Critiquing Islam 2.0

The Qur’an Confirms All Previous Scriptures: A Qur’an-Only Exposé on Torah, Zabūr, and Injīl

The claim that the Torah, Zabūr (Psalms), or Injīl (Gospel) were “corrupted” before the advent of Islam has become a common talking point in Muslim theology. It is often used to justify ignoring parts of these scriptures or to elevate the Qur’an as the sole reliable revelation while dismissing the previous Books. However, a strict, Qur’an-only reading — grounded in the 7th-century context and internal logic — leaves no room for such cherry-picking. The Qur’an repeatedly affirms the existence, truth, and authority of all previous scriptures, explicitly condemns selective acceptance, and positions itself as both a confirmation and a guardian of divine revelation.

This exposé will lay out, step by step, why the Qur’an cannot logically be reconciled with the idea of corrupted previous scriptures, and why cherry-picking is explicitly prohibited for all groups of God’s followers.

1. Previous Scriptures in the Qur’an: What Exists in the 7th Century

The Qur’an clearly acknowledges the existence of previous divine revelations in Muhammad’s time.

Torah (Tawrah): Addressed to the Jews, who are commanded to judge and act according to what God revealed in it (5:43–44).
Zabūr (Psalms): Given to David (4:163; 21:105), recognized as divine guidance.
Injīl (Gospel): Sent to Jesus, with Christians commanded to judge by it (5:46–47).

The Qur’an’s wording presumes these scriptures exist, are accessible, and contain divine guidance. There is no indication that any of these texts were lost, illegible, or wholly corrupted at the time Muhammad received revelation. Their use is operative: God commands Jews and Christians to obey them. Obedience requires that the texts are real, identifiable, and meaningful.

This is important: the Qur’an is not discussing hypothetical “original” versions lost to time. It engages with the texts circulating in the 7th century, which were sufficient to guide God’s followers.

2. The Principle of Complete Obedience: 2:85 and the Rejection of Cherry-Picking

Qur’an 2:85 is a central verse in understanding divine expectations regarding previous scripture:

“Then do you believe in a part of the Book and reject a part? Those who do so are truly defiantly disobedient.”

The verse explicitly condemns selective belief — taking some parts of a scripture and rejecting others. This applies universally, not just to Jews or Christians:

Jews cannot accept some Torah commandments and ignore others.
Christians cannot accept some Gospel teachings and ignore others.
Muslims cannot claim that the previous scriptures are irrelevant or corrupted to justify ignoring them.

The logic is simple: obedience is all-or-nothing. Partial acceptance is disobedience, not discretion. The Qur’an treats adherence to God’s revelation as an integrated, unified requirement.

By extension, the claim that the Torah or Gospel could be “corrupted” in some parts to allow Muslims to cherry-pick directly contradicts the Qur’an’s principle.

3. The Qur’an as Confirmation and Guardian: 5:48

Surah 5:48 positions the Qur’an in relation to the previous scriptures:

“We have revealed to you the Book in truth, confirming (muṣaddiq) what was before it of the Scripture and as a guardian (muhaymin) over it.”

Two key roles are assigned:

Muṣaddiq (confirmation): The Qur’an affirms the truth of previous revelations — Torah, Zabūr, and Injīl — in their entirety.
Muhaymin (guardian/overseer): The Qur’an serves as a protector and authority, ensuring that previous guidance is understood correctly.

Reading these together, the Qur’an does not suggest that previous scriptures are wholly lost or irredeemably corrupted. Rather, it confirms their truth while clarifying and overseeing divine guidance. The implication is that the previous scriptures are valid, authoritative, and to be respected, both by their original communities and by Muslims.

Cherry-picking becomes logically impossible: to accept the Qur’an and its confirmation of previous scriptures requires full acknowledgment of the truth within those scriptures, not partial dismissal.

4. Christians and Jews in Muhammad’s Time: Operative Obedience

Qur’an 5:47 commands:

“Let the People of the Gospel judge by what God has revealed in it. And whoever does not judge by what God has revealed — they are the defiantly disobedient.”

Similarly, 5:43–44 commands Jews to judge by the Torah.

These verses:

Address actual disputes in the 7th century — Jews and Christians had live issues for which guidance was sought.
Assume the scriptures exist in a usable, authoritative form.
Impose a moral responsibility: failing to follow the full guidance = disobedience.

The Qur’an’s instruction is not theoretical. It implies that the Torah and Gospel in circulation were sufficient to guide behavior, directly contradicting later claims that they were so corrupted that Muslims cannot rely on them.

5. Universal Moral Principle: Cherry-Picking is Condemned

Combining 2:85, 5:47, and 5:48:

God commands complete obedience to all revelation.
The Qur’an confirms previous scriptures as true and guards them.
Failure to adhere fully, whether by ignoring, rejecting, or selectively believing, is condemned.

This principle applies to everyone:

Jews: full adherence to Torah
Christians: full adherence to Gospel
Muslims: full adherence to Qur’an while respecting previous revelation

Selective acceptance, justified by “corruption” claims, is therefore explicitly forbidden by the Qur’an itself.

6. The Logical Refutation of the Corruption Argument

The popular theological claim: “The Torah and Gospel were corrupted; therefore Muslims only follow the Qur’an.”

Qur’an-only logic refutes this:

Premise A: The Qur’an commands Jews and Christians to obey their scripture.
Premise B: The Qur’an confirms and protects previous scriptures (5:48).
Premise C: Selective obedience is condemned (2:85).
Contradiction: Claiming corruption to justify ignoring parts of scripture implies partial obedience.
Conclusion: The corruption argument is incompatible with the Qur’an’s text.

In short: the Qur’an treats the scriptures as existing, authoritative, and valid for obedience. Ignoring or dismissing portions based on later corruption claims is unjustifiable.

7. Respect Across Groups: Torah, Zabūr, Injīl, and Qur’an

The Qur’an’s framework establishes a clear structure of adherence:

Group	Scripture to Follow	Qur’an Role	Moral Requirement
Jews	Torah	Confirmed & protected (5:48)	Obey fully; no cherry-picking (2:85)
Christians	Injīl/Gospel	Confirmed & protected (5:48)	Obey fully; no cherry-picking (2:85)
Muslims	Qur’an	Confirm previous scriptures (5:48)	Obey Qur’an fully and respect previous Books; no cherry-picking

This structure reinforces the universal logic:

Each group must follow the scripture revealed to them.
The Qur’an confirms and guards all previous revelation.
Cherry-picking is explicitly forbidden.

8. Qur’an-Only Summary

The Qur’an commands complete obedience to all divine guidance, confirms and protects previous scripture, and condemns selective acceptance. Any attempt to only accept parts of the Torah, Zabūr, or Injīl that match the Qur’an creates moral, logical, and textual contradictions. This approach is not permitted, Qur’anically.

Critiquing Islam 2.0

Saturday, January 24, 2026