What Are the Tawrat

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What are the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil?

Introduction

I. The Muslim Understanding of the 3 Holy Books.

A. Some Say Tawratequals the Pentateuch

B. Some Say Tawratequals the Old Testament

C. Some Say Tawratequals a Lost Book

D. Some SayInjilequals a Lost Book

E. Some SayInjilequals the Gospels of New Testament

F. Some SayInjilequals the New Testament:

G. All (?) SayZaburequals the Psalms of Hazrat Dawud (David)

H. Some Say Tawrat, Zabur and Injilequals the Bible

II. The Koran's Testimony about the Previous Scriptures.

A. The Tawrat

B. TheZabur

C. TheInjil

D. Tawrat,Zabur, andInjiltogether

E. Other Prophetic Voices

F. Conclusions

III. The Testimony of the New Testament:

A. "Law" (i.e. Torah or Tawrat) as the entire Old Testament.

B. "Prophets" as generic for any part or all of Old Testament.

C. "Law" and "Prophets" used for the total Old Testament Revelation.

D. One Remarkable Statement.

The Hebrew Old Testament Arrangement

E. Conclusions.

IV. The Interval Between the Giving of the Injil and the Koran.

A. The Law:

B. The Prophets:

C. The Psalms:

D. The Gospel:
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Summary

What are the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil?

Introduction

It is common knowledge that Muslims recognize four remaining holy books out of a total of

104 revelations, of which 100 are missing. Although Muslims are often taught that the 3

remaining books previous to the Koran have been altered, still, Muslims for the most part,

respect those 3 holy books. The 3 holy books are known as the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil.

This paper will not deal with the Muslim belief in abrogation of previous scriptures, nor will

it major on the Muslim belief in the corruption of the scriptures by Jews and Christians. The

purpose of this paper is to examine the various opinions held regarding these 3 holy books.

How did they come up with that understanding?

Let it be stated here that this author has confidence that the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil extant

today amongst Jews and Christians (i.e. the Holy Bible), are the same as those books

originally given by almighty Allah.

Muslim belief about the previous holy books has been in part shaped by the Prophet

Muhammad (pbuh)'s interaction with Jews and Christians of his time. Some of these Jews

and Christians were his earlier converts. The prophet's first wife, Khadijah was known as a

Christian before converting to Islam, as was her cousin Waraka (or Warqa), who was

considered a serious Bible student and perhaps even a translator of Scripture. So it would be

beneficial to try to understand exactly what the Koran says about those holy books, and also

what Jews and Christians of that time would have thought about the books. In doing this, we

will also look at the holy Injil's use of various titles for different Scriptures.

I. The Muslim Understanding of the 3 Holy Books.

General Muslim understanding today of the Tawrat, Zabur, andInjil, is somewhat simplistic.

Each is thought to be a revelation in the form of a written book that was given through Hazrat

Musa, Dawud, and Isa (peace be upon them) respectively. But there is some divergence of

opinion:

A. Some Say Tawratequals the Pentateuch:

Three sections of the Bible are cited by the Koran as being Divinely revealed: the

Pentateuch, or Books of Moses (Tawrat); the Psalms of David (Zabur); and the Gospels of

Jesus (Injil) (Glasse, The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam, pg. 72.)

B. Some Say Tawratequals the Old Testament:

Others however, would say that the Tawratis more or less the entire revelation given to the

Jews:

The religious dissociation of Abraham and other religious personalities from the main bodyof Jews and Christians was an inevitable consequence of two strands among Jews and

Christians. The Qur'an continuously praises the one strand, and condemns the other, e.g.,
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'From among them (i.e., the People of the Book) there is an upright group but most of them

perpetrate misdeeds' (V, 66). They were asked to live up to the Torah and theEvangel(V,

68), but, like the proprietors of all organized religious traditions, Jews and Christians

quarrelled among themselves and each claimed that the keys of salvation were firmly in their

exclusive grasp: 'The Jews say the Christians have nothing to stand on and the Christians say

the Jews have nothing to stand on, and they both read the Book' (II, 120). (Fazlur Rahman,

Islam, pg. 27)

It may be inferred from the preceding quote from Fazlur Rahman that the Scriptures of the

Jews and Christians may be summed up in the words Torah (or Tawrat) andEvangel (or

Injil), i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament. This thinking is partly due to the

Koran's own testimony, more of which will be seen later. The same belief is expressed by

A.J. Arberry, noted English Muslim in his introduction to his translation of the Koran:

In many passages it is stated that the Koran had been sent down 'confirming what was before

it', by which was meant the Torah and the Gospel; the contents of the Jewish and Christian

scriptures, excepting such falsifications as had been introduced into them, were therefore

taken as true and known. (Arberry, The Koran Interpreted, pg. xi.)

C. Some Say Tawratequals a Lost Book:

Abdullah Yusuf Ali seems to equate the Tawratwith the Old Testament, "Vaguely we may

say that it was the Jewish Scripture."(Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and

Commentary, pg. 282.) However, because of his belief in the corruption of the Bible, there

are qualifiers:

But it was lost before Islam was preached. What passed as "The Law" with the Jews in the

Apostle's time was the mass of traditional writing which I have tried to review in this

Appendix. (Ali,Ibid., pg. 285.)

The "mass of traditional writing" to which he refers is the Talmud(Ali,Ibid.,pg. 284.) (see

section on Interval Between Christ and Muhammad for more).

So in Ali's opinion, the Tawratno longer exists.

D. Some SayInjilequals a Lost Book:

Regarding theInjil, the same divergence of opinion is true. This divergence however, is only

variations of the same theme. The "same theme" is this, the Injil has been corrupted. Some

holding this belief vehemently, say that theInjilis no longer extant, and that today's New

Testament bears little, if any, resemblance to the originalInjil::

The Injil (Greek, Evangel=Gospel) spoken of by the Qur'an is not the New Testament. It is

not the four Gospels now received as canonical. It is the single Gospel which, Islam teaches,

was revealed to Jesus, and which he taught. Fragments of it survive in the received canonical

Gospels and in some others, of which traces survive (e.g., the Gospel of Childhood or the

Nativity, the Gospel of St.Barnabas, etc.). (Ali,Ibid.,pg. 287.)

E. Some SayInjilequals the Gospels of New Testament:

Toward the other end of the spectrum is Cyril Glasse, a western Muslim scholar. He uses

three different names for theInjilinterchangeably, Gospels of Jesus, the Gospel, and New

Testament::


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Three sections of the Bible are cited by the Koran as being Divinely revealed: the

Pentateuch, or Books of Moses (Tawrat); the Psalms of David (Zabur); and the Gospels of

Jesus (Injil)...

However, the Gospels and Psalms have found no place in an Islamic canon and their

contents are mostly ignored and unknown to Muslims. Moreover, the Gospelposes particular

difficulties in Islam. Leaving aside the distinction between direct revelation from God, which

is the case of the Koran (in Arabic tanzil, which corresponds to sruti in Sanskrit), andsecondary inspiration (in Arabic ilham, the equivalent of smrti in Sanskrit), which is the case

of the Gospels, the Christian Gospelclashes with Islamic understanding of doctrine on

several points, most importantly regarding the nature of Jesus...

Muslims believe that the New Testamentas used by Christians is incorrect and has,

somehow, been falsified. (Glasse,Ibid.,pg. 72.).

So there is divergence, but it is only a matter of degree. Because of supposed corruption,

some Muslims refuse to accept the New Testament as theInjil.

