kingdom come…, Forgive our sins" (Luke 11:1-3 and Matthew 6:9-10). He warned his followers not to pray and fast like hypocrites but their prayers must be sincerely devoted to God (Matthew 6:6 and Matthew 6:17-18).
Jesus repented when he was baptized by John the Baptist.
Jesus preached repentance as Matthew 4:17 reported because the kingdom of heaven is near. Baptism was prescribed not only on people but also on Jesus. Luke 3:21 reported: "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too." Matthew 3:13 said: "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John." This was reported by Mark 1:9 too.
Jesus was the messenger of God.
Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law that was brought by the previous messengers (Matthew 5:17). He was one stone, a messenger, in the building of Law and Prophets that was not finished during his time (John16:12-13).
Jesus Christ described himself as a messenger from God (Matthew 10:40-41 and Mark 9:37 and Luke 9:48 and Luke 10:16 and John 12:44 and John 20:21). God taught Jesus the good news (John 8:28). Jesus told the Jews who were amazed about his teaching that he received the teaching from God and he worked for the honor of his Lord not for himself (John 7:16-18 and John 7:28 and John 8:26). He was anointed with the Spirit to preach the good news and the truth that he heard from God and to teach the way of God (Luke 4:18 and Luke 20:21 and John 8:40). Indeed God sent Jesus to preach the good news as Luke 4:43 said: "But he said "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." John the Baptist testified that God sent Jesus to convey His words (John 3:34). And Jesus testified that he did not speak his own but God commanded him what to say and how to say it (John 12:49-50 and John 14:24).
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Since Jesus was a messenger of God, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him (John 13:16).
Jesus was a prophet too. God wants from people to believe in Jesus as a prophet (John 6:29). Jesus admitted that he was a prophet. When Jesus started to teach the people of his hometown and other towns, they were amazed about his wisdom and miraculous powers yet they rejected him. But Jesus wondered and said that only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor (Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4 and Luke 4:24 and John 4:44). People of Jerusalem believed in Jesus as a prophet. When Jesus entered Jerusalem, people welcomed him as a prophet and a king who comes in the name of the Lord (Matthew 21:46 and Matthew 21:9-11 and John 12:13). Also when Jesus performed great miracles in a town called Nain and in the far shore of the sea of Tiberias, people praised God "a great prophet has appeared among us" (Luke 7: 16). John 6:14 reported: "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." When Simon the Pharisee saw a woman touching Jesus he said to himself: "If this man (Jesus) were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39). The Samaritan woman believed in Jesus as a prophet (John 4:19). Even after the alleged crucifixion it was reported that Jesus appeared to two men who told him about what happened to Jesus the prophet (Luke 24:19). It is clear from the words of Jesus, his followers and people around him that he was a prophet from God. Jesus lived as a prophet and was raised as a prophet (Luke 13:33).
Who did give Jesus the power to do miracles?
Jesus did many miracles such as bringing dead to life and curing blind and leper by permission of God. All miracles that Jesus did during his ministry were from God (John 10:32). Jesus affirmed that God enabled him to perform miracles: "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is
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come upon you" (Luke 11:20 and Matthew 12:28). Acts 2:22 assured that God supported Jesus with miracles. Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, believed that the miraculous power that Jesus performed was from God (John 3:2). God made things under Jesus and he was made subject to God so that God is all in all (1Cointhians 15:27-28). In fact Jesus Christ came to do the work of God who sent him (John 4:34, John 9:4), and he could not do nothing by himself (John 5:19-47). John 5:30 reported that Jesus said: "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me."
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power (Acts 10:38). The Holy Spirit is the very nature, presence and expression of God’s power actively working in His servants (John 14:23; 2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 2:20) (Who is God, P. 54). This was the same power that enabled Christ to perform many mighty miracles during his ministry. It is the Spirit that led Jesus in the desert to protect him from the temptation of devil (Luke 4:1). In its article about the Holy Spirit, The Anchor Bible Dictionary describes it as the “manifestation of divine presence and power perceptible especially in prophetic inspiration” (Vol. 3, 1992, p. 260). 2 Peter 1:21 stated: "prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." Christ had this spiritual comprehension in abundance. As the Messiah, He was prophesied to have the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD (Isaiah 11:2).
