More Questions From a Christian

Evidently you have some knowledge about Islam, though how extensive and objective your research remains to be seen. Allow me to clear up some misconceptions first.

First, I don’t know of any Muslim that considers the Bible “holy.” I certainly don’t use that phrase, though I can’t speak for every Muslim on the planet.

I must also clarify some terminology. The word “Bible” is a Greek word used colloquially to refer to the holy book of Christians which includes both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

However, the word Bible is never used in the Quran to refer to the holy scriptures of Christians and Jews. When referencing the scriptures of Christians and Jews, the Quran uses the two phrases you’ve mentioned already.

At-Tawrah (The Law) which many people mistakenly refer to as the Old Testament or the Torah. At-Tawrah, in Islam, refers to the laws given by Allah to His prophet Moses (Musa in Arabic) peace be upon him. Muslims do believe that the original teachings of Moses were divinely inpired by Allah and that they are holy.

7:144
(Allah) said: “O Moses! I have chosen thee above (other) men, by the mission I (have given thee) and the words I (have spoken to thee): take then the (revelation) which I give thee, and be of those who give thanks.”

However the original teachings have been altered over the several thousand years since Moses’ death. Most modern scholars believe the current Torah to have been produced by several different authors over time. This modern analysis conforms with what Allah states in the Quran when He says:

2:75.
Can you (Believers) entertain the hope that they (Children of Israel) will believe in you? — Seeing that a party of them heard the Word of God, and perverted it knowingly after they understood it.

You also mentioned the Injeel. Muslims do not believe the New Testament is the Injeel. Nor do we believe the four gospels are the Injeel. We do not follow the gospel according to Mark, Luke, John, or Matthew not to mention the teachings and letters of Paul. When the Quran mentions the Injeel, or the Gospel, it is the Gospel according to Jesus that Muslims are interested in.

The four gospels themselves are not authoritative anyway. Modern scholars are unanimous that it is unlikely they were written by the men they are attributed. Therefore, the only Injeel that we consider holy is the Injeel of Jesus, may Allah be pleased with him.

To summarize, Muslims are obligated to believe in all of the Books of Allah. This includes the Quran, Tawrah of Moses, Injeel of Jesus, Zabur of David (peace be upon them all) and countless other prophetic teachings that have been lost to history. But this means the original texts as revealed to the prophets themselves, for they would all teach the same lessons:

• Worship none other but Allah.
• Follow the teachings of the prophets.
• Live a righteous and moral life.

The Quran by comparison does not suffer from the same changes to its manuscript. Since the days of Prophet Muhammad, it has been customary for Muslims to memorize the Quran. The Quran was memorized by several of Muhammad’s companions during his lifetime. The Quran was put into book form just a few years after his death while most of his companions were still alive.