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Key Verse
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8, NKJV)
Learning Objectives
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
1. Define tahrif and explain the difference between corruption of meaning and corruption of the text.
2. Describe what the Qur'an itself says about the Torah and the Gospel, using Qur'an 5:46-47, 5:68 and 10:94.
3. Explain the "Islamic dilemma" in simple words and use it with gentleness.
4. Ask when, how and by whom the Bible could have been changed, and show why each answer fails.
5. Answer a Muslim friend who says "Your Bible has been corrupted" with patience, evidence and respect.
The Most Common Objection
Sooner or later almost every Christian who talks with a Muslim neighbour hears the same words: "Your Bible has been changed." Many Muslims say this kindly and without anger. They have heard it from their parents, their imam or a preacher on the radio, and they believe it is a simple fact. For them it explains a great puzzle. Islam teaches that God sent books to earlier prophets, yet the Bible that Christians read today teaches things Islam denies, such as the deity of Jesus, His death on the cross and His resurrection. If the Bible says these things, many Muslims conclude, then someone must have changed it.
This objection matters more than almost any other. If a Muslim friend believes the Bible is corrupted, then every verse you show him can be dismissed. You may quote John 1:1 or Mark 10:45, and he may answer, "That verse was added later." Before the conversation about Jesus can go forward, the question of the Bible must be faced. This unit gives the pastor the tools to face it calmly.
The word Muslims use for this charge is tahrif (tah-REEF). It is an Arabic word that means "alteration," "distortion" or "changing something from its proper place." When a Muslim speaks of tahrif, he means that Jews and Christians have changed the books God gave them.
Key Terms
• Tawrat (Torah): the book Muslims believe God gave to Moses.
• Zabur (Psalms): the book Muslims believe God gave to David.
• Injil (Gospel): the book Muslims believe God gave to Jesus.
• Ahl al-Kitab (People of the Book): the Qur'an's name for Jews and Christians, because they received earlier Scriptures.
• Sura and ayah: a sura is a chapter of the Qur'an and an ayah is a verse. "Qur'an 5:47" means sura 5, ayah 47.
Two Kinds of Tahrif
Muslim scholars through history have not all meant the same thing by tahrif. It is important to know the difference, because a fair Christian describes Islam as an informed Muslim would recognize it.
The first kind is tahrif al-ma'na, which means "corruption of the meaning." This view says that the words of the Torah and the Gospel are still there, but Jews and Christians have misunderstood them or explained them wrongly. Many early Muslim writers held a view like this. They quoted the Bible and even argued from it, which shows they thought its words could still be trusted.
The second kind is tahrif al-lafz, which means "corruption of the text" or "of the words." This view says that the actual words of the Bible were changed: verses were added, removed or rewritten. This stronger view was argued at length by the Spanish Muslim scholar Ibn Hazm of Cordoba in the eleventh century, and it later became widespread. Today, most ordinary Muslims who say "the Bible is corrupted" mean this second kind. Popular preachers such as Ahmed Deedat of South Africa spread it widely in Africa through debates and booklets.
Notice what this history shows. Muslim scholars have disagreed about whether the Qur'an's passages on distortion refer to changed wording, to misleading explanation, or to both. So the Christian should ask: which texts are said to have been changed, and what evidence supports that claim?
What the Qur'an Says About the Torah and the Gospel
The best place to begin is the Qur'an itself. Muslims honour it as the word of God, so what it says carries weight with them. When we read it carefully, we find that it speaks of the Torah and the Gospel with great respect.
The Qur'an Confirms Earlier Books
The Qur'an often says that it came "confirming that which was (revealed) before it" (Qur'an 3:3). It names the Torah and the Gospel as books God sent down as guidance and light. In Qur'an 5:46 it says that God gave Jesus the Gospel, in which is guidance and light, confirming the Torah before it. The Qur'an does not present these books as lost. It presents them as books that the Jews and Christians of Muhammad's day still had.
Qur'an 5:47: "Let the People of the Gospel Judge"
In the very next verse the Qur'an says: "Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein" (Qur'an 5:47, Pickthall). This is a striking command. Christians living in the seventh century are told to judge by what God revealed in the Gospel. That only makes sense if the Gospel they had in their hands was still God's revelation. No one would be told to judge by a book that had been destroyed or corrupted.
Qur'an 5:68: "Observe the Torah and the Gospel"
Qur'an 5:68 says in part: "O People of the Scripture! Ye have naught (of guidance) till ye observe the Torah and the Gospel" (Pickthall). Again, Jews and Christians are told to keep and follow the books they already possess. The Qur'an treats these books as a real standard, not as a broken one.
