BELIEF IN THE SCRIPTURES
In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful
This article of faith refers to belief
in all the scriptures as revealed in
their original form by Allah to His
messengers. Revealed scriptures
form the enlightenment which the
messengers received to show their
people the right path to Allah. All the
revealed books call to the worship
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of Allah alone, and they forbid the
worship of anything in place of, or
in addition to, Him. They contain
guidance for humankind in all
aspects of life. They define right and
wrong, and they offer human beings
a complete system of beliefs and
practices to govern all their affairs.
The Creator alone knows best what is
beneficial for His creation and what is
not. Thus, the divine laws contained
in those scriptures command and
prohibit various acts and substances
in order to protect the human spirit,
human body, and human society
from harm. Human beings need to
abide by Allah’s commandments, as
documented in His revealed books, in
order to fulfil their potential by living a
righteous life.
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The original texts of the revealed
books do not differ from each other
in their main doctrinal principles.
However, due to the differences
among nations in terms of time and
place, there were some differences in
the practical teachings (laws) of the
scriptures, according to the wisdom of
Allah. Their basic message, however,
remains the same.
Muslims believe in the previous
books as mentioned in the Quran: The
Scripture of Abraham (peace be upon
him), the Torah of Moses (peace be
upon him), the Psalms of David (peace
be upon him), and the Gospel of Jesus
(peace be upon him). The following
verse from the noble Quran emphasizes
the fact that belief in all the previous
scriptures sent by Allah is an integral
part of the Islamic belief system:
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{Say [O believers]: We have believed
in Allah and what has been revealed
to us and what has been revealed to
Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and
Jacob and the descendants and what
was given to Moses and Jesus and what
was given to the prophets from their
Lord. We make no distinction between
any of them, and we are Muslims [in
submission] to Him.} (Quran 2: 136)
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Long before the coming of Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him), all
of these scriptures had been either
lost or irrevocably corrupted by later
generations, over the centuries, with
myths, superstitions, idolatry, and
irrational philosophical beliefs. The
existing forms of those scriptures
contain contradictions and hence
cannot be described as Allah’s
revelation.
The Bible, for example, is composed of
many books written by various authors.
The scripture that was revealed to Jesus
(peace be upon him) has undergone so
many changes that today we have the
four well-known Gospels instead of
one Gospel.
These were written between 40
and 115 years after Jesus (peace be
upon him) had left and are based on
documents that have been lost. The
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Gospel according to Mark was the first
one written in Rome, at least 40 years
after the disappearance of Jesus (peace
be upon him). The Gospel according
to Matthew was written in the Greek
Language about 90 years after Christ.
The Gospel according to Luke was
written in Greece approximately 80
years after Christ. These three Gospels
are called Synoptic because they
originate from the same lost document
and they have a lot in common. The
Gospel according to John, on the other
hand, has deep differences with the
Synoptic Gospels. It is in this Gospel
of John where the Divinity and preexistence
of Jesus (peace be upon
him) was mentioned, even though
Jesus himself never claimed this. This
Gospel was written between the years
110 and 115 CE.
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Analysis of these Gospels reveals the
following:
01 There exist no written documents
dating from the period of Jesus’
lifetime that record his sayings,
actions, or lectures.
02 The Gospels were written 40-115
years after Jesus’ ‘disappearance’
and were based on documents
that have since been lost.
As a consequence, there was
manipulation of the content.
03 The historical record of the
Gospels points to the fact that
they were written by people
who never knew, saw, heard, or
met Jesus. (They are named as
Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John,
although their actual identities are
not known.) What they narrated
as the Gospels was actually
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based on what they heard from
the preceding generations. This
points to the fact that the original
message revealed to Jesus, which
was in his possession, did not
exist later (after his ascension).
Otherwise, there would be no
need for people to write it.
04 The Gospels were written in
Greek, whereas Jesus (peace be
upon him) spoke Aramaic; since
they do not record his original
speech, they cannot be the words
of Allah.
05 For at least 100 years after the
Gospels were written, they did
not have any canonical authority.
During this time, writers from
different sects changed them in
order to suit their own agendas.
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06 The clearest evidence of biblical
distortion is the revision of the
Bible to the extent that every
edition is different from the
previous one.
07 There is a lack of authentication
in documenting the original text
of the Bible.
