Sahifah Holy Book

The word sahifah (Arabic: صحيفة, plural suhuf) means a sheet, page, or scroll. In Islamic usage it does not name one holy book. It refers to written pages that are associated with revelation or with particular prophets, and it is used in several different senses. Readers searching for “sahifah holy book” are usually trying to learn which texts are meant and how they relate to the Quran.

An old parchment scroll partly unrolled on a wooden desk beside a closed leather-bound book in warm lamplight.

This article explains the main uses of the term, separates Quranic references from later traditions, and notes where scholars and communities differ.

Short answer: sahifah is a word for written pages, not one scripture

Rolled manuscript sheets stacked in a stone archive niche with light from a window falling across them.

In Islam, the Quran is the central revealed text. Muslims use sahifah in a few distinct ways. The Quran refers to earlier scrolls, and later Islamic literature discusses collections of sayings and historical documents that are also called sahifah. These should not be treated as one book with one agreed content.

Quranic usage: references to earlier scrolls associated with Abraham and Moses.
Hadith literature: written collections of reports attributed to Companions, sometimes called sahifah.
Historical documents: the agreement traditionally known as the Constitution of Medina, sometimes called Sahifat al-Madinah.

Quranic references to earlier scrolls

The Quran uses the plural suhuf when speaking of scriptures given before it. Several passages are commonly cited by Muslim scholars:

Surah Al-A’la (87:18–19): refers to the “former scrolls” and names the scrolls of Abraham and Moses. This is a paraphrase, not a quotation.
Surah An-Najm (53:36–37): asks whether a person has been told what is in the scrolls of Moses and of Abraham, who fulfilled his commitments.
Surah Al-Bayyinah (98:2): describes a messenger reciting purified scrolls. Commentators differ on whether this refers to the Prophet Muhammad’s recitation of revelation or to an idealized description of scripture.

Classical and modern commentators generally agree that these verses link the Quran to earlier revelation. They do not agree on the exact physical content of the lost scrolls of Abraham. Some later writers attached detailed content to them. Those claims are not found in the Quranic verses themselves and should be read as tradition or speculation.

Scripture, commentary, and later tradition

It helps to keep three layers apart. The Quranic verses above are scripture. Explanations of what the scrolls contained are commentary and later tradition. Discussions of their survival, authenticity, and historical location belong to academic and historical study. Readers should check whether a source is quoting the Quran, quoting a hadith collection, or offering commentary.

Sahifah in hadith literature

Early Muslim writers recorded knowledge in written notebooks as well as through memorization. Some of these personal or collected writings were called sahifah. The best-known example in later Islamic literature is a collection attributed to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, often referred to as the Sahifah Sadiqah. Hadith scholars have discussed how such collections were transmitted, and they evaluate reports by chain of transmission and content rather than by the title alone.

This means a sahifah in hadith studies is a documented record that must be assessed on its own terms. It is not automatically a sacred scripture on the level of the Quran.

The Constitution of Medina

Historians commonly use the term Sahifat al-Madinah for an early written agreement among the Muslims of Medina, Jewish tribes, and other groups in the city. Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham are the main classical sources that preserve material about it, and modern historians discuss its date, wording, and the reliability of the surviving versions.

This document is a political and historical text, not a devotional book. Scholars treat it as evidence for early community relations in Medina, with debate over how much of the text survives unchanged.

Why the term can be confusing

Some readers see sahifah translated as “page” or “scroll” and assume it means a specific book.
Some websites label any collection of sayings or documents as a “holy book”. Islamic scholarship generally does not use that category for these collections.
Different Muslim communities give different weight to hadith collections and historical documents, so claims should be attributed to the tradition that makes them.

Summary

Sahifah means a written page or scroll. In Islamic sources it can refer to earlier scrolls mentioned in the Quran, to written hadith collections, or to historical documents such as the Constitution of Medina. It is not a single holy book. When you read about it, check whether the source is scripture, hadith literature, history, or later commentary.

Sources and Further Reading

No external sources were fetched or verified for this draft. The Quranic chapter and verse references above should be checked against a reliable Quran edition and translation before publication. Suggested reading to verify: a complete English Quran translation with commentary, a standard hadith reference work, and an academic study of the Constitution of Medina.