📜 The Torah and the Qur’an

Affirmation or Abrogation?

Subtitle: 

What the Qur’an Actually Says About the Tawrat — and Why Later Islamic Claims Don’t Add Up

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🧾 Core Claim:

The Qur’an affirms the authenticity, authority, and divine origin of the Torah as it existed in the 7th century — and never claims it was textually corrupted. Just like the Injil, post-Qur’anic claims of Torah distortion contradict the Qur'an’s own words.

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🔍 Verse-by-Verse Analysis: What the Qur’an Says About the Torah

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1. Surah 5:44 — Clear Affirmation of the Torah

“Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah…”

📌 Analysis:

• Allah Himself says He sent it down.

• Calls it guidance and light.

• Says Jewish scholars were entrusted with its preservation.

➡️ No mention of corruption — quite the opposite: trust and preservation.

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2. Surah 5:43 — Jews Are Told to Judge by the Torah

“But how is it they come to you for judgment while they have the Torah, in which is the judgment of Allah?”

📌 Analysis:

• They already have what they need: the Torah.

• It contains the judgment of Allah — divine law still valid.

• If the Torah were corrupted, this verse would make no sense.

➡️ Allah sends them back to it, not away from it.

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3. Surah 7:157 — Muhammad Is in the Torah

“...the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel…”

📌 Analysis:

• The Jews had the Torah at that time.

• Muhammad is said to be found in what they have — not a lost or hidden version.

➡️ Again, no hint of corruption — only confirmation.

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4. Surah 5:66 — If They Had Only Stuck to the Torah

“If only they had upheld the Torah and 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…”

📌 Analysis:

• The Torah is treated as something to be upheld.

• Not something that’s been corrupted and abandoned.

➡️ The Qur'an uses it as a standard of accountability, not something obsolete or invalid.

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🧠 Law of Identity + Logical Consequences

Let’s apply the same strict logical reasoning here as with the Injil:

Premise 1:
The Qur’an says the Torah was sent down by Allah and contains guidance and light (5:44)

Premise 2:
The Qur’an tells Jews to judge by the Torah (5:43)

Premise 3:
The Qur’an says Muhammad is found in what they have of the Torah (7:157)

Premise 4:
The Qur’an never says the Torah was textually corrupted or lost.

Premise 5:
Allah does not affirm falsehood or command people to follow corrupted texts (6:115, 2:79)

Therefore:

✅ The Torah that the Jews possessed in Muhammad’s time was still recognized as divine and authentic.

❌ The claim that it was corrupted is not Qur'anic — it’s a post-Qur’anic, theological addition.

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⚠️ Post-Qur’anic Invention: The Corruption Narrative

Later Islamic theology introduced two types of tahrif:

1. Tahrif al-ma‘na — distortion of meaning

2. Tahrif al-nass — textual corruption

📚 Scholars like Ibn Hazm (11th century) were instrumental in turning this into orthodoxy. Why?

• To discredit the Torah when contradictions with the Qur’an arose

• To establish Islamic exclusivity

• To evade the Qur'an’s repeated affirmation of Jewish and Christian scriptures

But the Qur'an itself?

Never says the Torah was corrupted.
Never abrogates it.
Never denies its divine authority.

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🧨 Final Verdict: Affirmation, Not Abrogation

Qur'anic Position	Later Islamic Position
Torah is guidance and light (5:44) ✅	Torah is corrupted/lost ❌
Jews are to judge by it (5:43) ✅	Jews cannot use their scripture ❌
Muhammad is found in what they have (7:157) ✅	Torah was changed beyond recognition ❌
No verse says it was corrupted ❌	Post-Qur’anic tafsir claims corruption ❌

Conclusion:
The Qur’an upholds the Torah’s authenticity, divine origin, and continuing authority during Muhammad’s time.

The idea that the Torah was textually corrupted or abrogated is a later theological invention, not a Qur’anic doctrine.

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🧭 Closing Statement:

If Allah sent the Torah, confirmed it, told Jews to judge by it, and even said Muhammad is found in it — then no Muslim can logically claim it was lost or corrupted without contradicting the Qur’an itself.

The Qur’an affirms the Torah.
It does not abrogate it.
And it never claims it was corrupted.

That’s the real Qur’anic position. Full stop.