Protestant Calvinism has a strong doctrine on Predestination. It means that God has predetermined from the beginning who among those who live and pass through this life on earth will go to Heaven and those who are going to Hell. Salvation is all of the work of God. It follows that Damnation is all decided by God also. For more understanding of this doctrine of predestination, one should study the doctrine called T.U.L.I.P.

This article presents the doctrine of Fate and Destiny taught in Islam. It is the understanding of this writer that there is no FREE WILL in Islam. Many Muslims, however, believe there is Free Will in Islam, but the Qur’an and Hadiths clearly teaches predestination.

Here are some Quranic passages that teach predestination:

Quran, Al-An’am 6:125, “And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those wo believe not.”

Quran, Fatir, 35:8, “. . . Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. So destroy not yourself (O Muhammad) in sorrow for them. Truly, Allah is All-Knower of what they do!”

Hadiths are pronouncement of their prophet and are believed to be revelation from Allah. Analyze the understanding of the followers of their prophet:

Hadith #1 – Islamic Fate & Destiny

It was narrated that ‘Aishah the Mother of the Believers said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was called to the funeral of a child from among the Ansar. I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, glad tidings for him! He is one of the little birds of Paradise, who never did evil or reached the age of doing evil (i.e, the age of accountability).’ He said: ‘It may not be so, O ‘Aishah! For Allah created people for Paradise, He created them for it when they were still in their father’s loins, And He has created people for Hell, He created them for it when they were still in their fathers’ loins.’”

Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)

Hadith #2 – Islamic Fate & Destiny

Narrated `Abdullah:

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ), the truthful and truly-inspired, said, “Each one of you collected in the womb of his mother for forty days, and then turns into a clot for an equal period (of forty days) and turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period (of forty days) and then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e., his provision, his age, and whether he will be of the wretched or the blessed (in the Hereafter). Then the soul is breathed into him. And by Allah, a person among you (or a man) may do deeds of the people of the Fire till there is only a cubit or an arm-breadth distance between him and the Fire, but then that writing (which Allah has ordered the angel to write) precedes, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it; and a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise, and then that writing precedes and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it.

Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari 6594

Hadith #3 – Islamic Fate & Destiny

It was narrated from Muslim bin Yasar al-Juhani that `Umar bin al-Khattab was asked about this verse:

`And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins` [al-A`raf 7:172], `Umar (---) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) being asked about it and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `Allah created Adam, then He passed His right hand over his loins and brought forth from him his offspring and said: I have created these for Paradise and they will do the deeds of the people of Paradise. Then He passed (His hand) over his loins and brought forth from him his offspring and said: I have created these for Hell and they will do the deeds of the people of Hell.” A man said: O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), why then should we strive? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: `When Allah creates a person for Paradise, He causes him to do the deeds of the people of Paradise until he dies doing one of the deeds of the people of Paradise and is admitted to Paradise thereby. And when He creates a person for Hell, He causes him to do the deeds of the people of Hell until he dies doing one of the deeds of the people of Hell and is admitted to Hell thereby.”

Grade: Sahih because of corroborating evidence and Da’if (Darussalam)

NO FREE WILL

“’Umar b. al-Khattab reported the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as saying :

‘Do not sit with those who believe in free will and do not address them before they address you.’”

Grade: Da’if (Al-Albani)

ReferencE: Sunan Abi Dawud 4720

Hadith #4 – Islamic Fate & Destiny

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) as saying:

Verily Allah has fixed the very portion of adultery which a man will indulge in, and which he of necessity must commit. The adultery of the eye is the lustful look, and the adultery of the tongue is the licentious speech, the heart desires and yearns, which the parts may or may not put into effect.”

Reference: Sahih Muslim 2657b

(4a) Chapter: Belief in the Divine Decree - Section 1(4a)باب الإيمان بالقدر - الفصل الأول

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr reported God’s messenger as saying, “God recorded the fates of all creatures 50,000 years before creating the heavens and the earth, and His throne was upon the water.”

