The Hebrew Bible, also referred to as the [O]ld [T]estament, reveals that there are at least two distinct divine Persons who are identified as Jehovah, which the Greek versions of the OT (known as the Septuagint [LXX]), renders as Lord (“Kyrios”).   

THE ONE LORD JEHOVAH IS AT LEAST TWO

For instance, Genesis states that Jehovah appeared at Sodom and Gomorrah as a man in order to rain fire and brimstone from the Jehovah who was in heaven:

“Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven; and he overthrew those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Jehovah: and he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.” Genesis 19:24-29 American Standard Version (ASV)

Compare:

“And the Lord (Kyrios) rained on Sodom and Gomorrha brimstone and fire from the Lord (para Kyriou) out of heaven.” Genesis 19:24 LXX

Moreover, the Holy Spirit revealed to King David that Jehovah would enthrone the Messiah his Lord together with himself who would then go forth to crush his enemies in the day of battle:

“Jehovah gives dominion to the king. A Psalm of David. Jehovah saith unto my Lord (Adoni), Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people offer themselves willingly In the day of thy power, in holy array: Out of the womb of the morning Thou hast the dew of thy youth. Jehovah hath sworn, and will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek. The Lord (Adonay) at thy right hand Will strike through kings in the day of his wrath. HE will judge among the nations, HE will fill the places with dead bodies; HE will strike through the head in many countries. HE will drink of the brook in the way: Therefore will HE lift up the head.” Psalm 110:1-7 ASV

Note how the Greek and Latin versions render the aforementioned Psalm:

“[A Psalm of David.] The Lord (ho Kyrios) said to my Lord (to Kyrio mou), Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool… With thee is dominion in the day of thy power, in the splendours of thy saints: I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning… The Lord (Kyrios) at thy right hand has dashed in pieces kings in the day of his wrath.” Psalm 109:1, 3, 5 LXX

“The Lord (Dominus) said to my Lord (Domino meo): Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool… With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee… The Lord (Dominus) at thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.” Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

Hence, David’s Lord is God’s unique Son who was begotten from before creation!

Both the Lord Jesus and his inspired emissaries applied this Psalm to Christ himself:

“And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.” Mark 12:35-37

“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” Mark 16:19-20 AV – C.f. 14:61-62

“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Acts 2:29-36 AV – C.f. 5:31; 7:55-56

“who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high… But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?” Hebrews 1:3, 13 AV – C.f. 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2

The following Bible expositor brings out the significance of this particular Psalm:

The key to understanding this lies in identifying the two distinct persons referred to by the name of “Lord.” The first use of the word refers unmistakably to Jehovah. The other word “Lord” is the Hebrew adon and means “master” or “ruler.” It was sometimes used as a name of God and sometimes applied to a human master. Although the word itself does not always indicate a divine person, the words that follow show that David’s Lord (Adon) was equal with God.

One day when Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in Jerusalem, He asked them what they believed concerning the identity of the Messiah. From whom would the Promised One be descended? They answered correctly that He would be the son of David. But Jesus showed them that according to Psalm 110 (which they acknowledged to be messianic) the Messiah would also be David’s Lord. How could He be David’s son and David’s Lord at the same time? And how could David, the king, have someone who was his Lord on earth?

The answer of course was that the Messiah would be both God and man. As God, He would be David’s Lord. As man, He would be David’s son. And Jesus Himself, combining in His Person both deity and humanity, was David’s Master and David’s son…

110:5 The last three verses of the Psalm picture the Lord Jesus as a mighty Conqueror, putting down all lawlessness and rebellion prior to the inauguration of His kingdom. The problem of identifying the personages in these verses is largely solved if we think of them as being addressed to Jehovah and as referring to the Messiah-King. Thus verse 5 would read:

THE LORD (Adonai–here the Lord Jesus) is at Your (Jehovah’s) right hand; He (Messiah) shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.        

110:6 It is the Lord Jesus marching forth against the Gentile nations, as foreseen in Joel 3:9-17; Zechariah 14:3; and Revelation 19:11-21. He executes judgment among the nations, strewing the landscape with their corpses. The further statement “He shall execute the heads of many countries” could also be translated “He shall strike through the head over a wide land.” This could be a reference to the doom of the Man of Sin, “whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thess. 2:8).

110:7 As He goes forth to deal with His foes, the King shall drink of the brook by the wayside. Since water is often a type of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38, 39), this suggest that the Lord is refreshed and reinvigorated by the ministry of the Spirit, and this explains why He subsequently lifts up His head in victory. (William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary, edited by Art Farstad [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN 1995], pp. 724-726)

There’s more.

The Deutero-canonical book of Sirach mentions the composer praying to his Lord, who happens to be the Father of his Lord!

“My soul shall praise the Lord even to death. And my life was drawing near to hell beneath. They compassed me on every side, and there was no one that would help me. I looked for the succour of men, and there was none. I remembered thy mercy, O Lord, and thy works, which are from the beginning of the world. How thou deliverest them that wait for thee, O Lord, and savest them out of the hands of the nations. Thou hast exalted my dwelling place upon the earth and I have prayed for death to pass away. I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help. I will praise thy name continually, and will praise it with thanksgiving, and my prayer was heard. And thou hast saved me from destruction, and hast delivered me from the evil time. Therefore I will give thanks, and praise thee, and bless the name of the Lord.” Sirach 51:8-17 DRA

Here’s the particular verse in question:

I called upon the Lord, the father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the day of my trouble, and in the time of the proud without help.

