In
the name of Allah swt the most gracious the most merciful.
Prove
from the Tora the Bible and the Noble Quran 3 books from Allah swt in
scriptural explaining that Isa Jesus peace be upon him is just a prophet of
Allah swt Allah "Arabic for God" Jesus peace be upon him is just a
prophet and a Messenger of Allah swt nothing more nothing less
"Introduction"
Jesus
was the last prophet in Israel. He was called the son of God, an expression
that was in common use in scripture but was always employed metaphorically and
in no single instance did it connote God. Nowhere in the Gospels or the
Epistles is it said that Jesus referred to himself as God or implied that he
was God. The expression, Lord, was applied to him but there is no evidence that
those who made use of this expression with reference to him believed, or meant
to convey, that he was God. It was used as a synonym for master.
It
was long after his time that the expression son of God was transmuted into God,
the Son, meaning thereby that Jesus was the second person in the Trinity. The
entire concept of the Trinity was foreign n to the thinking of Jesus.
JESUS
A PROPHET
Jesus
always referred to himself as having been sent by God, meaning that he was a
Divine messenger. For instance:
This
is Eternal Life: to know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have
sent (John 17:3)
I
can of my own self do nothing, as I hear I judge and my judgement is just;
because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which has sent me
(John 5:30)
And
the Father Himself, which has sent me, has borne witness of me. (John 5:37)
It
is clear, therefore, that Jesus consistently put himself forward as one who had
been sent by God, that is to say, as a messenger of God. In fact, his function
as a messenger of God was de fined even before his birth by Divine direction as
set out both in the Gospel and in the Holy Quran. The angel that appeared to
Mary and told her that she would bear a son whom she should name Jesus also
informed her that God will give him the throne of his father David, and he
shall reign over the house of Jacob (Luke1:32-33).
The
Quran affirms that Mary was told that God would teach Jesus the book and the
wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel and would make him a messenger to the
children of Israel ( 3:49-50).
SON
OF GOD - TRUE MEANING
It
is true that in Luke 1:32, he is called the son of the Highest and in 1:35, the
son of God; but these expressions in Biblical idiom do not at all connote
Divinity or partnership in Divinity. W e read:
I
have said, ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalms
82:6)
In
numerous instances the expression son of God is applied to prophets, to the
righteous and to believers. The following are only some examples out of many:
Israel
is My son, even My first born. (Exodus 4:22)
Also
I will make him (David) My first born, higher than the kings of the earth.
(Psalms 89:27)
He
(Solomon) shall be My son, and I will be his Father. (1. Chron 22:10)
Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God. (Matt. 5:9)
Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God. (John 3:1)
More
significant than all this is the explanation furnished by Jesus himself, this
is as follows:
Then
the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good
works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone
me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for
blasphemy; because that thou, being man, makest thyself God. (John 10:31-33)
Now
here the crucial question was dir ectly posed to Jesus. Did he claim to be God,
the second person in the Trinity, as he subsequently came to be represented?
His answer must be accepted by all those who profess to believe in him and
follow him.
Jesus
answered them, is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? If he called
them gods unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou
blasphemeth; because I said, I am the son of God (John 10:34-35)
This
makes it quite clear that the expression, son of God, when applied to Jesus, by
himself or by others, meant no more in his case than it means in its
application to others in scripture, of which we have set out several instances
above. He was son of God in that sense, but in no way at all God, the son, the
second person in the Trinity as is now claimed.
