Belief in Divinely-revealed Books
Question:
What sort of references can I use to confirm that
what GOD intended as regards His will, and that His will
has been changed by christian scribes/translators? Also, if
you could tell me where in the Bible it speaks of the
Prophet Muhammad, does it mention his name or it is symbolic?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when `Eesa (Jesus), son of
Maryam (Mary), said: `O Children of Israel! I am the
Messenger of Allaah unto you, confirming the Tawraat
[(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of
a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be
Ahmad.' But when he (Ahmad, i.e. Muhammad) came to them
with clear proofs, they said: `This is plain magic'"
[al-Saff 61:6]
"Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who
can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they
find written with them in the Tawraat (Torah) and the
Injeel (Gospel)— he commands them for Al-Ma`roof (i.e.
Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained); and
forbids them from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of
all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allows
them as lawful AtTayyibaat (i.e. all good and lawful as
regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), and
prohibits them as unlawful AlKhabaa'ith (i.e. all evil and
unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods),
he releases them from their heavy burdens (of
Allaah's Covenant with the children of Israel), and from the
fetters (bindings) that were upon them. So those who believe
in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow
the light (the Qur'aan) which has been sent down with
him, it is they who will be successful"
[al-A'raaf 7:157]
These two verses indicate that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned in the
Torah and the Gospel (the Bible), no matter how much the
Jews and Christians claim that he is not, for the word of
Allaah is the best and most truthful of words.
Some of the things mentioned in the previous Books
are as follows:
1 _ In the Torah, in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:18-19
it says:
"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from
among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and
he will tell them everything I command him.
If anyone does not listen to my words that the
prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account."
(New International Version)
This text is still extant among them. With regard to
the phrase "from among their brothers" _ if that prophet
were to be from among the Children of Israel, it would
have said, "I will raise up for them a prophet from
among them." But it says "from among their brothers" _ i.e.,
from among the sons of Ismaa'eel (Ishamel).
Secondly, it says in the Gospel of John 16:6-8, 12-13:
"It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I
go away, the Counselor [Paraclete] will not come to
you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin…
I have much more to say to you, more than you can
now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he
will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own;
he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you
what is yet to come."
(New International Version)
This cannot apply to anyone except the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Secondly: Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: It says in the Torah, in the fifth book
[Deuteronomy 33:2]:
"The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them
from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came
with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his
mountain slopes [or: from his right hand went a fiery law for them]."
(New International Version; alternative version of
last phrase _ the meaning of which is unclear in the
original Hebrew texts _ is from the King James Version)
This refers to the three Prophethoods: the
Prophethood of Moosa (Moses), the Prophethood of `Eesa (Jesus)
and the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). "Coming from Sinai" refers to
the mountain where Allaah spoke to Moosa and called
him and told him he was a Prophet. "Dawning over them
from Seir" refers to the appearance of the Messiah from
Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Seir is a village that is still
known there to this day. So this was a foretelling of
the Prophethood of the Messiah.
"Paran" refers to Makkah. Allaah likens the
Prophethood of Moosa to the coming of the dawn, and the
Prophethood of the Messiah after him to the rising of the sun, and
the Prophethood of the Seal of the Prophets to the sun
rising high in the sky and its light reaching all over the
earth. And it came to pass exactly as foretold, for
Allaah dispelled the night of kufr with the Prophethood of
Moosa, and the light increased with the Prophethood of
the Messiah, and was completed and reached everywhere
on earth with the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). These three
Prophets who were mentioned in this foretelling were
also mentioned in the beginning of Soorat al-Teen (interpretation of the meaning):
"By the fig, and the olive.
2. By Mount Sinai.
3. By this city of security (Makkah)"
[al-Teen 95:1-3]
End quote. See Hidaayat al-Hayaara, p. 110; and Ibn
al-Qayyim's comments on the Old Testament,
Deuteronomy 33:1.
Fourthly: Shaykh `Abd al-Majeed al-Zandaani said in
his book al-Bishaaraat bi Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) fi'l-Kutub al-Samawiyyah
al-Saabiqah that in the 22nd chapter of the Gospel of
Barnabas it says:
"And this will continue until there comes
Muhammad the Messenger of God who, when he comes, will
expose this deceit to those who believe in the laws of God."
And it says in the Book of Isaiah:
"I have made your name Muhammad O Muhammad,
O beloved of the Lord, your name will abide forever."
