An Argument Against Islam

 From the book "The Ambassador's Guide to Islam" by Alan Shlemon. 

1. The Qur'an says the words of God cannot be changed or corrupted 

2. The Qur'an says the Bible is the Word of God

3. Therefore, on the Qur'an's authority, the Bible could not have been changed or corrupted, as many Muslims claim 

Three citations in support of 1 are given. 

Surah 6:34, "Rejected were the messengers 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 messengers."

Surah 6:115, "The Word of your Lord has been perfected in truth and justice. None can change His Words. And He is the All-Hearing, All- Knowing."

Surah 10:64, "For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity."

Several citations are given in support of 2. 

Surah 2:136, "Say ye: 'We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).'"

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 denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray."

Surah 5:68, "Say: 'O People of the Book! ye have no ground to stand upon unless ye stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord.' It is the revelation that cometh to thee from thy Lord, that increaseth in most of them their obstinate rebellion and blasphemy. But sorrow thou not over (these) people without Faith."

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."

Surah 29:46, "And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, 'We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).'"

A common response is that the Bible was corrupted, and that is why the Qur'an had to happen. But as was cited in Surah 10:94, at the time the Qur'an was written, it was assumed that the revelation Jews and Christians had at the time was reliable. Otherwise, why consult that which was believed to be unreliable? Further, Surah 5:43 and 5:47-48 communicate the same idea: why should Jews and Christians consult the law which was given to them if what they had at the time was unreliable? 

If a Muslim wants to claim that the Bible was corrupted, he cannot say it was corrupted before the 7th century, because the Qur'an, which was written in the 7th century, presumes it was reliable. But neither can he say that it was corrupted afterwards, because we have manuscripts of complete Bibles from the 7th century that are identical to the ones we have now, so we know no corruption has happened since. It's a problematic dilemma for the Muslim. 

Another reply is that the Qur'an states the Bible has been corrupted and Surah 5:13 will be cited. It reads, "But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard; they change the words from their (right) places and forget a good part of the message that was sent them, nor wilt thou cease to find them- barring a few - ever bent on (new) deceits: but forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds): for Allah loveth those who are kind." But as 14th century Muslim scholar Ibn Kathir writes, "That they misinterpreted the verses of Allah, according to their own desires, and fabricated lies against Him." as cited in Tasfir Ibn Kathir, Vol. 6, abridged by Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rafa'i, pg 128. 

In the same vein, Surah 3:78 will be cited, which reads, "There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, 'That is from Allah,' but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!" Ibn Kathir, in Vol. 2 of the same work, cites Ibn Abbas, who was Mohammed's cousin, and Wahb bin Munabbih from the 7th and 8th century, when he writes, "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.'"

Mohammed also affirms the reliablity of the Torah in his own time. In an account by Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 38, No. 4434, some Jews ask Mohammed to judge a sinner, and then asks the Jews to bring him the Torah. He then says, "I believe in thee and in Him who revealed thee." In sum, no Muslim believed in the corruption of the Bible until the 10th century.