F. Some SayInjilequals the New Testament:

Some, despite supposed corruption, do identify the two as one and the same. Hughes made an

interesting comment along this line back in 1885:

Injil is used in the Qur'an, and in the Traditions, and in all Muhammadan theological works

of an early date, for the revelations made by God to Jesus. But in recent works it is applied

by Muhammadans to theNew Testament. (Hughes,Dictionary of Islam, pg. 211.)

For some Muslims it is difficult to conceive of the fact that Hazrat Isa (pbuh) did not speak or

write theInjil. A multiplicity of authors for the various New Testament books is a new

concept to them.

G. All (?) SayZaburequals the Psalms of Hazrat Dawud (David):

TheZaburorPsalms, does not seem to be a big issue. Except for the comment by Cyril

Glasse above about the Psalms, very little is said or discussed about this matter.

H. Some Say Tawrat, Zabur and Injilequals the Bible:

To top this all off, reference must be made to Abd-al-Rahman Azzam, respected Muslim

leader and founder of the Arab League, as well as one who was instrumental in steering

Malcolm X towards a more orthodox Islam:

The Imam Ibn-al-Qayyim said, "God (may He be praised and glorified) sent His messengers

and revealed His books that people may measure with the justice on which Heaven and earth

have dwelt."(Azzam, The Eternal Message of Muhammad, pg. 102.)

In commenting on this quote, Azzam says, "By books is meant the ones revealed by God: the

Bible, the Koran."(Azzam,Ibid.,pg. 102n.) Azzam equated the other three heavenly books

with none other than today's Holy Bible.

II. The Koran's Testimony about the Previous Scriptures.

A. The Tawrat.


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The term Tawratis simply the Arabic equivalent for the Hebrew Torah, normally understood

as the law of Moses (Hazrat Musa). The Koran gives abundant testimony to the Tawrat, so

much so, that it is mentioned more than any other part of the Bible:

It was We who revealed theLaw (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard

have been judged the Jews, by the Prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to God's Will, by the

Rabbis and the Doctors of Law: For to them was entrusted the protection of God's Book, andthey were witnesses thereto: Therefore fear not men, but fear Me, and sell not my Signs for a

miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God hath revealed, they are (no

better than) Unbelievers. We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose for

nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal.".... (surah 5:47,48a)

From this quotation it can be seen that the holy Koran highly esteems the Tawrat("guidance

and light"), and as having been revealed by Allah. Also a quotation from the Tawratis given,

which seems to be from Exodus 21:23-25,

But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for

hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. (Ex. 21:23-25)

In al-Koran it sometimes appears that the term Tawratrefers not only to the books of Hazrat

Musa (pbuh), but to the entire Hebrew Scriptures, especially in verses that mention the

TawratandInjiltogether:

He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, confirming that which was

(revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel(3:3, Pickthall)

Ye People of the Book! Why dispute ye about Abraham, when the Law and the Gospel were

not revealed till after him? Have ye no understanding? (surah 3:65)

Three "people of the book" are in view in these verses -- Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Their respective "books" in a nutshell are the Tawrat,Injil, andKoran. The second verse

mentions only two, but implies Muslims, whom the others should emulate. This particular

understanding ofTawratis borne out in theHadith :

Abu Harairah said: When the Prophet (may peace be upon him) went to his bed, he used to

say: O God! Lord of the heavens, Lord of the earth, Lord of everything, Who splittest the

grain and the kernel, Who hast sent down the Torah, the Injil and the Qur'an, I seek refuge in

Thee from the evil of every evil agent whose forelock thou seizest...(Sunan Abu Dawud, vol.

3, pg. 1403.)

Of course, the prophet knew that the Zaburhad also been sent down, but perhaps in his

thinking he was including it under the Tawrat, i.e. the Jewish Scriptures. Another tradition

makes an apparent quote from the Tawrat, a prophecy regarding the Prophet:

Ka'b, quoting the Torah, said we find written, "Muhammad God's messenger,My chosen

servant, is not rough, or coarse, or loud-voiced in the streets, he does not requite evil with

evil, but forgives and pardons.His birthplace will be in Mecca, his place of emigration in

Taiba, his kingdom in Syria, and his people will be those who are devoted to praising, who

praise God in prosperity and adversity, who praise God in every

alighting-place, who declare God's greatness on every rising ground, who watch for the sun

and observe the prayer when its time comes, who tie their lower garments round their

middle, who perform ablution at their extremities, who crier summons in the open air, who


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We sent after them Jesus son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel; and We ordained in

the hearts of those who followed him Compassion and Mercy. (surah 57:27)

This particular reference is of interest for several reasons. First, it states that Hazrat Isa was

given the Gospelby God, from which Muslims infer that the real Gospel(i.e. real New

Testament) came from the mouth and pen of the prophet Isa. Second, as an aside, God made

Christians to have two distinctive qualities -- compassion and mercy. It is reminicent of theheading of most surahs of the Koran, and the common formula for blessing and beginning

any good work:Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, "In the name of Allah, most gracious, most

merciful". It seems that Christians are said to have the character of Allah! What a testimony

the holy Koran gives regarding followers of Hazrat Isa! Third, this verse is the only one out

of twelve specific mentions of theInjilorGospelin the Koran that does not also mention the

Tawrat(Law). TheInjilis almost always coupled with the Tawrat(see also 3:3, 48, 65;

9:111; 5:49, 50, 69, 71, 113):

Muhammad is the Apostle of God; and those who are with him are strong against

Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate

themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from God and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces aretheir marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Tawrat; and

their similitude in the Gospelis: Like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it

strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder

and delight... (surah 48:29)

The verse states that the Prophet's Companions were a mixture of humililty and strength.

Strong against enemies of God, humble toward God and other believers. It says that their

humble prostration in prayer is like that found in the Tawrat(cp. Numbers 16:22, "Moses and

Aaron fell facedown..."). Then it says that the strength and victory of Muslims is like that

spoken of in the Gospel, apparently referring to the parables of Isa:

...A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed

sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain -- first

the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head... ...like a mustard seed, which is the

smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of

all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.

(Mark 4:26-28, 31-32)

The group of Muslims started off small but grew quickly to become an international force.

However, the main point we need to see is that this is one of ten Koranic references which

couple theLaw and the Gospelclosely together, implying that the totality of the Jewish and

Christian Scriptures can be summed up in the phrase "the Law and the Gospel". One more

example:

Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will

find described in the Torah andthe Gospel(which are) with them. (surah 7:157, Pickthall)

Another interesting verse. It states that the coming of the Prophet is prophesied in the Book

of the Jews, and in the Book of the Christians. From the Torah, Muslims usually refer to

Deut. 18:15 as indicating Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh),

The Lord you God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers.You must listen to him. (Dt. 18:15)


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It is explained that only Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) qualifies to fulfill this because the phrase,

"from among your own brothers" is taken to mean "from among those who are brothers to

you Jews, that is, Ishmaelites for example". They see it as significant that the Prophet was not

a Jew. As far as Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) being prophesied in theInjilgoes, it is helpful to

look at another Koranic verse:

And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the apostle of God(sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of an

Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad."(surah 61:6)

This verse does not have the wordInjilorGospelbut it does give the idea that news of the

coming of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is in theInjil. This verse also reinforces the "law and

gospel" couplet pattern in the Koran. Muslim scholars look to an emended version of verses

in John's Gospel to support this Koranic statement:

"Ahmad", or "Muhammad", the Praised One, is almost a translation of the Greek word

Periclytos. In the present Gospel of John, xiv. 16, xv. 26, and xvi. 7, the word "Comforter" in

the English version is for the Greek word "Paracletos", which means "Advocate", "one calledto the help of another, a kind friend", rather than "Comforter". Our doctors contend that

Paracletos is a corrupt reading for Periclytos, and that in their original saying of Jesus there

was a prophecy of our holy Prophet Ahmad by name. Even if we read Paraclete, it would

apply to the holy Prophet, who is "a Mercy for all creatures" (xxi. 107) and "most kind and

merciful to the Believers" (ix. 128). (Ali,Ibid., pg. 1540, footnote.)

