1) the Quran - the most important book in Islam. It contains the teachings and story of the chief prophet of Islam, Muhammad.
2) the Torah - which are the first five books of the Christian Old Testament, written by Moses.
3) the Zabur - which are the Psalms of David.
4) the Injil - a testament gospel of Jesus.
The following books of religious material is commonly associated with the religion of Islam...
The Main Components of Islamic Literature
Quran
The Quran is the central religious text and the most important book of Islam. Its adherents, known as Muslims, believe the book to be a revelation from Allah (God) to the prophet Muhammad. The Quran is divided into chapters (surah), which are then divided into verses (ayah). Muslims believe the Quran was verbally revealed by Allah to Muhammad through the angel Jibril (Gabriel), gradually over a period of approximately 23 years. The Quran is widely regarded as the finest work in classical Arabic literature.
Islam was founded in 610 A.D. by a Arab man named Muhammad. During Muhammad’s time, polytheism reigned. His people were worshipping multiple gods. During one of Muhammad’s trips as a trader, he had a vision from a being he perceived to be an angel who said, “There is only one God, and His name is Allah. Worship Him.” The prophet was thus inspired to write the Quran. The final verse of the Quran was completed in 632 A.D. after Muhammad delivered his sermon at Ghadir Khumm.
The basis for Islamic doctrine is found in the Quran. The Quran was only in oral form while Muhammad was living, which means it was constantly interpreted by Muhammad and his disciples.
Islam has seven fundamental beliefs that every Muslim must accept as a part of his/her religion. Every Muslim learns this formula as a part of his/her religious training. The fundamental beliefs are:
- Belief in one God (the standard word for “God” in Arabic is “Allah”)
- Belief in the angels (both good and bad)
- Belief in the revealed Books of God (in reference to Islamic religious books)
- Belief in God’s many prophets (including Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus)
- Accepting there will be a Last Day (known as Judgment Day)
- Belief in the divine measurement of human affairs (including miracles, interaction, etc.)
- Belief in life after death (known as "Akhirah")
As a works-oriented religion, Islam requires that its adherents earn their way to heaven by performing the Five Pillars of Islam, which are Islamic teachings found in the Quran and the Hadith.
- Confession of Faith - A Muslim must confess, "There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is the prophet of God."
- Praying - Muslims pray five times a day: shortly before sunrise, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon and after sunset.
- Almsgiving, or Charity - It is considered to be the personal responsibility of all who have to give to those who have not.
- Fasting - Where the adherent to Islam denies himself food and water during certain times of the year and certain times of the day.
- Hajj, or Pilgrimage to Mecca - It is the duty of every able-bodied Muslim to travel to the holy city of Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
The Quran contains 114 chapters and its text has been remained unchanged for the past 1500 years. The basic element of the Quran is to provide guidance to people.
Tawrat
The Tawrat (known as the Torah in Judaism), is believed by the Muslims to have been given by God to the prophets and messengers amongst the Israelites ("Children of Israel") during the B.C. era. When referring to the traditions from the Tawrat, Muslim adherents have not only identified it with the Pentateuch, but also with the other books of the Hebrew Bible as well as with Talmudic and Midrashim writings...
"Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to God] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were entrusted of the Scripture of God, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price [i.e., worldly gain]. And whoever does not judge by what God has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers." ~ Quran 5:44
The word "Tawrat" is mentioned 18 times and the name of Musa (Moses) occurs 136 times throughout the Quran. While it is not mentioned anywhere in the Quran that Moses alone was given the divine laws, it is written [in the Quran] that the prophets governed with the Tawrat.
According to the Quran, the Tawrat was revealed to Moses but Muslims argue that the current Tawrat (Torah) has suffered corruption over the years, and is no longer a reliable source. Moses and his brother Aaron (Hārūn) used the Tawrat to preach the message to the Israelites. The Quran states the Tawrat had words of wisdom and all the subsequent prophets, sages, priests and rabbis in Israel used its Law for guidance and instruction. Because he believed the Quran replaced it, Muhammad did not teach from the Tawrat but referenced it heavily.
Zabur
The Zabur, often interpreted as being the Book of Psalms, is mentioned in the Quran three times and is designated as being the holy scripture revealed to King David (Dawud). The Quran itself says nothing about the Zabur specifically, except that it was revealed to the second king of Israel (David). Scholars have often understood the Psalms to have been holy songs of praise, and not a book administering law. The current Psalms are still praised by many Muslim scholars, but Muslims generally assume that some of the current Psalms were written at a later date and are not divinely revealed. Quran 21:105 and Psalm 37:29 are direct counterparts...
