Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Old Testament and the New Testament are two major collections of books that Christians refer to as the Bible. Christians generally understand the Old Testament as preceding the appearance of Jesus, peace be upon him, while the New Testament is associated with Jesus, his teachings, and the developments that followed him. Muslims, however, believe that Allah revealed the Torah and the Gospel, while also holding that these revelations did not remain in exactly the form in which Allah originally revealed them. Therefore, it is not correct, from the Islamic perspective, to attribute everything found in the books available today directly to divine revelation.
Christians use the term Old Testament for a collection of books that they understand as containing revelations given to prophets before Jesus, including accounts concerning Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others, as well as commandments, laws, and prophecies.
The New Testament is understood as a continuation or complement to the Old Testament. It contains accounts of the life of Jesus, his works and teachings, as well as writings concerning his followers and the period that followed him.
Together, the Old Testament and the New Testament constitute what Christians call the Bible.
In the Hebrew/Protestant arrangement, the Old Testament contains 39 books, while the New Testament contains 27 books, making a total of 66 books.
In the Catholic tradition, the Old Testament contains 46 books, while the New Testament contains 27, making a total of 73 books.
The first five books are known as the Pentateuch. They are also referred to as the Torah, although some Christians use the term “Torah” more broadly to refer to the Old Testament as a whole.
The New Testament contains four canonical Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in addition to other books and epistles.
It is important to distinguish between the Gospel (Injil) in Islamic terminology—the revelation that Muslims believe Allah gave to Jesus—and the four Gospels contained in the New Testament, which are books attributed to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Muslims believe that the Torah and the Gospel, in their original forms, were revelations from Allah.
Allah says:
"Say, 'We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and what Moses, Jesus, and the prophets were given from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.'"
— Qur’an 2:136
Muslims believe that previous scriptures were subsequently affected by changes in wording and meaning, and therefore they do not affirm that all the contents of the Old and New Testaments available today are exactly identical to the original divine revelation.
Accordingly, Muslims do not attribute every existing passage to Allah. Rather, they understand these writings as containing elements of truth originating from revelation alongside material that entered through human transmission, interpretation, and alteration.
According to the source, some Jewish and Christian scholars and researchers have also expressed positions that, in various ways, recognize the historical development and transmission of biblical texts, although there are significant differences among them regarding the nature of inspiration and revelation.
It cannot be stated with certainty that everything Jesus said and taught has been preserved in the New Testament in its entirety.
The four canonical Gospels were not written during Jesus’ lifetime according to the source, but were composed later and convey accounts of his life and teachings through the literary forms and expressions of their respective authors.
Human transmission, the possibility of forgetting, and differences in transmission and interpretation may help explain variations among the accounts.
The New Testament contains sayings attributed to Jesus and teachings that may preserve elements of earlier revelation. The source also mentions interpretations of some passages as prophecies concerning Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
However, it cannot be asserted that every sentence attributed to Jesus in the present Gospels is certainly his exact original wording, because such an assertion requires reliable and certain transmission.
What the Qur’an reports concerning Jesus is certain, and what has been authentically transmitted from the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is likewise certain.
Jews accept the Old Testament scriptures and do not accept the New Testament as part of their sacred scripture.
Christians, on the other hand, generally accept both the Old Testament and the New Testament as parts of the Bible.
Catholic teaching holds that Christians honor the Old Testament as the word of God and as inspired scripture that prepares for Christ.
Christian theology generally understands the two Testaments as forming a unity: the Old Testament prepares for the New Testament, while the New Testament is understood as fulfilling the Old Testament.
Contemporary Christians therefore do not generally regard the Old Testament as obsolete. It remains a fundamental part of Christian scripture and is read alongside the New Testament.
The Old Testament and the New Testament are collections of writings that Christians include within the Bible.
Muslims believe that the original Torah and Gospel were revelations from Allah, but that the scriptures available today have not been preserved exactly in their original form and contain material resulting from historical transmission and human intervention. Therefore, Muslims do not attribute every part of these books to divine revelation.
It cannot be stated with certainty that every saying of Jesus has been preserved in the present Gospels. From the Islamic perspective, what is certainly known comes from the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.
Christians accept both Testaments as parts of the Bible and generally understand them as related: the Old Testament prepares for the New Testament, while the New Testament fulfills it.
And Allah knows best.