Muhammad often addresses Christians in the Koran, such as,

Let the People of the Gospel judge by what God hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge

by (the light of) what God hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel. (surah

5:50)

Christian leader Michael Nazir-Ali in commenting on the preceding ayat makes an

observation which is perhaps worth as much as everything else that has been said:

The point here is not what Muhammad [pbuh]thought the Injil to be...but what in fact it was

at his time. He is, in the above passage, exhorting the Christians of his day to look into the

Injil for guidance. Now, if these Christians had responded to such an exhortation and had

looked into their Injil or evangel into what would they have looked? The answer is quite

obvious: They would have looked into their New Testament (which is also ours)...(Nazer-Ali,

Islam: A Christian Perspective, pg. 14.)

D. Tawrat,Zabur, andInjiltogether.

Nowhere in the Koran are these three books mentioned together. They are not even

mentioned within the same surah. To find all three together, you have to go to the Hadith,:

Abu Huraira told that when God's messenger once asked Ubayy b. Ka'b how he recited in the

course of the prayer and he recited Umm al-Qur'an [the first surah of the Koran], he said,

"By Him in whose hand my soul is, nothing like it has been sent down in the

Torah, the Injil, the Zabur, or the Qur'an, and it is seven of the oft-repeated verses and themighty Qur'an which I have been given."(Mishkat Al-Masabih, pg. 454.)


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We did aforetime grant to the Children of Israel the Book, the Power of Command, and

Prophethood; We gave them, for Sustenance, things good and pure; and We favoured them

above the nations. (surah 45:16)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali comments on this verse in this way:

Israel had the Revelation given through Moses, the power of judgment and command throughthe Kingdom of David and Solomon, and numerous prophetic warnings through such men as

Isaiah and Jeremiah.. (Ali,Ibid.,pg. 1358.).

He seems to recognize the words of Isaiah and Jeremiah as legitimate prophecy from God.

This is remarkable in view of the fact that such prophets are mentioned neither in the Koran

nor theHadith..

AHadith of great importance shows that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) attributed wahi (Divine

Inspiration) to at least one of the Apostle Paul's writings:

Abu Huraira told that after God's messenger had stated that God most high has said, "I haveprepared for my upright servants what eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has entered into

the heart of man," he added, "Recite, if you wish, 'No soul knows what comfort has been

concealed for them'."(Bukhari and Muslim)

This is quite close to what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9,

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of

man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Cor. 2:9)

The quotedHadith closely follows Paul's wording. To top it off, it says that God most high

said this! Then the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) must have thought 1 Corinthians was part ofGod's Word, as part of theInjil. Though many Hadith are admittedly unreliable, this one (like

all mentioned in this paper) are of high authority and considered trustworthy. This one gets a

double portion, being found in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

F. Conclusions.

In al-Koran, Tawratcan refer to the law of Moses or the entire Old Testament revelation,

depending on the context. TheZaburis at least the Psalms of David, but perhaps equivalent

to theKethubim., the third division of the Hebrew Bible. The Koran does not militate against

such an interpretation. TheInjilis that revelation given to the Christians, i.e. the New

Testament. From the Koran's testimony we learn that in addition to the 3 previous holy

books, there are other prophets who may have been given written revelation from God. The

Hadith help define the previous holy books to be exactly three, but show us also that an

unnamed prophet might make contribution to a holy book (i.e. the apostle Paul contributed to

theInjil).

III. The Testimony of the New Testament:

A. "Law" (i.e. Torah or Tawrat) as the entire Old Testament.

The Injil uses several terms to designate the Old Testament books, the most generic one being"Scriptures". But second to it possibly is the way "law" is used many times:


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Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in yourLaw, 'I have said you are gods'? (Jn. 10:34)

Hazrat Isa Masih quotes Psalm 82:6 and says it is in their "law", that is, the Old Testament.

The crowd spoke up, "We have heard from the Law that the Christ will remain forever, so

how can you say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this 'Son of Man'? (Jn. 12:34)

It is interesting that of all the possible Old Testament cross-references that the NIV Study

Bible gives for this verse, not one of them is from the Pentateuch. "Law" is again being used

in a wider sense than the law of Moses.

But this is to fulfill what is written in theirLaw: 'They hated me without reason.'(Jn. 15:25)

Again, Hazrat Isa quotes the Psalms and calls it the "law". But just so no one can say that this

usage only occurs in John:

I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least

stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.(Matt. 5:18)

That this usage refers to the entire Old Testament is borne out by two things: 1. Matt.5:17, the

previous verse says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets...".

The second reference to Law in verse 18 calls back not only to Moses' law, but also the

"Prophets"; 2. Reason tells us that Jesus would be saying that nothing in any of the previous

revelations would be deleted or abrogated. Rather, they would all be fulfilled. So, "law" must

refer to the whole of the Old Testament.

Now we know that whateverthe law says, it says to those who are underthe law, so that

every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. (Romans 3:19)

This statement by Paul puts words in the mouth of the "law". What words? The words found

previous to this verse in Romans 3:10-18, after "As it is written". The familiar gospel verses

are quoted from the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah, but not from the Pentateuch. Again,

"law" is used of the entire Old Testament.

In the Law it is written: "Through men of strange tongues and through the lips of foreigners

I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me," says the Lord. (1 Cor.

14:21)

This quote from the "law" is out of Isaiah 28:11,12.

B. "Prophets" as generic for any part or all of Old Testament.

But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through allthe prophets, saying that his

Christ would suffer. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore

everything, as he promised long ago through his holyprophets. For Moses said, 'The Lord

you God will raise up for a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to

everything he tells you.'(Acts 3:18, 21,22)

In this passage, it appears that even the law of Hazrat Musa is included as part of the"prophets". Other passages that indicate a more generic use are:


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But this has all taken place thatthe writings of the prophets might be fulfilled. (Mt. 26:56)

When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots [that the word

spoken by theprophetmight be fulfilled: "They divided my garments among themselves and

cast lots for my clothing". (Mt. 27:35)

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he saidthrough his holyprophets of long ago). (Luke 1:69,70)

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything

that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled."(Luke 18:31)

Allthe prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of

sins through his name. (Acts 10:43)

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they

fulfilledthe words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. (Acts 13:27)

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various

ways. (Heb. 1:1)

I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holyprophets and the command

given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. (2 Pet. 3:2)

The last two references very clearly point to the entire Old Testament revelation, as opposed

to the New Testament revelation. That the "prophets" also includes the Hebrew Scriptures

section, the "Writings" orKethubim, is clear from Hazrat Isa's own designation of Daniel as a

prophet (see Matt. 24:15), and Peter's testimony in Acts 2:30 concerning David that "he was a

prophet".

C. "Law" and "Prophets" used for the total Old Testament Revelation.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law

and the Prophets. (Matt. 7:12)

This couplet of "the Law and the Prophets" (or variations thereof) is found some fourteen

times in the New Testament. See also Matt. 5:17; 11:13; 22:40; Luke 16:16, 29, 31; 24:27;

John 1:45; Acts 13:15; 24:14; 26:22; 28:23; Rom. 3:21. The implication is obvious in every

case that the phrase signifies the entirety of the Old Testament revelation.

