# If God knew earlier scriptures would change, why not send the Quran first? *Why was the Quran not sent from the beginning? Prophets to Israel, and books not meant to be kept verbatim* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/143df7icoyu/s/3/ - Date: 2019-09-14 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Is the Quran corrupted? | Mufti Abu Layth (11:21–13:16) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=143df7icoYU&t=681s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/143df7icoyu/ **Topics:** Christians and other faiths; Prophethood and miracles; Preservation and variant readings **Question as asked:** If God knew that the previous books would be corrupted or changed, why wasn't the Quran sent down and preserved from the beginning? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The earlier prophets were sent only to the Israelites and their books were never meant to be preserved word for word, so the question rests on a misunderstanding. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that, as far as Muslims are concerned, Jesus came only for the Israelites and not for mankind. **Evidence, his words at 11:21:** “you have to remember Jesus came just for the Israelites he didn't come for mankind like as far as Muslims are concerned” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=143df7icoYU&t=681s) ## Longer summary A viewer asks why, if God knew the earlier books would be corrupted or changed, the Quran was not sent down and preserved from the beginning. Mufti Abu Layth says this comes back to a misunderstanding of what God wanted from people: Jesus came only for the Israelites, as he himself says, and commissions his twelve disciples to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, not mankind, and Moses likewise was sent only to the Israelites, so their purpose differed. Secondly, he says, the earlier books were never meant to be preserved in that way, since they were a message and an understanding rather than a book of recitation. He thinks much of the Jewish tradition has generally been preserved because its books were mostly laws carried in a living tradition, but asks what difference preservation would make to whether one follows it. ## Sources and names cited - Isa (Jesus) - Musa (Moses) - Bani Isra'il (the Israelites) ## Transcript (machine tier, 11:21–13:16) [10:41] yep of course Claire Jones is saying it's a book of stories so translation change the story of course and not only that it was a had parables I mean so the stories I suppose parables and he had an overall message and then he had detail and the people writing the Gospels came much after Jesus by the time they documented them and they disagree amongst themselves and they've obviously they've version and I'm sure their interpretation so yes I accept you can if that's what you mean by corrupted you can use that term if God knew that the [11:20] previous books would be corrupted or changed why wasn't the Horan sent down and preserved from the beginning you see I think this comes back to our misunderstanding of what was it that God wanted from the people it wasn't first of all you have to remember Jesus came just for the Israelites he didn't come for mankind like as far as Muslims are concerned Jesus himself says that I'm only here for the tribes of Israel he doesn't even when he says he kind of commissions his twelve disciples that they will one day he will set them on a [11:58] throne to rule and judge over the 12 tribes of Israel he doesn't say over mankind he was never Jesus was never trying to say I am here for humanity and I'm here for the Romans and I am here for the Greeks and I'm here for the Chinese and he was never making that claim and Moses was never making that claim Moses never said oh I'm here for the Arabs and I'm here for thee he was only here for the Lost Tribe of Israel that was it so there's a difference in purpose and in perspective as well and secondly who says that the [12:36] books were meant to be preserved like that that was never part of the that wasn't what they were trying to do because it wasn't a book of recitals it was it was an understanding a message with the Jews I think a lot of their things have been preserved I I think they have generally because their books were more about laws and their living tradition is full of laws so I would believe that they a lot of the tradition has been preserved but I mean what difference does that make I mean it's not like just because it's preserved you're gonna you're gonna buy it now you know you're not going [13:15] really following so so children your smile is asking do we believe these books are correct then why do we quote them I mean we can quote them if it makes sense on certain aspects there's nothing wrong about quoting them if it makes sense guys so let's take some other does the Aaronic implied that the Torah and the Bible we have now is the same one that the Christian Jews during ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 143df7icoYU/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/143df7icoyu/s/3/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.