t the letter of the Quran, and, as some reason for this
neglect of previous Scriptures must be given, Muslim divines say that the
Jewish and Christian Scriptures have been corrupted. The technical
expression is "tahrif," a word signifying, to change, to turn aside
anything from the truth. Then tahrif may be of two kinds, tahrif-i-m'anavi,
a change in the meaning of words; tahrif-i-lafzi, an actual change of the
written words. Most Musalmans maintain that the latter kind of corruption
has taken place, and so they do not feel bound to read or study the
previous revelations so frequently referred to in the Quran. The charge
brought against the Jews of corrupting their Scriptures is based on the
following verse of the Quran: "Some truly are there among you who torture
the Scriptures with their tongues, in order that ye may suppose it to be
from the Scripture, yet it is not from the Scripture. And they say: 'this
is from God,' yet it is not from God; and they utter a lie against God, and
they know they do so." (Sura iii. 72.) All the ancient commentators assert
that this only proved tahrif-i-m'anavi; that is, that the Jews referred to
either misinterpreted what they read, or, whilst professing to read from
the Scripture, used expressions not found therein. It does not mean that
they altered the text of their Scriptures. This, however, does not excuse
Musalmans for their neglect of the previous Scriptures, and so the orthodox
divines of modern times maintain that the greater corruption--the
tahrif-i-lafzi, has taken place. The question is fully discussed, and the
opinion of the earlier commentators endorsed by Syed Ahmad in his
Commentary on the Bible.[138]

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4. PROPHETS.--Muhammad Al Berkevi says:--

"It is necessary to confess that God has sent prophets; that Adam is
the first of the prophets and the father of all men; that Muhammad is
the last of the prophets; that between Adam and Muhammad there were a
great number of prophets; that Muhammad is the most excellent of all
and that his people are the best of all peoples; that each of the
preceding prophets was sent to a special people, some with books, some
without, but that Muhammad was sent to all men and also to the genii;
that his law will remain until the end of the world, that his miracles
are many in number, that by his blessed finger he made waters flow,
that he divided the moon into two parts, that animals, trees, and