D. One Remarkable Statement.

Just prior to his departure from this earth, Hazrat Isa (pbuh) said:

This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written

about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. (Luke 24:44)

This is the only such statement in all of the Bible, dividing the Old Testament into 3 sections:

theLaw, theProphets, and the Psalms. It is a well known fact that the Jewish Bible is divided

into 3 sections as well: theLaw (Torah), theProphets (Nebi'im), and the Writings(Kethubim), thePsalmsbeing the first book in the Writings, as the chart shows.


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The Hebrew Old Testament Arrangement

Law (Torah) Prophets (Nebi'im) Writings (Kethubim)

1. Genesis A.Former Prophets A.Poetical Books

2. Exodus 6. Joshua 14. Psalms

3. Leviticus 7. Judges 15. Proverbs

4. Numbers 8. Samuel 16. Job

5. Deuteronomy 9. Kings B. Five Rolls (Megilloth)

B.Latter Prophets 17. Song of Songs

10. Isaiah 18. Ruth

11. Jeremiah 19. Lamentations

12. Ezekiel 20. Ecclesiastes

13. The Twelve 21. Esther

C. Historical Books

22. Daniel

23. Ezra-Nehemiah

24. Chronicles

The preceding classification, with minor variations, is one that was settled before or by the

fourth century A.D. in the Babylonian Talmud. The name "Writings" orKethubim seems to

be a title that came along later than the New Testament, even though the divisions themselves

were in existence in New Testament times. However, it is apparent that the list ofKethubim

was by no means fixed and rigid. The title of that section was also slow in coming as isindicated by the 2nd century B.C. reference to the Old Testament in the Prologue ofWisdom

of Jesus the Son of Sirach orEcclesiasticus:

...my grandfather Jesus, when he had much given himself to the reading of the law, and the

prophets, andother books of our fathers, and had gotten therein good judgment, was drawn

on also himself to write something pertaining to learning and wisdom...

For the same things uttered in Hebrew, and translated into another tongue, have not the

same force in them: and not only these things, but the law itself, and theprophets, and the

rest of the books, have no small difference, when they are spoken in their own language.

(The Apocrypha according to the Authorised Version, pg. 94.)

The ancient writer knew that there were 3 sections to the Old Testament, but he did not seem

to know the name of the third section, if there was one. Hazrat Isa's only-one-time

designation of Law, Prophets, and Psalms, may indicate that the third section was still lacking

an accepted widely-known name in the 1st century A.D. However, this designation was used

at least sometimes in the 1st century, else his disciples might have not understood what was

being referred to:

The three sections are also referred to, in the first century AD, by Philo (De Vita

Contemplativa 25) and by Hazrat Isa Masih (Lk. 24:44), both of whom give the third section

its earliest name of "the Psalms".


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Hazrat Isa (pbuh) followed the order of books found in the Hebrew Bible in one sweeping

statement, when he covered the contents of the entire Hebrew Old Testament, from the

beginning book (Genesis 4), to the end (2 Chronicles 24:20-22):

Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has

been shed since the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel[Habil]to the blood of

Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, thisgeneration will be held responsible for it all. (Luke 11:50-51)

Naming this section of the Hebrew Bible after its first book, Psalms, is not without precedent

among the Jews. The Hebrew title for Genesis took its name from the opening words in the

book, as did the Hebrew titles for Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and

Lamentations. So it is natural for the unnamed collection of writings to be called by its first

book, "Psalms". Many scholars take it for granted that what Hazrat Isa had in mind in saying

"Law, Prophets, and Psalms" was in fact, the three divisions of the entire Old Testament

canon. An interesting corroboration comes from Abdullah Yusuf Ali:

The Jews divide their Scripture into three parts: (1) the Law (Torah), (2) the Prophets(Nebiim), and (3) the Writings (Kethubim). The corresponding Arabic words would be: (1)

Tawrat, (2) Nabiyin, and (3) Kutub. This division was probably current in the time of Jesus.

In Luke xxiv. 44 Jesus refers to the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. (Ali, Ibid., pg. 283.).

The ancient historian Josephus gives further evidence of the existence of the three-fold

division in the first century, also similar to Hazrat Isa's "law, prophets, psalms" designation:

For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and

contradicting one another [as the Greeks have,] but only twenty-two books, which contain

the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine; and of them, five

belong toMoses, which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind till hisdeath. This interval of time was little short of three thousand years; but as to the time from

the death of Moses till the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, who reigned after Xerxes, the

prophets, who were after Moses, wrote down what was done in their times in thirteen books.

The remaining four books contain hymns to God, and precepts for the conduct of human life.

(Josephus: Complete Works, pg. 609.)

It is apparent that Josephus' breakdown (5+13+4=22) does not tally with the (5+8+11=24)

scheme found in Hebrew Bibles today, but that is due to the unsettled

arrangement/combination of books within the last two divisions during that time, and not due

to a different accepted canon. There is an additional reason for Hazrat Isa (pbuh) and others

identifying the third division with Hazrat Dawud's book, the Psalms:

David Noel Freedman, "The Formation of the Canon of the Old Testament," in Religion and

Law: Biblical-Judaic and Islamic Perspectives, ed. by Edwin B. Firmage, Bernard G. Weiss,

and John W. Welch (Winona Lake IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990), pp. 320-321: The effort to rewrite

or revise the classic history of Israel did not entirely succeed, but the Chronicler's work,

ultimately supplemented by the memoirs of Ezra and Nehemiah, constituted the framework of

a third cycle of literature in the canon. Such books as the Psalter, Proverbs, and others that

could be associated with the house of David(for example, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes)

were included, as well as those that dealt with the fortunes of the sacred city and its Temple

(for example, Lamentations, and later, Daniel).Thus, the division of Zabur as the corpus belonging to Davidis not an unexpected category

of the Old Testament canon. It does not, in and of itself, deny the existence of the Kethubim

or even make it difficult to explain their association. Freedman's explanation also answers


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A. The Law:

Christian leader Chrysostom (c. 354-407 A.D.) in his commentary on the Book of Galatians,

makes a comment on Galatians 4:21 which verse says, "Tell me, you who want to be under

the law, are you not aware of what the law says?" His comment reads, "It is the Book of

Creation which he calls here the law, which name he often gives to the whole Old

Testament." (Schaff, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the ChristianChurch: First Series, vol. 8, pg. 33.) So "the Law" can be understood as the books of Moses,

or as the entire Old Testament.

B. The Prophets:

Verses about the prophets and Prophethood abound in the Koran, but not one clear reference

to the "book of the Prophets". This is not because the inspiration of the Old Testament

prophets was not recognized. It has before been shown that the Old Testament prophets are

recognized by Islam.

C. The Psalms:

There seems to be no direct evidence that the Jews in the Prophet's day knew the Kethubim

also as thePsalms. It can only be assumed based on the practice of Jews in preceding

centuries. It is clear that the accepted Hebrew canon before Hazrat Muhammad's time placed

Psalms at the head of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and it is also clear that Hebrew

Bibles today do the same. However, the Babylonian Talmud (pre-400 A.D.) placesRuth, not

Psalms, at the head of the Kethubim:

The oldest testimony of Jewish tradition about the order of the kethubim is furnished by the

Babylonian Talmud. In the treatise Baba Bathra (14b) we find after the Prophets the series of

the kethubim as follows: 'The order of the kethubim is: Ruth, and the Book of Psalms and Joband Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, and Lamentations, Daniel and the roll

(megillath) of Esther, Ezra and Chronicles.' (Dhorme, A Commentary on the Book of Job,

pg. vii.)

