View source for Psalms in Islam

{{Short description|Holy book of prophet Dawud (David in Islam)}}
{{for-multi|the minuscule script|Ancient South Arabian script#Zabūr|the book of the Hebrew Bible|Psalms}}
{{religious text primary|date=June 2023}}
[[File:Ghoul A.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Ancient South Arabian script#Zabūr|South Arabian]] Mazmuur inscription]]
{{Islam}}
'''Zabur''' ({{langx|ar|ٱلزَّبُورِ|az-zabūr}}) is, according to [[Islam]], the holy book of David ([[Dawood in Islam]]), one of the [[Islamic holy books|holy books]] revealed by Allah before the [[Quran]], alongside others such as the ''[[Torah in Islam|Tawrāh (Torah)]]'' and the [[Gospel in Islam|Injīl (Gospel)]]. [[Muslim]] tradition maintains that the Zabur mentioned in the [[Quran]] is the [[Psalms]] of Dawud ([[David in Islam]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kolodziejczyk |first=Dariusz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FHrTxHmegRYC&pg=PA397 |title=The Crimean Khanate and Poland-Lithuania: International Diplomacy on the European Periphery (15th-18th Century). A Study of Peace Treaties Followed by Annotated Documents |publisher=BRILL |year=2011 |isbn=978-90-04-19190-7 |page=397}}</ref>

The Christian monks and ascetics of [[pre-Islamic Arabia]] may be associated in [[Arabic poetry#Pre-Islamic poetry|pre-Islamic Arabic poetry]] with texts called ''mazmour'', which in other contexts may refer to [[Ancient South Arabian script|palm leaf documents]].<ref name="EI2">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1999 |title=mazmour |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |last=Horovitz |first=Josef |author-link=Josef Horovitz |editor-last=Bearman |editor-first=P. J. |edition=2nd |volume=XI |pages=372–373}}</ref> This has been interpreted by some as referring to [[psalters]].<ref name="Shahîd1989">{{Cite book |last=Shahîd |first=Irfan |author-link=Irfan Shahîd |title=Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fifth Century |date=1989 |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks |isbn=978-0-88402-152-0 |page=520}}</ref>

Among many [[Christians]] in the [[Christianity in the Middle East|Middle East]] and in [[Christianity in India|South Asia]], the word ''mazmour'' ([[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] {{Lang|ur|مزمور}} <small>([[Nastaʿlīq]])</small>, {{Lang|hi|ज़बूर}} <small>([[Devanagari]])</small>) is used for the Psalms of David in the [[Hebrew Bible]].

==Etymology==
The Arabic word [[wiktionary:زبور|{{Transliteration|ar|zabūr}}]] means "book", "inscription", or "writing."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lane |first=Edward William |author-link=Edward William Lane |url=https://archive.org/details/ArabicEnglishLexicon.CopiousEasternSources.EnlargedSuppl.Kamoos.Lane.Poole.1863 |title=An Arabic-English lexicon |publisher=Williams and Norgate |year=1868–1893 |location=London |pages=1210–1211 |oclc=248351096}}</ref> In early sources it may refer to [[Ancient South Arabian script|Ancient South Arabian writing]] on [[palm-leaf manuscript|palm leaves]].<ref name="EI2" />

Much of Western scholarship sees the word {{Transliteration|ar|zabūr}} in the sense "psalter" as being a conflation of Arabic {{Transliteration|ar|zabūr}}, "writing", with the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word for "psalm", {{Transliteration|he|mizmōr}} ({{langx|he|מִזְמוֹר}}) or its [[Aramaic]] equivalent {{Transliteration|syr|mazmūrā}} ({{langx|syr|ܡܙܡܘܪܐ}}).<ref name="EI2" />

An alternate, less accepted origin for the title {{Transliteration|ar|zabūr}} in this sense is that it is a corruption of the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] {{Transliteration|he|zimrah}} ({{langx|he|זִמְרָה}}) meaning "song, music" or {{Transliteration|he|sippūr}} ({{langx|he|סִפּוּר|}}), meaning "story."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jeffery |first=Arthur |author-link=Arthur Jeffery |url=https://archive.org/embed/foreignvocabular030753mbp |title=The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qur'ān |publisher=The Oriental Institute |year=1938 |location=Baroda, India |pages=148–149 |oclc=28304469}}</ref>