THE
FATHER OF ALL
It
is contended, however, that in the same context Jesus had also said: I and my
Father are one (John 10:30) and The Father is in me, and I in him (John 10:39);
and that these affirmations lend support to the claim made on his behalf that
he was not merely the son of God in the Biblical idiom, but had a relationship
with God which elevated him to the Godhead and made him a partner and an
associate of God on an equal footing. We shall now proceed to show that in the
idiom of the Bible the expression relied upon does not carry the matter any
further and does not furnish the least evidence of the divinity of Jesus. For
instance:
At
that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
(John 14:20)
That
they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also
may be one in us : That the world may believe that Thou hast sent me. And the
glory which Thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we
are one. I in them, and Thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one: and
that the world may know that Thou has t sent me and hast loved them as Thou
hast loved me. (John 17:21-23)
One
God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
(Ephesians 4:6)
JESUS
DISTINCT FROM GOD
The
distinction between Jesus and God was well understood among the disciples and
the early Christians, as would be appreciated from the following:
For
we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in
Christ, Jesus, an d have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)
But
to us there is but one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we in Him;
and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by him. ( 1 Cor. 8:6)
Jesus
himself brought out the distinction clearly in attributing divinity to God
alone, who was also his God, as for instance:
Go
to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father;
and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)
GOD
IS ONE
Jesus
had not the slightest hesitation in affirming the Unity of God. For instance:
One
of the scribes came.. and asked him, which is the first commandment of all? And
Jesus answered him , The first Of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel, the
Lord, our God, is One Lord: and thou shall love the Lord, thy God, with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
This is the first command me nt.. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master,
thou hast said the truth; for there is One God; and there is none other but He.
(Mark 12:29-30 & 32)
God
alone is immortal: the blessed and only potentate, King of Kings, and Lord of
Lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can
approach, whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power
everlasting. (1 Tim. 6:15-16)
JESUS
NOT EQUAL TO GOD
The
doctrine of Trinity necessarily imports the complete equality in all respects
of the three persons of the Trinity, for if there were inequality in any
respect between them that would mean the superiority of one over the other two
in which case the one, or the two, that lacked equality could not be God; the
one who has superiority over the other two would be God of the universe,
including the other two. Even a cursory study of the Gospels and the Epistles
reveals that in respect of the attributes of which there is a record the Father
is supreme and there is a disclaimer by Jesus of those attributes.
For
instance, God alone is the true source of honor, as is said:
How
Can you believe when you accept honor from one another, and care nothing for
the honor that comes from him who alone is God. (John 5:44)
This
finds support in the Quran: Whoso seeks honor should realize that all honor
belongs to God. (35:11 )
And,
behold one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good things shall I do,
that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good?
There is none good but one, that is, God: But thou wilt enter into life, keep
the commandments (Matt. 19:16-17)
Jesus
disclaimed absolute power. When Zebedee asked him to grant that her two sons
may sit, the one on the right hand, and the other on his left hand in his
kingdom, the reply given by him was:
To
sit on my right hand, and on my left is not mine to give but it shall be given
to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. (Matt: 20:23)
His
knowledge was not co-extensive with knowledge of God concerning the day and
hour of his second coming, after setting out certain signs, he said:
But
of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in
heaven, neither the son, but the Father. (Mark 13:32)
Apparently,
not only Jesus lacked equality with God he also lacked equality with the third
person in the Trinity, the Holy Ghost, as he said:
Wherefore
I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but
the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And
whosoever speaketh against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoso
ever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in
this world, neither in the world to come. (Matt. 12:31-32)
JESUS
PRAYS TO GOD
Jesus
had the habit of prayer. As for instance:
He
withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:16)
He took
Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. (Luke 9:28)
It
came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one
of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his
disciples, and he said unto them, when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in
heaven. Hallowed by Thy name........ (Luke 11:1-2) Thus quite rightly all his
supplications and those of his disciples were addressed to God. Obviously,
therefore, there was not equality between the supplicant and Him to whom
supplication was addressed. God had the power to respond to supplication and to
grant it. Quite clearly Jesus lacked such power, for indeed if he had possessed
that power his supplicating God would have been meaningless. Had he been the
second person in the Trinity, he would have been in no need of supplication, as
he would have had the power to do all that he wished. This is well illustrated
in his repeated supplications in the garden of Gethsemane, when he fell on his
face, and prayed, saying:
O
my Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I
will, but as thou wilt. (Matt. 26:39)
The
relationship between Jesus and God was that between a righteous servant and his
gracious master. Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt; is a clear
affirmation of the supremacy of Divine will over the will of Jesus which was
subordinate to the will of God. As he himself affirmed, he had been sent not to
do his own will but to do God's will (John 6:38); which is an exact description
of the relationship between God and a Prophet.