Muslim transmitted it.

Grade: Sahīh (Zubair `Aliza’i)

Reference: Mishkat al-Masabih 79

Hadith #5 – Islamic Fate a Destiny

“(2)Chapter: The Debate Between Adam And Musa (Peace And Blessings Of Allah Be Upon Them) (2) ‏

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

There was an argument between Adam and Moses (peace be upon both of them) in the presence of their Lord. Adam came the better of Moses. Moses said: Are you that Adam whom Allah created with His Hand and breathed into himHis sprit, and commanded angels to fall in prostration before him and He made you live in Paradise with comfort and ease. Then you caused the people to get down to the earth because of your lapse. Adam said: Are you that Moses whom Allah selected for His Messengership and for His conversation with him and conferred upon you the tablets, in which everything was clearly explained and granted you the audience in order to have confidential talk with you. What is your opinion, how long Torah would haye been written before I was created? Moses said: Forty years before. Adam said: Did you not see these words: Adam committed an error and he was enticed to (do so). He (Moses) said: Yes. Whereupon, he (Adam) said: Do you then blame me for an act which Allah had ordained for me forty years before He created me? Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: This is how Adam came the better of Moses.”

Reference: Sahih Muslim 2652c

Hadith #6 -- Islamic Fate & Destiny

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) having said:

By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.”

Reference: Sahih Muslim 2749

To understand the spiritual and historical roots of the current disputes in Israel, we must look to the scriptures held sacred by both Muslims and Jews. The following declarations from the Qur’an and the Holy Bible affirm the divine assignment of this land to the descendants of Abraham:

• Warsh Quran, Surah 5:21, “O my people! Enter the sacred land that Allah has prescribed for you, do not turn back [out of fear of her rulers], or you will suffer damage.”

• Hafs Qur’an, Surah 5:21, “O my people! Enter the holy land (Palestine) which Allah has assigned to you and turn not back (in flight); for then you will be returned as losers.”

• Genesis 13:12, 14, 15,

  “Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan. And the LORD said to Abram, ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.’”

• Genesis 15:18, “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates. . . .”

Biblical and Qur’anic Foundations

These passages illustrate a shared scriptural recognition that the land of Canaan was promised to the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In the Bible, Yahweh’s covenant with Abram (later Abraham) established an “everlasting” inheritance. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, this “forever” signifies a permanent bond between the land and the Israelites, ordained by the Creator until the end of time.

Historically, rivals have claimed that the Philistines are the original owners of the area once known as Palestine. However, a closer examination of the timeline reveals a different story.

In Genesis 12, God called Abram to leave his place of origin, promising that through him, a Messiah and Redeemer would come as a blessing to all families of the earth. When Abram settled in Canaan, the land was inhabited by various tribes, primarily the Canaanites. Yahweh explicitly told him, “To your descendants I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7). By Genesis 13:14-18, this promise was extended “forever.”

Now read Genesis 15:18-21. Please note there were no Philistines at the time of this covenant made by Yahweh with Abram circa 2000 B.C..

Genesis 15:20-21, “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: to your descendants I have given this land, from the river Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates – the Kenites, the Kenezzites, and the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, and the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

When the Covenant with Abram was made, there were no Philistines in the land of Canaan. It appears that the Philistines will come from another part of the Mediterranean and settle on the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Abraham and Sarah were gifted a child of their own in their old age- Abraham at 100 years and Sarah at 90. Genesis chapter 21 reveals that Isaac’s family and not Ishmael’s will blessings to humanity flow. Genesis 21:11-15 tells the story of Hagar and Ishmael being sent away settling in the Wilderness of Paran which is now part of the Sinai Peninsula governed by Egypt. See Genesis 21:21. God’s promise of blessings went to Isaac in Genesis 26:24-25. Isaac had two sons: Esau and Jacob. Jacob was the favored one and his clan went to Egypt and the Israelites stayed there about 400 years. Joseph entered Egypt circa 1950 B.C., and the Exodus started circa 1445 B.C.

