Third, Belief in Books..
Among the six pillars of faith is to believe in the books that Allah sent to his prophets and messengers.
Definition:
Books are plural of a book. The book is what contains useful words that have multiple purposes.
The books in which one must believe: they are the papers that contained the word of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, which He revealed to His Messengers, peace be upon them, so they were books, or they remained scriptures that were not collected, and were not composed.
The scriptures: such as the books of Ibrahim and Moses, peace be upon them.
And books: such as the Tawrah, the Psalms, the Injil, and the Great Quraan.
The truth of belief in books:
The meaning of belief in the divine books, which is part of the believer’s belief:
A firm belief in what Allah Almighty revealed from His words “to those whom He has chosen among His Messengers, peace be upon them.” So, they were collected and written down, so they were “purifying scrolls” and “valuable books”
The believer should believe in what was known of these books, and what he does not know he should believe also in it.
What are these books and what are their names?
Among these books are what Allah called in the Noble Quraan, and some of them are not named, and there is no source for knowing the books except the Noble Quraan.
Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, told us:
1- The Torah:
Which was revealed to "Moses" - peace be upon him.
"إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا مِن كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا عَلَيْهِ شُهَدَاءَ"
"Verily, We did send down the Taurât (Torah) [to Mûsâ (Moses)], therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, who submitted themselves to Allâh’s Will, judged for the Jews. And the rabbis and the priests [too judged for the Jews by the Taurât (Torah) after those Prophets], for to them was entrusted the protection of Allâh’s Book, and they were witnesses thereto."
2- Injil:
Which was revealed to Eissa, peace be upon him.
"وَقَفَّيْنَا عَلَى آثَارِهِم بِعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْإِنجِيلَ فِيهِ هُدًى وَنُورٌ وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَهُدًى وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ" .سورة المائدة / آية : 46 .
"And in their footsteps, We sent ‘Îsâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary),[1] confirming the Taurât (Torah) that had come before him, and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Taurât (Torah) that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Muttaqûn (the pious).
3- zaboor:
Which was revealed to Dawood, peace be upon him.
" وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا " .سورة الإسراء / آية : 55 .
"and to Dâwûd (David) We gave the Zabûr (Psalms)"
4- Scriptures that were revealed to Ibrahim, peace be upon him.
قال تعالى"أَمْ لَمْ يُنَبَّأْ بِمَا فِي صُحُفِ مُوسَى* وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى" .سورة النجم /آية : 36 ، 37 .
"Or has he not been informed of what was in the scriptures of Moses"
وقال تعالى "إِنَّ هَذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَى * صُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى" . سورة الأعلى / آية : 18 ، 19 .
"Indeed, this is in the former scriptures, The scriptures of Abraham and Moses."
As for the other books that were revealed to all the Messengers, Allah, Glory be to Him, did not tell us about their names, but rather, Glory be to Him, told us that every prophet sent by Allah has a message that he conveyed to his people.
"كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ النَّبِيِّينَ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ.."سورة البقرة / آية : 213 .
"Mankind were one community and Allâh sent Prophets with glad tidings and warnings, and with them He sent down the Scripture in truth to judge between people in matters wherein they differed. And only those to whom (the Scripture) was given differed concerning it after clear proofs had come unto them through hatred, one to another. Then Allâh by His Leave guided those who believed to the truth of that wherein they differed. And Allâh guides whom He wills to the Straight Path".
We must believe in these books that have not been named in general, and it is not permissible for us to attribute a book to Allah Almighty except what he attributes to himself from what we have been told about in the Noble Quraan.
We must also believe that these books were revealed with truth, light, guidance, and the oneness of Allah.
Glory be to Him in His Godliness, Divinity, Names, and Attributes, and whatever is attributed to them contrary to that is the distortion of human beings and their creation.
We must believe that the Great Quraan is the last book that was revealed from Allah Almighty, and that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has singled it out with advantages that distinguish it from all other books. The most important advantages are:
1- It included a summary of the divine teachings, and came as a supporter and corroborator of what was stated in the previous books of the oneness of Allah, his worship and the obligation to obey him.
And collected all that was scattered in those books of good deeds and virtues. He came as a dominant , acknowledging what was right therein, and showing the distortion and change that had been made to it.
قال تعالى "وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ"سورة المائدة / آية : 48 .
"And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) the Book (this Qur’ân) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Muhaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures)."
