What Does the Quran Say About the Bible and Torah?

Not applicable. This question concerns what the Quran — Islamic scripture — says about the Torah and Bible; Judaism has no internal tradition commenting on Quranic pronouncements about its own texts.

Not applicable. This question is specific to Islamic scripture and its evaluation of prior revelations; Christianity does not have a doctrinal position derived from or responding to Quranic claims about the Bible.

The Quran's stance on the Torah (Tawrat) and the broader category of earlier scriptures is nuanced — it's neither a blanket endorsement nor a flat rejection. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir (d. 1373 CE) and, in the modern era, Ismail al-Faruqi (d. 1986) both emphasize that Islam affirms the original divine origin of these texts while maintaining that their current forms have undergone alteration (tahrif).

The Prophet Muhammad's reported guidance captures this tension directly. When Muslims encountered Jews reading the Torah in Hebrew and explaining it in Arabic, he instructed them: neither believe nor disbelieve the People of the Scripture outright Sahih al Bukhari 7542. Instead, the prescribed formula was to affirm belief in Allah and in all revealed scriptures collectively Sahih al Bukhari 7362. This is a remarkably careful middle position — it preserves respect for the earlier revelations without granting uncritical authority to the textual versions in circulation.

The Quran itself, by contrast, is presented as the culminating and perfectly preserved revelation. As Surah Al-Buruj states, it is a glorious Qur'an Quran 85:21, implying a qualitative distinction between it and prior scriptures — not because those scriptures were false in origin, but because the Quran is understood as the final, uncorrupted word.

There's genuine scholarly disagreement about the extent of tahrif. Some classical jurists argued it referred to misinterpretation (tahrif al-ma'na) rather than textual corruption, while others held that the actual text was altered. This distinction matters enormously for Jewish-Muslim and Christian-Muslim dialogue today.

Not applicable. Concerns Islamic scripture/practice; no direct counterpart.

Not applicable. Concerns Islamic scripture/practice; no direct counterpart.

The provided Qur'anic passage simply declares the Qur'an itself to be glorious and does not, in this citation, mention the Torah (Tawrah) or Bible (Injil) explicitly Quran 85:21.

Nay, but it is a glorious Qur'an.

Two narrations in Sahih al-Bukhari report that Jews read the Torah in Hebrew and explained it in Arabic to Muslims; in that context, the Prophet instructed: do not outright believe or disbelieve the People of the Scripture, but affirm faith in what God has revealed to us and to them Sahih al Bukhari 7542Sahih al Bukhari 7362.

The people of the Scripture used to read the Torah in Hebrew and explain it to the Muslims in Arabic. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Do not believe the people of the Scripture, and do not disbelieve them, but say, 'We believe in Allah and whatever has been revealed"

The people of the Book used to read the Torah in Hebrew and then explain it in Arabic to the Muslims. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said (to the Muslims). "Do not believe the people of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say, 'We believe in Allah and whatever is revealed to us, and whatever is revealed to you"

Scholars have long discussed these reports—some see them as caution against unverified claims about earlier scripture while still acknowledging shared divine revelation; others debate scope and application—but detailed positions go beyond the provided citations Sahih al Bukhari 7542Sahih al Bukhari 7362.