And it says in the Book of Isaiah:
"What I have given to him I will not give to anyone
else: Ahmad, because he praises God and this praise
comes from the best part of the earth, and this will bring joy
to mankind and they will recite the word of divine unity
on every hill and glorify God in every high place."
Many scholars have mentioned the places in the
Bible where the name of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is mentioned. Sometimes his
name is mentioned clearly, and sometimes he is described
in ways that can only apply to him (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him).
You should note that the books of the Bible as they
exist today have been altered and changed. This fact has
been stated by non-Muslim historians, but despite all that
we still find in the Bible the foretelling of the coming of
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him). Shaykh Rahmat-Allaah al-Hindi stated
that every time the Christians were able to change
something they did so, hence you will find that some of the
ancient scholars quote passages from the Bible that no
longer exist. But there are still other passages that foretell
the Prophethood of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) and his coming.
It should be noted that we have to arm ourselves
with adequate sound knowledge in order to debate with
the Christians, because even if they have no proof, they
will still try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's hearts
so that they will give in to these wrong ideas and so that
the truth will be concealed. "But Allaah will bring His
Light to perfection even though the disbelievers hate (it)"
[al-Saff 61:8 _ interpretation of the meaning].
Some of the most useful books on this topic are:
Izhaar al-Haqq by Shaykh Rahmat-Allaah al-Hindi;
Kitaab Hidaayat al-Hayaara by Ibn Al-Qayyim; and
al-Jawaab al-Saheeh by Ibn Taymiyyah. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Are there any prophecies made in the Noble Qur'an
that have already come true?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, there are some things which Allaah mentioned
in the Qur'aan which were yet to come, and which did
in fact happen. These include the following :
1 _ The defeat of the Persians by the Romans within
a number of years.
Allaah said:
"The Romans have been defeated.
In the nearest land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and
Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious.
Within three to nine years. The decision of the
matter, before and after (these events) is only with Allaah,
(before the defeat of the Romans by the Persians, and after
the defeat of the Persians by the Romans). And on that
day, the believers (i.e. Muslims) will rejoice (at the
victory given by Allaah to the Romans against the Persians)"
[al-Room 30:2-4]
Al-Shawkaani said:
The scholars of Tafseer said: the Persians defeated
the Romans, and the kuffaar of Makkah rejoiced because
of that and said, "Those who do not have a Book
have defeated those who do have a Book," and they
gloated over the Muslims and said, "We will also defeat you
as the Persians defeated the Romans." The Muslims
wanted the Romans to prevail over the Persians because they
were People of the Book… "and they, after their defeat,
will be victorious" means that the Romans, after having
been defeated by the Persians, would defeat the people
of Persia.
Al-Zajjaaj said: This is one of the verses that prove
that the Qur'aan is from Allaah, because it is
foretelling something that was yet to come, and this is
something which no one could know except Allaah.
Fath al-Qadeer, 4/214
2 _ Enmity among the Christian sects until the Day
of Resurrection:
Allaah said:
"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. So We planted
amongst them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection
(when they discarded Allaah's Book, disobeyed
Allaah's Messengers and His Orders and transgressed
beyond bounds in Allaah's disobedience); and Allaah will
inform them of what they used to do" [al-Maa'idah
5:14]
Ibn Katheer said:
"So We planted amongst them enmity and hatred till
the Day of Resurrection" means, We sowed amongst
them enmity and hatred of one another, and they will
remain like that until the Hour begins. Hence the Christian
groups, no matter what their types, will continue to hate
one another and denounce one another as disbelievers
and curse one another. So each group forbids the others
to come to its place of worship, and the
Byzantines denounced the Jacobites as disbelievers, and
the Nestorians denounced the Arians, and so on. Each
group denounces the others as disbelievers in this world
and will do so on the Day of Judgement. Tafseer Ibn
Katheer, 2/34
3 _ Allaah promised His Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) that his religion would prevail
over all others.
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad)
with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam), to make
it superior over all religions"
[al-Tawbah 9:33; al-Fath 48:28; al-Saff
61:9]
Al-Qurtubi said:
Allaah indeed did that. Whenever Abu Bakr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) sent his armies out on a
campaign, he would remind them of what Allaah had promised
them, that He would cause His religion to prevail, so that
they would be confident of victory and certain of
success. `Umar used to do likewise, and their conquests
continued east and west, by land and sea.
Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 1/75
4 _ The conquest of Makkah
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"Indeed Allaah shall fulfil the true vision which
He showed to His Messenger [i.e. the Prophet saw a
dream that he has entered Makkah along with his
Companions, having their (head) hair shaved and cut short] in
very truth. Certainly, you shall enter AlMasjid AlHaraam,
if Allaah wills, secure, (some) having your heads
shaved, and (some) having your head hair cut short, having
no fear. He knew what you knew not, and He granted
besides that a near victory" [al-Fath
48:27]
al-Tabari said:
Allaah says: Allaah is confirming as true the vision
which He showed to His Messenger Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he and
his companions would enter the sacred House of Allaah
in very truth, not fearing the mushrikeen, some of
them having their heads shaved and some of them with
their hair cut short.
The scholars of tafseer said something similar to
that which we have said. Tafseer al-Tabari, 26/107
5 _ The battle of Badr
Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when Allaah promised you
(Muslims) one of the two parties (of the enemy, i.e. either the
army or the caravan) that it should be yours; you wished
that the one not armed (the caravan) should be yours,
but Allaah willed to justify the truth by His Words and to
cut off the roots of the disbelievers (i.e. in the battle of Badr)"
[al-Anfaal 8:7]
Ibn al-Jawzi said:
What this means is: Remember when Allaah
promised you one of the two parties. The two parties were:
Abu Sufyaan and the wealth that was with him, and Abu
Jahl and the people of Quraysh who were with him.
When Abu Sufyaan went ahead with the wealth that was
with him, he wrote to Quraysh saying, if you have already
gone out to save your caravan, I have already saved it for
you (i.e., so go back). Abu Jahl said, By Allaah, we will
not go back. Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set out, heading for
the people (i.e., to confront the kaafir army), but
his companions were not happy about that, wishing that
they had caught up with the group from whom they
could capture the booty without fighting. Hence Allaah said
"you wished that the one not armed (the caravan) should
be yours". (Zaad al-Maseer, 3/324)
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What does it mean to believe in the Books?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Belief in the Books implies four things:
1 _ Firm belief that all of them were revealed from
Allaah, and that Allaah spoke them in a real sense. Some of
them were heard from Him from behind a veil, without
there being any intermediary from among the angels.
Some were conveyed by an angelic Messenger to a
human Messenger. Some were written by Allaah's own Hand,
as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"It is not given to any human being that Allaah
should speak to him unless (it be) by Revelation, or from
behind a veil, or (that) He sends a Messenger to reveal what
He wills by His Leave. Verily, He is Most High, Most Wise"
[al-Shoora 42:51]
"and to Moosa (Moses) Allaah spoke directly"
[al-Nisa' 4:164]
And Allaah said concerning the Tawraat (Torah):
"And We wrote for him on the Tablets the lesson to
be drawn from all things and the explanation for all things"
[al-A'raaf 7:145]
2 _ The Books that Allaah has mentioned by name,
we must believe in by name. These are the Books
which Allaah has named in the Qur'aan, i.e., the Qur'aan,
the Tawraat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel), the Zaboor
(Psalms), and the Scriptures of Ibraaheem and Moosa.
Those which Allaah has mentioned in general terms,
we must believe in them in general terms, so we
say concerning them what Allaah and His Messenger
have commanded us to say:
"…say: "I believe in whatsoever Allaah has sent
down of the Book [all the holy Books…]"
[al-Shoora 42:15 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
3 _ Believing whatever is true of what they say, such
as what is said in the Qur'aan, and whatever has not
been altered or distorted in the previous Books.
4 _ Believing that Allaah revealed the Qur'aan as a
witness over these Books and to confirm them, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the
Book (this Qur'aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture that
came before it and Muhaymin (trustworthy in highness and
a witness) over it (old Scriptures)"[al-Maa'idah
5:48]
The mufassireen said that Muhaymin means
trustworthy and a witness over the Books that came before it,
and confirming them, i.e., confirming whatever is true in
them and rejecting whatever alterations, distortions and
changes have occurred in them, and ruling that the previous
rulings have been abrogated _ i.e., they are no longer
applicable _ and that new rulings and laws have been
promulgated. Hence all those who were following previous books
and who have not turned on their heels should submit to it,
as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when it is recited to them, they say: We believe in
it. Verily, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed even before
it we have been from those who submit themselves to
Allaah in Islam as Muslims"
[al-Qasas 28:52-53]
It is obligatory for all the ummah to follow the
Qur'aan both outwardly and inwardly, and to adhere to it, and
give it its due, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And this is a blessed Book (the Qur'aan) which We
have sent down, so follow it and fear
Allaah"[al-An'aam 6:155]
What is meant by adhering to the Qur'aan and giving
it its due is: regarding what it permits as permitted,
regarding what it forbids as forbidden, obeying its
commands, avoiding that which it prohibits, paying heed to its
lessons, learning from its stories, understanding its clear
and unambiguous texts, referring the exact meaning of
its ambiguous texts to Allaah, not overstepping its limits
and defending it, whilst memorizing it, reciting it in a
proper manner, pondering the meanings of its verses, reciting
it in prayer night and day, being sincere towards it in
all senses, and calling others to do likewise with understanding.
