Tasdiq al-Quran lil-kutub al-samawiya wa haymanatuhu alayha
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- al-Jāmiʻah al-Islāmīyah
Tasdiq al-Quran lil-kutub al-samawiya wa haymanatuhu alayha ("The Quran's Confirmation of Revealed Scriptures and Its Authority Over Them") is a theological and exegetical study by Ibrahim Abd al-Hamid Salama, an associate professor of Quranic exegesis at the Faculty of Da'wah and Usul al-Din . Published in the journal of the Islamic University of Madinah, the work examines the Quranic concepts of confirmation (tasdiq) and overarching authority (haymanah) regarding earlier divine scriptures in response to Christian missionary and orientalist polemics .
Context and Purpose
The treatise was written to refute claims advanced by Christian missionaries and orientalists—such as Niqula Ya'qub Ghubriyal in his 1901 Egyptian tract Abhath al-mujtahidin fi al-khilaf bayna al-nasara wa-l-muslimin ("Researches of the Diligent on the Dispute Between Christians and Muslims")—who argued that Quranic verses describing the Quran as confirming earlier scriptures (musaddiqan lima bayna yadayh) prove that the Torah and the Gospels remained unaltered (salimat min al-tahrif) and un-abrogated, thereby obligating Muslims to follow them alongside the Quran . Salama aims to demonstrate that such interpretations misread the Quranic text, which explicitly asserts the textual corruption and abrogation of those books while affirming its own role as their ultimate guardian and judge .
Aspects of Confirmation (Tasdiq)
Salama outlines four primary dimensions in which the Quran acts as a confirmation of preceding scriptures:
- Affirmation of Revelation: The Quran establishes the possibility and historical reality of divine revelation by declaring that God sent numerous messengers prior to Muhammad, such as in إِنَّا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ كَمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ ("Indeed, We have revealed to you as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him") .
- Fulfillment of Prophecy: The revelation of the Quran and the mission of Muhammad correspond directly to the prophecies and descriptions foretold in previous scriptures, thereby validating their original predictions .
- Unity of Fundamental Beliefs and Ethics: The Quran shares the foundational objectives of divine religion (usul al-din) with earlier scriptures, including monotheism, belief in the afterlife, foundational rituals (such as prayer, fasting, and charity), and core moral virtues, while differing only in specific subsidiary laws (shara'i') tailored to particular eras and peoples .
- Preservation of Enduring Truths: The Quran compiles, refines, and preserves the dispersed wisdom and universal moral truths of previous divine dispensations, renewing what had otherwise been obscured or altered .
Citing the refutation in Abd al-Rahman Bajaji Zadah's supplement to al-Fariq bayna al-makhluq wa-l-khaliq, Salama emphasizes that confirming the divine origin of earlier books does not imply the authenticity or authority of the corrupted versions currently in circulation .
Meaning and Scope of Authority (Haymanah)
Addressing the Quranic description of the text as muhaymin (authority/guardian) over previous scriptures in وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ ("And We revealed to you the Book in truth, confirming what came before it of the Scripture and as a guardian over it"), Salama explains that haymanah encompasses acting as a reliable custodian (amin), witness (shahid), overseer (raqib), and decisive arbiter (hakam) .
Drawing on exegetical insights from Ibn Kathir, Muhammad Rashid Rida, and Muhammad Abdullah Draz, Salama argues that haymanah is broader than tasdiq . While tasdiq validates the authentic divine origins and uncorrupted remnants of previous revelations, haymanah critically oversees them by judging between truth and falsehood, eliminating later interpolations, and exposing distortions .
Manifestations of Haymanah
Salama identifies four principal manifestations of the Quran's superseding authority:
- Exposing Textual Alterations: The Quran explicitly records that previous scriptures suffered human distortion, false interpretations, and unauthorized redactions presented deceitfully as divine revelation .
- Correcting Doctrinal Errors: It actively refutes theological corruptions found in current biblical texts, such as the Christian doctrines of the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, and his crucifixion, as well as anthropomorphic descriptions of God in Jewish scripture (such as depictions of God wrestling, becoming fatigued, or requiring rest) .
- Uncovering Concealed Truths: It clarifies essential doctrines and historical realities that had been concealed or omitted, such as references to the Day of Judgment in early Jewish texts and prophecies detailing the coming of Muhammad .
- Terminating the Legal Validity of Prior Laws: The Quran brings an end to the binding force of earlier legal codes by establishing comprehensive, final legislation; any previous legal ruling observed in Islam is binding solely due to its fresh promulgation by the Quran, rather than out of deference to earlier scriptures .
Answer updated