Injeel for Muslims Podcast

Asalamu alykum, my friends! Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page! I assume you have found yourself on this page because you have questions. Inshallah, you will find your answers here. Please write to us on the contact form below if you do not see your questions.

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FAQS about the Injeel Sharif:

1. Where did the Injeel Sharif come from? The Injeel Sharif is a perfect revelation from God about the life and teaching of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh.
2. What are the contents of the the Injeel Sharif? The Injeel Sharif includes 27 books. I recommend reading the Gospel of Matthew, the first book to start. Inshallah, we will make a future podcast that gives an overview of all 27 books of the Injeel Sharif. 
3. What is the original language of the Injeel Sharif? The Injeel Sharif was initially written in the Greek language. Many followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh around the world have learned Greek to understand the Word of God in its original language. 
4. Are copies of the Greek Injeel Sharif available today? Greek copies of the Injeel Sharif are easily obtained. For example, you can order a Greek-English parallel Injeel Sharif here: https://www.amazon.com/New-Greek-English-Interlinear-NT-Hardcover/dp/1496443985/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1JUVM5VMG25TG&keywords=greek+new+testament&qid=1683176000&sprefix=greek+new+testamen%2Caps%2C272&sr=8-2
5. Can I see the Greek Injeel Sharif online? Yes! The Greek Injeel Sharif is also accessible online. For example, here is one of many sites where it is available: https://www.greekbible.com For your viewing pleasure, here is Matthew 1:18-25 in Greek: 18 Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἡ γένεσις οὕτως ἦν. μνηστευθείσης τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας τῷ Ἰωσήφ, πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εὑρέθη ἐν γαστρὶ ἔχουσα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου. 19 Ἰωσὴφ δὲ ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς, δίκαιος ὢν καὶ μὴ θέλων αὐτὴν δειγματίσαι, ἐβουλήθη λάθρᾳ ἀπολῦσαι αὐτήν. 20 ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐνθυμηθέντος ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ̓ ὄναρ ἐφάνη αὐτῷ λέγων· Ἰωσὴφ υἱὸς Δαυίδ, μὴ φοβηθῇς παραλαβεῖν Μαρίαν τὴν γυναῖκά σου· τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου. 21 τέξεται δὲ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν· αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν. 22 τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον γέγονεν ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· 23 ἰδοὺ ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρὶ ἕξει καὶ τέξεται υἱόν, καὶ καλέσουσιν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον μεθ̓ ἡμῶν ὁ θεός. 24 ἐγερθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου ἐποίησεν ὡς προσέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου καὶ παρέλαβεν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, 25 καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκεν υἱόν· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν.
6. How old are the Greek copies of the Injeel Sharif? Thousands and thousands of ancient copies of the Injeel Sharif exist today. Scholars specialize in studying these ancient copies, or manuscripts. These thousands of ancient manuscripts repeatedly show that Allah tala has protected and preserved the Injeel Sharif. The Injeel Sharif has not changed! God has protected His Word in the Injeel Sharif. But do not take our word for it. You can access high-quality pictures of most of those ancient copies of the Injeel Sharif through the website of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts: https://manuscripts.csntm.org
7. How can I learn Greek to read the Injeel Sharif in the original language? Subhanallah that He has placed such a great desire in your heart. However, I want you to first learn the Injeel Sharif in your own language before learning Greek to study it in its original form. God is great. In His wisdom, He can understand our prayers in any language. He is also so powerful that He can guide us by His Spirit to understand the Injeel Sharif in any language. To begin, please focus on reading through the Injeel Sharif. Then you can focus on learning Greek!
8. How accurate are translations of the Injeel Sharif? I had this same question when I first followed Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh. This question drove me to learn Greek to evaluate for myself. After almost twenty years of studying Greek, I have seen that most translations of the New Testament are highly accurate. However, there is still great value in understanding the Word of God in Greek without any translation.

FAQs about Words:

