The Need For Revelations
MAN is endowed with the faculty to conquer and harness nature and subdue his enemies. Among God's creatures, man is the most powerful: even the stern and strong angels have to bow before him. Yet he is a weakling to his self. God, the Most Merciful and Forgiving, despite man's constant sins, resolved through His revelations to the prophet of a particular period. The revelations were then collected into scriptures or holy books which become man's guidance towards the righteous path of life as in Quran 2:24.

"This is the Scripture or Book whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who fear Allah. Who believe in the unseen, steadfast in prayer; and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; and who believe in the revelations sent to thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter."

Revealed Book
The above verses also enjoin every Muslim to believe not only what was revealed to Muhammad but also those revealed before him.
THUS the third pillar of faith is to believe in revealed books namely:-

• Taurat or the original Torah of Musa (Moses)
• Zabur or the original Psalms of Daud (David)
• Injil or the Original Gospel of Isa (Jesus)
• Quran or Furqan and other Books of previous prophets.

Muhammad (s.a.w.) in the Bible
However, it is not the Torah or Pentateuch in the Old Testament, the Psalms and the Gospels in the New Testament, in the present form, that are required to be believed by Muslims. They have been tampered by human hands and no longer remain the original revelations of God.

AND woe has indeed bee on half the mankind when the coming of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. has not been given the proper commentary in the Bible such as in John 16:12 and 13:
"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now".
"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth : for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and he shall show you things to come".

On both these verses, James M. Gray, D.D., in his Christian Workers' Commentary on the whole Bible states:
"Verses 12 and 13 of this chapter are 'Christ's preauthentications of the New Testament'. He would leave many things to be revealed for example, and this revelation would be completed after the Spirit came".
Who is "he, the Spirit of truth"? Has he come?
The original text is lost and verification cannot be made now, But the last clause "for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak"... refers to none other that the Holy prophet Muhammad also known as al-Amin (the truthful one) who did not speak for himself, but the words of God revealed to him.
Nevertheless, the actual name of Muhammad is mentioned in the Gospel of St. Barnabas 163:180 thus:
"Jesus answered: He is Muhammad, the Messenger of God".
Similar instances of misinterpretation and alteration occur in the Torah supposedly in the Pentateuch of the God Testament.

The truth is contained in the Quran 5:51:
"And unto the (Muhammad) have we revealed the Book with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee..."

Thus the above verse shows that after the corruption of the older revelations, the Quran comes with a tow fold purpose:

• to confirm the true and original Message and
• to guard it or act as a check to its interpretations.

Surah 5 verses 47 and 50 ordain the People of Gospel and the Law (Torah) to judge only by what God has revealed.

Revelation
Quran 42:51 tell how revelation comes to man, thus:
"It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by:

• inspiration; or
• from behind a veil, or
• by the sending of a Messenger to reveal, with Allah's permission
  what Allah wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise."

Revelation is not only universal but also progressive according to the need of time and development of the prophet- Muhammad s.a.w. as in Quran 5:4:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion."
That was the last verse revealed to our prophet. All religions were from God. But when man started to tamper with the word of God, doubts and differences occur. And these bred sceptics, hypocrites, atheists and unbelievers, bringing more and more woes to the world, instead of bringing unity among mankind under the banner of God.

And those who have been endowed by God the knowledge of Quran, the Holy Book of Truth, they are constantly reminded of the purpose of the Quran as revealed to our Holy Prophet in Quran 16:64:
"And We sent down the book to thee the express purpose that thou should make clear to them those things in which they differ, and that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe."

The Quran of Furqan. "Read! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher who created: Created man out of a clot of congealed blood.
Read! And thy Lord is most Bountiful. He who taught (the use of) the Pen. Taught man that which he knew not".

That was the first Divine Message revealed to Muhammad s.a.w. The were recited by Jibrail (Gabriel), the Archangel, to the Holy Prophet in the Cave of Hiraa on the night of 17th in the month of Ramadhan (fasting month) during the 41st year of Muhammad's life. To believe in the Quran is to have faith in it as the words of God.
Since that night, henceforth called Lailatul Qadar-the Grand Night-for a span of twenty-two years-over 12 years in Mecca and 10 years in Madina, the Divine revelations were delivered to him until 9th Zulhijjah, Hijrah 10. On that date, while performing the Haji Akbar or Haji Wada'-farewell Pilgrimage-the last message was revealed to the Holy Prophet:
"This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for your Islam as your religion".

Eighty-one days after this final revelation, the Holy Prophet passed away at the age of sixty-three.
The revelations came piece-meal-verse by verse. There are altogether 6,666 verses although some school would say 6,240. Each verses was committed to memory by Muhammad who could not read or write. His Companions and followers however wrote the verses on date leaves, camel bones and goat skins and the record was testified by the Holy Prophet.
The arrangement of the Quran was a part of the Divine scheme. Under Divine guidance, the verses were grouped into 114 surahs or chapters of varying lengths. Ninety-two of the surahs were revealed in Mecca while the rest in Madina. The Meccan surahs are thus called Makkiah and those of Madina, Medaniah.
The Meccan revelations, are mainly on faith in God, monotheism, ethics and life hereafter. The Mediniah is chiefly intended to translate that faith in to action through the principles of Islam and Iman (faith), the laws governing Man's deeds and actions while some of the Madina verses dwell on State matters.
In fact, the Quran besides teaching Man of his obligations of God, reveals to Him the manner of conduct towards mankind and society. The Holy Book not only abounds in moral teachings but also a wealth of sciences yet to be explored. Al-Quran also shows the Way to success in life.
In 25 A.H. Huzaifah ibni Al-Juma'an who had just returned from the battlefields in Armenia and Azerbaijan was reported to have to Caliph Othman that he had heard several variations in the recitation of the Holy Quran in several Muslim countries. At once, Caliph Othman ordered the compiler, Zaid ibni Thabit to make several copies of the Holy Quran, so that "there would not arise any differences with regard to the Quran as in the case of al-Taurat, Zabur and Injil".
Today, although millions of copies have been printed, al-Quran has not lost its originality. Not even a dot or a line has been abrogated in the course of over 1,400 years of its existence.