Two things are worth noting here: 1, that the section is not called Psalms butKethubim

(Writings), and 2, that the first book is not Psalms,butRuth. This may mean that the Zaburof

seventh century Arabia was only the book of Psalms, but not necessarily. "The first five

editions of the Hebrew Bible begin the Hagiographa [Kethubim] with Psalms, Proverbs, Job."

(Dhorme,Ibid., pg. viii.). The Babylonian Talmud was not the only authority in Hebrew

scriptural matters at the time (e.g. - the Palestinian Talmud), and obviously its authority has

not carried through the years in this particular matter. So it is possible that Zaburstands for

theKethubim. This designation may have been used among Jews, but what about Christians?

The church did not follow the Hebrew Bible divisions, seeing that their Bible was the

Septuagint. What then did this term "the Psalms", orZaburin Arabic, mean to the church?

Tertullian, in the second century, tells us that the Christians were wont to sing Psalms at

their agap, and that they were sung antiphonally. From the earliest times they formed an

essential part of Divine Service. Hilary, Chrysostom, Augustine, all mention the use of the

Psalms in the public service, and describe them, sometimes as being sung by the whole

congregation, at others as being recited by one individual, who was followed by the rest.

(Perowne, Commentary on the Psalms, 2 vol. in 1, pg. 23.)


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To emphasize the importance that the early and medieval church placed on the Psalms, Van

Espen's comment on a canon of the Second Council of Nice (787 A.D.) that "a Bishop must

know the Psalter by heart" is in order, because of what it says about prior church history:

And it should be noted that formerly not only the clergy, but also the lay people, learned the

Psalms, that is the whole Psalter, by heart, and made a most sweet sound by chanting them

while about their work. But as time went on, little by little, this pious custom of reciting thePsalter... slipped away to the clergy only and to monks and nuns...(Schaff & Wace, A Select

Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: Second Series, vol.

14, pg. 556, 557.)

It is no wonder that Gustav Oehler speaks of the Psalms as he does:

The book of Psalms is, above all other portions of Old Testament Scripture, that which, from

the first, has been most used by the Christian church, and which she has cherished as one of

her noblest jewels. Just as the Lord himself, following the passover custom of his nation, at

his last meal with his disciples sang the great Hallel out of the Psalms, Mat. xxvi. 30, so the

apostle also, Col. iii. 16; Ep. v. 19, has exhorted the Christian community to edify itself out ofthe same. From this Israelitish book of song and prayer not only have the liturgies of the

Christian church drawn many of their parts, but from it also has the sacred hymnology of the

church itself proceeded. And how can we suitably express all the spiritual benefit which

believers of all time have received from these songs? (Fairbairn, The Imperial Bible-

Dictionary, vol. 5, pg. 334.)

Of course, that statement holds true not only for the church, for as Perowne said, "the Psalter

has been in the truest sense, the Prayer-book both of Jews and Christians."(Perowne,Ibid.,

pg. 22.) It appears from all this, that Arabic Christians would have understoodZaburto mean

the book ofPsalms, and that they treasured it.

D. The Gospel:

The Koran's way of calling the New Testament, "the Gospel" orInjilis something to be

addressed. When the Koran mentions "the Gospel" is it referring to the New Testament or to

another book? After all, Christians do not commonly call the New Testament by this name

today. If it can be shown that this was a common title (used by Christians) for the New

Testament before and/or during the time of Muhammad, then it can be argued that the Koran

is actually referring to the New Testament as it is known today. One strong argument for

identifying theInjilwith the New Testament is the word Injilitself. This word found its way

into the Koran ultimately from the New Testament. Christians would have been heard to use

the wordgospelquite regularly. Jews would not have used it much, and neither would

Arabian idol-worshippers. Where did Christians get the word from? The New Testament, of

course. The word euaggelion occurs some 77 times in the New Testament, and

euaggelizw/euaggelizomai some 55 times. Injilorgospelis a New Testament word. Not only

that, but the New Testament authors made it clear that they believed their message (whether

spoken or written) was the gospelorInjil:

Mark 1:1-- The beginning ofthe gospelabout Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Romans 16:25,26--Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospeland the

proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long agespast, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of

the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him --


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1 Thess. 1:5-- ...because our gospelcame to you not simply with words, but also with power,

with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

The common belief is that the originalInjilwas given to Hazrat Isa (pbuh), and so people

have difficulty in seeing the New Testament written by anyone other than him. The following

quote from the apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas may help to bridge the gap from the Muslim

position and the New Testament as it stands:

And when he [Isa] chose his apostles, which were afterwards to publish his Gospel, he took

men who had been very great sinners; that thereby he might plainly shew, That he came not

to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. (The Lost Books of the Bible, pg. 149.)

The New Testament itself bears abundant witness to the gospelbeing Hazrat Isa's gospel, a

gospelwhich he committed into the hands of his followers to publish throughout the world.

From historical documents it is clear that the church of the centuries before Islam arrived, did

use "Gospel" as a title for all or part of the New Testament:

At a very early date it appears that the four Gospels were united in one collection. They musthave been brought together very soon after the writing of the Gospel according to John. This

fourfold collection was originally known as "The Gospel" in the singular, not "The Gospels"

in the plural; there was only one Gospel... Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, refers to "The Gospel"

as an authoritative writing, and as he knew more than one of the four "Gospels" it may well

be that by "The Gospel" sans phrase he means the fourfold collection which went by that

name. (Bruce, The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? pg. 23.)

Toward the end of the second century, Irenaeus gave a similar testimony, "The Word gave to

us the Gospel in a fourfold shape, but held together by one Spirit". (Harrison, Introduction to

the New Testament, pg. 99.) In the fourth century, Chrysostom wrote,

We assert, therefore, that, although a thousand Gospels were written, if the contents of all

were the same, they would still be one, and their unity no wise infringed by the number of

writers. -- Whence it is clear that the four Gospels are one Gospel; for, as the four say the

same thing, its oneness is preserved by the harmony of the contents, and not impaired by the

difference of persons. (Schaff, A Select Library of Nicene and Post- Nicene Fathers of the

Christian Church: First Series. vol. 8, pg. 7.)

But what about the rest of the New Testament?

The corpus Paulinum, or collection of Paul's writings, was brought together about the same

time as the collecting of the fourfold Gospel. As the Gospel collection was designated by the

Greek word Euangelion, so the Pauline collection was designated by the one word

Apostolos... (Bruce,Ibid., pg.25.)

Apparently, Augustine knew of the same divisions in his day in the fourth century, "For I ask

them, is it good to take pleasure in reading the Apostle? or good to take pleasure in a sober

Psalm? or good to discourse on the Gospel? They will answer to each, 'It is good'."(The

Confessions of St.Augustine, pg. 144.) In the same time period, "Gospel" was used by

Christian church historian Eusebius in the same way, as well as for each of the four gospels

individually.

