The fourth article of faith
When Jibrīl asked the Prophet ﷺ to define faith, "His books" was named among the six pillars of īmān (Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 1, Kitab al-Iman). To be a believer is to affirm that Allah did not leave humanity without guidance — He spoke, and His speech was revealed to chosen messengers as scripture. The Quran makes this belief a mark of the believers themselves:
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ
"The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. Each one believes in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers…"
Quran 2:285 (Al-Baqarah)
And it warns that rejecting any of them is to stray far from faith: "Whoever disbelieves in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day has certainly gone far astray" (Quran 4:136). A Muslim believes in all the revealed books as they were sent down — not only the Quran.
The revealed scriptures
The Quran names several earlier scriptures by name and affirms each as a true revelation given to a specific messenger. A Muslim believes in every one of them.
Each was true revelation in its time; the Quran is the final Book, confirming them and preserved unchanged.
The revealed books of Allah: the Scrolls (Suhuf) of Ibrahim and Musa (Quran 87:18-19); the Tawrah given to Musa; the Zabur given to Dawud (Quran 17:55); the Injil given to Isa (Quran 3:3); and the Quran, the final book given to Muhammad, which confirms and guards the earlier scriptures and is preserved by Allah (Quran 15:9). The earlier scriptures are believed in as originally revealed; the Quran is the one followed today.
The earliest scriptures named — "the Scrolls of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā."
Quran 87:18–19"He sent down the Tawrāh and the Injīl before, as guidance for the people."
Quran 3:3–4"And to Dāwūd We gave the Zabūr (Psalms)."
Quran 17:55"…confirming the Tawrāh that came before it, and We gave him the Injīl, in which was guidance and light" (5:46).
Quran 3:3 · 5:46The final Book — confirming and guarding what came before, and preserved by Allah unchanged for all time.
Quran 5:48 · 15:9A note on names: the Quran affirms the Tawrāh, Zabūr, and Injīl as revelations given to Mūsā, Dāwūd, and ʿĪsā (peace be upon them). It does not simply equate these with the books called by similar names today — see below.
The Quran — confirming and guarding
The Quran describes its own relationship to the earlier scriptures in two precise words: it confirms (muṣaddiq) the truth that was revealed before it, and it stands as a guardian (muhaymin) over it — the criterion by which the earlier revelation's truth is now recognised:
وَأَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ
"And We revealed to you the Book in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it and a guardian over it. So judge between them by what Allah has revealed…"
Quran 5:48 (Al-Ma'idah)
This is the key that resolves the whole question: whatever in an earlier scripture agrees with the Quran, a Muslim affirms as truth; whatever contradicts it is not from the original revelation; and matters the Quran is silent on are left without judgement. The Quran, being the final and guarded revelation, is the standard.
What became of the earlier books
A Muslim believes the Tawrāh, Zabūr, and Injīl were true revelation when they were sent down. But the Quran itself tells us that, over the centuries, human hands altered what they had received — adding, omitting, and rewriting (taḥrīf):
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلَّذِينَ يَكْتُبُونَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هَـٰذَا مِنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ لِيَشْتَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا
"So woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, 'This is from Allah,' in order to sell it for a small price…"
Quran 2:79 (Al-Baqarah); see also 5:13 — "they distort words from their places"
So the Muslim position is balanced and clear: we honour the original Tawrāh and Injīl as revelations from Allah and believe in them as they were revealed; but we do not take the scriptures in circulation today to be those originals intact, because the Quran informs us they were altered. We neither wholesale accept nor wholesale reject the present-day texts — we measure them against the Quran (5:48). The Prophet ﷺ instructed the Muslims accordingly: "Do not believe the people of the Scripture or disbelieve them, but say: 'We believe in Allah and what is revealed to us…'" (Sahih al-Bukhari 4485).
The Quran, preserved
The earlier scriptures were entrusted to their communities to guard, and were altered. The Quran is different: Allah took its preservation upon Himself, and it has reached us — in its Arabic wording, memorised in the hearts of millions and written unchanged — exactly as it was revealed:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ
"Indeed, it is We who sent down the Reminder (the Quran), and indeed, it is We who will guard it."
Quran 15:9 (Al-Hijr)
This is why the Quran is the living scripture for all people until the Last Day — and why, on this site, you can open the reader and check any verse in its verified Arabic yourself.
Believe
- That Allah revealed the Ṣuḥuf, Tawrāh, Zabūr & Injīl
- In all of them as they were originally revealed
- That the Quran confirms and guards the earlier truth
- That the Quran is the final Book, preserved unchanged
- That the Quran is the standard by which the rest is measured
Avoid
- Rejecting the earlier revelations outright — that is disbelief
- Taking today's texts to be the unaltered originals
- Following a ruling of an earlier book against the Quran
- Mocking or disrespecting any revealed scripture
- Claiming to believe in the Quran while denying the rest
Frequently asked questions
Do Muslims follow the Tawrāh and Injīl today?
We believe in them as originally revealed, but we follow the Quran. Each earlier scripture was guidance for its own people and time; with the coming of the final revelation, the Quran is the law and guidance for all humanity — and it is the guardian (muhaymin) that confirms whatever truth remains in the earlier books (Quran 5:48).
Are the Bible and Torah we have now the same as the Tawrāh and Injīl?
Not as unaltered originals. A Muslim believes the Tawrāh given to Mūsā and the Injīl given to ʿĪsā were true revelation, but the Quran informs us the scriptures were changed over time (Quran 2:79, 5:13). So today's texts may contain remnants of the original guidance mixed with human alteration — which is exactly why the Quran is needed as the final, preserved criterion.
What are the "Ṣuḥuf" (Scrolls)?
Ṣuḥuf means pages or scrolls. The Quran names the "Scrolls of Ibrāhīm and Mūsā" (87:19) as among the earliest revelations. Their contents are not preserved for us in detail, but a Muslim affirms that Allah revealed them.
Did every prophet receive a book?
No. Allah sent many messengers (the Quran mentions some by name and many others not), but not every one was given a scripture — some were sent to reaffirm and call to the revelation already present. What a Muslim must believe is in the books Allah did reveal, named and unnamed, as part of this fourth article of faith.
Take the full guide with you
The fourth article of faith — the revealed scriptures, the Quran's role as confirmer and guardian, and its preservation — with every verse cited, in one PDF.
- The Ṣuḥuf, Tawrāh, Zabūr, Injīl & Quran
- Muṣaddiq & muhaymin — confirming & guarding
- Taḥrīf, and the Quran preserved
- A5, print-friendly, free to share
This is the fourth of the six articles of faith. See also the Six Articles of Faith in overview, and the dedicated pages on Belief in the Angels and Belief in Divine Decree.
