Recently I got what I thought was an excellent question. I reproduce it here.
Hi, can you clarify why there’s an according to Luke, according to John in Injil? As far as I understand the word according means an account inspired by that person based on his understanding.
Hence, I am interested in Gospel(s) according to Jesus pbuh but “not according” to Luke, John, etc. If you have a copy, I would be happy to get it from you.
I thought it was worthwhile to give an in-depth answer. Let’s think about the question and even re-phrase it a little.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=10k9eF7LCYw%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%3A
What does the word ‘Gospel’ mean?
There are four Gospel books in the New Testament of al Kitab: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. What does it mean that these are ‘according to’ these different writers? Does it mean there are four different gospels (or injils)? Are they different from the ‘Gospel of Jesus’? Does it mean these are accounts ‘inspired by that person based on his understanding’?
It is so easy with questions like this to dismiss serious thinking because of our preconceived ideas. But to get a systematic answer, and one based on knowledge, we need to understand the word ‘Gospel’ (or ‘Injil’). In the original Greek (this is the original language of the New Testament see here for details) the word for Gospel is εὐαγγελίου (pronounced euangeliou). This word means a ‘message of good news’. We know this by seeing how it was used in ancient history. The Old Testament (Taurat & Zabur) were written in Hebrew (see here for details). But about 200 BC – before the New Testament – because the world of that day was becoming very Greek-speaking, a translation of Old Testament from the Hebrew to Greek was made by Jewish scholars of that time. This translation is called the Septuagint (see here for details on the Septuagint from my other website). From the Septuagint we can understand how Greek words were used in that time (i.e. 200 BC). So here is a passage from the Old Testament where εὐαγγελίου (‘good news’) was used in the Septuagint.
David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! (2 Samuel 4:9-10)
This is a passage when King David (Dawood) is speaking about how someone brought news of his enemy’s death thinking it would be good news to the king. This word ‘good news’ is translated εὐαγγελίου in the 200 BC Greek Septuagint. So this means that εὐαγγελίου in the Greek means the ‘good news’.
But εὐαγγελίου also meant the historic book or document that contained the ‘good news’. For example, Justin Martyr was an early follower of the Gospel (he would be exactly the same as a ‘successor’ to the companions of the Prophet (PBUH)) and an extensive writer. He used εὐαγγελίου in this way when he writes “… but also in the gospel it is written that He said…” (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 100). Here the word ‘good news’ is used to denote a book.
In the titles ‘The Gospel according to…’ the word εὐαγγελίου (gospel) has the first meaning of the word, while also suggesting the second meaning. The ‘Gospel according to Matthew’ means the Good News as recorded to a written account by Matthew.
‘Gospel’ compared to ‘News’
Now the word ‘news’ today has the same double meaning. ‘News’ in its primary sense means dramatic events that are occurring such as a famine or a war. However, it can also refer to the agencies like BBC, Al-Jazeera or CNN that report these ‘news’ items to us. As I write this, the civil war in Syria is making a lot of news. And it would be normal for me to say “I am going to listen to the BBC News on Syria”. ‘News’ in this sentence refers primarily to the events but also the agency reporting the events. But the BBC does not make up the news, nor is the news about the BBC – it is about the dramatic event. A listener who wants to be informed of a news event may listen to several news reports from several agencies to get a more complete overall perspective – all about the same news event.
In the same way the Gospel is about Isa al Masih – Jesus (PBUH). He is the object of the news focus and there is only one Gospel. Notice how Mark starts his book
“The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ…” (Mark 1:1)
There is one gospel and it is about Jesus (Isa – PBUH) and he had one message, but this message was written down by Mark in a book, and this book is also called a Gospel.
The Gospels – like haddiths
You can also think of this like in terms of haddiths. There are haddiths of the same event that come through different isnads or chain of narrators. The event is one thing but the chain of reporters can be different. The event or saying of the haddith is not about the narrators – it is about something that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said or did. The Gospels are exactly the same except that the isnad chain is only one link long. If you accept in principle that an isnad (after doing the proper checking that scholars like Bhukari and Muslim did) can accurately report the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), even if there can be different isnads through different narrators going back to the same event, why is it difficult to accept the one link or one narrator long ‘isnad’ of the gospel writers? It is exactly the same principle but the isnad chain is much shorter and much more clearly established since it was written down very soon after the event, not a few generations years later like the scholars Bukhari and Muslim did when they reduced the oral isnads of their day to writing.
