WHO WROTE QURAN AND DOES THE
ORIGINAL BIBLE/GOSPEL EXIST TODAY?
ASSEMBLED
BY MALLAM ABBA ABANA, KUBWA, ABUJA, NIGERIA
http://variousislamicdawadocuments.blogspot.com
https://web.facebook.com/abba.abana
emails:gonidamgamiri@yahoo.com;
abba.abana@gmail.com
Bismillah
Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah. As-Salaam Alaikum
Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu. Praise be to Allaah; we seek His help and His
forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from
our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and
whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is
no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Sallalhu alaihi Wasalam)
is His slave and Messenger.
Question: Pls i wnt my muslims
brothers 2 tel me who wrote koran? b4 i proceed wit my question posted by
Mustapha Umar in a Facebook group platform at web link:
https://web.facebook.com/groups/357357637766270/
We
viewed the question from angles of originating group discussions of both
Muslims and Non-Muslims and give the factual position to whosoever Allah (God)
Guides to the Truth. We equally give comparison of the two Holy Books; Quran
and Bible in their current status. The Gospels that are extant nowadays were
written after the time of ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) {Jesus} and have been
tampered with a great deal and so does the Original Gospel Exist Today?
SECTION ONE AS TO WHO
WROTE THE QURAN:
Allaah
has guaranteed to preserve this Qur’aan Himself. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e.
the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)”[Holy Quran Chapter
al-Hijr 15:9]
Ibn
Jareer al-Tabari said in his Tafseer, 14/8: Allaah is saying, it is We
Who have sent down the Dhikr (Reminder), i.e. the Qur’aan, and We will guard
the Qur’aan against anything false being added to it that is not part of it, or
anything that is part of it being taken away, whether that has to do with
rulings, hudood punishments or matters having to do with inheritance.
Al-Sa’di
said in his Tafseer (p. 696): It is We Who have sent down the Qur’aan in
which there is mention of all issues and clear evidence, and in which We remind
those who want to be reminded.
“and
surely, We will guard it” means, when it is being revealed and after it has
been revealed. When it is revealed, We protect it from the tampering of every
accursed devil, and after it has been revealed Allaah instilled it in the heart
of His Messenger. Allaah protected the words from being changed and from
anything being added or taken away, or from its meanings being distorted. So no
one can attempt to distort its meanings but Allaah will guide someone to
explain the truth of the Qur’aan. This is one of the greatest signs of Allaah
and His blessing to His believing slaves. Another aspect of this protection is
that Allaah protects the people of the Qur’aan against their enemies, and no
enemy can overpower them and eliminate them.
The
Qur’aan was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
in stages over a period of twenty-three years. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): “And (it is) a Qur’aan which We have divided (into parts),
in order that you might recite it to men at intervals. And We have revealed it
by stages”[Holy Quran Chapter al-Isra’ 17:106]
al-Sa’di
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: This means, We have revealed this
Qur’aan in stages, to differentiate between guidance and misguidance, between
truth and falsehood.
“in
order that you might recite it to men at intervals” means, slowly, so that they
may ponder and think about its meanings, and understand the different branches
of knowledge contained therein.
“And
We have revealed it by stages” means, gradually, over a period of twenty-three
years. Tafseer al-Sa’di, p. 760.
SECTION TWO AS TO WHO
WROTE THE QURAN:
Literacy
was not widespread among the Arabs. Allaah described them in such terms when He
said (interpretation of the meaning): “He it is Who sent among the
unlettered ones a Messenger (Muhammad) from among themselves”[ Holy Quran
Chapter al-Jumu’ah 63:2]
They
used to memorize the Qur’aan by heart, and a few of them used to write down
some verses or soorahs on animal skins, thin white stones and the like.
SECTION THREE AS TO WHO
WROTE THE QURAN:
At
first the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade the
writing of anything other than the Qur’aan, and he forbade them to write down
his words for a while, so that the Sahaabah would focus on memorizing the
Qur’aan and writing it down, and so that the words of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) would not be confused with the words of
Allaah, and so the Qur’aan was protected from anything being added or taken
away.
SECTION FOUR AS TO WHO
WROTE THE QURAN:
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) appointed a group of his
companions who were trustworthy and knowledgeable to write down the revelation.
They are known in their biographies as those who wrote down the Revelation,
such as the four Caliphs, ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas, Mu’aawiyah ibn Abi
Sufyaan, Zayd ibn Thaabit and others – may Allaah be pleased with them
all.
Section
Five as to who wrote the Quran:
The
Qur’aan was revealed in seven dialects as was narrated in the saheeh hadeeth of
‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). This was narrated by al-Bukhaari (2287)
and Muslim (818); these were the dialects of the Arabs which were known for
their eloquence.