Invocavi Dominum patrem Domini mei, ut non derelinquat me in die tribulationis meae, et in tempore superborum, sine adjutorio. Sirach 51:14 Douay-Rheims + Latin Vulgate (DR + LV http://www.drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drl&bk=26&ch=51&l=14-#x)

And here’s the same passage as it is rendered from the Greek versions:

“I appealed to the Lord, the Father of my lord (epekalesamen Kyrion patera Kyriou mou), not to forsake me in the days of affliction, at the time when there is no help against the proud.” Sirach 51:10 Revised Standard Version (RSV)

“I called to help the Lord, (the) father of my Lord (or the Father of my Lord), that he forsake not me in the day of my tribulation, and forsake not me without help, in the time of them that be proud. [I inwardly called the Lord, father of my Lord, that he forsake not me in the day of my tribulation, and in time of proud men, without help.]” Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

We find a similar statement in a late 1^st–early 2^nd century AD Christian pseudepigraphal writing:

6. And I heard the angel who conducted me and he said: “This is the Most High of the high ones, dwelling in the holy world, and resting in His holy ones, who will be called by the Holy Spirit through the lips of the righteous the Father of the Lord.”

7. And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my Lord, saying to my Lord Christ who will be called Jesus: (The Ascension of Isaiah – Early Christian Writings, 10:6-7; bold emphasis mine)

Here the Father of the Lord is the Father of Jesus Christ.

Liberal biblical scholar Margaret Barker comments on this early and widespread belief among both Christians and Jews that there are at least two distinct divine Persons who are called Jehovah/Lord:

The fusion of Yahweh and El Elyon led to the widely attested tradition of the two Yahwehs, where both High God and Angel had the same name. In the Apocalypse of Abraham, the guardian angel is Jaoel, but this is also one of the names for God. In the song of praise which Abraham was instructed to sing before the fiery presence of God, among the names of God are ‘El, El, Jaoel’ (Ap. Abr. 17.13). In the Apocalypse of Moses there is the archangel Joel (Ap. Mos. 43.5) and Jael is one of the names for God (Ap. Mos. 29.4). Metatron was known as the Little Yahweh, implying that there was a Greater Yahweh, but this seems to have been more of a title than a name, conferring a certain status when he was enthroned. Something similar had been said of Moses by Philo: ‘He was named God and King’ (Life of Moses, 1.158), although he used theos implying that the original had been ‘elohim, rather than kyrios which would have indicated the title Yahweh. Other texts also mentioned both a Greater and a Lesser Yahweh:

The titles … functioned independently of the Metatron traditions. Thus we encounter the Great Jao and the Little Jao in the third century Christian gnostic work Pistis Sophia and in the gnostic Book of Jeu. In the Syriac Gannat Bussame (Garden of Delights) we find listed among deities worshipped by unbelievers ‘Adonai katon the general of Adonai gadol, who are reverenced by the Israelites’.¹⁷

There is also the mysterious reference in Sir. 51.10: ‘I appealed to the Lord (kyrios), the Father of my Lord (kyrios), not to forsake me in the days of affliction’, which is the earliest use of the two Lords I have found.

The Ascension of Isaiah is an Apocalypse expanded by Christians at the end of the first century; it has two Yahwehs: ‘And I saw how my LORD and the angel of the Holy Spirit worshipped and both together praised the LORD’ (Asc. Isa. 9.40). This implies that for the first Christians both Father and Son were known as Yahweh, since there follows this: ‘And I heard the voice of the Most High, the Father of my LORD as he said to my LORD Christ who will be called Jesus ‘Go out and descend through all the heavens’ (Asc. Isa. 10.7).¹⁸

Eusebius, writing in the early fourth century, shows that Christians remembered the tradition of the two LORDS, two Yahwehs:

First, then, Moses expressly speaks of two divine lords in the passage where he says ‘Then the LORD rained from the LORD fire and brimstone upon the city of the ungodly’ where he applied to both the like combination of Hebrew letters in the usual way and this combination is the mention of God expressed in the four letters which is with them unutterable.

In accordance with him David also, another prophet, as well as king of the Hebrews, says, ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, sit thou on right hand’ indicating the Most High God by the first LORD and the second to him by the second title.

This is he whom the same prophet in other places clearly distinguished as the Word of the Father.¹⁹ (Barker, The Great Angel: A Study of lsrael’s Second God [Westminster John Knox Press LouisvilIe, Kentucky 1992], Chapter 5. The Evidence of the Angels, pp. 81-82; bold emphasis mine)

In the second part of my discussion, I will seek to unveil the identity of the Lord who is said to be the Son of the Lord from Jewish writings. I will then demonstrate how this establishes that Christianity is the continuation and fulfillment of this specific strand of ancient Judaism.

Since some are going around claiming that the Holy Bible NOWHERE says that the Pharaoh of the Exodus drowned, I decided to write this short post and let the readers decide if this is true or not.