The whole New Testament was known as simply the Gospelvery early on however. In fact,Christian theologian B.B. Warfield states that it was the earliest name for the entire New

Testament collection:


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The earliest name given to this new section of Scripture was framed on the model of the name

by which what we know as the Old Testament was then known. Just as it was called "The

Law and the Prophets and the Psalms" (or "the Hagiographa"), or more briefly "The Law

and the Prophets," or even more briefly still "The Law"; so the enlarged Bible was called

"The Law and the Prophets, with The Gospels and the Apostles" (so Clement of Alexandria,

"Strom." vi. 11, 88; Tertullian, "De Prs. Hr." 36), or most briefly "The Law and the

Gospel" (so Claudius Apolinaris, Irenus); while the new books apart were called "TheGospel and the Apostles," or most briefly of all "The Gospel." This earliest name for the new

Bible, with all that it involves as to its relation to the old and briefer Bible, is traceable as far

back as Ignatius (A.D. 115), who makes use of it repeatedly (e.g., "ad Philad." 5; "ad

Smyrn." 7). In one passage he gives us a hint of the controversies which the enlarged Bible of

the Christians aroused among the Judaizers ("ad Philad." 6). "When I heard some saying,"

he writes, "Unless I find it in the Old [Books] I will not believe the Gospel,' on my saying, 'It

is written,' they answered, 'That is the question.' To me, however, Jesus Christ is the Old

[Books]; his cross and death and resurrection, and the faith which is by him, the undefiled

Old [Books] -- by which I wish, by your prayers, to be justified. The priests indeed are good,

but the High Priest better," etc. Here Ignatius appeals to the "Gospel" as Scripture, and the

Judaizers object, receiving from him the answer in effect which Augustine afterwardformulated in the well-known saying that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the

Old Testament is first made clear in the New. (The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible, pg.

413.)

Again, in his letter to the Smyrnns, early church father Ignatius identifies the Gospel,

alongside the Law and the Prophets:

Only in the name of Jesus Christ, I undergo all, to suffer together with him; he who was

made a perfect man strenthening me. Whom some not knowing, do deny; or rather have been

denied my him, being the advocates of death, rather than of the truth. Whom neitherthe

prophecies, northe law of Moses have persuaded; northe Gospelitself even to this day, northe sufferings of every one of us. (The Lost Books of the Bible, pg. 187.)

TheApostolic Constitutions, probably written in the late 4th century, though parts possibly

dating from the 5th century, contains several interesting references to the "Gospel":

Let him [a bishop] be patient and gentle in his admonitions, well instructed himself,

meditating in and diligently studying the Lord's books, and reading them frequently, that so

he may be able carefully to interpret the Scriptures, expoundingthe Gospel in

correspondence with the prophets and with the law; and let the expositionsfrom the law

and the prophets correspond to the Gospel. ...and let [the repentant] depart after the reading

ofthe law, and the prophets, and the Gospel, that by such departure they may be made

better in their course of life...

Let us walk afterthe law, and the prophets by the Gospel. (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 7,

pg. 397, 414, 461.)

These quotations make it clear that "the Gospel" was a title used to refer to the entire New

Testament, as opposed to the Old Testament ("the law and the prophets").

Summary

1. Tawratis quite properly and acceptably the title of the Pentateuch, however it also

can signify the entire Old Testament in use today.


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2. Zabur(Psalms) not only referred to the book with that name, but at one time was also

a title for theKethubim or third division of the Hebrew Bible. It is highly possible that

it was still commonly used that way by Jews contemporary to the prophet Muhammad

(pbuh). The Hebrew Bible, not the Greek Septuagint, was the Old Testament known

to the people of Arabia in the time of the Prophet, in view of the fact that they were

aware of the Tawrat. "Zabur" then can be arguably used as the title of that section of

the Hebrew Bible known as theKethubim.

3. The Prophets was unknown as a 'book' to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), but the prophets

described therein were clearly believed in by him. He apparently had very little

firsthand knowledge of this collection. An Arabic equivalent for the Hebrew title of

this section of the Old Testament (Nebi'im) isAnbiya.

4. Injilis rightly a title for the New Testament. It was not new with the Koran, but one

known and used by Christians before the Koran was given.

Are the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil important today?

Almighty Allah has revealed his Word to mankind through the holy prophets. People who

want to worship Allah correctly must believe what the prophets have said. It is commanded

by Allah that we believe the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil, along with all that Allah has revealed.

But what are these books really? Are the Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil which exist today reliable?

Is their message important for us today? The answer is--yes. Here are three reasons why:

1. They are Ancient Scriptures from Allah -- Beginning at about 1500 B.C.,

continuing on until about 100 A.D., these Scriptures were bit-by-bit given for the

benefit and guidance of mankind. The Tawrat was revealed first, then the Zabur, andfinally the Injil. These three holy books are also known today by other names. For

example, the Tawrat (or Torah) is sometimes called "Pentateuch". The Zabur is

known also by the title "Psalms". The three books are usually printed together in one

volume, along with the books of other prophets as the "Holy Bible". The word "Bible"

came originally from the Greek language, with the simple meaning, "book". So when

you say "the Holy Bible", you are actually saying "the holy book". In this "holy

book", there are two large divisions, commonly called the "Old Testament" and the

"New Testament". The Old Testament division includes the Tawrat of Musa (a:), the

Zabur of Dawud (a:), and the books of other prophets such as Hazrat Yusha (Joshua),

Samuel, Uzair (Ezra), Sulayman (Solomon), Ayub (Job), Ishaya (Isaiah), Irmiya

(Jeremiah), Zul-Kifl (Ezekiel), Yunus (Jonah) and Daniel (a:). The New Testament

division is the exact same thing as the Injil of Isa Masih. The word "Injil" comes from

a Greek word meaning "good news", giving us the English word "evangel". And so

the Injil is the "good news" of Hazrat Isa Masih. The Injil is the book which the Jews

rejected as false, but which both Christians and Muslims believe as true. Today many

very ancient copies of these books exist in museums and libraries. These ancient

copies agree with the newly printed copies available in bookstores today.

2. They are Reliable Scriptures -- That which Allah gives us is good and perfect.

When these books were revealed, they were without error and completely true. These

books were still in existence when Al-Koran came into this world, for the Koranstates again and again that Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil must be believed. The ancient

manuscripts in libraries and museums previously mentioned predate the Koran by

hundreds of years. Millions of people all over the world believe and cherish these


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books. Some people claim that the Tawrat, Zabur and Injil have been changed and so

have become false and unreliable. Assuming this to be true, let us ask the question,

"When were they changed? Before the coming of Al-Koran, or after?" Some might

say, "Before". If "before", then why does the Koran command the people to believe

all the heavenly books, including those which came before the Koran? (See surah

Bakara 2:136 for example). Would the Koran command people to believe something

that had been corrupted? Certainly not! If these heavenly books were changedbeforehand, the corrupted versions should not be believed at all. Some people might

say, "The books were changed after the Koran was given." But if that is true, then

what is the meaning of Koran's statement that no man can change Allah's words? (See

surah An-Aam 6:34, 115).

Shall we say that Allah would allow some of his eternal words to be changed, while he

protected others? But we know that the message of Allah's Word stays the same no matter

what men try to do. As it says in the holy Injil:

For, "All men are like grass, and their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers

and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that waspreached to you. holy Injil, 1 Peter 1:24,25

Is man greater than Allah? Of course not! Allah's Word, including Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil,

"stands forever".

3. They are Necessary Scriptures -- Some people believe that books such as the

Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil are unnecessary today because there is a new and improved,

latest edition of truth available in Al-Koran. Without realizing it, people who say such

things are making a distinction between the heavenly books. Will any man dare to say

that Allah gave us something that is useless and unnecessary? In school, we might say

that class four is better than class three, two, or one. But does that mean that classthree, two, or one are unnecessary? No, of course not. They are essential for anyone

who wishes to go to class four and pass his tests. Class one, two, and three lay a

necessary foundation in order to understand class four. In the same way, Tawrat,

Zabur, and Injil, lay a necessary foundation for anyone who wishes to understand

Allah's will. They must not only be believed, but read and obeyed by anyone who

wishes to please Allah. Listen to what is said in the Zabur about these holy Scriptures:

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The

commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are

more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from

the comb.