Jesus continually received needed spiritual power from the Father (John 5:30; 14:10). He told his companions that he could ask his Lord to support him with legions of angles (Matthew 26:53). God supported him with miracles so that people believe. It is reported in John 10:25 that Jesus said to the Jews: "The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me." And Acts 2:22 stated:
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"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as yourselves know.…" When Jesus asked God to prove to people that he is a messenger of God to them through a miracle, God enabled him to bring Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41-44). And John 11:22 mentioned that Martha, Lazarus' sister, was confident that God would give Jesus whatever he asked.
The Old Testament of the Bible recorded others besides Jesus to have done similar miracles such as Elisha who fed 100 people with little food (II Kings 4:44), cured Naaman the leper (II Kings 5:14), had the blind to see (II Kings 6:17 and 20) and raised the dead (II Kings 4:34 and II Kings 13:21). Elijah raised the dead ((I Kings 17:22); and ascended to heaven (2kings 2:11). Therefore, Jesus Christ was not the only human who ascended to heaven.
The New Testament of the Bible mentioned that God did not only support His servant, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit but He also supported other servants (Luke 11:13 and Luke 12:12). Acts 19:11 addressed Christians that God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Repeatedly the Scriptures reveal that God imparted divine inspiration to His prophets and servants through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus used to give thanks and prayers to God before doing miraculous work (Matthew 14:19 and 15:36 and 17:21 and Mark 6:41 and Mark 7:32-34 and Mark 8:6 and Mark 9:28-29 and John 6:11). He performed many miracles because he had faith in God with no doubt. Also with faith people other than Jesus can perform miracles even greater than Jesus did (Matthew 21:21-22 and Mark 11: 23). And with faith and giving praise to God people were cured miraculously from their permanent sickness (Luke 17:18-19 and Luke 18:42-43).
Jesus gave some people the glad tidings of forgiving sins for those who had faith (Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:20-24). It is
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misunderstood that since Jesus forgave sins, he is God. But they did not understand that God enabled Jesus to give people the glad tidings of forgiving sins as He gave him the authority of miracles.
Jesus and the Crucifixion doctrine
Crucifixion is one of the fundamental believes of Christians. We can say that refuting crucifixion is refuting Christianity because all Christianity concepts about God, Jesus Christ, and atonement of original sin came from the crucifixion dogma. Christians believe that the original sin committed by Adam and Eve transferred to their descendents. The atonement of the original sin must be through a sin-free person so God sacrificed His only begotten son. Christians claim that Jesus, the Savior, was crucified to death to atone the original sin. But Jews claimed that Jesus Christ disbelieved in God and they found him guilty thus he deserved to be crucified until death. They gave Jesus the sentence of death by crucifixion to be cursed by God as Deuteronomy 21:23 stated: "…any one who is hung on a tree is under God's curse"
The four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) reported the claimed crucifixion story. It started with Jews who plotted to put Jesus to death. They used Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, to arrest Jesus. Jesus felt that Judas Iscariot will betray him so he and the eleven disciples went to a place called "Gethsemane" to escape from the Jews and Roman troops. Jesus was sorrowful and deeply distressed. He started praying "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." Then the Roman troops and Jew officers came with Judas and arrested Jesus while all disciples deserted him and fled. Jesus was taken to the courtyard of the high priest where he was tried by the chief priests. Witnesses bored false testimony against Jesus; therefore, he was condemned to be deserving death. Early in the morning, Jesus was handed over to Pilate, the governor, who questioned him and found him not guilty. But under the insistence of the chief
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priests to crucify Jesus, Pilate handed him to be flogged and crucified after he said "I am innocent of this man's blood, it is your responsibility." According to the Bible, Jesus was crucified on Friday at six o'clock (twelve o'clock nowadays) and died at nine o'clock (three o'clock nowadays) in the same day. Then he was buried before sun set on Friday. On Sunday morning, Jesus was not found in the tomb but later he appeared alive to Mary Magdalene and to the eleven disciples before he rose to heaven.
The atonement of original sin is a fabricated dogma.
The Christians claim that Jesus was crucified to death to save them from the original sin has no validity for the following reasons:
1) The atonement of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve has no place in the Bible.