Compare what the following biblical passages state in respect to God overthrowing the Egyptians in the Red Sea at the time of Moses:

“So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord OVERTHREW (wayna’er) the Egyptians IN THE MIDST OF THE SEA. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; NOT ONE OF THEM REMAINED. But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel SAW THE EGYPTIANS DEAD ON THE SEASHORE. When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.” Exodus 14:27-31

“To Him who divided the Red Sea in parts, For His faithfulness is everlasting, And allowed Israel to pass through the midst of it, For His faithfulness is everlasting; But He OVERTHREW (we’nier) PHAROAH and his army IN THE RED SEA, For His faithfulness is everlasting.” Psalm 136:13-15

Both texts speak of God overthrowing or “shaking off” the Egyptians by drowning them in the sea, resulting in their deaths. This is why the passage speaks of the Israelites seeing the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore. Since Psalm 136:15 includes the Pharaoh in this overthrow or “shaking off,” this means that he also was drowned and killed.

There’s more:

“For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back THE WATERS OF THE SEA ON THEM, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.” Exodus 15:19

“To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. So I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, AND BROUGHT THE SEA UPON THEM AND COVERED THEM; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time.” Joshua 24:4-7

“How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness And grieved Him in the desert! Again and again they tempted God, And pained the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power, The day when He redeemed them from the enemy, When He performed His signs in Egypt And His marvels in the field of Zoan, And turned their rivers to blood, And their streams, so that they could not drink. He sent swarms of flies among them that devoured them, And frogs that destroyed them. He also gave their crops to the grasshopper And the product of their labor to the locust. He destroyed their vines with hailstones And their sycamore trees with frost. He also turned their cattle over to the hailstones, And their herds to bolts of lightning. He sent His burning anger upon them, Fury and indignation and trouble, A band of destroying angels. He leveled a path for His anger; He did not spare their souls from death, But turned their lives over to the plague, And struck all the firstborn in Egypt, The first and best of their vigor in the tents of Ham. But He led His own people out like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock; He led them safely, so that they did not fear; BUT THE SEA ENGULFED THEIR ENEMIES. So He brought them to His holy land, To this hill country which His right hand had gained. He also drove out the nations from them And apportioned them as an inheritance by measurement, And had the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.” Psalm 78:40-55  

“Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders; They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name, So that He might make His power known. So He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, And He led them through the mighty waters, as through the wilderness. So He saved them from the hand of one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. THE WATERS COVERED THEIR ADVERSARIES; NOT ONE OF THEM WAS LEFT. Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.” Psalm 106:7-12

In case the readers missed it, here are the specific verses from what the aforementioned references state in regards to the fate of the Egyptians,

“But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, AND BROUGHT THE SEA UPON THEM AND COVERED THEM; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time.” Joshua 24:7

“He led them safely, so that they did not fear; BUT THE SEA ENGULFED THEIR ENEMIES.” Psalm 78:53

“THE WATERS COVERED THEIR ADVERSARIES; NOT ONE OF THEM WAS LEFT.” Psalm 106:11

A fate which included the Pharaoh:

“But He OVERTHREW (we’nier) PHARAOH and his army IN THE RED SEA, For His faithfulness is everlasting.” Psalm 136:15

It, thus, seems reasonably clear that the Holy Bible does teach that the Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea as God’s judgment upon him.

Now some have tried to get around this fact by appealing to Psalm 109:23 to prove that the verb “overthrow” doesn’t necessarily mean that Pharaoh actually died by drowning. As one source explains it:

“The same Hebrew verb is used in Ps 109:23, where David laments, ‘I am gone like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust.’ Here, he describes the sad condition of his suffering, as both lines of this synonymous parallelism indicate his feeling of being cast away, or discarded. The picture painted by the verb is that David has become as a locust that is casually flicked away from a man’s garment. Surely David was not describing his own demise and death!” (Douglas Petrovich, “AMENHOTEP II AND THE HISTORICITY OF THE EXODUS-PHARAOH”)

To call this desperate would be putting it mildly since Psalm 109:23 is not at all a parallel text or a comparable example of how the verb is used in Psalm 136:15.

The more exact parallel is Exodus 14:27 where the same verb is used in the exact same context of God overthrowing the Egyptians at/in the Red Sea. And there the verb clearly means that God overthrew or “shook off” the Egyptians by drowning them in the Red Sea.

An even more desperate means of overthrowing (pun intended) the plain teaching of the Holy Bible is the claim that Psalms are known for employing poetry, and in poetry such statements need not to be interpreted literally.

This response is even more desperate than the previous one since even poetic literature can and does convey historical realities and facts.

Besides, Psalms 136:13-15 is echoing the language of Exodus 14:27-31, which is not a poetic text but historical narrative, which is meant to convey the historical reality of how God overthrew the Egyptians.   

Hopefully, the foregoing clears up the gross misinterpretation of the Holy Bible by some well-intended apologists and “scholars,” who think they are doing God a favor by explaining away the plain reading of the Holy Scriptures that Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea, due to their erroneous belief that God’s revelation is in conflict with the archeological and historical data.

All biblical references taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

FURTHER READING

RAMESES II WAS NOT THE PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS!

