Thank you for answering my question; and in a manner that gives us something to work on!
Concerning the
ʾInjīl:
Allāh (subḥānahu ūta'āla) says: ‘We sent Yeshua, son of Mary, in their footsteps, to confirm the Torah that had been sent before him: We gave him the
ʾInjīl with guidance, light, and confirmation of the Torah already revealed – a guide and lesson for those who take heed of Allāh.’ (Al-Ma’ida: 46).
We know that the word
ʾInjīl refers to a written document because Yeshua (ʿalayhi as-salām) says: ‘I am a servant of God. He has granted me the Scripture; made me a prophet.’ (Maryam: 30).
The word ‘Scripture’ renders the Arabic ‘
kitāba’. This word is derived from the root
kāf tā bā, meaning to write; to record; or to inscribe. Please note that the plural of ‘
Kitāb’ is ‘
Kutub.’
The Arabic word ‘
ʾInjīl’ is translated ‘Gospel’ by those writing in English. However, in the Qur’an the word is
always in the singular, and is
never used to describe the four Gospels of the New Testament.
It is quite clear from Al-Ma’ida: 46 that Yeshua was given the
ʾInjīl in its completed form; how else could it have been ‘a guidance, light and confirmation of the Torah’?
Concerning the nature of the
ʾInjīl:
I wonder if the
ʾInjīl is the document – or else was the inspiration of the document – known as ‘Q’.
It’s important to realise, of course, that Q is a hypothetical document (in that we not longer possess it) the contents of which were absorbed into the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Tod Stiles reminds us that while most scholars continue to believe that Q did exist – and in written form – those who specialise in Q have: ‘Acknowledged that other theories about the history of the Synoptic Gospels which make Q unnecessary are possible, though the existence of a document such as Q best explains all of the Synoptic data.’ (‘Q: The Earliest Portrait of Jesus.’).
Stiles goes on: ‘ Q is not considered to be a random collection drawn from a pool of oral tradition but a carefully constructed composition that employs literary techniques characteristic of ancient sayings collections.
‘When it comes to the absence of the cross from Q, that is, the failure of Q to invoke the doctrine that Jesus died for the sins of the world, we may only suppose that if the cross was a “scandal for Jews”(1Cor 1:23 CCB) then it might well have been a scandal for Jewish-Christians as well……… Perhaps this should occasion no surprise, as the concept of a suffering, dying, resurrected Messiah finds no place in pre-Christian Jewish Messianic expectation as far as we can tell.’
In his ‘The Lost Gospel – The Book of Q and Christian Origins’ Burton L. Mack cites a number of the sayings of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels. Here are a few:
‘I am telling you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on the cheek, offer your other cheek as well. If anyone grabs your coat, let him have your shirt as well.’
‘As you want people to treat you, do the same to them.’
‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even tax collectors love those who love them, do they not? And if you embrace only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Doesn’t everybody do that? If you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even wrongdoers lend to their kind because they expect to be repaid.’
‘Be merciful even as your Father is merciful. Don’t judge and you won’t be judged. For the standard you use [for judging] will be the standard used against you.’
‘How can you look for the splinter in your brother’s eye and not notice the stick in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the splinter in your eye,’ when you do not see the stick in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the stick from your own eye, and then you can see to remove the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.’
‘A good tree does not bear rotten fruit; a rotten tree does not bear good fruit. Are figs gathered from thorns, or grapes from thistles? Every tree is known by its fruit. The good man produces good things from his store of goods and treasures; and the evil man evil things. For the mouth speaks from a full heart.’
‘Everyone who hears my words and does them is like a man who built a house on rock. The rain fell, a torrent broke against the house, and it did not fall, for it had a rock foundation. But everyone who hears my words and does not do them is like a man who built a house on sand. The rain came, the torrent broke against it, and it collapsed. The ruin of that house was great.’
‘Whatever house you enter, say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a child of peace is there, your greeting will be received (literally, “your peace will rest upon him”). But if not, let your peace return to you.
‘When you pray, say, “Father, may your name be holy. May your rule take place. Give us each day our daily bread. Pardon our debts, for we ourselves pardon everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to trial”.’
‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks the door will be opened. What father of yours, if his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? Therefore, if you, although you are not good, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the father above give good things to those who ask him!’
“Nothing is hidden that will not be made known, or secret that will not come to light. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. And what you hear as a whisper, proclaim on the housetops.’
‘The land of a rich man produced in abundance, and he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this. I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods stored up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Foolish man! This very night you will have to give back your soul, and the things you produced, whose will they be?’ That is what happens to the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich in the sight of God.’
‘I am telling you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Think of the ravens. They do not plant, harvest, or store grain in barns, and God feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than the birds? Which one of you can add a single day to your life by worrying? And why do you worry about clothing? Think of the way lilies grow. They do not work or spin. But even Solomon in all his splendor was not as magnificent. If God puts beautiful clothes on the grass that is in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into a furnace, won’t he put clothes on you, faint hearts? So don’t worry, thinking, ‘What will we eat,’ or ‘What will we drink,’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For everybody in the whole world does that, and your father knows that you need these things. Instead, make sure of his rule over you, and all these things will be yours as well.’
‘Sell your possessions and give to charity. Store up treasure for yourselves in a heavenly account, where moths and rust do not consume, and where thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.’
‘Everyone who glorifies himself will be humiliated, and the one who humbles himself will be praised.’
As a Muslim, I believe – without reservation – that these are the words of Allāh (subḥānahu ūta'āla), given to Yeshua - His prophet - as 'a guidance, light and confirmation of the Torah’; the essential message of which is that we should love the Lord with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might; placing our trust in Him; and that we should love our neighbour as ourselves.
And maybe it is verses such as these - and others of the same nature and purpose - that Allāh (subḥānahu ūta'āla) had in mind when He reminded Jews and Christians that they should: 'Hold fast to what We have given you and bear its contents in mind, so that you may be conscious of Allāh.’ (Al-Baqara: 63).
And the answer to your question is 'Yes'; Muslims
are required to believe in the Torah and Gospels....that is, in verses such as these.