Qur'an 10:94: "Question Those Who Read the Scripture"
Perhaps the most remarkable verse is Qur'an 10:94. Here Muhammad himself is addressed: "If thou art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee" (Pickthall, slightly shortened). If Muhammad had doubts, he was to ask the Jews and Christians who read the earlier books. This verse assumes that their Scripture was a reliable witness in Muhammad's time, reliable enough to settle the doubts of a prophet.
No One Can Change God's Words
The Qur'an also teaches more than once that no one can change the words of God. Qur'an 6:34 and 6:115 say, in careful paraphrase, that there is none who can change the words of Allah, and Qur'an 18:27 says the same. Muslims rightly apply these verses to the Qur'an. But the Qur'an also calls the Torah and the Gospel the word of God. If God's words cannot be changed, then the Torah and the Gospel cannot have been changed either.
Many Muslim scholars answer that these verses mean no one can stop God's promises and decrees, not that no one could ever alter a copy of a book. That is a fair reply, and we should listen to it. But the question remains: the Qur'an calls the Torah and the Gospel God's word and treats the copies in seventh-century hands as a standard (5:47; 5:68; 10:94). Which words were changed, and when?
The Verses Muslims Use
To be fair, we must also look at the verses Muslims bring forward for tahrif. Qur'an 2:75 speaks of some who heard the word of God and then changed it knowingly. Qur'an 2:79 warns those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say it is from God. Qur'an 3:78 speaks of some who twist their tongues while reading, so that listeners think it is Scripture when it is not. Qur'an 4:46 speaks of some who change words from their proper places.
Read in context, these verses describe certain people, often some of the Jews of Medina, who misquoted, twisted or misexplained Scripture in speech, or who wrote their own words and passed them off as God's. They accuse some individuals of dishonest handling of Scripture. They do not say that the whole Torah and Gospel, in every copy around the world, were rewritten. Some Muslim interpreters do read these verses as evidence that the text was changed, so we should ask which text, and show what the manuscripts say. And they sit in the same book as 5:47, 5:68 and 10:94, which treat the books themselves as still trustworthy. This is why many early Muslim scholars held only to corruption of meaning.
The Islamic Dilemma
Christian writers such as James White and David Wood have summarized this problem in what is often called the Islamic dilemma. A dilemma is a situation with two choices, both of which lead to a difficult result. Muslim scholars have given answers to it, so present it as a serious question, not as a trap. Put simply, it goes like this.
The Qur'an affirms that the Torah and the Gospel in the hands of Jews and Christians in Muhammad's day were the word of God. Christians often put the challenge this way, as a choice between two possibilities about those books.
• Choice one: the Bible of the seventh century was reliable. Then the Qur'an is affirming a book that teaches the deity of Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection. But the Qur'an denies these things. So the Qur'an contradicts the very Scripture it confirms.
• Choice two: the Bible of the seventh century was already corrupted. Then the Qur'an was mistaken when it told Christians to judge by the Gospel (5:47), told Jews and Christians to observe their books (5:68) and told Muhammad to ask those who read them (10:94). It would also mean that God's words were changed, which the Qur'an says cannot happen.
These two choices raise a serious question for the Muslim claim that the Gospel was corrupted. Many Muslims answer that the Qur'an praises the original Injil given to Jesus, not the four Gospels of the New Testament. Listen to that answer with respect. The next question is historical: which Gospel texts did Christians have in Muhammad's time, and how do we know? This is not a trick. It is an honest question that follows from reading the Qur'an's own words. When you share it, do so slowly and kindly. Ask your friend to read the verses for himself. The goal is not to win an argument but to help a person you love see that the Bible deserves to be read.
When, How and by Whom?
A second way to answer the charge of tahrif is to ask simple historical questions. If the Bible was changed, then the change happened at some time, in some way, by some people. A serious claim needs serious answers to these questions.
When Was It Changed?
Christians often put this question as a choice between two times: before Muhammad or after Muhammad.
If the corruption happened before Muhammad, then the Qur'an's command to judge by the Gospel (5:47) makes no sense, and Muhammad would have been sent to ask people whose books were already broken (10:94). So many Muslims place the change after Muhammad, after about AD 632. Some answer instead that 5:47 refers only to the original revelation or to the parts that remained true. If so, ask kindly what evidence shows which parts were changed, and when.
