- This article refutes the Islamic dilemma by dismantling its central claims and gross assumptions.
What is the so-called Islamic Dilemma?
The argument goes something like this:
“The Qur’an affirms the Torah and the Gospel as divine revelations. But it also claims they’ve been corrupted. So, either the Bible is reliable, in which case the Qur’an contradicts it or the Bible is corrupted, in which case the Qur’an is wrong to affirm it. Therefore, Islam refutes itself.”
The Mirage
In the marketplace of grand ideas, the most empty stall, is the one selling the so-called “Islamic dilemma.” Christian apologists continue to present it with confidence, as if they hit the jackpot. However, as this article shall unveil; confidence cannot compensate for conceptual poverty.
The likes of David Deadwood – False-wood – David- I haven’t even been imprisoned for raping minors — Wood — David — I would rather not use my brain and chew Qur’ans – Wood, Michael MythJones, and Fog Logic, all have one thing in common: During their presentation of the Islamic dilemma, their foundational argument presupposes that the Bible has never undergone any changes and that the Qur’an subsequently affirms this permanence. Both are gross fabrications.
Furthermore, The “Islamic dilemma” hinges on a binary fallacy: either the Bible is fully preserved or Islam is false. However, this is a false dichotomy. The Qur’an doesn’t affirm the current Bible as it exists today, it affirms the divine origin of the revelation that was sent, while also warning of its later corruption. Muslim scholars for centuries have understood this nuance. The claim isn’t that nothing true remains in the Bible. Rather, it is that truth is mixed with error, and the Qur’an came to confirm what remains true and correct what was altered.
“And We have sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it and as a guardian over it.”
Qur’an (5:48)
Prominent theologian Fakir al-Din al-Razi in his work Tafsir al-Kabir affirms that when interpreting verses such as Qur’an 5:13 and 2:75, the Jewish and Christian scriptures have been manipulated and do not reflect their original forms.
Al-Tabari, one of the most respected 10th century theologians and jurists, in his work, Jami‘ al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur’an, while sometimes acknowledging the presence of uncorrupted elements, affirms that the distortion of these scriptures occurred, particularly in practice and interpretation.
The divine message of monotheism serves as the fundamental thread weaving through Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, though only in the original, unaltered forms of Judaism and Christianity.
The Islamic Dilemma pulls away from the Qur’an’s Central Address to Christians
God sent revelation through the prophets. It reached the Jews, it reached the Christians. And prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) came to confirm this divine inheritance. The Jews and Christians of seventh century Arabia possessed clear prophecies in their scriptures. Those prophecies announced the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) They described him. Furthermore, they obligated obedience to him. Once this message is understood, the so-called Islamic Dilemma evaporates. And, make no mistake, the function of the so-called Islamic Dilemma is to distract and obscure.
Scripture as Recognition
The Qur’an confirms the aforementioned narrative. It speaks of Jews and Christians who encountered such prophecies.
“They are the ones who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whose description they find in their Torah and the Gospel. He commands them to do good and forbids them from evil, permits for them what is lawful and forbids to them what is impure, and relieves them from their burdens and the shackles that bound them. ˹Only˺ those who believe in him, honour and support him, and follow the light sent down to him will be successful.” Qur’an (7:157)
These are ‘people of the book’ who accepted the prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as a fulfilment of the prophecies that they found in their own scriptures; in the Torah and in the Gospel they possessed. They were praised as those who followed “the unlettered prophet,” as Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) — ‘gentile’ prophet could not read or write. Furthermore, scripture during this time belonged to the Children of Israel and Christians of the Arabian Peninsula were largely Jewish Christians.
The prophecies shine with undeniable clarity
‘Those to whom we gave the scripture recognise him ‘to be a true prophet’ as they recognise their own children. Those who have ruined themselves will never believe.’ (Qur’an 6:20)
The Revelation of the Qur’an was Not Isolated. It was Continuous
‘And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel, I am the messenger of Allah to you, came what came before me in the Torah and giving good news of a messenger to come after me whose name is Ahmad.”
It states that Jesus foretold a prophet named “Ahmed.” (Qur’an 6:16)
Ahmed is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)
Chapter 48:29 broadens the frame. It describes the companions of the Prophet (s.a.w) as figures already depicted in earlier scriptures:
‘Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allāh and [His] pleasure. Their sign is in their faces from the effect of prostration [i.e., prayer]. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers - so that He [i.e., Allāh] may enrage by them1 the disbelievers. Allāh has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.’
