In the following posts,

AHMAD OR THE HOLY SPIRIT?

More of the Incomplete Quran Exposed: Who or What Is Ahmad?

I conclusively proved that Ahmad in the Quran is not Muhammad’s name, but a descriptive noun referring to the Holy Spirit.

Here I will provide additional evidence to show that the prophecy of Ahmad is based on Jesus’ promise to send the Paraclete, who is the Holy Spirit of God.

As I showed in the aforementioned posts, specific English versions do not translate the term as a proper name but as a description specifying a particular quality of the messenger in question:

And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic. S. 61:6 Pickthall

“… O Children of Israel, I am GOD’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be even more praised (Ahmad)…” Rashad Khalifa

“… and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name will be ‘most acclaimed’…” [The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition) https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/61/st58.htm]

According to the earliest Islamic sources the foregoing text was viewed as referring to Jesus’ promise to his disciples that he would be sending the Paraclete to be with them forever:

The early Quran-exegete of Transoxiana, Muqā til b. Sulaymān (d. 767), claims that Ahmad simply “means Paraclete in Syriac (bi-l-siryāniyya fāraqlītā)”, demonstrating that he relied on a Syriac Vorlage that, unlike Ibn Ishāq’s CPAVorlage, merely transcribed the Greek παράκλητος. See Tafsīr Muqātil b. Sulaymān, 5 vols, ed. ʿAbdallāh Mahmūd Shahāta (repr. Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Tārīkh al-ʿArabī, 2002), 4:316. (Sean Anthony, “Muḥammad, Menaḥem, and the Paraclete: New Light on Ibn Isḥāq’s (d. 150/767) Arabic Version of John 15:23-16:1,” Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 79.2 (2016): 255-278. https://www.academia.edu/12230900/_Mu%E1%B8%A5ammad_Mena%E1%B8%A5em_and_the_Paraclete_New_Light_on_Ibn_Is%E1%B8%A5%C4%81q_s_d_150_767_Arabic_Version_of_John_15_23_16_1_Bulletin_of_the_School_of_Oriental_and_African_Studies_79_2_2016_255_278; bold emphasis mine)

When we examine the context of Jesus’ prophecy, it becomes crystal clear that the Paraclete is the Holy Spirit whom the Father and the Son send forth from the Father’s presence to indwell and empower Christ’s disciples to testify concerning what they had personally seen and heard from the Lord Jesus. The disciples would also make known that which the Spirit would continue to reveal to them, revelations that they weren’t ready to receive when Christ was physically dwelling in their midst:

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete, to be with you for all time, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; but you will know him, for he will dwell with you and will be in you… But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will instruct you regarding all things, and cause you to remember everything that I have told you.” John 14:16-17, 26 William Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE)

“But when the Paraclete comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes forth from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also are to bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26-27 MOUNCE

“Nevertheless I am telling you the truth; it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go away, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going away to the Father, and you will see me no longer; in regard to judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own, but will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you things yet to come. He will glorify me, for he will receive what is mine and tell it to you. All that the Father has is mine; that is why I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16:7-15 MOUNCE

To say that these promises all refer to Muhammad would mean that the Father and the Son are the God who sent forth Muhammad in the name of Christ in order to glorify Christ as God’s unique Son who owns all that the Father possesses. And since the Father possesses all things, this means that Jesus owns all of creation which would include Christ owning Muhammad and all Muslims as well!

This would further imply that Muhammad preexisted with the Father in heaven who then came forth from the Father’s heavenly presence right after Christ sent him to indwell and empower the Apostles for ministry.

As such, Muslims are now required to affirm and believe that Muhammad is a preexistent, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent being!  

It is obvious that none of these qualities could ever be true of Muhammad, seeing that he was nothing more than an imperfect, immoral, fallible, sinfully wicked, temporal, finite creature and a false prophet who expressly denied that Jesus is God’s unique Son and also rejected God’s spiritual Fatherhood (Cf. Q. 5:18; 9:30; 19:88-93; 39:4; 72:3).

However, all these characteristics perfectly describe the eternal Spirit of God who came to testify to the world to all of the aforementioned truths about God and Christ. And the Holy Spirit did so through the agency of the holy Apostles of the risen Christ and their companions as the Spirit assisted them in fulfilling their commission.

