The Quran makes the following statements about the Injil or Gospels (Defined as the New Testament books called Mathew Mark, Luke and John), to avoid any confusing or claim of misrepresentation of the context of the Quran on the part of the reader I have added the Tafsir (Arabic word for exegesis) :-
Surah 5:46
46 And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil).
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
And We caused Jesus son of Mary to follow in their that is the prophets’ footsteps confirming the Torah before him; and We gave to him the Gospel wherein is guidance from error and light an exposition of the rulings confirming musaddiqan is a circumstantial qualifier the Torah before it the rulings contained therein and as a guidance and an admonition to the God-fearing.
Surah 57:27
27 Then We caused Our messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. But monasticism they invented - We ordained it not for them - only seeking Allah's pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance. So We give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are evil-livers.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
Then We sent to follow in their footsteps Our messengers and We sent to follow Jesus son of Mary and We gave him the Gospel and We placed in the hearts of those who followed him kindness and mercy. But as for monasticism namely abstention from women and seclusion in monasteries they invented it an innovation on their part — We had not prescribed it for them We did not enjoin them to it; but they took it on — only seeking God’s beatitude. Yet they did not observe it with due observance for many of them abandoned it and rejected the religion of Jesus and embraced the religion of their then king. However many of them did remain upon the religion of Jesus and they believed in our Prophet when he came. So We gave those of them who believed in him their reward; but many of them are immoral.
Surah 19:30
30 He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
He said ‘Lo! I am God’s servant. He has given me the Scripture namely the Gospel and made me a prophet.
Surah 3:3
3 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.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
He has revealed to you O Muhammad s the Book the Qur’ān enveloped by the truth with veracity in what it announces confirming what was before it of Books; and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel
From the above Surahs it clear states the Injil or Gospels (Mathew Mark Luke and John) was given to Jesus by Allah. It further states the Injil is a book just as the Quran and the Torah are books that were sent down by Allah. Expanding on this the Quran continues with the following set of statements regarding the Injil:-
Surah 5:47
47 Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are evil-livers.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
We said So let the People of the Gospel judge according to what God has revealed therein of rulings a variant reading of wa’l-yahkum ‘let them judge’ is wa-li-yahkuma making it a supplement to that which is governed by the previous verb ātaynāhu ‘We gave to him’. Whoever does not judge according to what God has revealed — those are the wicked.
Surah 5:68
68 Say O People of the Scripture! Ye have naught (of guidance) till ye observe the Torah and the Gospel and that which was revealed unto you from your Lord. That which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) from thy Lord is certain to increase the contumacy and disbelief of many of them. But grieve not for the disbelieving folk.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
Say ‘O People of the Scripture you have no basis in religion on which to rely until you observe the Torah and the Gospel and what was revealed to you from your Lord’ by implementing what is therein including believing in me Muhammad s. And what has been revealed to you from your Lord of the Qur’ān will surely increase many of them in insolence and disbelief because of their disbelief in it; so do not grieve for the disbelieving folk if they do not believe in you in other words do not be concerned with them.
Surah 7:157
157 Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Then those who believe in him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
those who follow the Messenger the uninstructed Prophet Muhammad s whom they will find inscribed in their Torah and Gospel in name and description enjoining them to decency and forbidding them indecency making lawful for them the good things which were forbidden to them by their Law and making unlawful for them the vile things such as carrion and the like and relieving them of their burden their onus and the shackles the hardships that they used to bear such as the requirement to kill oneself as a repentance and the severing of that part that had come into contact with any impurity. Then those who believe in him from among them and honour revere him and help him and follow the light that has been revealed with him namely the Qur’ān they are the ones who will prosper’.
Surah 6:114
114 Shall I seek other than Allah for judge, when He it is Who hath revealed unto you (this) Scripture, fully explained? Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (aforetime) know that it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou (O Muhammad) of the waverers.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
114 "Shall I seek a judge other than God, when He is the One who revealed to you the Book, explained in detail?" Those to whom We gave the Book know that it is the truth revealed from your Lord. So do not be of those who doubt.
The above verses make clear that the Injil is the book of the Christians. Thus the following can derived from the Quran as fact.
· The Injil refers to the New Testament.
· The book that is with them and which they believe in is the bible as the Christians had in the 7th century when Muhammad was alive. Therefore the bible we have today.
· The author of the Quran even gives a warning the Christians to fully obey (the Torah and) the Injil that they have.