In this post I will highlight some of the many discrepancies and errors of the Quran. I will be focusing on statements where Allah is said to be performing a specific function, or where he is described as the only one possessing certain qualities, and then show how the Islamic scripture then attributes these very roles and functions to others.

This in turn establishes that either the Muslim “holy” book is contradicting itself, or Allah is committing the unforgiveable sin of shirk (“association/partnership”), by taking creatures to be his partners in carrying out the very tasks or by conferring upon them some of his unique properties and names.

Here’s what the Quran says about shirk:

who assigned to you the earth for a couch, and heaven for an edifice, and sent down out of heaven water, wherewith He brought forth fruits for your provision; so set not up compeers to God wittingly. S. 2:22

God forgives not that aught should be with Him associated; less than that He forgives to whomsoever He will. Whoso associates with God anything, has indeed forged a mighty sin. S. 4:48    

God forgives not that aught should be with Him associated; less than that He forgives to whomsoever He will. Whoso associates with God anything, has gone astray into far error. S. 4:116

It has been revealed to thee, and to those before thee, ‘If thou associatest other gods with God, thy work shall surely fail and thou wilt be among the losers.’ S. 39:65  

WHO SENT/BROUGHT DOWN THE QURAN?

ALLAH

And We have brought to them a Book that We have well distinguished, resting on knowledge, a guidance and a mercy unto a people that believe. S. 7:52

Alif Lam Ra. Those are the signs of the Manifest Book. We have sent it down as an Arabic Koran; haply you will understand. We will relate to thee the fairest of stories in that We have revealed to thee this Koran, though before it thou wast one of the heedless. S. 12:1-3

GABRIEL

Say: ‘Whosoever is an enemy to Gabriel — he it was that brought it down upon thy heart by the leave of God, confirming what was before it, and for a guidance and good tidings to the believers. S. 2:97

THE HOLY SPIRT

Say: ‘The Holy Spirit sent it down from thy Lord in truth, and to confirm those who believe, and to be a guidance and good tidings to those who surrender.’ S. 16:102

THE FAITHFUL SPIRIT

Truly it is the revelation of the Lord of all Being, brought down by the Faithful Spirit upon thy heart, that thou mayest be one of the warners, in a clear, Arabic tongue. S. 26:192-195

WHO RECITES AND TEACHES THE QURAN?

ALLAH

These are the signs of God We recite to thee in truth, and assuredly thou art of the number of the Envoys. And those Messengers, some We have preferred above others; some there are to whom God spoke, and some He raised in rank. And We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear signs, and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit. And had God willed, those who came after him would not have fought one against the other after the clear signs had come to them; but they fell into variance, and some of them believed, and some disbelieved; and had God willed they would not have fought one against the other; but God does whatsoever He desires. S. 2:252-253

O believers, when you contract a debt one upon another for a stated term, write it down, and let a writer write it down between you justly, and let not any writer refuse to write it down, as God has taught him; so let him write, and let the debtor dictate, and let him fear God his Lord and not diminish aught of it. And if the debtor be a fool, or weak, or unable to dictate himself, then let his guardian dictate justly. And call in to witness two witnesses, men; or if the two be not men, then one man and two women, such witnesses as you approve of, that if one of the two women errs the other will remind her; and let the witnesses not refuse, whenever they are summoned. And be not loth to write it down, whether it be small or great, with its term; that is more equitable in God’s sight, more upright for testimony, and likelier that you will not be in doubt. Unless it be merchandise present that you give and take between you; then it shall be no fault in you if you do not write it down. And take witnesses when you are trafficking one with another. And let not either writer or witness be pressed; or if you do, that is ungodliness in you. And fear God; God teaches you, and God has knowledge of everything. S. 2:282

Alif Lam Ra. Those are the signs of the Manifest Book. We have sent it down as an Arabic Koran; haply you will understand. We will relate to thee the fairest of stories in that We have revealed to thee this Koran, though before it thou wast one of the heedless. S. 12:1-3

Your God is only the One God; there is no god, but He alone who in His knowledge embraces everything.’ So We relate to thee stories of what has gone before, and We have given thee a remembrance from Us. S. 20:98-99

Those are the signs of the Manifest Book. We will recite to thee something of the tiding of Moses and Pharaoh truthfully, for a people who believe. S. 28:2-3

Those are the signs of God that We recite to thee in truth; in what manner of discourse then, after God and His signs, will they believe? S. 45:6

Move not thy tongue with it to hasten it; Ours it is to gather it, and to recite it. So, when We recite it, follow thou its recitation. Then Ours it is to explain it. S. 75:16-19

MUHAMMAD

as also We have sent among you, of yourselves, a Messenger, to recite Our signs to you and to purify you, and to teach you the Book and the Wisdom, and to teach you that you knew not. S. 2:151

Truly God was gracious to the believers when He raised up among them a Messenger from themselves, to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before they were in manifest error. S. 3:164

It is He who has raised up from among the common people a Messenger from among them, to recite His signs to them and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before that they were in manifest error, S. 62:2

a Messenger reciting to you the signs of God, clear signs, that He may bring forth those who believe and do righteous deeds from the shadows into the light. Whosoever believes in God, and does righteousness, He will admit him to gardens underneath which rivers flow; therein they shall dwell for ever and ever. God has made for him a goodly provision. S. 65:11

WHO IS IT THAT PURIFIES/FORGIVES?

