Gospel in Islam
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Injil (Arabic: إنجيل, translit. ʾInjīl, alternative spelling: Ingil) is the Arabic name for what Muslims believe to have been the original Gospel of Jesus (Isa). This Injil is described by the Qur'an as one of the four Islamic holy books which was revealed by God, the others being the Zabur (possibly the Psalms), the Tawrat (the Torah), and the Qur'an itself.
The Arabic word Injil (إنجيل) as found in Islamic texts, and now used also by Muslim non-Arabs and Arab non-Muslims, is derived from the Syriac Aramaic word awongaleeyoon (ܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ) found in the Peshitta (Syriac translation of the Bible),[1] which in turn derives from the Greek word euangelion (Εὐαγγέλιον)[2] of the originally Greek language New Testament, where it means "good news" (from Greek "Εὐ αγγέλιον"; Old English "gōdspel"; Modern English "gospel", or "evangel" as an archaism, cf. e.g. Spanish "evangelio")
Authorship[edit]
The general belief held by many muslims is that the Injil, in Muslim belief, was a scripture authored by Jesus, while more fervent believers claim the author of the Injil was (in Muslim belief) ultimately God, in a manner similar to the way the Quran was revealed to Muhammad: that God inspired Jesus with the verbatim words of the text which were then written by Jesus' hand.[3] Muslims believe that Jesus, who had memorized the revelation, then taught it to all his disciples (al-Hawāriyūn).
In the Quran[edit]
The word Injil occurs twelve times in the Quran and refers to the book given to Jesus. Muslim scholars[who?] generally agree that Injil refers to the true Gospel, bestowed upon Jesus by God. The word Injil is used in the Quran, 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 (Tawhid) 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 Quran says of the Gospel:
And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.
The Quran further describes the followers of the Gospel, that is the Christians, in a highly positive allegory, saying:
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.
See also[edit]
- Biblical narratives and the Quran
- Christianity and Islam
- Islamic view of the Christian Bible
- List of Christian terms in Arabic
- Scrolls of Abraham (Islam)
References[edit]
- ^ Peshitta (Mark 1:1) - "Literal Aramaic idiomatic (Lit. Ar. id.) name: "Awon-galee-yoon," or He Reveals."
- ^ Muhammad in world scriptures Abdul Haque Vidyarthi - 1997 "It is derived from the Greek term evangelion which means gospel, good news and happy tidings. But in the New Testament it has nowhere been given the name of any book."
- ^ Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, B.M. Wheeler, Injil
- ^ Quran 5:46
- ^ Quran 48:29
