# What Is the Injil? > Muslims hear the Injil as a book God gave to Jesus. The New Testament uses 'gospel' for the news about Christ, and the Qur'an tells the People of the Gospel to judge by what they have. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/islam/what-is-the-injil - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, bible, quran, injil - Updated: 2026-10-07 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) > The Qur’an names a Gospel, tells the people who have it to judge by it, and says the prophet is written in the Torah and the Gospel they possess. The New Testament says what that gospel is. ## The question Christians and Muslims use a word that looks like a match. Muslims speak of the Injil. Christians speak of the Gospel. They are not obviously talking about the same object. One side often means a scripture given to Jesus, as the Torah was given to Moses. The other side means the news about Jesus, written in four books the church has actually had, and preached by the apostles. The question is not which community has the nicer name. It is what each set of texts says the Gospel is, and whether the Qur’an describes a book in people’s hands or a book that had already vanished. The wider question of confirmation and corruption is [Does the Qur’an confirm the Bible Christians read today?](/islam/does-the-quran-confirm-the-bible) and [Was the Bible corrupted?](/islam/was-the-bible-corrupted). ## What Muslims say The careful Muslim account is this. God gave Jesus a book, the Injil. That book confirmed the Torah and guided the righteous. It is not the four Gospels in a Christian Bible. Those four are later narratives, carrying the names of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They are about Jesus. They are not a revelation dictated to Jesus. What God gave has not survived as that book. What churches read is a human witness, and where it contradicts the Qur’an it cannot be the Injil. [Qur’an 57:27](https://quran.com/al-hadid/27) is used to show the gap. God gave Jesus the Gospel. Those who followed him invented monasticism, which God had not prescribed, and many of them were disobedient. On this reading, the community after Jesus did not simply pass on the book he received. It added a way of life, and the book itself dropped out of the church’s hands. The Qur’an then comes as the criterion over what is left. That is a coherent position. It should be tested against the verses that say the Gospel is something people can still judge by, not only against the verses that say Jesus was given a book. ## What the Qur’an says Saheeh International puts the giving and the judging in back-to-back verses. [Qur’an 5:46](https://quran.com/al-maidah/46) [(1)](#ref-1) says Jesus confirmed the Torah before him, and that God gave him the Gospel, with guidance and light in it. [Qur’an 5:47](https://quran.com/al-maidah/47) gives an order to the People of the Gospel. > And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and instruction for the righteous. > And let the People of the Gospel judge by what Allāh has revealed therein. And whoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed - then it is those who are the defiantly disobedient. An order to judge by what God has revealed in the Gospel is an order to people who have something to open. The verse does not say “judge by the Gospel as it once was, which you no longer have.” [Qur’an 3:3–4](https://quran.com/ali-imran/3) says the Torah and the Gospel were revealed before, as guidance for the people, and that the Qur’an confirms what was before it. > He has sent down upon you, [O Muḥammad], the Book in truth, confirming what was before it. And He revealed the Torah and the Gospel [4] Before, as guidance for the people. And He revealed the Criterion [i.e., the Qur’ān]. [Qur’an 7:157](https://quran.com/al-araf/157) describes the prophet as someone “they find written” in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel. The phrase in this translation is “in what they have,” with the translators’ note that “written” means “described.” > Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written [i.e., described] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and prohibits them from what is wrong and makes lawful for them what is good and forbids them from what is evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. “What they have” is possession. The Torah and the Gospel, in this verse, are books in which he can be found, not books that have already been lost. [Qur’an 57:27](https://quran.com/al-hadid/27) is the verse about monasticism. It should be read in full, because the Muslim argument depends on it. > Then We sent following their footsteps [i.e., traditions] Our messengers and followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy and monasticism, which they innovated; We did not prescribe it for them except [that they did so] seeking the approval of Allāh. But they did not observe it with due observance. So We gave the ones who believed among them their reward, but many of them are defiantly disobedient. The verse says God gave Jesus the Gospel. It says monasticism was innovated by those who followed him, and that they did not keep it as they ought. It says many were disobedient, and that those who believed received their reward. It does not say the Gospel was withdrawn, and it does not name the four Gospels. A later practice the verse itself calls innovated is a different claim from “the books Christians call Gospels are not the Gospel this verse means.” ## What the New Testament calls the gospel The Christian texts do not describe Jesus receiving a dictated book titled the Gospel. They use the word for a message about him. [Mark 1:1](/bible/mark/1/1) [(2)](#ref-2) opens a book this way: > The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; The gospel, in that line, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Mark’s book is the beginning of that news. It is not presented as a scripture Jesus dictated and Mark later published under another name. Paul states the content he had received and passed on. [1 Corinthians 15:3–4](/bible/1-corinthians/15) [(3)](#ref-3): > For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; > And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: That is his summary of the gospel: Christ’s death for sins, his burial, his resurrection. The cross is inside the message, which is why a reading of the Qur’an that denies the crucifixion is not a small difference about a side doctrine. It is a different account of the news itself. See [Did Jesus die on the cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) and [The resurrection of Jesus](/article/resurrection-of-jesus). [Romans 