Allah Answers “Islamic Dilemma” In 1 Qur’an Chapter
Introduction: The Recycled Argument
Christians have raised what they call the “Islamic Dilemma” for over twelve centuries. The argument isn’t new—it’s a recycled objection from ignorance that goes back to the 8th century, when John of Damascus labeled Islam the “100th heresy” in his polemical work On Heresies. Muslim scholars like al-Jahiz of Basra aptly responded to these claims in their time, but the argument continues to resurface today.
The objection goes like this:
“The Qur’an says the Torah and Gospel are corrupted, but it confirms them and tells Jews and Christians to judge by them. How can you command people to follow corrupted books? Either the Qur’an is wrong about corruption, or it’s commanding people to follow falsehood.”
On the surface, this might seem like a legitimate challenge. But when you examine Surah al-Ma’idah (Chapter 5) carefully, you discover that Allah has already provided the complete answer—not scattered across multiple chapters requiring complex interpretation, but laid out systematically in one chapter, in progressive sequence, building to an undeniable conclusion.
Part 1: The Covenant Established (Verses 12-14)
Allah begins by reminding the People of the Scripture of their covenants:
Verse 12: “And Allah had already taken a covenant from the Children of Israel, and We delegated from among them twelve leaders.”
Verse 14: “And from those who say, ‘We are Christians’ We took their covenant; but they forgot a portion of that of which they were reminded.”
This is the foundation. Both Jews and Christians entered into covenants with Allah. They received divine books. They made promises to follow those books. This is not disputed—they acknowledge having the Torah and Gospel. They claim to follow them.
Part 2: The Violation (Verses 13-15)
Then Allah exposes what actually happened:
Verse 13: “So for their breaking of the covenant We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages and have forgotten a portion of that of which they were reminded.”
Notice the specific charges:
- They broke their covenant
- They distorted words from proper usage
- They forgot portions of what they were reminded
Verse 15: “O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much.”
The key word: conceal. Not necessarily wholesale textual corruption, but concealment, selective reading, ignoring harsh parts.
This isn’t theoretical. We have a documented historical example from the hadith collections.
According to Sahih Bukhari and Abu Dawud, a Jewish couple committed adultery in Medina. The Jewish community came to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ seeking his judgment, hoping for a lighter punishment than what their own Torah prescribed.
The Prophet asked them: “What do you find in the Torah about stoning?”
They replied: “We blacken their faces and flog them.”
Abdullah ibn Salam, a Jewish scholar who had accepted Islam, interrupted: “You have lied. The Torah contains the order for stoning.”
They brought the Torah scroll. They spread it open. And one of them placed his hand over the verse of stoning—literally covering it with his hand.
Abdullah said: “Lift your hand.”
He lifted it. And there it was—Leviticus 20:10:
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.”
Clear as day. Written in their own book. But they were hiding it, seeking a way around it.
This is what Allah means by concealment in verse 15. This is the violation.
Part 3: The Challenge – Judge By Your Books (Verses 43-47)
Now comes the pivotal moment. Allah issues a direct challenge:
Verse 43: “But how is it that they come to you for judgment while they have the Torah, in which is the judgment of Allah? Then they turn away, [even] after that; but those are not [in fact] believers.”
Why are you coming to Muhammad when you have the Torah? You claim it’s from God. So follow it.
Verse 44: “Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the disbelievers.”
The verdict is clear: Judge by the Torah, or you are disbelievers.
Not because the Torah in their hands is perfect and unchanged. But because they claim to follow it and they don’t. The command exposes their hypocrisy.
Verse 45: “And We ordained for them therein a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds is legal retribution. But whoever gives [up his right as] charity, it is an expiation for him. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the wrongdoers.”
Specific example given: eye for eye, tooth for tooth. It’s written in your book. Apply it. Or you’re a wrongdoer.
Let’s be clear about what the Torah actually commands:
- Death for adultery (Leviticus 20:10)
- Death for working on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14-15)
- Death for a rebellious child (Deuteronomy 21:18-21)
- Death for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16)
- Death for same-sex relations (Leviticus 20:13)
- A raped virgin must marry her assailant (Deuteronomy 22:28-29)
- No shellfish (Leviticus 11:10)
- No mixed fabrics (Leviticus 19:19)
- Slavery permitted and inherited (Leviticus 25:44-46: “Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may bequeath them to your children as inherited property. You can make them slaves for life.”)
Six hundred thirteen commandments in total. These aren’t suggestions. These are laws. Divine commands in their scripture.
And according to Qur’an 4:160-161 and 6:146, many of these harsh laws were amplified as consequences for their wrongdoing:
“For wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them [certain] good foods which had been lawful to them, and for their averting from the way of Allah many [people], and [for] their taking of usury while they had been forbidden from it, and their consuming of the people’s wealth unjustly.” (4:160-161)
“And to those who are Jews We prohibited every animal of uncloven hoof; and of the cattle and the sheep We prohibited to them their fat, except what adheres to their backs or the entrails or what is joined with bone. [By] that We repaid them for their injustice.” (6:146)
The burden grew heavier because of their disobedience. These consequences became tests: Can you follow even these?
