Gospel in Islam

Injil(Arabic:إنجيل,romanized:ʾInjīl,alternative spellings:IngilorInjeel) is the Arabic name for theGospelofJesus(Isa). ThisInjilis described by theQur'anas one of the fourIslamic holy bookswhich was revealed byAllah,the others being theZabur(traditionally understood as being thePsalms), theTawrat(theTorah), and theQur'anitself. The wordInjilis also used in the Qur’an, thehadithand early Muslim documents to refer to both a book and revelations made by God to Jesus.

Etymology[edit]

The Arabic wordInjil(إنجيل) as found in Islamic texts, now used also by non-Arab Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs, comes from theClassical Syriac:ܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ,romanized:ewangellīōnfound in thePeshitta,the Syriac translation of the Bible. This, in turn, derives fromKoinē Greek:Εὐαγγέλιονof theNew Testament,where it means “good news” (fromOld Englishgōdspel;Modern Englishgospel,orevangelas anarchaism;cf. e.g.Spanishevangelio). The wordInjiloccurs twelve times in the Quran.

Identification[edit]

Islamic studies scholars such as Gabriel Said Reynolds maintain that theInjilis none other than the Gospels of theBibleas known today and historically in copies that predate the lifetime of Muhammad. They argue that theInjilrefers specifically to the Gospel of theNew Testamentin the possession of theChristiansbeing addressed in passages such as the following:

And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in theTorah,and We bestowed on him the Gospel [Injil] wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in theTorah] - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil). Let the People of the Gospel [Injil] judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein.... ".
— Quran, sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida), ayah 46, 47a^[1]

However, Muslim scholars have resisted identifying theInjilwith theNew TestamentGospels and interpret Quran, sura 5 (Al-Ma'ida), ayah 46, 47a as Allah warning the Christians not to enforce the law contrary to the law sent by Allah:^[2]Some have suggested theInjilmay be theGospel of BarnabasorGospel of Thomas.^[3]More commonly, Muslim scholars have argued that theInjilrefers to a text now lost or hopelessly corrupted. For example,Abdullah Yusuf Aliwrote:

The Injil (Greek, Evangel equals Gospel) spoken of by the Qur'an is not the New Testament. It is not the four Gospels now received as canonical. It is the single Gospel which, Islam teaches, was revealed to Jesus, and which he taught. Fragments of it survive in the received canonical Gospels and in some others, of which traces survive (e.g., the Gospel of Childhood or the Nativity, the Gospel of St.Barnabas, etc.). "^[4]

In Qur'anic exegesis[edit]

The Islamic methodology oftafsir al-Qur'an bi-l-Kitab(Arabic:تفسير القرآن بالكتاب) refers to interpreting the Qur'an with/through the Bible.^[5]This approach adopts canonicalArabic versions of the Bible,including theTawratand the Injil, both to illuminate and to add exegetical depth to the reading of the Qur'an. Notable Muslimmufassirun(commentators) of the Bible and Qur'an who weaved biblical texts together with Qur'anic ones include Abu al-Hakam Abd al-Salam bin al-Isbili ofAl-Andalusand Ibrahim bin Umar bin Hasan al-Biqa'i.^[5]

Nature[edit]

Regardless of scholarly disagreement, Muslims commonly believe thatInjilrefers to a true Gospel, bestowed upon Jesus by God. ManyMuslims believethat the Injil was revealed by God to Jesus in a manner comparable to the waythe Quranwas revealed toMuhammad;as presumed from passages inthe Quranstating the gospel was a received message, such as (tr.Pickthall):

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. "
— Quran, sura 57 (Al-Hadid), ayah 27^[6]

Many Muslim scholars continue to believe that the Biblical Gospel has undergone alteration, that the words and the meaning of the words have been distorted, with some passages suppressed and others added.

References[edit]

^Quran 47a 5:46, 47a
^Deobandi, Muhammad (1964–1969).Ma'ariful Qur'an.p. 176.
^Oliver LeamanThe Qur'an: An EncyclopediaTaylor & Francis 2006ISBN 978-0-415-32639-1page 298
^Ali, Abdullah Yusuf (1938).The Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation & Commentary(3rd ed.). Kashmiri Bazar, Lahore: Shaik Muhammad Ashraf. p. 287.
^^a ^bMcCoy, R. Michael (2021-09-08).Interpreting the Qurʾān with the Bible (Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Kitāb).Brill.ISBN 978-90-04-46682-1.
^Quran 57:27

External links[edit]

A discussion of the Injil and some other scriptures

[1] Quran 47a 5:46, 47a

[2] Deobandi, Muhammad (1964–1969).Ma'ariful Qur'an.p. 176.

[3] Oliver LeamanThe Qur'an: An EncyclopediaTaylor & Francis 2006ISBN 978-0-415-32639-1page 298

[4] Ali, Abdullah Yusuf (1938).The Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation & Commentary(3rd ed.). Kashmiri Bazar, Lahore: Shaik Muhammad Ashraf. p. 287.

[McCoy2021-5] McCoy, R. Michael (2021-09-08).Interpreting the Qurʾān with the Bible (Tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi-l-Kitāb).Brill.ISBN 978-90-04-46682-1.

[6] Quran 57:27

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