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (Zabur 19:7-11)

1. The holy Injil is the Word of Allah

2. The Word of Allah, including the holy Injil, cannot be corrupted

3. The holy Injil brings special spiritual blessing to those who follow it

4. The holy Injil must be believed and obeyed as the Word of Allah
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Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the Prophets

received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we

have surrendered."

*Surah Al-Baqarah 2:285 "The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his

Lord, and the believers; each one believes in Allah and His angels, and in His Books and His

Messengers; we make no division between any one of His Messengers." *Surah Yunus

10:95,96 "And if thou art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then questionthose who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath

come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be not thou of those who deny the

revelations of Allah, for then wert thou of the losers." *Also see 2:4,5,101,102,174; 3:84;

4:56,136; 5:68; 6:49

Application: All Muslims claim to believe in all the revelations Allah has sent, not making

distinction between any of them. In practice however, what do we see? We see many people

following only one book, while the others are ignored, unread, or even rejected on the basis

of man-made traditions. It is time to return to the belief about Allah's Word that is found in

His Word, not the belief that comes from the lips of scholars unable to see past their own

preconceived notions.

The call today is for honest and open-minded inquiry into the truth, grounded in a firm faith

that Allah guides those who seek Him with all their heart. To those who boldly seek the truth

at any cost, Allah has given a special message through one of the ancient prophets, Hazrat

Irmiya (pbuh):

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Call to me and I will

answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

--Jeremiah, chapter 29 verse 13; chapter 33 verse 3

The Secret Meaning of Id-al-Adha

Every year many thousands of sheep, goats, camels and other animals are sacrificed

throughout the world on the occasion of Id-al-Adha. At this special time, Hazrat Ibrahim

(peace be upon him) is remembered for his humble submission in being willing to sacrifice

his son at the command of Allah. We remember that at the last moment as the prophet was

about to plunge the knife into the body of his son, Almighty Allah called out to Hazrat

Ibrahim (pbuh) to stop and not to harm his son. Instead, Allah provided an animal as a

substitute sacrifice. And so, every year similar sacrifices are performed in memory of Hazrat

Ibrahim's submission to Allah.

But is there a deeper, secret meaning to this sacrifice that can benefit us today? Yes, there is a

deeper meaning to the sacrifice which can only be understood by first listening to the voice of

Allah in the holy Tawrat, one of the heavenly books. Why must we look into this particular

holy book? Because it is this book which gives the original account of the life of Hazrat

Ibrahim (pbuh), including the original account of this great sacrifice. The event is recorded in

the holy Tawrat, part one (Genesis), chapter 22.

In the story, Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) and his son are walking to the hill where the sacrifice is to

take place. The boy notices that they have everything except an animal to sacrifice, and so he


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asks his father a question, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt

offering?" (Genesis 22, verse 7)

Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) answers, "Allah himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering,

my son" (Genesis 22, verse 8). Notice that both the prophet and his son thought that the

appropriate animal for the sacrifice was a lamb, or baby sheep. Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh)

speaking as a prophet, said that Allah would provide the lamb for sacrifice. But what actuallyhappened?

Then he [Hazrat Ibrahim] reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the

angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am," he

replied.

"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he [the angel] said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know

that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."

Abraham looked up and there in the thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over

and took the ram and sacificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. (Genesis 22, verses

10-13)

Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh), or Abraham, said that Allah would provide a lamb for sacrifice. But

what did Allah provide? Allah did not provide a lamb, but a ram. We know that it was a ram

because it was caught in a thicket by its horns. A lamb has no horns. If this is so, then a

question remains, "Was Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) mistaken when he said that Allah would

provide a lamb?"

No, he spoke the truth. This is where the secret meaning of the sacrifice comes in. For many

centuries after Hazrat Ibrahim's sacrifice, the full meaning of the prophet's statement

remained hidden. Then one day, a new prophet appeared to mankind-- Hazrat Yahya (pbuh).

Listen to the account of Hazrat Yahya (pbuh), or John the Baptist, found in the holy Injil,

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who

takes away the sin of the world!"(Injil, John 1, verse 29).

Hazrat Yahya (pbuh) undoubtedly knew the story of Hazrat Ibrahim's great sacrifice. He

himself could have read the story in the holy Tawrat. He knew that Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh)

said that Allah would provide a lamb to die as a substitute for his son. Hazrat Yahya (pbuh)

could also know that the actual animal sacrificed at the time was a ram, not a lamb. Now as a

prophet of Allah, Hazrat Yahya (pbuh) upon seeing the great messener Hazrat Isa Masih, says

to everyone, "Look, the Lamb of Allah, who takes away the sin of the world!"

According the holy Injil, Hazrat Isa Masih is a lamb. But which lamb? The lamb which

Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) first said Allah would provide. This is the lamb which had to be

sacrificed to save the son of Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh). The animal which Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh)

sacrificed was not the real lamb of Allah, but just a ram. It was only a temporary arrangement

made until the real lamb of Allah should come. The real Lamb, Hazrat Isa Masih, would be

much better than any mere animal because he could take away the sins of all men! An

animal's life does not have the value of a man's life, and so the sacrifice of an animal can

never take away any man's sins. But the life of Hazrat Isa Masih has inestimable value, and

so he can help every man. By giving his own life as a sacrifice for sins, he could free all the

sons of Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) from their sins.

But when did Hazrat Isa Masih give his life as a sacrifice for sins? Before he was taken up to

be with Allah. Of his own free will, he himself decided that he would let evil men kill him, by

nailing his body to a cross:


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So the soldiers took charge of Jesus [Isa]. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of

the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two

others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle. Later, knowing that all was now completed,

and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar

was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and

lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had finished the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that,

he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.(Injil, John 19, verses 17,18,28-30)

Perhaps this is new knowledge to you, but it was not new to the prophet, Hazrat Isa, Spirit of

Allah. He knew in advance that it would happen. Not only that, he allowed it to happen.

Before all this happened, Hazrat Isa Masih had said,

No one takes it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay

it down and authority to take it up again. (Injil, John 10, verse 18)

So it was Hazrat Isa's own decision to lay down his life as a sacrifice. But just as he layed his

life down, he also took it up again by his own authority. He became alive again! His risingagain was the proof that his suffering was not a defeat. Allah is most great! The plot of the

evil men failed. Hazrat Isa Masih was victorious. After he became alive again, Hazrat Isa

Masih said this,

I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys

of death and the grave.

(Injil, Revelation 1, verse 18)

In giving his life as a sacrifice, Hazrat Isa Masih fulfilled the words which Hazrat Ibrahim

(pbuh) spoke to his son many years before, "Allah himself will provide a lamb for sacrifice."

This is the lamb which takes away the sins of all men. His sacrifice is still powerful to savemen from sins today because he is not dead, but alive. The holy Injil says,

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he

always lives to intercede for them. (Injil, Hebrews 7, verse 25)

Hazrat Isa Masih is the lamb who saves the sons of Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh), that is, those who

have the faith of Ibrahim. Hazrat Ibrahim (pbuh) believed that Allah himself would provide a

lamb as a substitionary sacrifice. Hazrat Ibrahim also believed that even if death should

come, Allah can raise the dead to life. Allah has raised Hazrat Isa Masih, who is alive today

to intercede on behalf of all those who come to Allah through him. You too may approach

Allah through Hazrat Isa, who will intercede to Allah for you, and save you from the penalty

of your sins.

