Torah التوراة
In review — pending scholar verification
The scripture revealed to the Prophet Musa (Moses) according to Islamic belief.
Overview
The Torah (التَّوْرَاة), called al-Tawrat in Arabic, is the scripture revealed by Allah to the prophet Musa (Moses), peace be upon him. Together with the Zabur, the Injil, and the Quran, it is one of the four major revealed books that a Muslim must affirm as part of iman.
Etymology
The term تَوْرَاة is generally understood as an Arabicized form of the Hebrew Torah, meaning instruction or law. Ibn Kathir records that some classical authorities derived the Arabic form from the root w-r-y, conveying the kindling of light, since the Torah was a light and guidance for Bani Israel.
Quranic references
The Torah is named directly in the Quran in eighteen places, including:
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ
- Surah Al-Maidah 5:44 — 'Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light.'
- Surah Ali Imran 3:3 — 'And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.'
- Surah Al-Araf 7:145 — 'And We wrote for him on the tablets [something] of all things — instruction and explanation for all things...'
- Surah As-Saff 61:6 — 'And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah...'
The Torah was given on the sacred valley of Tuwa region after the events at Mount Sinai, as Musa received the tablets while his people had fled Fir'aun.
Hadith and tradition
Engagement with the Torah is addressed in the Sunnah:
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Do not believe the People of the Scripture and do not disbelieve them, but say: 'We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us.'"— Sahih al-Bukhari 4485
A famous narration in Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet ﷺ judged according to the Torah in the case of two Jews accused of adultery, after they admitted that the Torah's ruling was stoning.
Significance
The Torah established a comprehensive law for Bani Israel, including matters of prayer, sacrifice, and justice. Subsequent prophets such as Dawud and Isa ruled by it. Muslim scholars including al-Albani and the classical mufassirun affirm that the Torah, as originally revealed, was wholly true, while what survives today has undergone alteration in parts — a doctrine known as tahrif. Affirming the original Torah is part of correct tawhid.
See also
References
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, commentary on Surah Al-Maidah 5:44 and Surah Al-Araf 7:145.
- Al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayan, exegesis of Surah Ali Imran 3:3.
- Al-Qurtubi, Al-Jami li-Ahkam al-Quran, commentary on Surah Al-Maidah 5:44-48.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, hadith 4485 on engaging with the People of the Scripture.