Scripture

A divine Scripture is a revelation from God, delivered through a prophet, containing the law and guidance by which a people must live to earn God's redemption. It is the primary instrument by which God communicates His will to humanity across time.

The Quran establishes that the law of God is unchanging (33:62, 35:43, 48:23) and that the only religion decreed by God for all of mankind is Islam - submission to God alone (3:19, 42:13). If there is only one religion decreed by God, one might ask: should there not be one single revelation? The answer lies in recognizing that truth and revelation, while related, are not equivalent. Truth is absolute - it transcends time, place, and people. Revelation, however, is the form through which truth reaches a specific people at a specific moment in history. Form is inherently particular, and so revelations are necessarily plural, adapted to the circumstances of those they were sent to address. Many forms, one truth.

The Quran confirms this plurality directly:

[2:213] The people used to be one community when GOD sent the prophets as bearers of good news, as well as warners. He sent down with them the scripture, bearing the truth, to judge among the people in their disputes. Ironically, those who received the scripture were the ones who rejected any new scripture, despite clear proofs given to them. This is due to jealousy on their part. GOD guides those who believe to the truth that is disputed by all others, in accordance with His will. GOD guides whoever wills in a straight path.

It is the prophets of God who receive the Scriptures and who are assigned the task of delivering them to their people.

The Five Named Scriptures

The Quran names five such Scriptures:

• The (practical) scripture of Abraham (87:19)

• The Torah given to the prophets of Israel, with the scripture given specifically to Moses being among the books collectively known by that name (5:44)

• The Psalms given to David (21:105, 4:163)

• The Gospel given to Jesus (5:46)

• The Quran given to Muhammad (47:2 2:97)

Corruption and Preservation

All Scriptures prior to the Quran have been corrupted - most of them beyond recovery, and some entirely lost. God, however, made a specific and unambiguous promise regarding the Quran:

[15:9] Absolutely, we have revealed the reminder, and, absolutely, we will preserve it.

This promise is not merely declarative. The preservation of the Quran is guaranteed through an intricate mathematical structure built on the number 19, embedded throughout the text. By means of this structure, any alteration or corruption - however slight - can be immediately detected. The Quran is thus the only Scripture whose integrity is both divinely guaranteed and independently verifiable.