Is the Holy Spirit the angel Gabriel?

[SalamChristian]

Actually, here are some great ayah relating to an exegesis of the Qu'ran, and they fit perfectly with the Biblical message we are getting on the subject:

He sendeth down the angels with the spirit by His command upon whomsoever of his bondmen He willeth: warn that there is no god but I, wherefore fear Me. S. 16:2 Daryabadi


We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah’s permission, on every errand: S. 97:1-4 Y. Ali


It is essential to understand that the "Night of Power" is also a symbol for the night before the Last Day, in the Qu'ran (as well as Ramadan). On the Night of Power God sends down all of his angels to prepare the earth for the drama that breaks out when the world starts to fall apart. This is precisely what Joel describes when he says he will "Pour his spirit out on all people" in the final days of the earth. "Night of Power" also means "Night of Decree" and "Night of Measures." It's basically the Qu'ranic way of saying the vision that Ezekiel has of the Angels coming down to earth and Jesus marking all of the believers with a sign on their forehead, so that they angels do not slay them.

It's funny but the language of the Qu'ran here (and elsewhere) almost makes it sound like Jibreel (as) is excited for the chance to finally slay the unbelievers and liars. Reading the Qu'ran you almost get a distinct sense of the personality of Gabriel (as).


Shalom

​

 

[- Qatada -]

"and kept herself in seclusion from them, whereupon We sent unto her Our angel of revelation, who appeared to her in the shape of a well-made human being . . . . [The angel] answered: 'I am but a messenger of thy Sustainer, [who says] 'I shall bestow upon thee the gift of a son endowed with purity.' [The angel] answered: 'Thus it is; [but] thy Sustainer says, 'This is easy for Me; and [thou shalt have a son,] so that We might make him a symbol unto mankind and an act of grace from Us. And it was a thing decreed [by God:]"

The "bestowed with purity" is actually Holy here. To bestow upon you a holy son (see Yusuf Ali's translation). It's actually amazing how identical the accounts are with our scriptures.

When Allah speaks of himself, he always does so in the plural, in Hebrew and Arabic. This is true of Genesis as well as the Qu'ran. The plurality does not imply many, but a divinity beyond human comprehension. "We did this, we did that." the Royal We--that's where we get that phrase, by the way. Thus Adonai means LORDS--while it is the substitute word for the ONE true God in Hebrew. Adonis is the singular.

"And her who gaurded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples. Verily, this Brotherhood of yours is a single Brotherhood and I am your Lord and Cherisher. But (later generations) cut off their affair (of unity), one from another; (yet) will they all return to Us."

Here it is in the plural. God is breathing the Spirit in, Gabriel is bestowing the son. Don't you see the interesting exegesis and relationship already developing here of the Qu'ran? My friend told me once, "Man, reading the Qu'ran in Arabic is like an antidote. It sucks the poison out."

Salaam

This is what the knowledgable scholars of IslamQA said;

The fact that ‘Eesa (peace be upon him) is a Word from Allaah and a spirit created by Him, as is indicated in the texts of the clear Revelation, does not mean that he is part of Allaah who emerged from Him and is connected to His essence: glorified and exalted be Allaah far about what the wrongdoers say.

(...)

The phrase “a spirit created by Him (or from Him)” is used only of the Messiah because he was breathed into his mother by Angel Jibreel/Gabriel – peace be upon, and she became pregnant with him from that breath.... He is distinguished from them by the fact that his mother became pregnant with him from this breathing in of the spirit, hence he is called a spirit from Him. See Daqaa’iq al-Tafseer, 1/324 ff.

http://islamqa.com/en/ref/10683/
​

 

[SalamChristian]

For those who are interested, the typical English translation is "breathed something of our spirit therein"--therein referring to the womb.

Shalom

 

[YieldedOne]

Hmmm...
I took a look at this...mainly all the different interpretations of the various passages.

