The Quran and earlier scripture
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 3 · The School
Four scriptures, one Quran
The Quran names earlier revelations: the TAWRAT given to Musa, the ZABUR given to Dawud, the INJIL given to Isa. Muslims believe these were genuine revelations from Allah when they were given. The Quran, given to Muhammad ﷺ, is held to be the final one in this same line.
Genuine origin, then a concern about change
The concern raised about earlier scripture is not that it started false. It is TAHRIF, which means twisting or changing. Scholars differ on whether it reached the wording, the meaning, or both. Ibn Kathir records more than one view in his comment on 3:78. The Quran affirms the Torah and Gospel had real content worth consulting (5:44, 5:47) even while raising this concern about later change.
Why the Quran is described as different
The Quran states Allah Himself will guard it (15:9). Muslims hold that it was memorised by huffaz and written down within the Prophet's ﷺ own lifetime, both methods running at once from the very start — a preservation claim earlier scriptures do not carry in the same way. That is the stated difference, not a claim about who was more sincere.
Ask two questions about the Tawrat. First: does the Quran call the Tawrat false? Verse 5:44 says Allah revealed the Torah with guidance and light. Verse 5:46 says the Injil, or Gospel, came with guidance, light and confirmation of the Torah. So in these two verses the Torah is not called false. Second: are the books people hold today the same? Verse 3:78 speaks of some people who twist the Scripture with their tongues. The Quran commentator Ibn Kathir quotes Wahb ibn Munabbih on this verse. Wahb said no letter of the Tawrat or Injil was changed, though people misled others with false meanings and books they wrote themselves. Ibn Kathir adds that if Wahb meant the books held by the People of the Book, usually Jews and Christians, they were altered. If Wahb meant the books Allah has with Him, they are preserved. So the first answer is clear from the two verses, but the second depends on which books are meant. Other scholars gave other answers to it.