Harmony between the Bible and the Qur'an

[BlackMamba]

i Shakoor:





Now let us examine this issue of the trinity.

The Qur’an responds to a trinity of 'mother, father and son', or 'father, wife, adn son'. This is related to the Qur’an’s rejection of the concept of a son arising out of a sexual union with a wife. This concept of the trinity was being taught in the region. However, this concept is not supported by the Bible nor the Qur’an, so the marble remains on the table. We shall examine the Biblical concept when we look at the issue of Jesus being God.

Regards.

So the trinity as son, father, and spirit or wife is not in the Bible. What? then how come all the christians around the world believe in that. How can all Christians believe what is not in their holy book? That doesn't sound right to me.
And assuming that the trinity you accept doesnt have God having a biological son, then there is still a HUGE disparity between Bible and Quran. Even if there is no sexual relation and no biological son, there are still partners being set up with Allah. You are still associating partners by making him 1 out of 3. Allah doesnt have 1/3 power, he has infinite power. If you have actually been reading the ayahs from the Quran that I and others have been posting then you would see that the Quran is 100% against shrik(associating partners with Allah).

"Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden to him the garden, and his abode is the fire; and there shall be no helpers for the unjust." (5:72) translated by Shakir.

"Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed. " (4:48) Allah will forgive anything EXCEPT shirk(associating partners with Allah).

 

[naseem]

Miracles of Jesus (Isa A.S) from the Holy Quraan

Then came the time, when the angels said (to Mary), “O Mary, Allah has exalted you and purified you and chosen you for His service in preference to all the women of the world. O Mary, be obedient to your Lord, prostrate yourself before Him and bow down with those who bow down in worship.”

(O Muhammad,) these are the “unseen” things We are revealing to you: you were not present when they were casting lots by throwing their quills to decide which of them should be the guardian of Mary; nor were you with them when they were arguing about it.

And remember when the angels said, “O Mary, Allah sends you the good news of a Command of His: his name shall be Messiah, Jesus son of Mary. He will be highly honored in this world and in the Next World and he will be among those favored by Allah. He will speak to the people alike in the cradle and when grown up, and he will be among the righteous.” Hearing this (Mary) said, “How, o Lord, shall I have a son, when no man has ever touched me?”
“Thus shall it be,” was the answer. Allah creates whatever He wills. When He decrees a thing, He only says, “Be” and it is. (Continuing their message, the angels added,) “And Allah will teach him the Book and wisdom, and give him the knowledge of the Torah and the Gospel, and appoint him as His Messenger to the children of Israel.”

(And when he came as a Messenger to the children of Israel, he said,) “I have come to you with a clear Sign from your Lord: in your very presence, I make the likeness of a bird out of clay and breathe into it and it becomes, by Allah’s Command, a bird. I heal those born blind and the lepers and I bring to life the dead by Allah’s Command; I inform you of what you eat and what you store up in your houses. Surely there is a great Sign for you in all this, if you have mind to believe. And I have come to confirm those teachings of the Guidance of the Torah which are intact in my time. Lo! I have come with a clear Sign from your Lord; so fear Allah and obey me. Indeed Allah is my Lord, and also your Lord; therefore worship Him alone: that is the straight way” (The Holy Quraan, chapter Aali-Imran, English translation of verses 42 – 51).


And (O Muhammad,) relate in this Book the story of Mary: how she had retired in seclusion from her people to the eastern side and had hung down a screen to hide herself from them. There We sent to her Our Spirit (“an angel”) and he appeared before her in the form of a perfect man.

(Mary) cried out involuntarily, “I seek God’s refuge from you, if you are a pious man.”

He replied, “I am a mere messenger from your Lord and have been sent to give you a pure son.”

(Mary) said, “How can I bear a son, when no man has touched me, and I am not an unchaste woman?”

The angel replied, “So shall it be. Your Lord says, ‘this is an easy thing for Me to do, and We will do so in order to make that boy a Sign for the people and a blessing from Us, and this must happen’.”

Accordingly, (Mary) conceived the child, and with it she went away to a distant place. Then the throes of childbirth urged her to take shelter under a date palm. There she began to cry, “Oh! Would that I had died before this and sunk into oblivion.” At this the angel at the foot of her bed consoled her, saying, “grieve not at all, for your Lord has set a spring under you; as for your food, shake the trunk of this tree and fresh, ripe dates will fall down for you; so eat and drink and refresh your eyes; and if you see a man, say to him, ‘As I have vowed to observe the fast (of silence) for the sake of the Merciful, I will not speak to anyone today’.”

Then she brought the child to her people. They said, “O Mary! This is a heinous sin that you have committed. O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a wicked man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman.”

