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Lesson Belief in the Books
The firm belief that God Almighty has books that He sent down to His Messengers to convey to His servants, that these books are the words of Allah that He actually spoke in a manner that befits Him the Glorious, and that these books contain truth, light, guidance, and happiness for people in both abodes (in this life and the hereafter).
The Importance of Belief in the Books
Belief in books is one of the pillars of faith. The Almighty said: {O you who have believed, believe in Allah, His Messenger, the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down before} (An-Nisa: 136). So Allah commanded belief in Him, in His Messenger, and in the book that was revealed to His Messenger ﷺ, which is the Qur’an, just as He commanded belief in the books revealed before the Qur’an.
The Prophet ﷺ stated that faith is “to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day. It is also to believe in the divine decree, both good and bad"(Muslim 8).
What does believing in the books include?
What is our position on what is in the previous books?
A Muslim believes that the Torah revealed upon Moses (peace be upon him) and the Bible revealed upon Jesus (peace be upon him) are indeed from Allah Almighty. They include legislation, admonition, and reports that serve as guidance and light for people concerning their livelihood, life, and the hereafter. However, Allah the Exalted told us in the Noble Qur’an that the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) have distorted their books, added and subtracted from their original content, so they do not currently exist as Allah originally revealed them.
Therefore, the Torah currently in existence is not the Torah that was revealed to Moses (peace be upon him) because the Jews distorted it, altered it, and toyed with many of its rulings. The Almighty said: {And verily, there is among them a group who alter the Scripture with their tongues. So you may think it is from the Scripture, but it is not from the Scripture. And they say, “This is from Allah,” but it is not from Allah. They knowingly speak falsehood about Allah} (Ale-'Imran:78).
In addition, the Bible that now exists is not the Bible that was revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him); Christians have distorted the Gospel and changed many of its legislations. The Almighty said about the Christians: {And from those who say "We are Christians," We took their covenant. But they forgot a portion from which they were reminded. So We caused among them animosity and hatred until the Day of Resurrection. And Allah will inform them about what they used to do} (Al-Maidah:14).
That is why we find that what is called the Holy Book in the hands of the People of the Book today, containing the Torah and the Gospel, includes many corrupt beliefs, false news, and fictional tales.
Even though we believe that the Torah and the Gospel that exist today have been distorted and altered, as stated in the Qur'an, a Muslim respects them and does not insult or defile them. That is because they may contain within them something of the remnants of Allah's words that have not been distorted.
What is our duty towards the Holy Qur'an?
When Aisha (may God be pleased with her) was asked about the character of the Prophet ﷺ she said: “His character was the Qur’an” (Ahmed 24601).
The meaning of the hadith is that the Messenger ﷺ, through his life, his deeds, and his words, was the practical application of the commandments in the Qur'an and its laws. As a result, he ﷺ achieved perfection in following the guidance of the Qur'an. And he is the role model for each of us, as Allah said in the Qur'an: {There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.} (Al-Ahzab:21).
Ease of memorization and recitation of the Qur’an by people from all parts of the world despite their different languages and circumstances is the greatest evidence of Allah's preservation of this great book.
Features and characteristics of the Noble Quran:
The Noble Qur’an is the word of Allah Almighty revealed to our role model and prophet, Muhammad ﷺ. Therefore, the believer venerates this book, strives to adhere to its rulings, recites it, and contemplates it. The Quran is enough of a guide for us in this world and the reason for our victory in the hereafter. The Holy Qur’an has many distinctive features and many characteristics that sets it apart from previous heavenly scriptures, including:
1- The Noble Qur’an includes a summary of the divine rulings
It came to support and confirm what was stated in the previous books regarding the command to worship Allah alone. Allah Almighty said: {Then We revealed the Book to you (O Muhammad!) with Truth, confirming whatever of the Book was revealed before, and protecting and guarding over it} (Al-Ma'idah:48). The meaning of {confirming whatever of the Book was revealed before} is that it conforms with what the accounts and beliefs in the previous books. And {protecting and guarding over it} means that it is a trusted witness to what came in the previous books.
2- All people, despite their different languages and ethnicities, should adhere to it.
and act in accordance to it, no matter how much later their time is from the time of the revelation of the Qur’an. This is unlike the previous books, which were designated for specific peoples at a specific time. The Almighty said: {And this Qur’an was revealed to me so that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches.} (Al-An'am:19).
3- Allah Almighty has ensured the preservation of the Noble Qur’an
It is never been subject to distortion and it never will be, because Allah the Glorified says: {Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e., the Qur’an], and indeed, We will be its guardian} (Al-Hijr:9). Therefore, all its accounts are true and must be believed.