1. What is the difference between the Injeel Sharif and the New Testament? Followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh often use the term “New Testament” to refer to the same book we call the Injeel Sharif. The term “New Testament” comes from Hebrews 8:13 in describing the relationship of the Taurat Sharif and the Injeel Sharif. Injeel is an Arabic word for “good news.” It is the common term that is used by Muslims around the world in reference to the book of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh. We add “Sharif” to the names of these books to give them respect as is fitting for the Word of God. So, “Injeel Sharif” can be translated something like “the Noble Good News” or “the Holy Good News.”
2. What is the difference between the Taurat Sharif, Zabur Sharif, and the Old Testament? The Old Testament contains 39 books and was initially written in Hebrew. The Old Testament includes the Taurat Sharif, the Zabur Sharif, and many other books. The Taurat Sharif is the book of Hazrat Musa, called the Torah in Hebrew. The Taurat Sharif is the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Zabur Sharif is the book of Hazrat Dawood and is known as Psalms in English. It is composed of 150 songs to be used in worship. There may be no book more poetic in the history of the world than the Zabur Sharif. It would be best if you read it for yourself to see. In addition to the Taurat Sharif and the Zabur Sharif, the Old Testament contains the books of many other prophets, such as Hazrat Ayub, Hazrat Suleiman, Hazrat Zekariah, and Hazrat Yunus. While I hope you will read all of these books, I recommend you begin studying the Injeel Sharif first.
3. What does the word “Bible” mean? The Bible is a Greek word that refers to a collection of books. Followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh often use the term Bible to refer to the collection of books that Allah tala has given to us. The Bible contains 66 books, so it is a library itself. The first 39 books are the Old Testament, including the Taurat Sharif, the Zabur Sharif, and many others. The second part is the Injeel Sharif, which many call the New Testament. The Injeel Sharif is composed of 27 books. Inshallah, we will make a future podcast to overview these 27 books.
4. Why do you sometimes use God and sometimes use Allah? Both of these words of the same meaning. Allah is simply an Arabic word for God. Before the time of the Qur’an, followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh used the word Allah to worship God. Today, followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh in many countries also use this word to refer to the One True God. In fact, the word Allah comes from a Hebrew word that is often used for God in the Taurat Sharif. In Hebrew, the most common word for God is Elohim. Elohim is usually used in the plural form in Hebrew to give respect to God. However, the singular form of Elohim is Eloh (see Job 3:4). Since much of Arabic is derived from Hebrew and other Semitic languages, it is easy to understand how the Arabic Allah is related to the Hebrew Eloh. Just say these two words out loud a few times. You will see that the difference in sound is minimal. My Muslim friends usually appreciate it when I am comfortable using Allah to refer to the divine. 
5. Why do you use the Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh to refer to Jesus? Let me break down each part of this term. First, let’s talk about the name Isa for Jesus. Jesus is the most common transliteration of the name for Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh into English. However, in Greek, Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh’s name is Iesous (Ἰησοῦς). About a hundred years after the death of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh, one of his followers, Tatian, translated the Injeel Sharif into a language called Syriac. In that translation, Tatian used Isho for the name of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh (see below for a picture of Isho in Syriac). Syriac-speaking followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh still use the word Isha for Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh today (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isho). You can see that the name Isho and Isa are very similar. As the teachings of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh spread into Arabic-speaking areas, the Syriac Isho was transliterated into Isa.
6. Why do you use the term “Hazrat” before the names of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh and before the prophets and apostles? Hazrat is a Persian word commonly used in many countries as a term for respect and love. I use this term to show respect to Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh, the prophets, and the apostles. 
7. Why do you use the title “al-Maseeh” after Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh? In the Injeel Sharif, the title al-Maseeh is the most commonly given title for Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh. The Injeel Sharif uses this title 529 for Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh! The Greek for this term is Christos (Χριστός) or Maseeh (מָשִׁיחַ) in Hebrew. Al-Maseeh is also used to refer to Hazrat Isa al-Masih in the Qu’ran eleven times. For example, see Surah al-Imran 3:45. Many Prophets in the Old Testament, such as Hazrat Isaiah (PBUH), prophesied about the coming of the Maseeh. The Maseeh was the coming anointed one who would deliever the people of God from their sins. There are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament about al-Maseeh. 
8. Why don’t you keep the same names across all languages? Followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh do not believe that one culture or language is superior to others. Many Muslims have been raised learning that they should learn the Qur’an in Arabic, pray in Arabic, and take on a significant amount of Arab culture. Instead, the Injeel Sharif teaches that each culture is distinct and beautiful. God can understand the prayers and worship of His people in every language. Therefore, followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh have focused on using sounds from each language to translate the Injeel Sharif. One of the reasons for this is that before the birth of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh, the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek. This Greek translation was called the Septuagint and made it possible for people across the Roman Empire to access the Word of God. As followers of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh spread the Injeel Sharif, they translated His teachings into Syriac, Latin, and many other languages. They wanted to avoid Greek or Hebrew culture dominating these new places as they spread these teachings. Instead, they sought to bring the impact of the life and teachings of Hazrat Isa al-Maseeh onto those new cultures. In this translation process, minor changes were made in the pronunciation of names so that those in new cultures could understand the teachings that were coming to them.