As
a contrast, there is no mention of the Father ever supplicating the Son, which
is clear proof that the Father is supreme and the son is subordinate to Him. as
a servant is subordinate to his master.
EQUALITY
IN TRINITY?
Assuming
that there had been complete equality between the three persons of the Trinity
in every respect, status, knowledge, power and all the other attributes of the
Divine, this would only have led to confusion and conflict of the type of which
we read in the mythologies of certain creeds, for the situation would present
an insoluble dilemma. If one of them had authority to control others, that
would mean the subordination of the others to him, and thus equality would be
negated.
If
there were no control there would be conflict. If there were complete identity
of wills between all three and of everything else, there would be abundance.
As the Quran has said:
If
there had been in the heavens and the earth other gods beside God then surely
both would have gone to ruin. Then glorified b e God, the Lord or the Throne,
above that which they ascribe to Him. He cannot be questioned concerning what
He does, but they will be questioned. (21:23-24)
PROPHECIES
Jesus
called the attention of his opponents to the fact that Moses had prophesied
about his coming. He said:
For
had ye believed Moses ye would have believed me;for he wrote of me. But if ye
believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46-47)
It
is claimed that the re are several prophecies in the Torah and other books of
the Bible concerning the advent of Jesus, and that the Jews were awaiting the
advent of the Messiah when Jesus began his ministry. It is those prophecies to
which Jesus was seeking to draw their attention when he referred to the
writings of Moses. What is significant for our present purpose is that all
those prophecies had reference to the advent of a prophet and not to the advent
of God in the capacity of the second person of Trinity.
The
trut h of the matter is that Jesus was the last prophet in Israel, a believer
in Moses and all the prophets of Israel who followed after Moses. He was bound
by the Mosaic law and adhered to it. It is true that he often set forth its
true import in contrast wit h its letter, but that was the exercise of his
prophetic function. He did not mean, and had no authority, to abrogate the
Mosaic Law or any part of it. This he made quite clear in his emphatic
declaration:
Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I did not come to
destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass,
not one letter, not a dot, will disappear from the law until all that must
happen has happened. Anyone therefore who sets aside even the least of the
law's demands and teaches others to do the same, he shall be called the least
in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them. The same shall
be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 5:1 7-19)
That
is why he told the one who asked what good thing he should do that he may have
eternal life, to keep the commandment; by which he clearly meant the
commandments of the Mosaic Law.
PROPHET
TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
His
ministry as a prophet was confined to the children of Israel. He was the heir
to the throne of David and was to reign over the house of Jacob. (Luke 1: 32-
33). His own conception of the character of his ministry was manifested clearly
in the following incident: Behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same
coasts and cried unto him, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my
daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word, and
his disciples came and besought him, saying, send her away;for she crieth after
us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But
he answered and said, it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it
to dogs. And she said. Truth, Lord: Yet the dogs eat out of the crumbs which
fall from their master's table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman,
great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was
made whole from that very hour. (Matt. 15:22-28)
This
account sets forth clearly and positively that Jesus was a messenger of God
sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel and that the scope of his
ministry did not extend beyond the children of Israel. The woman of Canaan is
said to have worshipped him at one stage, but her worship amounted to no more
than an entreaty for help, so that the expression 'worshipped' has been used
instead of beseeched.