SECTION SIX AS TO WHO
WROTE THE QURAN:
The
Qur’aan continued to be preserved in the hearts of the Sahaabah who had
memorized it, and on the skins and other materials until the time of the caliph
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with him). During the Riddah wars
many of the Sahaabah who had memorized the Qur’aan were killed, and Abu Bakr
(may Allaah be pleased with him) was afraid that the Qur’aan would be lost. So
he consulted the senior Sahaabah about compiling the Qur’aan in a single book
so that it would remain preserved and would not be lost. He entrusted this
mission to the chief of memorizers Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with
him). Al-Bukhaari narrated in his Saheeh (4986) that Zayd ibn Thaabit (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said:
Abu
Bakr al-Siddeeq sent for me when the people of al-Yamaamah had been killed
[i.e., a number of the Prophet's Companions who fought against the false
prophet Musaylimah]. (I went to him) and found ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab sitting
with him. Abu Bakr then said (to me), “ ‘Umar has come to me and said:
‘Casualties were heavy among the Qurra' of the Qur'aan (i.e. those who knew the
Qur’aan by heart) on the day of the battle of al-Yamaamah, and I am afraid that
more heavy casualties may take place among the Qurra' on other battlefields,
whereby a large part of the Qur’aan may be lost. Therefore I suggest that you
(Abu Bakr) order that the Qur’aan be collected.” I said to 'Umar, "How can
you do something that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not do?" 'Umar said, "By Allah, this is something
good." 'Umar kept on urging me to accept his proposal till Allaah opened
my heart to it and I began to realize the good in the idea which 'Umar had
realized." Then Abu Bakr said (to me). “You are a wise young man and we do
not have any suspicion about you, and you used to write the Divine Inspiration
for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). So
search for (the fragmentary scripts of) the Qur’aan and compile it in one
book." By Allah If they had ordered me to move one of the mountains, it
would not have been heavier for me than this ordering me to compile the
Qur’aan. Then I said (to Abu Bakr), "How can you do something that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not
do?" Abu Bakr replied, "By Allaah, it is a good thing." Abu Bakr
kept on urging me to accept his idea until Allaah opened my heart to that to
which He had opened the hearts of Abu Bakr and 'Umar. So I started looking for
the Qur’aan and collecting it from (what it was written on) palm stalks, thin
white stones and also from the men who knew it by heart, until I found the last
Verse of Soorat al-Tawbah with Abu Khuzaymah al-Ansaari, and I did not find it
with anybody other than him. The verse is (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily,
there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It
grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty...” [Holy Quran
Chapter al-Tawbah 9:128] until the end of Soorat Baraa’ah (i.e., Holy Quran
Chapter al-Tawbah).
Then
the complete manuscript (copy) of the Qur’aan remained with Abu Bakr until he
died, then with 'Umar until the end of his life, and then with Hafsah, the
daughter of 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him).
The
Sahaabi Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) knew the Qur’aan by
heart but he was methodical in his confirmation; he would not agree to write
down any verse until two of the Sahaabah testified that they had heard it from
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
This
Mus-haf (written copy of the Qur’aan) remained in the hands of the caliphs
until the time of the Rightly-Guided Caliph ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allaah be
pleased with him). The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) had dispersed
to different lands, and they used to recite the Qur’aan according to what they
had heard of the seven recitations from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and each of their students used to recite
according to what he had heard from his shaykh. If a student heard someone
reciting in a manner different from what he knew, he would denounce him and
accuse him of making a mistake, and this went on until the Sahaabah feared that
there would be fitnah (trouble) between the Taabi’een and successive
generations. So they thought that they should unite the people in following one
recitation, which was in the dialect of Quraysh in which the Qur’aan had first
been revealed, so as to dispel any disputes and resolve the matter. ‘Uthmaan
(may Allaah be pleased with him) was consulted, and he agreed with this
opinion.
Al-Bukhaari
narrated in his Saheeh (4988) from Anas ibn Maalik that Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamaan
came to ‘Uthmaan at the time when the people of Shaam (Syria) and the people of
Iraq were waging war to conquer Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hudhayfah was alarmed
by their (the people of Sham and Iraq) differences in the recitation of the
Qur’aan, so he said to 'Uthmaan, "O Ameer al-Mu’mineen! Save this nation
before they dispute about the Book (Qur’aan) as the Jews and the Christians did
before." So 'Uthmaan sent a message to Hafsah saying, "Send us the
manuscript of the Qur’aan so that we may make copies of the Mus-haf and we will
return the manuscript to you."
Hafsah
sent it to 'Uthmaan. Then 'Uthmaan ordered Zayd ibn Thaabit, 'Abdullah ibn
al-Zubayr, Sa’eed ibn al-‘Aas and ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Haarith ibn Hishaam to
copy out the manuscripts. 'Uthmaan said to the three men who were from Quraysh
(the tribe of which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was
a member), “In case you disagree with Zayd ibn Thaabit on any point in the
Qur’aan, then write it in the dialect of Quraysh, for the Qur’aan was revealed
in their tongue." They did so, and when they had written many copies,
'Uthmaan returned the original manuscripts to Hafsah.