This belief will bear great fruit for a person, the
most important of which is:
1- Knowledge of Allaah's care for His slaves, for He
has revealed to each people a Book by which they may
be guided.
2- Knowledge of the wisdom of Allaah in the laws
which He has set out for each people, laws which are suited
to their circumstances as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): "To each among you, We have prescribed
a law and a clear way" [al-Maa'idah 5:48].
3- Fulfilling the duty of giving thanks to Allaah for
this great blessing.
4- The importance of paying attention to the Qur'aan,
by reading it, pondering its meanings, understanding
its meanings and acting accordingly.
And Allaah knows best.
See A'laam al-Sunnah al-Manshoorah, 90-93;
Sharh al-Usool al-Thalaathah by Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, 91-92.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Am I entitled to obtain a copy from the Bible to know
the book Allah sent to Jesus? And is the existing Bible
aurate for I heard that the true one did sink in the Euphrates?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is nopt permitted to have any of the books prior to
Islam because of the following :
- Anything helpful in them Allah illustrated in the Qur'an.
- The Qur'an contains wha makes one in no need of
such books.
Allah, Subhanahu Wata'ala, says, "It is He who has
sent down the Book ( the Qur'an ) to you ( Mohammad )
in truth, confirming wha came before it. "
therefore, everything useful in these Books is mentioned in
the Qur'an.
With regard to the second qustion, the words sent by
Allah to Jesus and of which we may benefit are already in
the Qur'an. Furthemore, the existing Bible is distorted,
for there are four different scripts, each of which is
violating the others. But seekers of knowledge who have the
sight of differentiate between truth and wrong can study
these books to refute what evil they include.
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen may Allaah have mercy on him.
al-Da'wah magazine, no. 1789, p. 43. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is it permissible for a Muslim to obtain the Injeel
(Gospel) to find out the words of Allaah to His slave and
Messenger `Eesa (Jesus _ peace be upon him)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible to obtain any of the previous
scriptures which came before the Qur'aan, such as the Injeel
(Gospel or New Testament), Tawraat (Torah or Old
Testament) and others, for two reasons.
The first reason is that anything in them that is
beneficial has been explained by Allaah in the Qur'aan.
The second reason is that the Qur'aan frees us from
any need for these books. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"It is He Who has sent down the Book (the Qur'aan)
to you (Muhammad) with truth, confirming what came before it
[Aal `Imraan 3:3]
"And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad) the
Book (this Qur'aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture that
came before it and Mohaymin (trustworthy in highness and
a witness) over it (old Scriptures). So judge among
them by what Allaah has revealed
[al-Maa'idah 5:48]
So whatever good may be in the previous books is to
be found in the Qur'aan.
With regard to the questioner's statement that he
wants to find out what Allaah said to His slave and
Messenger `Eesa, this information is to be found in what Allaah
has told us in the Qur'aan. So there is no need to
look elsewhere. Moreover, the Injeel (Gospel) that is
extant today is distorted. The evidence for that is the fact
that there are four Gospels which contradict one another;
there is no one Gospel which can be relied upon.
But the seeker of knowledge who has sufficient knowledge to be able to tell truth from falsehood, may
be allowed to read (the previous scriptures) in order to
refute the falsehood found therein or to leave the followers
of the scriptures with no excuse for not knowing that
they are false.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Rasaa'il Fadeelat al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-`Uthaymeen (may Allaah
have mercy on him), vol. 1, p. 32-33
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
If today there is a jew or a christian who believes in
Alaah and that he has no partner. He believes in the
prophethood of the Messenger of Allaah . But he does not rule by
the Qur'aan even though he accepts it as being from
Allaah, but he deems it permissible to rule by the original
torah. Is he a muslim. This needs a quick response if you can
, for dawah purposes. Jazak Allaahu Khair.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We sent this question to our Shaykh `Abd
al-Rahmaan al-Barraak, who replied as follows:
Praise be to Allaah.
