Belief in Books

What is the important of belief in books in islam? What does islam say about books?

A – Definition of The Divine Book and Belief In The Books

Kitāb is an Arabic word meaning “to write and a written document”. Its plural is “Kutub”. As a term, it is the words that Almighty Allah revealed to His prophets to guide and enlighten His servants and their written form. Since the Bible and the Torah were given to Christians and Jews as divine books, the Christians and the Jews are known as “the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitāb).” In a similar manner, these divine books are called “heavenly books”. They are the product of Almighty Allah’s attribute of kalām. Therefore, revelation is a communication that takes place between Allah and His messenger.

The belief in the scriptures includes believing that Almighty Allah has sent down books to some of His prophets and that their content at the time of revelation was completely true and factual. The following is stated in the Qur’an on this subject, “…Say: ‘I believe in the Book which Allah has sent down; and I am commanded to judge justly between you…’”^[1], “The Messenger believes in what hath 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 messengers…”^[2], and “O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture, which He has sent to His Messenger, and the scripture, which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, has gone far, far astray.”^[3]

Thus, the Qur’an affirmed the previous books, but abrogated some of their provisions and replaced them with new provisions. For a person to be considered a believer, it is necessary to believe in and obey the Prophet and the whole of the Qur’an that was revealed to him.^[4] Accordingly, in order for the People of the Book to be qualified as believers, it is necessary for them to believe in the Prophet (saw) and the provisions of the Qur’an.

B – Divine Books

The divine books were revealed to the prophets either as scrolls, as booklets, or as complete books. Therefore, we can divide the divine message into ṣuḥuf (Pages) and books. The books consist of the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Qur’an.

1) Suhuf (Pages)

Ṣuḥuf is the plural of the word ṣaḥifa. Booklets and treatises consisting of a few pages that were revealed to meet the needs of smaller communities in a narrow environment during the early periods of humanity are called “ṣuḥuf”. There are two verses in the Qur’an that speak about such scrolls that were revealed to Abraham and Moses.^[5]

In a hadith narrated by Abu Dharr (ra), the number of these pages is mentioned as 100 and they were sent down to the following prophets: 10 pages to Adam, 50 pages to Seth, 10 pages to Abraham, and 30 pages were sent to Enoch (Idris).^[6] None of these pages have survived to the present day. However, if the parables, advice, and information about the prophets mentioned above are brought together from the Qur’an, a significant amount of information can be obtained about the content of the revealed pages. This also applies to other divine books that have undergone changes.

There are four books, the Torah was revealed to Moses, the Psalms to David, the Gospel to Jesus, and the Qur’an to Muhammad.

The original copy of the divine books and pages is found in the “lawḥ al-mahfūẓ.” This phrase, which means, “Preserved Tablet” is mentioned in the Qur’an as follows: “Nay, this is a Glorious Qur’an, (Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved!”^[7] Imam Ghazālī (d. 505/1111) says the following in this matter: Allah has ordained and recorded everything that will happen from the creation of the worlds to the end of times. It is known by a number of names such as, “lawḥ al-mahfūẓ, kitāb al-mubīn, imām al-mubīn, kitāb al-maknūn and ‘umm al-kitāb”.^[8]

2) Books

Although the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel were texts that were acted upon as holy books in their own time, they have undergone changes in the historical process. According to Muhammad Hamidullah, the Bible, which includes the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel, which are in the hands of today’s people of the book, consists of books belonging to authors who lived in different periods and consist of different styles. These include historical books, religious and political speeches, pure prayers, books of wisdom, parables of the prophets, philosophical dialogues, and texts of law. It is an obvious fact that a wise person signed it with the name “Solomon”, an inspired historian as “Moses” and a prophetic person as “Isaiah” to a text with religious elements written in later periods.

Jesus’ style is slightly different since he did not write but spoke his message. Therefore, the Gospel texts written later are nothing but biographies of Jesus. These biographies contain information about what Jesus said or did and information that the Gospel writer learned from other sources. Accordingly, the Bible is neither similar to the Qur’an nor to the hadiths. It can be said that some of them are similar to the Sirah books of the Companions’ period and some of them to the later periods or the biographies of Muhammad.^[9]

a) Torah

According to the Islamic belief, the first of the four divine books to be believed in is the Torah. It was revealed to Prophet Moses (as). This book is also called “Ahd Atīq (Old Testament)” or “Ahd Qadīm (Ancient Testament)”. There is extensive information about the Torah and the Gospel in the Qur’an.

