Is Judaism Still a Valid Religion Today?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

Is Judaism a false religion? Was there a revelation at Mount Sinai, and what was revealed there? The Torah itself says it is everlasting, so how can we dispute that, and current Torah scrolls match ancient ones.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Yes, there was a revelation at Mount Sinai. Belief in this is not a courtesy to others, but a part of our own faith. To deny it would be to deny our own creed. Imam Nabulusi expresses this clearly.

We believe in Allah alone, and in all His angels, and in “all His revealed Books, the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms and the Quran, and the remaining scriptures sent down by the revelation of Allah Most High upon the prophets and messengers,” and in all His messengers, “making no distinction in faith between any of His messengers, as the disbelievers did, who believed in some and did not believe in others.” [Nabulusi, Tahrik al-Iqlid fi Fath Bab al-Tawhid]

Shaykh Nuh Keller (Allah preserve him) puts the same thing in a sentence worth holding onto: the previous religions, “though differing in provisions of works, and now abrogated by the final religion, were valid in their own times.” [Keller, The Validity of All Religions]

So a Muslim does not call what was given at Sinai false. We call it revelation.

What Was Given at Sinai

A Book, and a Sacred Law inside it. Allah Most High says of that mountain, “And We inscribed for him in the tablets of everything needful to them, a mighty admonishment and detailing of everything.” [Quran 7:145; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

And of Musa, upon him peace, “did We vouchsafe Moses the Book: to perfect all blessings upon whoever would excel in good, and to clearly set out everything needful, and because of a mighty guidance and mercy.” [Quran 6:154]

And of the Torah itself: “Verily We sent down the Torah, in which there is mighty guidance and light,” by which “the prophets, who had utter submission to the Divine, long judged for those of Jewry.” [Quran 5:44]

Our own revelation describes the Torah as guidance, light, and a law by which prophets themselves judged.

We do not claim to know every detail of its contents beyond what Allah has informed us. What we affirm is that its origin was the speech of Allah, and its content was His guidance.

The Revelation Was True; The Religion in Hand Is No Longer the Path

Since then, two things have taken place, both by Allah’s will and wisdom, not by human judgment.

The first is abrogation. Shaykh Salih al-Ghursi states it as a matter of testimony: We bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, whom He sent to all creation entirely, with guidance and the religion of truth, as the seal of the prophets and as one abrogating the Sacred Laws that came before him. [Ghursi, Hashiyat al-Ghursi ala al-Musayara]

Imam Babarti holds likewise that he was “sent to all mankind,” on the proof of Allah’s words, “Nor have We sent you but to all mankind entirely: A bringer of glad tidings and a mighty warner.” [Babarti, Sharh Umdat al-I’tiqad; Quran 34:28]

The second is tahrif, and here I will claim only what Allah has said, and here I will claim only what Allah has said. Of those who broke the covenant, He says, “They pervert revealed words from their actual places; And they forgot an enormous share of what they had been reminded of.” [Quran 5:13].

That is a statement about how the words were handled, not a theory about any particular manuscript.

Your Two Objections–and Their Answers

Now, regarding your two objections, each has a clear answer.

A scripture describing its law as everlasting does not settle the matter. Abrogation belongs to the One who gave the law in the first place. No text can bind its Author from sending further guidance.

Shaykh Nuh Keller names the principle exactly: “his conditionality of religious covenants is why God’s abrogation of one religion with another does not break His promise to followers of the first. [Keller, The Qur’anic Promise to Jews and Christians]

As for matching manuscripts, this is real evidence that careful copying took place from the earliest surviving texts. However, this does not tell us about the longer period of transmission before those manuscripts.

The verse above points to an alteration in how the words were handled, not in the copying of scrolls. Faithful copying and preservation of the original are not the same.

So the answer to your first question is that Judaism today is not a valid path to salvation, and the reason is not that its origin was false. Its origin was revelation.

The reason is that Allah has since sent the final, protected Message and calls everyone to it: “And whoever seeks anything but complete submission to Allah as a religion shall never have it accepted of him.” [Quran 3:85]

Affirm Every Prophet, Follow the Last of Them

“Say, O people of the Book, rise and come to a word of complete equity between us and you: That we worship none but Allah, and worship nothing whatsoever with Him, nor take each other as Lords short of Allah.” [Quran 3:64]

Hold to this approach in any conversation about this matter. It will serve you better than an argument. You are not asking anyone to leave Musa, upon him peace. You are inviting them to reach the destination he was guiding them towards.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Related SeekersGuidance Answers

• [Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller and Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, Universal Validity of Religions and the Issue of Takfir] — Answers the universal validity claim through Imam Nawawi, and separately restricts any pronouncement on a professing Muslim to the judge under strict conditions. The fullest treatment in the archive of the position summarised above.
• [Shaykh Anas al-Musa, What Is Abrogation (Naskh) in the Quran?] — Defines abrogation, gives its types, conditions, and proofs, and warns against overextending the claim, which is the mechanism behind the “everlasting Torah” objection answered here.
• [Ustadha Sulma Badrudduja, Can You Explain the Concept of Abrogation in the Quran?] — A brief treatment of abrogation as the lifting of an earlier ruling by a later one, with the wisdom of graduated ease behind it.
• [Shaykh Anas al-Musa, What Are the Types of Abrogation (Naskh) in the Quran?] — Sets out what can and cannot be abrogated, including that creed and ethics are not subject to it, which is useful for seeing that abrogation is a precise instrument rather than a wholesale canceling.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.

Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.

In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.

Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.

Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.

His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.

«النصوص» · Source-Texts

[عبد الغني النابلسي، تحريك الإقليد في فتح باب التوحيد]

آمن بالله وحده لا شريك له، وبجميع ملائكته السماوية والأرضية، وبجميع كتبه المنزلة: التوراة والإنجيل والزبور والقرآن، وبقية الصحف المنزلة بوحي الله تعالى على الأنبياء والمرسلين صلى الله عليه وسلم أجمعين، وبجميع رسله تعالى إلى عباده المكلفين، لا نفرق في الإيمان بين أحد من رسله كما فرق الكافرون، فآمنوا بالبعض ولم يؤمنوا بالبعض، ولا نخص بالإيمان عددا من الأنبياء والمرسلين دون عدد

[ابن الغرس، حاشية الغرسي على المسايرة]

نشهد أن محمدا رسول الله أرسله إلى الخلق أجمعين، بالهدى ودين الحق، خاتما للنبيين وناسخا لما قبله من الشرائع

[البابرتي، شرح عمدة الاعتقاد]

وإذا ثبت بنبوة نبينا بالبراهين ثبت بنبوة سائر الأنبياء عليهم السلام بأخباره، لأنه الصادق في كل ما يقول، وثبت أنه مرسل إلى الكافة، لا كما زعم البعض، بقوله تعالى: وما أرسلناك إلا كافة للناس