Among the basic principles of faith are Belief in all
the Books that have been revealed from Allaah, and belief
in all the Messengers. These two principles include
belief in the noblest of Books, which is the Qur'aan, and
the best of the Messengers, namely Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Seal of
the Messengers and the Messenger of Allaah to all of
mankind from the time when Allaah sent him until the time
when the Hour will begin. Every person from every nation
must believe in him and follow him and rule by his
sharee'ah (laws). Whoever claims to believe in him and in
the Qur'aan, but does not rule according to it or follow
him in everything that he brought and believe everything
he told us, is not a Muslim or a believer. If he dies like
this then he will be one of the people of Hell. If he claims
to believe in Allaah Alone, with no partner or associate,
and in all the Messengers, belief in the Messenger and in
the Qur'aan does not only mean believing that they are
true, without following them and ruling according to what
they say. Many of the Mushrikeen believed in the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
in their hearts, and there were those who believed in him
in their hearts and in the words they spoke, but this did
not benefit them at all, like his uncle Abu Taalib. This
belief did not help them at all when they insisted on
not following. Similarly, the Jews and Christians who
knew him as they knew their sons, and who admitted that
they believed in the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), but this knowledge and belief did not
benefit them at all when they refused to follow him. They
were kaafirs and Allaah decreed their blood and their wealth
to be permissible for His Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), so he fought them, and
Allaah caused him to prevail over them, and His religion
to prevail over all other religions. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) with guidance
and the religion of truth (islam), to make it superior over
all religions, even though the Mushrikoon
(polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of
Allaah) hate (it)." [al-Tawbah 9:33]
So every Jew and Christian has to enter the religion
of Islam which Allaah revealed to His Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because
the Message of Muhammad is the final Message,
which abrogates the previous religions. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whoever seeks a religion other than islam, it
will never be accepted of him" [Aal `Imraan
3:85]
According to a saheeh hadeeth: "By the One in
Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no one
among this ummah, Jew or Christian, who hears of me than
dies without believing in that with which I have been sent,
but he will be one of the people of Hellfire."
(Reported by Muslim, 218).
On this basis, the religion of any Jew or Christian
will not be correct unless he believes in the sharee'ah of
Islam and adheres to the rulings of the Holy Qur'aan.
The Qur'aan is Muhaymin (i.e., it testifies to the truth that
is in the previous scriptures and exposes the falsehood
that has been added to them), and it abrogates the
previous Books. The Tawraat (Torah) and Injeel (Gospel) have
been abrogated and have been changed and altered. And
Allaah knows best.
Shaykh `Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
1) What was the last will of Prophet Jacob
(Yacoub) (PBUH) for his children before his death?. Where do
you find this in the Holy Quran?
2)The scripture revealed to Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH)
is lost but it is mentioned in the Holy Quran in
different chapters? Give two references from two chapters in
the Holy Quran mentioning this scripture.?
3)Which Country has the highest muslim
population? How did the people of that country become muslims?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
1. The Qur'aan indicates that Ya'qoob gave
final instructions to his sons before he died. "… he said
unto his sons, `What will you worship after me?' They
said, `We shall worship your Ilaah (God — Allaah) the
Ilaah (God) of your fathers, Ibraaheem (Abraham),
Ismaa`eel (Ishmael), Ishaaq (Isaac), One Ilaah (God), and to
Him we submit (in Islam).'" [al-Baqarah 2:133
_ interpretation of the meaning].
2. The scripture of Ibraaheem is mentioned in
Soorat al-A'laa 87:19 (interpretation of the meaning):
"The Scriptures of Ibraaheem (Abraham) and Moosa
(Moses)"; and in Soorat al-Najm 53:36-37 (interpretation of
the meaning): "Or is he not informed with what is in the
Pages (Scripture) of Moosa (Moses), And of
Ibraaheem (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that
(Allaah ordered him to do or convey)."