ALLAH

Permitted to you, upon the night of the Fast, is to go in to your wives; — they are a vestment for you, and you are a vestment for them. God knows that you have been betraying yourselves, and has turned to you and pardoned you. So now lie with them, and seek what God has prescribed for you. And eat and drink, until the white thread shows clearly to you from the black thread at the dawn; then complete the Fast unto the night, and do not lie with them while you cleave to the mosques. Those are God’s bounds; keep well within them. So God makes clear His signs to men; haply they will be godfearing. S. 2:187

God charges no soul save to its capacity; standing to its account is what it has earned, and against its account what it has merited. Our Lord, take us not to task if we forget, or make mistake. Our Lord; charge us not with a load such as Thou didst lay upon those before us. Our Lord, do Thou not burden us beyond what we have the strength to bear. And pardon us, and forgive us, and have mercy on us; Thou art our Protector. And help us against the people of the unbelievers. S. 2:286

Hast thou not regarded those who purify themselves? Nay; ONLY God purifies whom He will; and they shall not be wronged a single date-thread. S. 4:49

haply them God will yet pardon, for God is All-pardoning, All-forgiving. Whoso emigrates in the way of God will find in the earth many refuges and plenty; whoso goes forth from his house an emigrant to God and His Messenger, and then death overtakes him, his wage shall have fallen on God; surely God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate. S. 4:99-100

O believers, follow not the steps of Satan; for whosoever follows the steps of Satan, assuredly he bids to indecency and dishonour. But for God’s bounty to you and His mercy not one of you would have been pure ever; but GOD purifies whom He will; and God is All-hearing, All-knowing. S. 24:21

MUHAMMAD

Many of the People of the Book wish they might restore you as unbelievers, after you have believed, in the jealousy of their souls, after the truth has become clear to them; yet do you pardon and be forgiving, till God brings His command; truly God is powerful over everything. S. 2:109

as also We have sent among you, of yourselves, a Messenger, to recite Our signs to you and to purify you, and to teach you the Book and the Wisdom, and to teach you that you knew not. S. 2:151

Truly God was gracious to the believers when He raised up among them a Messenger from themselves, to recite to them His signs and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before they were in manifest error. S. 3:164

Be forgiving, judge with positive and useful things, and turn away from the ignorant! S. 7:199 (Ahmed Hulusi, Decoding the Quran (In Chronological Order Of Revelation) https://www.islamawakened.com/quran/7/st63.htm)

Take of their wealth a freewill offering, to purify them and to cleanse them thereby, and pray for them; thy prayers are a comfort for them; God is All-hearing, All-knowing. S. 9:103

It is He who has raised up from among the common people a Messenger from among them, to recite His signs to them and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom, though before that they were in manifest error, S. 62:2

WHO IS HE THAT INTERCEDES?

NONE BESIDES ALLAH

Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and that I have preferred you above all beings; and beware of a day when NO SOUL for another shall give satisfaction, and no intercession shall be accepted from it, nor any counterpoise be taken, neither shall they be helped. S. 2:47-48

Children of Israel, remember My blessing wherewith I blessed you, and that I have preferred you above all beings; and beware a day when NO SOUL for another shall give satisfaction, and no counterpoise shall be accepted from it, nor any intercession shall be profitable to it, neither shall they be helped. S. 2:122-123

God takes the souls at the time of their death, and that which has not died, in its sleep; He withholds that against which He has decreed death, but looses the other till a stated term. Surely in that are signs for a people who reflect. Or have they taken intercessors apart from God? Say: ‘What, even though they have no power whatever and no understanding?’ Say: ‘To God belongs intercession altogether. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; then unto Him you will be returned.’ S. 39:42-44

Again, what shall teach thee what is the Day of Doom? A day when NO SOUL shall possess aught to succour another soul; that day the Command shall belong unto God. S. 82:18-19

THOSE WHOM ALLAH APPOINTS

God there is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His Throne comprises the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-high, the All-glorious. S. 2:255

Surely your Lord is God, who created the heavens and the earth in six days, then sat Himself upon the Throne, directing the affair. Intercessor there is none, save after His leave that then is God, your Lord; so serve Him. Will you not remember? S. 10:3

Upon that day the intercession will not profit, save for him to whom the All-merciful gives leave, and whose speech He approves. S. 20:19

And We sent never a Messenger before thee except that We revealed to him, saying, ‘There is no god but I; so serve Me.’ They say: ‘The All-merciful has taken to Him a son.’ Glory be to Him! Nay, but they are honoured servants that outstrip Him not in speech, and perform as He commands. He knows what is before them and behind them, and they intercede not save for him with whom He is well-pleased, and they tremble in awe of Him. If any of them says, ‘I am a god apart from Him’, such a one We recompense with Gehenna; even so We recompense the evildoers. S. 21:25-29

Intercession will not avail with Him save for him to whom He gives leave; till, when terror is lifted from their hearts, they will say, “What said your Lord?’ They will say, ‘The truth; and He is the All-high; the All-great.’ S. 34:23

