Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Gospel is a Book from Allah Almighty that He revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him. However, there is no explicit text in our Shariah establishing that the Gospel was revealed as a complete, written physical book during the lifetime of Jesus, peace be upon him. Nor is there any text that definitively specifies how it was written down, preserved, and transmitted.
It is established in the Noble Qur’an that the Gospel is one of the heavenly books revealed by Allah Almighty. He says:
“Alif, Lam, Mim. Allah—there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all. He has sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming what was before it, and He revealed the Torah and the Gospel before, as guidance for mankind, and He revealed the Criterion. Indeed, those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah will have a severe punishment. And Allah is Almighty, Owner of Retribution.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:1–4]
And He says:
“And He will teach him the Book, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:48]
And He says:
“And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah that came before him; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light, confirming the Torah that came before it, and as guidance and an admonition for the righteous.” [Al-Mā’idah 5:46]
And He says:
“Then We sent Our messengers following in their footsteps, and We sent Jesus, son of Mary, and We gave him the Gospel and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. As for monasticism, they invented it—we did not prescribe it for them except seeking the pleasure of Allah. Yet they did not observe it as it should have been observed. So We gave those among them who believed their reward, but many of them were defiantly disobedient.” [Al-Ḥadīd 57:27]
Thus, what is meant by the Gospel is the revelation that Allah Almighty sent down to Jesus, peace be upon him. It is part of the Speech of Allah Almighty, just as the Torah and the Psalms are truly the Speech of Allah.
The use of the term “Book” for revelation does not necessarily mean that it was revealed as a physical book compiled between two covers.
Scholars have differed concerning how the previous heavenly books were revealed: were they revealed all at once, or were they revealed gradually according to circumstances and needs?
Imam al-Suyūṭī discussed this issue in Al-Itqān fī ʿUlūm al-Qurʾān. He transmitted that the well-known position among scholars is that the other books were revealed all at once. He then mentioned the view of those who differed and held that they were revealed gradually like the Qur’an, before preferring the first view.
This disagreement demonstrates that the manner in which a heavenly book was revealed cannot be inferred merely from calling it a “Book.”
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Shahrī also pointed out that the belief that the previous books were revealed all at once should not be used to diminish the status of the previous revealed laws. All the Books came from Allah, Islam came as an authority over the previous revealed laws, and the Qur’an came as an authority over the previous Books.
There is no explicit text in our Shariah stating that the entire Gospel was written and compiled during the lifetime of Jesus, peace be upon him, nor does it specify who wrote it, how it was preserved, or how it was disseminated.
Therefore, we do not know with certainty whether Jesus, peace be upon him, taught the Gospel to people orally, after which the disciples and those who believed in him transmitted it; or whether it was written; or whether some of it was written while some of it was transmitted orally.
For this reason, the scholar al-Ṭāhir Ibn ʿĀshūr said in Al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr:
“As for the Gospel: it is the name for the revelation revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him, so his companions compiled it.”
On the other hand, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah transmitted that the Christians themselves acknowledge that the Gospels currently in their possession were not written by Christ, peace be upon him, nor did he dictate them to those who wrote them; rather, they were written after he was raised.
This demonstrates that the Gospels that exist today are not identical to the Gospel that was revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him.
The Qur’an contains clear evidence concerning the writing of what was revealed to Moses, peace be upon him. Allah says:
“And We wrote for him on the Tablets instructions concerning all things and an explanation of all things: ‘So hold firmly to them and command your people to adopt the best of them. I will show you the home of the defiantly disobedient.’” [Al-Aʿrāf 7:145]
As for the Gospel, the texts available to us do not explain in detail whether it was written and compiled during the lifetime of Jesus, peace be upon him, in the same manner.
Therefore, it is not correct to assert that Allah’s statement, “And We gave him the Gospel,” necessarily means that the Gospel was revealed as a physical written book.
The important point in this matter is that the Gospels existing today, which were compiled into what is known as the New Testament, are not the Gospel that Allah Almighty revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him, although some truth and authentic revelation remain within them.
However, they became mixed with distortions and material introduced by human beings, to the extent that it is no longer possible for us to distinguish with certainty between what originated from the revelation Allah sent down to Jesus, peace be upon him, and what was subsequently added to it.
Therefore, the form of the Gospels existing today cannot be used as a standard for determining how the original Gospel was revealed.
The Gospel that Allah revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him, was revelation and a Book from Allah. However, there is no explicit scriptural text establishing that it was revealed as a complete written physical book, as the writing of the Tablets given to Moses, peace be upon him, is established.
Accordingly, the claim that describing the Gospel as a “revealed Book” necessarily means that it was revealed as a written and compiled book during the lifetime of Jesus, peace be upon him, does not necessarily follow from the texts. Rather, the manner in which Jesus received the Gospel, preserved it, and had it written down remains among the matters concerning which there is no decisive text, so one should not make a definitive claim about it without evidence.
Most importantly, the original Gospel that Allah Almighty revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him, is not identical to the collection of Gospels existing today, even though some truth remains within them.
And Allah knows best.