The
Injil (
Arabic إنجيل (or
Injeel) is the
Arabic name for the original Gospel of
Jesus, and one of the four
Islamic Holy Books the
Qur'an records as revealed by
God, the others being the
Zabur,
Tawrat and
Qur'an. The word
Injil is derived from the
Greek word
Εὐαγγέλιον (
evangelion) and means 'the good news'. Muslims claim this original
Gospel to have been
corrupted over time. They believe that the current Canonical Gospels of
Saint Matthew,
Saint Mark,
Saint Luke and
Saint John and lost Gospels, such as that of
Saint Peter, contain fragments of Jesus's message but the majority of the original teaching has been corrupted.
Authorship
One frequent confusion is the authorship of the
Injil. Although many Western scholars believe that the Injil, in
Muslim belief, was a scripture authored by
Jesus, the
Muslim belief is that the author of the Injil was not Jesus but
God, who inspired Jesus and revealed this scripture. Muslims believe that Jesus, who had memorized the revelation, then taught it to all his
disciples.
In the Qur'an
The word
Injil occurs twelve times in the
Qur'an and refers to the Book of revelation given to the Prophet
Jesus. God taught Jesus both the Law and Gospel. Muslim scholars generally agree that
Injil refers to the true Gospel, bestowed upon Jesus by God. The word
Injil is used in the Qur'an, the
Hadith and early Muslim documents to refer specifically to the revelations made by God to Jesus. Muslims reject that Jesus or any other person wrote the Injil, instead crediting its authorship to
God. Many Muslim scholars believe that the Gospel has undergone
alteration, that the words and the meaning of the words have been distorted, with some passages suppressed and others added. The Islamic principle of the oneness and wholeness of
God's divinity means that in their view it is impossible for Jesus to be
God incarnate or the
Son of God, and that the worship of Jesus by Christians is due to later additions. The Qur'an says of the Gospel:
"And We sent in their footsteps Jesus, son of Mary, authenticating what was present with him of the Torah. And We gave him the Gospel, in it was a guidance and a light, and authenticating what was present with him of the Torah, and a guidance and a lesson for the righteous."
The Qur'an further describes the followers of the Gospel, that is the
Christians, in a highly positive allegory, saying:
"Muhammad is the messenger of God, and those who are with him are severe against the rejecters, but merciful between themselves. You see them kneeling and prostrating, they seek the blessings and approval of God. Their distinction is in their faces, as a result of prostrating. Such is their example in the Torah. And their example in the Gospel is like a plant which shoots out and becomes strong and thick and it stands straight on its trunk, pleasing to the farmers. That He may enrage the rejecters with them. God promises those among them who believe and do good works a forgiveness and a great reward."
Arab-Christian Injil
Arab Christians use an Arabic
Bible that is the same
Bible used by other Christians world wide, but sometimes refer to it as
Injil. The first four books of the New Testament in
Arabic are named Injil-Al-Mattius, Injil-Al-Marcus, Injil-Al-Lucas, and Injil-Al-Yohannah. In addition, the canon of the book itself is called Kitab-Al-Muqaddas, which means "sacred book" or "Holy Bible."
See also
Gospels
Biblical narratives and the Qur'an
Christianity and Islam
Islamic view of the Bible
List of Christian terms in Arabic
Islamic view of Jesus
Suhuf Ibrahim
Zabur
Tawrat
Qur'an
Islamic holy books
External links
A discussion of the Injil and some other scriptures A non-Muslim site (site is Christian; see articles and other links from its Main Page).
An additional Islamic view from Ummah.net. A Muslim site.
References
Category:Islamic texts
