Were the previous scriptures like the Torah and the Gospel miracles as the Quran is a miracle?

Answered by Shaykh Anas Al-Musa

Question

Were the previous scriptures like the Torah and the Gospel miracles as the Quran is a miracle?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

The Torah and the Gospel are undoubtedly books from Allah, and they are part of Allah’s speech. There is no doubt about their authenticity. However, the Jews and Christians altered, distorted, added to, and omitted parts of these texts, resulting in multiple contradictory versions of each scripture, thus mixing truth with falsehood in them.

Therefore, the Torah and the Gospel, in their current forms, are not miracles like the Holy Quran, which remains a perpetual miracle.

Detailed Answer

Allah (Most High), when He sent His prophets, supported them with clear proofs and signs that affirmed the truth of their call to faith and confirmed their prophethood, as He says: “And with them We sent down the Scripture and the balance (of justice).” [Quran, 57:25]

Prophetic Miracles Across Eras

From the wisdom of Allah (Most High), He made the miracles of each prophet suitable for the era in which they were sent, and the people to whom they were sent. For example, magic was widespread among the people of Moses (peace be upon him); therefore, his miracle, turning his staff into a real serpent, was related to what was prevalent among his people and served as a sign proving the truth of his prophethood and his message.

Likewise, during the time of Jesus (peace be upon him) when medicine was advanced, his miracle of reviving the dead served as a profound sign of his prophethood…

When our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) was sent, Allah (Most High) also supported him with miracles that attested to his prophethood and the truth of what he called people to. Since his message, peace be upon him, is the final and enduring message, it was appropriate that his miracle should also have the characteristics of permanence and continuity, even after his passing, to serve as a continual proof until Allah inherits the earth and all upon it.

Thus, the Holy Quran – the Book of Allah that we have today – is that ongoing miracle that has persisted for over fifteen centuries. This is supported by the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace): “Every prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given is Divine revelation which Allah has revealed to me, so I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of any other prophet on the Day of Resurrection.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

Eternal Miracle

There is a type of difference between the miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) and the miracles of the other prophets (peace be upon them). While their miracles, extraordinary as they were, served as proof of the truth of the prophets’ claims to those who witnessed them, those who did not witness them had only their accounts to believe.

In contrast, the miracle of our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace)—the Quran–remains alive among people, unchanged and unaltered, and will remain so forever.

Uniqueness

Another distinct aspect of the Quran’s miracle is that each prophet had a miracle and a book or methodology; Moses had the staff as his miracle and the Torah as his guide, Jesus had the healing of the sick and the dead as his miracle and the Gospel as his guide. However, for the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), his miracle was identical to his methodology—ensuring that the methodology remains safeguarded by the miracle, and the miracle persists within the methodology.

Thus, preserving the books prior to the Quran fell within the scope of human responsibility, meaning that Allah (Most High) commanded His servants to safeguard them. In contrast, Allah (Most High) Himself has taken on the responsibility of preserving the Quran, as He (Most High) says:

“It is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it.” [Quran, 15:9]

This ensures that the Quran remains miraculous as stated; otherwise, its miraculous nature would be lost. None of this preservation assured to the Quran occurred for the previous scriptures, and consequently, they did not achieve the miraculous status that the Quran has.

Abdullah Daraz, while discussing the meanings and etymology of the words “Quran” and “Book,” says:

“It was named ‘Quran’ for being frequently recited aloud and ‘Book’ for being written down. Both names describe its actual qualities, and in calling it by these two names, there is an indication that it must be carefully preserved in two places, not just one—meaning it must be preserved both in memory and in writing.

One supports the other, so we do not trust a memorizer’s preservation until it matches the text agreed upon by the companions, transmitted to us generation after generation in the form it was first established. Nor do we trust the scribe’s writing until it conforms to what is preserved by the memorizers through a sound and continuous chain of transmission.

Through this dual diligence that Allah (Most High) inspired in the souls of the Muhammadan nation, following its Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), the Quran has remained safeguarded in a secure fortress, fulfilling Allah’s promise of preservation where He says:

‘It is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it.’ [Quran, 15:9]

The Quran has not been subjected to the distortions, changes, and broken chains of transmission that afflicted the previous scriptures, which Allah (Most High) did not commit to preserving, but instead entrusted their preservation to the people, as He says:

‘So too did the rabbis and scholars judge according to Allah’s Book, with which they were entrusted.’ [Quran, 5:44], meaning they were tasked with its preservation.” [Daraz, al-Naba’ al-‘Azim]

Inimitable Excellence: The Quran’s Challenge

The concept of the Quran’s miracle involves proving human incapacity to produce something like it, encompassing its words, structures, and eloquence, as well as the scientific truths it conveys, and its foretelling of the future and recounting past nations in detail—even though the Prophet who brought the Quran (Allah bless him and give him peace) was unlettered, unable to read or write. Yet, all were unable to produce even a chapter equivalent to the chapter of Sura Asr. What greater miracle could there be?!

