Surah 2:79 is usually the potion uninformed Muslim apologists rely on to prove the corruption of both the Torah and the Gospels. A closer study of interpretations of this verse (by Islamic sources themselves) reveals that the accusation is not directed at the falsification of the Gospels or the Torah but were aimed at the Rabbis, IN MEDINA (and not world wide), who were being accused by Muhammad of erasing everything in their books which “foretold of the coming of Muhammad.”
2:78. And (SOME ) among them are ILLITERATE, who do not know the Scripture except cramming it up, and are doing nothing but making conjectures.
So the focus is on SOME who are ILLITERATE. What about the LITERATE Rabbis world wide who were keeping the Torah preserved as it still is today?
2:79. Woe, therefore, to those who write the Scripture with their own hands and then say, ‘This is from Allâh.’ They do so that they may thereby acquire some paltry gains. Woe to them for what their hands have written (to give them out as Word of God). Again (We say), woe to them for what they do (of evil deed).
But as we know, the Jews at that time were spread across the world—since the seige of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70AD—and without the speedy information systems we enjoy today, it would have miraculously required all Jews across the continents to have swiftly erased or changed their books so that they were similar to what the Jews in Medina had with them—an impossible task! That is wishful thinking and pure fantasy from Muslims!
These verses are therefore insufficient in proving the wholesale corruption of the Torah worldwide.
Also, there is really no evidence that the Rabbis actually did what the Qur’an is accusing them of having done. It remains an allegation.
Even if that were true, there are thousands of manuscripts (from different parts of the world) of the Old Testament from BEFORE and AFTER Muhammad which are the same as what we have today.
Added to that, the Dead Sea scrolls discovered in 1947 and dated around 200 years before Jesus, confirm the accuracy and preservation of Old Testament scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls provide clear evidence as to the accuracy of the version of the Old Testament and the care with which it was preserved.
The Old Testament that we use today is translated from what is called the Masoretic Text. The Masoretes were Jewish scholars who between A.D. 500 and 950 gave the Old Testament the form that we use today. Until the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947, the oldest Hebrew text of the Old Testament was the Masoretic Aleppo Codex which dates to A.D. 935.{5}
With the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, we now had manuscripts that predated the Masoretic Text by about one thousand years.
Lastly, always remember that the Qur’an is not a book inspired by the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob because the 7th century Allah of the Qur’an is a different god imitating the true God. Blessings!
Some scholars have different views on this verse, I don’t disagree with either interpretation of it.
Jewish leaders at the time of Muhammad (SAW) tried to hide his clear descriptions in their Torah, and also make a few alterations to it, to mislead people from believing he was a prophet.
You said:
“2:78. And (SOME ) among them are ILLITERATE, who do not know the Scripture except cramming it up, and are doing nothing but making conjectures.
So the focus is on SOME who are ILLITERATE. What about the LITERATE Rabbis world wide who were keeping the Torah preserved as it still is today?”
I suggest you read the verses before 2:78 (76-77), it addresses the hypocrites that would hide and reveal things as they wished in their scripture. And among those hypocrites are the illiterates that would receive the lies from their leaders. The illiterates have no knowledge of their scriptures except what their rabbis give them in 2:78.
Anyways let’s look at views of some scholars regarding Quran 2:79
Ibn Abbas’s views:
(Therefore woe) severe punishment, and it is said this means: a valley in Hell (be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands) change the description and traits of Muhammad (pbuh) in the Book (and then say, ” This is) in the Book that has come (from Allah ” , that they may purchase) through changing and altering it (a small gain therewith) a small gain in terms of means of subsistence and surplus of property. (Woe unto them) theirs is a severe punishment (for what their hands have written) have altered (and woe unto them) and theirs is a severe punishment (for what they earn thereby) of unlawful earnings and bribes. (Ibn Abbaas, Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs, Commentary on Surah 2:79.