Problem #1
When we look at the New Testament, the book which is the Scripture of the Christians, we see that it nowhere makes the claim that it is a book that was "given to Jesus". Christians and Muslims will agree the New Testament consists of several books that were written by followers of Jesus (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) AFTER the ascension of Jesus. Most defiantly not a book handed to Jesus, if no mention of this is made in the New Testament Manuscript, historical teaching of the early Church or ant tradition we know off we are left with one of two choices:-
Therefore, the Injil can EITHER be a book given to Jesus,
OR
It can be the book that the Christians hold as they Holy Scriptures.
But It Can Not Be Both.
Reconciling Problem #1
Muhammad was unlettered, that is could not read or write and apparently assumed that the Scripture of the Christians (and Jews) would be very similar to the Quran, the book which he thought he received from Allah. However, Muhammad was clearly ignorant of the matter. The essential nature of the Quran and the Bible are very different. A book "given to Jesus" in a similar way as Muhammad claims to have received the Quran does not exist and Christians have never claimed that such a book existed at any time.
Therefore the claim of Surah 5:46 (and we bestowed on him the Gospel) is merely a wrong idea that sprang from the mind of Muhammad.
Problem #2
Muslims claim the Injil has been lost, and would be a point for consideration if the author of the Quran made only statements like those found in Surah 5:46 and 19:30. Muslims could have said the Injil of Jesus was simply lost or Jesus indeed received such a book but, somehow, it disappeared. Further Muslims also could have claimed that the New Testament clearly is something very different from the Injil as defined by the Quran, and could have concluded that therefore they do not believe in the Christian New Testament since the Quran does not endorse it.
However, if we follow the Islamic faith and tradition the Quran id Allahs word unchanged and perfect thus we cannot avoid the balance of the statement in the Quran about the Injil. The Quran identifies the Injil as the Scripture of the Christians.
Therefore, since the Injil is the book of the Christians, the Quran makes a blatantly wrong claim about the basic nature of the Injil. It neither is nor ever was a book given to Jesus.
Reconciling Problem #2
How could this error arise in the mind of Muhammad? As with other so called revelations Muhammad imposes his own ideas into the Quran. He may have heard statements like in the first verse of the Gospel according to Mark:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ...”
And mistakenly thought that this meant the same as the book presented to him in the cave by the spirit of a Angel of light. Therefore Muhammad projected his own experience of receiving revelation of a book (the Quran) on Jesus and simply assumed that the book of Jesus that was held sacred by his followers must also have been a book given to Jesus (like the sacred book of the Muslims is the book given to Muhammad). However, Muhammad was wrong about this, and this mistake exposes the Quran as a forgery. The Quran is not divine revelation but a collection of mistaken assumptions by its author.
But the Bible is Corrupted!
Muslim are open about that anything that contradicts the Quran is a fabrication, false or corrupted. But this does not solve problem. Here are two reasons why this is not a solution:-
Firstly, the Quran never claims that the Injil is corrupted. There are certain accusations against the Jews, but no charge that the Christians corrupted their Scripture.
Secondly, no Christian says there are not scribble and transmission errors in the Bible, however non that effect the message and or doctrines of faith. Most defiantly none that would explain the fundamental difference in the nature of the Quran and New Testament.
For illustration: The Quran is (allegedly) a book that was "sent down" from Allah to Muhammad. It was (supposedly) not written by Muhammad but given to him by Allah. On the other hand, the Hadith are memories of the companions and followers of Muhammad, formulated and written up by Muslims long after the death of Muhammad. They are their recollection of what Muhammad said and did.
Would it be possible for anyone to change the Quran (the book given to Muhammad) into a collection of hadiths without the Muslim community realizing that their scripture had changed into something entirely different?
Without doubt, the Muslim answer will be a resounding NO. But if that is impossible for the Muslim book and community, why would any Muslim think that this would have been possible in the Christian community? Originally, the Christians had a "book given to Jesus" but one day they woke up and their scripture had turned into a collection of writings by followers of Jesus and nobody realized the change, and nobody protested against it? Believing such a theory demands a lot of blind faith in the Quran. It is impossible. Anyone with the least bit of common sense will have to conclude that this cannot possibly have happened, and this implies that the author of the Quran simply made an error regarding the nature of the Christian Scripture.
Therefore we can conclude the Injil is the same as the New Testament of Mohammad’s time, Textual history confirm since 600AD to date there are no changes in the New Testament, this is confirmed in silence as the Quran does not state the bible is corrupted. Thus the Quran support the Bible of the Christians as we have it today as authentic and the scripture used by Christians.