The
verse could well have run: Then came she and prayed him to help her. Be that as
it may, the manifestation on her part of extreme reverence for Jesus did not
invest Jesus with divinity and his response to her entreaty was even more
emphatic than his first response exhibiting an extreme degree of contempt for
Gentiles. He did not consider it fitting to take the children's bread, and cast
it to dogs. The contempt apart, it leaves no room for speculating that his
mission as a messenger could have included within its scope anyone outside the
house of Israel. His yielding to her entreaties in the end was no indication
that he had misconceived the scope of his mission and that now he had a better
understanding of its extent. It meant only that he had been moved to compassion
by the depth and sincerity of her faith in him. His mission was a beneficent
one and even if a non-Israelite believed in him sincerely it would do him no
harm, and nothing but good could proceed from it.
It
is said that on another occasion he had exhorted his disciples to carry his
message into all the towns and villages and to all the people, but there is
nothing to indicate that by all the towns and villages and all the people he
meant anything more than all the towns and villages of Israel and threw hole of
the Jewish people.
He
clearly directed his disciples to that effect, as would appear from: These
twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them saying, Go not into the way of the
Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: but go rather to
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (Matt. 10:5-6)
TRINITY
A MYTH
Thus,
the concept of Trinity finds no support from anything that Jesus is reported to
have said. It is a concept which bewilders reason, offends conscience, and
affronts Divine Majesty. It is utterly inconsistent with the concept of
Godhead.
A
body of distinguished Anglican theologians have described it as a myth:
A
story which is told but which is not literally true or an idea or an image
which is applied to someone or something but which does not literally apply,
but which invites a particular attribute in its hearer.. that Jesus was God,
the Son Incarnate, is not literally true, since it has no literal meaning, but
it is an application to Jesus of a mystical concept whose function is analogous
to that of the notion of divine sonship ascribed in the ancient world to a king.
(The Myth of God Incarnate, Preface, p. ix)
The
writers of this book are convinced that another major theological development
is called for in this last part of the twentieth century. The need arises from
growing knowledge of Christian origins, and involves a recognition that Jesus
was (as he is presented in Acts 2:22). 'A man approved by God' for a special
role within the divine purpose, and that the later conception of him as God
Incarnate, the second person of the Trinity, living in human life, is a mythological
or poetic way of expressing his significance for us. This recognition is called
for in the interest of truth; but it also has increasingly important practical
implication for our relationship to the people of the other great world
religions. (Ibid, p. 178)
THE
HOLY QURAN
God
is not subje ct to contingencies of birth and death. He is Ever-living and
neither begets, nor is begotten. The Quran sets forth a true concept of Him
which does not in any way diminish, confine, or limit Him. The Quran utterly
and emphatically rejects the concept of Trinity. For instance:
He
is God, the Single; God the Self-Existing and Besought of all. He begets not,
nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him. (112:2-5)
Put
thy trust in the One Who is Ever-living and is the source of life, Who dies
not, and glorify Him with His praise. (25:59)
They
allege: The Gracious One has taken unto Himself a son. Assuredly, you have
uttered a monstrous thing! The heavens might well-nigh burst thereat, and the
earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces, because they
ascribe a son to the Gracious One; whereas it becomes not the Gracious One to
take unto Himself a son. There is no one in the heaven and earth but he shall
come to the Gracious One as a bondman. (19:89-94)
All
praise belongs to God, Who has sent down the Book to His servant, free from all
distortion, full of truth and guidance, that it may give warning of a greivous
chastisement proceeding from Him, and that it may give the beli evers who work
righteousness the glad tidings that they shall have a good reward which they
shall enjoy forever. And that it may warn those who say: God has taken unto
Himself a son. They have no knowledge whatever concerning it, nor had their
fathers. Grievous is the assertion that they make. They only utter a falsehood.
(18:2-6)
We
sent no Messenger before thee but We directed him: There is no God but I; so
worship Me alone. But they say: The Gracious One has taken to Himself a son.
