The Quran Affirms the Torah and Gospel
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Revelations from God: The Quran repeatedly affirms that the Torah (Tawrat), Psalms (Zabur), and Gospel (Injil) were indeed revelations from God, and they were given to prophets like Musa (Moses), Dawud (David), and Isa (Jesus) respectively. For example:
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Surah 3:3 – “It is He who has sent down to you [O Muhammad] the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel.”
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Surah 5:46 – “And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah...”
These verses indicate that the Quran acknowledges these books as divine revelations, not as corrupt or altered texts in their original form.
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Surah 2:79 and the Misinterpretation of Corruption
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Context of Surah 2:79: Surah 2:79 says, “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.” This verse is often cited as evidence that the Torah and Gospel were corrupted. However, a closer examination shows that the verse is not addressing the Torah or Gospel as a whole, but rather specific individuals who fabricated false scriptures and attributed them to God for personal gain.
This isn't a blanket condemnation of the entire Torah or Gospel, but rather a warning against the actions of those who intentionally distort or forge religious texts.
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Distinguishing between specific actions and general corruption: The verse speaks about “writing with their own hands” and attributing falsehoods to God, not about the corruption of the Torah or Gospel by their followers over time. There’s a significant difference between a false attribution by certain individuals and the idea that the entire body of previous scripture was corrupted.
The Belief in Corruption as a Later Islamic Tradition
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Development of the Tradition: The belief that the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel were corrupted didn’t come directly from the Quran but was developed later in Islamic tradition, particularly during the classical period of Islamic scholarship. Early Islamic scholars, theologians, and jurists began to frame the idea of the corruption (tahrif) of previous scriptures as a way to explain why the Jews and Christians didn't recognize Muhammad's prophethood or accept the Quran as a continuation of divine revelation.
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Not Explicit in the Quran: The Quran does not directly support the idea that the entire Torah, Psalms, and Gospel were corrupted. In fact, the Quran emphasizes that these books contain guidance and light, and they are not fully dismissed as erroneous or falsified.
The Real Distortion
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Misinterpretation for Theological Convenience: As you rightly point out, the belief in the corruption of the Torah and Gospel can be seen as a later development that serves the theological needs of certain interpretations of Islam. By inserting the idea of corruption into the Quran’s message, individuals are aligning the text with the narrative that these scriptures are somehow inferior or incomplete compared to the Quran.
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Textual Integrity and Honesty: It's crucial to let the Quran speak for itself. When the Quran affirms the previous scriptures as God’s word, to reinterpret that as a claim of corruption requires distorting the clear message. The integrity of the text matters here, and it’s essential to understand the historical and theological context that shaped certain later interpretations.
The Importance of Historical Honesty
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Contextual Understanding: Understanding the Quran's references to previous scriptures requires placing them in their proper context. The Quran acknowledges the divine origins of the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel, and it doesn’t present them as thoroughly corrupted or unreliable. The later traditions that suggest corruption need to be carefully scrutinized, as they are not rooted in the Quran itself.
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Avoiding Distortion: It is essential to engage with religious texts with honesty and an open mind, allowing for a careful, contextual reading of the verses without bending them to fit pre-existing theological frameworks. Only by doing so can we ensure that we’re truly understanding the message the text intends to convey.
Conclusion: The Quran and the Integrity of Previous Scriptures
The Quran does not explicitly state that the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel were corrupted in their entirety. The idea of their corruption is a later development in Islamic thought. While the Quran acknowledges that the previous scriptures contained God’s guidance, it also critiques certain individuals who misrepresented or distorted those scriptures for personal gain (as seen in Surah 2:79). It’s important to recognize that distorting the Quran to fit later theological beliefs about corruption is a misinterpretation that goes beyond the text’s own message.
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