Before I lay out the argument that the Quran supports the idea that God exists as multiple persons, I would like to make it clear that I am neither a Trinitarian Christian nor a theist of any other sort; however, I do find theology to be interesting.
Muslims strongly assert that God is absolutely one, meaning that he is one person with one consciousness and that he does not share his glory or attributes with any other being. However, Surah 19:16 to 19:21 indicate otherwise.
(O Muhammad), recite in the Book the account of Mary, when she withdrew from her people to a place towards the east; and drew a curtain, screening herself from people whereupon We sent to her Our spirit and he appeared to her as a well-shaped man. Mary exclaimed: "I surely take refuge from you with the Most Compassionate Lord, if you are at all God-fearing." He said: "I am just a message-bearer of your Lord, I have come to grant you a most pure boy." Mary said: "How can a boy be born to me when no man has even touched me, nor have I ever been unchaste?" The angel said: "Thus shall it be. Your Lord says: 'It is easy for Me; and We shall do so in order to make him a Sign for mankind and a mercy from Us. This has been decreed.' "
There are two details of this passage that must be noted:
- Allah's spirit can become a man/ human being ("We sent to her Our spirit and he appeared to her as a well-shaped man").
- Allah's spirit is a distinct person from him and is subordinate to him ("I am just a message-bearer of your Lord, I have come to grant you a most pure boy").
Now, let's examine another Surah (66:12) that also details Mary's interaction with the spirit of Allah via which Jesus was conceived.
Allah has also set forth the parable of Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, and into whom We breathed of Our Spirit, and who testified to the words of her Lord and His Books. She was among the obedient.
There is a detail of this verse that should be noted:
- In Arabic, the part (image) that says "who guarded her chastity, and into whom We breathed Our Spirit" literally translates to "who guarded her private part and into which We Breathed Our Spirit." Hence, when you connect this verse to the passage that is above and from Surah 19, the conclusion is that the Spirit of Allah, which appeared to Mary as a man, breathed itself into Mary's womb, thus forming Jesus within Mary.
Hence, what we have is Allah sending forth his spirit, which is a distinct person from himself, and that spirit then forming Jesus within Mary's womb by breathing itself/ a part of itself into Mary's womb. So, we have three persons here: Allah, the Spirit of Allah, and Jesus (who is a formed as a result of the Spirit of Allah breathing itself into Mary's womb and who is therefore of the same substance as the Spirit of Allah).
Now, most Muslims believe that the Spirit of Allah is Gabriel. However, that belief is not based on any passage in the Quran. Surah 16:2
He sends down the angels at His behest with the spirit, (that is, the revelation), upon whom He wills from among His servants: “Warn people that there is no god but Me. So, fear Me.”
The spirit is distinguished from the angels in this verse, indicating that the spirit is not an angel. Hence, not only is the spirit a distinct person from All
Hence, we must make either one of two conclusions:
- The Spirit of Allah is a created being but has the power to create life. This conclusion, however, would be considered shirk, because only Allah has the power to create anything, especially life.
- The Spirit of Allah is a part of Allah and is therefore part of the same Godhead as Allah. Subsequently, since Jesus is formed from the Spirit of Allah, he is also a part of this Godhead. This conclusion, however, contradicts Tawhid (i.e. the absolute oneness of God) but is consistent with the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Furthermore, this conclusion is consistent with Allah's consistent usage of plural pronouns when referring to himself (i.e. we, us, etc). Some may argue that this second conclusion contradicts the Trinity because the Spirit of Allah is said to be just a messenger of Allah and therefore not his equal; however, the doctrine of the Trinity states that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in terms of their nature/ substance but that they occupy different roles, with authority flowing downward from the Father to the other two persons. Hence, this conclusion is actually in accord with the Trinity.
What do Muslims think about this? Here is the source of this argument: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2XCSQhyq0g
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