History as Confirmation – Salman al Farsi
Thus, history echoes scripture through the recognition of prophetic truth. For instance, the Sīrah literature records Christian monks who recognised the Prophet Muḥammad (s.a.w) as a true messenger of God. In the earliest Sīrah, Ibn Isḥāq records that the Christian monk Baḥīrā, upon seeing Muḥammad (s.a.w), declared: “I know him by the description which we find in our scripture. He is the master of the worlds; God has sent him as a mercy to the worlds.” vol. 1, p 80–181
Furthermore, Salmān al-Fārisī embodies this continuity. A seeker from Persia, he journeyed among Christian monks in search of the true and learned from them the signs of the awaited prophet. When he later encountered Muḥammad (s.a.w), that recognition was immediate, for he found in him the very signs that had been foretold.
Ibn Isḥāq records that Salmān al-Fārisī was guided by Christian monks who described the final prophet’s signs in advance, including that “he will not eat charity but will accept a gift, and between his shoulders is the seal of prophethood.” Upon meeting Muḥammad (s.a.w), Salmān states, “I recognised him by the description which had been given to me.”
Abdullāh ibn Salām provides another compelling witness to this pattern. A learned Jewish scholar of Medina, he was deeply familiar with the prophecies contained in his scriptures. When the Prophet Muḥammad (s.a.w) arrived in Medina, ʿAbdullāh ibn Salām recognised in him the fulfilment of those descriptions and accepted Islam. What he witnessed was not the abandonment of scripture, but the realisation of it. Consequently, this was not an anomaly; it was a recurring pattern of recognition.
Abdullāh ibn Salām said:
“When the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) came to Medina, the people rushed toward him. I was among them. When I looked at his face, I knew that it was not the face of a liar.” Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Book of the Virtues of the Companions)
Canon Formation and the ‘Lying Pen of the Scribes’
Every Christian who affirms the modern biblical canon also, whether they realise it or not, affirms its total antithesis. Therefore, even if a Christian accepts the modern Bible as inspired, they are implicitly acknowledging the existence of rejected, non-canonical texts.: that some texts that once claimed to be divine were false. This is precisely why the christian canon exists. Moreover, its significance cannot be overstated. Canadian Christian apologist and Reformed Baptist scholar Wes Huff openly accepts this reality.
Let’s examine the book of Jeremiah 8:8, where the prophet Jeremiah declares:
“How can you say we are wise for we have the law of the Lord? How can we say this? How can we make this claim when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?”
Here, Jeremiah describes a situation in which scribes are actively corrupting scripture. What makes this especially noteworthy is that the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has demonstrated that substantially different versions of the book of Jeremiah existed throughout history. In other words, the very biblical book that warns of the “lying pen of the scribes” has itself been altered.
The Corruption of the Bible Occurred Centuries Before the coming of prophet Muhammed (s.a.w)
As evidenced above, it was widely known that such corruption on the Bible was occurring for centuries before the coming of the Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w) Christians themselves were aware of it, as it is is referenced within the Bible.
The phenomenon of Bible corruption is not limited to Jeremiah alone. In the third century, the renowned Christian theologian Origen wrote that the discrepancies between biblical manuscripts had become extensive and severe. In ‘Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Book 15, Chapter 14, he writes:
“The differences among the manuscripts have become great, either through the negligence of some copyists or through the perverse audacity of others; they either neglect to check over what they have transcribed, or, in the process of checking, they make additions or deletions as they please.”
An Inescapable Conclusion
The Qur’an must be read on its own terms. Its verses cannot be severed from their context. Its meanings cannot be imposed, bent to fit external agendas or preconceptions. And, fundamentally, the Qur’an’s message to Jews and Christians is crystal clear. Their scriptures contained prophecies of the Prophet Muḥammad (s.a.w) and those who truly engaged with them recognised him, and recognition demanded submission. Furthermore, as historian Sidney Griffith observes:
“The Qur’an is aware of the existence of the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel among the People of the Book in its own day and resumes their general validity.” (Griffith, The Bible in Arabic, p. 53)
The Bible has undergone corruption. This is not a matter of speculation but of basic historical record, acknowledged by Christian scholars. However, a person does not need not be a historian to perceive this. The Qur’an’s role, therefore, is not to discard these scriptures outright, but to function as a text which corrects distortions of meaning, restoring the integrity of divine history.