Those who bear the Throne, and those round about it proclaim the praise of their Lord, and believe in Him, and they ask forgiveness for those who believe: ‘Our Lord, Thou embracest every thing in mercy and knowledge; therefore forgive those who have repented, and follow Thy way, and guard them against the chastisement of Hell. Our Lord, and admit them to the Gardens of Eden that Thou hast promised them and those who were righteous of their fathers, and their wives, and their seed; surely Thou art the All-mighty, the All-wise. And guard them against evil deeds; whomsoever Thou guardest against evil deeds on that day, on him Thou hast had mercy; and that is indeed the mighty triumph. S. 40:7-9

Those they call upon, apart from Him, have no power of intercession, save such as have testified to the truth, and that knowingly. S. 43:86

How many an angel there is in the heavens whose intercession avails not anything, save after that God gives leave to whomsoever He wills and is well-pleased. S. 53:26

WHO IS THE FRIEND/GUIDE/PROTECTOR?

ONLY ALLAH

Knowest thou not that to God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and that you have none, apart from God, neither protector nor helper? S. 2:107

It is not your fancies, nor the fancies of the People of the Book. Whosoever does evil shall be recompensed for it, and will not find for him, apart from God, a friend or helper. S. 4:123

And warn therewith those who fear they shall be mustered to their Lord; they have, apart from God, no protector and no intercessor; haply they will be godfearing. S. 6:51

Leave alone those who take their religion for a sport and a diversion, and whom the present life has deluded. Remind hereby, lest a soul should be given up to destruction for what it has earned; apart from God, it has no protector and no intercessor; though it offer any equivalent, it shall not be taken from it. Those are they who are given up to destruction for what they have earned; for them awaits a draught of boiling water and a painful chastisement, for that they were unbelievers. S. 6:70

Say: ‘Naught shall visit us but what God has prescribed for us; He is our Protector; in God let the believers put all their trust.’ S. 9:51

God is He that created the heavens and the earth, and what between them is, in six days, then seated Himself upon the Throne. Apart from Him, you have no protector neither mediator; will you not remember? S. 32:4

Surely We have sent down upon thee the Book for mankind with the truth. Whosoever is guided, is only guided to his own gain, and whosoever goes astray, it is only to his own loss; thou art not a guardian over them. S. 39:41

MUHAMMAD AND OTHERS

Your friend is only God, AND His Messenger, AND the believers who perform the prayer and pay the alms, and bow them down. S. 5:55

Even so We have revealed to thee a Spirit of Our bidding. Thou knewest not what the Book was, nor belief; but We made it a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our servants. And thou, surely thou shalt guide unto a straight path — S. 42:51

WHO IS HE WHO IS GENTLE AND COMPASSIONATE?

ALLAH

God has turned towards the Prophet and the Emigrants and the Helpers who followed him in the hour of difficulty, after the hearts of a part of them well-nigh swerved aside; then He turned towards them; surely He is Gentle to them, and All-compassionate (raoofun raheemun). S. 9:117

But for God’s bounty to you and His mercy and that God is All-gentle, All-compassionate (raoofun raheemun) – S. 24:20

And as for those who came after them, they say, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers, who preceded us in belief, and put Thou not into our hearts any rancour towards those who believe. Our Lord, surely Thou art the All-gentle, the All-compassionate (raoofun raheemun).’ S. 59:10

MUHAMMAD

Now there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; grievous to him is your suffering; anxious is he over you, gentle to the believers, compassionate (raoofun raheemun). S. 9:128

WHO CREATED JESUS’ HUMANITY?

ALLAH

Truly, the likeness of Jesus, in God’s sight, is as Adam’s likeness; He created him of dust, then said He unto him, ‘Be,’ and he was. S. 3:59

THE SPIRIT

‘Peace be upon him, the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised up alive!’ And mention in the Book Mary when she withdrew from her people to an eastern place, and she took a veil apart from them; then We sent unto her Our Spirit that presented himself to her a man without fault. She said, ‘I take refuge in the All-merciful from thee! If thou fearest God … He said, ‘I am but a messenger come from thy Lord, to give thee a boy most pure.’ S. 19:17-21

WHO CAUSES DEATH?

ALLAH

God takes the souls at the time of their death, and that which has not died, in its sleep; He withholds that against which He has decreed death, but looses the other till a stated term. Surely in that are signs for a people who reflect. Or have they taken intercessors apart from God? S. 39:42

THE ANGEL OF DEATH

Say: ‘Death’s angel, who has been charged with you, shall gather you, then to your Lord you shall be returned.’ S. 32:11

ANGELS

And those the angels take, while still they are wronging themselves — the angels will say, ‘In what circumstances were you?’ They will say, ‘We were abased in the earth.’ The angels will say, ‘But was not God’s earth wide, so that you might have emigrated in it?’ Such men, their refuge shall be Gehenna — an evil homecoming! – S. 4:97

whom the angels take while still they are wronging themselves.’ Then they will offer surrender: ‘We were doing nothing evil. ‘Nay; but surety God has knowledge of the things you did… whom the angels take while they are goodly, saying, ‘Peace be on you! Enter Paradise for that you were doing.’ S. 16:28, 32

WHO SPLIT THE SEA?