At King David’s height of power, circa 1000 B.C., his kingdom covered from the Tigris-Euphrates River in the north to Ezion Geber-Elath at the shore of the Red in the south; east of the Jordan River to the shores of the Mediterranean. Literally, that was the area pointed to by Yahweh to Abram in Genesis 15:20-21. You may check this up in your Bible Geography.

The Question of the Philistines

Scripture indicates that the Philistines were not indigenous to Canaan at the time of the covenant (circa 2000 B.C.). Genesis 15:18-21 lists the inhabitants of the land—including the Kenites, Hittites, and Amorites—but notably excludes the Philistines. Historical and biblical records suggest they were immigrants from Caphtor (the Island of Crete) who later settled in the western maritime sections of Canaan.

By the time of Prophet Jeremiah (circa 627 B.C.), the Philistines were established in cities like Gaza and Ashkelon, yet they were still recognized as the “remnant of the country of Caphtor” (Jeremiah 47:4).

The Southern Kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in B.C. 586 and the first returning Jews from captivity to Jerusalem was led by Zerubbabel in 516 B.C. upon the permission of King Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire. Judah being the lead tribe with the tribe of Benjamin and the tribe of Levi, the returning captives were now called “Jews” (Ju) derived from the first syllable of the tribe “Judah”. Then came the Macedonian-Graeco Empire expanded by Alexander the Great. This conqueror died at the City of Babylon in 323 B.C. and his empire was divided into four sections governed by his four army generals. The Jews came under the control of the Greek colonizers based in Syria and Egypt.

In 63 B.C., Pompey of Rome conquered the Near East and the Middle East which started the expansion of the Roman Empire. Julius Caesar campaigned in Western Europe. Now the Jews came under the Roman colonizers. Wanting to be free from Roman control, the Jews mounted a rebellion which started in 66 A.D.. Roman general Vespasian and his son Titus marched their army from Egypt to Jerusalem in 68 A.D. and besieged the city until it fell into Roman control in A.D. 70. Jerusalem buildings including the revered Temple of Solomon were burned and leveled to the ground fulfilling what Christ said, “no stone will remain on top of another stone” See Luke 21:5-7. About 90,000 Jews were taken slaves into foreign countries. However, many Jews remained behind in land of Judah or Judea. During the second decade of the second century (circa 112 A.D.) another rebellion was mounted by the Jews in Jerusalem against the Roman colonizers which resulted to another batch of Jews taken into captivity by the Romans while others escaped and settled in Middle East countries and North Africa.

Conquest, Dispersion, and the Rise of Islam

The history of the land is one of successive empires: the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and eventually the Romans. Following Jewish rebellions in 70 A.D. and 112 A.D., many Jews were forced into captivity or fled to North Africa and the Middle East, though a remnant always remained in Judea. In 312 A.D., Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, and the faith spread rapidly throughout the region.

By the 7th century, the landscape shifted again with the emergence of Islam. Following the death of Muhammad in 632 A.D., Arab forces under Caliph Umar occupied Jerusalem circa 640 A.D. This marked the beginning of a significant Arab migration into the territory. By 650 A.D., Jerusalem had become the spiritual home to three competing faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

As more Arabs migrated into the region—labeled “Palestina” on Roman maps—they eventually outnumbered the local Jewish and Christian populations.

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Introduction

Islam presents a significant theological challenge to Christianity. Over the past decades, Islam has pursued an aggressive expansion program globally—across Europe, South America, Australia, the United States, and Canada. The Philippines has witnessed substantial Muslim community growth in towns and cities throughout Luzon and beyond. Muslim scholars and bloggers actively engage in digital media and social advocacy.

As Christians, we must understand Islam’s core doctrines to respond faithfully to this theological challenge. Islam’s foundational claims directly contradict Christian truth. This article examines the Islamic claim that the Bible has been corrupted—a doctrine critical to Islam’s legitimacy and authority.

