Did Ibn Abbas believe the Torah and Injeel were corrupted? A Supplement

Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.  2:79

The following authentic reports are often appealed to as an authentic commentary of Quran 2:79 given by a scholarly companion of Mohammed known as Abdullah Ibn Abbas.

Bukhari

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 613:

Narrated 'Ikrima:

Ibn 'Abbaas said, "How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about their Books while you have Allah's Book (the Qur'an) which is the most recent of the Books revealed by Allah, and you read it in its pure undistorted form?"

Volume 9, Book 93, Number 614:

Narrated 'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah:

'Abdullah bin 'Abbaas said, "O the group of Muslims! How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about anything while your Book which Allah has revealed to your Prophet contains the most recent news from Allah and is pure and not distorted? Allah has told you that the people of the Scriptures have changed some of Allah's Books and distorted it and wrote something with their own hands and said, 'This is from Allah, so as to have a minor gain for it. Won't the knowledge that has come to you stop you from asking them? No, by Allah, we have never seen a man from them asking you about that (the Book Al-Qur'an ) which has been revealed to you.

Elsewhere Ibn Abbaas said in his commentary on Surah 2:79

(Therefore woe) severe punishment, and it is said this means: a valley in Hell (be unto those who write the Scripture with their hands) change the description and traits of Muhammad (pbuh) in the Book (and then say, " This is) in the Book that has come (from Allah " , that they may purchase) through changing and altering it (a small gain therewith) a small gain in terms of means of subsistence and surplus of property. (Woe unto them) theirs is a severe punishment (for what their hands have written) have altered (and woe unto them) and theirs is a severe punishment (for what they earn thereby) of unlawful earnings and bribes. (Ibn Abbaas, Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn 'Abbâs, Commentary on Surah 2:79, Source)

The above reports then are all alluding to 2:79. Unfortunately it turns out these three reports cannot possibly be authentic as they contradict the Quran and other sources. To emphasize the first contradiction:

Ibn 'Abbaas said, "How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about their Books

'Abdullah bin 'Abbaas said, "O the group of Muslims! How can you ask the people of the Scriptures about anything

 

Yet the Quran explictly commands the Prophet (and therefore those who follow the Sunnah) to do exactly this:

{So, if you (O Muhammad) are in doubt concerning that which We have revealed unto you, [i.e. that your name is written in the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)], then ask those who are reading the Book [the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before you. Verily, the truth has come to you from your Lord. So be not of those who doubt (it) 10:94

And We sent not (as Our messengers) before thee other than men whom We inspired - Ask the followers of the Remembrance if ye know not! 16:43

Therefore while Ibn Abbas asks a rhetorical question meant to dissuade people from asking the people of the book about the former scriptures because Muslims possess the undistorted and final revelation sent from God, the Quran itself says the opposite, the Quran says to ask the People of the book to corroborate and confirm Mohammed is in the Book and described as a Prophet and to verify and confirm God sent inspired messengers! It is therefore a blantant explict contradiction between Ibn Abbas and the Quran.

 

Further more if Ibn Abbas reports on 2:79 are taken to be proof that the description and name of the Prophet Mohammed were distorted and erased from the previous scriptures, then why does the Quran explictly appeal to the previous scriptures that contain Mohammeds name and description since supposedly according to Abbas the Jews removed this description in order to hide the truth and reject Mohammed's prophethood?

 

Throughout his articles Muslim apologist Bassam Zawadi references Dr. Muhammad Abu Laylah’s book, The Qur’an and the Gospels – A Comparative Study. Indeed, it is not just the Quran that emphatically states Mohammed is mentioned in the previous scripture, it is IBN ABBAS HIMSELF in his commentary of 10:94 according to Bassam Zawadi's own approved sources:

At-Tabari reported Ibn Abbas as saying that the book referred to in the verse was the Torah and the Gospel; the people with whom Muhammad (peace be upon him) was commanded to confer were those who lived in Muhammad's time and believed in him. The Prophet was to turn to them if questions as to the foretelling of his own prophethood in those books arose. The only object of possible doubt was then Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself, and the people with whom he was to confer were restricted to those who believed in his mission. Furthermore, Muhammad (peace be upon him) had been prophesied in the scriptures - Jewish and Christian - but these prophecies had been denied by the majority of Jews and Christians except for those who had come to accept that such prophecies were truthful and had become Muslim. (Dr. Muhammad M. Abu Laylah The Qur'an and the Gospels: A Comparative Study, pp 104-109)

It is therefore one thing to completely distort, edit, delete and replace a description of Mohammed textually, but it is altogether different to merely just reject a verse as being about Mohammed. Therefore there is a clear cut second contradiction, three reports say or imply the Jews edited and distorted the description of Mohammed, while the others say the description is there and exists in the former scripture and testifies against the disbelieving members of the people of the book for rejecting Mohammed as their messenger.