But if the corruption happened after Muhammad, a different problem appears. We possess copies of nearly the whole Bible made long before Muhammad was born. Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, two great handwritten books that contain most of the Greek Old and New Testaments, were copied in the fourth century, more than two hundred years before Muhammad. Many smaller papyrus pieces of the New Testament are older still. These New Testament copies are the evidence for the Gospels. They show that the four Gospels were being copied and read centuries before Muhammad. The copies do show small differences in wording, which Unit 9 explains, but they do not show that the Gospel accounts of Jesus, His cross and His empty tomb were replaced in Muhammad's day. The Dead Sea Scrolls, first found in 1947, are a separate kind of evidence. They are copies of the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, and they include a nearly complete scroll of Isaiah copied before the time of Christ. They contain no part of the New Testament, so they tell us nothing directly about the Gospels. What they show is that the Hebrew Scriptures existed long before Muhammad. Unit 9 will study these manuscripts in more detail. For now, the point is simple: apart from small differences in wording, the Bible we read is the Bible that existed before Islam began.
How Was It Changed?
By the seventh century the Bible was not one book in one place. It had been copied thousands of times and spread across three continents. It had been translated into Syriac, Coptic, Latin, Ethiopic, Armenian and other languages. Christians in Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria, Rome and Persia all read it. They often disagreed with each other and had no single leader who could command them all.
To change the Bible after Muhammad, someone would have had to gather every copy in every language from every country, change them all in the same way, and leave no trace of the older text. No ruler in history had that power. And if it had been tried, we would expect to find old copies with the "original" message that agrees with Islam. No such copies exist.
Who Changed It?
Muslims often say "the Jews and Christians" changed the Bible. But Jews and Christians were rivals who argued strongly with each other. Both read the Old Testament. If Christians had changed the Old Testament to point to Jesus, the Jews would have exposed them. If the Jews had changed it, the Christians would have objected. Their disagreement actually protected the text, because each watched the other.
Also, we must ask: what would they gain? The passages Muslims dislike most, such as the cross of Christ, were the very passages for which early Christians suffered and died. People do not invent teachings that bring them persecution and then die for them.
What About the "Gospel of Barnabas"?
Some Muslim writers point to a book called the Gospel of Barnabas, which agrees with Islam in many ways and even names Muhammad. Your friend may say this is the true Gospel. But the oldest copies of this book come from about the sixteenth century, more than a thousand years after Jesus, and most scholars date its writing to roughly the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. It contains historical errors that show its author did not live in first-century Israel. It is not an ancient Gospel. It cannot be the Injil that the Qur'an told Christians of the seventh century to follow.
The Authority of a Prophet and the Question of His Recorded Words
A central question for pastors is very simple: if Muslims agree that Jesus was a prophet, and that God's prophets should be heard, what do we do with Jesus' teaching? Qur'an 19:30 calls Jesus a prophet, and in 3:50 and 43:63 Jesus tells his hearers to obey him. Qur'an 5:46-47 says that the Injil contains guidance and light. These texts give us much shared ground for taking Jesus seriously.
But a Muslim friend will usually answer that the Injil God gave Jesus is not the same as the four Gospels, which he sees as later books about Jesus. Do not skip over this answer. The question then becomes historical: what did Christians actually have in Muhammad's day, when the Qur'an told them to judge by the Gospel? Ancient manuscripts, and quotations by early Christian writers, show that the four Gospels of the New Testament were in use centuries before Muhammad and were used by Christians in his time. This does not by itself settle the Muslim belief that the original Injil differs from the later Gospel accounts, but it shows where the conversation must go next.
So set out a fair order of questions. First, do we agree that a prophet must be heard? Second, which accounts of Jesus' words survive? Third, how early are they, how were they copied and passed on, and what do the surviving manuscripts actually say? Fourth, what did those earliest Christian sources record Jesus teaching about Himself? The study of the manuscripts in Unit 9 is therefore not a side road. It is the bridge to an honest conversation about who Jesus is.
The Injil and the Four Gospels
Many Muslims expect the Injil to be a single book that God dictated to Jesus, as they believe the Qur'an was given to Muhammad. When they find four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, telling about Jesus, they may think this proves the original was lost.
Here the pastor should explain patiently that Christians understand revelation differently. In Christian teaching, Jesus Himself is the Word of God made flesh (John 1:14). The good news (the meaning of "gospel") is the message about who He is and what He did. The four Gospels are faithful witnesses to that message, written by apostles and their close companions. The word "gospel" was already used this way in the first century: Mark begins his book with "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ" (Mark 1:1). Manuscripts and early Christian testimony show that the four canonical Gospels were in circulation long before Muhammad and were used by Christians in his time. This is strong historical evidence for the Christian Gospel texts he could encounter. A Muslim may still distinguish these books from an original revelation given to Jesus; that theological claim calls for a separate discussion of its evidence.