'Uthmaan
sent to every Muslim province one copy of what they had copied, and ordered
that all the other Qur'aanic materials, whether written in fragmentary
manuscripts or whole copies, be burnt.
Ibn
Shihaab said: Khaarijah ibn Zayd ibn Thaabit told me that he heard Zayd ibn
Thaabit say: “When we made copies of the Mus-haf I missed a verse of al-Ahzaab
that I used to hear the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) recite. So we searched for it and we found it with Khuzaymah ibn
Thaabit al-Ansaari. (The verse was) ‘Among the believers are men who have been
true to their covenant with Allaah’ [al-Ahzaab 33:23 – interpretation of the
meaning]. So we put it in its place in its soorah in the Mus-haf.”
Thus
an end was put to dispute and the Muslims were united. The Qur’aan has remained
and will remain narrated from generation to generation and preserved in men's
hearts until the Day of Resurrection. This is how Allaah has preserved His
Book, in confirmation of the verse in which He says (interpretation of the
meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the
Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)”[ Holy Quran Chapter
al-Hijr 15:9]
EVIDENCE THAT THE QUR'AAN
IS THE WORD OF ALLAAH
With
regard to the Quraan and the proof that it is the word of Allaah, these are
specious arguments which were put forward out of stubbornness and arrogance by
the first kaafirs to whom the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was sent. Allaah refuted what they said in many ways, proving their words
to be false and pointing out what was wrong with it. For example:
1-
This Quraan is challenge from Allaah to mankind and the jinn to produce
anything like it, but they were unable to. Then He challenged them to produce
only ten soorahs like it, and they were unable to. Then He challenged them to
produce something like the shortest soorah in the Quraan, and they could not do
it, even though those who were being challenged were the most eloquent and
well-spoken of mankind, and the Quraan was revealed in their language. Yet
despite that they stated that they were completely incapable of doing that.
This challenge has remained down throughout history, but not one person has
been able to produce anything like it. If this were the word of a human being,
some people would have been able to produce something like it or close to it.
There is a great deal of evidence for this challenge in the Quraan, for
example, the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
Say:
If the mankind and the jinn were together to produce the like of this Quraan,
they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another ;[ Holy
Quran Chapter al-Israa 17:88]
Allaah
says, challenging them to produce just ten soorahs: Or they say, He (Prophet
Muhammad) forged it (the Quraan). Say: Bring you then ten forged Soorah
(chapters) like unto it, and call whomsoever you can, other than Allaah (to
your help), if you speak the truth! [Holy Quran Chapter Hood 11:13
interpretation of the meaning]
Allaah
says, challenging them to produce just one soorah: And if you (Arab pagans,
Jews, and Christians) are in doubt concerning that which We have sent down
(i.e. the Quraan) to Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a Soorah (chapter) of
the like thereof and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides
Allaah, if you are truthful [Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah 2:23 interpretation
of the meaning]
2-
No matter how much knowledge and understanding mankind attains, they will still
inevitably make mistakes, forget things or fall short. If the Quraan were not
the word of Allaah, there would be some contradictions and shortcomings in it,
as Allaah says: Had it been from other than Allaah, they would surely, have
found therein many a contradiction [Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa 4:82
interpretation of the meaning]
But
it is free from any shortcoming, error or contradiction; indeed, all of it is
wisdom, mercy and justice. Whoever thinks that there is any contradiction in
it, that is because of his diseased thinking and mistaken understanding; if he
refers to the scholars they will explain to him what is correct and clear up
the confusion for him, as Allaah says: Verily, those who disbelieved in the
Reminder (i.e. the Quraan) when it came to them (shall receive the punishment).
And verily, it is an honourable well fortified respected Book (because it is
Allaahs Speech, and He has protected it from corruption).
Falsehood
cannot come to it from before it or behind it, (it is) sent down by the All
Wise, Worthy of all praise (Allaah)”[ Holy Quran Chapter Fussilat 41:41-42
interpretation of the meaning]
3-
Allaah has guaranteed to preserve this Quraan, and He says: Verily, We, it is
We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Quraan) and surely, We will guard it
(from corruption)”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Hijr 15:9 interpretation of the
meaning]
Every
letter of it was transmitted by thousands from thousands down throughout
history, and not one letter of it was altered. If any person tried to alter
anything in it, or add something or take something away, then he would be
exposed straight away, because Allaah is the One Who has guaranteed to preserve
the Quraan, unlike the case with other divinely-revealed Books which Allaah
revealed to the people of a particular Prophet only, and not to all of mankind,
so He did not guarantee to preserve them, rather He delegated their
preservation to the followers of the Prophets. But they did not preserve them,
rather they introduced alterations and changes which distorted most of the
meanings. The Quraan, on the other hand, was revealed by Allaah to all of
mankind until the end of time, because the Message of Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the final message, so the Quraan is
preserved in mens hearts and in written form, as is proven by the events of
history. How many people have tried to change the aayahs of the Quraan and
deceive the Muslims, but they were quickly exposed and their falsehood was
discovered, even by Muslim children.
