Pleasant Words from the Gospel

Foreword: A Statement Regarding the Muslim Perspective on the Torah and the Gospel

God reveals in the Qur'an that Muslims must believe in our Prophet Muhammed (may God bless him and grant him peace) and in all the prophets sent before him and in everything sent down to those prophets. In verse 4 of Surat al-Baqara, our Lord says that Muslims are "those who believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you..."

As revealed in the Qur'an, the Gospel, Torah, Psalms and the pages of Abraham are books sent down to prophets who lived in the past. Some of these books have disappeared, while others have been altered or distorted. But they nevertheless contain a great many correct pronouncements belonging to the true faith. Muslims analyze these according to the Qur'an and the Sunna [teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace)] and decide that they are correct statements compatible with verses and the hadith. Therefore, statements in the Torah and the Gospel that conform to the Qur'an and the Sunna are statements that Muslims can benefit from. But the essential precondition is for these statements to be in agreement with the verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths.

God revealed that these books were guides to the people living at the time they were sent. Allah tells in the verses:

He has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what was there before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel, previously, as guidance for mankind, and He has sent down the Furqan.  (Surah Al 'Imran, 3-4)

In other verses about the Gospel our Lord reveals:

And We sent Jesus son of Mary following in their footsteps, confirming the Torah that came before him. We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light, confirming the Torah that came before it, and as guidance and admonition for those who have taqwa [righteousness]. The people of the Gospel should judge by what Allah sent down in it. Those who do not judge by what Allah has sent down, such people are deviators. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 46-47)

Then We sent Our Messengers following in their footsteps and sent Jesus son of Mary after them, giving him the Gospel. We put compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him.They invented monasticism–We did not prescribe it for them–purely out of desire to gain the pleasure of Allah, but even so they did not observe it as it should have been observed. To those of them who had faith We gave their reward but many of them are deviators. (Surat al-Hadid, 27)

This book you are reading only uses some of the extracts from the Gospel that are compatible with the Qur'an and the Sunna of our Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace).

Love of God and the Concept of Love Which God Approves According to the Gospel

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"  "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."  (Mark, 12:28-33)

He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"  (Luke, 10:27)

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.  (2 John, 1:6)

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  (Matthew, 22:37-39)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  (1 Peter, 4:8)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.  (Romans, 12:10)

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves... knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love...  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.   (1 John, 4:7-11)

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.   (Philippians, 1:9)

[Jesus:] "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  (John, 13: 34-35)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.  (1 Corinthians, 13: 4-8)

But the man who loves God is known by God.  (1 Corinthians, 8:3)

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?...  (Matthew, 5:46-47)

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor  and hate your enemy. ' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew, 5: 43-44)

And live a life of love, just as Christ loved us...  (Ephesians, 5:2)

"If you love me, you will obey what I command [for God's sake]. Whoever has my commands [for God's sake] and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by God, and I too will love him..."  (John, 14:15, 21)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. God will love him...  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to God Who sent me."  (John, 14:23-24)

This is my command: Love each other.  (John, 15:17)

However, as it is written:  "No eye has seen,  no ear has heard,  no mind has conceived  what God has prepared [in the life of the hereafter] for those who love Him."  (1 Corinthians, 2:9)

... "Love your neighbor as yourself."  (Galatians, 5:14)

[Jesus:] "As God has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands [for God's sake], you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed God's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.  (John, 15:9-14)

... If we love one another, [God's] His love is made complete in us.  (1 John, 4:12)

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts...  (Romans, 5:5)

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love. Whoever lives [for God's sake] in love lives in God...  (1 John, 4:16)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love... (Colossians, 3:12-14)

We love because He [God] first loved us.  If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, Whom he has not seen.  And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.  (1 John, 4:19-21)

... Jesus replied... "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired.  Jesus replied, "'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother, 'and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' "  (Matthew, 19:17-19)

Let love be without dissimulation.. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  (Romans, 12:9)

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.  (1 Timothy, 4:12)

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.   (1 Thessalonians, 5:12-13)

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.  Therefore... we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.  (2 Thessalonians, 1:3-4)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,  neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God...  (Romans, 8:38-39)

... We know that we all possess knowledge.  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  (1 Corinthians, 8:1)

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law [God's commandments].  (Romans, 13:8)

This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome.  (1 John, 5:3)

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.  (1 Peter, 1:22)

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God...  (1 Peter, 2:17)

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; having compassion one of another, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.  (1 Peter, 3:8)

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  (1 John, 3:11)

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  (1 John, 3:18)

And this is His [God's] command: ... to love one another as he [God's messenger] commanded us.  (1 John, 3:23)

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."  (Mark, 10:21)

But the world must learn that I love God and that I do exactly what God has commanded me.   (John, 14:31)

[Jesus:] No, God Himself loves you because you have loved me...  (John, 16:27)

The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law [God's commandments].  (Romans, 13:9-10)

Grace to all who love... Jesus Christ with an undying love.  (Ephesians, 6:24)

For this reason, ever since I heard about... your love for all the saints [those who dedicate themselves to God],  I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.  (Ephesians, 1:15-16)

We always thank God... when we pray for you,  because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints [those who dedicate themselves to God].  (Colossians, 1:3-4)

Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other.  And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.  (1 Thessalonians , 4:9-10)

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"  you are doing right.  (James, 2:8)

These have come so that your faith... may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.  (1 Peter, 1:7-8)

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.  (1 John, 4:20-21)

... I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.  (2 John, 1:5)

Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.  (Hebrews, 13:1-3)

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.  (1 Thessalonians, 3:12)

This is how we know who the servants of God... Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God [one of the servants with whom God is pleased]; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.  (1 John, 3, 10)

Whoever loves his brother lives in the light [with God's light], and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.  (1 John, 2:10-11)

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love...  (2 Timothy, 1:7)

... He [Onemius] is very dear to me [Paul] but even dearer to you [Philemon], both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.  (Philemon, 1:16)

[Jesus:] "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke, 6:27-28)

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them.  (Luke, 6:32)

Woe to you... You give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.  (Luke, 11:42)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ [for God's sake]? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Romans, 8:35)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love...  (1 Corinthians, 13:13)

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  If I have... all mysteries and all knowledge... but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians, 13:1-3)