Answering with Grace
Knowing these arguments is only half the task. The other half is the spirit in which we use them. First Peter 3:15 tells us to give a defence "with meekness and fear." A Muslim friend who says the Bible is corrupted is not your enemy. He is usually repeating what he was taught, often sincerely.
Questions Instead of Accusations
One of the best ways to answer is to ask gentle questions. For example:
• "Which verses do you believe were changed, and what did they say before?"
• "When do you think the change happened, before or after Muhammad?"
• "What does Qur'an 5:47 mean when it tells Christians to judge by the Gospel?"
• "Have you ever read the Gospels for yourself? Would you like to read one with me?"
Questions invite thought rather than defence. They also show respect, because they take your friend's beliefs seriously enough to ask about them.
An Example from the Market
Imagine a pastor named Samuel who sells shoes in a town market. His neighbour Ibrahim, a Muslim trader, tells him one day, "Your Bible is not the true Injil. It was changed." Samuel does not argue. He asks, "My friend, your Qur'an tells Christians to judge by the Gospel. Which Gospel did it mean?" Ibrahim is not sure. Over the following weeks they talk often. Samuel shows him a page about Codex Sinaiticus and explains that it was copied long before Muhammad. Ibrahim is still not convinced, but he agrees to read the Gospel of Luke with Samuel. This is a good result. Our task is to open the door; the Holy Spirit leads a person through it.
The Example of Nabeel Qureshi
Nabeel Qureshi grew up in a devout Ahmadi Muslim family. He met his Christian friend David Wood as a student at Old Dominion University, and years of friendly debate began. During those years he studied the historical case for the crucifixion, resurrection and deity of Christ, and he also looked closely at the sources on Muhammad and the Qur'an. Qureshi argued that honest study of the evidence, together with sincere prayer for God to show the truth, is the way forward for any seeker. His book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (2014) is recommended reading for this unit.
Equipping the Congregation
Pastors should prepare their members for this question before they hear it in the market or at school. Teach them three simple points. First, the Qur'an itself speaks well of the Torah and the Gospel. Second, we have copies of the Bible from long before Muhammad, and they carry the same message. Third, no one had the power to change every copy in every language. Members who know these points will not be shaken, and they can answer their neighbours with confidence and love.
Why This Matters
The charge of tahrif is not a small matter. If it were true, Christians would have no reliable word from God, and Jesus' promise that His words would not pass away (Matthew 24:35) would have failed. But the Bible has been kept. God, who spoke through the prophets and finally through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2), has also preserved His word. As our key verse says, "the word of our God stands forever" (Isaiah 40:8).
For this reason the Christian can invite a Muslim friend to read the Bible without fear. We do not need to hide it or apologize for it. The best answer to "the Bible has been corrupted" is often to open it together and let it speak.
Summary
Tahrif is the Islamic charge that Jews and Christians changed their Scriptures. Some Muslim scholars meant only corruption of meaning, but today most Muslims mean corruption of the text, a view argued strongly by Ibn Hazm in the eleventh century and spread in Africa by preachers such as Ahmed Deedat. Yet the Qur'an itself confirms the Torah and the Gospel, tells Christians to judge by the Gospel (5:47), tells Jews and Christians to observe their books (5:68), tells Muhammad to ask those who read them (10:94), and says no one can change God's words. This leads to the Islamic dilemma: either the Bible was reliable in Muhammad's day, and the Qur'an contradicts it, or it was already corrupted, and the Qur'an was wrong to commend it. Historical questions of when, how and by whom also show the charge cannot stand, since copies such as Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus come from centuries before Muhammad. Many Muslims answer that the Qur'an praises the original Injil, not the four Gospels; the honest reply is to show from the manuscripts which Gospels Christians had before and in Muhammad's day, while admitting that this alone does not settle every Muslim belief about the Injil. Christians should answer with gentle questions, sound evidence and an invitation to read the Bible together.
Questions for Reflection
1. Have you ever heard a Muslim say that the Bible has been corrupted? How did you respond, and how would you respond now?
2. Which of the Qur'an verses studied in this unit do you find most helpful, and why?
3. How would you explain the Islamic dilemma to a Muslim friend in a way that is clear but kind?
4. Why is the timing question, before or after Muhammad, so important to the charge of tahrif?
5. What three points would you teach your congregation so they can answer this objection with confidence?
6. How does the question "Should we listen to a prophet?" lead to the evidence of the manuscripts rather than around it?
Unit 8 Exam
Certificate track: the 20 multiple-choice questions. Associate track: add the 10 fill-in-the-blank questions. Master’s tracks: add the 10 short-answer questions.
M.Div. and Th.M.: all five assigned readings are part of the course. Their separate exam is required after activation; see its page for the current rule. Honors remains optional and does not replace the exam.
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