They couldn’t. They wouldn’t. They don’t.
Now the Christians.
Verse 46: “And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous.”
The Gospel confirms the Torah. Jesus didn’t abolish it. In fact, he made it harder.
Matthew 5:17-19: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”
Keep the Torah. All of it. Every letter.
Matthew 5:20: “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The Pharisees kept all 613 commandments meticulously. They tithed garden herbs. They fasted twice weekly. They were the most religiously observant Jews in history.
Jesus said: Exceed them.
That’s the baseline. Then he added more:
- Matthew 5:21-22: The Torah says don’t murder. Jesus says if you’re angry with your brother, you’re subject to judgment.
- Matthew 5:27-28: The Torah says don’t commit adultery. Jesus says if you look at a woman with lust, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart.
- Matthew 5:29-30: If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
- Matthew 5:38-39: The Torah says eye for an eye. Jesus says turn the other cheek. Don’t resist an evil person.
- Matthew 5:43-44: The Torah says love your neighbor. Jesus says love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you.
- Matthew 6:25: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.
- Matthew 19:21: Sell all your possessions and give to the poor.
- Luke 14:26: If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.
- Luke 14:33: Any of you who does not give up everything you have cannot be my disciple.
This is Torah on steroids.
Keep all 613 laws. Exceed the Pharisees. Add internal purity standards. Gouge out your eye. Sell everything. Hate your own life.
And the New Testament never abolishes slavery either:
- Ephesians 6:5: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.”
- Colossians 3:22: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything.”
- 1 Peter 2:18: “Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.”
- 1 Timothy 6:1-2: “All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect… Those who have believing masters should not show them disrespect just because they are fellow believers. Instead, they should serve them even better.”
Paul even sent a runaway slave back to his master in the book of Philemon, with no command to free him and no condemnation of the institution.
Verse 47: “And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient.”
Christians: judge by the Gospel. The Gospel that says keep the Torah. The Gospel where Jesus commands you to exceed the Pharisees. The Gospel that tells slaves to obey even harsh masters.
Judge by it. Apply every command. Or you’re defiantly disobedient.
But what did Christians do? They followed Paul, who declared the law abolished and called it a curse (Galatians 3:13).
Three verdicts issued:
- Disbelievers (for not judging by Torah)
- Wrongdoers (for not judging by Torah)
- Defiantly disobedient (for not judging by Gospel)
All for the same crime: not judging by what Allah revealed to them.
Part 4: The Test Framework Revealed (Verse 48)
Now Allah reveals why all of this matters:
Verse 48: “And We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], the Book in truth, confirming that which preceded it of the Scripture and as a criterion over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed and do not follow their inclinations away from what has come to you of the truth. To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.”
This is the key verse that unlocks the entire argument.
“To each of you We prescribed a law and a method.”
Different laws. Different communities. Different tests.
“Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation united in religion.”
Allah could have made everyone follow the same law. He didn’t.
“But [He intended] to test you in what He has given you.”
This was intentional. This was by design. The variety itself is the test.
The Torah’s 613 harsh commandments weren’t random. They were a test: Can you follow what Allah revealed to you?
The Gospel’s command to keep Torah AND exceed the Pharisees wasn’t arbitrary. It was a test: Will you obey even this impossible standard?
The Qur’an’s clearer, lighter law isn’t accidental. It’s the final test after two communities failed under heavier burdens.
The command to “judge by your book” is part of the test. Not an endorsement that your current text is perfect and unchanged. But a challenge: You claim to follow it. Prove it.
Apply stoning for adultery like Leviticus commands.
Execute Sabbath breakers like Exodus orders.
Kill rebellious children like Deuteronomy prescribes.
Keep all 613 commandments like the Pharisees did.
Then exceed them like Jesus commanded.
Sell all your possessions like Luke records.
Can you? Will you?
The Jews couldn’t. They hid verses. They sought loopholes. They covered the stoning verse with their hand.
The Christians couldn’t. Jesus said keep the law. Paul said it’s abolished. They followed Paul.
That’s the test. And the failure is documented.
Part 5: The Exposure and Conclusion (Verse 50)
Allah closes with a devastating question:
Verse 50: “Then is it the judgment of [the time of] ignorance they desire? But who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain [in faith]?”
If you’re not judging by the Torah…
If you’re not judging by the Gospel…
If you’re not judging by the Qur’an…
Then what are you judging by?
Your own opinions. Your own desires. Ignorance. Jahiliyyah.
Three revelations given. Three revelations rejected.
You have no excuse.
The Answer to the Dilemma
So when Christians raise the “Islamic Dilemma” and say:
“The Qur’an says your books are corrupted but commands you to follow them—that’s a contradiction!”
Here’s the complete answer:
The Qur’an doesn’t say you can’t judge by your books.
The Qur’an says you don’t judge by your books.
That’s the difference.
You hide verses (literally covering them with your hand).