2) Jesus came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). Jesus commanded his followers to repent because the kingdom of God is near (Mark 1:15 and Matthew 4:17) and to ask God forgiveness (Matthew 6:12). Also the disciples went out to preach for repentance (Mark 6:12). Unless people repent, they can not avoid punishment (Luke 13:2 and 13:5 and Luke 21:34-36).
3) Jesus guided the one who asked him how to get salvation and inherit eternal life to obey the commandments (Matthew 19:17and Mark 10:19). And people should act according to the commandments in order to be eligible for eternal life (Luke 18:20). Also Jesus warned his followers that they will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless they become real righteous and to make every effort for that (Matthew 5:20 and Luke 13:24).
4) Every one will be reckoned on the Day of Judgment (Matthew 12:36-37 and Romans 14:12). Jesus addressed his followers that it is the sins that throw any person into the Hellfire (Matthew 5:22 and Matthew 5:29-30 and Matthew 18:8-9). Many did good things in the name of Jesus but they will not enter the kingdom of God
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because they were sinners (Matthew 7:22-23). Those who speak blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven but sins or blasphemy other than this will be forgiven through repentance (Matthew 12:13-32 and Mark 3:28-29 and Luke 12:10 and Luke 19:8-10) or through ignorance (Luke 23:34). Therefore, it is not the salvation of blood through crucifixion but avoiding evil deeds and approaching good deeds save people from the Hellfire and qualify them for the kingdom of heaven.
5) What about all nations before Jesus? Who saved them from the original sin?
6) It is not just for all humans to take the responsibility of Adam's sin.
7) Jesus had to know that he came for the atonement of the original sin. But Jesus did not know that his death was for the atonement of the original sin because according to the alleged story of crucifixion he was sorrowful and deeply distressed and started praying "O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me" (Luke 22:42). And the last words of Jesus were "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
8) Matthew 27 mentioned great events at the time when Jesus died such as: the earth shook, the rocks split, the tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. Such great events are not mentioned in the other gospels. Also Matthew 12:40 said: "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." However, Jesus was in the tomb one day and two nights because he was in the tomb the night of Saturday, the day of Saturday, the night of Sunday, and early in the morning of Sunday he was not found in the tomb. The differences and contradictions between the gospels about the story of crucifixion, which is the greatest event in the life of Jesus, bring evidence that the narrators had no sure facts about the crucifixion events. Most of the bishops of England questioned
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the information related to Jesus in the Bible. Daily News 25/6/84 reported the following: "The poll of 31 of England's 39 bishops shows that many of them think that Christ's miracles, the virgin birth and the resurrection might not have happened exactly as described in the Bible."
9) According to the Gospel of Barnabas, Jesus was neither killed nor crucified but God raised him to heaven with his soul and body. The resemblance of Jesus was put over Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus and they killed him instead of Jesus.
Jesus in the doctrine of Trinity
The doctrine of Trinity means three separate and distinct Divine Persons in Godhead. They are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost (Sprit). The Trinity Creed states:
"There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the majesty co-eternal...The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God...For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there be three Gods, or three Lords."
Some historical points on the Trinitarian controversy
The founder of many false believes in today's Christianity is Paul, also named Saul. Paul is a Jew who ran a persecution campaign against Jesus and against his followers. He declared his belief in Jesus after the time of Jesus. The history of Paul indicates that he tailored everything to suit his motive of getting to the top of Christendom power. In fact, his epistles to people in different places were the foundation of today's Christianity. Although he did not mention Trinity in his epistles but his teachings introduced false believes that led to Trinity during the 4th and 5th centuries.