Another
of the definitive signs that this Quraan was not produced by the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) but that it came revealed by
Allaah to him is the following:
4-
The great miracles which the Quraan contains of legislation, rulings, stories
and beliefs, which could not be produced by any created being no matter how
great his intelligence and level of understanding. No matter how hard people
try to promulgate laws to regulate their lives, they can never succeed so long
as they are far away from the teachings of the Quraan; the further away they
are, the greater their rate of failure. This is something that has been proven
by the kuffaar themselves.
5-
Reports of matters of the unseen, both past and future, which no human being
could speak of independently, no matter how great his knowledge, especially at
that time which is regarded as primitive in terms of technology and modern
tools. There are many things which had not been discovered yet, and which have
only been discovered after lengthy and difficult exploration with the most
modern equipment, but Allaah told us about them in the Quraan, and the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) mentioned them,
fifteen centuries ago, such as the stages of embryonic development, the nature
of the oceans, etc. These things have made some kaafirs state that this could
only have come from God, as in the case of the development of the embryo:
Only
60 years ago, researchers confirmed that man does not come into existence all
at once, but rather he passes through stages of development one after another.
Only 60 years ago, science discovered this one Quraanic fact.
Shaykh
al-Zandaani said, we met an American professor, one of the greatest American
scientists, whose name was Professor Marshall Johnson, and we told him that it
says in the Qur’aan that man is created in stages. When he heard this, he was
sitting down, but he stood up and said, Stages? We said, That was in the
seventh century CE! This Book came and said, man was created in stages. He
said, That is impossible, impossible We told him, Why do you say that? This
Book says (interpretation of the meaning):
He
creates you in the wombs of your mothers, creation after creation in three
veils of darkness [Holy Quran Chapter al-Zumar 39:6]
What
is the matter with you, that [you fear not Allaah (His punishment), and] you
hope not for reward (from Allaah or you believe not in His Oneness).
While
He has created you in (different) stages [Holy Quran Chapter Nooh 71:14]
Then
he sat back down on his chair and after a few moments he said, There are only
three possibilities. The first is that Muhammad had a huge microscope through
which he managed to study these things and he knew things that the people did
not know, and he said these things. The second is that this happened by
accident, it was a coincidence. The third is that he was a Messenger from God.
We said, With regard to the first idea, that he had a microscope and other
equipment, you know that a microscope needs lenses, and lenses need glass and
technical expertise and other equipment. Some of this information can only be
discovered with an electron microscope which needs electricity, and electricity
needs knowledge which should have been acquired by an earlier generation. It is
not possible for this knowledge to have been acquired all at once in a single
generation; the previous generation would have had to strive hard in developing
science and transmitting it to the next generation, and so on. But for this to
be the work of one man, with no one coming before him or after him, either in
his own land or the neighbouring lands for the Romans, Persians and Arabs were
ignorant and had no such equipment for one man to have all these instruments
and tools which he did not pass on to anyone else this is not possible. He
said, Thats right, it would be very difficult. We said, And for it to have been
an accident or coincidence, what would you think if we said that the Quraan did
not mention this fact only in one verse but in several verses, and that it did
not refer to it in general terms but that it gave details of every stage,
saying that in the first stage such and such happens, in the second stage such
and such happens, in the third stage and so on. Could that be a coincidence?
When we explained to him all the details of those stages, he said, It is wrong
to say that this is an accident! This is well-founded knowledge. We said, Then
how do you explain it? He said, There is no explanation except that this is
revelation from above! nbsp;
With
regard to the many statements in the Quraan concerning the sea, some of these
facts were not discovered until very recently, and many of them are still
unknown. For example, these facts were discovered after hundreds of marine
stations had been set up, and after images had been taken by satellites. The
one who said this was Professor Schroeder, one of the greatest oceanographers
in West Germany. He used to say that if science advanced, religion would have
to retreat. But when he heard the translation of the verses of the Quraan, he
was stunned and said, These could not be the words of a human being. And
Professor Dorjaro, a professor of oceanography, told us of the latest
developments on science, when he heard the aayah:
Or
(the state of a disbeliever) is like the darkness in a vast deep sea,
overwhelmed with waves topped by waves, topped by dark clouds, (layers of)
darkness upon darkness: if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it!
And he for whom Allaah has not appointed light, for him there is no light[Holy
Quran Chapter al-Noor 24:40 interpretation of the meaning]
He
said, In the past, man could not dive to a depth of more than twenty meters
because he had no special equipment. But now we can dive to the bottom of the
ocean, using modern equipment, and we find intense darkness at a depth of two
hundred meters. The aayah says a vast deep sea . The discoveries in the depths
of the sea give us an understanding of the aayah, (layers of) darkness upon
darkness. It is known that there are seven colours in the spectrum, including
red, yellow, blue, green, orange, etc. When we dive down into the depths of the
ocean, these colours disappear one after another, and the disappearance of each
colour results in more darkness. Red disappears first, then orange, then yellow
the last colour to disappear is blue, at a depth of two hundred meters. Each
colour that disappears adds to the darkness until it reaches total darkness.
