Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
Allah تعالى informed us that some of the People of the Book distorted their Scriptures and altered the words of Allah. He says:
“Do you then hope that they will believe you, while a group of them used to hear the words of Allah and then knowingly distort them after understanding them?” [Al-Baqarah 2:75]
And He says:
“Among those who are Jews are those who distort words from their proper places.” [An-Nisa’ 4:46]
Distortion may involve changing the wording, the meaning, or both, as mentioned by al-Sa‘di رحمه الله.
Nevertheless, this does not necessarily mean that every passage in the Scriptures of the People of the Book was distorted. Rather, some truth from the original revelation remained.
There is no contradiction in saying that some copies of the earlier Scriptures retained portions of what Allah had revealed and that some of this material remained until the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله mentioned that scholars differed concerning the extent of the distortion that occurred in the Torah and Gospel. He favored the view that some correct copies remained on earth and that some of them survived until the time of the Prophet ﷺ, alongside many copies that had undergone distortion.
Therefore, saying that the Torah was distorted does not mean that every copy had been completely stripped of the words of Allah. Likewise, it does not mean that every copy existing during the Prophet’s ﷺ time was entirely free from distortion.
It is authentically reported in al-Bukhari and Muslim that a Jewish man and woman who had committed adultery were brought to the Prophet ﷺ. He asked the Jews what they found in the Torah concerning the ruling on adultery. They mentioned a ruling different from what was actually written in it, so the Prophet ﷺ instructed them to bring the Torah and read it.
When they brought it and the reader reached the verse concerning stoning, he placed his hand over it. ‘Abdullah ibn Salam رضي الله عنه told him to lift his hand, and the verse concerning stoning was found beneath it. The Prophet ﷺ then ordered that the two be stoned.
A narration in Abu Dawud states that the Jews placed a cushion for the Prophet ﷺ. When the Torah was brought, he removed the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah upon it, then said:
“I believe in you and in the One who revealed you.”
Al-Albani رحمه الله graded this hadith as hasan.
Scholars explained that the Prophet ﷺ placed the Torah on the cushion as an act of respect for it, because it contained the word of Allah and revelation that Allah had sent down to Moses عليه السلام.
No, this cannot be stated with certainty.
It is possible that the copy brought to the Prophet ﷺ contained a substantial amount of the authentic Torah that had remained free from distortion. It is also possible that it contained some distortion while still preserving portions of the truth.
For this reason, Ibn Hajar رحمه الله pointed out that using this incident to prove that the Jews had never removed any wording from the Torah is not free from uncertainty. The incident may have concerned that particular copy or that particular occasion, and it does not necessarily establish a general ruling concerning all copies of the Torah.
Likewise, the Prophet’s ﷺ statement:
“I believe in you and in the One who revealed you”
does not mean that everything contained in that copy was necessarily authentic. Rather, it refers to belief in the original Torah that Allah revealed.
What can be established from this incident is that the portion of the Torah that was read in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, including the verse concerning stoning, was part of the original Torah that had remained undistorted at that point. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed its presence and used it as evidence against the People of the Book.
However, there is no definitive evidence that the entire copy brought to the Prophet ﷺ was completely authentic and free from any alteration.
It was possible for copies of the Torah to exist during the Prophet’s ﷺ time that retained genuine portions of the revelation Allah had given to Moses عليه السلام, while other copies had undergone distortion. The occurrence of distortion does not mean that everything in the Scriptures of the People of the Book was false.
Similarly, the Prophet’s ﷺ honoring the Torah that was brought to him and placing it on a cushion does not conclusively prove that the entire copy was free from distortion. Rather, it indicates respect for the original Scripture revealed by Allah and for the truth that remained within it.
What is certain from the story of stoning is that the verse found by the Prophet ﷺ in the Torah was part of the original, undistorted revelation.
And Allah knows best.