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The Trinitarian dogma came into existence after Jesus because he did not teach his followers trinity. The oneness of God was the belief of early Christians. In 120 A.D. the apostles’ creed was "I believe in God the Almighty." The apostles’ creed had the word "father" to become "I believe in God the father Almighty" in 180 A.D. In 190 A.D. some apostolic church leaders condemned this innovation such as Iranaeus who believed in one God and the manhood of Jesus. Tertullian believed in the unity of God but he used the word "Trinity" in 200 A.D. to explain the strange doctrine of the Pauline church. In 310 A.D. Lactancen (orthodox father) wrote "Christ never calls himself God." In 318 A.D. Arias opposed that Jesus is the Son of God and co-eternal with the Father. With the support of Bishop Alexander, Athnasius engineered Trinity. In 321 A.D. Arias confronted Bishop Alexander of the Pauline church in refuting the Trinity. In 325 A.D. Emperor Constantine held the first General council "the Council of Nicea" attended by 318 bishops. Despite the rejection of the council's majority, The Trinity creed was ratified. However, the Pro-Arias continued to practice the unity of God creed. In 381 A.D. Emperor Theodosius of Rome held the second General council "the Council of Constantinople" attended by 186 bishops. The council ratified the final touch of Trinitarian creed by asserting the Holy Ghost as the third person in the trinity. Despite the threat of Emperor Theodosius to punish those who rejected the Trinity, the Unitarians have survived through the Christian history.
The ratification of trinity was motivated by political considerations
Romans had embarked on a persecution campaign against Christians starting from the reign of Emperor Nero to that of Constantine. The followers of Jesus were subjected to severe punishment during the Roman Empire until the reign of Constantine.
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During the reign of Constantine, the Empire of Rome was in danger due to the internal civil strife and the death of Crisps, Constantine's son and the direct heir to the throne. According to more than one testimony, Constantine with the collaboration of empress Faust put his son, Crisps, to death. When Constantine felt that his empire is about to collapse, he fled to Constantinople where he was offered by the Pauline church to have penance, so he had public penance. This action by Constantine served two goals. The first goal is to win the loyalty of the Christians needed to unite his empire and the second goal is to escape the penalty of his crimes, especially the killing of his son. Constantine with the help of priests in the Pauline church succeeded in reuniting the Roman Empire.
Constantine had good control over the clergymen; therefore he wanted to have united church loyal to him and its center in Rome not in Jerusalem. The followers of the apostolic church considered this move to be a political strategy and not religious move because they believed that Jesus did not mention anything about Rome to be the center of his teaching so they continued to believe in the Divine unity of God and Jesus as His prophet.
Constantine was not a devoted Christian because his convert to Christianity was due to political considerations. This can be proved from his decision to declare the Roman Sunday as the Christian Sabbath and his decision to adapt the Roman son-god’s birthday (25th December) as the birthday of Jesus. All these decisions were in order to please the pagans of Rome. With the support of Constantine, the Pauline church won and the Nicea's Creed was ratified. It declared the Trinitarian concept as the official doctrine of the Pauline church and ratified the gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John as the only four canonical gospels. Also the Nicea council decided to destroy all other gospels and punish everyone who opposes the doctrine of the Pauline church. This resulted in
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killing over a million Christians during the years following the Nicea council.
Under the influence of his sister who was pro-Arian, Constantine decided to restore Arias to the catholic communion. But in the same day of his triumph, Arias died. Athanasius was accused for the death of Arias. Athanasius is the one who engineered the trinity creed and objected strongly the Constantine’s decision to restore Arias. Constantine persecuted Athanasius for his responsibility of Arias death and exiled him for 28 months.
With the strong influence of his pro-Arias sister and the tragic death of Arias, Constantine became Arian Christian. Constantine died in 337 A.D. in the faith of the apostolic church that believed in the Divine unity of God. After the death of Constantine, Emperor Constantinous who was also pro-Arian persecuted Athanasius and exiled him two times. The fact that Constantine ratified the Trinitarian doctrine and died in the faith of those who believed in one God explained well that the first move was motivated by political considerations and not by religious belief.
Refuting the Trinity
A. The history of Christianity refutes the Trinity
The following points show that the Trinity did not exist during the first three hundred years after Jesus and many leaders from the apostolic church opposed it because they considered it as an innovation.
1) Jesus did not teach his followers Trinity.
2) The Oneness of God was the belief of early Christians. The apostles Creed was "I believe in God the Almighty" until 120 A.D.
3) Apostolic church leaders such as Iranaeus, Tertullian, Lactencen and Arias opposed and condemned innovations that led to the Trinity.
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4) The ratification of Trinity in Nicea and Constantinople councils was motivated by political considerations and not by religious belief. The fact that Constantine ratified the Trinitarian doctrine and died in the faith of those who believed in the Oneness of God explained well that his first move to ratify Trinity was motivated by political considerations and not by religious belief.