It is obligatory for every Muslim to believe that the original Torah is a holy book revealed to Moses by Allah. Denying this makes a person an unbeliever because numerous Qur’anic verses state that the original of the Torah is the word of Allah. The verse, “It was We who revealed the Torah (to Moses): therein was guidance and light….”^[10] is one of them.

When these copies are compared, the important differences between them become immediately evident. It is clear that these were written by people throughout the long Jewish history. Indeed, Moses lived in approximately the 13^th century BCE. However, the oldest Hebrew Torah copy is as a book written in the 7^th or 10^th century BCE. Accordingly, it is possible to say that there is no original copy of the Torah extant today and that the existing copies of the Torah have lost their feature of being a divine book as a result of various interventions.^[11]

b) Zabūr (Psalms)

Zabūr (Psalms), which lexically means “written thing and book”, is the name of the celestial book revealed to the Prophet Dawoud (as). Psalms are mentioned in three places in the Qur’an, for example, “Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (given to Moses): My servants the righteous, shall inherit the earth.”^[12], and “…We did bestow on some prophets more (and other) gifts than on others: and We gave to David (the gift of) the Psalms.”^[13]

Psalms are the smallest of the divine books and it is clearly stated that it did not bring any new religious provisions. The copies of the Psalms that are available today consist of lyrical utterances and hymns, praises to God, wise words, and some advice. It is accepted that some of the “Psalms” in the Old Testament are the Psalms given to the Prophet Dawoud (as). Today there is no separate book of Psalms in existence. Therefore, Muslims are only obliged to believe in the original form of the Psalms that was revealed to the Prophet Dawoud (as).^[14]

c) Injil (Gospel)

The word Injīl literally means “Gospel”. It was sent to the Israelites through Jesus. There is extensive information about Jesus and the Gospels in the Qur’an, and the places that Christians changed are explained with the following words,

“And in their footsteps, We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”^[15]

It is also clearly stated in the following Qur’anic verse that the message of revelation was handled as a whole in the historical process and that all of them should be believed without making any distinction: “Say: “We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ismaʿil, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam).””^[16]

Christians have made-up words such as “Jesus is the son of God”, which Jesus never conveyed to them.^[17] Allah tells us about their deviation points as follows: “They do blaspheme who say: “Allah is Christ the son of Mary.” But said Christ: “O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord.” Whoever joins other gods with Allah,- Allah will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help.”^[18], and “They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.”^[19]

Moreover, it is stated in the Qur’an that Jewish scholars and Christian priests changed the books sent down to them from Allah for their own benefit.^[20]

Today, the Christians have in their possession about sixty copies of the Gospels, written by eight people. The four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have been generally accepted by the churches, and they are part of what is known as the Ahd Jadīd (New Testament). The rest have been declared by the Church as apocryphal texts, of which the Gospel of Barnabas is of particular interest. Where and when these copies, which are full of contradictions among themselves, were written, also occupied Christian scholars for a long time.

In a consul convened in Nicaea 325 years after Jesus, only 318 out of more than a thousand participants accepted the status of the deity of Jesus and among the many Gospel copies, they adopted the four, mentioned above, as the official copies.

For that reason, when a Muslim receives any new data about any of the previous holy books, this information is only accepted if it is compatible with the information found in the Qur’an and sound hadiths, otherwise, it is rejected. However, if there is a subject that is never mentioned in the Qur’anic verses and hadiths, and it does not contradict the basic principles of Islam, it is necessary to act according to the following hadith: “Do not confirm or deny the People of the Book. Say we believe in Allah, what was revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham.”^[21]

d) The Qur’an

The Qur’an is described as follows: It is the word of Almighty Allah, which was revealed to Muhammad (saw) in Arabic, transmitted to us through tawātur, written in the musḥafs, starting with the chapter of al-Fatiha and ending with the chapter of al-Nās.