2- The Quraan is the only divine book that Allah has pledged to preserve.
.قال تعالى "إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ " .سورة الحجر / آية : 9 .
"Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’ân) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)."
3- The Quraan was revealed by Allah to His Messenger Muhammad, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him and his family, for all people, and it is not specific to a specific people as the previous books were revealed. So, protecting it from distortion and protecting it from people’s tampering. So that what is in it remains Allah's proof over people, until Allah inherits the earth and what is on it.
As for the other books, the speech in each of them was directed to a particular nation rather than the rest of the nations.
Although they agreed on the principle of the religion, but the laws and rulings that were revealed in them were specific to certain times and peoples.
قال تعالى "..لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا" .سورة المائدة / آية : 48 .
"To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way".
Therefore, Allah Almighty did not undertake to memorize any of them over time, as in the case with the Quraan.
Rather, the Almighty told in his last book (the Quraan) about the distortion that occurred on those books.
The distortion and change that the Jews made to the Torah, Allah said:
"أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَن يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِن بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ" .سورة البقرة / آية : 75 .
"Do you (faithful believers) covet that they will believe in your religion inspite of the fact that a party of them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allâh [the Taurât (Torah)], then they used to change it knowingly after they understood it?"
وقال أيضًا" "مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ"سورة النساء / آية : 46
"Among those who are Jews, there are some who displace words from (their) right places".
As for the distortion that the Christians made to the Injil, Allah said:
" وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَى أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَهُمْ فَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَسَوْفَ يُنَبِّئُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ *يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمْ كَثِيرًا مِّمَّا كُنتُمْ تُخْفُونَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَيَعْفُو عَن كَثِيرٍ قَدْ جَاءَكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ نُورٌ وَكِتَابٌ مُّبِينٌ".سورة المائدة / آية : 14 ، 15 ..
"And from those who call themselves Christians, We took their covenant, but they have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them.[1] So We planted amongst them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection (when they discarded Allâh’s Book, disobeyed Allâh’s Messengers and His Orders and transgressed beyond bounds in Allâh’s disobedience); and Allâh will inform them of what they used to do..O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Now has come to you Our Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) explaining to you much of that which you used to hide from the Scripture and pass over (i.e. leaving out without explaining) much. Indeed, there has come to you from Allâh a light (Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) and a plain Book (this Qur’ân)".
And the right that cannot be disputed, today there is no book on the surface of the earth that can be attributed to the Creator, the Blessed and Exalted, except the Noble Quraan.
The books that were revealed before the Quraan have lost their original copies, and only their translations remain in the hands of the people.
As for the Quraan, it is still preserved with its surahs, verses, words and movements, as Jibril recited it to the prophet, peace be upon him, and as the prophet recited it to his companions.
In these books, the words of Allah have been mixed with the words of people; interpretation, history and biography of the prophets and their disciples, and the deductions of the jurists, so the words of Allah are not known from the words of human beings.
As for the Quraan, it is all the words of Allah Almighty, and no one else from the hadith of the Messenger, or the sayings of the Companions or others were mixed with it.
And there are no books that can be attributed to the Messenger to whom it is attributed, and none of them has a reliable historical document.
The scriptures are among the so-called Old Testament, which is called the Torah, but it was written down many centuries after Moses, peace be upon him.
As for the Great Quraan, it is the only book whose attribution has been definitively proven to the Messenger, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him and his family.
Evidence for the occurrence of distortion in those books is the multiplicity of their copies and the difference in what they quoted of sayings and opinions.
It suffices to prove the validity of the distortion in the Injil, circulating in the hands of the Christians now, that four were chosen from about seventy Injils.
Among the conclusive evidence of the occurrence of distortion in these books is the corrupt beliefs and false notions of the Creator, Glory be to Him, and his honorable messengers, peace be upon them.
We find in them the resemblance of the Creator to man, and that he begets.
قال تعالى "وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَبْلُ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ".سورة التوبة / آية : 30 .
"And the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allâh, and the Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allâh. That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allâh’s Curse be on them, how they are deluded away from the truth".
We find in them blasphemy of the prophets.
They claimed in their books that "Ibrahim" - peace be upon him - was a liar, and that "Lot" had fornicated with his daughter, and that "Haron" had called the Israelites to worship the calf, and that "Dawood" fornicated, and that "Soliman" worshipped idols to please his wife.
Is there evidence for distortion stronger than this?.