==Mention in the Quran==
In the Qur'an, the Zabur  is mentioned by name three times. The Qur'an itself says nothing about the Zabur specifically, except that it was revealed to Dawud and that in the Zabur is written "My servants the righteous, shall inherit the earth".<ref name="psalm37">{{bibleverse||Psalms|37:29|KJV}}</ref><ref name="Al-Anbiya">{{cite quran|21|105|s=ns|t=y}}</ref>

{{blockquote| Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].|[[Qur'an 4:163]]<ref>{{cite quran|4|163|s=ns|t=y}}</ref>|source=[[Sahih International Translation]]}}

{{Blockquote|And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We have made some of the prophets exceed others [in various ways], and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].|[[Qur'an 17:55]]<ref>{{cite quran|17|55|s=ns|t=y}}</ref>|source=Sahih International Translation}}

{{Blockquote|And We have already written in the book [of Psalms] after the [previous] mention that the land [of Paradise] is inherited by My righteous servants.|[[Qur'an 21:105]]<ref name="Al-Anbiya" />|source=Sahih International Translation}}

==Connection to the Psalms==
In the Quran and Urdu translation of the Bible, the Zabur refers to the [[Psalms]].<ref name="oxford dic islam">{{Cite book |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580-e-1887?rskey=gnwgrW&result=4 |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam |date=2003 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-512558-0 |chapter=Psalm |quote=Arabic zabur. In the Quran the Psalms of David are said to be revelation sent to David, who is considered a prophet (4:163; 17:55; 21:105). In Urdu Christians even sing these Zabur's in their worship to God. God is considered the author of the psalms. Surah 21:105 is a direct counterpart of the biblical Psalm 37:29.}}</ref> The Quran 21:105 says that in the Zabur there is a quote "the land is inherited by my righteous servants". This resembles the 29th verse of [[Psalm 37]], which says "[t]he righteous shall inherit the land, and abide forever in it."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Psalms 37:29 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.37.29?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref><ref name="oxford dic islam" /><ref name="psalm37" />

Ahrens supports the view that [[al-Anbiya]] 105 is quoting from the Psalms (1930).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ahrens |first=K. |year=1930 |title=Christliches im Qoran |journal=ZDMG |volume=84 |page=29 |jstor=43371098}}</ref> He says that the verse in the Qur'an reads, "We have written in the Zabur after the reminder that My righteous servants shall inherit the earth." His conclusion is that this verse represents a close and rare linguistic parallel with the [[Hebrew Bible]] and, more pointedly, with Psalm 37 ascribed specifically to David (see wording in verses [[s:Bible (American Standard)/Psalm#37:9|9]][[s:Bible (American Standard)/Psalm#37:11|,11]][[s:Bible (American Standard)/Psalm#37:29|,29]]).

==In Hadith==
One hadith, considered valid by [[Muhammad al-Bukhari]], says:
{{Blockquote|Narrated [[Abu Hurairah|Abu Huraira]]:

The Prophet said, "The reciting of the Zabur (i.e. Psalms) was made easy for David. He used to order that his riding animals be saddled, and would finish reciting the Zabur before they were saddled. And he would never eat except from the earnings of his manual work."|{{Hadith-usc|bukhari|usc=yes|4|55|628}}}}

==Ketuvim==
[[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[Karl Gottlieb Pfander]] suggested that the Qur'an's reference to Zabur actually refers to the third division of the Hebrew Scriptures, known as the Writings or [[Ketuvim]], a broader grouping of Jewish holy books encompassing the Psalms and other collections of Hebrew literature and poetry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pfander |first=C. G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHkOAAAAQAAJ |title=The Mizan Ul Haqq, Or, Balance of Truth |publisher=Church Missionary House |year=1866 |page=51}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Scrolls of Abraham]]
*[[Sabians]]
*[[Sheba]]
*[[Book of Psalms]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Characters and names in the Quran}}
{{Psalms}}

[[Category:Psalms]]
[[Category:Islamic texts]]
[[Category:Arabian Peninsula]]
[[Category:Islamic terminology]]
[[Category:David]]

[[tr:Zebur]]