Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
What is found in the books of the People of the Book falls into three categories: that which our Shariah confirms as true, that which our Shariah confirms as false, and that concerning which our Shariah is silent, neither confirming nor denying it.
If a report appears in the books of the People of the Book and its authenticity is established by our Shariah, then it is permissible to believe it on the basis that it has been established for us through the Qur’an or Sunnah.
One of the clearest examples is the hadith of the Jewish scholar who described to the Prophet ﷺ the greatness of Allah, the Exalted, and His power over His creation. The Prophet ﷺ laughed in amazement and confirmation of what he said, and then recited the words of Allah:
“They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal.” [Az-Zumar: 67]
Narrated by al-Bukhari (7513) and Muslim (2786).
Another example is the story of the Jews who came to the Prophet ﷺ with a man and a woman who had committed adultery. He asked them about the ruling on adultery in the Torah. They denied that stoning was prescribed in it, but it then became clear that the verse concerning stoning was present in the Torah and that one of their scholars had placed his hand over it to conceal it. The Prophet ﷺ then ordered that the two be stoned.
Narrated by al-Bukhari (4556) and Muslim (1699).
Therefore, if our Shariah confirms that a particular matter was present in the Torah or another previous scripture, it is permissible to say that it is among the truth that remained in it without being distorted, provided that it is also established that it is still present in their scriptures today.
However, if its continued existence in those scriptures has not been established, it is not correct to assert with certainty that it is the very truth that remained, because it may subsequently have been distorted or concealed.
If something attributed to the previous scriptures contains a matter that contradicts what has been authentically established in the Qur’an or Sunnah, it must be rejected and not accepted, because our Shariah came with the truth, and authentic texts within it cannot contradict one another.
An example is what the People of the Book have attributed to some prophets of matters that are incompatible with the dignity of prophethood. Such reports are known to contradict what has been established in our Shariah and therefore must not be believed.
As for reports concerning which our Shariah contains neither confirmation nor denial, we neither affirm nor reject them. It is permissible to relate them as reports, without believing that they are necessarily authentic.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Do not believe the People of the Book, nor disbelieve them, but say: ‘We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us.’”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (4215).
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that the reports of the Children of Israel fall into three categories: those whose authenticity is known through evidence from the Qur’an or Sunnah; those known to be false because they contradict them; and those about which the Shariah is silent. The latter are neither to be believed nor rejected.
The Prophet’s ﷺ permission to relate reports from the Children of Israel does not mean that a Muslim is required to investigate their books or rely upon them. Rather, it means that there is no prohibition against relating something whose falsehood is not apparent, provided that doing so does not lead to confusion or misguidance.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Convey from me, even if it is one verse, and relate from the Children of Israel, and there is no harm in that. Whoever deliberately lies about me, let him take his seat in the Fire.”
Narrated by al-Bukhari (3274).
However, if a Muslim finds something problematic in such reports, or fears that truth may become mixed with falsehood, then it is better for him to leave them aside.
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, warned against asking the People of the Book and explained that the Qur’an revealed by Allah to the Prophet ﷺ is the Book upon which Muslims should rely. He also stated that the People of the Book had altered and changed their scriptures and written things with their own hands and then attributed them to Allah.
Al-Bukhari narrated this as a statement attributed to Ibn Abbas (2539).
Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, also said:
“Do not ask the People of the Book about anything, lest you declare something true to be false or something false to be true.”
Narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in Al-Musannaf (28115).
What agrees with our Shariah from reports found in the previous scriptures cannot simply be declared, merely because it agrees with it, to be certainly the word of Allah that remained in those scriptures without distortion. Rather, it must be examined in light of the evidence of the Shariah.
If the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah confirms its truth, then its truth is known on the basis of our Shariah. If it is also established that the very same text is still present in the books of the People of the Book, then it is permissible to say that it is among the truth that remained in them without distortion.
But mere agreement between a passage in their books and the Qur’an or Sunnah, without evidence establishing that it is part of the original revealed text, is not sufficient to assert that it is the surviving word of Allah in the previous scripture. It may have coincidentally agreed with the truth, or it may be one of the remnants of the revelation, without our being able to assert this with certainty.
Whatever contradicts our Shariah is false and rejected. Whatever the Shariah is silent about is neither affirmed nor denied, while avoiding anything that could lead to confusion.
And Allah knows best.