The Qur’an was revealed piecemeal over 23 years during the prophethood of Muhammad (saw). In the period of Mecca, which lasted about 13 years, less than one-third of the Qur’an was revealed. The verses in this period were mostly about faith, morality, fighting against polytheism, and exemplary parables of the previous nations. Muhammad (saw) migrated to Medina in 622 CE. Most of the verses about legal matters were revealed in the Medinan period. On the one hand, the principles related to acts of worship, the law of war, family, and inheritance, and on the other hand, the principles related to penal law, the law of procedure, treatments, and relations between states were revealed in the Medinan period. This is because in Medina an Islamic state was born that would implement these rules.

The Qur’an is a miracle that cannot be produced. The Prophet said, “Every Prophet was given miracles because of which people believed, but what I have been given, is Divine Inspiration which Allah has revealed to me. So I hope that my followers will outnumber the followers of the other Prophets on the Day of Resurrection.”^[22]

Allah Almighty states in the Qur’an that disbelievers will not be able to produce ten chapters or even a single chapter like that of the Qur’an.^[23]

Major Provisions Found in the Qur’an:

1. The Provisions of Creed

Important issues pertaining to faith in Allah, angels, holy books, the Last Day, fate and destiny, and the Hereafter, and various issues related to belief, are among the subjects covered by the Qur’an. The provisions of belief came mostly during the Meccan period, and its objective was to purify people from false convictions, beliefs, and superstitions.

2. Ibadāt

Acts of worship such as ritual prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and zakāt, which Muslims are obliged to perform, are included in the Qur’an in a concise manner, and their application, form, and details are left to the Sunnah. The following is stated in two of the hadiths: “Perform ritual prayers as I do.”^[24], and “Take your rites related to pilgrimage from me.”^[25]

Moreover, due to possible deficiency or error in worship and social behavior, the elimination of such errors in worship, the atonement for ẓihār,^[26] breaking an oath,^[27] and accidentally killing a believer^[28] are also considered like acts of worship.

3. Muʿamalāt

The Qur’an has also brought some provisions regulating the relations of the members of the society with each other or with the state. Transactions between real or legal persons such as shopping, leasing, barter, pledge, surety, partnership, borrowing and undertaking, trust, donation, testament, inheritance, family life, marriage, and divorce can be listed among these.

4. Uqubāt

The crimes committed by an individual and the punishments for such crimes fall into this group. Penal provisions aim to protect property, life, honor, lineage, and mind. The punishment determined by a Qur’anic verse or hadith is called “ḥadd”. These are penalties for such crimes as theft, highway robbery, adultery, slander of adultery, and drinking alcohol. The punishments that the Islamic State will impose for the benefit of the society and for the maintenance of public order are called “ta’zīr”. Such as warnings, beatings, exile, and imprisonment.

5. Judicial provisions

It aims at arranging the necessary steps in the trial of cases to bring about justice among the people, which include procedures such as testimony, oath, and judgment.

6. The relationship between those who administer and those who are governed

These provisions are based on principles such as justice, consultation, public benefit, cooperation, and protection. Justice is a principle that a state administration should observe first and foremost. There are verses in the Qur’an that command justice is, “Allah does command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due; And when you judge between man and man, that ye judge with justice…”^[29], and “Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin…”^[30] Moreover, the principle of shurā’ (consultation) assists in determining the best methods in state administration. For instance, it prevents arbitrary requests. The following is stated in the Qur’anic verses, “…who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation…”^[31], and “…consult them in affairs (of the moment). Then, when you have taken a decision put your trust in Allah.”^[32]

The first Qur’anic verse mentioned-above states that the Islamic administration, as understood from the text, is based on the principle of consultation among believers. However, it also includes the requirement of the Muslim community to elect and bring to power a community that will regulate the Islamic head of state and assists him in the regulation of state affairs. ^[33]

7. International law

The Qur’an has also introduced regulatory principles for relations with non-Muslim countries. For instance, according to Qur’anic verses, if an agreement is made between states, it is required to stand by such an agreement.^[34] In relation to a Muslim State, non-Muslims may have three statuses: a) Dhimmīs and mu’āhads (contractual ones), b) Musta’mans (those who are in an Islamic state with visa), and c) Combatants or ḥarbīs. This last group need not be at constant war with the Muslim nation. It is possible for them to join the Islamic community as Muslims at any time or agree to be in the first or second group.

