491. Is the Bible a combination of Torah and Injeel put together?
The verses (3:4, 3:48, 3:50, 3:65, 3:93, 5:43, 5:44, 5:46, 5:47, 5:66, 5:68, 5:110, 7:157, 9:111, 48:29, 57:27, 61:6, 62:5) of the Quran say the people of the earlier days were bestowed with scriptures known as Torah and Injeel, and the Quran confirms the teachings of these books.
It should be misunderstood that the New Testament and the Old Testament of today are the same as the Torah and Injeel of the yesteryears.
The New Testament is not as same as the Injeel nor is the Old Testament the Torah.
Let’s know the details clearly.
In verses (5:46, 57:27,) of the Quran, Allah says Prophet Esa was bestowed with Injeel by Him.
If the scripture revealed in the past to Prophet Isa, was Injeel, accordingly it should be the same New Testament, but Christians neither believe nor accept the same.
The texts written by Mathew, Mark, Luke, John and the Gospels by Paul after Prophet Isa’s time are mentioned by Christians as the New Testament, this can never be called as Injeel that was revealed to Prophet Isa. Verses (Mathew 4:23, 9:35) of the Bible say Jesus spread the Gospel of The Kingdom.
From this we come to understand, Jesus spread a scripture which he had during his time. And that was not the Bible (Injeel) of today.
The scripture revealed to Jesus remained with the Christians till the time of Prophet Muhammad. Messages of that Injeel and that of the Quran were more of less similar, and this was the reason the Christians of those days accepted Islam leading to complete disappearance of Christianity from the Arab soil.
The Christian church concluded, though they had Injeel as guidance, it was only a symbolic presence for them, whereas Prophet Muhammad put into practice the similar scripture known as the Quran and converted Christians to Muslims, hence they altogether got rid of Injeel itself, thinking the riddance would stop the flow of Christians into the Islamic fold. They feared the presence of Injeel would prompt the Muslims to move the Christians to Islamic fold just by comparing Injeel to the Quran.
That the Injeel remained with the Christians till the advent of Prophet Muhammad can be seen from the verses (5:47, 5:66, 5:68) of the Quran.
Only after this did the Christians declare those written by other people as scriptures.
Similarly, Prophet Muhammad has said the scripture of Torah was revealed to Prophet Musa. There is no logic in finding the history of people who had come after Prophet Musa in a book that was revealed to him. But in the Old Testament we find messages about people who appeared after Prophet Musa’s time, proving The Old Testament can never be the Torah.
At the time when the Quran was revealed Injeel remained with the Christians and the Torah was with the Jews respectively, both the communities were conveyed the Quran confirmed what they had in their hands. And only after confirming the messages of the Quran were like those from their scriptures they turned towards Islam.
Since the Jews feared Prophet Muhammad would destroy Judaism by comparing the Quran and Torah pinpointing the similarities, they got rid of the Torah too.
For example, The Quran pointed out to the Christians and Jews, certain facts that were prevalent among the Jews and Christians of those days but at the same time not found either in the New Testament or Old Testament.
Had the verses pointed out by the Quran were not found in the Torah and the Injeel, the Jews and Christians of those days would have raised a hue and cry to prove the Quran wrong.
They accepted Islam because they found in their scriptures what was conveyed by Prophet Muhammad.
We present below few verses from the Quran that are like those found in their scriptures:
The Quran 9:111 Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah, so they kill and are killed. These are promises that God has made on Himself in the Torah and Injeel.
The Quran talked to the people about this verse who were in possession of the scriptures containing the same. Had there been no such verse in those scriptures, the Jews and Christians would have not missed the opportunity to prove the Quran wrong.
This fact found in the Torah and the Injeel is not to be found anywhere in the New Testament of today nor is found in the Old Testament. Hence it needs to be concluded neither Torah is the Old Testament nor Injeel the New Testament.
Let us look at another message!
The Quran 48:29 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah. And their description in the Gospel is as a plant which produces its offshoots and strengthens them so they grow firm and stand upon their stalks, delighting the sowers – so that Allah may enrage by them the disbelievers. Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward.
In this verse of the Quran, a message about Prophet Muhammad and his community is said to be conveyed in the Torah and Injeel, and definitely it would have found mention in the scriptures of the Jews and Christians. There is no chance for the absence of this verse that addresses them in their scriptures.
But such a message is not found in the New Testament of today or in the Old Testament of the earlier days.
Torah and Injeel remained in the hands of Jews and Christians during the time of Prophet Muhammad, since they spawned the development of Islam, the churches decided imperative, the destruction of these scriptures to for their own survival. For more details regarding this topic please refer to explanation point no;271 of this compilation.
