The argument “Where is the Injeel?” is an absurd rhetorical claim that doesn’t make any sense, as we will demonstrate. Christians often display an ignorant tendency to ask questions without first understanding the subject, ultimately making a mockery of themselves. During many discussions with Christians on social media, when the topic of the Injeel arises, the first thing they ask is, “Where can I find the Injeel?”
The question
they should ask is, what is the Injeel, before asking where can I find it. This
would not be an absurd or foolish question, considering that Christians believe
every prophecy must be found in Scripture; otherwise, it is not true.
Let us first address what the Injeel is before
answering where the Injeel is.
According to the Islamic paradigm, the Injeel
contains the prophecy, advent, and description of Prophet Muhammad Pbuh, as
mentioned in Surah 61:6 and Surah 7:157, alongside other rulings mentioned in
Surah 3:50. Notice the difference between this understanding and what
Christians believe the Gospels to be. Some say the Gospels are the good news of
the Kingdom of Heaven, while others say they are the life and teachings of
Jesus. In both cases, the focus is solely on Jesus.
According to Islam, the Injeel is about Prophet
Muhammad Pbuh, whereas according to Christians, the Gospels are about Jesus. We
must also make clear that the Injeel was revealed to Prophet Isa AS. The idea
that his own biography was revealed to him makes little sense. Now to their question
“where can I find the Injeel?”
How can you find
something when it is referring to a person? If the Injil is the revelation
concerning the advent, prophecies, and descriptions of Prophet Muhammad Pbuh,
then he himself is the Good News. That is the Injil the "Good News."
What you are looking for is not a book, but
rather the person to whom those prophecies and descriptions point. The purpose
of the Injil was to inform people of the coming of the Final Messenger. Once
Prophet Muhammad Pbuh arrived and conveyed the message entrusted to him, the
Good News had been fulfilled.
who follow the Messenger– the
unlettered prophet they find described in the Torah that is
with them, and in the Gospel– who commands them to do right and forbids them
to do wrong, who makes good things lawful to them and bad things unlawful, and
relieves them of their burdens, and the iron collars b that were on them. So it
is those who believe him, honour and help him, and who follow the light which
has been sent down with him, who will succeed.’ [Surah 7:157]
Notice that the
highlighted verse provides a description of Prophet Muhammad Pbuh in order to
identify him. The Injil was the good news of the Final Messenger of Allah Swt,
whose coming was mentioned in the previous revelations given to the prophets
and messengers.
Prophet Muhammad Pbuh has arrived and
conveyed the message that was revealed to him the Qur'an. Therefore, the
purpose of those prophecies and descriptions was fulfilled with his coming, as
he delivered Allah's final revelation to mankind.
Looking in the books that
you call scripture would not help, because the Qur'an and the ahadith are
clear: what you possess today is not the original revelation given by Allah Swt,
but a text that has been distorted. The Jews and Christians broke their
covenant and forgot a portion of what had been given to them, as mentioned in
Surah 5:12–14.
Therefore, to say, "I want to see that
Injil" rests upon a mistaken premise. The Injil revealed to Isa AS was the
revelation from Allah Swt, whereas the texts that exist today are not identical
to that original revelation. If, according to the Qur'an, parts of the message
were forgotten and not preserved, then expecting to find the original Injil
intact within later writings is based on an incorrect assumption.
Note that the time gap
between Isa AS and Prophet Muhammad Pbuh was approximately six hundred years
(Sahih al-Bukhari 3948). Isa AS would have been the final hope for the people
of that period. He would be their saviour. What do I mean by
"saviour"? He would save them from heading towards kufr (disbelief)
and bring them back to Tawheed (pure monotheism), calling them to worship Allah,
the One and Only True God.
In fact, all Prophets were saviours to their
nations and their people. They all came with the same message: Tawheed (pure
monotheism). Their mission was to call people away from falsehood and guide
them back to the worship of Allah alone.
Isa AS would repeatedly
preach Tawheed and the advent of Prophet Muhammad Pbuh. As we know from the
hadith, no other prophets were sent during the six-hundred-year gap between Isa
AS and Prophet Muhammad Pbuh. Whatever Isa AS preached was upon the people to
accept, preserve, and convey to future generations.
Unfortunately, many rejected the message and
forgot a portion of what had been given to them. As a result, they did not
preserve the true message and failed to recognize the Messenger, Muhammad Pbuh,
when he came. Allah Swt addresses this matter in the Qur'an.
O
People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear to
you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and overlooking much. There
has come to you from God a light and a clear Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] [Surah
5:15]
Conclusion:
The Injil is a revelation
given to Isa AS regarding the prophecies and descriptions of the advent of
Prophet Muhammad Pbuh. It was an oral message delivered to the Children of
Israel, which may have been written down much later, but with distortions and
omissions.
However, the Qur'an is clear that they forgot
a portion of what was given to them, Surah 5:12–14. If you forget something,
how would you write it down accurately? If the authors relied on others who
themselves received it from other people, who in turn received it from others
who had forgotten parts of it, then what exactly are you looking for?
If you want the Good News then read the biography
of Prophet Muhammed Pbuh and know him.
