those who write the Book with their hands and then say, ‘This is from Allah.’” (2:79)
These are behavioral indictments, not historical claims about widespread textual revision. They condemn selective teaching, oral manipulation, and forging extra-scriptural writings—not the Torah or Gospel themselves. Furthermore, these verses are in the present tense, referring to contemporaneous abuses, not ancient textual conspiracies.
6. The Qur’an Confirms, It Does Not Replace or Cancel
Surah al-Mā’idah 5:48 describes the Qur’an as:
“Confirming what came before it of the Scripture and as a guardian (muhayminan) over it.”
The word muhaymin implies oversight, protection, and validation—not cancellation. It is often misunderstood as replacing, but in Qur’anic usage, confirmation (tasdiq) and guardianship imply a relationship of harmony. The Qur’an, if it truly confirms the Torah and Gospel, cannot simultaneously render them false. If it does, the Qur’an contradicts itself.
7. Throwing Out Previous Revelation Makes the Qur’an Unverifiable
If Muslims assert that the Torah and Gospel were corrupted beyond use, they destroy the Qur’an’s own epistemological foundation. A new revelation claiming to confirm the old cannot be trusted unless the old is recognizable and accessible. If the Qur’an can only be tested by itself, then its truth claim becomes circular: “Believe in this book because this book says it is true.”
Moreover, such a position reduces God to a deity who reveals guidance and then allows it to be lost — an idea that contradicts divine justice and providence. It also erases the Qur’an’s appeal to continuity in the Abrahamic tradition, making it a severed and isolated text.
8. Conclusion
The Qur’anic case for the textual corruption of the Torah and Gospel is absent. The Qur’an affirms their authority, appeals to their readers, and urges Jews and Christians to uphold them. It critiques not their scriptures, but their failure to live by them. Discarding these books removes the only objective standard by which the Qur’an itself can be judged, thus undermining its claim to confirmation and continuity.
In the end, a Qur’an that truly “confirms what came before it” must be consistent with what came before. And a consistent message from God must be traceable, testable, and preserved — not replaced by later assertion. For those who seek truth, the previous scriptures cannot be set aside. They are not optional — they are the very standard by which the Qur’an must be measured.