Major Islamic Doctrines

Islamic teaching embraces several doctrines that fundamentally oppose Christian faith:

• The Bible has been corrupted and is therefore not a valid authority in religion.

• Allah is one person alone; there is no Trinity.

• Muhammad is the greatest and final prophet.

• Jesus Christ was merely a man, not God. Islam denies His crucifixion, claiming that Allah substituted another person who was crucified instead, and that Jesus was raised bodily to heaven without experiencing death or resurrection.

• Islam teaches that Jesus will return, live forty years on earth, kill the antichrist, destroy all crosses, slaughter all pigs, then die, followed by the end of the world.

• All people enter Hell initially. Only those approved or interceded for by Muhammad from his community can transfer to Paradise.

Focus of This Article

This article focuses on the first major claim: that the Bible has been corrupted and therefore is not a valid authority in religion. We will examine this claim directly from Islamic sources—the Qur’an itself—and demonstrate the internal contradictions within Islam’s position on the validity of Scripture.

Islamic Declaration on Scripture Corruption

The Qur’an makes the following declaration:

Surah 4:82

Do they not consider the Qur’an carefully? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein many a contradiction.

Section I: The Qur’an’s Confirmation of Previous Scriptures

The Qur’an repeatedly uses the word confirming regarding previous scriptures. This is the critical theological point: to confirm means to verify as authentic and valid. The following Qur’anic passages demonstrate this claim:

Surah 2:91

When it is said to them, Believe in what Allah has revealed, they reply, We only believe in what was sent down to us, and they deny what came afterwards, though it is the truth confirming their own Scriptures! Ask them, O Prophet, Why then did you kill Allah’s prophets before, if you are truly believers?

Surah 3:3

He has revealed to you, O Prophet, the Book in truth, confirming what came before it, as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel.

Surah 5:46

Then in the footsteps of the prophets, We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah revealed before him. And We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light and confirming what was revealed in the Torah—a guide and a lesson to the God-fearing.

Editorial Note: The word confirming in these passages is decisive. Confirmation affirms the truth and completeness of what was confirmed. When Muhammad received the Qur’an (A.D. 610–632), he was confirming the Torah and Gospel as they existed in his time. This directly contradicts later Islamic claims that these texts were corrupted.

Surah 5:44–47

Indeed, We revealed the Torah, containing guidance and light, by which the prophets, who submitted themselves to Allah, made judgments for the Jews. So too did the rabbis and scholars judge according to Allah’s Book, with which they were entrusted and of which they were made keepers. So do not fear the people; fear Me! Nor trade My revelations for a fleeting gain. And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are truly the disbelievers. Then in the footsteps of the prophets, We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah revealed before him. And We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light and confirming what was revealed in the Torah—a guide and a lesson to the God-fearing. So let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed in it. And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are truly the rebellious.

Surah 5:48

We have revealed to you, O Prophet, this Book with the truth, as a confirmation of previous Scriptures and a supreme authority on them. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires over the truth that has come to you. To each of you We have ordained a code of law and a way of life. If Allah had willed, He would have made you one community, but His Will is to test you with what He has given each of you. So compete with one another in doing good. To Allah you will all return, then He will inform you of the truth regarding your differences.

Editorial Note: The phrase confirmation of previous Scriptures and a supreme authority on them is critical. This verse explicitly states that the Qur’an confirms (validates) the previous scriptures—the Torah and Gospel—as they existed at that time.

Section II: Islamic Claims of Scripture Corruption

Despite confirming the Torah and Gospel, Islamic teaching also claims these scriptures were corrupted by Jews and Christians. The Qur’an presents these conflicting claims:

Surah 5:13–15

But for breaking their covenant We condemned them and hardened their hearts. They distorted the words of the Scripture and neglected a portion of what they had been commanded to uphold. You, O Prophet, will always find deceit on their part, except for a few. But pardon them and bear with them. Indeed, Allah loves the good-doers. And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah, confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allah behind their backs, as if they did not know it.