Truthfully, the discussion of the Quran’s miraculous nature is an extensive and fascinating one with numerous benefits. How could it not be when it pertains to the Quran about which Allah (Most High) said:

“Say, (O Prophet,) ‘If (all) humans and jinn were to come together to produce the equivalent of this Quran, they could not produce its equal, no matter how they supported each other.’” [Quran, 17:88]

He (Most High) also said:

“Had We sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have certainly seen it humbled and torn apart in awe of Allah. We set forth such comparisons for people, (so) perhaps they may reflect.” [Quran, 59:21]

This characteristic makes the Quran the greatest proof of the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) truthfulness in his message and the enduring argument against humanity until the Day of Resurrection.

Eternal Distinction: The Unfading Miracle

Abdullah Daraz in his book, under the title: “The secret of the Quran’s exclusivity to eternity and incorruptibility, unlike previous books,” says:

“The secret of this distinction is that all other divine scriptures were brought for a specific time, not for eternity, while this Quran came to affirm the books before it and to oversee them. It compiled the established truths found in them, adding to them as Allah (Most High) willed, and it sealed their message.

Nothing else could replace its function. Hence, Allah (Most High) decreed it to remain as proof until the end of time, and when Allah (Most High) decrees something, He facilitates the means for it, for He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing.” [Daraz, al-Naba’ al-‘Azim]

Dr. Fahad al-Rumi, discussing the general characteristics of the Quran, notes:

“The Quran has experienced great events, severe horrors, and dangerous challenges. Enemies have attacked it, and nations have conspired against it. Had any of these things happened to other than the Quran, it would have suffered the distortions and alterations that previous books did.

However, the Quran endured these tumultuous conditions and oppositions without being affected. It has reached us exactly as Allah (Most High) revealed it, unchanged and unaltered, unaffected by those who sought to extinguish its light or by the detractors’ noises; so that Allah (Most High) may perfect His light, though the disbelievers dislike it.

This verse (Quran, 15:9) was once news to the companions (Allah be pleased with them), but now it is both news and a miracle—a miracle that fifteen centuries have passed without anything to contradict it, and news that its preservation will continue until the Day of Judgment. Unlike previous scriptures, Allah (Most High) did not commit to preserving them but entrusted their preservation to their people, as He says:

‘Indeed, We revealed the Torah, containing guidance and light, by which the prophets, who submitted themselves to Allah, made judgments for Jews. So too did the rabbis and scholars judge according to Allah’s Book, with which they were entrusted and of which they were made keepers.’ [Quran, 5:44] [Fahd al-Rumi, Dirasat fi ‘Ulum al-Quran]

Linguistic Marvel: A Challenge to All

We return to affirm the reality that the Quran is miraculous to humanity in its linguistic expression, proving humanity’s inability to produce anything like it.

The challenge was posed to the Arab eloquents, known for their eloquence and rhetoric, even though our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) was not considered part of their elite in these skills before his prophethood. Allah (Most High) challenged them to produce a chapter like it, stating explicitly that they would not be able to do so:

“And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a sura like it and call your helpers other than Allah, if what you say is true. But if you are unable to do so—and you will never be able to do so—then fear the Fire fuelled with people and stones, which is prepared for the disbelievers.” [Quran, 2:23-24]

They were the most eager to discredit him, and had they been able to do so, they would have. This miracle continues to this day, and no one has claimed that translations of the Quran into other languages carry the same miraculous quality as the original text, which we have already mentioned is miraculous in its expression.

Conversely, no one has claimed that translations of the Torah and the Gospel are miraculous in a way that no one can emulate; thus, the distinction between the Quran and other previous scriptures is as clear as the dawn or even more radiant. [Rashid Rida, Majallat al-Manar]

Uncorrupted Torah

As for the uncorrupted Torah being miraculous in terms of its meanings—for including prophecies about Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) long before his mission, or divine commands and prohibitions—there is no doubt about this, and such could not have been done without Allah informing them. [Mawsu‘at al-Firq al-Muntasab li al-Islam (dorar.net)]

Summary

Thus, it is clear that the challenge and miracle are unique to the Quran. No such challenge exists in the texts of previous scriptures or from the mouths of their prophets, coupled with the known contradictions and discrepancies among the various versions of the Torah and the Gospel, which confirm their inability to match the Quran’s resistance to corruption. Allah (Most High) truly says:

“Do they not then reflect on the Quran? Had it been from anyone other than Allah, they would have certainly found in it many inconsistencies.” [Quran, 4:82].

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.