Quran and the 'Other' Holy Books
Most North Americans have heard of the Quran. Muslims believe that the archangel Gabriel revealed the Quran to Muhammad over time, from A.D. 610 to 632. But did you know that Muslims actually believe in the existence of four holy books? They do not trust in the first three, however, and believe the Quran to be the final revelation from Allah.
Those four books are:
- Torah (Tawrat) — contained the original Law from Moses (the prophet Musa). Moses’ name is actually included in the Quran 136 times — more than that of any other prophet.
- Psalms (Zabur) — held revelation in the form of songs and chants, given to David (the prophet Dawud).
- Gospel (Injeel) — delivered to Jesus (the prophet Isa). According to the website The Islamic Quotes, Muslims believe that the original text of Injeel pointed to Muhammad’s coming.
- Quran — believed to be the last holy book and the only one without error, written in Arabic (“the language of heaven”).
As one Pakistani Muslim put it, reflecting the widespread belief of Muslims worldwide:
“God sent the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David, and the Gospel to Jesus. But Christians and Jews have radically changed them.”
That conviction is based on the Quran itself:
"We sent Jesus, son of Mary, in their footsteps, to confirm the Torah that had been sent before him: We gave him the Gospel with guidance, light, and confirmation of the Torah already revealed; a guide and lesson for those who take heed of God. … We sent to you [Muhammad] the Scripture with the truth, confirming the Scriptures that came before it, and with final authority over them" (Quran 5:46-48, emphasis added).
According to the website Quran Reading:
"Allah Almighty sent many books on different messengers but … most of Allah’s revelations have been lost or altered. They have been combined with legend, folklore, and personal desires to create something very much unlike what Allah originally revealed.
"The only book which is in its original form till now and will be till the Day of Judgment is the Holy Quran. . . . The Quran that we use to study today is exactly the same as the one used over a thousand years ago. And since the Quran is in Arabic, we always have one, standardized version of it."
Addressing this teaching head-on
No wonder so many Muslims question when Christians refer to the Bible as their authority; the seed has already been repeatedly sown against its reliability. For this reason, Life TV Pakistan created a 12-week ad campaign on Facebook to address common misunderstandings.
For three of those weeks last spring, the ads asserted: “The Bible is the word of God and cannot be changed.” And during each of those three weeks, 47,000–70,000 different individuals engaged with our posts — sometimes with passionate responses. . . .
Suleman* had always been curious about the teaching that the Christians’ Bible had been tampered with. He couldn’t find answers to his questions until he saw our Facebook ad. That’s when he got in touch with our trained responder Raheem. In that conversation, truth dawned on Suleman, and he acknowledged that his teachers and the Quran itself had been lying to him. He then prayed with Raheem and placed his faith in Christ.
Another man, Mehboob*, said to Raheem that if these were God’s holy books, too, how could they be changed? Raheem conveyed a simple analogy: Imagine a father who has four children and decides he will only take responsibility for one of his children. He’ll protect that child but let anything happen to the other three. If something bad happens to them, isn’t the father responsible for not protecting them?
Mehboob was upset and asked what kind of father would only protect one child and leave the other three.
This simple story helped Mehboob see the truth about the rumors he’d believed all his life: A holy God would protect His holy words. Now, Mehboob believes the Bible cannot be changed and that it tells us the truth about Jesus. He, too, decided to follow Jesus and prayed with Raheem.
Although Pakistan’s constitution guarantees every citizen “the right to profess, practice, and propagate his religion,” life on the streets looks different. Notes one former missionary to Pakistan: “It’s not really the law that governs what actually happens, but the power of the religious authorities and the emotions of the common Muslim.”
Therefore, many like Suleman and Mehboob find themselves forbidden to read any holy book apart from the Quran. In 2021, two men were harassed and arrested for reading a Bible in a public park — one man was likely teaching the other, barely literate, to read.
Won’t you join us as a regular prayer partner in this incredible ministry — answering tough questions about long-held beliefs and pointing Pakistani Muslims toward God and His unchanging Word?
* For security purposes, names are changed to protect the identity of viewers. Life TV Pakistan uses stock images.
Sources: “The Four Revealed Books in Islam – The Books of Allah,” Quran Reading; “Prophets mentioned in the Quran,” Feb. 17, 2018, onepathnetwork.com; “Everything You Need to Know About The 4 Holy Books in Islam,” The Islamic Quotes; “2021 Report on International Religious Freedom: Pakistan,” June 2, 2022, U.S. Department of state; “Pakistani Christians arrested for reading the Bible in a park,” Feb. 24, 2021, Mission Network News.