ISLAM AND THE
HOLY TRINITY
Cornelius Afebu
Omonokhua
I
have wondered why some Muslims keep asking questions about the divinity of
Christ and the Holy Trinity whereas some Muslim scholars have made it very
clear that the issue of the Holy Trinity is a closed chapter in Islam. Efforts
to convince an average Muslim about the Holy Trinity is like sowing seeds on a
rock. This does not mean that Christians and Muslims cannot co-exist in peace
in spite of the disagreement on the Holy Trinity. In the spirit of dialogue, I feel
the urge to engage in the conversation. Saint Peter, the first Pope enjoins all
Christians: “In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you
have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1Peter 3:15). Sometime ago, Mallam
Tijjani needed me to be honest in my answer to his questions concerning the
Holy Trinity and what the Christians think about the prophet of Islam. I hereby
present the dialogue.
Mallam Tijjani: “Father, do you
believe that Muhammad (SAW) is a true prophet?”
Fr. Cornelius: “Is this question
open to public discussion in Islamic theology?
Mallam Tijjani: It is good to know
what the Christians believe about the Holy Prophet.
Fr. Cornelius: I would not like
to discuss this topic in the way and manner of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. I too
have a question for you. Your answer would determine the direction of this
conversation: “Do you now believe that Jesus is the son of God the Father?”
Mallam Tijjani: I do not believe in the Holy Trinity because God
has no wife. According to the Glorious Qur’an, God cannot be a father and he
cannot have a son.
Fr. Cornelius: There goes the
difference! Many Christians would not respond to your question about your
prophet the way you have reacted to Jesus Christ. The Bible provides the
criteria for defining a true, false or professional prophet. The name of the prophet
of Islam is not clearly and categorically mentioned in the Holy Bible like the
prophets of Judaism to provide a biblical basis to assess and judge his
prophetic mission in Christianity. Moreover, the witness of the terrorists who claim
Islam as their religion further compounds the problem. However, I cannot say
that Muhammad (SAW) is not a true prophet because of some bad Muslims. I accept
him for who the Holy Qur’an and the tradition of Islam profess him to be. Nonetheless,
the surest argument to convince others about your faith is witness of life. No
argument can contradict this because it is like “the evidence before me” in the
law court.
Mallam Tijjani: Do every
Christian imitate Jesus Christ?
Fr. Cornelius: The ideal
Christian strives to be like Jesus Christ. In Christianity, it is believed that
if you commit sin, you are crucifying Jesus Christ again. Jesus says: “A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. By this everybody will know
that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). After
washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus said to them: "Do you
understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are
right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you
also must wash one another's feet. I gave you an example that you also should do
as I did to you” (John 13: 14-15). No Christian can justify his or her evil
activity from the life of Jesus Christ because Jesus is absolutely perfect and
sinless. Jesus told his detractors: “Because I tell the
truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me
guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me” (John
8:45-46)? The Holy Qur'an also affirms that Jesus is sinless,
perfect and holy (Qur’an 19). Thus, Christians do not pray for Jesus.
Mallam Tijjani: Thanks Father, I
understand what you are trying to prove.
I was only answering based on what the Holy Qur’an said about Jesus. Islam highly
respects Jesus as a prophet. But can you please enlighten me more on the
doctrine of the Holy Trinity?
Fr. Cornelius: The Holy Trinity
is the central mystery of the Christian faith. Given that you do not believe in
the Holy Trinity in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, I will begin by telling you
why this teaching is difficult for the Muslims to comprehend in the context of
the Arab culture. The term, "Son
of God", is understood in Islam only in terms of sexual reproduction but
in Christianity, the analogy is far from thinking that God has a son through
sexual intercourse. For Christians, the eternal Son of God is one with the father
from all eternity, united to him in one Spirit, "became flesh and dwelt
among us" (John 1:14). He took "the form of a servant, being born in
the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7).
The Muslims’ concept
of the Holy Trinity is based on the Qur’an: "They say: "Allah has begotten a son". Glory
be to Him! No, To Him belongs all that
is in the heavens and on earth: everything
renders worship to Him" (Qur’an
2:116). "The Christians say the Messiah is the Son of God, that is
a saying from their mouths" (Qur’an
9:30). Before
the advent of Islam, the Arab pagans believed in idols as offspring of Allah.
In Mecca, the idols, Al-Lat, Al-Uzza,
and Manat were worshipped as
daughters of Allah. Christians do not understand the term “Son of God” in the
way the Arab Pagans understood their idols. God has unlimited power and with
him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Qur’an 58:7).
The expression
"Son of God" indicates origin, a close association, or
identification. In Christian theology it
describes the relationship of two persons of the Triune God. It expresses an intimate relationship between
two persons: God the Father and God the
Son is expressed by Jesus in the Scriptures. Jesus told Philip, "Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:8-10). He prays: "And now Father, glorify me in your
presence with the glory I had with you before the world began" (John 17:5). Jesus is “the image of the
invisible God” (Colossians 1:13-20). "In
the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in
various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by his Son whom he
appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1-3).
In the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, the second person
possesses the same essence as the Father; hence he could do the mighty works
that he did. God the Father is the Creator, God the son is the Redeemer and God
the Holy Spirit is the advocate who sanctifies humanity. The Holy Trinity is a
mystery that cannot be fully explained in human categories but by way of
analogy we can say that a biological father, mother and child share in the same
humanity. The relationship of the Holy Trinity is a unity of persons that
should be a guide to how humanity should be united. We cannot exhaust this
topic in a single conversation, so I suggest that we continue this dialogue in
another session.
Mallam Tijjani: Thanks very much
father, I hope we really continue this conversation because the Holy Trinity is
the major difference in the faith of Christians and Muslims given that Islam is
strictly a monotheistic religion. I pray God to bless us with his peace.
Fr. Cornelius: I pray that as Muslims believe that the
Holy Qur’an is the eternal and uncreated word of God but found in our world in
the form of a physical book, so may you one day understand that Jesus is the
eternal Word of God that took flesh and lived among us as a human being. For us
Christians, Jesus remains the eternal Son of God that is adored and glorified. It is our faith and we are indeed very proud
to profess it in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
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