If I had to think of the best harmonization of all the intended passages and interpretations I saw, it would indeed be to differentiate the creative "Breath of God" that actually causes Mary to conceive...from the angel Gabriel, who acts as mediator of the "Breath of God". If we were to say that the "Breath of God" is the Holy Spirit (which I believe there is every reason to, speaking from even a Judaic perspective), then this coincides with the 3 ideas we've synthesized out of this discussion...

1) The angel Gabriel is NOT THE SAME THING as the Holy Spirit of God. The two are NOT to be conceptualized as identical.
2) It it biblically feasible that the angel Gabriel can be a mediator of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit towards others.
3) The angel Gabriel is NOT the sole mediator of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit, as other humans can and do have this ability.


And this would actually make some sense. As I recall, baby Eesa said something when he was a baby in the Quran 3:49
...

And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], 'Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah . And I cure the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead - by permission of Allah . And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.

Now, that's interesting. Jesus seems to have the creative, life-giving "Breath of God" active in and through him. Which would ALSO go with the 3 ideas above.

Hmmm...

 

[YieldedOne]

Given all this, why is the angel Gabriel CONFLATED with the Holy Spirit/Breath of God?

 

[SalamChristian]

Now, that's interesting. Jesus seems to have the creative, life-giving "Breath of God" active in and through him. Which would ALSO go with the 3 ideas above. Hmmm...

Yep.

1) The angel Gabriel is NOT THE SAME THING as the Holy Spirit of God. The two are NOT to be conceptualized as identical.

This one is problematic, and not straightforward. The problem is that in Luke 3:22 we are told that the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like/similar to a dove.

The issue with this is that apparently the Holy Spirit can be in Bodily form. Now, you and I both know that this passage in Luke 3:22 can't mean that the entirety of the Holy Spirit was within that bodily form, because Jesus had some of the Holy Spirit in him at the very least.

The solution imo is that when a creature is filled completely with nothing but the Holy Spirit (i.e. not with evil spirits), then they can thus be called The Holy Spirit in bodily form. Hence the wineskins, clay pots, temple, house, and all of the other metaphors Christ uses to describe the body as a container--a container which is filled to the brim, moreover. Hence the "there is nothing in my cloak but allah" statements of some mystics.

Shalom

 

[SalamChristian]

Given all this, why is the angel Gabriel CONFLATED with the Holy Spirit/Breath of God?

I am suspicious that it is because of a misunderstanding of the tenses of the Arabic language. GOD ALWAYS speaks in the "We"/Us form, in Hebrew and Arabic. Moreover, if we take it literally that Gabriel can't testify to anything except for exactly what God tells him, then the words he speaks to Muhammad (as) are not his, but God's directly transferred to Muhammad (as) without any change of tenses.

But at the end of the day, it is not for us to understanding everything. We must merely understand the Truth which Allah (swt) gives to us, in whatever form.

Shalom

 

[YieldedOne]

Hmmm...This commentary view from Mr. Asad...

AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We breathed into her of Our spirit [This allegorical expression, used here with reference to Mary's conception of Jesus, has been widely - and erroneously - interpreted as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the Quran uses the same expression in three other places with reference to the creation of man in general - namely in 15:29 and 38:72, "when I have formed him... and breathed into him of My spirit" and in 32:9, "and thereupon He forms [lit., "formed"] him fully and breathes [lit., "breathed"] into him of His spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase is a part (i.e., 32:7 - 9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear that God "breathes of His spirit" into every human being. Commenting on the verse under consideration, Zamakhshari states that "the breathing of the spirit [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life": an explanation with, which Razi concurs. (In this connection, see also note on 4:171.)

Now, THIS is what's interesting. What Asad says here LINES UP with what Jewish adherents thought about the Spirit of God insofar as that by which God gives life to all things. From the Jewish Encyclopedia article again...