In fact, the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus’ followers to proclaim the Gospel wherever they went, whether by word of mouth or in writing, with miraculous signs and wonders:

“So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’… Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” John 20:21-23, 27-31 New King James Version (NKJV)

“But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’ Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things. And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter answered her, ‘Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?’ She said, ‘Yes, for so much.’ Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed… And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:1-16, 32 NKJV

“For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed, to make the Gentiles obedient—in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ… Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,” Romans 15:18-19, 30 NKJV

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God… These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 13 NKJV

“Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” 2 Timothy 1:13-14 NKJV

“Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.” 1 Peter 1:10-12 NKJV

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3 NKJV

This brings me to my next point.

The Scriptures further attest that the Spirit is worshiped by all believers:

“We are the ⌞true⌟ circumcised people ⌞of God⌟ because we serve God’s Spirit (Pneumati Theou latreuontes) and take pride in Christ Jesus. We don’t place any confidence in physical things,” Philippians 3:3 GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Here’s another rendering of the aforementioned passage:

“For we are the circumcision, who serve the Spirit of God, and boast in Christ Jesus, also having no confidence in the flesh:” Godbey New Testament (Godbey(i))

What makes this text rather amazing is that the blessed Apostle describes true believers as those who render latreuo to the Spirit of God, which Christ taught is the highest form of worship that is to be given to God alone!

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him ONLY you shall serve (latreuseis).”’” Matthew 4:8-10 NKJV

“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve (latreuseis).”’” Luke 4:5-8 NKJV

This affirms that the Holy Spirit is God Almighty, even though he is neither the Father nor the Son!

Hence, Muhammad wasn’t the Ahmad whom the historical Jesus proclaimed would come. Rather, the one and true Ahmad is none other than God’s all-glorious, all-powerful, all-majestic Spirit, being the eternal Companion of the Son who has come to glorify the risen Lord by convincing the world of his true identity:

“Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 NKJV

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world… In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins… By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” 1 John 4:1-3, 9-10, 13-15 NKJV

It is, therefore, the Holy Spirit who truly is the eternally Praised One since he is the one and true Ahmad whom Jesus promised would come after he physically ascends into heaven to sit enthroned alongside of the Father in the same divine glory which he had possessed before the creation the world:

“So now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory that I had alongside you before the world was…  Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am, in order that they may behold my glory that you have given me, because you loved me from before the creation of the world.” John 17:5, 24

FURTHER READING

HOLY SPIRIT WORSHIPED AS GOD

Did the Ante-Nicene Fathers Worship the Holy Spirit as God Almighty?

In this post I shall share Epiphanius’ somewhat lengthy comment where he alludes to the blessed Mother’s assumption by likening her to Elijah, in the context of condemning a heretical group called the Collyridians who had deified Mary and offered sacrificed to her as a goddess. The readers will further see how Epiphanius also spoke out against there being female bishops and priests governing the Church.

3,1 But I shall also go on to the New Testament as well. If it were ordained by God that women should offer sacrifice or have any canonical function in the church, Mary herself, if anyone, should have functioned as a priest in the New Testament. She was counted worthy to bear the king of all in her own womb, the heavenly God, the Son of God. Her womb became a temple, and by God’s kindness and an awesome mystery was prepared to be the dwelling place of the Lord’s human nature. But it was not God’s pleasure [that she be a priest]. (2) She was not even entrusted with the administration of baptism—for Christ could have been baptized by her rather than by John. But John the son of Zacharias dwelt in the wilderness entrusted with baptism for the remission of sins, while his father offered sacrifice to God and saw a vision at the time of the offering of incense.

3,3 Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, Thaddaeus, James the son of Alphaeus, Judas the son of James and Simon the Zealot, and Matthias who was chosen to make up the number of the Twelve—all these were chosen to be apostles and “offer the Gospel”³ < throughout > the world, together with Paul, Barnabas and the rest, and with James, the Lord’s brother and the bishop of Jerusalem, [they were chosen] to preside over mysteries.

3,4 Successors to the episcopate and presbyterate in the household of God were appointed by this bishop and these apostles, and nowhere was a woman appointed. (5) Scripture says, “Philip the evangelist had four daughters which did prophesy,”⁴ but they were certainly not priests. And “Anna the daughter of Phanuel was a prophetess,”⁵ but not entrusted with the priesthood. For the words, “Your sons shall prophesy, and your daughters shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions,”⁶ required fulfillment.

3,6 <It is plain> too that there is an order of deaconesses in the church. But this is not allowed for the practice of priesthood or any liturgical function, but for the sake of female modesty, at either the time of baptism or of the examination of some condition or trouble, and when a woman’s body may be bared, so that she will be seen not by the male priests but by the assisting female who is appointed by the priest for the occasion, to take temporary care of the woman who needs it at the time when her body is uncovered. For the ordinance of discipline and good order in the church has been well protected with understanding, by the standard of our rule. For the same reason the word of God does not allow a woman “to speak”⁷ in church either, or “bear rule over a man.”⁸ And there is a great deal that can be said about this

4,6 Yes, of course Mary’s body was holy, but she was not God. Yes, the Virgin was indeed a virgin and honored as such, but she was not given us to worship; she worships Him who, though born of her flesh, has come from heaven, from the bosom of his Father. (7) And the Gospel therefore protects us by telling us so on the occasion when the Lord himself said, “Woman, what is between me and thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”¹¹ < For >to make sure that no one would suppose, because of the words, “What is between me and thee?” that the holy Virgin is anything more [than a woman], he called her “Woman” as if by prophecy, because of the schisms and sects that were to appear on earth. Otherwise some might stumble into the nonsense of the sect from excessive awe of the saint.

5,1 For what this sect has to say is complete nonsense and, as it were, an old wives’ tale. Which scripture has spoken of it? Which prophet permitted the worship of a man, let alone a woman? (2) The vessel is choice but a woman, and by nature no different [from others]. Like the bodies of the saints, however, she has been held in honor for her character and understanding. And if I should say anything more in her praise, [she is] LIKE ELIJAH, who was virgin from his mother’s womb, always remained so, AND WAS TAKEN UP AND HAS NOT SEEN DEATH. She is like John who leaned on the Lord’s breast, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”¹² She is like St. Thecla; and Mary is still more honored than she, because of the providence vouchsafed her. (3) But Elijah is not to be worshiped, even though he is alive. And John is not to be worshiped, even though by his own prayer— or rather, by receiving the grace from God—he made an awesome thing of his falling asleep.¹³ But neither is Thecla worshiped, nor any of the saints.

For the age-old error of forgetting the living God and worshiping his creatures will not get the better of me. (4) They served and worshiped the creature more than the creator,” and “were made fools.”¹⁴ If it is not his will that angels be worshiped, how much more the woman born of Ann,¹⁵ who was given to Ann by Joachim¹⁶ and granted to her father and mother by promise, after prayer and all diligence? She was surely not born other than normally, but of a man’s seed and a woman’s womb like everyone else. (5) For even though the story and traditions of Mary say that her father Joachim was told in the wilderness, “Your wife has conceived,”¹⁷ it was not because this had come about without conjugal intercourse or a man’s seed. The angel who was sent to him predicted the coming event, so that there would be no doubt. The thing had truly happened, had already been decreed by God, and had been promised to the righteous.

6,1 And everywhere we see the scriptures saying <the same>. Isaiah predicted the things that would be realized in the Son of God and said, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.”¹⁸ (2) And as the woman who bore him was a virgin, and the name of < the > child the woman had conceived meant, “God is with us,” the prophet saw them in a vision and was compelled by the Holy Spirit to describe them, so that he would not doubt the meaning of the truth. He said, “And he went in unto the prophetess.” He was describing Gabriel’s entrance in the Gospel, who was sent by God to announce the entrance into the world of God’s only-begotten Son, and his birth of Mary. And Isaiah said, “And she conceived and bare a son. (3) And the Lord said unto me, Call his name Spoil Speedily, Ravage Fiercely. For before the child shall know how to cry Father, or Mother, he shall take the power of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria,”¹⁹ and so on.

And all of these things were still unfulfilled. But this would be realized in the Son of God, and fulfilled about 1600 years later. (sic) (4) And the prophet was seeing what would < happen > after so many generations as though it had already happened. Was it a lie, then? Never! God’s providence was announced with confidence as though it had already taken place, so that the truth would not be disbelieved, and the arrival of such an astounding, awesome event would not come to seem uncertain in the prophet’s estimation.

Was it a lie, then? Never! God’s providence was announced with confidence as though it had already taken place, so that the truth would not be disbelieved, and the arrival of such an astounding, awesome event would not come to seem uncertain in the prophet’s estimation.

6,5 Or don’t you see the very next declaration, as the holy Isaiah himself says, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so opens he not his mouth. But who can tell his generation? For his life is taken from the earth, and I shall give the evil for his grave,”²⁰ and so on. And see how he describes the earlier events as though they came later, and explains the later ones as though they had already taken place, by saying, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter.” (6) For this is said to be a past event; he didn’t say, “is led,” and the subject of Isaiah’s pronouncement had yet to be led.

But this was said to the prophet as though it had already happened. God’s revelation was unalterable. But when he went on he no longer spoke as of past events, so as not to cause an error in his own turn, but said, “His life is taken from the earth.”

He is giving the truth in the two ways, because “was led” was already done, and “is taken” was done later. Thus from its pastness you will know the truth and the sureness of God’s promise, and from its futurity you will imagine the time of the mysteries’ revelation.

7,1 And so in Mary’s case. The angel foretold what her father would receive from God on his return home—the favor her father and mother had asked in prayer, “Lo, thy wife hath conceived in her womb,”²¹ as a sure fulfillment, by the promise, of the faithful man’s purpose. But for some this became an occasion of error. No one in the world can be born in any but the normal human way. Only < the Son* > was fit <for this*>; nature allowed it to him alone. (2) As Maker and Master of the thing [to be made] he formed himself from a virgin as though from earth—God come from heaven, the Word who had assumed flesh from a holy Virgin.

But certainly not from a virgin who is worshiped, or to make her God, or to have us make offerings in her name, or, again, to make women priestesses after so many generations. (3) It was not God’s pleasure that this be done with Salome, or with Mary herself. He did not permit her to administer baptism or bless disciples, or tell her to rule on earth, but only to be a sacred shrine and be deemed worthy of his kingdom. (4) He did not order the woman called the mother of Rufus to advance < to* > this rank²² or the women who followed Christ from Galilee, or Martha the sister of Lazarus and [her sister] Mary, or any of the holy women who were privileged to be saved by his advent < and > who assisted him with their own possessions—or the woman of Canaan, or the woman who was healed of the issue of blood, or any woman on earth.

7,5 Again, where has this coiled serpent come from? How are its crooked counsels renewed? Mary should be honored, but the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit should be worshiped; NO ONE SHOULD WORSHIP MARY. There is no commandment to < offer > the Eucharist even to a man, < as though > to God, let alone to a woman; not even angels are allowed such glory. (6) The bad writing on the hearts of the deluded should be erased, the sliver removed from their eyes. The creature must return to its Master; Eve, with Adam, must take care to honor only God, and not be influenced by the voice of the serpent but abide by God’s commandment, “Thou shalt not eat of the tree.”²³ (7) And yet the tree was not error; the disobedience of error came by the tree. Let no one eat of the error which has arisen on St. Mary’s account. Even though the tree is “lovely”²⁴ it is not for food; and even though Mary is all fair, and is holy and held in honor, SHE IS NOT BE WORSHIPED.

³ Rom 15:16.

⁴ Acts 21:9. 5 Luke 2:35.

⁶ Joel 3:1; Acts 2:17.

⁷ 1 Tim 2:12.  

⁸ 1 Tim 2:12.  

⁹ πάλιν θήλεος. Eltester suggests that this is corrupt.

¹⁰ Job 2:10. 11  John 2:4.

¹² John 13:23.

¹³ Cf. Act. John 108–115.

¹⁴ Rom 1:25; 22.

¹⁵ Cf. Protevangelium of James 4.1–3.

¹⁶ Cf. Protevangelium of James 4.1–3.

¹⁷ Cf. Protevangelium of James 4.2.

¹⁸ Isa 7:14.

¹⁹ Isa 8:3–4.

²⁰ Isa 53:7; 8; 9.

²¹  Protevangelium of James Codex B 4.2.

²² Holl <εἰς τοῦτο>προάγειν, MSS τοῦτο ποιεῖν.

²³ Gen 2:17.

²⁴ Gen 2:9 (The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis Books II and III. De Fide (Second, revised Edition), translated by Frank Williams [Brill, Leiden-Boston 2013], Volume 39, pp. 638-644 https://archive.org/details/EpiphaniusPanarionBksIIIII1; bold, capital and underline emphasis mine)

Surat al-Ikhlas (The Purity/Sincerity)

Surat al-Tauhid (The Oneness)

Title

Surat al-Ikhlas means the “Chapter of Purity (or Refining).” It is also referred to as Surat at-Tauhid for the simple reason that it is a brief description and summation of the divine essence and unity of God.

Date

There is a debate among scholars whether this a Meccan or Medinan sura. It seems likely that the sura was composed in Mecca since according to some of the traditions, this was Muhammad’s reply to the pagans who had inquired about the nature of his god.

Introduction

Surat al-Ikhlas, or Surat at-Tauhid, is considered to essentially be the heart of the Muslim faith since it is a brief outline, or summary, of the Islamic conception of God.

According to certain reports attributed to Muhammad, this particular chapter is said to be a third of the Quran in value since, as some Muslim scholars have pointed out, a third of the Islamic scripture deals with the issue of monotheism. And, yet, it happens to be one of the most incoherent of all of the chapters found in the Quran, as we shall explain in the notes.

Other traditions claim that this surah was composed in response to some questions which the Jews and/or pagans posed to Muhammad concerning his understanding of God and the nature of his deity. They specifically asked him whether his god eats food or inherits, to which he replied with the verses of this chapter.  

Surah 112

1. SAY, God is one GOD;
2. the eternal GOD:
3. he begetteth not, neither is he begotten:
4. and there is not any one like unto him.

112:1 Say God is one (Qul huwa Allahu ahadun). Literally, the verse says, “say he is Allah, one of,” since ahadun is used in reference to one among others or a group. It would have been more proper to have used the word wahidun, as indicated by the following scholar:

“ahadun: The rules of the `Arabiyya [i.e. Classical Arabic] require wahidun here.” (Michael B. Schub, “True Belief – a New Translation and Commentary on Sura 112”, ZAL, 22 (1990), p. 81)

In fact, apart from this one verse, the Quran never employs ahadun once in respect to Allah’s unity. The word which the Quran normally uses is actually wahid(un).

Interestingly, according to Ibn Abi Dawud, the codex of Muhammad’s companion Abdullah ibn Masud actually contained the word wahid instead of ahad (Kitab al-Masahif, p. 113).

1:2 the eternal God (Allahu al-samadu). The word samad is another term which baffled the Muslim expositors. Some understood this to refer to Allah’s aseity, underscoring the fact that Allah is completely self-sufficient and the one who provides for everyone. Others took this to mean that, unlike the idols worshiped by the pagans which were hollow inside, Allah is solid. This is reflected in those translations that render the term as absolute. Still others understood this in reference to Allah’s pre-eternal existence, that he is without beginning and without end.

One scholar actually proposes that the term is an archaic word, stemming from pre-Islamic times, and may in fact be a reference to the semitic god Baal:

… There is enough room for suspicion to permit us having a look at some outside evidence.

There, we encounter a noteworthy phenomenon: the not infrequent religious connotation of the root smd.

In Ugaritic, smd appears as a stick or club that is wielded by Ba’l. In the Kilammu inscription, line 15, we find b’l smd, apparently, b’l as the owner of his divine club. In the Bible, the adherence of the Israelites to Baal of Peor is expressed by the nip’al of the root smd. The verb is translated by the Septuagint heteleuse (Numeri 25:3, 5; Ps. 106:28). The use of the verb doubtlessly reflects North Canaanite religious terminology.

From Arabic sources, we learn that an idol of ‘Ad was allegedly called samud, which brings us rather close to the environment of Muhammad…

In view of this material, the suggestion may be made that as-samad in the Qur’an is a survival of an ancient Northwest Semitic religious term, which may no longer have been understood by Muhammad himself, nor by the old poets (if the sawahid should be genuine). This suggestion would well account for the presence of the article with the word in the Qur’an, and it would especially well account for the hesitation of the commentators vis-a-vis so prominent a passage. Such hesitation is what we would expect if we are dealing with a pagan survival from the early period of the revelation. (What the Koran Really Says: Language, Text, & Commentary, “Some Minor Problems in the Qur’an”, edited with translation by Ibn Warraq [Prometheus Books, October, 2002, Hardcover; ISBN: 157392945X], part 5.2, pp. 336-337; bold and emphasis mine)

1:3 he begetteth not, neither is he begotten (lam yalid walam yooladu). The traditions indicate that this statement was intended as a direct response to the question posed to Muhammad concerning whether his god inherited. The response given here implies no since Allah neither begets, nor was he himself begotten, but is ever-living. As such, he neither inherits from anyone nor is he inherited by anyone. Muhammad reasoned that only those who are born and die receive and leave behind inheritance. What makes this assertion perplexing is that the Quran itself in several places states that Allah actually does inherit (cf. Q. 15:23; 19:40; 19:80), and is even said to be the best of those who inherit (Q. 21:89)! Moreover, according to Islamic tradition, one of the ninety-nine names of Allah happens to be al-Warith, “the Inheritor/Heir”. Thus if Muhammad’s reasoning were sound then this means that Allah must have been born and will inevitably die!  

Ibn Abi Dawud states that, instead of the reading lam yalid walam yooladu, Abdullah ibn Masud’s Quran actually read lam yulad walam yulid, in place of (“he is not begotten nor does he begte” [Kitab al-Masahif, p. 113]).

19:2: A mention (in the Book) of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zachariah,

His servant Zachariah. Here we find a repetition of the stories of John the Baptist and Jesus, albeit with major differences and even contradictions with the version found in Q. 3:33-59. The fact that the Baptist’s story is again juxtaposed with Christ’s confirms that the author(s) and/or editor(s) intended to connect the two together. This will become more evident throughout the chapter as indicated in the notes.

19:7: (And Allah replied:) “O Zachariah! Truly, We give you good news of a son, whose name shall be John. We have given this name to no one before him.”

The Quran agrees with the Holy Bible that John’s birth was similar to Jesus in the sense that he was also conceived miraculously, albeit to a barren mother and very old father. 

whose name shall be John. The Quran mistakenly refers to John as Yahya, a name which does not correspond to either the Hebrew or Greek forms of the Baptist’s name, which would have been Yochannan or Ioannes respectively. John in Arabic would be Yuhannan, not Yahya.   

We have given this name to no one before him. Here the Quran mistakenly states that the name “John” had never been given to anyone else. The Holy Bible indicates that there were many individuals with this name since it was quite a common one (cf. 2 Kings 25:23; 1 Chronicles 3:15, 24, 6:9-10; Ezra 3:12). Either Muhammad or the compiler(s) of the Quran misunderstood, and therefore misreported, the Biblical account of the story which says that no one from Zechariah’s family had ever been given that name before (cf. Luke 1:59-61).

19:10: He said: “O my Lord! Give me a sign.” He said: “Your sign is that you shall not (be able to) speak to men for three nights, though you are sound (in health).”

Your sign is that you shall not (be able to) speak to men for three nights. Much like with the name John, the Quran has garbled up the biblical story of Zechariah becoming mute as a result of questioning the angel Gabriel’s announcement of John’s birth. Luke’s Gospel expressly says that God made Zechariah mute until the birth of John (cf. Luke 1:18-23, 57-66), whereas according to this account he was simply commanded not to speak for three days.

19:15: So peace be on him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised to life (again).

So peace be on him. Jesus says the same exact thing concerning himself in v. 33, which again demonstrates that Muhammad or the Quran’s compiler(s) composed these stories in such a way as to make the lives of these two men resemble one another. See the note to v. 33 for the significance this has on Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  

19:16: And mention Mary in the Book, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East,

And mention Mary in the Book. Here begins the story of Jesus.

to a place in the East. Some of the information concerning Jesus and his mother were taken from the apocryphal legends which were composed centuries after the birth of Christ, such as the Protevangelium of James the Lesser and the Arabic Infancy Gospel of Thomas. According to the former, Mary’s parents committed her to the service of the Temple located in Jerusalem at a young age, i.e., a place in the East. Muhammad must have heard these fables from the Christians he had come in contact with, and therefore included them in his retelling of Christ’s story. Muhammad erroneously assumed that these were actual events in the life of Jesus, when in reality they were nothing more than myths which Christians fabricated centuries after Christ’s ascension into heaven.

19:17: and she took a veil (to screen herself) from them. And we sent Our Spirit to her; and he appeared to her in the form of a man without fault.

And we sent Our Spirit to her. This surah not only contradicts the earlier version found in Q. 3:42, 45-48, it also garbles up the Biblical version of this event. According to Luke 1:26-35, God sent the angel Gabriel to inform Mary that the Holy Spirit will cause her to supernaturally conceive Jesus while still a virgin. This account, however, has the Spirit himself appearing to Mary as a man in order to inform her that he has come to grant her a child.  

and he appeared to her in the form of a man without fault. It is rather ironic that Allah’s Spirit can appear as a man whereas Islamic theological rejects any notion of Allah doing so. However, since the Spirit of Allah can appear as a perfect human being without this affecting a change in his nature or demeaning his character in anyway, why then do Muslims consider it beneath the glory and majesty of Allah to do likewise?

19:28: O Sister of Aaron! Your father was not a bad man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman.”

O Sister of Aaron! The Quran refers to Mary as the daughter of Imran and the sister of Aaron, whose mother was the wife of Imran (cf. Q. 3:35-36; 66:12). However, the only Mary who had a father and brother with those names was the sister of Moses! (Cf. Exodus 15:20; Numbers 26:59). Apparently, Muhammad and/or the compiler(s) mistakenly assumed that Jesus’ mother was Moses’ sister, thereby making Moses Jesus’ maternal uncle, despite the fact that there was a time gap of approximately 1500 years between them.    

19:30: He (Jesus) said: “Truly, I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet.

He (Jesus) said. The Quran has again adopted a Christian a fable from the Arabic Gospel of the Infancy of the Savior where Jesus miraculously speaks as an infant (cf. Q. 3:46; 5:110). The only difference is that this mythical tale is rewritten in such a way as to make the baby Jesus espouse Islamic theology. However, in the original story Jesus actually claimed to be the Son of God and Word which Mary brought forth, and the One whom the Father sent to save the world.

19:31: And He has made me blessed wherever I may be; and He has required of me prayer and the giving of alms as long as I live,

and the giving of alms as long as I live. Jesus allegedly says that he has been commanded to give alms as long as he lives, which is a problem if he didn’t die as Muslims claim. The traditional Islamic view implies that Jesus is currently giving alms while in the presence of God in heaven since he hasn’t died yet. 

19:33: And peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised to life (again).”

And peace on me. As was noted in v. 15, the same thing is said about John the Baptist. It is apparent that the lives of John and Jesus are meant to mirror each other in some way, specifically in respect to the manner of their births, lives and deaths. However, this poses a problem for the traditional Islamic view which says that Jesus did not die, but was taken alive into God’s presence. This sequence of events means that Jesus’ final moments were unlike that of the Baptist’s, whom Muslims readily admit died a martyr’s death. Since the lives of these two men are meant to be parallel in some sense, it would therefore make no sense for Jesus not to have died. If anything, we would expect that Jesus would have also experienced a violent death similar to John, whom first century accounts confirm was beheaded. And this is precisely what all our first century writings attest, namely, Jesus died a violent death by crucifixion.

19:34: That was Jesus the son of Mary, a word of truth about which they dispute.

a word of truth. The Muslim expositors are divided over whether this phrase refers to Jesus or to the account of Jesus’ story found in the preceding verses. The Quran does identify Jesus as the Word of/from Allah in Q. 3:39, 45 and 4:171. For the meaning and implication of this title see the note to Q. 4:171. 

19:35: It is not (fitting) for Allah to take a son for Himself. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.

It is not (fitting) for Allah to take a son for Himself. The Quran grossly represents Christian theology concerning Jesus’ relationship to the Father. The historic Christian faith has never taught that God took Jesus to be his Son at some specific point in time. Rather, Christianity has always affirmed that Christ is the eternal Son of God and that there never was a time in which he did not exist in intimate loving communion with the Father as his beloved Son.

19:36: “Surely, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him; this is the right path.”

Surely, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is another example where the author(s) of the Quran has Allah referring to someone other than himself as Allah. The Quran is supposed to be the uncreated speech of Allah, which means that it is the Muslim deity who is the alleged narrator of all the surahs. And yet this text has Allah confessing that Allah is his Lord. See v. 64 for another example.  

19:40: Surely We shall inherit the earth and all who are upon it, and they shall all be returned to Us!

Surely We shall inherit the earth and all who are upon it. The Quran, in several places, asserts that Allah inherits from his creatures and even goes as far as to call him the best of those who inherit (cf. Q. 15:23; 19:80; 21:89). Consult the note to Q. 112:3 in order to see the problem that this raises for the Islamic position concerning Allah’s aseity.

19:41: And mention Abraham in the Book; surely he was a man of truth, a prophet.

And mention Abraham in the Book. What follows next is a list of prophets and messengers, most of whom happen to be specifically mentioned in the Holy Bible. However, much of the details concerning these inspired envoys of God are not taken from the Biblical accounts, but from Jewish and Christian folklore and fables which Muhammad erroneously assumed were based on historical facts. The point of mentioning all of these emissaries is to reinforce the repeated Quranic assertion that all of the true prophets and messengers were faithful Muslims whose religion was the same as that of Muhammad’s, i.e., Islam. 

19:54: And mention Ishmael in the Book. Surely he was true to his promise, and was an apostle, a prophet.

