Answered by: Maulana Maruf Ahmed
Question
Assalamualaikum, I have a question with regards to Surah Yunus, Verse 94 (10:94). It states that if we (as Muslims) are in doubt about what has been revealed to us, we should refer back to the Scriptures that came before (e.g. Torah and Gospel) and ask the Jews and Christians to confirm that our revelation is correct. However, we know that the Torah and the Gospels have been corrupted and we also know that the Jews and Christians are misguided, so how are we meant to refer back to their books and ask them about our revelation’s authenticity, when we don’t have their original scriptures?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer
In the aforementioned verse, Allah Ta’ala tells the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to ask those who read the previous scriptures if he is in doubt. All scholars of Tafseer agree that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had no doubt nor was there a need to ask the People of the Book. This verse simply emphasizes that there should be no doubt about what Allah has revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).
Furthermore, Imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari explains this verse to mean that if the truthful and believing ones from amongst those who read the previous scriptures, such as Abdullah Ibn Salam, were asked about the Prophethood of Muhammad, they would affirm it, as opposed to the liars and disbelievers of them. [1]
Only Allah knows best
Written by Maulana Maruf Ahmed
Checked and Approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1] Tafseer Al-Tabari, explanation of Surah Yunus verse 94.