Who is the “Holy Spirit”?

mashaAllah
jazakaAllah khayr bro

wasaslaam

A spirit proceeding from Allah consisting of eloquence, clarity, guidance, wisdom,.
It appears that it can sometimes bond and become one with the human soul/spirit and enlighten and strengthen it beyond what words can describe when it appears in the form of direct wahi (inspiration), it sometimes comes with?as? Jibril and speaks directly to the recepient, it can come in the form of a beggar who drops a tidbit of advice, a madman who says something profound, the taxi driver you're conversing with who unknowingly says something very relevant which you know you were looking for as part as a puzzle, it's simply amazing. It can aslo come in the words of a child who appears to be talking about something else, or nothing other than what you're meant to understand.

Allah says in the Quran that Jesus pbuh is supported by the holy spirit, but also in another verse, a spirit proceeding from Him, and that Adam was one into whom He had breathed of His own spirit, there appears to be a distinction with the holy spirit in that it is and remains holy and pure, whereas in the gospels it is reported that Jesus complains of the clean spirit leaving him when a woman who was heavily weighed down with an unclean spirit touched him in order to be healed, when realising her good intention, he prayed for her recovery and blessings - so there appears to be a clear difference between the pristine holy spirit and the one granted to Prophets who were after all men who had received a grace and task from Allah, and who walked through the markets, ate food, got scolded by Allah for their errors, one fell badly ill, one comitted a murder for which he was pardoned, and one even ran away and got gobbled up by a huge fish!

All of that is conjecture based upon experience and pondering, the best known fact about the ruh (spirit/soul) however is that little of knowledge has been granted unto us, even the Prophet pbuh wasn't given details when asked to respond.

Greetings Krsto,

format_quote Originally Posted by Krsto

If the prophets of God in the Old Testament were God's prophets why not listen to them?

Because the Bible is not God's Word but the Qur'an is. Therefore the best source to learn about the Prophets is the Qur'an. A simple point to illustrate this is how Prophets are described as committing incest and adultery in the Bible, whereas in the Qur'an they are the best models for mankind.

Yes, it is from Allah, and he knows everything, but that does not mean that when He said "it is a mercy for all nations" that everybody in every nation needed that mercy. That's pure assumption on your part,

The word used in the verse [21:107] is 'Alamin, which is commonly translated as 'worlds' or 'mankind, jinn and all that exists'. In other places the word An-Nas ('mankind') is used. The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic so one cannot rely on a translation as a basis for commentary.

and implied elsewhere that not all Christians disobey the Gospel and not all Jews disobey Torah.

The previous Scriptures were for a limited duration of time. Allah gave human beings the responsibility of preserving them, but they lost them through corruption, alteration, and concealment. The Qur'an is the final, all-encompassing Scripture which Allah has preserved against any change. Its Law abrogated all the previous Scriptures which sustained human interpolations. Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad is the Final Messenger after whom there will be no more Prophets and Messengers. Allah Says (what means):

And We have sent down to you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) the Book (this Qur'an) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and Muhaymin (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures) . So judge among them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you... [5:48]

Accordingly, Allah does not accept any religion except Islam as a way to His Pleasure, as He Says (what means): "And whoever desires other than Islam as religion never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers." [Quran 3:85]

Some of the early expanders of Islam understood this and even built temples and synagogues for the Christians and Jews.

Such an action, even if true, simply shows a gesture of good-will. It does not prove anything about the validity of Judaism and Christianity.

Greetings SSHorror,

You can find examples in Genesis 19:30-38 and 2.Samuel 11:2. In addition, Prophets are described as getting drunk and naked in Genesis 9:21. Even worse is that Prophets are capable of paganism in I Kings 11:3-10.

And it was my understanding that Islam agreed with Christianity that no human is perfect and that only God is perfect. As good as the prophets were, they were not without their flaws. The Bible always makes that clear and establishes God as the only being that can be perfect. We as humans can only try to exemplify him but we can never achieve that.

