Introduction
In the previous article, we established a shared foundation.
Both the Bible and the Qur’an teach that God’s word cannot be changed. His words are not fragile. They do not fail. They are not overcome by human effort.
Now we must take the next step.
If God’s word cannot be changed, what does that mean for the Torah and the Gospel?
This is where the Islamic Dilemma begins.
Defining the Dilemma Clearly
The Islamic Dilemma is not an emotional argument. It is not based on insult or mockery. It is a logical tension that arises from the Qur’an’s own claims.
It can be summarized in four simple statements:
The Qur’an affirms the Torah and the Gospel as revelations from God.
The Qur’an says that no one can change the words of God.
The Qur’an contradicts key teachings found in the Torah and the Gospel.
All three of those statements cannot be true at the same time.
If the Torah and Gospel are true revelations, and if God’s words cannot be changed, then why do they disagree with the Qur’an on central doctrines?
Something must give.
The Three Possible Options
When faced with this tension, there are only three logical possibilities.
Option 1 — The Bible Was Preserved
If the Torah and Gospel were preserved accurately, then when they contradict the Qur’an, the Qur’an must be mistaken.
This would mean that the Qur’an affirms books that already contain teachings that differ from it.
That creates a serious problem for the Qur’an’s claim to confirm previous revelation.
Option 2 — The Bible Was Corrupted
If the Torah and Gospel were corrupted before the time of Muhammad, then the Qur’an would be affirming books that had already been altered.
But this raises an immediate question:
Why would God command Jews and Christians to judge by books that had already been corrupted?
Why would the Qur’an speak positively about Scriptures that were no longer reliable?
And how does corruption fit with the repeated claim that no one can change God’s words?
Option 3 — God’s Words Can Be Changed
The third possibility is that the earlier revelations were changed successfully.
But if that is true, then the statement “no one can change the words of Allah” would not be accurate.
And if that statement is not accurate, then the foundation we established in Article 1 becomes unstable.
If God’s words can be altered once, they can be altered again.
Why This Is an Internal Issue
It is important to understand something clearly:
This dilemma does not come from outside the Qur’an.
It arises from the Qur’an’s own claims:
It affirms earlier Scripture.
It insists God’s words cannot be changed.
It differs from those Scriptures in major ways.
This is not about comparing religions emotionally. It is about examining consistency.
If three claims cannot all be true at the same time, then at least one of them must be re-examined.
A Concrete Example
Consider one example that we will examine in depth later in this series: the crucifixion of Jesus.
The Gospel teaches clearly that Jesus was crucified.
The Qur’an (4:157) denies that Jesus was crucified.
Both cannot be historically true.
If the Gospel was preserved, then the Qur’an contradicts history.
If the Gospel was corrupted before the Qur’an, then why does the Qur’an speak as if Christians still possessed authoritative Scripture?
This is just one example, but it illustrates the larger tension.
The Importance of Careful Examination
It would be easy to dismiss this tension quickly. Many people do.
But serious questions deserve careful thought.
In the next few articles, we will not assume anything. We will look directly at what the Qur’an says about:
The Torah.
The Gospel.
What Jews and Christians possessed in Muhammad’s time.
Whether the Qur’an actually teaches textual corruption.
The goal is not to rush to conclusions. It is to move step by step and allow the texts to speak.
If the Qur’an affirms the Torah and Gospel, and if God’s words cannot be changed, then we must examine whether the doctrine of corruption is truly supported by the Qur’an itself.
The tension is now clearly defined.
Next, we begin examining the evidence.