Women Site, - Belief in the Heavenly Books - I

In the cave of Hiraa' and away from people, Jibreel )Gabriel( came
down to our Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, while he
was worshiping Allaah The Almighty The One Who Has no partner and said
to him: "Recite." Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said, "I
cannot recite,". Jibreel pressed him hard and repeated the order
'Recite.' 'I cannot recite' said he trembling and terrified, and once
again he pressed him hard and said: 'Recite.' Again he answered while
shaking and trembling 'I cannot recite.' Jibreel held him for the
third time then released him and said:}Recite in the name of your Lord
who created.{]Quran 96: 1[
Then this situation comes to an end and Jibreel disappears. Muhammad
hurries back home, trembling and sweating profusely. He enters upon
his wife Khadeejah and says to her:Cover me, cover me.]Al-Bukhari[ She
covers him with wool covers, and wipes the sweat from his forehead.
The Will of Allaah The Almighty has been fulfilled and the seal
prophet on earth was chosen to convey the call of Allaah The Almighty
to His slaves. The verse mentioned above was the first verse that
Allaah The Almighty revealed to His Messenger from the Noble Quran
which is the book that Allaah The Almighty chose to be the
ever-lasting miracle and clear argument with the seal of the Prophets.
This book is not the only book that Allaah The Almighty has sent down;
rather, there are other books such as Tawraah )Torah( Injeel )Gospel(,
Zaboor )Psalms(, and Suhuf )Scriptures(.
The Muslim individual believes in all books that Allaah The Almighty
revealed to His Prophets and Messengers in much the same way as he
believes in the Noble Quran which Allaah The Almighty revealed to
Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Allaah The Almighty mentioned
some of these books in the Noble Quran and did not mention some
others. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Mankind was ]of[ one
religion ]before their deviation[; then Allaah sent the prophets as
bringers of good tidings and warners and sent down with them the
Scripture in truth to judge between the people concerning that in
which they differed. And none differed over the Scripture except those
who were given it - after the clear proofs came to them - out of
jealous animosity among themselves. And Allaah guided those who
believed to the truth concerning that over which they had
differed.{]Quran 2: 213[
Amongst the books that Allaah The Almighty mentioned in the Noble Quran are:
1. The Scriptures of Ibraaheem )Abraham( and Moosa )Moses(, may Allaah
exalt their mention:
They are the Scriptures that Allaah The Almighty sent down to
Ibraaheem and Musa, may Allaah exalt their mention. Allaah The
Almighty Says )what means(:
•}Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses.
And ]of[ Abraham, who fulfilled ]his obligations[{]Quran 53: 36-37[
•}Indeed, this is in the former scriptures, The scriptures of Abraham
and Moses{]Quran 87: 18-19[
Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: I said: O Messenger
of Allaah! How were the Scriptures of Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his
mention? He said: They were full of examples; O Arrogant tested
domineering king! I have not sent you to collect the vain gains of
this world, but rather I sent you to respond to the supplication of
the wronged person on my behalf for I never reject it even if it is
from a disbeliever. Every sane person must – as long as his mind is
not absent - take time to invoke his lord, time to bring himself to
account, time to contemplate the creation of Allaah The Almighty, and
time to seek his needs from food and drinking.
Every sane person must not move except for three things: preparing the
provision for the appointed time, improving his life and enjoying a
lawful pleasure. Also, every sane person must be mindful of his time,
must look after his affairs and protect his tongue )from obscene
speech(. Whoever thinks of his speech as part of his deeds, he will
not speak except in what is beneficial for him.
Then I said: O Messenger of Allaah! How were the Scriptures of Moosa
)Moses(, may Allaah exalt his mention? He said: "They were full of
wisdoms: I am amazed at the one who is certain of death and then he
feels happy. I am amazed at the one who is certain of Hell and then he
laughs. I am amazed at the one who is certain of preordainance and
then he exhausts himself. I am amazed at the one who has seen the
world and how the fortunes of its people change and then he feels
reassured. I am amazed at the one who is certain of Reckoning tomorrow
and then he does not work."
2. Tawraah )Torah(
It is the book that Allaah The Almighty revealed to Moosa )Moses(, may
Allaah exalt his mention, and ordered the prophets who came after him
to establish and fulfill its rulings, for Allaah The Almighty sent
them and did not send any books with them; rather, He made Tawraah
their book and religion. Allaah The Almighty Says )what
means(:}Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and
light. The prophets who submitted ]to Allaah [ judged by it for the
Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were
entrusted of the Scripture of Allaah , and they were witnesses
thereto.{]Quran 5: 44[ Allaah The Almighty called he Tawraah
"Al-Furqaan" in the Noble Quran.
3. Az-Zaboor )Psalms(
It is one of the heavenly books. Allaah The Almighty revealed it to
Daawood )David(, may Allaah exalt his mention. Allaah The Almighty
Says )what means(:}And to David We gave the book ]of Psalms[.{]Quran
17: 55[ Daawood, may Allaah exalt his mention, used to read a great
deal in Az-Zaboor which the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, named Quran because of its similarity to the Noble Quran in
their miraculousness. He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:"The
reciting of the Zaboor )i.e. Psalms( was made easy for Daawood. He
used to order that his riding animals be saddled, and would finish
reciting the Zaboor before they were saddled. And he would never eat
except from the earnings of his manual work."]Al-Bukhaari[
Allaah The Almighty sent down in Az-Zaboor precious wisdoms and
praises of Him. Allaah The Almighty did not reveal in it any rulings
of the permissible and prohibited actions for they were enjoined to
take their rulings from the Tawraah.