Surah 5:46
46 And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil).
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
And We caused Jesus son of Mary to follow in their that is the prophets’ footsteps confirming the Torah before him; and We gave to him the Gospel wherein is guidance from error and light an exposition of the rulings confirming musaddiqan is a circumstantial qualifier the Torah before it the rulings contained therein and as a guidance and an admonition to the God-fearing.
Surah 57:27
27 Then We caused Our messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. But monasticism they invented - We ordained it not for them - only seeking Allah's pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance. So We give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are evil-livers.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
Then We sent to follow in their footsteps Our messengers and We sent to follow Jesus son of Mary and We gave him the Gospel and We placed in the hearts of those who followed him kindness and mercy. But as for monasticism namely abstention from women and seclusion in monasteries they invented it an innovation on their part — We had not prescribed it for them We did not enjoin them to it; but they took it on — only seeking God’s beatitude. Yet they did not observe it with due observance for many of them abandoned it and rejected the religion of Jesus and embraced the religion of their then king. However many of them did remain upon the religion of Jesus and they believed in our Prophet when he came. So We gave those of them who believed in him their reward; but many of them are immoral.
Surah 19:30
30 He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
He said ‘Lo! I am God’s servant. He has given me the Scripture namely the Gospel and made me a prophet.
Surah 3:3
3 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.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
He has revealed to you O Muhammad s the Book the Qur’ān enveloped by the truth with veracity in what it announces confirming what was before it of Books; and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel
From the above Surahs it clear states the Injil or Gospels (Mathew Mark Luke and John) was given to Jesus by Allah. It further states the Injil is a book just as the Quran and the Torah are books that were sent down by Allah. Expanding on this the Quran continues with the following set of statements regarding the Injil:-
Surah 5:47
47 Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are evil-livers.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
We said So let the People of the Gospel judge according to what God has revealed therein of rulings a variant reading of wa’l-yahkum ‘let them judge’ is wa-li-yahkuma making it a supplement to that which is governed by the previous verb ātaynāhu ‘We gave to him’. Whoever does not judge according to what God has revealed — those are the wicked.
Surah 5:68
68 Say O People of the Scripture! Ye have naught (of guidance) till ye observe the Torah and the Gospel and that which was revealed unto you from your Lord. That which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) from thy Lord is certain to increase the contumacy and disbelief of many of them. But grieve not for the disbelieving folk.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
Say ‘O People of the Scripture you have no basis in religion on which to rely until you observe the Torah and the Gospel and what was revealed to you from your Lord’ by implementing what is therein including believing in me Muhammad s. And what has been revealed to you from your Lord of the Qur’ān will surely increase many of them in insolence and disbelief because of their disbelief in it; so do not grieve for the disbelieving folk if they do not believe in you in other words do not be concerned with them.
Surah 7:157
157 Those who follow the messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul; and he will relieve them of their burden and the fetters that they used to wear. Then those who believe in him, and honour him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him: they are the successful.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
those who follow the Messenger the uninstructed Prophet Muhammad s whom they will find inscribed in their Torah and Gospel in name and description enjoining them to decency and forbidding them indecency making lawful for them the good things which were forbidden to them by their Law and making unlawful for them the vile things such as carrion and the like and relieving them of their burden their onus and the shackles the hardships that they used to bear such as the requirement to kill oneself as a repentance and the severing of that part that had come into contact with any impurity. Then those who believe in him from among them and honour revere him and help him and follow the light that has been revealed with him namely the Qur’ān they are the ones who will prosper’.
Surah 6:114
114 Shall I seek other than Allah for judge, when He it is Who hath revealed unto you (this) Scripture, fully explained? Those unto whom We gave the Scripture (aforetime) know that it is revealed from thy Lord in truth. So be not thou (O Muhammad) of the waverers.
Tafsir al-Jalalayn
114 "Shall I seek a judge other than God, when He is the One who revealed to you the Book, explained in detail?" Those to whom We gave the Book know that it is the truth revealed from your Lord. So do not be of those who doubt.
The above verses make clear that the Injil is the book of the Christians. Thus the following can derived from the Quran as fact.
· The Injil refers to the New Testament.
· The book that is with them and which they believe in is the bible as the Christians had in the 7th century when Muhammad was alive. Therefore the bible we have today.
· The author of the Quran even gives a warning the Christians to fully obey (the Torah and) the Injil that they have.