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08 The present Gospels, seen as a
whole, are full of contradictions.
These factors have been brought up
here in order to demonstrate that the
Gospel of Jesus (peace be upon him),
meaning his original message that was
revealed by Allah, has not reached us
in its original form. It can be affirmed
that the four Gospels included in
today’s Bible cannot be considered
equivalent, or even similar, to the
inspired message given to Jesus (peace
be upon him). Based on these historical
facts, these four Gospels should be
treated as historical writings, like the
other books in the New Testament, not
as the true scripture (word of Allah)
that was revealed to Jesus.
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Distortion of the Old Testament
Moving to the Old Testament texts,
there are many verses that describe
the Lord with weak and negative
attributes. Some of them are even
curses! This clearly indicates that the
Old Testament cannot be the word
of God because the Lord would not
undermine Himself in the books He
revealed to His people. The Lord is
perfect, and hence His book must be
perfect and free from contradictions.
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In the twelve passages cited below,
a series of nine examples prove
conclusively to the sincere researcher
that the current Old Testament is not the
true Old Testament, the revelation that
was in Jesus’ hands. It is the word of
‘men’, not the word of ‘God’, the Lord.
01 Here it says that the Lord acted
as if he had slept and drunk wine!
If this verse is true, then who
controlled the universe while He
acted this way?
Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of
wine. (Psalm 78:65)
02 Here it says that the Lord will not
hear. This is not an appropriate
characteristic for Allah.
Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and
you will not hear? (Habakkuk 1:2)
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03 Here it says that the Lord forgets.
How long, O Lord, Will you forget me
forever? (Psalm 13:1)
04 Here the Bible says that the Lord
was not strong enough to displace
some people because their
chariots were made of iron.
And the Lord was with Judah, and he
took possession of the hill country,
but he could not drive out the
inhabitants of the plain because they
had chariots of iron. (Judges 1:19)
05 Here it attributes more negative
characteristics to the Lord.
Therefore will I lament and howl:
I will go stripped and naked:
I will make a wailing like the
dragons, and a mourning like the
ostriches. (Micah 1:8)
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06 These two verses say that the
Lord got tired after creating the
heavens and earth and then had to
rest. This attribute fits the human
being, not the Lord, Who is the
Most Strong.
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…In six days the LORD made heaven
and earth, and on the seventh day he
rested and was refreshed. (Exodus 31:17)
And on the seventh day God finished
his work that he had done, and he
rested on the seventh day from all his
work that he had done. (Genesis 2:2)
But the following verse contradicts the
previous two verses:
Have you not known? Have you not
heard? The Lord is the everlasting
God, the Creator of the ends of
the earth. He does not faint or
grow weary; his understanding is
unsearchable. (Isaiah 40:28)
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07 Here it says that the Lord will
sound the trumpet. Is this fit for
the Lord?
…The Lord God will sound the trumpet
and will march forth in the whirlwinds
of the south. (Zechariah 9:14)
08 Here it implies that the Lord has
failed and is hurt.
For thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am
slinging out the inhabitants of the land
at this time, and I will bring distress
on them, that they may feel it.” Woe
is me because of my hurt! My wound
is grievous. But I said, “Truly this is
an affliction, and I must bear it.” My
tent is destroyed, and all my cords are
broken; my children have gone from
me, and they are not; there is no one
to spread my tent again and to set up
my curtains. (Jeremiah 10:18-20)
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09 Psalm 89:38-46 describes the
Lord acting badly against Jesus!
38 But now you have cast off and
rejected; you are full of wrath
against your anointed.
39 You have renounced the
covenant with your servant; you
have defiled his crown in the dust.
40 You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in
ruins.
41 All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his
neighbours.
42 You have exalted the right hand
of his foes; you have made all his
enemies rejoice.
43 You have also turned back the
edge of his sword, and you have not
made him stand in battle.
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44 You have made his splendor
to cease and cast his throne to the
ground.
45 You have cut short the days of
his youth; you have ed him
with shame.
46 How long, O Lord? Will you
hide yourself forever? How long
will your wrath burn like fire?