With regard to the phrase waves topped by waves, it has been proven
scientifically that there is a separation between the upper and lower parts of
the ocean, and that this separation is filled with waves, as if there are waves
on the edge of the dark, lower portion of the sea, which we do not see, and
there are waves on the shores of the sea, which we do see. So it is as if there
are waves above waves. This is a confirmed scientific fact, hence Professor
Dorjaro said concerning these Quraanic verses, that this cannot be human
knowledge. (See al-Adillah al-Maadiyyah ala Wujood-Allaah by Muhammad Mitwalli
al-Sharaawi)
THERE ARE VERY MANY SUCH
EXAMPLES
In
the Quraan there are some aayahs which rebuke the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and mention some things to which Allaah drew his
attention. Some of them may have been embarrassing for the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). But if this Quraan had come from the
Messenger of Allaah, there would have been no need for this; if he were to
conceal any part of the Quraan, he would have concealed some of these verses
which contained rebukes or drew his attention to certain matters which he
should not have done, such as the verse in which Allaah says to His Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
But
you did hide in yourself (i.e. what Allaah has already made known to you that
He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allaah will make manifest, you
did fear the people (i.e., their saying that Muhammad married the divorced wife
of his manumitted slave) whereas Allaah had a better right that you should fear
Him[Holy Quran Chapter al-Ahzaab 33:37 interpretation of the meaning]
After
this, can there be any doubt left in the mind of any intelligent person that
this Quraan is the word of Allaah, and that the Messenger (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) conveyed that which was revealed to him in full?
Moreover,
we tell this person, try it for yourself, read a sound translation of the
Quraan and use your mind to ponder these rules and regulations. There is no
doubt that any intelligent person who has the power of discernment will see a
great difference between these words (of Allaah) and the words of any person on
the face of the earth.
With
regard to your relationship with this young man, this noble religion forbids
women to mix with men for a great and wise reason. So you have to stop meeting
him and break off your relationship with him until he becomes Muslim, in which
case you can marry him in a proper Islamic marriage.
With
regard to your love for him, this is a test from Allaah will you put your love
of Allaah before your love for one of His creation, or will you put your love
for this person before the love of your almighty Lord Who has forbidden such
things. Note that whoever gives up something for the sake of Allaah, Allaah
will compensate him with something better than that, the first of which is that
you will find, in sha Allah, that Allaah will compensate you with comfort and
tranquility in loving Him and striving to draw closer to Allaah by means of
that which He loves; so your love for your Lord and your attachment to Him will
increase, and your attachment to all of His creation will become weaker.
We
advise you to be patient and to put up with difficulties, and to keep far away
from everything that may cause you to do things that would anger your Lord.
Note that Allaah has made this world a place of trial and testing for His
believing slaves; whoever is patient and refrains from following his desries,
seeking the pleasure of Allaah, Allaah will compensate him with Paradise where
He will bestow upon him all kinds of delight which cannot be compared with the
fleeting worldly pleasures that he sacrificed. This is in addition to the
happiness and tranquility that he will find in his heart when he obeys his
Lord.
Perhaps
if he sees how you adhere to your religion and avoid meeting him and sitting
with him despite your love for him, he will come to realize the greatness of
this religion which makes its followers prepared to sacrifice all that they
love in order to please their Lord, and that they hope for a great reward from
their Lord for their patience in obeying Him and keeping away from that which
He has forbidden and perhaps that will be the cause of his becoming Muslim.
DOES THE ORIGINAL GOSPEL
THAT WAS IN ARAMAIC EXIST NOWADAYS, AND WHERE IS IT?
SECTION ONE ON ORIGINAL
GOSPEL THAT WAS IN ARAMAIC; WHERE IS IT TODAY:
Researchers
and specialists in the study of religion and ancient history differ concerning
the language spoken by the Messenger ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary, peace
be upon him).
Researchers
are unanimously agreed that Palestine at the time of ‘Isa was a mosaic, and
that its inhabitants were a mix from every nation and language, and they spoke,
to varying degrees, Hebrew and Aramaic in different dialects, as well as Greek
and Latin.
But
differences arose among them when they tried to define the geographical borders
of each of these languages, and when they wanted to find out the distinguishing
features of these languages and determine to what extent they were influenced
by one another.
When
we read of the life of Jesus (peace be upon him) in the four Gospels, we find
that he addressed different groups of people. He addressed the masses in
various cities and desert areas, and he addressed the members of the supreme
council (Sanhedrin) and the teachers of the Law, and those who were in charge
of the Temple and running the religious affairs of the Jews. He also addressed
the Roman governor of Palestine whose language was Latin.
