Home > Surah 3 - The Family of Imran
Surah 3:4:
"Before, as guidance for the people. And He revealed the Criterion. Indeed, those who disbelieve in the verses of Allah will have a severe punishment, and Allah is exalted in Might, the Inducer of Retribution."
A Christian will argue that God does not provide "corrupted guidance." If Surah 3:4 states that the Torah and Gospel were sent as guidance for mankind, and the Quran came to confirm them (v. 3), it is impossible to argue that these books had become a source of "shirk" or error.
To claim the Bible is corrupted is to claim that God's "Guidance" failed, which contradicts the "Severe Punishment" promised to those who reject these Ayat.
While many Muslim commentators say the "Criterion" is the Quran, the verse lists it in addition to the Torah and Gospel as part of the revelatory process.
The Furqan is a quality given to Moses in other verses (Surah 2:53). This implies that the Torah itself is a Criterion. If the Torah is a Criterion, it is the standard by which other claims must be measured—including the claims of the Quran.
The verse threatens those who disbelieve in the Ayat (Signs/Verses) of Allah.
Contextually, this refers to the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran. If a Muslim claims the Bible is "corrupted" and "unreliable," they are, in a sense, rejecting the Ayat that Allah says He sent as guidance.
How can Muslims call the Bible corrupted when Allah warns of a 'severe punishment' for those who disbelieve in the very signs He sent before the Quran?
This verse elevates the Torah and Gospel to the status of "Guidance for Mankind" and linking them to the "Criterion."
It places the "previous scriptures" on a level of divine authority that demands belief under threat of "severe punishment." This is a "checkmate" verse: