In this post I will be giving a summation of the arguments made in some of my previous posts where I cite specific Islamic sources which candidly admit to the fact that the reason why the Quran has Muhammad’s deity employing plural nouns, verbs etc., is because of his desire to include his angelic servants in his actions and statements. This in turn shows that the Muslim doctrine of tauhid, that Allah is absolutely singular in his mode of being and characteristics, is false.
Note what the following reputable Salafi website states in respect to the Quran’s use of divine plurals. All emphasis will be mine:
This is something that is well known among the Muslims, and they are unanimously agreed that the Christians are kaafirs, and even that those who do not regard them as kaafirs are also kaafirs. Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab said concerning the things which are unanimously agreed to nullify Islam:
“Whoever does not regard the mushrikoon as kaafirs, or doubts that they are kaafirs, or thinks their religion is correct, is himself a kaafir.” (See also question no. 31807)…
With regard to the word “trinity” (tathleeth) it is not mentioned in either the Quran or the Sunnah, rather the word tathleeth (in the sense of doing something three times) is mentioned by the scholars when they discuss cleaning oneself with pebbles after relieving oneself, or when discussing wudoo’, ghusl, washing the dead, saying tasbeeh when bowing and prostrating, asking permission to enter a house, etc.
What is meant in all of these cases is doing something three times, and it has nothing to do with the trinity of the Christians, which Allah mentions describing their words and commanding them to believe that He is One (Tawheed) and to believe that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is a Messenger and not a god.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said…
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
Some Christians – because of their ignorance – think that the plural pronoun which is used to show respect in verses such as “Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory” [Al-Fath 48:1] and “Verily, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran…” [Yoosuf 12:2] is proof of their false belief in trinity.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
The view of the salaf (early generations) of this ummah and of its imams and later generations is that the Prophet heard the Quran from Jibreel, and Jibreel heard it from Allah. The use of plural forms in such phrases is the style of Arabic speech used to refer to one who is of high standing AND HAS HELPERS WHO OBEY HIM. So if his helpers do something by his command, he says, “we did it”. This is like when a king says, “We conquered this land, we defeated this army” and so on. Because he did that through the actions of his helpers. Allah is the Lord of the angels and they speak not until He has spoken, and they act in accordance with His commands; they do not disobey the commands of Allah, rather they do what He commands. Moreover He is their Creator and the creator of their deeds and their power. But He has no need of them; He is not like a king whose helpers do things by their own strength. So what He says when He does something THROUGH HIS ANGELS IS, “WE DID IT”, this is more appropriate and He is more entitled to say it than some king.
THIS PLURAL FORM IS AMBIGUOUS and the Christians try to use it as evidence against the Prophet, when they find such phrases in the Quran as “Verily, We have given you (O Muhammad) a manifest victory” [al-Fath 48:1], etc. But Allah condemned them for ignoring the clear verses in the Quran which state that God is One, but they cling to the ambiguous verses which may be interpreted as referring to one who has a peer with him, or to one who has helpers who are his slaves and creation. They follow the ambiguous verses, seeking to stir up confusion in this manner. This is confusion in the heart, by thinking that there are many gods, and seeking to twist the meaning. No one knows the true interpretation except Allah and those who are well versed in knowledge.” (Majmoo’ al-Fatawa, 5/233, 234) (Islam Question & Answer, Is the trinity that the Christians believe in mentioned in Islam?)
And:
These words, inna (“Verily We”) and nahnu (“We”), and other forms of the plural, may be used by one person speaking ON BEHALF OF A GROUP, or they may be used by one person for purposes of respect or glorification, as is done by some monarchs when they issue statements or decrees in which they say “We have decided…” etc. [This is known in English as “The Royal We” – Translator].
In such cases, only one person is speaking but the plural is used for respect. The One Who is more deserving of respect than any other is Allah so when He says in the Quran inna (“Verily We”) and nahnu (“We”), it is for respect and glorification, not to indicate plurality of numbers. If a verse of this type is causing confusion, it is essential to refer to the clear, unambiguous verses for clarification.
If a Christian, for example, insists on taking verses such as “Verily, We: it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Quran)” [al-Hijr 15:9 – interpretation of the meaning] as proof of divine plurality, we may refute this claim by quoting such clear and unambiguous verses as (interpretation of the meanings): “And your god is One God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful” [al-Baqarah 2:163] and “Say: He is Allah, the One” [al-Ikhlas 112:1] – and other verses which can only be interpreted in one way.
Thus confusion will be dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth. Every time Allah uses the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on the respect and honour that He deserves, and on the great number of His names and attributes, AND ON THE GREAT NUMBER OF HIS TROOPS AND ANGELS.” (See Al-‘Aqidah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 109)
And Allah knows best. (Ibid., Why Does Allah Refer to Himself as ‘We’?)