And mention Ishmael in the Book. In several passages, the Quran refers to Ishmael as a prophet and messenger who was given a divinely revealed scripture to pass on to his community (cf. Q. 2:125-133, 136, 140; 3:84; 4:163-164; 6:83-90; 14:35-41; 21:85-86). The main reason why he is repeatedly listed as such is because the Quran seeks to legitimize Muhammad’s prophetic calling by connecting him to Abraham. Islamic tradition proclaims that Muhammad was a descendant of Abraham through his son Ishmael, and therefore an heir to the prophetic heritage and promises granted to Abraham and his progeny.

19:56: And mention Idris in the Book. Surely he was a man of truth, a prophet.

And mention Idris in the Book. Idris is believed to be the Arabic name for Enoch, whom the Holy Bible says was taken up alive into the presence of God (cf. Genesis 5:21-24; Hebrews 11:5). Also see the next verse.

19:64: We do not descend except at the command of your Lord. To Him belong what is before us, and what is behind us, and what is between them. And your Lord is never forgetful—

We do not descend except at the command of your Lord. The immediate context clearly shows that the speaker here is supposed to be Allah, and yet he refers to himself in the plural and says that he only comes down when his Lord commands him to do so. This is another case where either the compiler(s) and/or editor(s) failed to include some kind of statement in order make sure that the readers were aware that the speaker has shifted from Allah to someone else. Or the simple fact is that the Quran does not teach the strict Unitarianism which Muslims claim that it does. See Q. 19:36 for another example of this slip.  

19:71: There is not one of you who will not go down to it—that is a settled decree of your Lord.

that is a settled decree of your Lord. According to this text and the next verse, Allah has decreed that every single person must enter hell, and that only those whom he deems to be godly enough shall be taken out from there. Passages such as these are the reason why no Muslim can no for certain whether s/he will be saved on the Day of Judgment. In fact, Muhammad himself wasn’t completely certain about his own eternal fate as can be seen from the following verses: Q. 39:30-31; 46:9; 72:21-22. Now what hope do Muslims have that their sins shall be forgiven, and that Allah will grant them eternal bliss, when even the founder of their own religion wasn’t certain about his own personal salvation? It is ironic that the Quran is hesitant to assure that a person will be saved and forgiven, even though it guarantees that everyone, especially all the Muslims, shall definitely enter into the fires of hell.

19:80: and We will inherit what he has spoken of (his wealth and children), and he shall come to Us alone.

and We will inherit what he has spoken of. For the problem of Allah inheriting from his creation see the notes to Q. 19:40 and 112:3.

19:82: By no means! They shall reject their worship, and shall become their enemies.

They shall reject their worship, and shall become their enemies. This passage presupposes that the gods which the disbelievers worshiped actually exist. Otherwise, how could these gods reject the worship of the disbelievers and become their enemies if they didn’t? This shows that the problem that the Quran has isn’t with the existence of these so-called gods, but with people worshiping these other deities.

19:83: Do you not see that We have sent the devils against the unbelievers, to incite them to sin?

that We have sent the devils. See the note to Q. 6:112 concerning Allah sending devils upon individuals in order to tempt and mislead them.

19:87: they shall have no power to intercede—except the one who has made a covenant with the Gracious One.

except the one who has made a covenant with the Gracious One. See the note to Q. 10:15 on the problem and contradiction with Allah accepting intercession.

19:88: And they say: “The Gracious One has taken a son.”

The Gracious One has taken a son. Here begins another tirade against those who claim that Allah has taken a son, something which the Quran considers to be the height of blasphemy.

19:93: There is no one in the heavens or on earth who will not come to the Gracious One as a slave.

as a slave. This passage not only makes it clear that Allah has no offspring, it also establishes the fact that the highest relationship anyone can have with the Muslim deity is that of a slave. The Holy Bible is quite emphatic that a slave has no guarantee of salvation, which is why the Lord Jesus came to save his followers, namely, to transform them into becoming spiritual children of God. The inspired Scriptures also declare that anyone who denies that God is a spiritual Father, or that Fatherhood is essential to God’s very own identity, s/he is actually an antichrist and apostle of Satan (cf. Exodus 4:22-23; Deuteronomy 32:6, 18; Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Hosea 1:10; Matthew 5:9, 43-48; John 1:12-13; 8:34-36; Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18; 11:2-4, 13-15; Galatians 1:6-9; 4:4-7; 1 John 2:22-23; 3:1-2).