Gospel Writers were not inspired by themselves
And the writers of these gospels were promised by Isa al Masih (PBUH) that what they wrote would be inspired by Allah – the writing is not from their human inspiration. It says so both in the gospels and the Qur’an
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:25-26)
And behold I inspired the Disciples to have faith in me and mine messenger (Isa): they said, “We have faith, and you bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims (Surat 5:111 – Table Spread)
So the written documents they produced – the gospels we have today – were not inspired by them. They were inspired by Allah and thus deserve serious consideration. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have always been (since they were written down in the first century) the gospel of Jesus – they were the reporters of it. Read their writings to read the message of Jesus (Isa – PBUH) and understand the ‘Good News’ he was teaching.
Recently I was in a mosque listening to the imam’s teaching. He said something that was completely wrong and very misleading. What he said I have heard many times before – from my good friends. And perhaps you also have heard this and it has raised questions in your mind. So let us consider it.
The imam said that there are so many different versions of the Bible (al kitab). In the English language you can get (and he named them) the King James Version, the New International Version, the New American Standard Version, the New English Version and so on. Then the imam said that since there are so many different versions, this shows that the Bible (al kitab) has been corrupted, or at least we cannot know the ‘true’ one. Yes indeed there are these different versions – but this has nothing to do with the corruption of the Bible or whether these actually are different Bibles. In fact there is only one Bible/Kitab.
When we speak of, for example, the New International Version, we are speaking of a certain translation from the original Greek (Injil) and Hebrew (Taurat & Zabur) into English. The New American Standard Version is another translation into English but from the same Greek and Hebrew text.
The same situation exists with the Qur’an. I usually use the Yusuf Ali translation but I also sometimes use the Pickthall translation. Pickthall translated from the same arabic Qur’an that Yusuf Ali used, but his choice of English words in his translation is not always the same. Thus they are different translations. But no one – not a Christian, a Jew, or even an atheist says that because there are two different translations of the Qur’an into English (Pickthall’s and Yusuf Ali’s) that this shows that there are ‘different’ Qur’ans or that the Holy Qur’an is corrupted. In the same way, there is a Greek text of the Injil (see it here) and there is a Hebrew text for the Taurat and Zabur (see it here). But most people do not read these languages so various translations are available in English (and other languages) so that they can understand the message in their native language.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=10k9eF7LCYw%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%3A
Since so many people today read English as their native language there are different versions – translations – so it can be better understood. But what about the errors involved in translation? Does the fact that there are different translations show that it is impossible to accurately translate what the original authors wrote? Due to the vast classical literature written in Greek it has become possible to precisely translate the original thoughts and words of the original authors. In fact the different modern versions show this. For example, here is a verse from the New Testament, taken from 1 Timothy 2:5, in the original Greek.
εις γαρ θεος εις και μεσιτης θεου και ανθρωπων ανθρωπος χριστος ιησους (1 Timothy 2:5)
Here are some popular translations of this verse.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, New International Version
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; King James Version
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, New American Standard Version
As you can see for yourself they are very close in their translation – differing by only a couple of words. They say exactly the same thing with only slightly different word usage. This is because there is only one al Kitab/Bible and therefore the translations from it will be very similar. There are not ‘different’ Bibles. As I wrote at the start, it is completely wrong for anyone to say that because there are different versions means that there are different Bibles.
I urge everyone to select a version of al-kitab/Bible in their own native language to read. It is well worth the effort.
When we discuss the sacrifice of the Prophet Ibrahim’s (PBUH) son, my friends insist that the son almost sacrificed was Hazrat Ishmael (or Ismail) – the elder son of Ibrahim (PBUH) by Hagar – not Isaac, the younger son by Sarah. Therefore, I was surprised when I read about this in the Qur’an. When I show it to my friends they are also surprised. In Sign 3 of Ibrahim I looked at this important event, and the passage is quoted in full here. So what does it say? The specific ayah is repeated again.
Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: “O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!” (The son) said: “O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practicing Patience and Constancy! (Al-Saffat 37:102)
The name of the son is not mentioned in this passage about the sacrifice of the son of Ibrahim (PBUH). In such a situation it is best to do a more thorough search and study. If you search through the entire Qur’an for when prophet Ishmael (or Isma’il) is mentioned you will see his name occurs 12 times.
- Two of these times he is the only one named along with Ibrahim his father (2:125, 2:127).
- Five of these times he is mentioned with Ibrahim and with his brother Isaac (3:84, 4,163, 2:133, 2:136, 2:140).