Now this assertion that the plural refers to Allah and his hosts immediately poses a massive problem for Muslims. There are instances in the Quran where the speaker is supposed to be Allah, and yet the one communicating is clearly subordinate to another being/person whom s/he/they refer to as Muhammad’s Lord.
Note, for instance, what the following verses states:
What, shall I seek after any judge but God? For it is He who sent down to you the Book well-distinguished; and those whom We have given the Book know it is sent down from thy Lord with the truth; so be not thou of the doubters. S. 6:114
The one that is supposedly addressing Muhammad is clearly subject to Allah, Muhammad’s lord, since he claims to be a part of the group that gave the book (i.e., the Quran) to the people. However, since the verse plainly states that Allah is the one that gave the book unto mankind this means that he is the one speaking in this text. And since he is the speaker then this means Allah is clearly admitting that he is subject to another divine being or person whom he answers to!
This fact is explicitly brought out by the following ayat:
That is Paradise which We shall give as an inheritance to those of Our servants who are godfearing. We come not down, save at the commandment of thy Lord. To Him belongs all that is before us, and all that is behind us, and all between that. S. 19:63-64
The group speaking here most definitely includes Allah since he is the one who gives paradise as an inheritance to his servants. And yet he clearly states that he and the rest only come down whenever Muhammad’s lord orders them to do so, since he is the one that encompasses all that they do.
However, the Islamic expositors interpret this passage as a case where it is actually Gabriel speaking to Muhammad!
(We (angels) come not down) from heaven (save by commandment of thy Lord) O Muhammad. Gabriel said this when Allah withheld the revelation from him for a while after being asked by the Quraysh about the spirit, the two-horned (Dhu’l-Qarnayn) and the people of the Cave. (Unto Him belongeth all that is before us) of the matter of the Hereafter (and all that is behind us) of the matter of this worldly life (and all that is between those two) between the two blowings of the Trumpet, (and thy Lord was never forgetful) your Lord has not forgotten you since He first sent you the Revelation. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=19&tAyahNo=64&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; emphasis mine)
(We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord…) [19:64]. Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn Hamawayh informed us> Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ma’mar al-Shami> Ishaq ibn Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Rus’ani> his grandfather> al-Mughirah> ‘Umar ibn Dharr> his father> Sa’id ibn Jubayr> Ibn ‘Abbas who said: “The Messenger of Allah said [to Gabriel]: ‘O Gabriel, what prevents you from visiting us more often than you do?’ And so this verse was revealed (We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord. Unto Him belongeth all that is before us and all that is behind us and all that is between those two, and thy Lord was never forgetful). This was a response to Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace”. This was narrated by Bukhari from Abi Nu’aym from ‘Umar ibn Dharr. Mujahid said: “The angel [Gabriel] took quite a while to come to the Messenger of Allah. When he finally came to him he said: ‘Did I take too long to come to you?‘ The Prophet said he did, upon which the angel said: ‘Why should I not delay my coming when you [the community of the believers] do not polish your teeth by using small sticks (siwak), do not cut your nails and do not clean the joints of your fingers’. And then he added (We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord…)”. ‘Ikrimah, al-Dahhak, Qatadah, Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: “Gabriel failed to come to the Prophet when his people asked him about the people of the Cave, Dhu’l-Qarnayn and the Spirit. He did not know what to answer them and was hoping that Gabriel would come to him with an answer. When his coming was delayed, the Messenger of Allah was very aggrieved. When Gabriel finally came, the Prophet said to him: ‘You delayed your coming so much that I had some misgivings, and I have missed you’. Gabriel said: ‘I have missed you more but I am only a slave who obeys orders. When I am sent, I come; and when I am kept back, I remain where I am kept‘. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (We (angels) come not down save by commandment of thy Lord…)”. (‘Alī ibn Ahmad al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=86&tSoraNo=19&tAyahNo=64&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; emphasis mine)
Note the problems this causes for the Islamic doctrine of monotheism:
- According to the context of the aforementioned passage, the group that only comes down by the order of Muhammad’s lord are the same individuals who grant paradise as an inheritance to their servants.
- The Muslim exegetes state that the one speaking in Q. 19:64 is Gabriel, who only descends when Muhammad’s lord commands him to do so.
- This means that Gabriel has the ability to grant paradise to believers.
- This also means that Muslims such as Muhammad are the slaves of Gabriel.
- Since it is Allah alone who rewards Muslims with heavenly bliss, and since he alone has servants who serve him, this means that Gabriel is one with Allah and inseparable from him.
- Moreover, if these are the actual words of Gabriel then this means that the Quran is not just the speech of Allah. Rather, it is the revealed words of both Muhammad’s lord and an angel.