10 Here is the cursing of a prophet
(Balaam) in the Bible! Could
this be the word of God? Could it
happen that God sends a prophet
and then rebukes him for his
transgressions and then accuses
him of not being in his right mind?
but was rebuked for his own
transgression; a speechless donkey
spoke with human voice and restrained
the prophet’s madness. (2 Peter 2:16)
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11 Genesis 19:30-38 narrates a very
wicked story about a prophet
(Lot). According to this, his
daughters got him drunk and then
had sexual relations with him
while he was unaware of it; they
both bore children as a result.
Even a very indecent person
would not do this.
12 Here is a Biblical curse for the
Prophet Solomon:
Now King Solomon loved many
foreign women, along with the daughter
of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite,
Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
from the nations concerning which the
Lord had said to the people of Israel,
“You shall not enter into marriage with
them, neither shall they with you, for
surely they will turn away your heart
after their gods.” Solomon clung to
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these in love. He had 700 wives, who
were princesses, and 300 concubines.
And his wives turned away his heart.
For when Solomon was old his wives
turned away his heart after other gods,
and his heart was not wholly true to
the Lord his God, as was the heart
of David his father. For Solomon
went after Ashtoreth the goddess of
the Sidonians, and after Milcom the
abomination of the Ammonites. So,
Solomon did what was evil in the sight
of the Lord and did not wholly follow
the Lord, as David his father had done.
(1 Kings 11: 1-6)
There are hundreds of verses in the
Bible which are against logic and
common sense.
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Biblical proofs of the Bible’s
distortion
The Old Testament itself clearly
testifies that it was altered by humans.
God (Allah) is quoted as saying:
How can you say, ‘We are wise, and
the law of the Lord is with us’? But
behold, the lying pen of the scribes has
made it into a lie. (Jeremiah 8:8)
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Who distorted the Bible (Old
and New Testaments)?
Dr Bilal Philips has explained:
About five years after the end of Jesus’
ministry, a young rabbi by the name
of Saul of Tarsus, who claimed to
have seen Jesus in a vision, began to
change Jesus’ way. Paul (his Roman
name) had considerable respect for
Roman philosophy and he spoke
proudly of his own Roman citizenship.
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His conviction was that non-Jews
who became Christians should not be
burdened with the Torah in any respect.
The author of Acts 13:39 quotes Paul
as saying: And by him every one that
believes is freed from everything which
you could not be freed by the Law of
Moses. It was primarily through the
efforts of Paul that the Church began
to take on its non-Jewish character.
Paul wrote most of the New Testament
letters (epistles), which the Church
accepts as the official doctrine and
inspired Scripture. These letters do not
preserve the Gospel of Jesus or even
represent it, instead, Paul transformed
the teachings of Christ into a Hellenic
(Greco-Roman) philosophy.
Based on these facts, it can easily be
concluded that the Bible in its present
form is no more than a collection of
historical books written by various
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writers over many years. The accounts
of the life of Jesus were written after his
ascension, by men who never met him.
(They are named as Mark, Matthew,
Luke and John, although their actual
identities are not known.) These are
partial accounts, which contradict each
other and have no authentication. The
current version(s) of the Bible does
not represent the original revelations
and cannot be described as the word of
God (Allah).
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Many Christians have found that when
they do research to dis the true
teachings of God, the Bible cannot
answer their questions. Dr David
Liepert is a Canadian physician who
began learning about Islam in order
to convince Muslim co-workers that
his Christian beliefs represented the
truth. As he combed through the Bible,
however, he was surprised to find
that it did not contain the evidence
for his beliefs that he had assumed
was there. After a great deal of soulsearching,
and extensive research
into Islam, he realized that it had the
strongest evidence supporting it, and
he embraced Islam as the true religion.
His story is described in his book
Choosing Faith.
Although the original revelations were
not preserved and have been replaced
with the current Bible (including
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the four Gospels attributed to Luke,
Matthew, John, and Mark), the Old
and New Testaments still contain some
remnants of the original truth. The
Quran confirms these parts, because
it confirms the truth and denies all
falsehood. Islamic teachings set out
a criterion for either accepting or
rejecting passages from the Bible, as
described in the following verse:
{And We have revealed to you [O
Muhammad] the book in truth,
confirming that which preceded it of
the scripture and as a criterion over
it...} (Quran 5: 48)
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This verse emphasizes two main
aspects of the Quran:
01 The Quran confirms only
those teachings or passages of
the previous scriptures whose
meaning have remained intact.
