Belief in The Revealed Books

In Arabic, the word for the books is Kutub, the plural of Kitab, meaning that which is written. Here books refers to those Books that Allah Almighty revealed to His Messengers, as a mercy and guidance to all human beings, so that through the Books, they could achieve happiness in this life and in the Hereafter.

Belief in Allah's Books is one of the pillars of Iman. This means that we must believe with certainty that Allah has certain Books that He revealed to His Messengers, so that they would reach His worshippers with the clear truth. Those Books consist of Allah's Speech: He really spoke them - as He willed and in a way that He willed.

Proofs indicating That Belief in the Books is Obligatory

1) Allah Almighty says:

Say, "We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrahim, Isma'il, Ishaq, Ya'qub, and to Al-Asbat [the twelve sons of Ya'qub], and that which has been given to Musa and 'Iesa, and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam).” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 136)

Indeed Allah has ordered the believers to believe in Him and in what He has sent down to them through Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) - the Noble Qur'an. He also ordered them to believe in what was revealed to the Prophets from their Lord, without differentiating between anyone of them. They were required to do that, showing their submission to Allah and their faith in what He Almighty informed them.

2) Allah Almighty says:

The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. They say, "We make no distinction between one and another of His Messengers" - and they say, "We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all)." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 285)

This verse describes the faith of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and of the believers; it clarifies the faith they have been ordered to have - faith in Allah, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers - without differentiation between them. Therefore disbelief in some of them is tantamount to disbelief in all of them.

3) Allah Almighty says:

O you who believe! Believe in Allah, and His Messenger, and the Book (the Qur'an) which He has sent down to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him), and whosoever disbelieves in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away. (Surah An-Nisa’ 4: 136)

In this verse, Allah Almighty orders us to believe in Allah, in His Messenger (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam), in the Book revealed to the Messenger - the Qur'an, and in the Books revealed before the Qur'an. An important point to understand here is that Allah joined disbelief in the Angels, Books, Messengers, and the Last Day with disbelief in Him.

4) When Jibril (Alayhi Salam) asked the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) about faith, he (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

To believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in Divine Preordainment - both the good and bad of it.

In this Hadith, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) informed us that belief in the Books is one of the pillars of faith.




What Belief in the Books includes

Belief in the Books includes four matters:

1) Belief that they were indeed sent down or revealed from Allah.

2) Belief specifically in those Books that Allah taught us the names of, such as the Qur'an. Allah Almighty says:

And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (as Muslims). (Surah An-Nahl 16:89)

The Tawrah that Allah revealed to Musa (Alayhi Salam):

Verily, We did send down the Tawrah [to Musa], therein was guidance and light. (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5: 44)

The Injil that Allah revealed to 'Iesa (Alayhi Salam)

And in their footsteps, We sent 'Iesa, son of Maryam, confirming the Tawrah that had come before him, and We gave 'him the Injil, in which was guidance and light. (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5: 46)

The Zabur that Allah gave to Dawud, (Alayhi Salam):



And the Scriptures of Ibrahim and Musa (Alayhum Salam) :



3) We must apply the rulings and laws of the Qur'an; but moreover, we must be pleased with those rulings, submitting to them, regardless of whether we understand the wisdom for any given ruling or not. We must also know that all of the previous Books have been abrogated by the Noble Qur'an, for Allah Almighty says:

And We have sent down to you the Book (this Qur'an) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Muhayminan over it (the earlier Scriptures).(Surah Al-Ma’idah 5: 48)

Muhayminan over the old Scriptures means judging over them. Therefore it is not permissible to apply any of the laws from the previous Books unless the Qur'an confirms that law. Whenever there is a matter about which we are not sure, we must not turn to those Books, but to the Qur'an, for Allah Almighty says:



4) The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said:

By the One Who has my soul in His Hand, no one hears about me from this nation, from the Jews, or from the Christians, and then dies without believing in what I have been sent with, except that he is from the dwellers of the Fire. (Recorded by Muslim)

This Hadith states in the clearest of terms that the religion the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) came with abrogates all that came before it, which is why it includes all that mankind needs in this world until the Day of Judgement. If people follow what the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) came with, they will achieve happiness in the Hereafter. And Allah Almighty guaranteed the preservation of the Qur'an, so that it remains as a proof over mankind. Allah Almighty says:

Verily, those who disbelieved in the Reminder (i.e., the Qur'an) when it came to them (shall receive the punishment). And verily, it is an honorable respected Book. Falsehood cannot come to it from before it or behind it (it is) sent down by the All-Wise, Worthy of all praise. (Surah Fussilat 41:41-42)

To continue Insha Allah

The Meaning of Qur'an

In the Arabic language, Al-Qur'an is taken from the infinitive Qira'ah, which means reading. From it comes the verb Qara'a, as in Qara'tul-Kitab: I read the book. Allah uses the word Qur'an with the meaning of 'to read' in this verse:



Then the word Qur'an was given a new meaning -- as a name for the Book that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam). It is called the Qur'an because it embraces the fruits of all previous Books revealed by Allah. 'Allah Almighty says:

And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (as Muslims). (Surah An-Nahl 16: 89)

The Meaning Of Qur'an As An Islamic Term

It is Allah's Speech, it is the miracle that was sent down to His Messenger, Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) as revelation, and its recitation is a form of worship.

The Qur'an is preserved in the hearts of men, it is recited on their tongues, and it is written in Mushafs (books), it is heard by the ears of men, and it has been transmitted to us by so many trustworthy sources that there is no doubt as to its authenticity.

The Qur'an is Allah’s Speech

In its wording and meaning, the Qur'an is Allah's Speech, and it is not created. Jibril, (Alayhi Salam) heard it and conveyed it to Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam), who in turn conveyed it to his Companions, (Radhi Allahu Anhum). It is the same Qur'an that we recite with our tongues, write in Mushafs, memorize in our breasts, and listen to with our ears. Allah Almighty says:



It is recorded by Al-Bukhari and Muslim that 'Abdullah bin 'Umar (Radhi Allahu Anhuma) narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) forbade Muslims from travelling with the Qur'an to the land the enemy. And the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said,



Belief in all that we have stated about the Qur'an is obligatory. It is also obligatory to believe that the Qur'an is the final Book revealed from Allah: it came to confirm and support those truths that Allah revealed in previous Books; but it was also revealed to clarify how man distorted those previous books. Therefore the Qur'an gives us an all-embracing Shari’ah - set of laws to live by - one that is suitable for all times and places, one that abrogates all previous laws. These beliefs are compulsory upon all those who have received the message until the time of the Hour. Since the time the Qur'an was revealed, Allah Almighty informed us, that He accepts no religion other than Islam.