(In answer to this) Mary merely pointed towards the infant. The people said, “How shall we talk with him, who is but an infant in the cradle?”

Whereupon the child spoke out, “I am a servant of Allah: He has given me the Book and He has appointed me a Prophet, and He has made me blessed wherever I may be. He has enjoined upon me to offer Salat (prayer) and to give Zakat (charity) so long as I shall live. He has made me dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me oppressive and hard-hearted. Peace be upon me on the day I was born and peace shall be on me on the day I die and on the day I am raised to life.”

This is Jesus, the son of Mary, and this is the truth about him concerning which they are in doubt. It does not behove God to beget a son for He is far above this. When He decrees a thing, He only says, “Be,” and it does come into being.

(And Jesus had declared) “Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him; this is the Right Way.” But in spite of this, the sects began to have differences among themselves. So those who adopted the ways of disbelief shall suffer a horrible woe, when they witness the Great Day. On that Day when they shall appear before Us, their ears and their eyes shall become very sharp, but today these transgressors (neither hear nor see the Truth and) have strayed into manifest deviation. (O Muhammad,) now that these people are not paying heed and are not believing, warn them of the horrors of the Day, when judgment shall be passed, and they will have nothing left for them but vain regret. Ultimately, We will inherit the Earth and all that is on it, and everyone shall be returned to Us. (the Holy Quraan, Chapter Maryam Verses 16 – 40 (English Translation).

 

[Grace Seeker]

So the trinity as son, father, and spirit or wife is not in the Bible. What? then how come all the christians around the world believe in that.

Christians do believe that God exists in Trinity. But what you understand the Trinity to be referring to is simply NOT what Christians mean when we speak of Trinity.

And assuming that the trinity you accept doesnt have God having a biological son, then there is still a HUGE disparity between Bible and Quran.

YES!! You are correct. There IS a HUGE disparity between the Bible and the Quran. Muslims often tell me that Christians believe XYZ because the Qur'an has told them that we Christians believe those things, when in fact XYZ are not beliefs that Christians actually hold in real life.

Even if there is no sexual relation and no biological son, there are still partners being set up with Allah. You are still associating partners by making him 1 out of 3.

Or at least this is what the Qur'an tells you. The same book that tells you that Christians think of the Trinity as being God, Mary, and Jesus -- which you are now learning is not actually how Christians understand the Trinity.

Allah doesnt have 1/3 power, he has infinite power.

Exactly!! And there is no teaching Christianity which would assign anything less than infinite power to God -- save that he gives people free will to follow or not follow him for themselves and he will not force them in against their will.

If you have actually been reading the ayahs from the Quran that I and others have been posting then you would see that the Quran is 100% against shrik(associating partners with Allah).

"Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden to him the garden, and his abode is the fire; and there shall be no helpers for the unjust." (5:72) translated by Shakir.

"Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed. " (4:48) Allah will forgive anything EXCEPT shirk(associating partners with Allah).

We do know that this is what the Qur'an teaches. Did you know that it is only Muslims who see Christians as practicing shirk. That when you understand Christian teaching from a Christian perspective that we do not associate partners with God, for God is just one in the Christian mind. Others say that we have three gods, but we claim to worship only one God. Nor do we claim any partners for God, save that all humanity is supposed to partner with God by submitting themselves to his will in their individual life. But do not Muslims believe the same in that regard. The Christian worship of Jesus is not the worship of a second god, a lesser god, a lower god, or another god. It is the worship of THE one God who we believe became incarnate and dwelled among us, and yet is not so limited in his power and scope that he could not at the same time be present any and everywhere that he was before the incarnation in exactly the same way as he had always been, and yet he is still just the ONE God, infinite in his being.

 

[BlackMamba]

If Jesus and god are the same thing then why do you call it a trinity. Trinity implies 3 kinda like lord of the rings trinity. And if Jesus n god are the same thing how can one be the son?! You can't keep redefining the word son to match your beliefs

 

[GreyKode]

Grace,
The main problem is the presence of the mutually exclusive persons, Son and Father.

How can he be Son and Father at the same time. Are you and your son one in the same?
If they are the same then why is there a need for the definition of a Son. Why not just father and ok holy spirit, but the problem is with SON!!.

 

[Grace Seeker]

Grace,
The main problem is the presence of the mutually exclusive persons, Son and Father.

How can he be Son and Father at the same time. Are you and your son one in the same?
If they are the same then why is there a need for the definition of a Son. Why not just father and ok holy spirit, but the problem is with SON!!.