02 The Quran is the final, complete,
authoritative, and authentic
revelation from Allah. It is the
final arbiter and the only criterion
to correct any inaccuracy or
misinterpretation which might
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have occurred in the transmission
of scriptures throughout the ages.
It helps us to dis, expose,
and disclose human additions
to, or interpolations of, previous
revelations. Indeed, one of the
names of the Quran is al-Furqan
(the criterion which distinguishes
between right and wrong, truth
and falsehood).
It follows, therefore, that Muslims
have no reason to reject the essence
of any passage in the Bible if such a
passage is confirmed by the Quran.
For example, we read in the New
Testament a reiteration of one of the
Ten Commandments:
Jesus answered, “The most important
is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God,
the Lord is one. (Mark 12:29)
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Muslims who read this passage in
the Bible can find no objection to its
essence. After all, the Quran confirms:
{Say: He is Allah, [Who is] One.}
(Quran 112: 1)
{They have certainly disbelieved who
say, “Allah is the Messi-ah, the son of
Mary,” while the Messiah has said, “O
Children of Israel, worship Allah, my
Lord and your Lord.” Indeed, he who
associates others with Allah – Allah has
forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge
is the fire. And there are not for the
wrong doers any helpers.} (Quran 5: 72)
If, however, Muslims read in the Bible
(or in other previous scriptures, for that
matter) accusations of major moral
sins levied against great prophets, or
doctrines which are totally negated
in the Quran, they can accept only
the Quranic version as the original
unadulterated truth, revealed by Allah.
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Distorting revelations is the
biggest sin
The Quran has emphasized, in more
than one verse, that distorting Allah’s
revelation is a severe sin.
{So woe to those who write the
‘scripture’ with their own hands, then
say: This is from Allah-in order to
exchange it for a small price. Woe to
them for what their hands have written
and woe to them for what they earn.}
(Quran 2: 79)
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An important note
It should be noted that those who
followed the scriptures in their pure
and unadulterated forms, and then
died before hearing the message of
Islam, are considered to be on the right
religion; they will have nothing to fear
on the Day of Judgement.
Revelation of the Quran
Following the distortion of the
previous scriptures, Allah, the
Most Compassionate, did not leave
human beings to go astray without
an unadulterated reference. Indeed,
He revealed the Quran as the final
revelation to humankind, and He
promised to preserve it for all time. It is
the word of Allah, which He revealed
to Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) through the angel Gabriel
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(peace be upon him). It was revealed
in parts (fragments) of different
lengths over a period of twenty-three
years. Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) recited the revelation to his
Companions, who wrote it down during
his lifetime on palm leaves, parchment,
animal bones (the shoulder-blades of
camels made a good writing surface),
and flat stones. When he recited it to
them, he indicated precisely where
each revealed section belonged within
the body of the complete revelation.
In addition, the Quran was memorized
by hundreds of Prophet Muhammad’s
Companions. One year after the death
of Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) in 632 CE, the first caliph,
Abu Bakr (d. 634 CE, may Allah
be pleased with him), instructed the
Prophet’s Companions to collect the
whole Quran in one volume. Later, the
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third caliph, Uthman (d. 656 CE, may
Allah be pleased with him), prepared
several copies from the original text
and sent them to the major centres of
the Islamic civilization. One of these
reproductions can still be found in
Istanbul, Turkey.
From that time onwards, for more than
1400 years, the same Quranic text
has been in use, with the exact same
wording, order, and language (Arabic).
Not a single word of its 114 chapters,
6200 verses, and approximately 80,000
words has been changed since it was
revealed.1 Indeed, Allah has promised
to preserve it forever:
{Indeed, it is We who sent down the
Quran and indeed, We will be its
guardian.} (Quran 15: 9)
Just ponder over the fact that the
Quran, in its entirety, is memorized by
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millions of people, regardless of age,
sex, social class, or ethnicity! It is the
only book that has been thus preserved,
not only on the shelf but in the hearts
of humankind.
The Quran supersedes all previous
scriptures. Allah has said to Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him)
about it:
{And We have revealed to you [O
Muhammad] the Book in truth,
confirming that which preceded it of
the scripture and as a criterion over
it…} (Quran 5: 48)
An essential point to understand about
the Quran is that it is a miracle in terms
of both its revelation and its content.