You ignore laws (not executing Sabbath breakers).
You follow Paul instead of Jesus (law abolished vs. not one letter passes away).
You seek loopholes (flogging instead of stoning).
The command to judge by your book isn’t an endorsement. It’s an exposure.
Go ahead. Judge by it.
Stone adulterers.
Execute Sabbath breakers.
Keep all 613 laws.
Exceed the Pharisees.
Sell all your possessions.
You won’t.
You can’t.
You don’t.
That proves the Qur’an’s point.
And yes, where your books have been altered or you’re confused about their meaning, the Qur’an acts as a criterion (verse 48). It confirms the truth in them. It corrects the errors. It clarifies what you concealed.
That’s what “judge between them by what Allah has revealed” means.
Use the Qur’an as the standard. But first, try to follow your own books. You claim they’re from God. Prove it.
The test stands.
Historical Demonstration: Prophet Muhammad Applied This
This isn’t just theory. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ understood Surah al-Ma’idah and applied it practically.
Example 1: The Stoning Incident
As mentioned earlier, when Jews came seeking leniency for adultery, he enforced their own Torah law: stoning. He didn’t say “your book is corrupted, I won’t use it.” He said “this is YOUR law—follow it.”
Example 2: Banu Qurayza
After the Battle of the Trench, the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayza was accused of treason. The Prophet asked them: “Will you accept the verdict of one of your own?”
They agreed.
Sa’d bin Mu’adh, an Ansar leader they trusted, gave the judgment according to Sahih Bukhari: “I give the judgment that their warriors should be killed, and their children and women should be taken as prisoners.”
This was Torah warfare law from Deuteronomy 20:10-14:
“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves.”
The Prophet said: “You have judged according to Allah’s Judgment.”
Their own book. Their own law. Applied.
The command to “judge by your book” was demonstrated in practice.
The Relief Offered: The Lighter Burden
And this is why Muslims pray what they pray. Qur’an 2:286:
“Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or err. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.”
This prayer acknowledges something profound: previous nations were given burdens they could not bear.
Six hundred thirteen laws. Death penalties for minor infractions. Impossible internal purity standards.
Those burdens were real.
And Allah describes the final Messenger who brings relief in Qur’an 7:157:
“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down with him—it is those who will be the successful.”
“Relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them.”
Six hundred thirteen commandments? Relieved.
Impossible standards? Lifted.
Death for Sabbath breaking? Removed.
Exceeding the Pharisees? No longer required.
The Messenger came to free you from what you could not bear.
So they who believe in him, honor him, support him, and follow the light sent down with him—they will be successful.
The light. The relief. The final word.
The Final Challenge (Verse 5:68)
And Allah seals it with one final verse:
Surah 5:68: “Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.’ And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.”
Go ahead. Judge by your books. And by what has been revealed to you from your Lord.
Keep all of them. You want the harshest laws? You have them.
Or accept the relief. The lighter burden. The shackles removed.
Conclusion: No Dilemma, Only a Test
There is no Islamic Dilemma.
There is only Surah al-Ma’idah.
The covenant established (verses 12-14).
The violation documented (verses 13-15).
The challenge issued (verses 43-47).
The test framework revealed (verse 48).
The exposure delivered (verse 50).
The relief offered (Qur’an 2:286, 7:157).
The final challenge standing (verse 68).
All in one chapter. One complete, systematic argument. Self-contained. Self-proving. Inescapable.
This is not a dilemma. It is a test.
A test of conscience.
A test of truthfulness.
A test the Jews failed by hiding verses and seeking loopholes.
A test the Christians failed by following Paul instead of Jesus.
A test that continues for Muslims: Will we follow even the lighter burden we’ve been given?
The Qur’an is not trapped in a contradiction. It has set a trap for those who claim to follow scripture but don’t.
And the answer has been there all along.
In one chapter.
Surah al-Ma’idah.
The Table Spread.
Where Allah laid out the feast of truth for anyone willing to see it.
“To each of you We prescribed a law and a method… [He intended] to test you in what He has given you.” (Qur’an 5:48)
The test stands. The choice is yours.
And the Qur’an? It is the relief. The light. The final word.
References:
- Qur’an: Surah 5 (al-Ma’idah), Surah 2:286, Surah 7:157, Surah 4:160-161, Surah 6:146
- Bible: Matthew 5:17-48, 6:25, 19:21, 21:33-44; Luke 14:26, 14:33; Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 3:22; 1 Peter 2:18; 1 Timothy 6:1-2; Leviticus 20:10, 20:13, 24:16, 25:44-46; Exodus 31:14-15; Deuteronomy 20:10-14, 21:18-21, 22:28-29
- Hadith: Sahih Bukhari (stoning incident, Banu Qurayza); Sunan Abu Dawud
- Historical: John of Damascus, On Heresies (8th century); Al-Jahiz of Basra’s responses
- Prophetic traditions referenced: Isaiah 42 (Servant Songs); Matthew 21:33-44 (Parable of the Tenants)
