Tafsir Ibn Kathir:
“(and Muhayminan over it) means entrusted over it, according to Sufyan Ath-Thawri who narrated it from Abu Ishaq from At-Tamimi from Ibn `Abbas. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas said, “Muhaymin is, ‘the Trustworthy’. Allah says that the Quran is trustworthy over every Divine Book that preceded it.” This was reported from `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Mujahid, Muhammad bin Ka`b, `Atiyyah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, `Ata’ Al-Khurasani, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd. Ibn Jarir said, “The Quran is trustworthy over the Books that preceded it. Therefore, whatever in these previous Books conforms to the Quran is true, and whatever disagrees with the Qur’an is false.” Al-Walibi said that Ibn `Abbas said that Muhayminan means, ‘Witness’. Mujahid, Qatadah and As-Suddi said the same. Al-`Awfi said that Ibn `Abbas said that Muhayminan means, ‘dominant over the previous Scriptures’. These meanings are similar, as the word Muhaymin includes them all. Consequently, the Quran is trustworthy, a witness, and dominant over every Scripture that preceded it. This Glorious Book, which Allah revealed as the Last and Final Book, is the most encompassing, glorious and perfect Book of all times. The Quran includes all the good aspects of previous Scriptures and even more, which no previous Scripture ever contained. This is why Allah made it trustworthy, a witness and dominant over all Scriptures.”

Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas:
“(And unto the have We revealed the Scripture) We have sent you Gabriel with the Qur’an (with the Truth) to make plain the Truth and falsehood, (confirming) the statement of Allah’s divine Oneness and some laws (whatever Scripture was before it) whatever Scriptures were before it, (and a watcher over it) a witness upon all the Scriptures before it; it is also said: a witness upon the ruling of stoning; and it is also said: a watcher over all previous Scriptures.”

It is thus seen that Allah (swt) has kept the Quran as a guardian over the previous scriptures so as to guard what was revealed originally thus showing to us that which is corruption in the Bible.

I will now quote some of the Muslims of the present times to see whether they understand that this verse states that the Bible was uncorrupted or that is got corrupted overtime.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali:
“After the corruption of the older revelation, the Quran comes with a twofold purpose: (1) to confirm the true and original Message and (2) to guard it or act as a check to its interpretation. The Arabic word ‘Muhaymin’ is very comprehensive in meaning. It means one who safeguards, watches over, stands witness, preserves and upholds. The Quran safeguards “the Book”, for it has preserved within it the teachings of all the former Books. It watches over these Books in the sense that it corroborates the Word of Allah which has remained intact in them. It stands as a witness because it bears testimony to the Word of Allah contained in these Books and helps to sort it out from the interpretations and commentaries of the people which were mixed with it; what is confirmed by the Quran is the Word of Allah and what is against it is that of the people.”

Muhammad Asad (His translation is often quoted by Christian missionaries):
“The participle ‘muhaymin’ is derived from the quadrilateral verb ‘haymana’, ‘he watched [over a thing]’ or ‘controlled [it]’, and is used here to describe the Quran as the determinant factor in deciding what is genuine and what is false in the earlier Scriptures.”

Ma'ariful Quran:
“The address is to the Holy Prophet ﷺ saying that to him Allah has revealed the Quran which confirms the Torah and Injeel, Books previous to it, and is their custodian as well. This is because, after the people of the Torah altered the Torah and the people of the Injeel made changes in the Injeel,it was the Quran alone which turned out to be the kind overseer and protector which exposed the alterations made by them, lit up truth and reality in their proper perspective. Even today the true teachings of the Torah and Injeel still survive through the Quran.”

So we see the whether we look at the Muslims of the past or the present, they understood the term ‘muhaymin’ to mean the same and the interpretation of the verse has always been the same without any changes.

Some Christian missionaries bring to notice that one of the names of Allah (swt) is “AL-MUHAYMIN”. So let us see whether the meaning and explanation of the word “muhaymin” fits with harmony in both the verse and as one of the attributes of Allah (swt).

Muhaymin, according to early Muslims as taken from Ibn Kathir, means the following: Witness and Trustworthy. This word also means ‘Guardian’, ‘Supervisor’ or ‘Protector’. Now do these fit Allah (swt) and the verse in harmony? Yes!

