islam is a divine religion based on wisdom and a set of beliefs. belief in islam is based on six articles of faith. these are the belief in the unity of god, the belief in the angels of god, 4 holy books of god, the belief in all the prophets of god, the belief in the day of judgment and the decree divine, that is, destiny. therefore, it is crucial that all believing men and women be persuaded wholeheartedly to adhere to this set of beliefs.
However, it is important to note here that the 6 main beliefs of Islam are different from the 5 pillars of Islam and should not be confused. the 5 pillars of islam are fundamental “practices in islam”. they are a declaration of faith (shahada), salah, zakat, fasting and hajj (pilgrimage). here we will shed light on one of the basic beliefs of islam: 4 holy books of islam and everything you need to know about these books.
You are reading: Holy books for islam
what are the 4 holy books?
As mentioned, belief in divine books is the third article of faith in the Islamic religion. therefore, believing in earlier revelations and the prophets that came before muhammad (pbuh) is of the utmost importance.
allah’s 4 holy books are zabur (revealed to dawud a.s), tawrat (revealed to musa a.s), injeel (revealed to isa a.s) and holy quran (revealed to muhammad (pbuh).
All these four books, although sent to different prophets and nations, share basic values. They all focus on one god as the ultimate power and god sent guide for ordinary people to live their lives accordingly. these books also discuss the principle of heaven and hell.
Furthermore, the three scriptures prior to the holy quran unfortunately do not remain in their original form and have been altered from time to time according to the wishes of their followers.
1 – holy book: the tawrat
tawrat was revealed to musa (a.s). Many associate the towrat with the Torah of the Jewish faith or the Old Testament of Christianity. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the Qur’anic verse, the religious scholars of those religions sold the verses (this alters the verses or excludes them from the original text) in exchange for their worldly wishes and benefits.
the tawrat contains the ten commandments for the children of israel. It was given to the Prophet Musa on Mount Sinai. it was much needed as the Israelites began to worship the golden calf, and thus indulged in shirk. musa (a.s) delivered true guidance from allah through tawrat. tawrat was revealed in the Hebrew language, which is considered to be the oldest language of the Jews.
There are currently over seventy versions of the Torah Bible around the world. believers of the Jewish faith usually read it at the beginning of the Jewish new year.
2 – holy book: the zabur
zabur is the Arabic word for psalms. Revealed to prophet Dawud (a.s), it was an inscription on palm leaves as heard by most people. It is also said that the revelations used to come to the prophet Dawud (a.s) in the form of chants or chants.
the prophet dawud, who also had the honor of being the king, sang the zabur verses instead of a mere recitation. in the hadith narrated by abu huraira (raa), zabur was made easy for the prophet dawud. the original text is also not available to us at the present time, as it was also manipulated by the Jewish holy men. Zabur is mentioned three times in the Holy Quran. It is made up of 150 chapters and is divided into 5 sections.
So, who are the readers/users of the psalms? it is used by traditional Eastern and Western Jews and Christians. the quranic verse mentions that allah has previously mentioned paradise in the book of psalms. therefore, the general guidelines of the authentic text of the book seem to be similar to the Qur’anic teachings, that is, they mention the reward in the form of eternal paradise.
3 – holy book: the injeel
See Also: Reading Louise Erdrich to My Son – Rethinking Schools
also known as the gospel, the injeel was revealed to the prophet isa (a.s). to the dismay, the original meaning of the book has also changed over a period of time. many muslims have the belief that the original injeel text revealed the coming of the prophet muhammad pbuh. injeel appears 12 times in the holy quran.
the injeel mentioned in the quran is not the new testament. instead, it mentions the authentic and unique gospel that was revealed to jesus and whose teaching he imparted to his nation.
algerian muslim scholar tahir al-jaza’iri of the 1900’s era has an interesting view of injeel. he explains according to his study:
- injeel explains the truth
- calls humanity to profess the unity of the creator
- cancel some secondary laws specific to the tow rat
- to announce the coming of the prophet muhammad (phub), the seal of the prophets.
4 – the holy quran:
the holy quran was revealed about the last prophet of islam, muhammad (saw). while the 3 books mentioned above were revealed to people of a specific era and geographical location, the quran is addressed to all mankind. Regardless of time, era, caste, creed, or any other differences, the Qur’an is universal. each and every word of the quran remains today in its original form.
quran was revealed over a period of 23 years through the angel jibrail. the companions of the prophet muhammad (saw) memorized the quran as it was revealed and then wrote it down. Quran has a total of 114 chapters. 86 of which deal with the life in mecca of the prophet muhammad (saw), while 28 chapters of the quran deal with the migration of the prophet (peace be upon him) to medina.
conclusion:
allah sent his books through his chosen messengers to guide his people. islam denies the corruption and manipulation done in the original scriptures of the previous books. so it is forbidden to read them to adapt them to his teaching. however, the scholars of Islam have been referring to these books to gain comparative knowledge of religion and to resolve doubts about the differences between these religions with wisdom.
the true word of allah that remains to this day is the holy quran. We hope that you were able to assess the comprehensive understanding in this “Everything You Need To Know About The 4 Holy Books In Islam” guide. may allah give us guidance and wisdom to explore more about islam.
See Also: All 130 Dean Koontz Books in Order | Ultimate Guide