Economics and financial law is a subject with financial aspects. In the Qur’an, these aspects, such as zakāh, tithe, fay’ and booty, wills, inheritance, nafaqa, surety, pledge, and sharing wealth found underground and aboveground are included as general principles. In fact, the form and conditions of their application are established by the Sunnah.

8. Moral provisions

These are provisions for the believer to strengthen his faith, to have sincerity, ṭaqwā, and virtue, and to acquire the best behavior in human relations through exemplary stories from the lives of the prophets, and Qur’anic verses that encourage good actions and caution people from doing what is forbidden and considered wrong.

9. Advice and recommendations

There are provisions in the Qur’an that remind believers to be sensitive about commands and prohibitions, not to prefer the world to the hereafter, and not to forget that they will be held accountable in the hereafter.

10. Promises and intimidations

There are many verses that state that those who do good deeds will go to paradise, and those who do not obey the prohibitions will enter hell.

11. Scientific facts

The Qur’an also includes many subjects linked to the positive sciences. It is stated in the Qur’an that the essence of life is water^[35] and that Allah creates everything in pairs. The creation in pairs was known to be for humans, animals, and some plants. Today’s science has proven that all plants have masculine and feminine genders and that they all have masculine and feminine cells. This is mentioned in the Qur’an as follows: “…and fruit of every kind He (Allah) made in pairs, two and two…”^[36], “And of everything We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction.”^[37] , and in another verse, “Glory to Allah, Who created in pairs all things that the earth produces, as well as their own (human) kind and (other) things of which they have no knowledge.”^[38]

In the last Qur’anic verse quoted above, it is observed that the creation in pairs is extended to inanimate beings as well. The presence of positive and negative poles in the magnet, and two forces one plus and the other minus in the structure of the atom, suggest this dualism.

Yet another aspect of creation in pairs is the grafting winds among the plants. This fact, which positive sciences discovered recently, is stated in the following verse of the Qur’an, “And We send the fecundating winds…”^[39]

The fact that the Earth and other planets were separated from the sun is one of the theories introduced by science. The Qur’an reports this as follows: “Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation) before We clove them asunder?”^[40]

The movement of the sun is mentioned in the chapter of Ya-Sin as, “And the sun runs its course for a period determined for it.”^[41] This movement can be around its own axis, or it also includes the movement it makes in space with its system towards a stopping place or time determined for it. The word “mustaqarr” in this verse includes all these meanings.^[42]

Moreover, under the command of Solomon (as), the wind’s ability to cover a month’s journey in one day^[43] draws attention to wind energy, and the transfer of the throne of Belqis in Yemen to Jerusalem in the blink of an eye^[44] may shed some light on the current efforts to transport matter by means of “teleportation”. Furthermore, it is possible to argue that the three features of iron, which are potentiality for violence, strength, and benefit to the people, are stated in chapter al-Ḥadīd (iron),^[45] pointing to hard steel as a weapon of war, the reinforcing basic material of industry and buildings, and the importance of iron in human blood.

12. Parables

The Qur’an also speaks at length about the previous nations and the past prophets. However, this information is not offered chronologically like a history book, but through exemplary events demonstrating wisdom so that human beings can take lessons from them. The Qur’an gives news about the tribes of ʿĀd, Thamūd, the prophets such as Lot, Noah, Abraham, and their tribes. Moreover, the stories of Moses (as) and Pharaoh, the lives of Mary, Jesus, and the prophet Yahya are revealed. The fact that such historical information is reported in accordance with the truth in a book revealed to an illiterate prophet, who was not educated by any teacher, is proof that it is a revelation from Allah.

There is no doubt that in the near future the archaeological and anthropological examination of these tribes and events mentioned in the Qur’an will bring many facts into the light.

13. Supplications

Since the human being is constantly in need of Allah’s help and forgiveness in this worldly life, there are many examples of invocations found in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah.

