Nabeel Qureshi's book No God But One: Allah or Jesus? is a very helpful read. Nabeel is a converted Muslim to Christianity as when he set forth studying the Trinity. I commend this book to you if you have a desire to learn more about the similarities and differences between Islam and Christianity. Here a link to purchase the book: "No God but One" Allah or Jesus?"
This is the second post concerning God's nature revealed in the difference between Islam and Christianity. The post will focus on the Muslim and Christian understanding of monotheism. The Christian believes God reveals Himself through the Trinity, whereas the Muslim believes Allah reveals himself in their belief of Tawhid. I pray this post would help in understanding this fundamental difference in Christianity and Islam.
Christianity and the Trinity
Though Islam and Christianity have some similarities, they are fundamentally different regarding God’s nature. One of the foundational beliefs in Christianity is that a person can know God, and in order to know God, a person must have a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Bible. Christians believe the God of the Bible has revealed Himself as One being, yet He is expressed in Three Persons known as the Trinity. Christians also believe that in order to know the God of the Bible, the Triune God must reveal Himself to that person in a real and personal way as Father, Son, and Spirit.
However, the belief and understanding of the Trinity does not come without its controversy between the Muslim and Christian. One of the arguments Muslims make is that the Bible does not mention the Trinity, or that Christians worship three gods. Wayne Grudem responds to this argument by saying, “The word trinity means ‘tri-unity’ or ‘three-in-oness.’ It is used to summarize the teaching of Scripture that God is three persons yet one God.”[1] When the Christian refers to God as being revealed in Three Persons, they are not saying they are worshipping three gods as the Muslim would believe, but they are worshipping the very essence of God revealed in each person of the Godhead.
Though the Oneness of God is a common belief between Muslims and Christians, the difference lies in the way God reveals Himself to each of them. The Bible declares throughout that God is One; for example, the shema states, “Hear, O, Israel: The Lord Our God, the LORD is one.”[2] This Bible verse is a primary verse in which the Muslim and Christian would agree on God’s Oneness. However, a closer examination of this verse in the original language one would detect that the word “one” is echad. Echad is often used in the Old Testament when referring to a composite of unity. Examples of the usage of echad in the Old Testament are found in Genesis 1:5, Numbers 13:23, and Ezekiel 37:17. Each one of these verses reveal a number of subjects contained in one unit. This is where the Muslim would disagree.
Christians hold the position that there is a consistent teaching of God’s Oneness revealed in Three Persons throughout both the Old and New Testament. One of the most prominent verses in the New Testament used for the Trinity is found in Matthew 28:20. Matthew writes the words of Christ, which were given to His disciples, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matt.28:20). Jesus reveals to His disciples that they were to make disciples and then baptize those disciples in “the name” of God, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As Nabeel Qureshi states, “All three persons in this verse share one name, because they are one being.”[3]
The Christian’s belief in the Trinity is not confined to only these few Bible passages, for the Christian conviction and belief that God has revealed Himself in Three Persons stems from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:2. The Trinity is the Christian’s only reasoning in their ability to know the nature of God. The Christian is helpless and hopeless in knowing God unless God makes Himself knowable. Therefore, Christians believe the Trinity is the way God has revealed Himself to His people from the very beginning. The Trinity allows the Christian to know God and His attributes.
Muslims and Tawhid
The worship of Allah in Islam is referred to as Tawhid. Tawhid is the belief in the singular oneness of Allah and is the central affirmation of Islamic theology. Unlike the Christian’s belief that God is One and reveals Himself in Three Persons, Islamic teaching of the Tawhid, as David Thomas notes, decrees that “…God’s unity cannot be divided, or that as the absolute other he cannot be related to creatures. They are confronted as rivals to the teaching of the Qur'an, and refuted on that basis.”[4] The tawhid is where the initial monotheism agreement separates Muslims and Christians.
Just as the Christian believes the Trinity because the Bible teaches it, the Muslim denies the Trinity due to the Qur’an. One of the clearest rejections of the Trinity, or at least to polytheism, is found in Qur’an 4:171 when it says, “And do not say, ‘Three;’ desist – it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God…” In the beginning of this ayah (verse), the Qur’an is exhorting “the People of the Book” (Christians) to forsake adding to their worship of Allah. The Qur’an admonishes them to refrain from worshipping all other gods such as Jesus and Mary. Allah, Jesus, and Mary may have comprised the early Arabic Muslims’ understanding of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Jonathon Berkey reveals:
Some reflection of this may be present in the Koran itself, which seems to suggest that some Arabs understood the Christian trinity to consist of God, Jesus, and Mary: ‘And when God said: ‘Oh Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to men, ‘Take me and my mother as gods next to Allah’? (5.116).[5]
Christians would reject this understanding of the Trinity since the early church councils had already agreed on the teaching of the Trinity prior to Muhammad and the Qur’an. Regardless if the Qur’an was misinformed, Muslims rejected any notion of worship other than Allah.
Therefore, the oneness of Allah calls the follower of Allah to supreme allegiance and submission to him. The Qur’an 2:56 states:
None but Jews and Christians shall enter into paradise.' Such are their wishful fancies. Say: 'Let us have proof, if what you say is true.' No. He that surrenders himself to Allah and does what is right shall have his reward with his Lord.[6]
Muhammad’s mission was to bring back the pure worship (tawhid) of Allah to Mecca. Like Abraham, Muhammad had instructed the believers of Allah to worship him alone, as the Qur’an notes, “…He that surrenders himself to Allah and does what is right shall have his reward with his Lord.”[7] Maxime Rodinson argues, “In the same way, Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) tried to persuade his father and his people to give up the cult of idols. He was not listened to either, and had to emigrate because of the threats against him.”[8] Muhammad understood that his calling as a prophet was to turn the people back to the pure worship of Allah.
The Muslim belief in tawhid comes from the authority of the Torah, Gospels, and the Qur’an. As Isaiah 45:21-24 declares the singularity of God as no other, the Muslim understands there is no other god but Allah, and he is due their worship. In fact, it is made evident in Qur’an 7:59 that Muslims understand the dire consequences for the worship of another when it states, “Indeed, We sent Nuh (Noah) to his people and he said: ‘O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. Certainly, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day!’”[9] The Qur’an makes it clear that Muslims are required to worship Allah.
Just as Christians believe in the Trinity due to their confidence of the Bible’s authority, Muslims deny the Trinity because they are confident in the authority of the Qur’an. It is one thing for an individual to say, I worship God or Allah, but it is another to say, “I know God or Allah.” Although both seem monotheistic, there is a vast difference within both religions. The answer lies in the reality of this: does Allah make himself know specifically and specially? Does the God of the Bible make Himself known specifically and specially? The answers to these questions will reveal the reality of knowing God’s nature.
Please feel free to share you thoughts, concerns, or questions. I will be posting part 2 in the next few days. Don't forget that you can subscribe to this blog by placing your e-mail address in the "follow by e-mail" location on the home page.
[2] Deuteronomy 6:4. All Scripture will be cited from the English Standard Version unless otherwise stated.
[4] David Thomas, The Bible in Early Muslim Anti-Christian Polemic Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, 29.
[9] Al-A’raf 7:59.
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