The Holy Spirit in Christianity and Islam:
Osama has written a paper where he seeks to show that the Holy Spirit is not God, but a creation of God’s (here).
It seems to us that his response is an attempt of undermining the following papers:
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/gabriel.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Saifullah/t5_73.htm
These papers were written to show from both the Holy Bible and the Quran that the Spirit is not a creation. The evidence we presented demonstrated that the Spirit is God and yet distinct from God, proving that according to both books God is a multipersonal Being.
Even if Osama didn’t intend for his paper to be a response to ours, we still decided to tackle his article to see if he provided any substantial refutation to the data which we have culled to support our premise that, according to the Holy Bible and the Quran, both Yahweh and Allah are multipersonal Beings.
All Quranic citations are taken from A.J. Arberry's translation, unless noted otherwise.
Osama writes:
The Universe or the World that is outside our little world on earth has many unknown mysteries in it. Even in our world we have a whole life that can not be seen by our naked eyes, and this world functions probably as we do. The danger in interpreting things, especially when it comes to GOD Almighty, is that because of our natural human weakness and unlimited desire to explore and discover the "unknown," we might fall into the sin and blasphemy of insulting GOD Almighty and associating partners (creations of His) with Him.
"They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)"
(The Noble Quran, 17:85)"
RESPONSE:
So far we have no disagreements with what Osama says. Yet, we will see how Osama tries to interpret things according to his own "natural human weakness and unlimited desire" to limit God to a single Person. Because his finite and limited mind cannot comprehend how the infinite God can exist as more than one Person and yet still be one, Osama will try to do all he can to refute the evidence which goes against his erroneous views of God’s unity.
GOD Almighty is neither a trinity, nor duality, nor plural in Islam:
"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 (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them.
(The Noble Quran, 5:73)"
RESPONSE:
Osama chooses a translation which deliberately distorts what the Arabic actually says. The word Trinity doesn’t appear at all in the passage. The literal Arabic speaks of those who say that Allah is the third of three. In point of fact, the Quran nowhere attacks the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity, but a gross aberration of it. The Quran identifies the three, which Allah happens to be one of, as Allah, Jesus and his mother Mary:
They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is THE THIRD OF THREE; when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.
Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him? For Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And THEY BOTH USED TO EAT (earthly) FOOD. See how We make the revelations clear for them, and see how they are turned away! Surah 5:72-75 Pickthall
The passage speaks of Jesus and Mary as having to eat food, obviously to debunk what the author of the Quran thought were Christian beliefs. In other words, the author is assuming that Christians taught that there are three deities, two of whom were Jesus and Mary. The same chapter supports this interpretation since a little later we read:
And when Allah will say: O Isa son of Marium! did you say to men, Take ME AND MY MOTHER for TWO gods besides Allah he will say: Glory be to Thee, it did not befit me that I should say what I had no right to (say); if I had said it, Thou wouldst indeed have known it; Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I do not know what is in Thy mind, surely Thou art the great Knower of the unseen things.
I did not say to them aught save what Thou didst enjoin me with: That serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord, and I was a witness of them so long as I was among them, but when Thou didst cause me to die, Thou wert the watcher over them, and Thou art witness of all things. Surah 5:116-117 Shakir
Obviously, this is not what true, historic Christianity teaches. All Osama has to do is present passages from the Quran where the correct Christian understanding of the Trinity is undermined, i.e. that God is not the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit simultaneously. We are not asking him to produce a single passage where this is stated, but he can try to cull several passages and combine them together to show that the Quran does attack the historic doctrine of the Holy Trinity. The problem for Osama is that, as he himself realizes, the Quran presents Allah’s Spirit as God. That is why he has written this response, being his attempt of explaining away what even his own book obviously teaches.
"Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.
(The Noble Quran, 112:1-4)"
RESPONSE:
The heart of the Trinity is that there is only one eternal God, only one sovereign Creator and Sustainer, and that there is nothing like him (Cf. Deuteronomy 4:35,39, 6:4, 32:39; Isaiah 40:12-18,25-26; Jeremiah 10:6-12; John 5:44; Romans 3:30; 1 Timothy 2:5; Jude 1:25).
Osama confuses God’s unity with singularity, that God being one negates him from also being plural in some sense. God can be one without having to be a singularity, since he can exist in plurality while still retaining his unity. Osama basically believes this since he accepts that Allah has a plurality of attributes and that this in no way nullifies Allah being one at the same time.
Furthermore, when the Quran says that Allah neither begets nor is begotten, it refers to Allah having children in a carnal sense, or being conceived as a result of a sexual union:
Yet they ascribe to God, as associates, the jinn, though He created them; and they impute to Him sons and daughters without any knowledge. Glory be to Him! High be He exalted above what they describe! The Creator of the heavens and the earth -- how should He have a son, seeing that He has no consort, and He created all things, and He has knowledge of everything? S. 6:100-101
He -- exalted be our Lord's majesty! He has not taken to Himself either consort or a son. S. 72:3
The Quran has obviously misunderstood what the Holy Bible and orthodox Christians mean when they speak of Christ being God’s Son, or that God became a man without ceasing to be God. We do not mean that God had sex with a female in order to conceive Christ, or to become a man. Jesus’ Sonship is purely spiritual in nature, and is a relational term referring to the inner life of God; that within God’s eternal existence, there are distinct, yet inseparable Persons who have intimate communion and fellowship.
