Home > Qur'anic problems - stupidity in the Qur'an - broken Islamic theology
P1. The Qur'an describes the Injil as a revealed scripture given to Jesus, comparable in role and function to the Torah (e.g., Surah 3:3;, 5:46).
P2. The Torah sets the precedent for what a "revealed book" looks like:
It is a single revelation comprising multiple books (the five books of Moses).
It is primarily biographical with laws (Exodus, Deuteronomy).
It was orally transmitted and written down in the presence of witnesses (70 scribes).
It was compiled and finalized after the prophet's death by his successors.
P3. The four canonical Gospels display the same characteristics:
They form a single canonical Gospel in four books (Christians consistently spoke of "the Gospel" in the singular, even when referring to the four-fold witness — e.g., Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 11, c. 180 CE - "one Gospel in four witnesses").
They are primarily biographical, but include Jesus' teachings and commands.
They were initially transmitted orally, then written within the lifetime of eyewitnesses or their immediate followers.
They were recognized and compiled as authoritative by Jesus' successors after his death, resurrection, and ascension.
C1. Therefore, the four canonical Gospels structurally and functionally parallel the Torah and fit the Quran's description of the Injil.
P4. The term Injil is derived from the Greek euangelion ("good news" or "Gospel").
In the early Christian world, euangelion was consistently applied to the canonical Gospels collectively as the Gospel.
There is no historical evidence for a separate "Book of Jesus" that was ever known as the Injil apart from the canonical Gospels.
P5. Early Muslims directly engaged with the canonical Gospels as the Injil, even while debating their reliability:
Ibn Ishaq (d. 767/768 CE): Quoted John 15:23-16:1 in Sirat Rasul Allah (p. 104), attributing it to John and interpreting the Paraclete as Muhammad — implying recognition of the Gospel of John as part of the Injil.
Waraqah ibn Nawfal (d. early 7th century): Muhammad's wife Khadijah's cousin, described in Sahih Bukhari and Ibn Ishaq's Sira as knowledgeable in the Injil, translating or writing portions of the Gospel in Arabic or Hebrew, and identifying Muhammad's prophethood through his scriptural knowledge.
Wahb ibn Munabbih (d. c. 732 CE): Asserted that the Torah and Injil remained as Allah revealed them, though misused through additions/omissions — suggesting the canonical texts themselves were still intact.
Ibn Qutaybah (d. 889 CE): Quoted extensively from the Gospel of Matthew (83 passages) and Genesis 1-3 in Kitab al-Ma'arif, interpreting Matthew 11:14 as referring to Muhammad.
Al-Qasim al-Rassi (d. 860 CE): A Shi‘i scholar who reproduced large portions of Matthew in Refutation of Christians.
Ibn Abbas (d. 687 CE): Companion of Muhammad, permitted using the Torah and Injil for interpreting the Quran, maintaining that they were not textually corrupted but misinterpreted.
C2. Thus, early Muslims consistently interacted with the canonical Gospels as the Injil available in their day.
P6. No other texts from the first century claim to be the Injil or fit the Quran's description.
Alternative gospels (e.g., Gnostic or apocryphal writings) are later, fragmentary, and were never widely accepted as Scripture.
The canonical four were already the universal standard well before Muhammad's lifetime.
P7. The Qur'an contains parallels to stories and teachings preserved in the canonical Gospels, such as:
The annunciation and virgin birth of Jesus (Surah 19:16-22 ↔ Luke 1; Matthew 1).
Healing miracles (Surah 3:49; Surah, 5:110 ↔ Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22; John 9).
The ascension of Jesus (Surah 4:158 ↔ Luke, 24:51; Acts 1:9-11).
Other teachings (e.g., meek shall inherit the earth: Surah 21:105 ↔ Matthew, 5:5).
These parallels demonstrate that the Qur'an presupposes knowledge of the canonical Gospels, not a lost text.
P8. The Qur'an affirms that Christians in Muhammad's time had the Injil in their possession (Surah 5:47; Surah, 5:68).
Manuscript evidence confirms this: papyri from the 2nd-4th centuries (e.g., Rylands P52 of John's Gospel) and complete codices such as Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (4th century) all contain the canonical Gospels.
By Muhammad's lifetime (570-632 CE), there is no evidence of any other "Gospel" text being in active use among Christians.
C3. Therefore, the only historically available and textually consistent candidate for the Injil is the four canonical Gospels.
C. The four Gospels are the Injil referred to in the Quran.
P1: The Qur'an describes the Injil as a revealed scripture to Jesus, comparable in nature and function to the Torah.
P2: The Torah is a single revelation comprising multiple books, primarily biographical with laws, transmitted orally, written in the lifetime of witnesses, and compiled after Moses' death.
P3: The four canonical Gospels form a single Gospel in four books, primarily biographical with Jesus' teachings, transmitted orally, written within the lifetime of witnesses, and compiled by Jesus' successors after his death.
C1: Therefore, the four Gospels structurally parallel the Torah and match the Quran's description of the Injil.
P4: The term Injil derives from the Greek euangelion ("good news/Gospel"), the name historically applied to the canonical Gospels as a single Gospel in four witnesses.
P5a: Early Muslims (e.g., Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Qutaybah, Wahb ibn Munabbih, al-Qasim al-Rassi) cited, quoted, and engaged with the four canonical Gospels.
P5b: These same figures debated corruption (tahrif) but did so while referencing the canonical Gospel texts Christians possessed.
C2: Therefore, early Muslims recognized the canonical Gospels as the texts corresponding to the Injil.
P6: No other texts from Jesus' time claim to be the Injil or match the Quran's description as closely as the four canonical Gospels.
P7: The Qur'an contains stories and teachings that closely parallel the canonical Gospels (e.g., John's birth, Jesus's birth, miracles, ascension).
P8: The Qur'an states the Injil was in the hands of Christians in Muhammad's time (Surah 5:47, 5:68). Historical manuscripts confirm that the canonical four Gospels, not other "lost texts," were in circulation and treated as Scripture in Muhammad's era.
C3: Therefore, the only available and recognized candidate for the Injil in history is the canonical four Gospels.