Refuting Islam

Immutable or Corrupted? The Qur’an’s Contradiction on God’s Word

April 15, 2025

A central apologetic claim in Islam is that the Qur’an is the final, perfect, and uncorrupted word of God, unlike the Torah and the Gospel, which Muslims believe were once true revelations but later corrupted by Jews and Christians.

Yet there’s a deep, unresolved contradiction buried right in the pages of the Qur’an itself.

On one hand, the Qur’an claims:

“There is no changing the words of Allah.”
— Qur’an 6:115

“And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His words.”
— Qur’an 18:27

But…

On the other hand, the Qur’an repeatedly accuses Jews and Christians of altering, concealing, or corrupting their scriptures:

“They distort words from their places…”
— Qur’an 4:46

“So woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, ‘This is from Allah.’”
— Qur’an 2:79

This leads to a glaring theological and logical paradox:

If no one can alter Allah’s words… how were the Torah and the Gospel corrupted?

1. The Qur’an’s Bold Claim: Allah’s Words Are Unchangeable

Two verses are often cited in Islamic theology to demonstrate that the Qur’an is divinely protected:

Qur’an 6:115

“And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”

Qur’an 18:27

“And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His words, and you will not find any refuge besides Him.”

These verses are unambiguous. Allah’s words are portrayed as eternal, inviolable, and resistant to human tampering. Islamic scholars frequently use these verses to argue that the Qur’an cannot be corrupted, has never been changed, and is identical today to what Muhammad recited 1400 years ago.

But this seemingly strong assertion becomes self-defeating when we remember that…

2. The Qur’an Calls the Torah and Gospel “Allah’s Word” Too

This is where the contradiction gets sharper.

Throughout the Qur’an, the Torah (Tawrat) and Gospel (Injil) are described as divine revelations—books that were given to previous prophets, just like the Qur’an was given to Muhammad:

Qur’an 5:44

“Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it...”

Qur’an 5:46

“And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah. And We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light...”

These verses affirm that the Torah and the Gospel were not man-made. They were sent down by Allah, just like the Qur’an.

So we’re left with a dilemma:

If the Torah and Gospel are Allah’s words, and Allah’s words cannot be changed, how could Jews and Christians possibly corrupt them?

3. The Corruption Accusation: Qur’anic Claims of Tahrif

Muslim apologists often lean on the concept of tahrif, the claim that Jews and Christians altered or falsified their scriptures. The Qur’an mentions this in multiple places:

Qur’an 2:75

“Do you covet [the hope, O believers], that they would believe for you while a party of them used to hear the words of Allah then distort it after they had understood it—while they were knowing?”

Qur’an 3:78

“And indeed, there is among them a group who alter the Scripture with their tongues so you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture.”

Qur’an 4:46

“Among the Jews are those who distort words from their [proper] usages…”

From these verses, Muslims derive the belief that the Torah and Gospel have been corrupted over time—either textually (i.e., the content was changed or lost) or interpretively (i.e., the meaning was distorted).

But either way, this clashes violently with 6:115 and 18:27.

4. The Contradiction Exposed: Immutable Yet Altered?

Let’s break this down logically.

A. Premise 1: Allah’s words cannot be changed.

(Qur’an 6:115; 18:27)

B. Premise 2: The Torah and Gospel were Allah’s words.

(Qur’an 5:44–46; 3:3)

C. Premise 3: The Torah and Gospel were changed or corrupted.

(Qur’an 2:75; 2:79; 4:46)

These cannot all be true at once.

If Allah’s words cannot be changed (Premise 1),
and the Torah and Gospel were Allah’s words (Premise 2),
then they should not have been corrupted (Premise 3).

Yet the Qur’an asserts all three. This is a classic logical contradiction.

Either:

The Torah and Gospel weren’t actually Allah’s words, which contradicts Qur’an 5:44–46,
Or, Allah’s words can be changed, which contradicts 6:115 and 18:27,
Or, the Qur’an is simply wrong to accuse Jews and Christians of corrupting scripture.

There is no internally consistent resolution.

5. Attempts to Resolve the Contradiction — And Why They Fail

Islamic apologists have developed a few theories to escape this bind. But each falls apart under scrutiny.

Theory 1: Only the Qur’an Is Protected

Some argue that 6:115 and 18:27 refer only to the Qur’an, not earlier scriptures.

But this creates a problem: if Allah’s word can be changed, except in one case, then those verses are deceptive. They make a universal claim—“None can alter His words”—with no such limitation in the text.

If Allah meant “no one can change my words—except all the ones I revealed before the Qur’an”, then He failed to communicate clearly.

And remember: the Torah and Gospel are repeatedly called Allah’s word in the Qur’an. The claim of unchangeability would, by default, apply to them as well—unless explicitly stated otherwise (which it never is).

Theory 2: Tahrif Means Misinterpretation, Not Textual Corruption

Another attempt is to say that “tahrif” only means distorting the meaning, not changing the actual text.

But this clashes with verses like:

Qur’an 2:79 — “Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and say, ‘This is from Allah’…”
Qur’an 3:78 — “They alter the Scripture with their tongues…”

Writing with your own hand and falsely attributing it to God is textual corruption.

So this theory fails too. The Qur’an accuses Jews and Christians of altering content, not just interpretation.

6. The Theological Consequences: A Crisis of Coherence

This contradiction strikes at the heart of Islamic theology.

If Allah cannot protect His previous books, why should we trust He protected the Qur’an?

If His words were changed in the past, despite promising they couldn’t be, what’s to stop that from happening again?

Muslims are stuck between two untenable options:

Admit that the Torah and Gospel were Allah’s words—and therefore uncorruptible, which contradicts the Qur’an’s accusations.
Insist that the Torah and Gospel were corrupted—which means Allah’s words can be altered, and His promises can be broken.

Either way, the doctrine of divine preservation collapses.

7. Conclusion: A House Divided Cannot Stand

The Qur’an tries to have it both ways:

It affirms the Torah and Gospel as divine revelations.
It accuses Jews and Christians of corrupting them.
It claims Allah’s words can never be changed.

But these claims cannot logically coexist. It is a house divided against itself.

This is not a minor inconsistency. It is a core contradiction that undermines the Qur’an’s theological integrity. If Allah cannot protect His past words, how can Muslims claim He protected the Qur’an? If He can, then the Torah and Gospel must still be valid—which means Islam’s claim to supersede them is built on sand.

So the next time someone says:

“No one can change Allah’s words.”

You might ask:

“Then why does your Qur’an claim they were?”