Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Scrolls of Abraham were scriptures revealed by Allah to His Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him. Their contents predominantly consisted of admonitions, wisdom, lessons, and guidance. The Qur’an refers to the guidance and teachings contained in them.
The Scrolls of Abraham are among the Books that Allah revealed to His prophets. A Muslim must believe in what Allah revealed to His messengers. Allah تعالى says:
“Say: We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the descendants, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” [Al-Baqarah 2:136]
Allah تعالى also says:
“Say: We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the descendants, and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.” [Āl ʿImrān 3:84]
These verses establish that Allah revealed revelation and a scripture to Abraham, peace be upon him, although they do not provide a complete account of its contents.
The Scrolls of Abraham and Moses are clearly mentioned in Sūrah al-Najm. Allah تعالى says:
“Or has he not been informed of what was in the Scriptures of Moses and Abraham, who fulfilled his duty: that no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another; that man will have nothing except what he strives for; that his striving will be seen; then he will be rewarded with the fullest reward.” [Al-Najm 53:36–41]
Allah تعالى also says:
“Successful indeed is the one who purifies himself, remembers the name of his Lord, and prays. But you prefer the life of this world, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting. Indeed, this is in the former scriptures—the Scriptures of Abraham and Moses.” [Al-Aʿlā 87:14–19]
Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī explained that the scriptures referred to here are the Books of Abraham and Moses, peace be upon them.
Shaykh Muḥammad al-Amīn al-Shanqīṭī also explained that Allah stated in Sūrah al-Aʿlā that what was revealed to Abraham consisted of scriptures, and that they included teachings such as:
“But you prefer the life of this world, while the Hereafter is better and more lasting.”
This indicates that among the prominent themes of the Scrolls of Abraham were admonition, wisdom, remembrance of the Hereafter, detachment from worldly life, and righteous deeds.
It was narrated from Wāthilah ibn al-Asqaʿ, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The Scrolls of Abraham were revealed on the first night of Ramadan; the Torah was revealed after six nights of Ramadan had passed; the Gospel was revealed after thirteen nights had passed; and the Criterion was revealed after twenty-four nights had passed.”
Narrated by Aḥmad in al-Musnad (4/107); al-Albānī considered it hasan in al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah (1575).
There are some reports and weak narrations containing passages attributed to the Scrolls of Abraham. It is likely that some of these were transmitted from the books of the Children of Israel.
Among the meanings mentioned in such reports are warnings against being deceived by worldly life, encouragement to truthfulness and uprightness, and reminders of the Hereafter and the final recompense.
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā transmitted in his book al-Zuhd a report attributed to the Scrolls of Abraham containing admonition concerning the fleeting nature of this world and encouragement toward truthfulness, contentment, and uprightness.
However, it is not correct to state with certainty that everything contained in these reports is actually from the Scrolls of Abraham, because this has not been established through an authentic chain of transmission.
The Kuwait Encyclopedia of Islamic Jurisprudence mentions that the Scrolls of Abraham and David consisted of admonitions and parables, rather than detailed legal rulings like the scriptures that contained comprehensive religious laws.
Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn رحمه الله said:
“The Scrolls of Abraham are scriptures that Allah revealed to Abraham, containing admonitions and rulings.”
Thus, their essential description is that they were revealed scriptures containing guidance, admonition, and wisdom. The Qur’an has preserved some of the meanings they contained.
The Scrolls of Abraham were revelation that Allah sent down to Abraham, peace be upon him, and Muslims are required to believe in them. The Qur’an indicates that they contained guidance and admonitions concerning purification, prayer, the Hereafter, and recompense, including the statement:
“The Hereafter is better and more lasting.”
As for the complete details of their contents, nothing can be affirmed with certainty except what is established in the Qur’an or authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ. Other transmitted reports should not be attributed to them with certainty, particularly when they are weak or derived from the books of the Children of Israel.
And Allah knows best.