BELIEF IN THE REVEALED BOOKS
The perpetuity of God’s Guidance
IT is a matter of Islamic belief that God, in His mercy, has sent prophet after prophet to lead people forth from darkness to light. The belief in all of God’s revealed books forms an integral part of Islamic faith.
These divine books commanded justice in everything, and exhorted men to repent and mend their ways.
The Quran describes Torah as Furqan (the Discriminator between right and wrong). It says: “We gave Moses and Aaron the criterion of right and wrong and a light and Reminder for the righteous (21: 48). Furqan means the ideological standard which enables man to distinguish between Truth and falsehood. Light means divine guidance, which leads a man out of the darkness of the wrong path and puts him in the light of the straight path. In this way, God has arranged for the guidance of man through His messengers.
But, it is possible for God’s guidebook to provide guidance in the real sense only when a man is anxious about his fate in the Hereafter. This anxiety makes him so serious that he attaches more importance to Truth and righteousness than to any other thing.
The Books Mentioned in the Quran
Of the holy books, four find mention in the Quran: the Sahifa, scrolls
given to Abraham; the Tawrat, the revelations made to Moses;
the Zabur, the Psalms given to David; the Injil, the teachings given to
Jesus. It is a belief of a Muslim that each of these (as well as every other
Book sent by God to His Prophets) was originally a complete revelation.
However, for a variety of reasons, most of these revealed books sent
by God could not be preserved. For instance, the Quran mentions the
scriptures given to Abraham (87: 19) as Sahifa, but these are no longer
in existence and are lost completely. Others were changed in various
ways by human intervention.
Historians agree that the Quran, the last of the divine books has been preserved from human interpolation.
The Torah
The term Towrah is simply the Arabic equivalent for the Hebrew Torah,
and normally understood as ‘The Law’ given by God to the Prophet Moses. The Quran gives abundant testimony to the Towrah, and it is
mentioned more than any other revealed book. Sometimes it is simply
called ‘The Law’.
‘We have revealed the Torah, in which there is guidance and light. By it the prophets who were obedient to Us judged the Jews, and so did the rabbis and the priests, according to God’s Book which had been entrusted to their care; and to which they were witnesses. Have no fear of man; fear Me, and do not sell My revelations for a paltry sum. Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are deniers of truth.
We prescribed for them in [the Torah]: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and a wound for a wound. But, if anyone forgoes it, this shall be for him an expiation. Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are wrongdoers! (5: 44-45).
The Quran, the Book of God, enshrines teachings, which were basically the same as were to be found in previously revealed scriptures.
From these verses, it can be seen that the Quran calling the Torah a book of ‘guidance and light’ testifies that God had revealed it as the Law for the Jews.
Sometimes in the Quran, the name Towrah refers not only to the books of the Prophet Moses, but to the entire Hebrew scripture of the Jews, especially in the verses, which mention the Towrah and Injil together. ‘He has revealed unto you (Muhammad) the scripture with truth, confirming that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Injil.’ (3: 3).
When the Quran uses the expression ‘People of the Book’, it always means all the three communities: the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims: People of the Book, why do you dispute about Abraham when the Torah and Gospel were only sent down after him. Do you not use your reason? (3: 65)
According to the Quran, the Towrah, the book that God revealed to Moses for the guidance of the Children of Israel (Bani Israil), did in fact contain guidance and God’s commands, admonition and a clear explanation of many things of the world, and of God’s mercy. There are many verses regarding the granting of a book to Moses in which the Towrah is mentioned although not by name. The tablets (alwah) are also mentioned and they mean the same scripture:
‘And We wrote for him upon the Tablets an admonition and details of all things, then [bade him], ‘Hold fast to them; and command your people to follow them in their best sense’. (7: 145)
But when Moses went back to his people with the Law inscribed on the Tablets, they had meanwhile turned away from God and the Truth and he became very angry. He prayed for them and they repented. ‘When his anger had subsided, Moses took up the Tablets upon which was inscribed a pledge of guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.’ (7: 150-154).
Historians agree that the Quran, the last of the divine books has been preserved from human interpolation.
The Towrah, as originally revealed to Moses, must have been in the Hebrew language. But there is no copy of the original Book given to Moses extant today. As a matter of fact, during their long and turbulent history, the Jews repeatedly lost their revealed books. The Old Testament is considered by today’s Jews as the Book revealed by God. But it cannot simply be equated with the Towrah mentioned in the Quran. The reason for this is the Old Testament contains also the Zabur, (Psalms) the book of guidance given to the Prophet David. The Zabur is mentioned in the Quran as a revelation separate from the Towrah.
The Zabur (Psalms)
The term Zabur is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew word ‘zimr’, which
is usually translated into English as ‘Psalm’. It was the book of revelation
given to the Prophet David. In the Hebrew and Christian scriptures it
is a part of the Old Testament. David was a prophet, but he was also a
great ruler. He was divinely inspired to sing hymns praising God and
His creation in his melodious and sonorous voice. These hymns now
constitute the Psalms.