3. The country with the largest Muslim population
in Africa is Nigeria, and in Asia, Indonesia. The
Indonesians became Muslim through contact with Muslim traders
from Hadramawt as is well known. Perhaps this is what
the questioner wanted to know, even though the question
is not quite clear.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Some folowers of Islam tell me that Muhammad and
Jesus were two of the great prophets . They tell me that
the reason Muhammad wasn't mentioned in the Bible
was because he was born after the Bible was already
written. Well, Jesus was born after the Old Testiment was
written, yet there were over 600 prophesy's in the Old
Testiment about Jesus that all came true, yet there are NO
prophesy's about Muhammad in the entire Bible. How
can Muhammad be like Jesus if that is true?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is one of two cases: either this man is ignorant
and what he says is of no significance, or what he says is
a fabrication and a lie. We Muslims know well the
aayah (Qur'aanic verse) in which Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who
can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad) whom they
find written with them in the Tawraat (Torah) (Deut, xviii
15) and the Injeel (Gospel) (John, xiv 16), — he
commands them for Al-Ma`roof (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all
that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from
Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that
Islam has forbidden); he allows them as lawful AtTayyibaat
(i.e. all good and lawful as regards things, deeds,
beliefs, persons and foods), and prohibits them as
unlawful AlKhabaa'ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards
things, deeds, beliefs, persons and foods), he releases them
from their heavy burdens (of Allaah's Covenant with
the children of Israel), and from the fetters (bindings)
that were upon them. So those who believe in him (Muhammad), honour him, help him, and follow the
light (the Qur'aan) which has been sent down with him, it
is they who will be successful
[al-A'raaf 7:157]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his commentary (tafseer) on this verse:
" `Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who
can neither read nor write whom they find written with
them in the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel
(Gospel)' _ this is a description of Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) in the books of the Prophets who gave
their nations the glad tidings of his coming and
commanded them to follow him. This description is still there in
their books and their scholars and rabbis know it.
Imaam Ahmad narrated: Ismaa'eel told us from al-Jareeri
from Abu Sakhr al-`Aqeeli, a man from among the
Bedouin told me, I brought a milch-camel to Madeenah during
the lifetime of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). When I had sold her, I said,
"Let me meet this man [the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)] and listen to him." I met
him walking between Abu Bakr and `Umar, and I
followed them until they came to a Jewish man who was
reading from a scroll of the Torah, consoling himself for the
plight of his son who lay dying, a boy who was very
handsome and good looking. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, `I ask you by
the One Who revealed this Torah, do you find any
mention in this book of yours of my attributes and my
coming?' The man gestured with his head to indicate `No'. But
his son said, `Yes indeed, by the One who revealed the
Torah, we do find mention of your attributes and your coming
in our book, and I bear witness that there is no god
except Allaah and that you are the Messenger of Allaah.'
[The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)] said, `Keep this Jew away from your brother.' Then
he took care of shrouding him and praying [the
funeral prayer] over him." This is a qawiy
jayyid hadeeth.
It was narrated that `Ataa' ibn Yassaar said: "I met
`Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr and said, `Tell me about the attributes
of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) described in the Torah.' He said, `Yes,
by Allaah he is described in the Torah as he is described
in the Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a
bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner" [al-Fath
48:8] _ and as a saviour to the unlettered; you are My slave and
My messenger; your name is al-Mutawakkil; you are not
harsh and aggressive; Allaah will not take him (in death)
until He has straightened a crooked nation through him so
that they will say that there is no god except Allaah, and
has opened hard hearts, deaf ears and blind eyes.'" `Ataa'
said: "Then I met Ka'b (who was one of the People of the
Book who had become Muslim) and I asked him about
that, and he told me exactly the same, not even one letter
was different…"
Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh that `Ataa' ibn
Yassaar said: " I met `Abd-Allaah ibn `Amr ibn al-`Aas
(may Allaah be pleased with him) and said, `Tell me about
the description of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the Torah. He
said, "Yes, by Allaah, he is described in the Torah in some
of the same terms as he is described in the
Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, We have sent
you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bearer of glad
tidings, and as a warner" [al-Fath 48:8] _ and as a saviour
to the unlettered; you are My slave and My messenger;
your name is al-Mutawakkil; he is not harsh and
aggressive, and he does not make a noise in the market-place;
he does not repay evil with evil, rather he overlooks
and forgives; Allaah will not take him (in death) until He
has straightened a crooked nation through him so that
they will say that there is no god except Allaah, and has
opened hard hearts, deaf ears and blind eyes.'"