5) There has been controversy about Trinity since the first century of Christian era. Many Christian sects and scholars emerged during the history of Christianity to solve the Trinitarian controversy.
6) Over a million of Christians were killed during the years following the ratification of Trinity because they did not believe in the Trinity dogma and continued to believe in the Oneness of God and the manhood of Jesus as a great prophet. This indicates that Christians were compelled to believe in Trinity. Persecutions against those Christians who did not believe in Trinity have lasted for centuries and resulted in killing a lot of them among them Christian scholars. For example, Michael Servestus was burned alive in 16th century because he rejected Trinity and wrote a book called "The Errors of Trinity" and this led Castillo, Servestus' follower, to say his well known remark "To burn a man is not to prove a doctrine."
B. The Bible does not contain Trinity
Trinity does not exist in this name in the Bible. The Church relies on Matthew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This was considered as a proof for the Trinity. However, these are three distinct and separate names and not one. Also there is not any indication here that the three are one God. The only proof of Trinity was in 1 John 5:7 which stated: "for there are three that bear record in heaven, the father, the word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one." This proof was in King James Version but it was discarded by 32 Christian scholars who
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represented 50 denominations in 1946 and does not exist anymore in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. The New Bible Dictionary said: "The term "Trinity" is not itself found in the Bible. It was first used by Tertullian at the close of the 2nd century, but received wide currency and formal elucidation only in the 4th and 5th centuries." It also said: "the formal doctrine of the Trinity was the results of several inadequate attempts to explain who and what the Christian God really is."
C. Rationality refutes the Trinity
Trinity means three in one and one in three. It is impossible to understand the meaning of Trinity because three distinct and separate persons can not be one and one person can not be three distinct and separate persons. Trinity is so mysterious that Christian scholars themselves could not conceive it through the Christian history. Christian scholars of the 4th century stated that Trinity could not be proved but could be illustrated. Those of the 12th century stated that Trinity could be proved and illustrated. And those of the 14th century stated that Trinity could not be proved nor illustrated but should be blindly believed. They tried to escape this confusion by stating that it is difficult to understand Trinity because it is a secret. A.W. Tozer, in his book The Knowledge of the Holy (1961, pp. 17-18), wrote: "Trinity is an incomprehensible mystery and must remain forever futile". Unger's Bible Dictionary (1966, p. 1118) stated about Trinity: "It is admitted by all who thoughtfully deal with this subject that the Scripture revelation here leads us into the presence of a deep mystery; and that all human attempts at expression are of necessity imperfect." Even Athnasius who is considered the father of Trinity dogma was not sure about its truth. He was trying to convince himself about this creed but he was not able to express his thoughts and could not hide the truth when he wrote: "There are not three but One God." (Jesus a Prophet of Islam P.10).
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There has been a great dispute about the persons of Trinity among different groups of Christians. Taqi Usmani in his book 'What is Christianity' defined three groups: "Who are the three Persons whose unity, according to Christians, is God? There is itself a difference of opinion in their identification. Some say that God is the totality of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Others are of the view that the Father, Son and Virgin Mary are the three persons whose unity represents God. Then what is the individual status of each of these three Persons, and what is their relationship to the whole God which is referred to as Trinity? In answer to this question also, there are great differences of opinion. One group is of the opinion that each of three per se God just as the whole is God. Another group is of view that each of three separately is God, but when compared to the whole each has a lesser status and the word "God" has been used for each in a slighter wider sense. The third group is of the opinion that each of the three is not God, but that God is only the whole (trinity)."
After considering the Holy Spirit the God’s divine power and not the third person in the Trinity according to some Christian sects, the Godhead is reduced from three to two persons, the Father and the Son. They said: "Clearly, the Holy Spirit, from the evidence found in the Bible, is not a person in a supposed Trinity. Regrettably, the unbiblical doctrine of the Trinity obscures the scriptural teaching that God is a family—a family which is our ultimate destiny!" (Who is God P.57) They doubt that Paul taught the Trinity by saying: "If God were a Trinity, surely Paul, who recorded much of the theological underpinnings of the early Church, would have comprehended and taught this concept. Yet we find no such teaching in His writings…Paul’s epistles record no attempt on his part to explain the Trinity or Holy Spirit as a divine person equal with God the Father and Jesus Christ." (Who is God P. 56)
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When Jesus was crucified as Christians claimed, one person of the Trinity disappeared for three days so the Godhead became two only but Christians do not accept that Godhead was reduced to two persons.