Saheeh Bukhari
Volume 9, Book 93, Number 613:
Narrated ‘Ikrima:
Ibn ‘Abbaas said, “How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about their Books while you have Allah’s Book (the Qur’an) which is the most recent of the Books revealed by Allah, and you read it in its pure undistorted form?”
Volume 9, Book 93, Number 614:
Narrated ‘Ubaidullah bin ‘Abdullah:
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas said, “O the group of Muslims! How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about anything while your Book which Allah has revealed to your Prophet contains the most recent news from Allah and is pure and not distorted? Allah has told you that the people of the Scriptures have changed some of Allah’s Books and distorted it and wrote something with their own hands and said, ‘This is from Allah, so as to have a minor gain for it. Won’t the knowledge that has come to you stop you from asking them? No, by Allah, we have never seen a man from them asking you about that (the Book Al-Qur’an ) which has been revealed to you.
Uthman Ibn Affan’s view:
Because they (the Jews) distorted the Torah. They added to it what they liked and erased from it what they hated and they erased the name of Muhammad peace be upon him from the Torah and for that Allah became angry. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Commentary on Surah 2:79)
Al Tabari’s view:
What is meant by this: It is referring to those who distorted the book of Allah from the Jews of Bani Israel, and they wrote a book on which they put their interpretations in opposition to that which was revealed by Allah to his Prophet Moses peace be upon him, then they sold it to a people who have no knowledge of what is in it nor what is in the Torah and are ignorant of what is in the books of Allah in order to gain worthless materialistic benefits. (Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, Jami’ al-bayan fi ta’wil al-Qur’an, Commentary on Surah 2:79)
Al-Jalalayn’s view:
So woe, a severe chastisement, to those who write the Scripture with their hands, that is, fabricating it themselves, then say, ‘This is from God’ that they may sell it for a small price, of this world: these are the Jews, the ones that altered the description of the Prophet in the Torah, as well as the ‘stoning’ verse, and OTHER DETAILS, and rewrote them in a way different from that in which they were revealed. So woe to them for what their hands have written, of fabrications, and woe to them for their earnings, by way of bribery (rishan, plural of rishwa).
These views I have mentioned on Torah corruption are not limited to the Rabbis of Medina.
Sadly Muslim apologists try to rely on Surah 2:78-79 to prove what really? That a handful of Jewish frauds were taking chances trying to make a quick buck or delete Muhammad’s prophecies in the Torah? There are no prophecies of Muhammad anywhere in the previous scriptures, even in manuscripts which date back to before Muhammad. It’s laughable really because you would need something BETTER to prove that this caused the wholesale distortion of BOTH the Torah and Gospel in the Middle East, Europe and Africa where the Jews were scattered all over. This is the part where common logic is not common to Muslims. There are no prophecies of Muhammad anywhere in BOTH the Torah and Gospels, except of Muhammad as a false prophet. Keep dreaming. You can check even in complete manuscripts which date back from before Muhammad and you won’t find Muhammad there. Why didn’t the Qur’an quote the precise verses of the Torah and Gospel where it was claimed Muhammad is found? Because it is a blue lie from the pit of hell that’s why.
Furthermore, why would one in their right minds believe the ALLEGATION of QS 2:78-79 (which you regard as VERSES) about SOME Jews changing the Torah from a book which comes 600 years later to lie about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? SIX HUNDRED YEARS. Imagine that! I would first have to lose my God given senses before I become a Muslim.
Why would anyone take seriously the allegations from a book which blasphemes the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by claiming to be HIM (QS 29:46) and then going on to oppose and attack the will, promises and covenants of the true God?
We, who are know the scriptures know that Allah is prophesied in Isaiah 14:12-14 as the false god who desires ‘to be like the Most High’.
Allah’s religion is the Antichrist religion which has killed more Christians than any other religion.
Friend, sorry, if you don’t have the courtesy to answer the 6 question I asked of you inorder for us to fix the foundation of our conversation then sadly I can’t continue to engage you. There is better information I would like to share with you about your false religion but first let’s start with the basics and I believe those questions will establish a common ground from which to proceed.
Regards.