Here’s another Quranic ayah which further corroborates this:
And Mary Amran’s daughter who remained chaste (protected) her genital parts between her legs, so WE BLEW in it from Our Soul/Spirit, and she confirmed/was truthful with her Lord’s words/expressions, and His Books, and she was from the worshipping humble. S. 66:12 (Muhammad Ahmed–Samira https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/66/st19.htm)
The obvious meaning of this text is that it is Allah who is supposed to be speaking in the plural since he alone possesses the spirit and breathes him out of himself and into others in order to either animate them, or cause them to conceive life. Case in point:
And (remember) when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am creating a mortal out of potter’s clay of black mud altered, So, when I have made him and have breathed into him of My Spirit, do ye fall down, prostrating yourselves unto him. S. 15:28-29 Pickthall
When thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to create a mortal out of mire, And when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit, then fall down before him prostrate, S. 38:71-72 Pickthall
However, the sunni commentators all state that Allah actually sent Gabriel to blow the spirit into Mary!
(And We breathed into it (private part) through Our Ruh,) meaning, through the angel Jibril. Allah sent the angel Jibril to Maryam, and he came to her in the shape of a man in every respect. Allah commanded him to blow into a gap of her garment and that breath went into her womb through her private part; this is how `Isa was conceived. This is why Allah said here…
(And We breathed into it through Our Ruh, and she testified to the truth of her Lord’s Kalimat, and His Kutub,) meaning His decree and His legislation. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir http://m.qtafsir.com/Surah-At-Tahrim/The-Disbelievers-can-cause-no—-; emphasis mine)
And Mary wa-Maryama is a supplement to imra’ata Fir‘awna daughter of ‘Imrān who preserved the chastity of her womb so We breathed into it of Our Spirit namely Gabriel — when he breathed into the opening of her shirt by God’s creation of this action of his which reached her womb thus conceiving Jesus — and she confirmed the words of her Lord His prescriptions and His revealed Scriptures and she was of the obedient one of the obedient folk. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=12&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; emphasis mine)
(And Mary, daughter of Imran, whose body was chaste, therefore We breathed therein something of Our Spirit) and so Gabriel breathed inside her garment and she became pregnant with Jesus. (And she put faith in the words of her Lord) she believed in what Gabriel told her that he was the Messenger of Allah entrusted with giving her a holy son (and His Scriptures) and she also believed in His Scriptures: the Torah, the Gospel and all other Scriptures; it is also said this means: she believed in the words of her Lord that Jesus the son of Mary will come into being by Allah saying “Be!” and he became a human being, and she also believed in His Scripture: the Gospel, (and was of the obedient) in times of hardship and comfort; and it is also said that this means: and she was obedient to He Who is far transcendent and majestic’. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=66&tAyahNo=12&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; emphasis mine)
Again, note all the problems this raises for the Islamic conception of tauhid:
- The group speaking in this passage says that they blew their spirit into Mary’s private part.
- According to the commentators, Allah sent Gabriel to blow into Mary’s garment in order to cause her to conceive.
- Gabriel is, therefore, included in the group mentioned in this Quranic text.
- This means that the spirit belongs to both Allah and Gabriel equally.
- This further means that Gabriel can create and give life in the same way that Allah does.
The Muslim woes are far from over, since these next two passages are just as bewildering and chaotic:
Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the Further Mosque the precincts of which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs. He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing. S. 17:1
The ones speaking here are they that blessed the precincts of the further mosque in order to show the individual in question some of their signs/miracles. Since it is Allah who blesses and performs miracles then he must be the one speaking in the plural. However, the speakers actually praise the one who took his slave on a journey by night to these sacred places, which means Allah is actually glorifying himself for what he did!
Yet the same entity/entities also state that s/he/they is/are the one(s) who showed the person in question some of his/their miracles, and then describes this person as being the all-hearing and the all-seeing!
Since the only one that can be described in this manner is Allah this, therefore, means that Allah is claiming to have showed himself some of his own miracles. Or if it is the servant that is being referred to, then this means that Allah just attributed to this an unnamed creature the divine qualities of omniscience and omnipresence!
Finally:
And heaven — We built it with might, and We extend it wide. And the earth — We spread it forth; O excellent Smoothers! And of everything created We two kinds; haply you will remember. Therefore flee unto God! I am a clear warner from Him to you. And set not up with God another god; I am a clear warner from Him to you. S. 51:47-51
We again have a text where Allah is supposed to be speaking in the plural, since he is the one that created the heavens, earth and things in pairs. But Allah then goes on to refer to himself in the singular in order to highlight the fact of his being a clear warner sent by Allah to the people!
The foregoing leaves Muslims in a dilemma. Either the Quran posits multiple divine beings working together as a unit, thereby nullifying the Islamic belief that the Muslim deity is absolutely singular. Or the grammatical structure of the Islamic text was produced in a rather incoherent, unintelligible and haphazard manner since the author(s) and/or editor(s) ended up contradicting the very point they were trying to relay.
Either scenarios mean that the Quran cannot be the revealed word of God, Muhammad cannot be a true prophet, and Muhammad’s deity cannot be the only true God.
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