Among
the Aramaic words attributed to the Messiah (peace be upon him) in the Gospels
are:
“
‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?’” (Matthew 27:46)
“He
took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum!’ (which means, ‘Little
girl, I say to you, get up!’” (Mark 5:41)
“Jesus
said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’
(which means Teacher).” (John 20:16)
It
seems that the discussion was in their language, but because of these different
reports there was a strong difference of opinion among the scholars and
researchers as to the language of the Messiah (peace be upon him).
Ibn
Taymiyah and Ibn al-Qayyim were of the view that he did not speak any language
other than Hebrew. Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Jawab al-Saheeh:
The
Messiah was a Hebrew and did not speak anything but Hebrew. End quote.
And
he said: The one who says that the language of the Messiah was Aramaic or Greek
is mistaken. End quote.
Some
of them were of the view that all the evidence shows that most of the speech of
‘Isa (peace be upon him) was in Aramaic, which was the most widely spoken
language of the people. He also spoke Hebrew, the language of the Old
Testament, to a lesser degree, and it seems that he was educated in Latin and
Greek.
See:
Lughat al-Maseeh ‘Isa ibn Maryam by Dr. ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Shahbar, published in
the book Lughaat al-Rusul.
SECTION TWO ON ORIGINAL
GOSPEL THAT WAS IN ARAMAIC; WHERE IS IT TODAY:
The
Muslims are all obliged to believe in the Gospel (Injil) that Allah revealed to
His Prophet Jesus the Messiah (peace be upon him). The one who denies this is a
kafir (disbeliever) according to scholarly consensus.
Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “And in their footsteps, We sent ‘Isa,
son of Maryam, confirming the Tawrat that had come before him, and We gave him
the Injil, in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Tawrat that
had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Muttaqoon (the pious).”
[Holy Quran Chapter 5:46]
Our
belief in the Gospel dictates that we should also believe that it exists and
that it was revealed completely, and we believe that everything that he brought
from Allah was true.
But
there is nothing in Islam to tell us whether this Gospel was written and
compiled at the time of ‘Isa (peace be upon him) or who wrote it, or who
preserved it and disseminated it, or whether the Messiah taught it to the
people orally or whether the disciples transmitted it and who believed in it,
or whether some of it was written down and some was not. These are questions
that we cannot answer for certain nowadays, rather some researchers deny that
there was even a true Gospel that was compiled in the form of a book; rather it
was just words that were transmitted.
The
great scholar al-Tahir ibn ‘Ashoor says in al-Tahreer wa’l-Tanweer, commenting
on the tafsir of Surat Al ‘Imran: With regard to the Gospel, this is the name
of the revelation that was sent to ‘Isa (peace be upon him) and was compiled by
his companions. End quote.
Shaykh
Ahmad Deedat (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We believe sincerely that
everything that ‘Isa (peace be upon him) said was revelation from Allah, and
that it was the Gospel and glad tidings for the Children of Israel. But
throughout his life, ‘Isa did not write a single word, and he did not order
anyone to write anything. Hal al-Kitab al-Muqaddas Kalimat Allah (Is the Bible
God’s Word?).
But
it seems that the Messiah (peace be upon him) knew how to read and write. This
may be understood from the words of Allah (interpretation of the meaning): “And
He (Allah) will teach him [‘Isa] the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the sunnah, the
faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Tawrat and the Injil.” [Holy
Quran Chapter Al ‘Imran 3:48]
Ibn
Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: It seems that what is meant by Book
here is writing. Tafsir al-Quran il-‘Azeem.
But
we do not have any evidence that the revelation was written down at the time of
‘Isa (peace be upon him). The fact that the Gospel is called “a Book” in the
Holy Quran does not indicate that it was written down on pages at the time it
was revealed. The fact that it is called a Book only refers to that which is
with Allah in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet), or that it was
something that could be written. This also applies to the Holy Quran, as Allah
calls it a Book. Rather it was transmitted verbally as well as being written down
randomly on skins and parchments. In fact it was not a compiled Book until the
time of Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him). Indeed, Allah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “And even if We had sent down unto you (O
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)) a message written on paper
so that they could touch it with their hands, the disbelievers would have said:
‘This is nothing but obvious magic!’” [Holy Quran Chapter 6:7]
al-Tahir
ibn ‘Ashoor said in his commentary on Holy Quran Chapter Surat Maryam:: 30: The
Scripture refers to the law which is usually written lest it be subject to
change. The word Scripture is applied to the Law of ‘Isa (peace be upon him)
just as it is applied to the Quran. Al-Tahreer wa’l-Tanweer.
Similarly
the Christians do not believe that there is a book that was written by the
Messiah or one of his disciples during his lifetime that was lost after that.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: As for the Gospel
that is in their hands, they acknowledge that it was not written by the Messiah
(peace be upon him), nor did he dictate it to someone else to write it down.