ALLAH

And when We divided for you the sea and delivered you, and drowned Pharaoh’s folk while you were beholding. S. 2:50

MOSES

Also We revealed unto Moses, ‘Go with My servants by night; strike for them a dry path in the sea, fearing not overtaking, neither afraid.’ S. 20:77

Then We revealed to Moses, ‘Strike with thy staff the sea’; and it clave, and each part was as a mighty mount. S. 26:63

Unless indicated otherwise, citations taken from the Arthur J. Arberry’s English version of the Quran.

FURTHER READING

Logical Consistency (no contradictions within the Qur’an).

To Intercede or Not To Intercede? – That is the Question! 

How the Islamic Doctrine of Intercession undermines Allah’s Omniscience

ANOTHER QURANIC CONTRADICTION: WHO GAVE MUHAMMAD THE QURAN?

There are “sound” hadiths where Muhammad claimed that Allah appeared to him as a beautiful man in which his deity then placed his palm between his shoulders where he then felt the coolness of Allah’s fingers on his chest:

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith – 237

Narrated AbdurRahman ibn A’ish

Allah’s Messenger said: I saw my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FORM. He said: What do the Angels in the presence of Allah contend about? I said: Thou art the most aware of it. He then placed HIS PALM between my shoulders and I felt its coldness in my chest and I came to know what was in the Heavens and the Earth. He recited: `Thus did we show Ibrahim the kingdom of the Heavens and the Earth and it was so that he might have certainty.’ (6:75)

Darimi reported it in a mursal form and Tirmidhi also reported. (Alim.org http://www.alim.org/library/hadith/TIR/237; capital and underline emphasis mine)

And:

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith – 245

Narrated Mu’adh ibn Jabal

Allah’s Messenger was detained one morning from observing the dawn prayer (in congregation) along with us till the sun had almost appeared on the horizon. He then came out hurriedly and Iqamah for prayer was observed and he conducted it (prayer) in brief form. When he had concluded the prayer by saying As-salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullah, he called out to us saying: Remain in your places as you were. Then turning to us he said: I am going to tell you what detained me from you (on account of which I could not join you in the prayer) in the morning. I got up in the night and performed ablution and observed the prayer as had been ordained for me. I dozed in my prayer till I was overcome by (sleep) and lo, I found myself in the presence of my Lord, the Blessed and the Glorious, IN THE BEST FORM. He said: Muhammad! I said: At Thy service, my Lord. He said: What these highest angels contend about? I said: I do not know. He repeated it thrice. He said: Then I saw Him put HIS PALMS between my shoulder blades till I felt the coldness of HIS FINGERS between the two sides of my chest. Then everything was illuminated for me and I could recognize everything. He said: Muhammad! I said: At Thy service, my Lord. He said: What do these high angels contend about? I said: In regard to expiations. He said: What are these? I said: Going on foot to join congregational prayers, sitting in the mosques after the prayers, performing ablution well despite difficulties. He again said: Then what do they contend? I said: In regard to the ranks. He said: What are these? I said: Providing of food, speaking gently, observing the prayer when the people are asleep. He again said to me: Beg (Your Lord) and say: O Allah, I beg of Thee (power) to do good deeds, and abandon abominable deeds, to love the poor, that Thou forgive me and show mercy to me and when Thou intendst to put people to trial Thou causes me to die unblemished and I beg of Thee Thy love and the love of one who loves Thee and the love for the deed which brings me near to Thy love. Allah’s Messenger said: It is a truth, so learn it and teach it.

Transmitted by Ahmad, Tirmidhi who said: This is a HASAN SAHIH hadith and I asked Muhammad ibn Isma’il about this hadith and he said: It is a SAHIH hadith. (Alim.org http://www.alim.org/library/hadith/TIR/245; capital and underline emphasis mine)

Here’s another version of the foregoing narrative:

Jami` at-Tirmidhi

Chapters on Tafsir

Narrated Mu’adh bin Jabal:

“One morning, the Messenger of Allah was prevented from coming to us for Salat As-Subh, until we were just about to look for the eye of the sun (meaning sunrise). Then he came out quickly, had the Salat prepared for. The Messenger of Allah performed the Salat, and he performed his Salat in a relatively quick manner. When he said the Salam, he called aloud with his voice saying to us: ‘Stay in your rows as you are.’ Then he turned coming near to us, then he said: ‘I am going to narrate to you what kept me from you this morning: I got up during the night, I performed Wudu and prayed as much as I was able to, and I dozed off during my Salat, and fell deep asleep. Then I SAW MY LORD, Blessed and Most High, IN THE BEST OF APPEARANCES. He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I said: ‘My Lord here I am my Lord!’ He said: ‘What is it that the most exalted group busy themselves with?’ I said: ‘I do not know Lord.’ And He said it three times.” He said: “So I saw Him place HIS PALM between my shoulders, and I sensed the coolness of HIS FINGERTIPS between my breast. Then everything was disclosed for me, and I became aware. So He said: ‘O Muhammad!’ I said: ‘Here I am my Lord!’ He said: ‘What is it that the most exalted group busy themselves with?’ I said: ‘In the acts that atone.’ He said: ‘And what are they?’ I said: ‘The footsteps to the congregation, the gatherings in the Masajid after the Salat, Isbagh Al-Wudu during difficulties.’ He said: ‘Then what else?’ I said: ‘Feeding others, being lenient in speech, and Salat during the night while the people are sleeping.’ He said: ‘Ask.’ I said: ‘O Allah! I ask of you the doing of the good deeds, avoiding the evil deeds, loving the poor, and that You forgive me, and have mercy upon me. And when You have willed Fitnah in the people, then take me without the Fitnah. And I ask You for Your love, the love of whomever You love, and the of the deeds that bring one nearer to Your love.’” The Messenger of Allah said: “Indeed it is true, so study it and learn it.”