 

If I were Zawadi I would go with with the Quran, and Ibn Abbas on this one:

Those who follow the Apostle-Prophet, the Ummi, whom they find written down with them in the Taurat and the Injeel (who) enjoins them good and forbids them evil, and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so (as for) those who believe in him and honor him and help him, and follow the light which has been sent down with him, these it is that are the successful. 7:157

Ibn Abbas says on 7:157:

 (Those who follow the messenger) the religion of the Messenger, (the Prophet who can neither read nor write) i.e. Muhammad (pbuh) (whom they will find) with his traits and description (described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. (source)

More so from Ibn Abbas on his commentary of Quran 2:2

(This is the Scripture), i.e. this is the Book that Muhammad (pbuh) is reciting to you; (whereof there is no doubt). There is no doubt that it has come from Me; if you believe in it, I shall guide you, but if you do not believe in it, I will torment you. It is also said that (This is the Scripture) refers to the Guarded Tablet. It is also said that this means: This is the Book that I promised to reveal to you on the Day of the Covenant (yawm al-mithaq). It is also said (this is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt) means there is no doubt that the description and traits of Muhammad are found in the Torah and Gospel. (A guidance unto those who ward off (evil)), means that the Qur'an is an exposition for those who ward off disbelief, associating partners with Allah and indecencies. It is also said that it means: it is a favour to the believers; or that it means it is a mercy unto those who ward off evil from among the community of Muhammad (pbuh). (source)

Ironically there is no doubt then that the Quran and Ibn Abbas therefore testify and affirm the description of the Prophet Mohammed existed in the Torah and Injeel and therefore these 3 isolated reports providing a commentary on 2:79 must be thrown under the bus since they all contradict other reports including the following two:

Ibn Abbas’ explanation of Sura 3:70-71:

(O People of the Scripture! Why disbelieve you in the revelations of Allah) Muhammad and the Qur'an, (when you (yourselves) bear witness (to the Truth)?) you know from your Scripture that Muhammad is a prophet sent by Allah. (Source)

 Ibn Abbas on Sura 3:187:

Then Allah mentioned His covenant with the people of the Book in the Scripture, which required them to exposit the traits and description of His Prophet, saying: (And (remember) when Allah laid a charge on those who had received the Scripture) i.e. the Torah and the Gospel ((He said): Ye are to expound it) the trait and description of Muhammad (to mankind and not to hide it) not to hide these traits and description of Muhammad in their Scripture. (But they flung it behind their backs) and did not act upon it (and bought thereby a little gain) a paltry acquisition in their means of living by hiding the traits and description of Muhammad in their Scripture. (Verily evil is that which they have gained thereby) evil is that which they have chosen for themselves: Judaism and the concealment of the traits and description of Muhammad. (Source)

It is because of the weight of evidence showing Ibn Abbas believed in the authenticity of the Torah and Injeel that a favourite author of Bassam Zawadi, Dr Laylah can cite a Muslim scholar who appealed to Ibn Abbas’ statements regarding the textual incorruptibility of the Torah and the Gospel:

… The Andalusian interpreter Ibn ‘Atiyya stated that Tahrif means "to change or transfer something from its original character to another" and that Ibn ‘Abbas held that the Jewish (and possibly the Christian, by implication) corruption and change was to be found in exegesis, the letter of the Torah surviving intact, although a second school of scholars maintained that the letters themselves had been changed on the basis that although the Jews had been asked to safeguard the Torah, unlike the Qur’an it was not safeguarded by God Himself. (Laylah, The Qur’an and the Gospels – A Comparative Study [Al-Falah Foundation for Translation, Publication & Distribution, Third edition, 2005], pp. 145-146; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

And finally here are a few more references that solidify the testimony of Ibn Abbas affirming the textual purity of the Torah and Injeel: http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Bible/ibnabbas.html

 

The results are therefore very conclusive. The reports that advocate the view that Ibn Abbas adopted the view the People of the Book corrupted their scriptures actually contradict the Quran and Ibn Abbas own testimony and therefore fail to meet the criterion of one condition of hadith authentication.

Addendum

I would like to thank Bassam Zawadi for once again making known sources that backfire against him, quoting Ibn Abbas as quoted by Ibn Kathir:

Ibn `Abbas who said about this Ayah (2:121): "They make lawful what it allows and they prohibit what it makes unlawful, and they do not alter its wordings.'' (source)

And:

Allah then mentioned the believers from among the people of the Book: 'Abdullah Ibn Salam and his companions, Bahirah the Monk and the Negus and his followers, saying: (Those unto whom We have given the Scripture) given knowledge of the Scripture, i.e. the Torah, (who read it with the right reading) DESCRIBE IT AS IT IS AND DO NOT ALTER IT: expositing what is lawful and unlawful, its commands and prohibitions to whomever asks them, and they further act according to what is clear and unambiguous and believe in that which is ambiguous therein, (those believe in it) in Muhammad and the Qur'an. (And who disbelieveth in it) in Muhammad and the Qur'an, (those are they who are losers) who are duped in that they lose both this world and the world to come. (source)