Rather they wrote it after the Messiah was taken up (into heaven). Al-Jawab
al-Saheeh.
There
is a clear difference between the revelation that was sent down to Musa (peace
be upon him) and the revelation that was sent down to ‘Isa (peace be upon him).
In the Quran there is an indication that the former was written down, as Allah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “And We wrote for him on the Tablets the
lesson to be drawn from all things and the explanation for all things (and
said): Hold unto these with firmness, and enjoin your people to take the better
therein. I shall show you the home of Al-Fasiqoon (the rebellious, disobedient
to Allah).” [Holy Quran Chapter 7:145]
Although
it seems from the words of some Muslim scholars that the true Gospel was
compiled and written at the time of the Messiah (peace be upon him). You can
find this view in the words of Ibn Hazm in al-Fisal and Ibn Taymiyah in
al-Jawab al-Saheeh.
Similarly
it says that the word Gospel (Injil) is applied to that which Allah revealed to
the Messiah, as it says in the Gospel of Mark 8:35: “… whoever loses his life
for me and for the Gospel will save it”.
As
for the Gospels that are extant nowadays, they are not the true Gospel, but no
one can deny that they contain a great deal of the Gospel that Allah revealed
to the Messiah (peace be upon him).
Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: These four books that they call
the Gospel, or call each of them a Gospel, were written by them after the
Messiah was taken up into heaven, but they do not say in them that they are the
word of God, or that the Messiah conveyed them from God. Rather they
transmitted in them some of the words of the Messiah, and some of his actions
and miracles. They said that they did not narrate from him everything that they
heard and saw from him. So they are more akin to what was narrated by the
scholars of hadeeth (prophetic narrations), biography and maghaazi (battle)
reports from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of his
words and deeds that are not Quran. So the Gospels that they have in their
hands are more like the books of seerah (biographies) and hadeeth (prophetic
narrations), or like these books, even if most of them are true. Al-Jawab
al-Saheeh
THE GOSPELS THAT ARE
EXTANT NOWADAYS WERE WRITTEN AFTER THE TIME OF ‘EESA (PEACE BE UPON HIM) AND
HAVE BEEN TAMPERED WITH A GREAT DEAL?
Question: It is well known among
us Muslims that Allaah revealed the Gospel (Injeel) to ‘Eesa (peace be upon
him), but when I studied some things about Christianity, they told me that the
Gospel was not brought by the Messiah, rather it was written by the disciples
of the Messiah after the crucifixion (or after Allaah raised him up to Him, as
it says in the Qur’aan). How can we reconcile between the two views? Published
Date: 2004-01-14
Answer: Praise be to Allaah.
There
is no contradiction between the two views such that we would need to ask how
they can be reconciled. Rather the reason why the questioner is confused is
that he is mixing up two things that we must believe in and that are both true,
praise be to Allaah.
The
first issue is the Gospel that was revealed from the Lord of the Worlds to the
Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesa (peace be upon him). Belief that Allaah revealed a Book
to His Prophet ‘Eesa and that the name of this book was the Gospel (Injeel),
are basic principles of faith that we must believe in. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has
been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one
believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say,) ‘We
make no distinction between one another of His Messengers’ — and they say, ‘We
hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the
return (of all)’”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Baqarah 2:285].
The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Jibreel, when he
asked him about faith, as mentioned in the well-known hadeeth: “Faith means to
believe in Allaah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe
in His divine will and decree, both good and bad.” (Agreed upon).
Disbelieving
in that or doubting it is misguidance and kufr or disbelief in Allaah. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! Believe in Allaah,
and His Messenger (Muhammad), and the Book (the Qur’aan) which He has sent down
to His Messenger, and the Scripture which He sent down to those before (him);
and whosoever disbelieves in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and
the Last Day, then indeed he has strayed far away.
137.
Verily, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe (again), and (again)
disbelieve, and go on increasing in disbelief; Allaah will not forgive them,
nor guide them on the (right) way”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’ 4:136-137]
“Verily,
those who disbelieve in Allaah and His Messengers and wish to make distinction
between Allaah and His Messengers (by believing in Allaah and disbelieving in
His Messengers) saying, “We believe in some but reject others,” and wish to
adopt a way in between.
151.