Holy is He. Those whom they so designate are only His honoured servants. They
utter not a word more than he directs, and they only carry out His commands. He
knows what lies ahead of them and what is left behind them, and they intercede
not except only he whose intercession He permits, and they tremble with fear of
Him. Whosoever of them should say: I am a god beside Him; We shall requite him
with hell. Thus do We requite the wrongdoers. (21:26-30)
Keep
in mind, When God will ask Jesus, son of Mary: Didst thou say to the people:
Take me and my mother for two Gods besides Allah? And he will answer: Holy art
Thou. It behoves me not to have said that to which I have no right. Had I said
it, Thou wouldst surely have known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind and I
know not what is in Thy mind. It is only Thou who possessest full knowledge of
all that is hidden. I said naught to them except that which Thou didst command
me, that is: Worship God, my Lord and your Lord. I watched over them as long as
I was present among them, but since Thou caused me to die, Thou hast been the
One to watch over them. Indeed Thou dost watch over all things, if Thou decide
to punish them they are Thy servants; and If Thou forgive them, then surely Thou
art the Mighty, Wise. (5:117-119)
People
of the Book! exceed not the bounds in the matter of your religion, and say not
of God anything but the truth. Indeed, the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was but
a Messenger Of God and the fulfilment of glad tidings which he conveyed to Mary
and a mercy for Him. So believe in God and His Messengers and say not: There
are three gods. Desist, it will be the better for you. Indeed, God is only One
God. His Holiness brooks not that He should have a son. To Him belongs whatever
is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. Sufficient is God as a
Guardian. Surely, the Messiah would never disdain to be accounted a servant of
God, nor would the angels who are close to God. Those who disdain to worship
Him and consider themselves above it will He gather all together before
Himself. (4:172-173)
Those
certainly are disbelievers who say: God is none but the Messiah, son of Mary:
whereas the Messiah himself taught: Children of Israel worship God Who is my
Lord and your Lord. Surely God has forbidden heaven to him who associates
partners with God, and the fire will be his resort. The wrongdoers shall have
no helpers. Those certainly are disbelievers who say: God is the third of the
three. There is no one worthy of worship but the One God. If they desist not
from that which they say, a grievous chastisement shall surely afflict those of
them that disbelieve. Will they not then turn to God and beg His forgiveness,
seeing that God is Most Forgiving. Ever Merciful. (5:73-75)
The
Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger; many Messengers have passed away before
him. His mother was a paragon of truth and they both were in need of and ate
food. Observe how We explain the signs for their benefit, then observe how they
are led away. Ask them: Do you worship beside God that which has no power to do
you harm or good? It is God Who is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. Admonish them:
People of the Book, exceed not the bounds in the matter of your religion
unjustly, nor follow the vain desires of a people who themselves went astray
before and caused many others to go astray, and who strayed away from the right
path. (5:76-78)
The
subject of God and His attributes, through which alone a true concept of Him
may be formed, is vast and limitless. The Quran sets forth a wealth of
instruction concerning divine attributes and their operation. It is not
necessary for our present purpose to embark upon a detailed discussion of the
subject. By way of illustration, however, attention might be drawn to the
following passage which should be studied and pondered with great care:
God
is He besides Whom there is no god, the Sovereign, the Most Holy, the Source of
Peace, the Bestower of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subdue, the
Exalted, Holy is God far above that which they associate with Him. He is God,
the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner: His are the most beautiful names. All
that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him. He is Mighty, the Wise.
(59:23-25)
CONCLUSION
Man
is desirous of righteous progeny to help him in his old age, to carry on his
name and the family after his death, and to bring him posthumous honor. God is
Ever-living, Self-subsisting and Self-sustaining. All that is in heavens and
earth belongs to Him, obeys Him and glorifies Him. What need has He of a son?
What can a son do for Him that He cannot do Himself? To attribute a son to Him,
as a partner in the Godhead, would be to offer the gravest affront to Him