Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
It is established that Allah Almighty revealed Scriptures to Abraham (peace be upon him), and revealed the Psalms (Zabur) to David (peace be upon him). However, we have no authentic report proving that the Scriptures of Abraham or the Psalms of David have remained in their original form until the present day. Whatever is attributed to them without authentic evidence is treated like reports transmitted from the People of the Book: it is neither affirmed nor denied when its truth or falsehood has not been established.
It is established in the Qur’an that Allah Almighty revealed Scriptures to Abraham (peace be upon him). Allah says:
“Indeed, this is in the former Scriptures, the Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”
[Al-A‘la 87:18–19]
Allah Almighty also informed us of some of what was contained in the Scriptures of Abraham (peace be upon him), saying:
“Or has he not been informed of what was in the Scriptures of Moses, and of Abraham, who fulfilled his obligations: that no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another; and that man will have nothing except what he strives for; and that his striving will soon be seen; then he will be rewarded with the fullest reward.”
[An-Najm 53:36–41]
Therefore, we are obliged to believe in whatever has been established through authentic revelation concerning what was contained in these Scriptures. As for details for which there is no authentic report, we are not required to know them, and it is not appropriate to pursue them extensively without evidence.
As far as we know, there is no authentic report proving that the Scriptures of Abraham (peace be upon him) have been preserved until our time, or that their knowledge was transmitted to any Muslim through a reliable chain.
Accordingly, it appears that these Scriptures were lost long ago, and it is not valid to rely on anything currently in people’s possession that is attributed to them as definitely being words from the Scriptures of Abraham (peace be upon him).
As for the Psalms (Zabur), it is established by the Qur’an that they were the Scripture Allah Almighty gave to David (peace be upon him). Allah says:
“And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We certainly favored some prophets over others, and We gave David the Psalms.”
[Al-Isra’ 17:55]
The word Zabur means the written scripture, that is, something written.
Scholars have mentioned that the Psalms of David (peace be upon him) contained praise and glorification of Allah, admonitions, and wisdom. They did not contain religious legal rulings concerning what is lawful and unlawful, obligatory duties, and prescribed punishments in the manner found in some other scriptures.
Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that the Psalms of David consisted of one hundred and fifty chapters, and that they contained no rulings concerning the lawful and unlawful; rather, they consisted of wisdom and admonitions.
We have no authentic report proving that the Psalms revealed by Allah Almighty to David (peace be upon him) have survived in their original form. Therefore, it is not correct to assert that the book known today as the Psalms is the very Psalms that Allah revealed to David (peace be upon him), although it is possible that some truth, or material agreeing with revelation, has remained within it.
Therefore, reports transmitted from the Psalms through the People of the Book are not treated as preserved revelation. Rather, they are evaluated according to the principles governing reports from the People of the Book.
There are reports attributed to Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, containing mention of some things said to have been included in the Scriptures of Abraham (peace be upon him), including a lengthy hadith mentioning a number of wisdoms and admonitions.
However, this hadith is very weak. Shu‘ayb al-Arna’ut stated in his verification of Sahih Ibn Hibban: “Its chain of transmission is very weak.” Shaykh al-Albani also declared it weak. Therefore, it cannot be relied upon to establish the contents of the Scriptures of Abraham or the Scriptures of Moses.
Accordingly, these texts should not be circulated as though they are certainly established as being from the Scriptures of Abraham (peace be upon him).
What is transmitted from the books of the People of the Book, including what is attributed to the Psalms, is divided into three categories in terms of how it should be treated:
What has been established as authentic through an authentic transmission from the Prophet ﷺ: this is accepted and believed.
What we do not know to be true or false: we neither affirm nor deny it. It may be narrated for purposes of admonition and reflection without believing that it is authentically established.
What has been established to be false or contrary to authentic revelation: this is rejected and must not be believed.
Accordingly, it is not correct to attribute specific texts to the Scriptures of Abraham or the Psalms of David merely because they are found in the books of the People of the Book or in some circulated sources, unless this is established by reliable evidence.
The Qur’an establishes that Allah Almighty revealed the Scriptures of Abraham (peace be upon him) and the Psalms to David (peace be upon him). As for whether these two scriptures have survived in their original forms until today, there is no authentic evidence known to us proving this. Therefore, it is not correct to assert the authenticity of texts attributed to them unless this is established by authentic evidence. Whatever is transmitted from the People of the Book without its truth or falsehood being established is treated as something that we neither affirm nor deny.
And Allah knows best.