The Muslim Dilemma
Muslims face an impossible dilemma regarding the Bible. On one hand, they must claim the Torah and Gospel have been corrupted (tahrif), otherwise the Bible's contradictions with the Quran would disprove Islam. On the other hand, the Quran repeatedly affirms and appeals to these scriptures as authoritative and preserved.
The Quran contradicts itself on this crucial question: Are the previous scriptures reliable or corrupted? It says both, creating a fundamental theological problem for Islam.
The Quran Affirms the Torah and Gospel
The Quran repeatedly confirms the Torah (Tawrat) and Gospel (Injil) as genuine revelation from Allah:
"He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel. Before, as guidance for the people." — Quran 3:3-4
The Quran confirms "what was before it"—the Torah and Gospel. If they were corrupted, how could the Quran confirm them?
"And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous." — Quran 5:46
The Gospel confirmed the Torah. Both contained "guidance and light." This affirms their reliability.
"So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters." — Quran 10:94
Allah commands Muhammad to verify the Quran by asking Jews and Christians who read their scriptures. This only makes sense if their scriptures were reliable. Why would Allah tell Muhammad to consult corrupted texts?
"And the Jews say, 'The Christians have nothing [true] to stand on,' and the Christians say, 'The Jews have nothing to stand on,' although they [both] recite the Scripture. Thus the polytheists speak the same as their words. But Allah will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ." — Quran 2:113
This verse acknowledges that both Jews and Christians "recite the Scripture"—their scriptures existed and were being read in Muhammad's time.
"Say, 'O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.'" — Quran 5:68
Muslims are commanded to tell Jews and Christians to uphold the Torah and Gospel. Why would Allah command this if these scriptures were corrupted?
"And if they had upheld [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to them from their Lord, they would have consumed [provision] from above them and from beneath their feet." — Quran 5:66
This verse criticizes Jews and Christians for not following their scriptures, implying the scriptures themselves are valid and should be followed.
The Quran Claims Corruption
But other verses suggest corruption of the scriptures:
"So woe to those who write the 'scripture' with their own hands, then say, 'This is from Allah,' in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what they earn." — Quran 2:79
"And indeed, there is among them a party who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, 'This is from Allah,' but it is not from Allah. And they speak untruth about Allah while they know." — Quran 3:78
"Among the Jews are those who distort words from their [proper] usages and say, 'We hear and disobey.'" — Quran 4:46
"And from those who say, 'We are Christians' We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded. So We caused among them animosity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection." — Quran 5:14
These verses accuse Jews and Christians of altering, distorting, or forgetting portions of scripture.
The Contradiction
The Quran simultaneously:
1. Confirms the Torah and Gospel as divine revelation
2. Commands Muhammad to verify the Quran against them
3. Tells Muslims to command Jews and Christians to uphold them
4. Accuses Jews and Christians of corrupting them
Both cannot be true. Either the scriptures were reliable (as affirming verses suggest), or they were corrupted (as accusing verses suggest). The Quran contradicts itself.
The Historical Problem
Even if we accept that some Jews/Christians corrupted some texts (as the accusation verses claim), we have a historical problem:
We possess thousands of biblical manuscripts predating Muhammad, including:
• Dead Sea Scrolls (containing Old Testament books, dated 250 BCE - 100 CE)
• Codex Sinaiticus (full New Testament, circa 350 CE)
• Codex Vaticanus (most of Bible, circa 300-350 CE)
• Numerous other manuscripts from 2nd-5th centuries CE
These manuscripts, predating Islam by centuries, match our modern Bible. If corruption occurred, it would have to be:
1. Before these manuscripts were written, OR
2. A massive conspiracy affecting all manuscripts worldwide
Option 1 contradicts the Quran's affirmation of scriptures in Muhammad's time. Option 2 is historically impossible—manuscripts were scattered across different continents and controlled by competing Christian groups who couldn't agree on theology, let alone coordinate mass textual corruption.
What the "Corruption" Verses Actually Say
Interestingly, most Quranic verses about corruption don't claim the text itself was changed. They describe:
• Writing their own texts and claiming they're from Allah (2:79)
• Distorting with their tongues/speech (3:78)
• Distorting words from proper usages (4:46)
• Forgetting portions they were reminded of (5:14)
These describe interpretive distortion or adding false texts, not changing the original text. Classical Muslim scholars actually acknowledged that the text wasn't changed—only the interpretation.
But modern Muslims must claim textual corruption to explain contradictions between the Bible and Quran. This claim, however, contradicts both the Quran's affirmations and historical manuscript evidence.
Biblical Testimony to Its Own Preservation
The Bible claims God preserves His word:
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever." — Isaiah 40:8
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." — Matthew 24:35
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." — 2 Timothy 3:16
If Allah truly revealed the Torah and Gospel (as the Quran claims), and if Allah's words cannot be corrupted (as the Quran claims about itself), then the Torah and Gospel should also be preserved. The Muslim claim of biblical corruption implies Allah failed to preserve his revelation—which contradicts Islamic theology about Allah's power.
The Logical Problem
Muslims are caught in an impossible position:
If the Bible was corrupted before Muhammad:
• Why does the Quran affirm it?
• Why does Allah tell Muhammad to consult it?
• Why command Jews/Christians to uphold it?
• Why doesn't the Quran explicitly warn that previous scriptures are now corrupted?
If the Bible was corrupted after Muhammad:
• Why do manuscripts predating Muhammad match our current Bible?
• How did Christians worldwide coordinate to corrupt all manuscripts?
• Why would Christians corrupt texts that support their beliefs?
• This contradicts historical manuscript evidence.
If the Bible was never corrupted:
• The many contradictions between Bible and Quran prove one is wrong
• Since we can trace the Bible to before Muhammad, the Quran must be the error
• Islam is falsified
Every option creates insurmountable problems for Islamic theology.
Questions to Consider
- How can the Quran both affirm the Torah/Gospel and claim they're corrupted?
- Why would Allah tell Muhammad to consult corrupted scriptures to verify the Quran?
- If corruption happened before Muhammad, why does the Quran confirm these scriptures?
- If corruption happened after Muhammad, why do pre-Islamic manuscripts match our current Bible?
- How could Christians worldwide coordinate to corrupt all manuscripts?
- Why doesn't the Quran explicitly state the Torah/Gospel have been textually corrupted?
- If Allah couldn't preserve the Torah/Gospel, how can Muslims trust he preserved the Quran?
Conclusion
The Quran contradicts itself regarding the Torah and Gospel. It both affirms them as genuine revelation to be consulted and upheld, and accuses Jews/Christians of corrupting them. Muslim claims of biblical corruption are necessary to defend Islam against biblical contradictions, but these claims contradict the Quran's own affirmations and are refuted by historical manuscript evidence.
The existence of thousands of biblical manuscripts predating Islam, matching our current Bible, proves the text hasn't been corrupted since before Muhammad. This means the Quran was either wrong to affirm corrupted texts, or wrong to claim they were corrupted. Either way, the Quran contains a fundamental error.
This contradiction reveals the impossible position Islam creates for itself. To maintain that both the Quran and earlier revelations are from Allah requires either denying historical evidence or accepting that the Quran contradicts itself and contradicts the Bible it claims to confirm.
Related articles: Quranic Contradictions, Allah's Changing Word