It is rational to say that Trinity was invented by Pauline Church to satisfy the pagans of Rome who believed in three gods (trinity). So it became easy for them to convert to Christianity because they found Trinity similar to their belief. The Emperor Constantine with the collaboration of Pauline Church declared the Roman Sunday as the Christian Sabbath and adapted the Roman son-god’s birthday (25th December) as the birthday of Jesus. All these decisions were in order to please the pagans of Rome.
D. Jesus did not believe in Trinity but in the only true God
Jesus did not teach his followers Trinity. The evidence about the Oneness of God is presented clearly through the words of Jesus in the New Testament. He did not leave any doubt about the Oneness of God when he excluded himself from divinity. The following are examples of his words:
When Jesus was addressed as "Good teacher" he did not refer the goodness to himself but to his God alone: "No one is good except God alone" (Mahtthew 19:17 and Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19). When one of the teachers of the law asked Jesus about the most important commandment, Jesus answered: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Mark 12:32). By stating this Jesus confirmed that God is his Lord Who is one. Jesus addressed Mary Magdalane before he ascended to his Lord that he is going to his God: "Go instead to my brothers and tell them 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God'." (John 20:17). No more explicit statement than this in which Jesus affirmed that the Lord is his God by saying: "my God." Jesus prayed to God and made a clear distinction between himself and God. In John 17:3 he said: "Now this is eternal life: that they may
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know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Jesus made it clear that he was a mediator between God and people. He said: "For there is one God, and one mediator (messenger) between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (Timothy 2:5)
Jesus in the Qura'n
What is the Qur'an?
The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, which is the name of God in Arabic language, and the final divine message of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to be the guidance for all mankind until the Day of Judgment. In addition to believing in the Qur’an, Muslims believe in all the Divine Books of Allah that were revealed to His messengers before Muhammad, peace be upon him, such as the Torah and the Gospel. The Qur’an states:
"Say: We believe in God, and that which has been sent down to us, and sent down to Abraham and Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and the Tribes, and in that which was given to Moses and Jesus, and the prophets, of their Lord; we make no division between any of them." [The Qur’an 2:136]
The main message that the Qur’an and the other Divine Books addressed is “there is no true god but Allah”. The Qur’an states:
"And never have We sent a Messenger before you (O. Muhammad) except that we revealed to him, saying, 'there is no God but I so worship Me” [The Qur’an 21:25] In fact all divine messages of God before the Qur’an were revealed to the prophets before Muhammad, peace be upon him, to address Islam but they were not meant to be universal, rather they were for specific nations at specific times. However, every message was complementary to the previous ones. For example Jesus, peace be upon him, stated that he had not come to abolish the law or Prophets by saying, "Do not think that I have come to abolish Law and Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill
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them."(Matthew, 5:17) Also Jesus, peace be upon him, stated that he did not come with the final complete divine message by saying "I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John, 16:12-13) Indeed after about six hundred years from Jesus, peace be upon him, God sent His final messenger, Muhammad the spirit of truth peace be upon him, to seal His messages with the Qur’an to be the universal, complete, and comprehensive message. God stated this in the Qur’an:
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion”. [The Qur’an 5:3]
The Divine Books before the Qur’an were either lost or have been subjected to additions, subtractions, and alterations. However, the Qur’an exists in its original Arabic text. It was written down at the time of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and transmitted everywhere in the most reliable ways. There are no disputes among Muslims about the authenticity of the Qur’an. Hundreds of people during the time of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and thousands of Muslims during the Islamic history memorized the whole Qur’an by heart. God promised to protect and guard the Qur’an so no change even in a single word or a single letter would ever take place. The Qur’an states:
“Verily, We Who have sent down the Qur’an and surely We will guard it (from corruption)”[The Qur'an15:9] Therefore, the Qur’an is fully authentic. A well known critic of Islam, Sir William Muir wrote in his book, the life of Muhammad: "There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve centuries with so pure a text.” After another two centuries from Sir William Muir the Qur’an remains a pure text. Also H.A.R. Gibb wrote in his book, Mohammedanism (1953) “well then, if the
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Koran were his own composition other men could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If they could not (and it is obvious that they could not), then let them accept the Koran as an outstanding evidential miracle.”