4. Injeel )Gospel(
Allaah The Almighty revealed it to 'Eesa )Jesus(, may Allaah exalt his
mention. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:
•}And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary,
confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him
the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which
preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the
righteous.{]Quran 5: 46[
•}Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed
]them[ with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel{]Quran 57:
27[
Wisdom behind revealing Books
The Muslim individual believes that these books were revealed by
Allaah The Almighty. They called to At-Tawheed )monotheism( and to
associating nothing with Him. Allaah The Almighty Says )what
means(:}And We certainly sent into every nation a messenger, ]saying[,
"Worship Allaah and avoid Taghut.{]Quran 16: 36[
The Muslim believes that the wisdom behind revealing books is to guide
human beings to the straight path of Allaah The Almighty, eliminate
disagreement and discord from among them, bear for them the glad
tidings of the pleasure of Allaah The Almighty if they obeyed Him and
warn them against His punishment if the disobeyed Him; and that the
heavenly books – other than the Noble Quran – have not remained in
their original state in which Allaah The Almighty sent them down;
rather, they were exposed to alteration and distortion and the words
of humans have mingled with the Words of Allaah The Almighty in them.
Forms of the distortion of the Divinly Revealed Books
Distortion of the divinely revealed books took different forms. The
Noble Quran mentioned some of them such as:
1- Hiding some verses, Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}O People
of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to
you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking
much.{]Quran 5: 15[
2- Misinterpretation of the intended meanings of the verses, Allaah
The Almighty Says )what means(:}And indeed, there is among them a
party 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 Allaah," but it is not from Allaah. And they speak
untruth about Allaah while they know.{]Quran 3: 78[
3- Displacing verses from their original places. Allaah The Almighty
Says )what means(:}Among the Jews are those who distort words from
their ]proper[ usages and say, "We hear and disobey.{]Quran 4: 46[
4- Adding what is not from the Book to it; Allaah The Almighty Says
)what means(:}And among them are unlettered ones who do not know the
Scripture except in wishful thinking, but they are only assuming. So
woe to those who write the "scripture" with their own hands, then say,
"This is from Allaah ," in order to exchange it for a small price. Woe
to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for what
they earn.{]Quran 2: 78-79[
Distortion of the Tawraah )Torah(
Belief in the Tawraah that Allaah The Almighty revealed to Moosa, may
Allaah exalt his mention, is one of the main pillars of the religion
of Islam. Muslims believe that it included all goodness, called for
the worship of Allaah Alone and it was a light and guidance. Allaah
The Almighty Says )what means(:}Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in
which was guidance and light.{]Quran 5: 44[
However, the Tawraah that was revealed to Moosa, may Allaah exalt his
mention, does not exist anymore in its original state. The claimed
Tawraah of nowadays was written by many writers and in different
times. It was distorted and altered.
Amongst the material proofs of its distortion is that the Tawraah that
is in the hands of Christians is different from the one that is in the
hands of Jews. The Noble Quran recorded that distortion and rebuked
the Jews for their distortion and alteration of the Tawraah. Allaah
The Almighty Says )what means(:}Do you covet ]the hope, O believers[,
that they would believe for you while a party of them used to hear the
words of Allaah and then distort the Torah after they had understood
it while they were knowing?{]Quran 2: 75[
They had the nerve to distort and alter the Book of Allaah The
Almighty to hide the truth that it contained and all that can prove
the prophethood of Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, although
they knew him well. Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Those to
whom We gave the Scripture know him as they know their own sons. But
indeed, a party of them conceal the truth while they know ]it[.{]Quran
2: 146[ Though they knew him well, they did not believe in him and
were too arrogant to do so. Allaah The Almighty Says )what
means(:}Among the Jews are those who distort words from their ]proper[
usages.{]Quran 4: 46[
Amongst the evidences that prove the distortion of the current Tawraah
are the descriptions mentioned in it which do not befit the Majesty
and Perfection of Allaah The Almighty such as: And the LORD God said,
Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil."
]Genesis 3: 22[ and "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on
the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. ]Genesis 6: 6[."
Can these be the Words of Allaah The Almighty? Can grief and regret be
attributed to Allaah The Almighty? In fact, such malicious claims
entail that Allaah The Almighty did not have knowledge of the results
of His actions. No, Allaah The Almighty is high above any defect and
shortcoming. Allaah The Almighty has comprehensive knowledge that
encompasses everything. Exalted is He and high above what they say by
great sublimity.
Another proof of the distortion of the current Tawraah is what is
mentioned in it of describing prophets in a way that negates the
infallibility that Allaah The Almighty granted them. They mentioned
that Ibraaheem )Abraham( is a liar, that Haroon )Aaron( called Banu
Israa'eel )Children of Israel( to worship the Calf, and that Sulaymaan
)Solomon( worshiped idols to please his wife. Can any human being who
has a sound mind say such words; let alone being revealed by Allaah
The Almighty to guide humans with it?