In Islam, the Prophets are the best of mankind, chosen by God to convey His message. All of them were humans, but every one of them is a righteous example for all humanity. They all have the respect that they deserve. It is one thing to have flaws but quite another to indulge in major sins. A book of guidance would not contain such degrading stories about our role models as if God had sent the wrong people. To the contrary, the very belief in Prophets as recipients of divine revelation implies a sense of integrity and honour for them.

Those are the ones to whom We gave the Scripture and authority and prophethood. But if the disbelievers deny it, then We have entrusted it to a people who are not therein disbelievers. Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example. Say, "I ask of you for this message no payment. It is not but a reminder for the worlds. [Qur'an 6: 89-90]

The Holy Spirit is what convicts some by God's will. It is God's will placed on your heart. It is generally quite moving and very motivating. It can bring exponential shame and/utter peace.

The messengers and prophets are the same in both the Holy book and the Qur'an. The descriptions and stories are very similar. Saying that the bible isn't the word of GOD is a lie. If you don't understand it or can't comprehend it then fine. If you honestly think it is not inspired by GOD then okay I guess. I don't go around demanding Christians read the Qur'an, and I won't demand any here read the bible.

There are additions or alterations to both books, but to say either isn't the work of God is incredibly arrogant, prideful, divisive, misleading, and causes contention between the faithful to and of GOD.

In the Qur'an it repeatedly says that there are Christians that are rightly guided. Who are we to condemn any one faithful to GOD? We are to help guide one another to His will, not **** one another out of pride, fear, or gain in this world or the hereafter.

With humility,

Peace

From what i have observed, they are people from every walk of life whom Allah chose as examples and to convey the guidance in the way people would best understand.
Adam (pbuh) himself is reported in Sura Ta-Ha 20:115 to have been weak in resolve - but he of course constantly repented and somehow managed to struggle through the exam.
Yunus (pbuh) disobeyed a direct command but later repented and was forgiven, his actions ultimately being a part of the presentation.
Dawud (pbuh) made a judgement error (and whatever else that was not necessary to go into) and fell down prostrate in repentance. (He was "awwaab")
The final Messenger (pbuh) himself was in despair and confusion as to why communication had stopped after the first encounter, the opening instructions of Surah Al Muddatthir helped him in purifying his spirit (rujz fahjur) and person (thiaab fatuahhir), so there is room for thought.
They all had to go through a learning curve and this process is described in detail in the stories of Musa (pbuh) which are abundantly described in the Quran.
Ultimately, Allah, Most wise and just does as He wills and chooses as He wills despite the scepticism of the haughty and their disdain, neither the people, nor the messengers have a say in the matter despite the often heart constrained whimper we often see: "why me?"


وَلَمَّا ضُرِبَ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ مَثَلًا إِذَا قَوْمُكَ مِنْهُ يَصِدُّونَ {57*
وَقَالُوا أَآلِهَتُنَا خَيْرٌ أَمْ هُوَ مَا ضَرَبُوهُ لَكَ إِلَّا جَدَلًا بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ خَصِمُونَ {58*
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنَاهُ مَثَلًا لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ {59*
وَلَوْ نَشَاء لَجَعَلْنَا مِنكُم مَّلَائِكَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ يَخْلُفُونَ {60*
وَإِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَا وَاتَّبِعُونِ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ {61*

When (Jesus) the son of Mary is held up as an example, behold, thy people raise a clamour thereat (in ridicule)!
And they say, "Are our gods best, or he?" This they set forth to thee, only by way of disputation: yea, they are a contentious people.
He was no more than a servant: We granted Our favour to him, and We made him an example to the Children of Israel.
And if it were Our Will, We could make angels from amongst you, succeeding each other on the earth.
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment):
therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow Me: this is a Straight Way.

Quran Zukhruf, (ornaments of gold) Ch. 43


This can also be seen in the ridicule of i think 'Urwa ibn Mas'ud? when he said, couldn't Allah find someone better to choose as a Messenger, why? I'm wealthier than Muhammad, i have more men under me, i am older and wiser!

That in itself appeared to have been a part of 'Urwa's trial, an illusion which was shattered at his meeting and observations at Al Hudaybiyyah, he overcame his pride and submitted to Allah in the end though