14. Predicting the future

It is also a fact that in the Qur’an people were informed about the conquest of Mecca before it took place. Moreover, in general, the reader of the Qur’an is informed that Islam would spread and become a world religion and that it would be superior to other religions. The following event provides a clear example:

After the Christian Byzantines were defeated by the Magus Persians in a war in 614 CE, the Quraysh told the Muslims, “We will defeat you just as the Persians defeated the Christian Byzantium (People of the Book)”, which brought much dismay to them. Thereupon, the following Qur’anic verse was revealed with a future prediction, “The Roman Empire has been defeated in a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon (between three and nine years) be victorious.”^[46] Indeed, in a war in 622 CE, the Christian Byzantines defeated the Persians.^[47]

[1] Al-Shūrā, 42: 15.[2] Al-Baqara, 2: 285.[3] Al-Nisā, 4: 136.[4] SeeĀl ʿImrān, 3: 31; al-Nisā, 4: 47; al-Mā’ida, 5: 15; al-Anʿām, 6: 153; al-Aʿrāf, 7: 3.[5] Al-Najm, 53: 36-37; al-Aʿlā, 87: 14-19.[6] See al-Ṣuyūṭī, al-Durr al-Manthūr, VIII, 489; al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Ma’ānī, XV, 141, 142. It has been stated that this narration is weak.[7] Al-Burūj, 85: 21-22.[8] See Elmalılı, Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, VI, 1012; H. Basri Çantay, Kur’an-ı Hakim ve Meal-i Kerim, Istanbul, 1965, III, 1167; Mehmed Aydın, İslam Dini ‘İlmihali, Konya 1981, p. 108,109[9] M. Hamidullah, Aziz Kur’an, Beyan Yayınevi, Istanbul, n.d., p. 22, 23.[10] Al-Mā’ida, 5: 44.[11] Şerafeddin Gölcük, ibid, p. 112, 113; Mehmed Aydın, ibid, p. 110.[12] Al-Anbiya, 21: 105.[13] Al-’Isrā, 17: 55; al-Nisā, 4: 163.[14] See Mehmed Aydın- Osman Cilacı, Dinler Tarihi, Konya 1980, p. 75.[15] Al-Mā’ida, 5: 46.[16] Āl ʿImrān, 3: 84.[17] Al-Tawba, 9: 30.[18] Al-Mā’ida, 5: 72.[19] Al-Mā’ida, 5: 73.[20] Al-Tawba, 9: 34.[21] Al-Bukhari, Tafsīr, chapter, 2/1, I’tisām, 25.[22] Al-Bukhari, Faḍā’il al-Qur’ān, 1; Muslim, Imān, 70.[23] See Hūd, 11: 13; al-Baqara, 2: 23; Yunus, 10: 38.[24] Al-Bukhari, Adhān, 18, Adab, 27, Aḥād, 1.[25] Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad, III, 318, 366.[26] Al-Mujadala, 58: 1-4.[27] Al-Mā’ida, 5: 89.[28] Al-Nisā, 4: 92.[29] Al-Nisā, 4: 58.[30] Al-Naḥl, 16: 90.[31] Al-Shūrā, 42: 38.[32] Āl Imran, 3: 159.[33] Muhammed Abu Zahra, ʿUṣūl al-Fiqh, 1377/1958, y.y., p. 100, 101, 141, 142; Abdülvehhab Hallaf, ‘İlmu ʿUṣūli’l-Fıkh, Trans. Hüseyin Atay, Ankara, 1973, p. 176.[34] Al-Naḥl, 16: 91.[35] Al-Anbiya, 21: 30; Maurice Bucaille, Müsbet İlim Yönünden Tevrat İncil ve Kur’an, Trans, Mehmet Ali Sönmez, Konya 1979, p. 297.[36] Al-Raʿd, 13: 3.[37] Al-Dhariyat, 51: 49.[38] Ya Sin, 36: 36.[39] Al-Hijr, 15: 22.[40] Al-Qaṣaṣ, 21: 30.[41] Ya Sin, 36: 38.[42] See H. Basri Çantay, Kur’an-ı Hakim ve Meal-i Kerim, 3rd ed., Istanbul 1959, II, 784, footnote, 46.[43] See Sad, 38: 35, 36; Saba, 34: 12.[44] See al-Naml, 27: 39, 40.[45] See al-Ḥadīd, 57: 25.[46] Al-Rūm, 30: 2-3.[47] al-Zurqānī, Manāhil al-Irfān fi ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān, Egypt n.d., II, 369; Elmalılı, Hak Dini Kur’an Dili, VI, 3795-3799.

Source:  Basic Islamic Principles (ʿilmi ḥāl) According to the Four Sunni Schools With Evidence From The Sources of Islamic Law, Prof. Hamdi Döndüren, Erkam Publications