Is it Permissible to Possess and Read the Bible and the Tawrah?
Question :
Is it permissible for me to obtain a copy of the Injil so that I may learn what Allah's words were to 'Isa? And is the present-day version of the Injil authentic? I ask this because I heard that the authentic version is lost at the bottom of the sea.
Answer:
There are two reasons why it is not permissible to obtain copies of previous scriptures, regardless of whether it is the Injil or the Tawrah:
1) Allah Almighty has related in the Qur'an all that is of benefit to us from those scriptures.
2) The Qur'an contains in it what suffices us from all previously revealed books:
"It is He Who has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what came before it. And he sent down the Tawrah and the Injil."
So all the good contained in the previous sriptures is present in the Qur'an. The questioner stated that he wanted to learn what Allah's words to the Servant and Messenger of Allâh 'Isa were. Since all that is beneficial to us from those words is found in the Qur'an, there is no need to search for those words elsewhere. Furthermore, the Injil that is present among us today has been distorted. We find that there are four Injils, not one, and each one of them contradicts the others. Thus we cannot depend on any of them for the truth.
The student of knowledge, however, differs in this regard. It is permissible for him to read from previous scriptures to find what is true and what is false, and then to refute what is false, leaving no excuses for those who believe in their authenticity.
Source:
Ibn 'Uthaimin
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 8 Pages 360-361
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