Do Muslims Believe in the Ten Commandments?

Muslims approach the Ten Commandments as they approach any text in the Torah: whatever aligns with the Quran is accepted as consistent with divine guidance, and whatever contradicts it is rejected — while acknowledging that pinpointing exactly which portions represent the original revelation to Moses (peace be upon him), and which reflect later human alteration, is not something Muslims can determine with certainty. .  Belief in the Torah as an originally divine book is a pillar of Islamic faith, but Muslims cannot determine with certainty which portions of the existing text preserve the original revelation to Moses (peace be upon him) and which reflect later distortion. Allah says in the Quran: ) A Muslim who rejects Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) or the authentic revelation he received has stepped outside the bounds of Islamic belief entirely.  The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) further instructed:  ) This narration establishes a precise methodology. Muslims approach the existing biblical text with neither wholesale acceptance nor wholesale rejection.  Where its content aligns with the Quran and the Sunnah, it reflects the original truth. Where it contradicts them, it carries the marks of later alteration — a reality the Quran itself names: ) With that framework established, examining each commandment reveals exactly where the original divine guidance shines through — and where the distortion entered. This principle aligns completely with the Quran and is accepted in Islam on that basis. This is the foundation upon which every prophet built his message. Every messenger Allah sent to humanity carried a single primary call — to worship Allah alone and reject all rivals to that worship. The Quran states: ) begins precisely here: one Creator, without partners, without rivals, without equals.  The prohibition against idol worship in this commandment aligns fully with the Quran and is accepted on that basis. The Quran addresses idol worship with striking directness, including a specific reminder to the Children of Israel about the moment they demanded a god like the idols of the nations they passed: ) The Quran also warns of the painful consequence awaiting those who turn to idols and the relationships built around false worship: ) is treated in Islam as the one unforgivable sin if carried to death unrepented. Have Questions About Islam? Our team is ready to answer your questions clearly and respectfully. Ask freely and receive honest guidance. The principle of the third commandment aligns with the Quran and is accepted accordingly. Islam treats false oaths sworn by Allah's name as a grave sin.  ) — reflects the living spirit of this commandment. The third commandment, in its original form, is wholly affirmed. The fourth commandment instructs keeping the seventh day — Saturday — as a day of rest and sanctity, grounding this in the six days of creation and Allah's rest on the seventh. — on two distinct levels. The first divergence concerns the day itself. The Sabbath was a ruling specific to the Children of Israel, not a universal obligation carried into all subsequent revelations. The Prophet (PBUH) explained:  ) The second divergence is more serious. The commandment attributes fatigue to Allah — stating that He rested after creation. Islamic theology rejects this absolutely. Allah says: ) This is a textbook example of the distortion the Quran warns about. The original revelation from Allah could never have attributed tiredness to Him.  This element entered the text through human alteration. The Quran — as the Furqan, the criterion separating truth from falsehood — identifies it clearly. The fifth commandment commands honoring one's parents, promising long life on the earth as its reward.  Few values receive more consistent emphasis in the Quran than this one. Allah pairs the command to worship Him alone with the command to honor parents — in the same breath, in the same verse: ) The fifth commandment stands fully confirmed in Islam — and the Quran's expression of it surpasses the original in depth and tenderness. The sixth commandment prohibits murder. Islam affirms this with unambiguous force: ) The Islamic prohibition on unlawful killing extends beyond a legal ruling — it reflects a worldview in which every human soul carries inherent sanctity by divine decree. The seventh commandment forbids adultery. The Quran not only prohibits the act but seals off the path leading to it: ) — goes further than merely forbidding the act itself. It forecloses the steps, the contexts, and the gradual moral erosion that lead there. The seventh commandment is fully affirmed and reinforced. The eighth commandment prohibits theft. Islam affirms this and establishes a deterrent to protect people's property and social trust: ) The Prophet (PBUH) also included this prohibition in the foundational pledge of faith he took from his companions:  ) The ninth commandment forbids giving false testimony. Islam places this among the gravest of major sins.  ) The Quran describes the true believers as those who: ) The tenth commandment forbids coveting another person's home, spouse, servants, animals, or possessions. Islam traces moral accountability to its source — not just the external act but the internal inclination of the heart. Allah says: ) This verse captures the Islamic understanding that the soul is accountable for what it nurtures within itself. Covetousness — the desire to possess what Allah has given to another — is a moral failing the Quran addresses at the level of the heart, which is exactly where the tenth commandment locates it. This principle aligns with the Quran and is accepted on that basis. Muslims approach texts like the Ten Commandments through the lens of the Quran, which Allah describes with a precise dual role: ) and their scriptures — with respect for the divine origin, and clarity about the human distortions that followed. The Quran does not discard the legacy of Moses (peace be upon him). It honors it, purifies it, and preserves its moral core for all of humanity. Everything genuinely beneficial in the Torah finds its place within the Quran — meaning believers in the final revelation have access to the complete, protected inheritance of all prophetic guidance.  as the final, uncorrupted divine word. ) — precisely because the tradition of earlier revelation contains real light.  The Quran is the filter through which that light is separated from what human intervention obscured. Have Questions About Islam? Our team is ready to answer your questions clearly and respectfully. Ask freely and receive honest guidance. is here to walk that path with you. for articles grounded in authentic Islamic scholarship, covering belief, worship, ethics, and answers to the most sincere questions about this faith. for a growing library of topics explored with the same depth and clarity. if you have a question, want to learn how to enter Islam, or simply need someone to speak with — you will find a warm, knowledgeable team ready to help. — a structured, four-stage curriculum designed to guide you through your post-conversion journey with clarity and confidence: : certainty that settles in the heart and stays. . Muslims approach the Ten Commandments with the same clear standard they apply to all Torah texts: align with the Quran and it is accepted; contradict it and it is rejected. Faith in the original Torah as divine revelation is a pillar of Islam, though Muslims do not claim certainty about which specific passages in the existing text preserve the words originally revealed to Moses (peace be upon him). Nine of the ten commandments align fully with Quranic verses and authenticated Hadiths — covering worship of Allah alone, rejection of idols, honoring parents, prohibitions on murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, and covetousness — confirming their shared divine origin across all prophetic traditions. The Quran serves as both a confirmation of what was originally true in earlier scriptures and a guardian criterion that identifies later human distortions, preserving the moral legacy of Moses (peace be upon him) for all of humanity in its final, protected form. The Quran does not present a numbered list called "the Ten Commandments," but it addresses every moral principle they contain. Prohibitions on murder, adultery, theft, false testimony, idolatry, and false oaths — along with commands to honor parents and worship Allah alone — all appear in the Quran with their own Quranic verses and often with greater elaboration than the biblical text provides. Islam holds that the Torah was originally a divine book of guidance and light. Today, the existing Torah contains both preserved authentic content and elements altered by human hands across centuries. Muslims do not treat the entire biblical text as corrupted, nor do they accept it wholesale. The Quran functions as the criterion — confirming what remains true and identifying what was changed. Muslims who want the complete, uncorrupted inheritance of Mosaic guidance find it preserved within the Quran itself.