What does the Qur'an say about Jesus, peace be upon him?
Jesus is not God
The Holy Qur'an rejected the claim of those who said that Jesus, peace be upon him, is God. In fact the Qur'an mentioned that Jesus, peace be upon him, asked his people to worship his God and their God: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, " God is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with God - God has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers." [The Qur'an 5:72] Jesus, peace be upon him, told his Lord that he did not say to his people to take him God as it is illustrated in the Qur'an: And [beware the Day] when God will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take me and my mother as deities besides God?'" He will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.
I said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship God, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness. [The Qur'an 5:116-117]
Jesus is not the son of God
The Qura'n 4:171, 19:19, 21:91, 66:12, 3:47 and 3:59 clearly stated that God sent His messenger (Gabriel) to Mary to give her
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glad tiding of a blessed boy and then God blew into her through angel Gabriel and directed His word (Be) and he was Jesus, peace be upon him. Indeed, when God decrees a matter, He says to it be and it is. The example of Jesus, peace be upon him, is like that of Adam. God created Adam from dust and then He said to him "Be" and he was. This is sated clearly in the Holy Qur'an: "Indeed, the example of Jesus to God is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was." [The Qur'an:3:59]
The Holy Qur'an refutes the only-begotten-son dogma: "They have said, "God has taken a son." Exalted is He; He is the [one] Free of need. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth. You have no authority for this [claim]. Do you say about God that which you do not know?" [The Qur'an:10:68] Claiming a son for God does not befit His Majesty as the Qur'an stated: "It is not [befitting] for God to take a son; exalted is He! When He decrees an affair, He only says to it, "Be," and it is." [The Qur'an 19:35] It is the greatest sin to attribute a son or a partner to God. The Qur'an stressed this point: "And they say, "The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son." You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation. That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son. There is none in the heavens and earth but comes to the Most Merciful as a servant. [The Qur'an 19:88-93]
Jesus was a messenger from God
God chose from among his servants messengers to convey His message to human beings through human history. Jesus, peace be upon him, was one of the beloved messengers to the children of Israel. The Qur'an addressed Jesus, peace be upon him, as a
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messenger: "The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded. Say, "Do you worship besides God that which holds for you no [power of] harm or benefit while it is God who is the Hearing, the Knowing?" [The Qur'an 5:75-76] Jesus, peace be upon him, came to confirm the scriptures before him and to give glad tidings of the next messenger after him. The Qur'an stated: "And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of God to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad (Muhammad)." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic." [The Qur'an 61:6]
The Holy Qur'an affirmed the Oneness of God and refuted the Trinity dogma.
The Holy Qur'an affirmed the Oneness of God in all its chapters. It stresses different subjects, the Oneness of God (Islamic Monotheism), the stories of the prophets, Islamic Law and manners. The last three subjects carry the message of Islamic Monotheism too. The chapter Al-Ikhlas in the Holy Qura'an describes God: Say, "He is God, [who is] One, God, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. And there is none co-equal or comparable to Him." [The Qur'an 112:1-4] Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, considered this chapter equals a third of the Holy Qura'an because it confirms the Oneness of God.
The Holy Qur'an refutes the dogma of Trinity because it is a manmade doctrine: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, "God is the third of three." And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there
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will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment." [The Qur'an 5:73] God warned Christians not to say three (trinity) and not to call Jesus, peace be upon him, son of God but God's messenger. The Qur'an clarified this point explicitly: "O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about God except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of God and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in God and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, God is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is God as Disposer of affairs." [The Qur'an 4:171]
The Qur'an refuted crucifixion
Jesus, peace be upon him, was neither killed nor crucified as the Qur'an stated: "And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. [The Qur'an 4:157]
What is Islam?
