Home > Surah 35 - The Originator
This verse serves as a historical consolation to the prophet, reminding him that the rejection of divine truth is not a new phenomenon.
It explicitly lists the three categories of revelation that God provided to the messengers of old, establishing a clear standard for what constitutes a legitimate divine message.
Surah 35:25:
And if they deny thee, those before them also denied. Their messengers came unto them with clear proofs and with the Psalms and with the enlightening Scripture.
The verse describes the previous scripture as Al-Kitab al-Munir (The Enlightening Book).
If the "Enlightening Book" (the Torah or Gospel) was already corrupted, lost, or made a source of "shirk" (polytheism) by the time of Muhammad, then it could no longer be called "Enlightening."
You do not describe a lamp that has been smashed and extinguished as "enlightening." By using this adjective, the Quran is certifying that the scripture of the former messengers is a present and functioning source of light.
By identifying these three distinct types of revelation, the Quran is giving the listener a checklist. If Muhammad claims to be in the same line, his message must be "confirmed" by the Kitab al-Munir already in the hands of the people.
We have the Zubur (Psalms) and the Kitab (the Torah/Gospel). If these books—which the Quran calls "enlightening"—teach that God is a Father and that He saves through sacrifice, then the Quran’s denial of those things is a rejection of the "Enlightenment" it claims to uphold.
In the 7th century, the people who actually held the Zubur and the Kitab were the Jews and Christians.
If the people who held the "Enlightening Book" rejected the Quran because it didn't match their Book, they weren't the "deniers" mentioned in the verse; they were actually the ones being faithful to the Kitab al-Munir mentioned in the verse.
Surah 35:25 says that the former messengers came with 'enlightening Scripture' (Al-Kitab al-Munir).
If God describes the Bible (the Torah/Gospel) as 'Enlightening,' how can you say it is corrupted or a source of darkness? God does not call a lie 'enlightening.'
I have that 'enlightening' Scripture today. It tells me that the way to God is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
If I follow the 'light' in the Book that your Quran praises, I must reject the Quran, because the Quran tries to turn off the very light it says God sent.
You have a choice: Either the Bible is 'Enlightening' (making the Quran’s contradictions false), or the Bible is a 'corruption' (making the Quran false for calling it enlightening). If it gives light, then the Gospel is true. If it doesn't give light, the Quran is mistaken."
The word Munir, challenges the "Tahrif" (corruption) narrative. If the text was changed to teach the Trinity, it would be "darkness" in the Islamic view—yet the Quran continues to call it "enlightening."