Are there any excerpts from the other heavenly books in the Quran?

- It is said that there are some excerpts from the other heavenly books in the Quran; that is, from their versions before distortion. Is this information true? What is the evidence of it?
- For instance, they show verses 27-29 of the chapter of al-Fath as evidence of it.
- Does it show that there are excerpts from the other heavenly books? Are they to be called excerpts or quotations? 

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is not appropriate to say “there are some excerpts from the other heavenly books in the Quran” because this statement might evoke wrong ideas.

What is true is that the Quran expresses the facts included in the previous heavenly books. That is something natural because the one that sent all heavenly books is Allah Almighty. Since the religion in the eye of Allah is one (that is, Islam), it is natural that issues like oneness, the hereafter and the Day of Reckoning are mentioned in all of them.  

As a matter of fact, after those issues are mentioned in the chapter of al-A’la, this fact is expressed as follows:

إِنَّ هَذَا لَفِي الصُّحُفِ الْأُولَىصُحُفِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى “And this (what is mentioned in the previous verses) is in the Books of the earliest (Revelation),- The Books of Abraham and Moses.” (al-A’la, 87/18,19)

After the Companions are mentioned in verse 29 of the chapter of al-Fath, it is stated that their characteristics that have been mentioned also exist in the Torah and the Gospel.

The verse in question is as follows:

مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاء عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاء بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

"Muhammad is the messenger of Allah; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward." (al-Fath, 48/29)

We can give the following example to clarify the issue:

A person who has written a lot of books can say the following in his last book: I wrote about what I said in my previous book called this and that. Or, I will explain here in detail such an issue that I mentioned in my previous books.

Thus, in this last book, Allah Almighty gives information about the books He previously sent and the content of those books. This proves that the owner of all those divine books is Allah Almighty because they all express the same truth.

In fact, this state, which causes some people to doubt, is one of the biggest proofs that the Quran is the word of Allah, that the origin of all divine religions is one (the same) and that all of them were sent by Allah. Since the source is the same, there cannot be anything more natural than narration of similar things in all divine books, mentioning the same truths and talking about the same stories.

People are physically dependent on one source, and they are fed from the same source in terms of faith. As conflicts arose, corrections were made through prophets.

And the Quran was sent down as “the confirmer” and “the preserver”, that is, to confirm the facts that were not distorted in those books and to correct the distorted issues. This fact is expressed as follows in the Quran:

وَاَنْزَلْـنَٓا اِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ مُصَدِّقاً لِمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِناً عَلَيْهِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَٓا اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ اَهْوَٓاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَٓاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّۜ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجاًۜ وَلَوْ شَٓاءَ اللّٰهُ لَجَعَلَكُمْ اُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلٰكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ ف۪ي مَٓا اٰتٰيكُمْ فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِۜ اِلَى اللّٰهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ جَم۪يعاً فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ ف۪يهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَۙ

“(O Muhammad!) To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute.” (al-Maida, 5/48)

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