6 Articles of Faith: The Belief in the Books of Revelations
Muslims believe that divine scriptures came directly from Allah, containing His own messages for humanity. By Ustaz Muhammad Fadhlullah Bin Daud.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ ءَامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَنزَلَ مِن قَبْلُ ۚ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا
‘O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before. And whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray.’
Quran, Surah An-Nisa’,Chapter 4 verse 136
Part of the requirements of being a Muslim is to believe in the sacred books of Allah that were revealed through His messengers. Believing in the sacred books also means that a Muslim believes in and accepts that:
- the books of revelation that were sent down to humanity are:
the books are sacred books sent by Allah through His Messegers, and the Quran is the last one sent down to humanity
As Muslims, we are expected to believe in their words with absolute faith and conviction. At the same time, that should not be our reason to accept just any book claiming to contain the word of Allah without checking its authenticity. Allah has mentioned that one should examine the books before considering any of them to be a Book of God, as can be understood in the following surah:
أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ ۚ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ ٱللَّهِ لَوَجَدُوا۟ فِيهِ ٱخْتِلَـٰفًا كَثِيرًا
‘Do they not consider the Quran (with care)? Had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.’
Quran, Surah An-Nisa’ Chapter 4 verse 82
Authenticity of the Sacred Books of Revelation
Muslims believe that divine scriptures in the form of books were revealed from Allah and that they contain Allah’s messages for humanity with the purpose of maintaining law and order (jurisprudence), giving definition to morality, being a manual for life, and providing insights to the stages of lives in this world and the next.
However, can we refer to all books of revelation (including the earlier ones) for answers with regards to the matters above? To this question, Allah has instructed us to ponder and examine the books of revelation before considering them to be true words of God especially when there are great variations in the accounts of certain events such as the death of Pharaoh. For us to identify for ourselves the most accurate source of this event is crucial. Considering that the Quran is the last book of revelation, Muslims should refer to it as the ultimate reference point when it comes to variations in the occurrences of events, the source of jurisprudence, and other religious matters.
Another factor to consider before cross-referencing with the books of revelation besides the Quran is to consider their relationship to original manuscripts. As for the Quran, we know that it was revealed in the Arabic language in the dialect of the Quraish tribe, and which is still being preserved this way until now. This shows that the Quran is free from errors and protected from human manipulation and corruption. This is only made possible with Allah’s assurance, as mentioned by Allah in the Quran, surah Al-Hijr, Chapter 15 verse 9:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ
‘We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).’
We can have more than one translation of the Quran in any given language. But translations are a matter of linguistic preference rather than an edition or a change from the original manuscript. Similarly, when cross-referencing the earlier books of revelation, we should not assume that they are preserved in their original forms or in accordance with their related manuscripts. We should always carry out our due diligence in finding out the authenticity of these books, before referring to them.
[Pullquote:]Islam does not forbid its believers from being curious
Approaching Challenges
There might be times when we are faced with challenges in embracing historical facts of the revelations or understanding the context of the Quran. This could happen, for example, when we are trying to reconcile the Quran with various theories related to science. Islam does not forbid its believers from being curious. However, when dealing with our curiosity, it is very important for us to be objective and remain composed. For example, when dealing with a scientific theory, we should first check whether the Quran has taken its stand explicitly about it (i.e. be it in agreement or disagreement) or whether the theory has been founded and proven as factual. If they remain as theories, then they are yet to be proven, and thus, we should stand with the Quran on that matter.
Similarly, when we are approaching verses that are ambiguous to our understanding, it is always best to pause and take a step back and refer them to the learned. We have to remember that the Quran is the word of Allah. While most verses are straightforward to understand, there are also possibilities that some verses are only understood by Allah, His messengers and people of wisdom. This should only prompt us to keep on learning about the Quran deeper, rather than trying to make up its meaning and potentially leading us to confusion and false interpretations of the Quran.
Conclusion
It is important for every Muslim to believe in the sacred books of revelation, especially the Quran. As how every complex and valuable machine (e.g. cars, trains, handphones etc) has an operating manual, the Quran is the operating manual for a more sophisticated creation—the human being—with the purpose of helping us navigate our lives in this temporal world and achieving success not just here but also in the hereafter.