Grade: Hasan (Darussalam)

English reference: Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3235

Arabic reference: Book 47, Hadith 3543 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/urn/642690; capital and underline emphasis mine)

If this weren’t shocking enough, other versions state that Allah appeared as a beautiful beardless young man with short curly hair!

“I saw my Lord in the most beautiful form like a youth with abundant hair.” (al-Daraqutni, Kitab al-Ru’ya, 332-333; 356-357; similar reports from Umm al-Tufayl, Anas b. Malik, Mu’adh b. ‘Afra, Ibn ‘Umar, ‘A’isha, Ibn ‘Abbas; Reported by Tabarani; Ibn Abi ‘Asim; al-Bayhaqi; al-Suyuti; al-Haythami; Ibn ‘Adi, al-Baghdadi)

I saw my Lord in the form of a young man, beardless (amrad) with short curly hair (ja’d) and clothed in a red garment. (Narrated by Ahmad b. Hanbal in Tabarani; AUTHENTICATED BY AHMAD B. HANBAL in Creed 3 citing isnad, ‘Abd al-Samad b. Yahya in Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1:218, al-Marrudhi (d. 888) in Tabaqat, 3:81, Ibn ‘Aqil in Makdisi, Ibn ‘Aqil, 130; Ibn ‘Adi al-Qattan, al-Kamil fi du’afa’ al-rijal, 3:49-50, al-Daraqutni, Kitab al-Ru’ya, 332-333, 356-357; al-Tabarani, al-Mu’jam al-Kabir, 25:143; SAHIH BY ABU L-HASAN B. BASHSHAR in Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat, 2:59; Abu Ya’la, al-Muta’mad, 85; ACCEPTED BY IBN TAYMIYYA in Bayan Tablis al-Jahmiyya, 7:192-198, 290)

Here’s what one of sunni Islam’s greatest hadith scholars said about the aforementioned report:

Ahmad b. Hanbal said about the above hadith: “Report it because the ‘ulama have reported it.” (‘Abd al-Samad b. Yahya reported in Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 1:218)

In case the readers are unaware, ibn Hanbal was not only a compiler of hadiths, whose massive collection of narrations is called Musnad Ahmad, he even has a school of Islamic jurisprudence (madhab) named after him.

Commenting on the anthropomorphic beliefs of ibn Hanbal, Islamic scholar Dr. Wesley Williams noted that:   

Ibn Hanbal, then, was an anthropomorphist. He affirmed for the divine a human form, including a face, eyes, curly hair, mouth, voice breath, chest and two elbows, back, arms, hands with a palm, five fingers and fingertips, legs, shin, feet, soul, physical beauty, a limit, and even, shockingly, loins. He affirmed the external meaning of these attributes and refused to qualify them with balkafa. (Williams, “Aspects of the Creed of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal: A study of Anthropomorphism in Early Islamic Discourse,” in International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 34 (2002), 441-463)

Hence, ibn Hanbal like the so-called Salafi Muslims of today, was an anthropomorphist literalist who held that Allah literally has a body of some kind. This explains why Ibn Hanbal was adamant that Muslims must take the apparent words employed in the Quran and Muhammad’s ahadith, and are to refrain from interpreting them in an allegorical or figurative manner:   

One should not dispute with anyone, nor engage in formal debate, nor learn the art of argument. Verily, kalam regarding predestination, the sight (of God in the afterlife), the Qur’an, and other topics of the traditions is rejected and forbidden. Whoever does it, even if his kalam should agree with the Sunna, is not of the people of the Sunna until he rejects argument and surrenders. Ahmad b. Hanbal (‘Aqida III, in Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat al-Hanabila, 2:167, ed. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin)

God is over [‘ala] the Throne. The Footstool is at the place of His Two Feet… He moves, speaks, observes, looks, laughs [yadhaku], rejoices, and loves… He descends every night to the lowest heaven however He wills… The servants’ hearts are between two of the Most Merciful’s fingers… He will put His foot in the Fire, causing it to recoil. Ahmad b. Hanbal (‘Aqida I, Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat, 1:61-62)

According to us, Hadith is taken according to its apparent meaning (zahirihi) just as what came from the Prophet. Talking [kalam] about it is an innovation. But we believe in it as it came to its apparent meaning (‘ala zahirihi). Hanbal (‘Aqida III, Ibn Abi Ya’la, Tabaqat, 2:168)

As another Muslim authority explained:

The zahir of the wording is what comes first to the mind from that text, irrespective of whether it is literal [haqiqa] or figurative. (Ibn Qudama, Dhamma al-taw’il, 55)

So, there you have it folks!

Muhammad’s god is a beautiful beardless young pubescent boy with short curly hair who wears a red dress!

FURTHER READING

Islam Portrays Allah as a Finite, Limited, Temporal Embodied Soul