THE QUR'ANIC TESTIMONY OF CHRISTIAN MONOTHEISM

The Qur'an testifies that Christians are monotheistic and not infidels. The following are examples of this testimony:

1. Sura al-Ankabut 29:46, "Do no argue with the people of the Book except in what is better... and say we believed in what was sent down to us and to you, and our God and your God is the same, is one." Thus, the Qur'an testifies that we Christians, "people of the Book," worship one God.

2. Sura Al Imran 3:113-114, "Among the people of the Book is a nation which recites the verses of God during the night, and they worship God and believe in Him and in the Day of Judgement, and they hasten charity." This reference clearly asserts that Christians, "people of the Book," believe in one God; they recite His book which was in their hands in Muhammad's days, and they worship the one God in their services and prayers.

3. Sura al-Ma'ida 5:82, "For sure you will find the bitterest enemies of those who believe (Muslims) are the Jews and those who do not believe in our God. And you will find the closest friends to believers to be those who said, 'We are Nazarenes,' as among them there are pastors and monks and they are not proud." It is clear that Nazarenes are no polytheists, since polytheists and Jews are the bitter enemies of Muslims, but Nazarenes are their closest friends.

4. Sura Al Imran 3, "As God said, O Jesus, I'll make you die, and I'll raise you up to me, and I'll purify you from the infidels, and I'll make those who followed you higher than the infidels until the Day of Judgement." Hence, it is clear to you that the followers of Christ, or Christians, are not infidels. On the contrary, God distinguished Christians from infidels and raised them above infidels.

The testimony of the Qur'an concerning Christians has proved with certainty that they worship the one God and are no polytheists.

THE QUR'ANIC TESTIMONY OF THE CHRISTIAN HOLY TRINITY

Perhaps you are amazed, my dear friend, that the Qur'an mentions the Trinity of the one God exactly as Christians believe in it. We have already seen that the Trinity of Christianity is the nature of God. His Word, and His Spirit. This is the same Trinity that the Qur'an mentions, "But Jesus Christ, son of Mary is the messenger of God and His word and spirit of Him that He gave to Mary" (Sura al-Nisa 4:171). In this verse it is clear that God has:

a personality - "messenger of God"

a word - "and His word"

a spirit - "and a spirit from Him"

This testimony of the Qur'an for the creed of the Trinity is what we Christians proclaim and no more. It does not proclaim polytheism, but rather it proclaims that there is no God but Him.

THE QUR'ANIC TESTIMONY THAT Christ IS THE WORD OF GOD

The Qur'an testifies very clearly that Christ is the Word of God. The following Qur'anic references are examples:

1. Sura al-Nisa 4:171, "Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, is God's messenger and His word."

2. Sura Al Imran 3:139, "...God proclaims to you Yahya (John the Baptist) supporting a word from God..." The Iman Abu al-Su`ud commented on the phrase "supporting a word from God," that is Isa, may He be blessed, by saying, "...it was said that he (John the Baptist) was the first to believe in Him (Jesus) and to support His being the Word of God and a Spirit from Him. Al Sadi said, "The mother of Yahya (John) meeting the mother of Isa (Jesus) asked, "Mary, have you felt my pregnancy?" Mary answered, 'I too am pregnant.' She (John's mother) then said, 'I find that what is in my belly worships what is in your belly.' From here the above utterance of God 'supporting a word from God' comes clear" (Abu al-Su`ud Muhammad Ibn Muhammad al-Ahmadi's Commentary, page 233).

3. Sura Al Imran 3:45, "the angels said to Mary, 'Allah proclaims to you a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary." The English translation uses the relative pronoun whose in referring to a masculine personal pronoun in the Arabic original. This indicates the fact that a word here does not mean a simple word of language but a person. You also find this clarified in the saying of one of the Muslim scholars (Al Shaikh Muhyi al-Din al-Arabic), who said, "The word is God in theophany... and it is the one divine person and not any other" ("Fusus al-Hukm part II, p. 35). He also said that the word is the divine person (page 13). Isn't that exactly what was said about the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of John? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh" (John 1:1,14). In the Arabic translation of this verse, we again find (in conformity with the Greek original) the same usage of the term word with the pronouns referring to it. Word refers to a person. This is clear from John's specifications, "The Word was God" and "Word became flesh."

THE QUR'ANIC TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Many verses of the Qur'an mention that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and that He supported the Lord Jesus with it. This becomes clear from the following:

Sura al-Ma'ida 5:110, "Allah said to Jesus, 'Jesus, son of Mary, remember the favour I had bestowed on you and your mother, how I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit, so that you preached to men in your cradle and in the prime of manhood."

The theological scholar Al-Shaikh Muhammad al- Hariri al-Bayyumi says, "The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Allah" (Kitab al-Ruh wa Maiyyyatuha, p.53).

From all that preceded, my friend, the testimony of the Qur'an and the theologians of Islam for the creed of the Trinity in whom we Christians believe becomes clear.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is God's Spirit and is mentioned in the Qur'an in many places.

Sura Yusuf 12:87, "Do not despair of Allah's spirit; none but unbelievers despair of Allah's spirit."

Sura al-Baqara 2:87 and 253, "We gave Jesus the son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened Him with the Holy Spirit."

Al Imam al-Nasafi said, "By the Holy Spirit is meant, the sanctified spirit...or the name of God the greatest."

Sura al-Ma'ida 5:110, "Jesus, son of Mary remember the favour I have bestowed on you and on your mother; how I have strengthened you with the Holy Spirit."

Al Sayyid Abdul Karim al-Djabali said about the Holy Spirit that He is not created, and what is not created is eternal and the eternal is God alone.

Also Al-Shaikh Muhammad al-Harira al-Bayyumi said, "The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God is not created."

This is the holy Trinity in one God in whom we believe, and this is the secret of naming it as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Father is the title of the essential Fatherhood of God.

The Son is the title of the incarnated Word of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God Himself.