Editorial Note: This passage claims that some Jews and Christians distorted the words of the Scripture and neglected a portion. However, it specifically refers to oral neglect, not the written text. This is a crucial distinction.

The Internal Contradiction: Qur’anic Textual History

If the Bible was corrupted by human hands, was the Qur’an similarly protected? Consider these historical facts:

• Caliph Uthman (ruled A.D. 644–656) ordered all existing Qur’an copies burned and had the Qur’an recompiled and standardized according to his specifications.

• Today there exist at least two major Qur’anic text traditions: the Hafs version and the Warsh version, with approximately 5,000 documented variants between them.

• These versions differ even in the number of verses (ayat) in individual chapters. For example, Chapter 16 contains 99 verses in the Warsh version but 128 verses in the Hafs version.

• A hadith records that a verse on the suckling of adults ten times was lost when a sheep ate the manuscript on the day of Muhammad’s death. This verse appears in neither the Hafs nor the Warsh version.

If Islam claims the Bible was corrupted by human hands, yet the Qur’an itself experienced textual standardization under Caliph Uthman and now exists in multiple versions with thousands of variants, the logical question arises: Is Allah’s power to preserve Scripture limited? Why would Allah protect the Qur’an through human compilation yet allegedly allow the Torah and Gospel to be corrupted?

Section III: Historical Evidence—Muhammad’s Own Testimony

The most compelling evidence against the Islamic corruption claim comes from Muhammad himself. Historical accounts record that Muhammad consulted and validated the Torah during his lifetime.

Hadith: Sunan Abi Dawud 4449 (Graded Hasan/Reliable)

Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar: A group of Jews came and invited the Messenger of Allah to Quff. So he visited them in their school. They said: Abul Qasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them. They placed a cushion for the Messenger of Allah, who sat on it and said: Bring the Torah. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it, saying: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee. He then said: Bring me one who is learned among you. Then a young man was brought.

Critical Analysis:

This historical account demonstrates that Muhammad:

• Explicitly declared: I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee—affirming the Torah’s divine origin.

• Treated the Torah as authoritative, placing it on a cushion of honor and using it as the basis for judgment.

• Consulted the Torah’s teachings rather than dismissing it as corrupted.

• This occurred during Muhammad’s lifetime (A.D. 610–632), during the period the Qur’an was being revealed.

The Central Contradiction:

How can Islam claim the Bible was corrupted when Muhammad himself used and validated the Torah? If the Torah was corrupted in Muhammad’s time, then:

• Muhammad would have known it was corrupted.

• He would not have used it as an authoritative basis for legal judgment.

• He would not have declared belief in it as coming from God.

Conclusion: Islam’s claim that the Bible was corrupted contradicts Islam’s own historical record of Muhammad’s actions and statements. Contradiction is the mark of falsehood.

For Church Members: Response Strategy

• Be equipped to explain that the Bible verses Muslims cite as Muhammad prophecies—including Deuteronomy 18:18, Psalm 118:22–23, Isaiah 42:1–13, Habakkuk 3:3–4, Matthew 21:42–43, and John 14:12–17, 26, 28, and John 16:7–14—are not prophecies pointing to Muhammad but rather to Jesus Christ.

• Remember that the Qur’an itself confirms the validity of the Torah and Gospel as they existed at the time of Muhammad (A.D. 610–632).

• Point to the internal contradictions within Islam: if the Bible was corrupted, how can the Qur’an confirm it? And if Allah could not or would not preserve the Torah and Gospel, why should we trust that Allah preserved the Qur’an when it too has experienced textual variation and standardization?

• Stand confidently on the promise that God has preserved His Word. The Bible’s testimony to Jesus Christ as God incarnate, crucified, and risen remains unchanged and unchangeable.

— Eusebio A. Tanicala