The most noticeable difference between sentient beings and dead things, between the living and the dead, is in the breath. Whatever lives breathes; whatever is dead does not breathe. Aquila, by strangling some camels and then asking Hadrian to set them on their legs again, proved to the emperor that the world is based on "spirit" (Yer. Ḥag. 41, 77a). In most languages breath and spirit are designated by the same term. The life-giving breath can not be of earthly origin, for nothing is found whence it may be taken. It is derived from the supernatural world, from God. God blew the breath of life into Adam (Gen. ii. 7). "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life" (Job xxxiii. 4; comp. ib. xxvii. 3). God "giveth breath unto the people upon it [the earth], and spirit to them that walk therein" (Isa. xlii. 5). "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind" (Job xii. 10). Through His spirit all living things are created; and when He withdraws it they perish (ib. xxxiv. 14; Ps. civ. 29, 30). He is therefore the God of the spirits of all flesh (Num. xvi. 22, xxvii. 16). The breath of animals also is derived from Him (Gen. vi. 17; Ps. civ. 30 [A. V. 29]; Eccl. iii. 19-21; Isa. xlii. 5). The heavenly' bodies likewise are living beings, who have received their spirit from God (Job xxvi. 13; Ps. xxxiii. 6). God's spirit hovered over the form of lifeless matter, thereby making the Creation possible; and it still causes the most tremendous changes (Gen. i. 2; Isa. xxxii. 15).

Hmmm...it seems to make sense to associate the creative, life-giving "Breath of God" to the Holy Spirit, as distinct from any mere angel, even Gabriel. THIS would align Islam much more with the Jewish view of the Holy Spirit.

 

[YieldedOne]

One thing that I'm DEFINITELY getting out of this is the following: The particular Muslim interpretation that says that the Holy Spirit is nothing more or less than the angel Gabriel is problematic on a number of levels...namely it 1) radically goes against the Jewish concept of the Holy Spirit and 2) it contradicts evidence within the Quran itself concerning the creative, life-giving "Breath of God" that COULD ALIGN the Muslim perspective with the Jewish one.

Interesting.

Now what would be interesting is this: Did the earliest Jewish Christians (who believed Jesus was the Messiah and began the messianic age) see the "paraclete" to be the Holy Spirit/Breath of God? I think there would be ample information to suggest that they did.

A very ancient source (Sifre, Deut. 175) explains, on the basis of Deut. xviii. 15, that in the Holy Land the gift of prophecy is not granted to the heathen or in the interest of the heathen, nor is it given outside of Palestine even to Jews. In the Messianic time, however, the Holy Spirit will, according to Joel ii. 28, 29, be poured out upon all Israel; i.e., all the people will be prophets (Num. R. xv., end). According to the remarkable statement of Tanna debe Eliyahu, ed. Friedmann, the Holy Spirit will be poured out equally upon Jews and pagans, both men and women, freemen and slaves.​

...

And when he (Jesus) had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

...

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. (Pentecost)

...

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Peter to the Jews in Jerusalem)

 

[SalamChristian]

The particular Muslim interpretation that says that the Holy Spirit is nothing more or less than the angel Gabriel is problematic on a number of levels

Yep! I'm seeing that too. But, it might be more nuanced than we are perceiving, like I said:

The problem is that in Luke 3:22 we are told that the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like/similar to a dove. The issue with this is that apparently the Holy Spirit can be in Bodily form. Now, you and I both know that this passage in Luke 3:22 can't mean that the entirety of the Holy Spirit was within that bodily form, because Jesus had some of the Holy Spirit in him at the very least. The solution imo is that when a creature is filled completely with nothing but the Holy Spirit (i.e. not with evil spirits), then they can thus be called The Holy Spirit in bodily form. Hence the wineskins, clay pots, temple, house, and all of the other metaphors Christ uses to describe the body as a container--a container which is filled to the brim, moreover. Hence the "there is nothing in my cloak but allah" statements of some mystics.

In any case, the Qu'ran recognized that the likeness of Jesus is "likened unto the likeness of Adam," in that he was more fully filled with the holy spirit at birth. Man is not involved in the process at all.

Hence that the Qu'ran also testifies to his sinlessness 19:33 and his Messiahship.

I'm telling you, the traditional claim that the Qu'ran does not testify to Jesus (as) is soooo off base.

Shalom

 

[- Qatada -]

SalamChristian, you're doing what the Jews did with their scripture (except you are doing it with the Quran) - you're taking it out of context and ignoring the Oral law [Sunnah].