- The remaining five passages mentions him without his father Ibrahim, but in a list with other prophets (6:86, 14:39, 19:54, 21:85, 38:48).
In the two times he is mentioned alone with his father Ibrahim (PBUH) you can see that it is talking about other events on prayer – not sacrifice.
Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety; and take ye the station of Abraham as a place of prayer; and We covenanted with Abraham and Isma’il, that they should sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or use it as a retreat, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer). (The Cow:125)
And remember Abraham and Isma’il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing. (The Cow: 127)
The Holy Qur’an never specifies that it was Ishmael that was tested by sacrifice, it just says ‘the son’. So why is it believed that it was Ishmael who was offered?
Commentary on the Sacrifice of the Son of Ibrahim
Yusuf Ali (whose translation of the Qur’an is the one I am using) is a respected commentator of the Qur’an as well as a translator. His commentary is available at http://al-quran.info
The commentary on the passage of the sacrifice has the following two footnotes on the son being sacrificed.
4071 This was in the fertile land of Syria and Palestine. The boy thus born was, according to Muslim tradition, the first-born son of Abraham, viz., Ismail. The name itself is from the root Sami’a, to hear, because God had heard Abraham’s prayer (verse 100). Abraham’s age when Ismail was born was 86 (Gen. 16:16).
Yusuf Ali’s only reason here is ‘Muslim tradition’.
4076 Our version may be compared with the Jewish-Christian version of the present Old Testament. The Jewish tradition, in order to glorify the younger branch of the family, descended from Isaac, ancestor of the Jews, as against the elder branch, descended from Isma’il, ancestor of the Arabs, refers this sacrifice to Isaac (Gen. 22:1-18). Now Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old (Gen. 21:5), while Isma’il was born to Abraham when Abraham was 86 years old (Gen. 16:16). Isma’il was therefore 14 years older than Isaac. During his first 14 years Isma’il was the only son of Abraham; at no time was Isaac the only son of Abraham. Yet, in speaking of the sacrifice, the Old Testament says (Gen. 22:2): ‘And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son Issac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah : and offer him there for a burnt offering…”
In this footnote he argues that since the Taurat says ‘take your son, your only son…(Genesis 22:2) and Ishmael was 14 years older, therefore only Ishmael could be offered for sacrifice as an ‘only son’. But he forgets that just previously, in Genesis 21, Ibrahim (PBUH) had sent Ishmael and Hagar away. Thus, in Genesis 22 Isaac is actually his ‘only son’ since Ishmael had been banished. See more detail on this here.
Ibrahim’s son sacrificed: Testimony of the Taurat
So the Qur’an does not specify which son, but the Taurat is very clear. You can see that the Taurat in Genesis 22 mentions Isaac by name six different times (in 22:2, 3, 6, 7 (2 times), 9).
The Taurat supported by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
That the Taurat as we have it today was supported by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is very clear from haddiths. My post on this mentions several haddith, one of which states that
Narrated Abdullah Ibn Umar: ..A group of Jews came and invited the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) to Quff. … They said: ‘AbulQasim, one of our men has committed fornication with a woman; so pronounce judgment upon them’. They placed a cushion for the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) who sat on it and said: “Bring the Torah”. It was then brought. He then withdrew the cushion from beneath him and placed the Torah on it saying: “I believed in thee and in Him Who revealed thee.” Sunan Abu Dawud Book 38, No. 4434:
The Taurat supported by the Prophet Isa al Masih (PBUH)
The prophet Isa al-Masih (PBUH) also affirmed the Taurat as we saw in here. One teaching from him in that article says that
18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law (i.e. Taurat) until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:18-19)
The Warning: Never Tradition over Taurat
It would not be wise to dismiss the Taurat of Musa for the sake of any tradition. In fact, the Prophet Isa al-Masih (PBUH) criticized the religious leaders of his day precisely because they put their ‘traditions’ ahead of the Law, as we see here:
Jesus (i.e. Isa) replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! (Matthew 15:3-7)
The prophet’s warning to never nullify the Message for the sake of ‘tradition’ is very clear.
The Testimony of Today’s Taurat supported by Dead Sea Scrolls
The following diagram shows that the earliest manuscripts of the Taurat, the Dead Sea Scrolls, date to 200 B.C (more on this here). This means that the Taurat which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Prophet Isa al Masih (PBUH) referred to is exactly the same as is used today.
Manuscript copies of Taurat through time
Returning back to what the Prophets have revealed clarifies this question for us.