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Salam, Pavao.
Thank you for your question.
Since you are a new revert from Christianity, back to Islam - the true message of the One and Only God; Allah Almighty, you need to know that monotheism was the message of all prophets. Abraham, Moses and Jesus were all monotheists.
Jesus, even in the present versions of the Bible, repeatedly proclaimed and asserted the Oneness of Allah. He never claimed to be God or Son of God, nor did he refer to a triune god of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The word “Trinity” is not found anywhere in the whole Bible. Did’nt Jesus (peace be upon him) say:
“The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord.” (Mark 12:29)
Read also: “Jesus said to him: ‘Away from me. Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and Him only.’” (Matthew 4:10)
Other emphatic expressions of monotheism are abound in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Read for example:
“And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 1:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7)
Some Christians consider the statement in the first Epistle of John (5:7-8) as a reference to Trinity. It reads, according to the old King James version (1611 AC) of the Bible:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water and the blood: and these three agree.”
However, this text was radically changed in the revised editions of 1946 and 1952 to read:
“For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”
- A footnote it is mentioned: “And there are three that testify on earth.” This is not found in any Greek manuscript before the sixteenth century.
Deviations from the pure doctrines of Jesus and all prophets before him started with Paul, who never met Jesus. Paul was the first to claim the Godhead and divine sonship of Jesus, as well as his resurrection. Yet, the disciples and the early Christian generations were unitarians. They resisted the efforts of Paul and his followers to change both the faith and law of Moses and Jesus, and, later, many of them were tortured for holding to their faith.
Trinity was imposed for the first time, as an official creed of the Roman Empire, by Emperor Theodosius in the year 381 AC. The motive was mainly political, to save the Roman Empire by putting an end to the split between the Unitarian Christians and the Trinitarians, a split that persisted even after the Council of Nicea in 325 AC adopted the Pauline doctrines deifying Jesus as son of God.
Trinity, subsequently endorsed by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AC, attracted those who found in it a compromise between their original pagan beliefs and Christianity. Trinity was an invention of Athnasius of Alexandria in the 4th century after Jesus departure.
It is a coinage of the Pauline doctrine with pagan beliefs of the ancient world. For example, in Egypt: Horus, Isis and Osiris, in India: Brahma, Siva and Visnu, as well as the Greekmyths of people who are sons of the “Holy Ghost” (Apollo).
Other influences of the pagan beleifs was the change of Sabbath holiday to the Roman Sun-day, and to change Christmas to 25th December, the birthday of the Roman Sun-god, Mithra. So the concepts of Trinity and the Holy Ghost or Spirit were, in fact, a pagan invention that neither Jesus nor the early Christians ever accepted or advocated.
To properly understand what does the Holy Ghost really mean, both in the Bible and in the Qur’an, we find in (Matthew 1: 18):
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
If we compare this with a similar narration of Luke:
“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26-27)
We can readily see that the Holy Ghost mentioned in Matthew 1: 18 is himself the angel Gabriel. The Qur’an confirms the same in Surah 19, verses 17 - 19:
*{We sent to her [Mary] Our ruuh [angel Gabriel], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. … [The angel] said: “I am only a messenger from your Lord, [to announce] to you the gift of a righteous son.}*
The angel Gabriel is the same angel sent with divine messages and support of Allah to his prophets. The Qur’an says in Surah 16: 102 that:
*{Say [O Muhammad]: Ruh-ul-Qudus (Spirit of Holiness, i.e. Gabriel) has brought it [the Qur’an] down from your Lord with truth, that it may make firm and strengthen [the faith of] those who believe, and as a guidance and glad tidings to those who have submitted [to Allah as Muslims].}*
The same was the context of Surah 2, verse 87, which says that:
*{And indeed, We gave Moses the Book and followed him with a succession of messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Gabriel].}*
Also Surah 2, verse 253 says that:
*{And to Jesus the son of Mary, We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Gabriel].}*
Then Surah 5, verse 110 says that:
*{[Remember] when Allah will say [on the Day of Resurrection], “O Jesus son of Mary! Remember My favor to you and to your mother when I supported you with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Gabriel] so that you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity, and when I taught you writing, al-hikmah (the power of understanding), the Tawrah (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).”}*
The same role of the Holy Spirit (Gabriel), as a messenger and a supporter from Allah, can be understood from Luke 22:43.
“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him”.
See also:
“For he (John the Baptist) shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” (Luke 1: 15)
Also read:
“For he (Barnabas) was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people was added unto the Lord.” (Acts 11: 24)
See as well:
“And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” (Acts 5: 32)
To conclude, why should you confuse yourself with a quotation from the Gospel of John (John 3:4-6), when many Christian theologians suggest that this particular gospel was intentionally written to advocate the false claim of the divinity and divine sonship of Jesus?
Two verses of the Qur’an would summarize the arguments elucidated above. Surah 4, verse 171 saying that:
*{ O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, was [no more than] a messenger of Allah and His word [“be” and he was] which He bestowed to Mary and a spirit [ruh] created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: “Three [Trinity]! Cease! [it is] better for you. For Allah is (the Only) One ilah (god), glory is to Him [Far Exalted is He] above having a son.}*
Also Surah 2, verse 79 saying that:
*{Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, “This is from Allah,” to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.}*
To read more on the issues of Trinity and the Holy Ghost you can refer to:
- Oneness of God, the Ultimate Solution to the Trinitarian Controversy - by M. U. P. Mababaya, International Islamic Publishing House.
- Is the Trinity Doctrine Divinely Inspired? - by M. A. C. Cave, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.
- Jesus, A Prophet of Islam - by M. Ata ur-Rahim, International Islamic Publishing House.
Thank you again for your question and please keep in touch.
Salam.
Useful Links:
Two Religions: Two Waters!
Muslims and Christians; Different Creeds…
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