How ironic.

 

[YieldedOne]

Maybe that's how to simplify the question:
All considerations made, which option has MORE EVIDENCE for being identified as the "Holy Spirit of God" : the "Breath of God" or the angel Gabriel?

I say the "Breath of God" myself. :shade:

 

[SalamChristian]

SalamChristian, you're doing what the Jews did with their scripture (except you are doing it with the Quran) - you're taking it out of context and ignoring the Oral law [Sunnah]. How ironic.

I'm reading the Qu'ran for what it literally says, and not taking any preconceived ideas to the text. Again, as to the Hadith, they are not the inerrant Word of God. As I quoted earlier:

Here is a quote for you Woodrow: "وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته My beloved brother, You should know, May Allah preserve you, that recording the Sunnah, at the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) was initially prohibited then later on this command was abrogated as proven and concluded in the Sunnah. The narrations that mention that Umar (رضي الله عنه) prohibitted compiling the Sunnah in writing or burning them came from weak routes. However, assuming the correctness of such stories, we need to know that he only disallowed compiling the Sunnah in books - at a time of Islam expansion and hence new people were embracing Islam everyday - so that they do not confuse the book of Allah with the Sunnah Books. Yet, he still encouraged people to memorize the Sunnah as the companions did instead of compiling it therefore he encourged narrating the Sunnah. Wallahu A'lam" Hadith is not the inerrant Word of God. The Qu'ran is. That is the difference. Hadith make good history and are good for understanding the time of the Prophet and for getting ideas about what Muhammad (as) would do, but the Qu'ran and Word of God is enough unto itself and nothing else is necessary. Peace brother

If you have some clear knowledge, then show it to me. If you cannot show it to me, then surely it does not matter, for Allah is the origin of all things, and Allah knows best.

Salaam Alaikum

 

[SalamChristian]

MORE EVIDENCE for being identified as the "Holy Spirit of God" : the "Breath of God" or the angel Gabriel?

If I had to choose, this is how I would do it. I would make a hierarchical order of definition of the Holy Spirit:

1. Holy Breath of God
2. Gabriel
3. Other Angels
4. Men (those who God has filled with it)

I say this because Gabriel is typically the transmitter of the Holy Breath in both of our scriptures. Other angels occasionally carry it to the earth, again, in both of our scriptures.

Salaam

 

[SalamChristian]

SalamChristian, you're doing what the Jews did with their scripture (except you are doing it with the Quran) - you're taking it out of context and ignoring the Oral law [Sunnah]. How ironic.

Brother, what do you think the sectarianism in modern Islam is? Do you think Allah (swt), Jibreel (as), or Muhammad (as) intended for the Ummah to be divided into sects like this? I was reading on a forum the other day people actually debating about which sect of Islam is going make it to Jannah. This is not what the Qu'ran was intended for, nor the Ummah. Someone is creating sects, and surely they who create sects will be of the losers. There is only ONE Islam.

Salaam Alaikum.

 

[- Qatada -]

I'm reading the Qu'ran for what it literally says, and not taking any preconceived ideas to the text. Again, as to the Hadith, they are not the inerrant Word of God. As I quoted earlier:

So basically, you're pretending to be knowledgable of a Masterpiece when you have no knowledge whatsoever on how it is to be explained?

Furthermore, you are opposing the teachings, and misinterpreting the teachings of the one who came with the message? Isn't that what the companions of Moses did? How sad.

If you have some clear knowledge, then show it to me. If you cannot show it to me, then surely it does not matter, for Allah is the origin of all things, and Allah knows best.

Salaam Alaikum

Raafi ibn Khadij (May Allaah be pleased with him) said:

I said to the Prophet that we hear from you many things, should we write them down?” He replied: You may write. There is no harm. (Tadreeb ar Raawi)
​

Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet said:

Preserve knowledge by writing. (At-Tabari Jaami ul Bayaan)
​

Abu Raafi (may Allaah be pleased with him) sought permission from the Prophet to write ahadeeth and the Prophet granted him that permission (Tirmidhi)

http://www.load-islam.com/artical_det.php?artical_id=434&section=indepth&subsection=Hadeeth



This shows the teachings of Prophet Muhammad [the Sunnah] were preserved in text form even at his time. And the Sunnah clearly stated that Jesus son of Mary was a slave and Messenger of Allah, nothing more, nothing less.