In the Quran, the Psalms is mentioned by name only three times: ‘…And to David We gave the Psalms.’ (4: 163)
‘'Your Lord knows best about everyone in the heavens and on the earth. We gave some prophets more than others: We gave David the Psalms." (17: 55)
'We have already written in the Psalms following the Reminder, 'My righteous servants shall inherit the earth.' (21: 105)
Thus the Quran, and also the Hadith, very clearly confirm the Muslim belief in four heavenly books. The Quran mentions no other such heavenly books, though it mentions many prophets, some of them by name, and attributes many divine revelations to them.
David, to whom God revealed the Psalms, was gifted with great eloquence and a beautiful voice. All gifts were given to the prophets according to the needs of the world and the times in which they lived. The Psalms were intended to be sung for the worship of God and the celebration of God’s greatness.
The Psalms are still extant and have been incorporated into the Bible. However, their present form may possibly be different from the original. Nonetheless, to a great extent, the Psalms retain their original state.
The Injil (Gospel)
The Injil is the revelation given to Prophet Jesus. The term Injil is derived
from a Greek word, which, when translated into English means ‘gospel’
and it occurs twelve times in the Quran.
In Muslim belief Jesus, the son of Mary, is considered to be the Prophet immediately preceding the Prophet of Islam. His birth was miraculous and by the grace of God he was endowed with a life-giving spirit. Both he and his pious mother, Mary, are mentioned in the Quran many times.
‘We sent after them Jesus, the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy.’ (57: 27)
This particular verse of the Quran very clearly states that the Prophet Jesus was given the real Gospel, which stressed the compassion and mercy of God. Most of the time, whenever mentioned in the Quran, Gospel is coupled with the Torah or the law given to Moses. But there is always emphasis on the continuity of revelation and its culmination with the final revelation that is the Quran.
'He has sent down the Book to you with truth, which fulfils (the predictions) in the Scriptures that preceded it: He sent down the Torah and the Gospel.' (3: 3)
'God will instruct him in the Book and in wisdom and in the Torah and in the Gospel.' (3: 48)
The Injil mentioned in the Quran is the book revealed to the Prophet Jesus. The Gospel of the Christians is a compilation made one hundred years after the prophethood of Jesus, and was written down in Greek. Besides the Gospels attributed to the four apostles (John, Luke, Mark, and Matthew), it contains letters of Paul and Peter to the early Christian communities, as well as other written material. That is why the Quran and the Hadith often refer to changes made in the original scriptures. All heavenly books were sent by God for the guidance of humankind and to enable their adherents to judge all issues according to the divine laws as set forth in these Books.
The Quran is a sacred book sent by the Lord of all creation. It is a book for all human beings, because it has been sent by that Divine Being who is God of all of us.
The Quran
The Quran, the Book of God, enshrines
teachings, which were basically the same
as were to be found in previously revealed scriptures. But these
ancient scriptures are no longer preserved in their original state. Later
additions and deletions were made, whereas the Quran is preserved in
its original state.
The Quran has 114 chapters. Its contents in a nutshell are: belief in one God, and considering oneself answerable to Him; firm belief that the Prophet Muhammad is the messenger of God who conveyed the message and that man’s eternal salvation rests thereon.
The position of the Quran is not just that it is one of the many revealed scriptures but that it is the authentic divine Book. When a believer in the previous revealed scripture turns to the Quran, it does not mean that he is rejecting his own belief, but rather amounts to his having rediscovered his own faith. The Quran is a sacred book sent by the Lord of all creation. It is a book for all human beings, because it has been sent by that Divine Being who is God of all of us.
The Quran is no new heavenly scripture. It is only an authentic edition of the previous heavenly scriptures. In this respect, the Quran is a book for all human beings, of all nations. It is the expression of God’s mercy for one and for all. It is a complete message sent by God for every one of us.
According to the Quran, Islam means submission. The religion of Islam is so named because it is based on obedience to God. A true believer in Islam is one who subordinates his thinking to God, who follows God’s dictates in all aspects of his life.
Islam is the religion of the entire universe, for the entire universe and all its parts are functioning in accordance with the law laid down by God.
Such behaviour is also desired of man. Man should also lead his life as God’s obedient servant just as the rest of the universe is fully subservient to God. The only difference is that the universe has submitted to God compulsorily, while man is required to submit to the will of God by his own choice.
When man adopts Islam, first of all it is his thinking which is affected by Islam, then his desires, his feelings, his interests, his relations, his love and his hatred. All are coloured by his obedience to God’s will.
When man, in his daily life comes under God’s command, his behaviour with people and his dealings are all moulded by the demands of Islam. From inside to outside he becomes a person devoted to God.
Man, as the Quran tells us, is God’s servant. Indeed, the only proper way for man to live in this world is to live as the servant of God. Islam, in fact, is another name for this life of servitude to God. Where the Islamic life is devoted to the service of God, the un-Islamic life unashamedly flouts the will of God. Islam teaches man to lead an obedient life and surrender himself completely to the will of God. It is those people who do so will share God’s blessings in the next world. This is the essence of the teachings of the Quran.