Question(23):

What about the Third Pillar of Eemaan?

Answer:

The third pillar of belief is the belief in the Books of Allaah, The Most Mighty and Most Majestic. These are the Books that Allaah has sent down upon His Messengers ‘alayhimus-salaat was-Salaam. Indeed, the Qur’aan (obviously) implies that none of the Messengers were sent except that Allaah (has) revealed with him a Book, as He, The Most High, Says:

He, The Most High, Says:

The way of belief in these Books is to have general and comprehensive belief in all of them. Whatever we knew of them by name, then we believe specifically in them. The Tawraat, Injeel, az-Zaboor (given down to Daawood عليه السلام), the Suhuf (Scriptures) of Ibraaheem and Moosaa (Moses), and the Noble Qur’aan, are specifically known to us. So, we believe specifically in them, as for those for which we do not know by name then we have general belief in all of them, because Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. The question, however, is, “How do we believe in these Books?” We say that whatever had been authentically related to us from the reports about these Books, then, in any case, it is obligatory upon us to believe in them because they are from Allaah. Concerning the legislations contained in these Books, it is binding upon us to only act upon what is stated in the Noble Qur’aan. As to those reports that we have no knowledge of their authenticity, then we give no opinion respecting them until their authenticity becomes clear to us. Because these books were subjected to alterations, substitutions, and modifications, as well as addition and omission.

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