Right, I know this the major problem that not just Muslims but all disbelievers in the Trinity have with the concept it presents. And that is why, to answer Shakoor's question, when discussing the Trinity with people who have questions about it that I find it most helpful to focus on the question as you just formulated it.

If Jesus and god are the same thing then why do you call it a trinity. Trinity implies 3 kinda like lord of the rings trinity. And if Jesus n god are the same thing how can one be the son?! You can't keep redefining the word son to match your beliefs

I'm not redefining anything. But just to be clear, the three that we in the Christian church are speaking of when referencing the Trinity are:
1) the Father
2) the Son
3) the Holy Spirit
who we believe are three distinct persons, but just one being. Further we believe that one being is GOD. Why do we believe that? Because we believe that the Bible was true when it said that there is one and only one God. On that we agree with Judaism and Islam.

Why do we then identify the Father, the Son, and the Spirt each as God? Because we also believe the Bible to be true when it tells us that the disciples of Jesus experienced encountering God in each of these persons.

Doesn't that mean you have three gods? No. Because they are not independent beings. They are three distinct persona of the one being and that being is who God is.

Therefore, in reflecting on these apparent contradictions and trying to make sense of the clear proclamation of God's oneness that is in scripture and the clear experiences of God in each of these individual persons that they also recorded in scipture, the church reached an understanding that both had to be true at the same time. There were dissenters to that idea, but that idea nevertheless was the idea that won the day. God is one, but he exists and makes himself known to us in these three different persons who have manifested themselves to us. If anyone speaks of some other form of Trinity than this, they are not speaking of what Christians mean by Trinity.

And this then is where there is no harmony between the Bible and the Quran, for what the Bible speaks of and that Christians call the Trinity has nothing to do with Mary, but hear what the Qur'an says that Christians believe with regard to Mary:

YUSUFALI

005.114 Said Jesus the son of Mary: "O Allah our Lord! Send us from heaven a table set (with viands), that there may be for us - for the first and the last of us - a solemn festival and a sign from thee; and provide for our sustenance, for thou art the best Sustainer (of our needs)."

005.115 Allah said: "I will send it down unto you: But if any of you after that resisteth faith, I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on any one among all the peoples."

005.116 And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.

005.117 "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.

Now, I myself, don't get how some Muslims connect this to say that Christians believe in a Trinity composed of Father, Mother, Son, but I have run into many who do. My answer is two-fold:
1) I don't think that even these verses of the Qur'an teach that this is the belief of Christians. I think that if Muslims are coming up with that idea, they are getting it from some source other than the Qur'an. And I will gladly admit that it isn't all who think that this is what Christians mean when we speak of the Trinity. Certainly the better informed Muslim understand that the Trinity spoken of by Christians is the Father, Son, and Spirit. But for some reason this other nonsense still exists, and some people say that it is so because they read that into this verse in the Qur'an.
2) If that is really what was meant by this verse, then that in and of itself proves the Qur'an wrong, for Christians simply do NOT now, nor never have meant Father, Mother, and Son when they speak of the Holy Trinity.

 

[Walter]

Hi Everyone:

Now that we see that there is harmony between the Bible and the Qur’an on the Qur’anic teaching of the trinity, we finally arrive at the contentious issue of Jesus being God.

The Qur’an explicitly rejects the idea that Jesus is God.

They do blaspheme who say: "God is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of Israel! Worship God, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with God,—God will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. (5:72–73)​

Let us examine the explicit evidence from the Bible. God declared Jesus to be His Son.

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5b)​

Jesus disciples declared Jesus to be Lord.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)​

However, Jesus disciples were careful to explain that there was only one God, and Jesus was not Him.

yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:6)​

Jesus explicitly defined His relationship with God.

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” (John 20:17)​

Jesus explained that eternal life was obtained though a relationship with the only true God, and Jesus, who God sent to mankind.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)​

Now there are several verses in the Bible which make it appear as if Jesus is God. However, a closer examination of them shows that they could just as easily be interpreted to mean that He is not. Therefore, if a verse can be interpreted to be in harmony with the rest of the Bible or in conflict with the rest of the Bible, then it would seem logical to do the former. I will happily explain any of the various verses. However, all of the evidence is provided, and carefully referenced, in Brothers Kept Apart.

There is no Biblical requirement for Christians to believe that Jesus is God. This teaching was first explicitly stated in early Christian literature approximately 150 AD, with the trinity making its way onto early church writings approximately 200 AD. It took another 125 years or so for the idea of Jesus being God to be a mandatory belief with harsh consequences (including torture, property confiscation, and death) for those who simply believed what the Bible explicitly stated.

Therefore, there is complete harmony between the Bible and the Qur’an on this issue.