They are in truth disbelievers. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a
humiliating torment”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’ 4:150-151]
The
second issue is the Gospel or, more precisely, the Gospels that the Christians
have today. Although one of the basic principles of our faith is to believe in
the Gospel that was revealed to ‘Eesa, we also believe that there is no longer
any book that remained as it was revealed by Allaah, neither the Gospel nor
anything else, apart from the Qur’aan. Even the Christians themselves do not
believe that the books that they have before them were revealed in that form
from God, nor do they claim that the Messiah wrote the Gospel or at least that
it was written during his lifetime. Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on
him) says in al-Fasl fi’l-Milal (2/2):
We
do not need to try hard to prove that the Gospels and all the books of the
Christians did not come from God or from the Messiah (peace be upon him), as we
needed to do with regard to the Torah and the books attributed to the Prophets
that the Jews have, because the Jews claim that the Torah that they have was
revealed from God to Moosa, so we needed to establish proof that this claim of
theirs is false. With regard to the Christians, they have taken care of the
issue themselves, because they do not believe that the Gospels were revealed
from God to the Messiah, or that the Messiah brought them, rather all of them
from first to last, peasants and kings, Nestorians, Jacobites, Maronites and
Orthodox are all agreed that there are four historical accounts written by four
known men at different times. The first of them is the account written by
Matthew the Levite who was a disciple of the Messiah, nine years after the
Messiah was taken up into heaven. He wrote it in Hebrew in Judaea in Palestine,
and it filled approximately twenty-eight pages in a medium-sized script. The
next account was written by Mark, a disciple of Simon ben Yuna, who was called
Peter, twenty-two years after the Messiah was taken up into heaven. He wrote it
in Greek in Antioch in the land of the Byzantines. They say that the Simon
mentioned is the one who wrote it, then he erased his name from the beginning
of it and attributed it to his disciple Mark. It filled twenty-four pages
written in a medium-sized script. This Simon was a disciple of the Messiah. The
third account written was that of Luke, a physician of Antioch who was also a
disciple of Simon Peter. He wrote it in Greek after Mark had written his
account, and is similar in length to the Gospel of Matthew. The fourth account
was written by John the son of Zebedee, another disciple of the Messiah,
sixty-odd years after the Messiah has been taken up into heaven. He wrote it in
Greek, and it filled twenty-four pages in a medium-sized script. End quote.
Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in al-Jawaab al-Saheeh (3:21): With regard to the
Gospels that the Christians have, there are four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John. They are agreed that Luke and Mark did not see the Messiah, rather he
was seen by Matthew and John. These four accounts which they call the Gospel,
and they call each one of them a Gospel, were written by these men after the
Messiah had been taken up into heaven. They did not say that they are the word
of God or that the Messiah conveyed them from God, rather they narrated some of
the words of the Messiah and some of his deeds and miracles. End quote.
Moreover,
these books which were written after the time of the Messiah did not remain in
their original form. The original versions were lost long ago. Ibn Hazm said:
With regard to the Christians, there is no dispute among them or anyone else
that only one hundred and twenty men believed in the Messiah during his
lifetime… and all of those who believed in him concealed themselves and were
afraid during his lifetime and afterwards; they called people to his religion
in secret and none of them disclosed himself or practised his religion openly,
because any of them who was caught was executed.
They
continued in this manner, not showing themselves at all, and they had no place
where they were safe for three hundred years after the Messiah was taken up
into heaven.
During
this time, the Gospel that had been revealed from Allaah disappeared, apart
from a few verses which Allaah preserved as proof against them and as a rebuke
to them, as we have mentioned. Then when the Emperor Constantine became a
Christian, then the Christians prevailed and started to practise their religion
openly and assemble in safety.
If a
religion is like this, with its followers practicing it in secret and living in
constant fear of the sword, it is impossible for things to be transmitted
soundly via a continuous chain of narrators and its followers cannot protect it
or prevent it from being distorted. End quote. Al-Fasl, 2/4-5.
In
addition to this huge disruption in the chain of transmission of their books,
which lasted for two centuries, these books did not remain in the languages in
which they were originally written, rather they were translated, more than
once, by people whose level of knowledge and honesty is unknown. The
contradictions in these books and their shortcomings are among the strongest
evidence that they have been distorted and that they are not the Gospel
(Injeel) that Allaah revealed to His slave and Messenger ‘Eesa (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). Allaah indeed spoke the truth when He said
(interpretation of the meaning):
“Had
it been from other than Allaah, they would surely, have found therein many a
contradiction”[ Holy Quran Chapter al-Nisa’ 4:82].
REMARKS
Before
going further let’s revisit key aspects of life in line with sayings of Allah
in the Holy Quran?
So
let not this present life deceive you – Holy Quran Chapter Surah Fatir: verse 5
He
is with you, where you may be; and Allah is seeing your deeds – Holy Quran
Chapter Al-hadid: 4
And
he is with you wherever you are – Holy Quran Chapter 57:4
Did
he not realise that Allah is watching? – Holy Quran Chapter Al Alaq-14
He
released the two seas, meeting [side by side] Between them is a barrier [so]
neither of them transgresses – Holy Quran Chapter 55 : 19-20
Do
they not see the birds controlled in the atmosphere of the sky? None holds them
up except Allah. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe. – Holy
Quran Chapter (16:79)
Allah
is with the believers – Holy Quran Chapter 8:19
Indeed
He does not like the proud – Holy Quran Chapter 16:23
We
ask Allaah to guide us to Islam, and to make goodness easy for us, and to keep
all evils away from us Ameen.
REFERENCES
Islam
Q&A, Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid; https://islamqa.info/en/47516
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