Such a statement is not made by the Muslims. Some of them do say, however, that after the advent of Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—the wording of certain copies was altered. Among the majority who affirm that parts of the text were indeed changed, some contend that this happened before his mission, others that it occurred afterward, and still others affirm that both occurred or consider both possible.

Yet no one maintains that the words of every copy spread across East and West were corrupted, as this narrator has claimed on their behalf. What the scholars of Islam and the scholars of the People of the Scripture do agree upon is that distortion has taken place in meanings and interpretations, even though each group accuses the other of being the one that introduced that distortion.

With respect to the actual wording of the books, a number of Muslim scholars hold that it has not been altered—an opinion shared by some of the People of the Scripture. Many other scholars, both Muslim and from the People of the Scripture, assert that certain passages have indeed been changed. This view is well known among numerous Muslim authorities and has likewise been voiced by many scholars of the People of the Scripture. Even on the question of the Messiah’s crucifixion, a faction among the Christians has maintained that it was only