Islam means total submission to God in all aspects of life with no objection. The Qura’n states: "Say (O Muhammad the Prophet of Islam) my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for God, the Lord of mankind, jinn and all that exists " [The Qur’an 6: 162] Islam was not named after a person as Christianity, which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Buddha, nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe
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of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the universal religion for all mankind from Adam until the Day of Judgment.
All Prophets of Allah came to call people to Islam (to submit to Allah who created them). Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: "The prophets are brothers and their religion is one." Also all Prophets admitted that they are Muslims because they had full submission to Allah. The Qura’n stressed the Prophet’s submission to Allah in many places such as:
-“And this (submission to God, Islâm) was enjoined by Ibrâhim (Abraham) upon his sons and by Ya'qûb (Jacob), (saying), "O my sons! God has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except in submission to God (as Muslims - Islâmic Monotheism." [The Qura’n 2:132]
-“Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya'qûb (Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We shall worship your Ilâh (God - Allâh), the Ilâh (God) of your fathers, Ibrâhim (Abraham), Ismâ'il (Ishmael), Ishâque (Isaac), One Ilâh (God), and to Him we submit (in Islâm" [The Qur’an 2:133]
-“But when Jesus felt (persistence) in disbelief from them, he said, “who are my supporters for (the cause of) God?” The disciples said we are supporters for God. We have believed in God and testify that we are Muslims (submitting to Him)” [The Qur'an 3:52]
Therefore, Islam is not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to Arabs only; rather it is the true religion of Allah for all mankind from Adam until the end of this world re-expressed in its final form through the message of the Qur'an and the Prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him. Whoever chooses another religion other than Islam he is the loser. Allah confirmed this in the Qur’an: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter he will be one of the losers.” [The Qur’an 3:85]
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What is the concept of God in Islam?
God is one and unique with no son or partner. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is the All-Knowing of everything visible or invisible in the whole universe and His knowledge comprehends all things. He accomplished all affairs with wisdom. He is the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful whose mercy encompasses all things. He is the Powerful and the Exalted in Might and no one shares His domain and power. He is just in all His decrees and far removed from injustice and tyranny. Allah is Ever Living. He is above the seven heavens, above His throne in the manner that suits His majesty. He is the First before whom there is none and the Last after whom there is none and the Most High above whom there is none and the Internal nearer than whom there is none.
God neither begets nor is He begotten and there is none like unto Him and He is the All-Hearing All-Seeing and none is equal to Him. Allah never indwells in any of his creatures nor do they indwell in Him. All His creatures stand in need of Him and He stands in need of none. Allah loves good deeds and hates bad deeds. Creation, sovereignty and authority belong exclusively to Allah. Allah is with us through His knowledge. He hears and sees us.
However, the common concept of other religions with regards to Allah is that specific men are god or Allah has son or partners. The Qur'an rejected this concept: " God has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is God above what they describe [concerning Him]. [The Qur'an 23:91] Believing in false gods is against logic and those who believe in them have no reason to prove the truth. They follow after their parents or tribes blindly even when they see clear signs. But those who build beliefs according to logic and reason
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reject false gods once they see the signs. For example, while a young man was prostrating to an idol claimed to be his god, a dog walked into the temple and passed urine on the idol. He was angry toward the dog at the beginning but after that he should realize that the idol could not be the Lord of the universe.
What is the concept of monotheism in Islam?
Monotheism is to believe that Allah is the only Lord for the whole universe and to believe that none has the right to be worshipped but He and to believe in His names and attributes which are mentioned in the Qura'n or through His Messenger, peace be upon him, without changing or twisting their meanings or likening them to any of the created things. Monotheism is the first message conveyed to people by all prophets. The Qura’n states: “For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet saying worship God and avoid false gods." [The Qur'an 16:36] In order to attain Paradise and avoid Hell Fire a person has to achieve Monotheism in his life and to come with it at death.
However, associating a partner with Allah in any form of worship such as prayer, supplication, invocation, and sacrifice is called major shirk (polytheism). Shirk is the greatest sin and whoever dies upon shirk he/she shall enter Hell-fire in humiliation and Allah forbids paradise for him/her. The Qur'an made it clear that associating a partner with Allah is an unforgivable sin: "Indeed, God does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills. And he who associates others with God has certainly fabricated a tremendous sin." [The Qur'an 4:48]