 

[SalamChristian]

So basically, you're pretending to be knowledgable of a Masterpiece when you have no knowledge whatsoever on how it is to be explained?

My knowledge is clear.

1. Allah is one
2. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength, spirit, and love your neighbor unconditionally as yourself.
3. Remove sin from among you, and do it mercifully, and love (agape), forgive, and pray for your enemies so that they may be saved, and so that God may forgive you. If you do not forgive others of their sins, God will not forgive yours.
4. Believe this and you will have eternal life. God will not destroy you. He will test you, but if your burden is too much he will remove it and he will bless you for your submission.

That's all you need. Allah shows you anything else if you need it, when he chooses, and surely Allah is most wise.

Brother Qatada, I will check out your links whenever I get the opportunity.

I want you to know, however, that I don't view it highly when someone approaches me with an attack. You don't know where I come from, what I have read, what knowledge Allah has or has not shown me in my life, or anything. Most importantly, you haven't asked. I always approach something strange with a question, not with a raised hand. As our book says "love is patient, love is kind."

Salaam Alaikum Allahu Akbar,
AbdAllah

P.S. I should say that the part I highlighted in RED was taught to me by the Qu'ran. I learned it there, and then I went back to my scriptures and discovered it in the teachings of Jesus. It logically follows from what Jesus (as) says, but people have not payed much attention to those verses.

Salaam

 

[SalamChristian]

Where did all of the Christians who were on the thread at the beginning go? It's just me, YO, and our Muslim brothers now. Where are FiveSolas and Sol Invictus? Seeing as we have now proved many things that they heartily disagreed with at the beginning, I would like to hear how they have received this knowledge.

Peace

 

[siam]

@YO, SC

Just wanted to point out--from my understanding, Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh) and Spirit are not identical in Judaism.----
Ruach Hakodesh is the spirit of Prophethood and from what I understand, in Judaism, this spirit can also inspire Rabbis (though apparantly does not speak to them....(?))
and Ruach (Spirit or God's breath---is what in eastern religions is called "the spirit that animates"---Qi, Chi, Prana-etc.---also understood in eastern religions as breath/wind)

However, in Judaism, the word Nefesh/soul (if I remember correctly....) is also understood as breath. The arabic equivalent for soul would be nafs)

Angel Gabriel and the Holy Spirit.-----
Muslims tend to speak of Angel Gabriel when speaking about the revelation of Quran because it avoids undue/unnecessary speculation about the Holy Spirit which the Quran advises Muslims against. An understanding of the precise nature of the Holy Spirit is not really required to understand how the Quran was transmitted or to understand the nature of Jesus Christ(pbuh) therefore---it is best to refer to Angel Gabriel.

IMO, speculation of whether Angel Gabriel is identical or only similar to the Holy Spirit would really be irrelevant to a Muslim in terms of understanding Quranic concepts.

 

[siam]

revelatory process of Quran vs that of Prophet Moses(pbuh) and the tablets...

This is only my opinion...
The Quran (as well as Prophet Muhammed(pbuh)) placed particular emphasis in seeking knowledge (not just religious---but all kinds of knowledge)---this is because faith is based on the use of ones intellect and reason to arrive at conviction---the Quran discourages belief in superstition to arrive at conviction----however, for previous revelations such "proofs' were necessary and were therefore given. The type of proofs given for the Quran are intellectual proofs---such as the literary merits of the Quran, the perfection of its recitation, the way our minds seem to catch its rythmn in memorization.....the fact that none of its verses have been imitated by anyone for 1,400 years---even though the Quran has challenged human beings to produce a surah of like quality.....etc....etc.....Thus, the Quranic revelation is an invitation to use ones intellect and reason and through this process to arrive at sincere conviction.