Do Muslims believe in the Bible?

Belief in earlier scriptures

Islam has six articles of faith, and one of them is belief in God's revealed books. The Quran describes itself as confirming what came before it:

The Quran also says the Gospel given to Jesus contained "guidance and light" (Quran 5:46). So a Muslim would never mock the Bible or the people who love it.

Why it's "in part"

Muslims make a distinction between the original revelation and the books we hold today:

• The Gospel (Injil): Muslims believe this was a message given to Jesus himself. The four Gospels in the New Testament were written later by others about his life.
• Human changes: the Quran says some earlier communities changed or lost parts of their scripture over time. Many Christian scholars also discuss how the biblical texts developed.
• Different versions: Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Bibles don't contain exactly the same books.

Because of this, Muslims believe the Bible still contains true guidance from God alongside human additions, and the Quran is the final, preserved revelation that confirms what is true in it.

How Muslims treat Bible passages

The Prophet ﷺ gave simple advice about stories from the People of the Book (Jews and Christians): "Do not believe the people of the Scripture or disbelieve them, but say: 'We believe in Allah and what is revealed to us'" (Sahih al-Bukhari 4485). In practice:

• If it agrees with the Quran, Muslims accept it.
• If it contradicts the Quran, Muslims don't accept it.
• If the Quran is silent, Muslims neither confirm nor deny it.

Shared stories

Many people are surprised by how much overlaps: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Jonah, Mary and Jesus all appear in both books. Muslims are asked to believe in all of God's prophets equally (Quran 2:136). See Do I have to believe in all the prophets to become Muslim?

If you're a Christian thinking about Islam, you don't have to throw your Bible away. See Can I keep my Bible after becoming Muslim?