Ruling on obtaining the previous scriptures

 

Is it permissible for a Muslim to obtain the Injeel (Gospel) to find out the words of Allaah to His slave and Messenger ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him)?

 Praise be to Allaah. 

It is not permissible to obtain any of the previous
scriptures which came before the Qur’aan, such as the Injeel (Gospel
or New Testament), Tawraat (Torah or Old Testament) and others, for
two reasons.  

The first reason is that anything in them that
is beneficial has been explained by Allaah in the Qur’aan.  

The second reason is that the Qur’aan frees us
from any need for these books. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“It is He Who has sent down the
Book (the Qur’aan) to you (Muhammad) with truth, confirming what came
before it [Aal ‘Imraan 3:3]

 “And We have sent down to
you (O Muhammad) the Book (this Qur’aan) in truth, confirming the Scripture
that came before it and Mohaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness)
over it (old Scriptures). So judge among them by what Allaah has revealed
[al-Maa’idah 5:48]

 So whatever good may be in the previous
books is to be found in the Qur’aan.

 With regard to the questioner’s statement
that he wants to find out what Allaah said to His slave and Messenger
‘Eesa, this information is to be found in what Allaah has told us in
the Qur’aan. So there is no need to look elsewhere. Moreover, the Injeel
(Gospel) that is extant today is distorted. The evidence for that is
the fact that there are four Gospels which contradict one another; there
is no one Gospel which can be relied upon. 

But the seeker of knowledge who has sufficient knowledge
to be able to tell truth from falsehood, may be allowed to read (the
previous scriptures) in order to refute the falsehood found therein
or to leave the followers of the scriptures with no excuse for not knowing
that they are false.