Many Muslims have said that “Ok, we agree the Bible has not been canceled but I have no need to read it because the Quran is the last revealed book and therefore it is going to supersede all previous holy books.” This is the sentiment of many Muslims who say this but haven’t thought through the consequences of such an attitude and statement. Because the Quran again teaches the opposite of that attitude. In fact in Surah 2:136, it says “Say we believe in this revelation given to us and the one given to Ibrahim, Ismail, Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus and to all of the prophets and we make no difference between one and another of them.” They’re all put on the same equal footing so therefore to say the Quran is to be preferred, while understandable, is really something that goes against the teaching of this verse.
Also we are told in Surah 2:285 that we need to confess to say that we believe not only in God but also in his books (plural) that are given. To believe something, you must be aware of what it is, you must understand what it says. Therefore to say “I will not read the previous revelations” is to say “I’m not interested in what is in the word of Allah or his guidance or his mercy or his particular will for my life.” If we are to set aside the Bible and the holy books that comprise the Bible, for it is comprised of many books which Allah gave unto mankind, then why would we have a warning in the Quran in Surah 40:70-72 that those who do such a thing, who reject the previous books of Allah are in danger of hell fire. This warning would not make sense if indeed God’s process of revelation meant that whatever he gave before is to be thrown out.
It is thought by many people that the scriptures that were given had a regional or even an ethnic purpose. They were meant just for a certain people, that they were meant for a certain nation or region. I grew up believing that Jesus was sent only for the people of Israel but as I began to study the Quran and Injeel, I realized that this was really an imaginary concept that fit neither books. Surah 3:3-4 “It is He Who sent down to thee in truth the Book confirming what went before it; and He sent down Law (Of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this as a guide to mankind”, not just the Jews are the Christians. Otherwise, it would not have said “to mankind (Arabic “An-nas”)”. Therefore, to assume that because supposedly the previous books were meant for a particular group that does not concern Muslims today is patently false.
Surah 3:3 – the word used is “musaddiqun” meaning “to confirm” that which had come previously. What is there to confirm if something is to be canceled out and thrown away? What happens in a court of law when one witness comes and says a word that confirms a fact or a statement made by a previous individual? He gives validity to this witness and establishes the truthfulness of the previous speaker. That’s the word that is used in the Quran speaking of the Torah, speaking of the Injeel in the same footing with the Quran. It says that the Quran confirms these therefore we must not assume that these books have been done away.