English

KFGQPC HAFS

Mahmoud Khaleel Al-Husary

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Malak Faris Abdalsalaam

The Quran is unequivocal in condemning any notion of God being “three persons” as maintained by many Christian denominations. In the following words, it refutes the common formulation of “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” as well as any other version which might exist:

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**“People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’- stop [this], that is better for you- God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust.”** (4:171, Abdel Haleem translation)

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The Quranic position is to reject association of any partner or equal to God: **“They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three [in a Trinity]: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.”** (5:73, Yusuf Ali translation)

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This verse ([5:75](https://quran.com/5/75)) does not make any direct reference to the Trinity doctrine (or the number three), but does refer implicitly to some people’s excessive veneration of Mary, mother of Jesus (which some have described as “Mariolatry”). It negates the possibility of Jesus or his mother being divine by pointing out that they used to eat food. This indicates that they were in need of food for sustenance, and a being in need cannot be divine.

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Concerning the deification of Mary, a Christian bishop, Epiphanius of Salamis (d. 403 CE) documents the existence of a heretical Christian sect in Arabia whom he calls the Collyridians. This sect apparently deified Mary and would make her offerings, a practice which he claims was brought to Arabia from Thrace and upper Scythia. (*The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis Books II and III. De Fide*, tr. Frank Williams, pp. 637-645)

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Furthermore, Ibn al-Jawzi states, “If it is said: ‘The Christians did not take Mary as a god, so how did Allah, Exalted is He, say that about them?’ The answer is that when they claimed, ‘She did not give birth to a human, but rather gave birth to a god,’ it logically follows that they must consider her, by virtue of him having been a physical part of her, to share in his essence. Thus, they effectively end up ascribing (divinity) to her.”



Does this verse imply that Christians worshipped Jesus and Mary along with God as a Trinity?

This verse does not refer to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, but refutes any notion of God’s creations and servants being divine.