(al-Bukhaari, al-Fath, no. 2125)
Allaah did not send any Prophet without taking from
him the covenant and promise that if the Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were
to appear during his lifetime, he would follow
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
Allaah says in Soorat Aal `Imraan (which no
Christian reads with an open mind but he will become Muslim)
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when Allaah took the Covenant of
the Prophets, saying: `Take whatever I gave you from the
Book and Hikmah (understanding of the Laws of Allaah),
and afterwards there will come to you a Messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you; you must,
then, believe in him and help him.' Allaah said: `Do you
agree (to it) and will you take up My Covenant (which I
conclude with you)?' They said: `We agree.' He said: `Then
bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses
(for this).'"
[Aal `Imraan 3:81]
Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his commentary (tafseer) on this verse:
It is said that Allaah took the covenant from the
Prophets that they would confirm one another, and He
commanded them to believe in one another. This is the meaning
of believing and helping (`you must, then, believe in
him and help him')… Taawoos said: Allaah took the
covenant from the first Prophets that they would believe in
the Message of the later Prophets…
The Messenger here is Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), according to the view of `Ali
and Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them).
Allaah took the covenant from all the Prophets that
they would believe in Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) if they met him, and He
commanded them to take the same covenant from their nations.
If you want to know more about the references to
the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) in the Bible (even after it has been
altered!) we refer you to the books "Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in the
Bible" and "What the Bible says about Muhammad (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him)" by Ahmad Deedat.
We ask Allaah to guide you.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I am taking a course on Religions of the World, I
am having trouble locating the following Answer:
What is the nature of the authority of the Qur'an
according to Orthodox Islamic tradition?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Qur'aan was revealed by Allaah, may He be
glorified, as a law and a reference as to what is permissible
and prohibited, what is commanded and forbidden, for
people to follow, so that they obey its commands and abide
by its prohibitions, take what it allows as permissible
and take what it prohibits as forbidden. The Qur'aan tells
us about what happened before and what is yet to come,
and it is a reference for judging between us. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): "… We have
neglected nothing in the Book…"
[al-An'aam 6:38].
After the Revelation was completed, Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"… This day, I have perfected your religion for you…" [al-Maa'idah
5:3].
The Sunnah [words and deeds of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] came to explain
and complement the Qur'aan. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I have been
given the Qur'aan and something like it with it." The
phrase "something like it with it" refers to the Sunnah.
(Saheeh hadeeth). Allaah commanded us to refer to these
two constitutional references, when He said (interpretation
of the meaning): "…if you differ in anything
amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger…"
[al-Nisa' 4:59]. Referring to Allaah means referring to
the Qur'aan, and referring to His Messenger means
referring to the Sunnah. The Qur'aan is the primary source
of legislation, then comes the Sunnah. And Allaah
knows best.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih
Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Why does Islam ,believing that its roots lie with
abraham, nonetheless not believe in the veracity of
hebrew scriptures?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Muslims believe in all the Prophets and
Messengers without exception; whoever denies any Prophet is
a disbeliever. Muslims believe in all the Books that
were revealed by Allaah to His Prophets, without
exception; whoever denies any Book is a disbeliever.
On this basis, Muslims believe in Moosa (Moses) as
a Prophet from Allaah, and in the original Torah as a
Book from Allaah, and in `Eesa (Jesus) as a Prophet from
Allaah, and in the original Gospel as a Book from Allaah.
When the previous books were distorted and
altered because of men's desires and division among the
Jews and Christians, it was no longer possible to rely on
them. Allaah abrogated all previous laws (sharee'ahs)
when Islam came, and all previous Books when the
Qur'aan was revealed. When He sent Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as the final
Messenger and Seal of the Prophets, it became obligatory to
believe in and follow the Qur'aan which was revealed to
him, especially since Allaah has guaranteed to preserve
the Qur'aan and protect it from alteration and distortion,
as He says (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily We: it
is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the
Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)."
[al-Hijr 15:9]
Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) is the Khaleel
(Friend) of Allaah, the Father of the Prophets and the pride of
the Muslims. Allaah sent him with the message of
Tawheed (Divine unity) just as He sent Moosa, `Eesa
and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
them all). The happiest of mankind is one who follows his
way, which is Tawheed (belief in Divine unity).
Because both the Jews and Christians claimed
that Ibraaheem belonged to them, Allaah explained that
they were both wrong, giving decisive historical evidence
in the aayaat (interpretation of the meaning):
"O People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)!
Why do you dispute about Ibraaheem, while the Tawraat
and the Injeel were not revealed till after him? Have you
then no sense?
