| Belief in The Books All praise is due to Allah the Exalted, and salaat wa salaam upon Muhammad, the seal of the Prophets, who delivered the message of his Lord in the best manner. Belief in revealed books is a basis of faith. These books include all the commandments that Allah disclosed to His messenger in order to promulgate them to save people from going astray and lead them to the Right Path. The Muslims believe in the Qur'aan and in all the holy books that precede it, which Allah sent down to the messengers of previous nations. To this effect Allah states: The Messenger believes in what that has been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believes in Allah, His angels, His books, and His apostles. (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:285). Some distinctions in the Islamic belief are listed as follows: Muslims believe that all Books that Allah has sent to mankind through His messengers have the same purpose. Namely, to invite people to worship the One God, Allah. [Al-Baqarah 2: 34] Being words from Allah, they are free from any imperfection or errors. [Al-Baqarah 2:136, Ale-Imran 3:50, An-Nisaa 4:54] The Qur'aan provides the names of previous books which Muslims accept as having been divinely revealed to previous prophets. The books named in the Qur'aan are the Books of Abraham [Al-Baqarah 2: 136, Ale-Imran 3:50, An-Nisaa 4:54], The Torah of Moses [Al-Maidah 5:46, Ale-Imran 3:48], the Zaboor (Psalms) of David, and the Injeel (not the Gospels contained in the New Testament of the Bible) of Jesus [An-Nisaa 4:163, Al-Maidah 5: 113]. There is no mention in the Qur'aan of the names of books which might have been sent to other prophets, making it impossible for a Muslim to judge books as divinely revealed as are claimed by other religions to be so. The Qur'aan teaches that the books named above have been adulterated either through wrong translations, or by means of changes, omissions and additions that suited the purpose of certain people over the ages. [Al-Ma-idah 5:46, Ale-Imran 3:48] All of the scriptures preceding the Qur'aan have been tampered with and distorted by their people. Do you (O believers) hope that they (the people of the book) will be true to you when a party of them used to hear the words of Allah (their Book), then they knowingly changed it after they had understood it? [Al Baqarah 2: 75]. It is a fact that all original texts of these Holy Books have been lost, and it is probable that no genuine copy of any of them exists in its original language. The Qur'aan is protected by Allah from change and tampering. No doubt We have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. Qur'aan and Sunnah) and surely We will guard it. [Al-Hijr 15:9]. It will be kept as such, by means of Allah’s bounty, until He removes it from the earth. Anas (radiallahu ‘anhu) narrated: Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said: It is among the signs of the last Hour that knowledge would be taken away. This is explained in another hadeeth: Allah does not take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but He takes it away by taking away the scholars … [Saheeh Muslim p.1404] The Qur'aan that was revealed to Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is in truth the Words of Allah, not a created thing. And if you are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down to our slave (Muhammad, peace be upon him), then produce a Surah the like thereof and call your witnesses beside Allah if you are truthful. [Al Baqarah 2:23]. Falsehood cannot be added to it nor can a portion be removed from it. It is a miracle which stands on its own merits, and the like of it in terms of speech, eloquence, meaning and laws could not and never can be produced by any other than Allah. Allah has sent down the Qur'aan to make manifest everything which He considers to be for the good of the people in this world as well as in the Hereafter, and there is no inconsistency in its verses. Allah approved its recitation as a means of devotion, and considered the best of Muslims to be the one who learns the Qur'aan and teaches it. [see Al-Bukhaari, narrated on the authority of Uthmaan bin Affaan, Vol. VI p.502]. And We did not send any apostle before you (O Muhammad) but We revealed to him that there is none who has the right to be worshipped but I (Allah). So worship Me (alone and none else. [Al-Anbiyaa 21:25]. The Qur’aan And The Taurah (Torah) The Tauraah (Torah) is now an Arabicized term, which in Hebrew means law. The Qur'aan does not offer any specifications of the Books of the Tauraah; but the association that links the name of Moses to some of them indicates that they are the five books which, according to the ancient Hebrews were revealed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Later on, however, Hebrews expanded the meaning of the term Torah and used it to include all the books known as the Old Testament. The Qur'aan also criticizes the Tauraah, showing that its disciples have slanted its teachings: Of the Jews there are those who displace words from their (right) places. [An-Nisaa 4:46]. The slanting of meaning here results from a misinterpretation of the scripture by applying words to things for which they were not originally meant, or from hiding a part of Allah's message, or from making certain additions or omissions in the original sense. It also results from neglecting the commandments and rules which in itself necessitated a considerable length of time and their constant suppression. In this regard, the Allah declares: They change the words from (their) right places and forget a good part of the Message that was sent them. [Al-Maa-idah 5:14]. The Qur'aan’s Attitude Towards The Gospels The number of Gospels increased greatly after Jesus Christ (‘alaihi salaam), and this has been confirmed by the chroniclers of Christianity. At the beginning of the fourth century A.D., the Christian Church chose to select the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Qur'aan refuses certain sections of these Gospels and does not admit they were sent down from Allah. It explains that Allah sent down one Gospel to His Messenger Jesus ('alaihi sallam), and that it is not the Gospels written after him. On the other hand, the Qur'aan states that Christians forget a part of Allah's Message: From those, too, who call themselves Christians, We did take a Covenant, but they forgot a good part of the Message that was sent them. So we estranged them, with enmity and hatred between the one and the other, to the Day of Judgement. And soon will God show them what it is they have done. [Al-Ma-idah 5:14]. In short, all of the old scriptures are abrogated by the Noble Qur’aan. Allah subhaanahu wa ta’aala, said: And We have sent down to you the Book in truth confirming the scripture that came before it and Muhayminan (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old scriptures). [Al-Maaidah 5:48] The Qur’aan therefore, is a judge over all the old scriptures and accordingly it is forbidden to act upon any of the old scriptures except in what is authenticated and acknowledged by the Qur’aan. |