Answering Objections to Islam · Theology & Doctrine
The "Islamic Dilemma" (Q 5:47, 5:68, 10:94)
In short
- 1.Q 5:47 commands judgement by what God revealed in the Injil, not by every extant manuscript.
- 2.Q 2:79, 3:78 and 5:13 describe writing scripture by hand and twisting it with the tongue.
- 3.Injil in the Qur'an is a revelation given to Jesus, singular — not a four-gospel anthology written by others.
The claim being examined
The Qur'an tells Christians to judge by the Gospel and the People of the Book to uphold the Torah and Gospel. Critics argue this either affirms the Bible of the 7th century — which was substantially our Bible — or renders the command incoherent.
The Islamic position
The commands are addressed to the People of the Book about the revelation given to Jesus and Moses, and the Qur'an simultaneously charges them with tahrif — distortion in interpretation, concealment and writing. The instruction is to uphold what God actually revealed, not to ratify every codex in circulation.
Analysis
The dilemma turns on equating Qur'anic Injil with the canonical four Gospels. The Qur'an consistently uses Injil in the singular, as something given to Jesus (Q 5:46), matching the Torah-to-Moses and Zabur-to-David pattern. Modern critical scholarship agrees the canonical Gospels are anonymous later compositions about Jesus rather than a book delivered to him — Ehrman's standard position — so the referent of Injil is not the object the objection assumes. Q 5:68 is also conditional and polemical in force: it says the People of the Book stand on nothing until they uphold what was revealed, which functions as a challenge, not an endorsement. Ali Ataie's framing is useful here: the Qur'an affirms revelation and critiques custodianship.
From the Qur'an
Qur'an 5:46
وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلْإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًۭى وَنُورٌۭ
We gave him the Injil, in which was guidance and light.
Qur'an 2:79
فَوَيْلٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ
Woe to those who write the scripture with their own hands, then say 'this is from Allah'.
Qur'an 5:13
يُحَرِّفُونَ ٱلْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِۦ
They distort words from their proper places.
From the Bible
Luke 1:1-4
Greek
Luke describes compiling an account from what others handed down — a report about Jesus, not a book revealed to him.
Read it in their BibleSources
Ali Ataie · Bart D. Ehrman · Al-Tabari
The spoken script for this entry is inside the app.
Members get the word-for-word delivery guide — how to open, what to say, the likely replies and how to close warmly — plus notes, a dawah journal and the study assistant.
Open the app