Islam Watch

The Quran’s Fatal Dilemma

A Comprehensive Refutation of Islam’s Core Claim

Part 1 – The Core Argument: How the Quran Affirms the Torah and Gospel

One of the most devastating critiques of Islam comes from the Quran itself: its own affirmation of the Torah (Tawrat) and Gospel (Injil) as inspired, preserved, and authoritative. This is not an interpretation — it’s in black and white within Islam’s own scripture. If these books have been corrupted, then the Quran is wrong for affirming them. If they haven’t been corrupted, then Islam is false because it contradicts them. This is David Wood’s “Islamic Dilemma,” and it’s a theological time bomb.

1. The Quran Explicitly Affirms the Torah and Gospel

Multiple verses unambiguously declare that the Torah and Gospel were:

Revealed by Allah

“He has revealed to you the Book with truth, confirming what was before it, and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.” (Surah 3:3)
Guidance and Light

“It was We who revealed the Torah; therein was guidance and light.” (Surah 5:44)
“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…” (Surah 5:46)
Still in Possession of Jews and Christians at Muhammad’s Time

“Let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein…” (Surah 5:47)
Unalterable

“None can change the words of Allah.” (Surah 6:115; 18:27)

2. No Hint of a “Lost Original”

The Quran never once says that the Torah or Gospel had been textually corrupted. It instead criticizes some people’s misinterpretation or misapplication of the scriptures (Surah 2:75, 3:78), but affirms their divine origin and current authority.

3. Why This Matters

If the Torah and Gospel in the 7th century were trustworthy enough for Christians and Jews to “judge by” them, they must have been intact — and historically, we have manuscripts from centuries before Muhammad showing these are the same texts we have today. That means the Quran is affirming books that directly contradict it.

Part 2 – Historical Evidence for the Preservation of the Bible

For the Islamic Dilemma to be avoided, Muslims must prove that the Torah and Gospel were textually corrupted before Muhammad’s time. This is historically impossible.

1. Manuscripts Before Muhammad

Dead Sea Scrolls (3rd century BC – 1st century AD): Contain nearly the entire Hebrew Bible, word-for-word identical in most places to today’s Old Testament.
Codex Sinaiticus (c. AD 350) and Codex Vaticanus (c. AD 325): Contain the complete New Testament, matching modern translations.
Peshitta (2nd century): Syriac translation of the Bible, circulated across the Middle East.

These were all in circulation centuries before Islam and match what Christians and Jews possessed in the 7th century.

2. Quranic Timeframe

The Quran affirms the Torah and Gospel as they existed in Muhammad’s time — which were the same as these ancient manuscripts.

3. The Inescapable Problem

If Muslims claim the Bible was corrupted after its revelation but before Muhammad, then the Quran’s command to judge by them (5:47) was foolish or misleading. If they claim the corruption happened after Muhammad, the same manuscripts disprove that.

Part 3 – The Doctrinal Clash: Bible vs. Quran

Once the historical preservation of the Bible is established, the contradiction between it and the Quran becomes fatal.

1. Crucifixion

Bible: Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again (Matthew 27–28, Mark 15–16, Luke 23–24, John 19–21).
Quran: Denies the crucifixion (Surah 4:157).

2. Deity of Christ

Bible: Jesus is God incarnate (John 1:1, 8:58, 10:30; Philippians 2:6).
Quran: Denies Jesus’ divinity (Surah 5:72, 4:171).

3. Salvation

Bible: Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Quran: Salvation is by works and submission to Allah (Surah 23:102–103).

These are not minor differences — they are irreconcilable contradictions.

Part 4 – The Quran’s Silence on a “Corruption Event”

If the Torah and Gospel had been corrupted before Muhammad’s time, the Quran never mentions when, how, or by whom.

1. No Historical Record

There’s no Islamic tradition describing a specific event where the Bible was altered in such a way as to remove core Islamic beliefs.

2. The Jewish & Christian Disunity Problem

Jews and Christians were divided over many things, but their scriptures were the same. The idea that both groups conspired together to change their texts identically — with no record — is absurd.

Part 5 – The Preservation Paradox: God’s Word Cannot Be Changed

This is the Quran’s own teaching — yet Muslims deny it when discussing the Bible.

“Perfected is the Word of your Lord in truth and justice. None can change His words.” (Surah 6:115)
“And recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of your Lord. None can change His words…” (Surah 18:27)

If the Torah and Gospel were truly revelations from Allah, then by the Quran’s own standard they cannot be corrupted. Denying this is denying the Quran.

Part 6 – Historical Islam vs. the Quran’s Commands

Muhammad’s contemporaries included Jews and Christians who were told to follow their scriptures (Surah 5:47). Yet, Islamic history shows later Muslim leaders rejected those same scriptures, contradicting the Quran’s command.

Part 7 – Islamic Apologetic Evasions and Their Collapse

Muslim apologists try to escape the dilemma in several ways:

“Tahrif” means corruption of meaning, not text.
This fails — because Surah 5:47 commands judging by the Gospel “Allah revealed,” implying it still exists in textual form.
The “True” Gospel was a lost book given to Jesus.
Historically, there’s zero evidence such a book ever existed.
The Bible was changed after Muhammad.
Manuscript evidence predating Muhammad destroys this claim.

Part 8 – The Self-Destruction of Islam’s Revelation Chain

Islam teaches that Allah revealed a sequence of books: Tawrat → Zabur → Injil → Quran. If the earlier books were corrupted, Allah either:

Failed to preserve His word — undermining His omnipotence, or
Allowed false books to mislead people for centuries — making Him deceptive.

Both options destroy Islamic theology.

Part 9 – Formal Logical Refutation of Islam’s Core Claim

Premise 1: The Quran affirms the Torah and Gospel as divine revelation, authoritative, and unchangeable.
Premise 2: The Torah and Gospel contradict the Quran on essential doctrines.
Premise 3: 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 texts that no longer exist.
Conclusion: Either way, the Quran (and thus Islam) is false.

This is airtight. No reinterpretation, no apologetic spin, and no appeal to tradition can escape it.