So remember that when you see an animal being sacrificed on Id-al-Adha, the sacrificed

animal speaks of a much greater sacrifice--the sacrifice of Hazrat Isa Masih, the Lamb of

Allah, who takes away the sins of men.

THE DAY THAT DEATH WILL DIE

Introduction

The Birth of Death
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The Consequences of the Sin of Adam (a:) and Hawa (a:)

The Meaning of Spiritual Death

The Promise of Victory spoken through the Prophets

After Death -- Then What?

The Waiting Place for the Wicked

The Rest of the Righteous

Is Qiyamat Near?

Are You Ready for Qiyamat?

The Seven Year Kingdom of Death

The Seven Trumpets - (Injil, Revelation 8:2-9:21; 11:15-19)

The Seven Bowls - (Injil, Revelation 15:1-16:21)

Dajjal, the Great Liar

Masih or Liar?

Israel -- The Nation that Refuses to Die

Israel's Past

Israel's Present

Israel's Future

The People Who Will Never Die

Protection from Qiyamat's Troubles

A Special Place and how to get there

Hazrat Isa Masih's Kingdom of Life

Prince of Peace

One Thousand Years of Peace

Yajuj and Majuj Attack Hazrat Isa's Kingdom

Fire from Heaven

The End or the Beginning?

The Death of Death

A New Heaven and a New Earth

Hazrat Isa, Victor over Death

Reason #1: Hazrat Isa raised the dead
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Reason #2: Hazrat Isa was not conquered by death

Reason #3: Hazrat Isa will raise the dead in Qiyamat

Reason #4: Hazrat Isa will judge all men

Reason #5: Hazrat Isa saves men from Death and Hell

THE DAY THAT DEATH WILL DIE

Introduction

"NO, MOTHER, NO! DON'T LEAVE US!" As I heard that mournful cry and looked out

through my window towards the clinic across the way, I immediately understood what had

happened. A patient had died. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, death had come in

like a thief and snatched a living soul away. Now the family was left behind to suffer the pain

of losing a loved one.

This is a sad but true fact of life repeated daily. Whether we are rich or poor, healthy or sick,

godly or sinner, one day we must pass through death's gate. This is very sad news. But even

in the midst of such terrible tragedy, there is good news!

The good news is this -- one day, DEATH itself will DIE. That's right. Death will be utterly

defeated and show its face no more. The time is coming when we will no longer lose loved

ones to this dreaded enemy. The fear of death and of the pains of the grave will be gone

because death itself will be gone, never to come again. Is that not wonderful news? Allah has

revealed this truth in the writings of his holy prophets. He has appointed a day in which deathwill be destroyed, a day commonly known as qiyamat. That is the subject of this book.

The word "qiyamat" is an Arabic word meaning "rising (from the dead)". So when we say

"qiyamat", we are actually saying "resurrection". Qiyamat is the day of resurrection. The

dead will rise in that day, but more than that, in qiyamat, death itself will be thrown down

never to rise again. It is written in one of the heavenly books,

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (Injil, 1 Corinthians 15:26)

Not only that, but all the bad things that are associated with death like physical pain and

sorrow, will also be finished forever. Allah's holy word says,

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither

sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed

away. (Injil, Revelation 21:4)

Perhaps you have already learned about some of the events of qiyamat in the past. This book

however, is different. Heavenly scriptures such as Tawrat, Zabur, and Injil, contain many

details concerning qiyamat that you will want to know. Not only that, but from the reading of

these portions of holy Scripture you will find encouragement as you face the future.

As you read this book you will notice that Hazrat Isa (Spirit of Allah), or Jesus Christ, ismentioned time and time again. As you perhaps already know, Hazrat Isa is sometimes called

"the sign of qiyamat". His visible return to earth is the sign that the end is near. Many
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amazing events will happen during that time, some good, some very bad. But last of all, all

creation will joyfully shout, as the proclamation goes forth that "death is no more".

In this book, the term "qiyamat" is used to refer to the entire period of time at the end of this

age which includes not only the actual day of resurrection, but also the following events:

the rise of Masih-al-Dajjal (Antichrist) the time of great trouble which will come upon the earth in the last days

the return of Hazrat Isa to earth

the kingdom of Hazrat Isa on earth

battle with Yajuj and Majuj

the final judgment

and several other subjects

Is it possible that qiyamat will come soon? When will it be? How will it all happen? How will

we know if the day has arrived? Is there some special thing we can do to prepare ourselves

for that day? What happens to us after death? What can we do so that in death we can be sure

to find rest instead of misery? We will try to answer some of these questions by means of

Allah's holy word.

It is the prayer of this writer that in reading this book the reader may discover how to be

ready for that day without fear of death. Instead, may you discover how to face the future

with peace, joy, and confidence.

Hazrat Isa said to his followers, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give toyou as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."(Injil, John

14:27)

The Birth of Death

And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but

you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you

will surely die.

(Tawrat, Genesis 2:16,17)

In the beginning when Allah created heaven and earth, he made it a very beautiful place. All

kinds of birds and animals lived together in harmony, enjoying the colorful flowers, delicious

fruit and lush vegetation. But the most beautiful thing about His creation was that there was

no death. Allah's original intention was that mankind would never die but live forever in

Paradise (Ferdous). Hazrat Adam (a:) and Bibi Hawa (a:) were created innocent of sin. Allah

had planned for them and their descendants to enjoy the pleasures of the garden forever. But

one day Iblis, or Satan, came as a serpent to tempt Bibi Hawa (a:) to eat the fruit from "the

tree of the knowledge of good and evil", the one which Allah had commanded them not to eat

from. There were many other good fruit trees in the garden but Iblis wanted Adam and Hawa

to eat from that tree. Why? Because in doing so, they would obey Iblis and disregard thecommand of Allah.


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Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He

said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The

woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say,

'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not

touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God

knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing

good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasingto the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave

some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Tawrat, Genesis 3:1-6)

By eating the fruit, our first parents sinned. This was the first time any human being ever

sinned. Hazrat Adam (a:) and Bibi Hawa (a:) disobeyed a direct command of Allah, and so

there was a penalty -- death. Those who had been created to live forever, would now be

subject to death.

The Consequences of the Sin of Adam (a:) and Hawa (a:)

The consequence of their sin however, was much greater than just their own deaths. All ofcreation was affected by that one sin. Look at what Allah said to Adam (a:) and Hawa (a:)

after they sinned:

1. Pain in childbearing - "To the woman he said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in

childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.'" (Tawrat, Gen.3:16) Today,

women have pain and sometimes even death in childbearing because of the sin of Bibi

Hawa (a:).

2. Curse on ground - "To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate

from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat of it," cursed is the

ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.'"(Tawrat, Gen.3:17,18) Weeds were not a problem before Hazrat Adam (a:) sinned, but

now they are plentiful, as every farmer and gardener knows.

3. Hard labour in work- "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you

return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you

will return." (Tawrat, Gen.3:19) Many hard-working people have little to show for

their toil. The sin of Hazrat Adam (a:) made life and work more difficult for us all.

Today, we have all of these troubles in daily life. These are the result of the sin of Hazrat

Adam (a:) and Bibi Hawa (a:). But there is one more terrible thing that happened due to their

sin:

4. Death to all - "sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in

this way death came to all men, because all sinned." (Injil, Romans 5:12)

This is the most serious result of Hazrat Adam (a:)'s sin. Death has come to all of his

descendants. Not only that, but we all deserve death because we all sin just as he d

What Are the Tawrat

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