1:1–4](/bible/romans/1) [(5)](#ref-5) calls it the gospel of God, concerning his Son. > Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, > Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; > And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: [Galatians 1:6–8](/bible/galatians/1) [(4)](#ref-4) treats “another gospel” as a different message, not as a damaged copy of a lost book. Paul says that if he himself, or an angel from heaven, preaches any other gospel than the one already preached, that preacher is accursed. > I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: > But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. On Paul’s terms, the gospel can be deserted by a different proclamation. The threat he names is a rival message, including one brought by an angel. He does not say the danger is that the book given to Jesus has disappeared and must be replaced. ## Putting the two accounts together Christians can say, without a sneer, that the Qur’an speaks of the Gospel as given to Jesus. [Qur’an 5:46](https://quran.com/al-maidah/46) and [Qur’an 57:27](https://quran.com/al-hadid/27) say that. Christians do not picture a volume descending into his hands the way a bound Qur’an is pictured in a later Muslim account of revelation. They say the gospel is the news of which he is the subject, announced by him and by the apostles, and written in the books the church received. The four Gospels are those writings. They are narratives of his words, death, and resurrection. They are what the People of the Gospel had. The Qur’an, on the verses above, tells those people to judge by what God revealed in the Gospel, and it says the prophet is found in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel. That is a claim about books in their possession in the seventh century. It is not a claim about a different Injil that no church was reading. Christians do not have a second book, presented as a scripture dictated to Jesus and kept apart from this gospel. The ancient church’s Gospel is the message Paul defines and the four books that narrate it. If the Qur’an means some other Injil, it does not quote that other book, and [Qur’an 5:47](https://quran.com/al-maidah/47) still tells the People of the Gospel to judge by what was revealed in the Gospel they are responsible for. Monasticism does not close that gap. [Qur’an 57:27](https://quran.com/al-hadid/27) calls it an innovation of the followers. Christians can agree that a later monastic practice is not the gospel Paul preached. Agreeing about that practice does not identify the Injil with a lost dictated volume, and it does not make Mark, Luke, or Paul into monastic rules. ## Follow-up objections **“A message is not a book, and the Qur’an says Jesus was given the Gospel as a book.”** [Qur’an 5:46](https://quran.com/al-maidah/46) says the Gospel had guidance and light in it, and [Qur’an 5:47](https://quran.com/al-maidah/47) says to judge by what God revealed in it. Christians agree that the gospel was written down. The four Gospels and the apostolic letters are that writing. The disagreement is whether “given to him” must mean a dictated book distinct from the news about him. The New Testament’s own first line and Paul’s definition say the gospel is the news of Jesus Christ, including his death and resurrection. **“The four books disagree with each other, so they cannot be a revelation.”** Differences of detail between narratives are a real question, and they are not settled by pretending the books are photocopies. They are also not the same question as whether the Injil was a different book that has vanished. The Qur’an’s order is to judge by what the People of the Gospel have. The books they have are these. **“7:157 only means he is described, and the description was removed.”** The Saheeh International note does say “described.” The verse still says they find him in what they have. A description that has been removed is not something they have. What Christians have, and had, is discussed in [Does the Qur’an confirm the Bible Christians read today?](/islam/does-the-quran-confirm-the-bible). Whether Muhammad is the figure in Deuteronomy 18 or in John 14–16 is a separate argument: [Is Muhammad the prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) and [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete). ## Keep reading - [Does the Qur’an confirm the Bible Christians read today?](/islam/does-the-quran-confirm-the-bible) - [Was the Bible corrupted?](/islam/was-the-bible-corrupted) - [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) - [Did Jesus die on the cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) - [Is Muhammad the prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Qur'an, 5:46–47; 3:3–4; 57:27; 7:157](https://quran.com/al-maidah/46) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. Words in square brackets are part of that translation.) 2. [Gospel of Mark, 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/1/1). King James Version 3. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 15:3–4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/15). King James Version 4. [Letter to the Galatians, 1:6–8](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/galatians/1). King James Version 5. [Letter to the Romans, 1:1–4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/romans/1). King James Version ## See also - [Does the Qur'an Confirm the Bible Christians Read Today?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/does-the-quran-confirm-the-bible) — The Qur'an speaks of the Torah and the Gospel as books already in people's hands. This page asks whether that is the Bible Christians still read. - [Was the Bible Corrupted? The Qur'an and Early Muslims on Tahrif](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/was-the-bible-corrupted) — Muslims often say the Bible was corrupted. The Qur'an's own verses, and early reports, describe more than one kind of fault. - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) — The Qur'an is widely read as saying Jesus was not crucified. The Gospels, Paul, and two Roman-era historians say he was. - [Does Jesus Do What Only God Does?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/does-jesus-do-what-only-god-does) — The Qur'an says God gives life to the dead, is the First and the Last, and comes with the angels. The Gospel says Jesus does those things. - [How Was the Qur'an Compiled and Preserved?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-was-the-quran-compiled) — Muslims confess that God guards the Qur'an. The hadith also describe a collection after Muhammad's death, a standard copy under Uthman, and seven ways of reciting. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/what-is-the-injil.md)