Refuting Islam

The Quran’s Fatal Dilemma

Part 1: How the Quran Affirms the Torah and Gospel

Introduction – Why This Matters

The Quran does not present itself as a standalone revelation detached from previous scripture. Instead, it insists — repeatedly and explicitly — that it confirms what came before: the Torah (Tawrat), the Psalms (Zabur), and the Gospel (Injil). This claim is not a footnote. It is foundational to Islam’s self-understanding. Without this affirmation, Muhammad’s message collapses into historical and theological isolation, stripped of the prophetic continuity it relies on for legitimacy.

The problem is simple but devastating: the Quran affirms the authority of texts that fundamentally contradict it. This is not a minor discrepancy — it is an unresolvable contradiction written into the very fabric of Islamic scripture.

In this first part of our 9-part series, we will dissect exactly what the Quran says about the Torah and Gospel, how it demands their acceptance, and why this sets up a fatal internal dilemma for Islam.

1. The Quran’s Self-Positioning Within a Prophetic Chain

From the earliest surahs, the Quran presents itself not as a new religion, but as the continuation and confirmation of previous divine messages. This is why Muhammad is portrayed as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Quran 33:40) — the last in a long line of messengers that stretches back to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus.

Key Verses of Affirmation

Quran 3:3 – “He has sent down upon you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.”
Quran 5:47 – “Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.”
Quran 6:115 – “And the word of your Lord has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can change His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”
Quran 18:27 – “…None can change His words…”
Quran 10:94 – “So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you…”

These verses make three things unambiguous:

The Torah and Gospel are revelations from Allah.
They were still present and authoritative in Muhammad’s time.
Allah’s words cannot be altered.

This is not a theological courtesy; it is a doctrinal anchor. If these affirmations fail, the Quran fails.

2. The Nature of “Confirmation” in the Quran

When the Quran says it “confirms” previous scripture, it uses the Arabic term musaddiq — meaning to validate, verify, or uphold as true. This does not mean “replace” or “partially approve.” The concept is forensic: if a witness “confirms” a statement, they affirm its truth.

Confirmation Means Consistency

If the Quran confirms the Torah and Gospel, it must agree with them on:

Core doctrines (nature of God, salvation, prophethood)
Historical events (e.g., crucifixion of Jesus)
Moral and legal principles (e.g., justice, truthfulness)

But the Quran does not agree — it directly contradicts on multiple essentials. This is the very seed of the dilemma.

3. The Quran’s Commands to Jews and Christians

One of the most overlooked aspects of the Quran’s affirmation is that it commands Jews and Christians to judge by their own scriptures — not to abandon them.

Example:

Quran 5:68 – “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.’”

This is crucial. Muhammad is not telling Jews and Christians, “Throw away your books; they’ve been corrupted.” Instead, he tells them that their standing before God depends on following the very books they already have.

If those books were corrupted beyond recognition, such a command would be nonsensical — it would be instructing them to follow falsehood.

4. The Preservation Claim

The Quran’s insistence that “None can change the words of Allah” (6:115, 18:27) creates a theological trap. If the Torah and Gospel are Allah’s words, they cannot be corrupted. If they were corrupted, then the Quran’s claim of divine preservation is false.

Muslim apologists sometimes attempt to escape this by claiming “corruption” refers to misinterpretation (tahrif al-ma‘na), not text change (tahrif al-nass). But this dodge collapses under the weight of Islamic tradition itself, which contains numerous accusations of textual corruption. The Quran, however, never describes an actual historical event in which the original Torah and Gospel were altered.

5. The Implications for Muhammad’s Prophethood

The Quran stakes Muhammad’s credibility on the agreement between his message and the scriptures possessed by Jews and Christians in his day. This is evident in Quran 10:94, where Muhammad is told to consult those who read the earlier scriptures if he has doubts.

If those scriptures were trustworthy enough for Muhammad himself to seek verification from their readers, then they must have been intact at that time. This destroys the popular Muslim apologetic that the Bible was corrupted centuries before Islam.

6. Why This Affirmation Is Fatal

Let’s break the logic down:

Premise 1: The Quran affirms the Torah and Gospel as divine revelations from Allah.
Premise 2: The Quran declares that Allah’s words cannot be changed.
Premise 3: The Torah and Gospel contradict the Quran on essential doctrines.
Premise 4: Either the Torah and Gospel were preserved, or they were corrupted.
- If preserved → The Quran is false because it contradicts preserved truth.
- If corrupted → The Quran is false because it affirms and commands obedience to corrupted texts.
  Conclusion: Either way, Islam is false.

This is not a matter of interpretation. This is a logical necessity if the premises (all of which are derived from the Quran itself) are true.

7. Anticipating Muslim Responses

Muslim apologists generally fall back on one of three responses:

The corruption happened after Muhammad’s time.
→ Refuted by manuscript evidence showing the same biblical texts before and during Muhammad’s lifetime.
The corruption was only interpretive, not textual.
→ Refuted by the fact that the Quran never says this and Islamic tradition claims textual corruption.
The “Torah” and “Gospel” referred to in the Quran are lost originals, not today’s Bible.
→ Refuted by the Quran’s direct commands to Jews and Christians to follow the scriptures in their possession.

8. Why This Series Matters

This first post sets the stage. We have established:

The Quran explicitly affirms the Torah and Gospel.
It commands obedience to them.
It asserts they cannot be changed.
It contradicts them on core theology.
This creates a fatal, inescapable dilemma.

In Part 2, we will turn to the historical evidence — the manuscript record — that proves the Torah and Gospel in Muhammad’s time are the same we have today.