What mistakes do students make with Beliefs and teachings?

Claiming Muslims completely reject the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel. Muslims respect them as original divine revelations, but believe their current forms have been altered. Confusing the prophets associated with each text. Ensure you correctly match Musa to the Torah, Dawud to the Psalms, and Isa to the Gospel. Stating these texts have equal authority to the Qur'an in Islam. Only the Qur'an is viewed as the final, uncorrupted word of God, giving it supreme authority over earlier texts.

What are the exam tips for Beliefs and teachings in Religious Studies AQA GCSE?

Use the Arabic names for the texts (Tawrat, Zabur, Injil, Sahifah) alongside the English names to secure higher marks. When asked about holy books, explicitly mention the concept of corruption (tahrif) to explain why earlier texts have diminished authority. Compare the temporary or altered nature of these earlier scriptures with the eternal, preserved nature of the Qur'an.

AQA · GCSE · Religious Studies

Course version: 8062 · Version from Sept 2018

The Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, the Scrolls of Abraham and their…

Full specification wording

Beliefs and teachings: the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, the Scrolls of Abraham and their authority.

Islam teaches that Allah sent revelations to various prophets before Muhammad, including the Torah (Tawrat) given to Musa (Moses), the Psalms (Zabur) given to Dawud (David), the Gospel (Injil)…

Checked against the AQA 8062 specification (opens in a new tab) on 27 September 2026.

Point 12 of 13

Study notes

From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

The Torah (Tawrat) was revealed to Musa (Moses) and is respected as an early revelation of God's law.
The Psalms (Zabur) were revealed to Dawud (David) and contain hymns praising God.
The Gospel (Injil) was revealed to Isa (Jesus) and prophesied the coming of Muhammad.
The Scrolls of Abraham (Sahifah) are considered one of the earliest revelations, though they are now lost.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Claiming Muslims completely reject the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel.
Put it right: Muslims respect them as original divine revelations, but believe their current forms have been altered.
Confusing the prophets associated with each text.
Put it right: Ensure you correctly match Musa to the Torah, Dawud to the Psalms, and Isa to the Gospel.
Stating these texts have equal authority to the Qur'an in Islam.
Put it right: Only the Qur'an is viewed as the final, uncorrupted word of God, giving it supreme authority over earlier texts.

Exam tips

Use the Arabic names for the texts (Tawrat, Zabur, Injil, Sahifah) alongside the English names to secure higher marks.
When asked about holy books, explicitly mention the concept of corruption (tahrif) to explain why earlier texts have diminished authority.
Compare the temporary or altered nature of these earlier scriptures with the eternal, preserved nature of the Qur'an.

Try the lesson

The start of the Beliefs and teachings: the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, the Scrolls of Abraham and their authority. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

Have a go first

According to Islamic teachings, to which prophet was the Injil (Gospel) revealed?

Tip: press 1 to 4 to choose

Listen

Islam teaches that Allah sent revelations to various prophets before Muhammad, including the Torah (Tawrat) given to Musa (Moses), the Psalms (Zabur) given to Dawud (David), the Gospel (Injil) given to Isa (Jesus), and the Scrolls of Abraham (Sahifah). These texts originally contained the true message of monotheism and submission to God. However, Muslims believe these earlier scriptures have been lost, altered, or corrupted over time by human interference. Consequently, while they hold historical and spiritual authority as original divine revelations, their current forms lack the absolute, uncorrupted authority of the Qur'an. They are respected but are not used as the primary source of Islamic law or practice. A strong answer earns marks for these points. The Torah (Tawrat) was revealed to Musa (Moses) and is respected as an early revelation of God's law. The Psalms (Zabur) were revealed to Dawud (David) and contain hymns praising God. The Gospel (Injil) was revealed to Isa (Jesus) and prophesied the coming of Muhammad. The Scrolls of Abraham (Sahifah) are considered one of the earliest revelations, though they are now lost. A common slip: Claiming Muslims completely reject the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel. Instead, Muslims respect them as original divine revelations, but believe their current forms have been altered. Exam tip: Use the Arabic names for the texts (Tawrat, Zabur, Injil, Sahifah) alongside the English names to secure higher marks.

See it

A top-down flowchart. At the top, a node reads 'Allah sends revelations' and branches to four nodes: 'Torah (Tawrat) to Musa', 'Psalms (Zabur) to Dawud', 'Gospel (Injil) to Isa' and 'Scrolls of Abraham (Sahifah)'. All four lead to a node reading 'Originally true message of monotheism', which leads to 'Lost, altered or corrupted over time', which finally leads to 'Respected but limited authority; not primary source of Islamic law'. — It shows the four earlier revelations given to their prophets, their original message, and how corruption leads to their limited authority today.

Label the diagram

Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. At the top, a node reads 'Allah sends revelations' and branches to four nodes: 'Torah (Tawrat) to Musa', 'Psalms (Zabur) to Dawud', 'Gospel (Injil) to Isa' and 'Scrolls of Abraham (Sahifah)'. All four lead to a node reading 'Originally true message of monotheism', which leads to 'Lost, altered or corrupted over time', which finally leads to 'Respected but limited authority; not primary source of Islamic law'.

1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3

0 of 3 labelled

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