PILLARS OF IMAN (3): BELIEF IN ALLAH’S BOOKS
INTRODUCTION
Believing in the divine books revealed is an inseparable part of the whole system of faith, which is not complete and cannot be achieved except by it. Allah S.W.T. said:
آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ
“The Messenger believed in what He revealed to him from His Lord and the believers, all who believed in Allah and His angels and His Books and Messengers” (Al-Baqarah: 285)
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِ وَالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ ۚ وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
“O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the Book that is revealed to His Messenger, and the Book that was revealed before, and those who disbelieve in Allah, His angels and His Books and Messengers. Far away “ (An Nisa: 136)
The work book is ‘kitāb’ in Arabic. The root of the word is ‘katb’(كَتْب) which means gathering/compiling something. This supports the Islamic view that Allah’s messengers received books gradually, in stages.
We hold a firm belief that all the holy books were revealed by Allah S.W.T and that Allah spoke them in a real sense (they are the words/speech of Allah).
METHODS OF REVELATION
- Some were heard directly from Allah, from behind a veil
- Conveyed by an angelic messenger to a human messenger
- Written by Allah S.W.T himself, such as the Tablets of prophet Musa A.S.
وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَن يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِن وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِنَّهُ عَلِيٌّ حَكِيمٌ
It is not given to any human being that Allah should speak to him unless (it be) by Inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He sends a Messenger to reveal what He wills by His Leave. Verily, He is Most High, Most Wise. (Ash- Shoora: 51).
BELIEF IN ALL OF THE BOOKS
Belief in Allah’s holy books entails believing in the books that Allah has mentioned in general terms and believing in those which he has specifically mentioned by name
فَلِذَٰلِكَ فَادْعُ ۖ وَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ ۖ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ ۖ وَقُلْ آمَنْتُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ كِتَابٍ
So [Prophet] call people to that faith and follow the straight path as you have been commanded. Do not go by what they desire, but say, ‘I believe in whatever Scripture God has sent down. (Al-Shoora: 15)
And amongst those holy books which Allah has mentioned specifically are the Qur’an, the Injeel (Gospel), the Zaboor (Psalms), the Tawrat (Old Testament) and the Suhuf (scriptures) of Ibrahim and Musa.
Despite differences with regard to particular laws and legislations mentioned in these books, the core fundamental message and purpose of life has been one and the same throughout these books which is to worship Allah alone and to completely submit to his will.
THE DISTORTION OF THE INJEEL AND TAWRAT
Iman in Allah’s books means we believe in all of his books in their original form. The Injeel and Tawrat of today are certainly not the same books which were revealed to Isa AS and Musa AS. Allah says in the Qur’an:
فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا يَكْسِبُونَ
So woe to those who write something down with their own hands and then claim, ‘This is from God,’ in order to make some small gain. Woe to them for what their hands have written! Woe to them for all that they have earned! (Al-Baqarah: 79)
However, people distorted and corrupted the Tawrat and Injeel by attributing their own sayings and desires to God, while adding and removing verses from them. Thus due to either or both negligence and deliberate distortion of the holy books, there is no/little connection between them and the books revealed by Allah S.W.T.
THE QUR’AN AS A CONFIRMATION
Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the final revelation of God’s Word to mankind, and a completion and confirmation of previous books. Allah says
وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ
We sent to you [Muhammad] the Scripture with the truth, confirming the Scriptures that came before it, and with final authority over them (Al-Ma’idah: 48)
The Qur’an is described as Muhaymin meaning that it is a witness over the books that came before it. It confirms whatever is true in them and rejects whatever distortions, alterations and changes that have occured in them. It also abrogates any previous rulings mentioned in past books and sets the Qur’an as the final authority and ruling which we are to live our life according to and judge by.
The Qur’an and the Sunnah are therefore Allah S.W.T’s constitution for human life for as long as people continue to live on Earth.
THE PRESERVATION OF THE QUR’AN
Allah S.W.T tested previous nations by delegating the preservation of the previous Books to their scholars and monks, but with his final revelation the Qur’an, He S.W.T himself has guaranteed to preserve and protect it from distortion/corruption.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
We have sent down the Quran Ourself, and We Ourself will guard it. (Al-Hijr: 9)
Allah S.W.T also says:
لَّا يَاۡتِيۡهِ الۡبَاطِلُ مِنۡۢ بَيۡنِ يَدَيۡهِ وَلَا مِنۡ خَلۡفِهٖ
Falsehood cannot touch it from the front or from the rear (Fussilat: 42)
Falsehood is not able to touch or approach the Qur’an from any angle. None can succeed in proving anything false in the Quran, nor can anything be discovered till Resurrection which may be opposed to the truths and realities presented by the Quran.
What the Qur’an has declared as the truth can never be proven to be falsehood and that which it has declared as falsehood can never be proven to be the truth.