Problem #1
When we look at the New Testament, the book which is the Scripture of the Christians, we see that it nowhere makes the claim that it is a book that was "given to Jesus". Christians and Muslims will agree the New Testament consists of several books that were written by followers of Jesus (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) AFTER the ascension of Jesus. Most defiantly not a book handed to Jesus, if no mention of this is made in the New Testament Manuscript, historical teaching of the early Church or ant tradition we know off we are left with one of two choices:-
Therefore, the Injil can EITHER be a book given to Jesus,
OR
It can be the book that the Christians hold as they Holy Scriptures.
But It Can Not Be Both.
Reconciling Problem #1
Muhammad was unlettered, that is could not read or write and apparently assumed that the Scripture of the Christians (and Jews) would be very similar to the Quran, the book which he thought he received from Allah. However, Muhammad was clearly ignorant of the matter. The essential nature of the Quran and the Bible are very different. A book "given to Jesus" in a similar way as Muhammad claims to have received the Quran does not exist and Christians have never claimed that such a book existed at any time.
Therefore the claim of Surah 5:46 (and we bestowed on him the Gospel) is merely a wrong idea that sprang from the mind of Muhammad.
Problem #2
Muslims claim the Injil has been lost, and would be a point for consideration if the author of the Quran made only statements like those found in Surah 5:46 and 19:30. Muslims could have said the Injil of Jesus was simply lost or Jesus indeed received such a book but, somehow, it disappeared. Further Muslims also could have claimed that the New Testament clearly is something very different from the Injil as defined by the Quran, and could have concluded that therefore they do not believe in the Christian New Testament since the Quran does not endorse it.
However, if we follow the Islamic faith and tradition the Quran id Allahs word unchanged and perfect thus we cannot avoid the balance of the statement in the Quran about the Injil. The Quran identifies the Injil as the Scripture of the Christians.
Therefore, since the Injil is the book of the Christians, the Quran makes a blatantly wrong claim about the basic nature of the Injil. It neither is nor ever was a book given to Jesus.
Reconciling Problem #2
How could this error arise in the mind of Muhammad? As with other so called revelations Muhammad imposes his own ideas into the Quran. He may have heard statements like in the first verse of the Gospel according to Mark:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, ...”
And mistakenly thought that this meant the same as the book presented to him in the cave by the spirit of a Angel of light. Therefore Muhammad projected his own experience of receiving revelation of a book (the Quran) on Jesus and simply assumed that the book of Jesus that was held sacred by his followers must also have been a book given to Jesus (like the sacred book of the Muslims is the book given to Muhammad). However, Muhammad was wrong about this, and this mistake exposes the Quran as a forgery. The Quran is not divine revelation but a collection of mistaken assumptions by its author.
But the Bible is Corrupted!
Muslim are open about that anything that contradicts the Quran is a fabrication, false or corrupted. But this does not solve problem. Here are two reasons why this is not a solution:-
Firstly, the Quran never claims that the Injil is corrupted. There are certain accusations against the Jews, but no charge that the Christians corrupted their Scripture.
Secondly, no Christian says there are not scribble and transmission errors in the Bible, however non that effect the message and or doctrines of faith. Most defiantly none that would explain the fundamental difference in the nature of the Quran and New Testament.
For illustration: The Quran is (allegedly) a book that was "sent down" from Allah to Muhammad. It was (supposedly) not written by Muhammad but given to him by Allah. On the other hand, the Hadith are memories of the companions and followers of Muhammad, formulated and written up by Muslims long after the death of Muhammad. They are their recollection of what Muhammad said and did.
Would it be possible for anyone to change the Quran (the book given to Muhammad) into a collection of hadiths without the Muslim community realizing that their scripture had changed into something entirely different?
Without doubt, the Muslim answer will be a resounding NO. But if that is impossible for the Muslim book and community, why would any Muslim think that this would have been possible in the Christian community? Originally, the Christians had a "book given to Jesus" but one day they woke up and their scripture had turned into a collection of writings by followers of Jesus and nobody realized the change, and nobody protested against it? Believing such a theory demands a lot of blind faith in the Quran. It is impossible. Anyone with the least bit of common sense will have to conclude that this cannot possibly have happened, and this implies that the author of the Quran simply made an error regarding the nature of the Christian Scripture.
Therefore we can conclude the Injil is the same as the New Testament of Mohammad’s time, Textual history confirm since 600AD to date there are no changes in the New Testament, this is confirmed in silence as the Quran does not state the bible is corrupted. Thus the Quran support the Bible of the Christians as we have it today as authentic and the scripture used by Christians.