Regards,
Grenville

 

[GreyKode]

Hi Everyone:

Now that we see that there is harmony between the Bible and the Qur’an on the Qur’anic teaching of the trinity, we finally arrive at the contentious issue of Jesus being God.

The Qur’an explicitly rejects the idea that Jesus is God.

They do blaspheme who say: "God is Christ the son of Mary." But said Christ: "O Children of Israel! Worship God, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with God,—God will forbid him the garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. (5:72–73)​

Let us examine the explicit evidence from the Bible. God declared Jesus to be His Son.

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5b)​

Jesus disciples declared Jesus to be Lord.

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36)​

However, Jesus disciples were careful to explain that there was only one God, and Jesus was not Him.

yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:6)​

Jesus explicitly defined His relationship with God.

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” (John 20:17)​

Jesus explained that eternal life was obtained though a relationship with the only true God, and Jesus, who God sent to mankind.

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)​

Now there are several verses in the Bible which make it appear as if Jesus is God. However, a closer examination of them shows that they could just as easily be interpreted to mean that He is not. Therefore, if a verse can be interpreted to be in harmony with the rest of the Bible or in conflict with the rest of the Bible, then it would seem logical to do the former. I will happily explain any of the various verses. However, all of the evidence is provided, and carefully referenced, in Brothers Kept Apart.

There is no Biblical requirement for Christians to believe that Jesus is God. This teaching was first explicitly stated in early Christian literature approximately 150 AD, with the trinity making its way onto early church writings approximately 200 AD. It took another 125 years or so for the idea of Jesus being God to be a mandatory belief with harsh consequences (including torture, property confiscation, and death) for those who simply believed what the Bible explicitly stated.

Therefore, there is complete harmony between the Bible and the Qur’an on this issue.

Regards,
Grenville

Great!, so far the Qur'an and the bible agree that Jesus(pbuh) is not GOD.

I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God

And this shows that he is not divine as being a son, since we are all GOD's children.

Therefore there is agreement with regards to Jesus(pbuh)
1)Being a messenger.
2)Not GOD.
3)Not divine.

 

[Grace Seeker]

Grenville, if you think that the verses you cited preclude Jesus from being the incarnate God or that even the early Christians thought that he was just a man, then you need to change your way of life status. That is NOT a Christian understanding of those passages AND NEVER HAS BEEN!

 

[Rou]

Indeed there was no need for the christians and muslims to be apart but unfortunatly there were those hidden who thirsted for power and they had to create a rift in order to get there own needs fulfilled from the religons...

Romans truly did hijack christanity if you ask me any views welcome..

 

[Rou]

Grenville, if you think that the verses you cited preclude Jesus from being the incarnate God or that even the early Christians thought that he was just a man, then you need to change your way of life status. That is NOT a Christian understanding of those passages AND NEVER HAS BEEN!

Hi graceseeker i just read the debate here i wanted to know what does this translate as then?

"I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God"

As in, if its not viewed as jesus pbuh as not being god then how is it explained?

If he is god then why is he reffering to a third person?

Thanks in advance for the reply

 

[Grace Seeker]

Hi graceseeker i just read the debate here i wanted to know what does this translate as then?

"I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God"

As in, if its not viewed as jesus pbuh as not being god then how is it explained?

If he is god then why is he reffering to a third person?

Thanks in advance for the reply

Again, the Son is one person, the Father is another, but they are one and the same being. Thus, it is quite appropriate for Jesus who is the living incarnation of God to still refer to the Father as a seperate person, for they are two distinct persons. And since he was speaking to Mary, a third person, he puts it to her in the way that makes sense for her.

But you also have to quit reading verses in isolation from each other. This is the very same book in which the author presents Thomas (only 11 verses later) as declaring Jesus to be God. And then he goes on to say that his whole purpose for selecting that which he has of Jesus' life to write about is to lead people to believe "that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." The way that John, in particular, uses the term "Son of God" does not imply biological offspring, but rather that Jesus was himself divine. It is inconsistent with the rest of the book to thnk that John is presenting Jesus to us as some how NOT God in light of all the other things he has to say about Jesus at the same time.

 

[Walter]

Dear Grace Seeker:

At the start of this exercise, did we not all agree (including you) that Jesus was more than "just a man", as you are now claiming that I am asserting? We should believe what is explicitly stated in the Bible. The Bible explicitly describes Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah. John, one of the authors of the four Gospels, explained why the Gospel was written.

“but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)​

In the evidence from the Bible, there are no references to “God the Son” or “God the Lamb” or “Jesus our God” or “our God Jesus” or anything similar. However, there are numerous references to “God the Father”, “Son of God” and “Lamb of God”. The word "of” suggests that the Lamb belongs to or comes from God, not that the Lamb is God.