"We have written in the Psalms, after the Reminder, that the earth will be inherited by My righteous servants." ~ Quran 21:105
"The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever." ~ Psalm 37:29
One hadith, considered valid by Muhammad al-Bukhari, and narrated by Abu Hurairah, says:
"The Prophet said, "The reciting of the Zabur (i.e. Psalms) was made easy for David. He used to order that his riding animals be saddled, and would finish reciting the Zabur before they were saddled. And he would never eat except from the earnings of his manual work." — Sahih al-Bukhari, 4:55:628
The Christian monks and ascetics of pre-Islamic Arabia may be associated in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry with texts called zabūrs, which in other contexts may refer to palm leaf documents. This has been interpreted by some as referring to psalters. Among many Christians in the Middle East and in South Asia, the word Zabur is basically used for the Book of Psalms in the Christian Bible.
Injil
The Injil was the holy gospel revealed to Jesus (Isa), according to the Quran. Although some lay Muslims believe the Injil refers to the entire New Testament, most scholars and Muslims believe that it refers not to the New Testament but to an original Gospel, given to Jesus as the word of Allah.
Therefore, according to Muslim belief, the Gospel was the message that Jesus, being divinely inspired, preached to the Children of Israel. The current Canonical Gospels, in the belief of Muslim scholars, are not divinely revealed but rather are documents of the life of Jesus, as written by various contemporaries, disciples and companions. These Gospels, in Muslim belief, contain portions of the teachings of Jesus, but neither represent nor contain the original Gospel from Allah. More commonly, Muslim scholars have argued that the Injil refers to a text that is now lost or hopelessly corrupted. For example, Abdullah Yusuf Ali wrote:
"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.)."
The word Injil is also used in the Quran, the Hadith and early Muslim documents to refer to both a book and revelations made by Allah to prophet Isa (Jesus).
Another Notable Book of Islam
Hadith
The Ḥadith [or Athar, which literally means "tradition"] refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In other words, the hadith are reports about what Muhammad said and did.
While the number of sunnah's (verses) pertaining to law in the Quran is relatively few, the Hadith gives direction on everything from details of religious obligations (such as ablutions for salat prayer), to the correct forms of salutations and the importance of benevolence to slaves. Thus the "great bulk" of the rules of Sharia (Islamic law) are derived from the Hadith, rather than the Quran.
Hadith has been called "the backbone" of Islamic civilization, and within that religion the authority of hadith as a source for religious law and moral guidance ranks second only to the Quran. Scriptural authority for hadith comes from the Quran, which enjoins Muslims to emulate Muhammad and obey his judgments in verses such as...
"Say, “Obey God and obey the Messenger.” But if they turn away, then he is responsible for his obligations, and you are responsible for your obligations. And if you obey him, you will be guided. It is only incumbent on the Messenger to deliver the Clarifying Message." ~ Quran 24:54
Among scholars of Sunni Islam the term hadith may include not only the words, advice, practices, etc. of Muhammad, but also those of his companions. In Shia Islam, hadith are the embodiment of the sunnah, the words and actions of Muhammad and his family the Ahl al-Bayt (The Twelve Imams and Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah).
Additional Scrolls and Texts
The Quran also mentions two ancient scrolls:
Scrolls of Abraham
The Scrolls of Abraham are believed to have been one of the earliest directives of scripture, which were given to Abraham (Ibrahim), and later used by his sons, Ishmael (Ismail) and Isaac (Isḥaq). Although usually referred to as "scrolls", many translators have translated the Arabic suhuf as "books". The Scrolls of Abraham are now considered lost rather than corrupted, although some scholars have identified them with the Testament of Abraham, an apocalyptic piece of literature available in Arabic at the time of Muhammad. The verse mentioning the "Scriptures" is in Quran 87:18-19 where they are referred to, alongside the Scrolls of Moses, to have been "Books of Earlier Revelation".
Scrolls of Moses
The Scrolls of Moses are ancient works of scripture mentioned twice in the Quran. These scrolls contain some of the revelations of Moses and are understood by Muslim adherents to refer not to the Torah but to epiphanies aside from the Torah. Some Islamic scholars have stated that they could possibly refer to the Book of the Wars of the Lord, a lost text spoken of in the Christian Old Testament and the Hebrew Tanakh in the Book of Numbers. The majority of Islamic believers claim the Scrolls of Moses were inspired revelations Moses received and wrote himself during his years of prophetic teaching. The verse mentioning the "Scriptures" is also found in Quran 87:18-19.
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