Since the time of its revelation, there
have been those who denied the divine
and miraculous nature of the Quran,
saying that Muhammad (peace be
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upon him) was either taught by others
or that he wrote it by himself! In order
to counteract this claim, Allah has
presented a challenge to the whole of
humankind:
{And if you are in doubt about what
We have sent down upon Our slave
[Muhammad], then produce a chapter
the like thereof and call upon your
witnesses other than Allah, if you
should be truthful.} (Quran 2: 23)
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This is one of the prophecies which the
Quran accurately foretold, for no one,
from the time of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) until this day,
has been able to produce the like of
one chapter or even one verse of the
Quran. As such, Muslims do not need
any other scriptures to base their faith
on, either fully or partially. The Quran
remains clear and easily understood
by anyone who has a good command
of the Arabic language, and even
when the meanings of its words are
translated into any of the world’s other
languages, all of its legal injunctions
and instructions are clear.
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The entire Quran is a
proclamation of monotheism
01 Some of the verses inform us about
Allah: His names, attributes, acts,
and speech. Those verses indicate
the Oneness of Allah with respect
to His most excellent names,
essence, and perfect attributes.
02 Other verses point to the necessity
of worshipping Allah alone,
without any associate or partner,
and of renouncing the worship
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of anything other than Him.
These verses indicate the focus
of worship and the necessity for
people to single out their Lord in
their intentions, when requesting
His help and when turning to Him
in repentance, for example.
03 The Quran also contains
injunctions and prohibitions; doing
something that has been enjoined
or refraining from what has been
prohibited is the fulfilment and
perfection of the affirmation of the
Oneness of Allah.
04 The Quran includes stories and
information about prophets and
other righteous people of true and
sincere belief. It tells about their
immediate rewards in the life of
this world as well as the immense
rewards reserved for them in the
hereafter.
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05 The Quran also contains stories
about those who associate
partners with Allah. It describes
their punishment in this life and
the punishment they are promised
in the hereafter. These are the just
deserts for those who deviate
from the affirmation of Allah’s
Oneness.
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The Prophet’s teachings
The teachings of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) are the second
source of Islamic knowledge, after
the noble Quran. They explain and
elaborate on the Quranic verses.
They also explain, in minute detail,
the manner of worship as performed
by the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The Prophet’s statements provide
further clarification and details
as to how to fulfil what Allah has
ordered and refrain from what He has
forbidden. These teachings have been
meticulously collected and reported by
the Prophet’s Companions (may Allah
be pleased with all of them).
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Preservation of Islamic
teachings
Preventing Islamic teachings from
alteration does not stop at the
preservation of the Quranic text; it
is also forbidden to introduce into
the Prophet’s guidance (by saying or
writing) anything that is contrary to its
premise, values, or teachings.
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The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
«Whoever introduces into this matter
(the Islamic teachings) something
that does not belong to it, shall find it
rejected. » (Recorded by Bukhari and
Muslim)
«One of the Prophet’s Companions
said: The Prophet (peace be upon him)
gave us a highly effective admonition,
such that many of us were tearful and
felt our hearts shudder.
Someone said to him: O Messenger of
Allah! This sounds like the admonition
of someone bidding his audience
farewell. Please outline for us what
you recommend.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
I urge you to always remain conscious
of Allah (God-fearing), and to listen
to and obey your leaders, even if the
leader is an Abyssinian slave. Any of
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you who lives long will witness much
strife and conflict, so hold tight to
my way and the way followed by the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs.1 Hold on
to it and bite it with your molars (do
not let go of it), and steer away from
any innovation (in religious affairs
and laws), for such innovations are
deviations (from the right path).»
(An authentic hadith recorded by Ibn
Hibban, Abu Dawood, and Tirmidhi)
Thus, in matters of religion, one is
not permitted to change fundamental
principles of Islamic teachings.
Whatever is contrary to them is wrong
and unacceptable. With this strict
protection, Islam has been kept as it
was revealed, pure from myths and
superstitions as well as from changes
that reflect the whims of people and
leaders.
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To download and read the complete book,
click on the picture here.
This is an excerpt
of a larger book titled
“The Beautiful Teachings of Islam”
by Majed S. Al-Rassi.
46
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