Allah (swt) is our Guardian and hence has given us guidelines to correct ourselves just the way the Quran is the guardian over the Bible, correcting it. Allah (swt) is the Protector and has given us a way to protect ourselves by correcting our mistakes just as the way the Quran corrects the Bible in order to protect what was revealed in the previous scriptures. Allah (swt) is Witness to all that is being done just like the Quran is a witness to the changes made in the Bible thus correcting them.

Hence we see that the definition fits perfectly to Allah (swt) as well as the Quran thus refuting any claims that would suggest otherwise. The Quran is now a guardian over what was revealed before and thus people can learn the truth in the previous scriptures by looking at those parts which the Quran confirms and those which the Quran rejects.


Chapter 2 Verse 41

And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone.

When we read the verse preceding this, we find that these verses refer to the Children of Israel where Allah (swt) asks them to fulfill the Covenant. Then in this verse Allah (swt) is telling them to believe in what He reveals which confirms the revelation which is with them. So the Quran again is confirming that which is a revelation and not that which is corrupted by human hands. Then we read the next verse:


And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is).

Thus it becomes apparent that the Quran is telling the Jews not to conceal the Truth. How would the Truth be concealed? The Truth would be concealed by following human corruptions rather than following what Allah (swt) has revealed.


Chapter 2 Verse 89

And when there comes to them a Book from Allah, confirming what is with them,- although from of old they had prayed for victory against those without Faith,- when there comes to them that which they (should) have recognized, they refuse to believe in it but the curse of Allah is on those without Faith.

Once again this verse is seen to hold the same meaning as that of ‘Saddaqa’ explained above. The Quran which is from Allah (swt) is confirming the truth that which is with the People of the Book. Over and over again we find that the Noble Quran tells us that it is confirming the truth in the previous revelations. The Quran is speaking the truth about what is with the People of the Book. Therefore it is clear that the Quran is not testifying that the entire Bible is preserved but is only confirming the truth that is with the People of the Book thus naturally correcting the corrupted part.


Chapter 2 Verse 91

When it is said to them, “Believe in what Allah Hath sent down, “they say, “We believe in what was sent down to us:” yet they reject all besides, even if it be Truth confirming what is with them. Say: “Why then have ye slain the prophets of Allah in times gone by, if ye did indeed believe?”

This verse is connected to the one explained above. The Quran says that the People of the Book reject the Truth which is confirming that which is with them. What does the Truth confirm? The Truth would but natural confirm that which is the truth. Thus as explained above many times in this section, the Quran, being the Truth, confirms the Truth that is with the People of the Book and not that which is falsehood created by human intervention.


Chapter 2 Verse 97

Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah’s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe,-

This verse is from the same Surah as the previous two verses and talks about those who are enemies to Gabriel. Gabriel is an angel who brought the revelations to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The revelation is referred to as a confirmation of what went before. This means that this revelation (Quran) confirms what actually happened before thus exposing the falsehood that might be there in the minds or the scriptures of the People of the Book. Further the Quran is called ‘guidance’ for those who believe and if the purpose of the Quran was to state that the entire Bible is uncorrupted then it would not refer to itself as guidance to those who believe because the Bible would still be guidance to those who do not believe.


Chapter 2 Verse 101

And when there came to them a messenger from Allah, confirming what was with them, a party of the people of the Book threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs, as if (it had been something) they did not know!

We find that again the same word is used in this verse of the Quran. Thus when Allah (swt) sent his Messenger ﷺ to confirm the truth in what was with the People of the Book (here the verse refers to the Jews), some of them who realized that it was by default exposing the falsehood, refused to consider what the Messenger ﷺ was saying by pretending as if they do not even know what their books had in it. If the Quran was testifying that their scripture is in its pristine form then the Jews would not have pretended as if they knew not what was in their scriptures. The reason why they pretended as such was because they saw that an unlettered Prophet ﷺ was bringing out the truth in their books and by default exposing the falsehood. The Jews knew that if they would look at the truth in their books then it would prove that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the Messenger of Allah (swt) and thus they chose to ignore their books completely.