Volume 8 Surah 9 - Enjoy Islam

Al-Tawbah (The Repentance) | RELATIONS WITH OTHER RELIGIONSprayer] and you do not accept that Ezra was the son of God.”It is well known that some Christians who claimed that Jesus was the son ofGod were originally Jews. Philo, a Jewish philosopher from Alexandria whowas a contemporary of Jesus, says that God has a son who is His word withwhich He creates all things. Hence, it is perfectly possible that some Jewsclaimed prior to the advent of Islam that Ezra was the son of God. 31By quoting this Jewish assertion in this context the Qur’ān makes clear that someof the people of earlier revelations held such distorted beliefs as could not fit withtheir being believers in God or their following the religion of truth. These are themain characteristics which form the basis for the ruling given to the Muslims to fightthem. The purpose of such a fight is not to compel them to be Muslims, but tosubdue them so that they do not stand in opposition to Islam and so that they acceptits authority. Thus individuals would be free of all influences restricting theirfreedom to make a choice to believe in God and follow His message.As we have said, the Christian assertion about Jesus being the son of God is verywidely known. Indeed all Christian churches have been making this assertion eversince Paul distorted the message of Jesus Christ which, like all divine messages, wasbased on God’s oneness. The Church Synods carried the distortion further andpractically killed the concept of God’s oneness.For a summary of Christians’ beliefs we will similarly quote from ShaikhMuĥammad Rashīd Riđā’s commentary on the Qur’ān, Al-Manār. Under the heading‘Trinity’, we read:The Trinity is a term used by Christians to refer to three manifestations ofGod. These are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is part of theteachings of the Catholic and Eastern Churches, as well as almost allProtestants. Those who adhere to this concept allege that it is absolutely inline with the Holy Bible. Scholars of Divinity have written extensively ininterpreting and explaining this concept, based on the teachings of the oldSynods and the writings of the former fathers of the Church. Much of theirwritings discuss the way the second manifestation was born and how thethird manifestation came about, and the relationships of the threemanifestations, their distinctive qualities, names and titles. The term,`Trinity’, is not used in the Bible. No verse of the Old Testament specificallymentions the Trinity. Yet old Christian writers cite many verses that refer to acollective presence of God. The point here is that if these verses admit morethan one interpretation, they cannot be cited as clear evidence in support of31 Muĥammad Rashid Riđā', op.cit., pp. 326-327.104