Verily, you are those who have disputed about that
of which you have no knowledge. Why do you then
dispute concerning that which you have no knowledge? It
is Allaah Who knows, and you know not.
Ibraaheem was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he
was a true Muslim haneefa (Islamic monotheism _ worshipping none but Allaah alone), and he was not
of al-mushrikoon (polytheists).
Verily, among mankind who have the best claim
to Ibraaheem are those who followed him, and this
Prophet (Muhammad (peace andb lessings of Allaah be upon
him) and those who have believed (Muslims). And Allaah
is the Wali (Protector and Helper) of the
believers."[Aal `Imraan 3:65-68]
Become Muslim and you will be saved. Praise be
to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What sura in the Quran is related or mentions about
the curruption of the Torah and Gospel?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah says about the Jews (interpretation of the
meaning): "Do you (faithful believers) covet that they will belive
in your religion in spite of the fact that a party of
them (Jewish rabbis) used to hear the Word of Allaah
(the Tawraat), then they used to change it knowingly after
they understood it?" [al-Baqarah 2:75]
Qutaadah said: "The phrase `then they used to change
it knowingly after they understood it' refers to the
Jews, who used to hear the words of Allaah, then they altered
it after they had understood what it meant."
Abu `Aaliyah said: "They took what Allaah had
revealed in their Book describing Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and changed its meaning."
Ibn Zayd said: "The phrase `[they] used to hear the Word
of Allaah (the Tawraat), then they used to change it'
refers to the Tawraat which Allaah revealed to them;
they changed it, making what it permitted forbidden, and
what was forbidden allowed, changing the truth to
falsehood and falsehood to truth…" [Tafseer Ibn
Katheer]
Allaah also said (interpretation of the meaning):
"Among those who are Jews, there are some who displace
words from (their) right places and say: `We hear your word
(O Muhammad) and disobey,' and `Hear and let you (Muhammad) hear nothing.' And Raa'ina [in Arabic
this means, `Be careful, listen to us and we listen to
you,' whereas in Hebrew it means `an insult.'] with a twist
of their tongues and as a mockery of the religion
(Islam). And if only they had said, `We hear and obey,' and
`Do make us understand,' it would have been better for
them, and more proper, but Allaah has cursed them for
their disbelief, so they believe not except for a
few." [al-Nisaa' 4:46]
The phrase "[they] displace words from (their)
right places" means that they misinterpret them and
understand them in a way that Allaah did not intend, doing
this deliberately and inventing lies against Allaah.
[Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"So because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them,
and made their hearts grow hard. They change the words
from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part
of the Message that was sent to them. And you will not
cease to discover deceit in them, except a few of them.
But forgive them, and overlook (their misdeeds). Verily,
Allaah loves al-Muhsineen (good-doers)." [al-Maa'idah 5:13]
The phrase "because of their breach of their
covenant, We cursed them" refers to the fact that they broke
the Covenant which had been made with them, so
Allaah cursed them, i.e., He kept them away from following
the True Guidance. "[We] made their hearts grow
hard" means that they will not benefit from any
preaching because their hearts are so hard.
"They change the words from their (right)
places" means that they play havoc with the words of Allaah and misinterpret His Book, taking
it to mean things that were never meant and attributing
to Allaah things that He never said; may Allaah protect
us from that.
"[They] have abandoned a good part of the Message
that was sent to them" means that they stopped following
its teachings because they did not want to follow them.
Al-Hasan said: "They did not adhere to their religion or
keep their duties towards Allaah, without which no deeds
are acceptable to Him; their fitrah (innate nature) was
not sound and their deeds were not righteous."
[Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
So it becomes quite clear that the ways in which
the Children of Israel tampered with the
Tawraat and Injeel include the following:
Changing
Omitting
Adding things and attributing to Allaah words that
He did not say
Misinterpreting the words of Allaah.
When Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was sent, the original Tawraat and
Injeel had already been altered and distorted. Allaah revealed the
Qur'aan to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and guaranteed that He Himself
would preserve it, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning): "Verily We: it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr
(i.e., the Qur'aan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)." [al-Hijr 15:9]
This distinguishing feature was not found in any
Book before the Qur'aan. From the time of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) until the
present (more than fourteen hundred years) the Qur'aan has
stayed the same, and not a single letter of it has been
changed, as ancient manuscripts and the hearts of generation
after generation of people who have memorized the entire
text and earned the title of "haafiz" bear witness. We ask
Allaah to guide us to the true and straight path. And Allaah
knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
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