Gospel in Islam

Injeel is the Arabic name for the Gospel of Jesus. This Injil is described by the Quran as one of the four Islamic holy books which was revealed by Allah, the others being the Zabur, the Tawrat, and the Quran itself. The word Injil is also used in the Quran, the hadith and early Muslim documents to refer to both a book and revelations made by God to Jesus.

Etymology

The Arabic word Injīl as found in Islamic texts and now used also by non-Arab Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs is popularly believed to come from the found in the Peshitta, the Syriac translation of the Bible. This, in turn, derives from of the New Testament, where it means “good news”.
Some scholars sparingly believe the word Injīl comes from Koinē Greek Euangélion, but more via Classical Syriac Ewanggellīōn but via Ethiopic Wangēl.
The word Injīl occurs twelve times in the Qurʾān.

Identification

According to mainstream Sunni Islam, the Injīl is the divinely revealed scripture granted to Jesus by God, referenced in several Qurʾānic passages, notably in 5:46–47. It is described as a guidance-filled and light-bearing scripture that confirms the Torah. Mainstream Islamic theology holds that the original Injīl was not preserved in its revealed form but was subjected to taḥrīf—a process of textual and doctrinal alteration over time. For example, Abdullah Yusuf Ali wrote:
Most Muslims do not identify the Injīl with the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament. Rather, they view those texts as later, human-authored biographies composed decades after Jesus’s lifetime. Islamic theology maintains that the original revelation may have already been lost or obscured before these texts were written. While the Gospels may preserve indirect echoes of the original message, they are not considered divinely revealed scripture.
From a textual standpoint, in opposition to the majority of secular scholars, Christian scholars generally assert that the New Testament Gospels have been reliably preserved through a large and early manuscript tradition. However, this view concerns textual transmission rather than theological content. The Islamic critique does not focus on whether the Gospels were copied accurately, but whether their teachings reflect the true message of Jesus. The Qurʾān, by contrast, is presented in Islamic belief as both a guardian and final arbiter over previous scriptures, affirming truths that remain while correcting perceived distortions.
While most Muslims do not believe that the Injeel of the Qur'an refers to the gospels written by the New Testament Apostles, some Muslims identify the Gospel of Thomas as being the Injeel of Jesus.

In Qur'anic exegesis

The Islamic methodology of tafsīr al-Qurʾān bi’l-kitāb involves interpreting the Qurʾān in light of earlier scriptures such as the Torah and the Gospel. This method was notably employed by scholars like Ibrahim ibn Umar al-Biqa'i, who quoted Arabic translations of the Bible in his Qurʾānic commentary to draw literary and theological parallels. Other notable Muslim or philosophers of the Bible and Qur'an who weaved biblical texts together with Qur'anic ones include Abu al-Hakam Abd al-Salam bin al-Isbili of Al-Andalus, Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, and the Brethren of Purity.
However, this approach remained controversial and limited in scope. Mainstream Sunni scholarship has traditionally discouraged affirming or denying Biblical narratives unless supported by the Qurʾān or authentic hadith. As Griffith notes, Muslim exegetes were aware of the Prophet's reported counsel not to confirm or reject reports from the People of the Book, instead affirming belief in the revelation sent to both communities.