What is the Tafsir of ‘There is No Changer of His Words?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

What is the Tafsir of the portion of verse 27 of Sura al  Kahf  ‘There is no changer of His words’.

What does this mean in relation to the Bible and Torah? Did Imam Ghazali see the Gospels as sound, I heard something along these lines?

Answer

I pray you are well.

The verse points to the fact that no one can change the text of the Qur’an, which is the ‘words’ referred to in this verse. Please take this course for a more detailed explanation.

The Preservation of the Bible

Allah has promised to preserve the the Quran himself. With regards to the previous scriptures, the scholars of the ummas they were revealed to were made responsible for preserving them. That was their test, and they failed. Rather, they themselves altered the texts.

This is clearly mentioned in the Quran (Quran, 2:79), so I doubt that Imam Ghazali would have had this position. There are other experts of Tafsir who had a strong footing in the Bible who affirmed the same; Imam Biqa’i is one such example.

I hope that clarifies matters.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital. He was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.