The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus’ relationship with God and man.

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation [atonement or amends] for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:17–18)​

Grace Seeker, I am very sympathetic to your religious traditional views, for I too shared some of them. However, our religious traditions should be supported by the Bible. There is a difference between the Bible and some Christian religious traditions, and between a person who submits to God and one who submit to religious traditions.

When we are confronted by claims of truth, then we should critically review such claims, which are what I am inviting you to do. May you be a seeker of the Truth as well as a seeker of God’s grace.

Regards,
Grenville.

 

[جوري]

Again, the Son is one person, the Father is another, but they are one and the same being.

If that is the case, why did you make a thread querying 'the founder of Christianity' and gave two separate polls -- one for Jesus and for God, if they are indeed on in the same?
and why has Jesus taken precedents now while the other two godheads take a back seat to the Jesus figure head?

 

[YusufNoor]

Grenville, if you think that the verses you cited preclude Jesus from being the incarnate God or that even the early Christians thought that he was just a man, then you need to change your way of life status. That is NOT a Christian understanding of those passages AND NEVER HAS BEEN!

ooooooooooooooooooooooooh,


get out the popcorn!

Gene is starting to call other Christians Kafrs!

um, don't mind me, go on!

 

[YusufNoor]

Grenville, if you think that the verses you cited preclude Jesus from being the incarnate God or that even the early Christians thought that he was just a man, then you need to change your way of life status. That is NOT a Christian understanding of those passages AND NEVER HAS BEEN!

a gift horse...

well, i wonder what happened to the notion that all you have to do is to believe in Jesus and be saved?

apparently, not in Gene's Christianity. what we see here is Gene trying to FORCE a fellow Christian on, and this is the good part, WHAT TO THINK!

HISTORY AND[or maybe of] the SYNOPTIC GOSPELS support what Grenville writes, but Gene won't have it!

YOU BELIEVE WHAT I BELIEVE OR YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN!

if anyone wonders how the Crusades took root in peoples minds...

 

[Walter]

Hi Everyone:

If we are agreed that there is harmony between the Bible and the Qur’an on how Jesus is described in the Qur’an, then the marble remains in a balanced condition. Let us now examine whether the Qur’an contradicts the teachings of the Bible on Jesus’ purpose.

As has been repeatedly stated, there is conflict between the teachings of the Bible and Islamic religious tradition, but not between the principal teachings of the Bible and the Qur’an.

Regards,
Grenville

 

[BlackMamba]

^DUDE! If you believe what the Quran believes you're a Muslim. Not a Christian. Like yusufnoor said

 

[Walter]

Dear Shakoor:

If there is harmony between the Bible and the Qur’an, which is what we have found so far, then the only differences that should exist between Christianity and Islam are our rituals. Regrettably that is not the case.

Christian religious tradition appears to have exceeded what the Bible teaches about Jesus. This is the major Christian barrier that keeps Christians and Muslims apart.

In response, Islamic religious tradition has de-emphasised Jesus’ message, re-defined His title (The Messiah), and completely ignored His purpose. This is the major Islamic religious barrier that keeps Christians and Muslims apart.

I have only one life to live, and I refuse to spend it being misled by religious traditions that are in conflict with their religious texts?

Regards,
Grenville

 

[Walter]

Hi Grace Seeker:

Allow me to respond to one of your crucial assertions about what Christians have always believed.

You probably know about the early Church leader, Tertullian. Well. Tertullian described the complexities of the Trinity, and acknowledged the novel idea’s discomfort with the majority of believers, who appeared to see it as violating the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

The simple, indeed, (I will not call them unwise and unlearned,) who always constitute the majority of believers, are startled at the dispensation (of the Three in One), on the ground that their very rule of faith withdraws them from the world’s plurality of gods to the one only true God; not understanding that, although He is the one only God, He must yet be believed in with His own οiκονομiα [dispensation]. The numerical order and distribution of the Trinity they assume to be a division of the Unity; whereas the Unity which derives the Trinity out of its own self is so far from being destroyed, that it is actually supported by it. They are constantly throwing out against us that we are preachers of two gods and three gods, while they take to themselves pre-eminently the credit of being worshippers of the One God; just as if the Unity itself with irrational deductions did not produce heresy, and the Trinity rationally considered constitute the truth. (Against Praxeas, Chapter 3)​

The development of various Christian traditions that were in conflict with the teachings of the Qur’an are provided in Brothers Kept Apart. Let me suggest that you obtain a copy from your local library and let me know with what you disagree.

Regards,
Grenville