We therefore challenge Osama to produce passages where the authentic Christian understanding of Christ’s Sonship is undermined, not a gross distortion of it, i.e. that Christ is God’s Son due to a sexual, carnal union.
Interestingly, the Quran says that if God does have a Son then Muslims are obligated to serve or worship him:
Say: 'If the All-merciful has a son, then I am the first to serve him. S. 43:81
Say: "If (God) Most Gracious had a son, I would be the first to worship." Y. Ali
Since God’s true Word says that God does have a Son, the Lord Jesus, then Osama must worship him just as his own book says he should do. This is precisely what the people did when they were confronted with God’s beloved Son:
"And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God's Son!’" Matthew 14:33
"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son EVEN AS they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." John 5:22-23
"And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God's angels worship him.’" Hebrews 1:6
"Say: 'O People of the Book (i.e., Jews and Christians)! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.' If then they turn back, say ye: 'Bear witness that we (at least) are Muslims (bowing to Allah's Will).' (The Noble Quran, 3:64)"
RESPONSE:
The Quran doesn’t need to tell the People of the Book, i.e. Jews and Christians, to worship none but God, since their own Bible exhorts them to do this. The confusion with Osama is that he assumes that God must exist as a singular Person in order to be one, and to worship God as a Trinity violates the worship which God alone deserves. If Christians were worshiping creatures besides God, then this would be a violation of pure monotheism, and if Osama could show that the Trinity is both illogical and unbiblical then he could make his case. Thus far, Osama hasn’t been able to prove any of these points, but has only erroneously assumed that God cannot exist as more than one Person and still remain one eternal Being.
Furthermore, despite the Quran commanding believers to worship none but God, and to take no other lords besides him, we find instances within the Quran where others besides Allah are worshiped and addressed as lord:
And when We said unto the angels: Prostrate yourselves before Adam, they fell prostrate (osjudoo li-adama fasajadoo), all save Iblis. He demurred through pride, and so became a disbeliever. S. 2:34 Pickthall
Behold! Joseph said to his father: "O my father! I did see eleven stars and the sun and the moon: I saw them prostrate (sajideena) themselves to me!" S. 12:4 Y. Ali
And he raised his parents upon the throne and they fell down in prostration (sujjadan) before him, and he said: O my father! this is the significance of my vision of old; my Lord has indeed made it to be true; and He was indeed kind to me when He brought me forth from the prison and brought you from the desert after the Shaitan had sown dissensions between me and my brothers, surely my Lord is benignant to whom He pleases; surely He is the Knowing, the Wise. S. 12:100 Shakir
Here, two finite creatures, Adam and Joseph, are worshiped, one by angels and the other by fellow prophets and believers! These passages have caused considerable problems for Muslims, as the following translation indicates.
And he raised his parents upon the throne and they all fell down prostrate BEFORE ALLAH for him … S. 12:100 Sher Ali
Sher Ali saw the problem with Joseph being worshiped, so he translated the text in a way where it is Allah, not Joseph, who receives prostration! Another Ali, namely the late Maulana Muhammad Ali, translated the same passage in a similar manner:
And he raised his parents on the throne, and they fall prostrate FOR HIS SAKE... (Source; capital emphasis ours)
Ali says in a footnote:
100b Seeing the highly dignified position to which Joseph had been raised in Egypt, they all fell prostrate BEFORE GOD as a mark of thanksgiving … (underline and capital emphasis ours)
Muhammad Ali took it further and rendered surah 2:34 in the following manner:
And when We said to the angels, Be SUBMISSIVE to Adam, they SUBMITTED, but Iblis (did not) ... S. 2:34 (Source; capital emphasis ours)
He noted:
34a Sajada is really synonymous with khad'a, i.e. he was lowly or submissive (LL). In the Holy Qur'an, the word is frequently used to signify simple submission. And you will also say, sajadu la-hu meaning he saluted him or he paid respect or honour to him (LL).
The two Alis obviously had a real difficult time with these Quranic passages, obviously realizing that there was a problem with Adam and Joseph receiving prostration. They knew that these acts were violations of the worship which Muslims claim that only Allah receives.
There is more:
"There did Zakariya PRAY TO HIS LORD: 'O MY LORD! Grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!' While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, THE ANGELS CALLED UNTO HIM: 'Allah doth give thee glad tidings of Yahyá (John) witnessing the truth of a Word from Allah, and (be besides) noble, chaste, and a prophet,- of the (goodly) company of the righteous.' HE SAID: 'O MY LORD! How shall I have a son, seeing I am very old, and my wife is barren?' 'Thus,' was the answer, 'Doth Allah accomplish what He willeth.' HE SAID: 'O MY LORD! Give me a Sign!' 'Thy Sign,' was the answer, 'Shall be that thou shalt speak to no man for three days but with signals. Then celebrate the praises of thy Lord again and again, and glorify Him in the evening and in the morning.' S. 3:38-41 Shakir
When he called upon his Lord in a low voice, He said: MY LORD! surely my bones are weakened and my head flares with hoariness, and, my Lord! I have never been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee: And surely I fear my cousins after me, and my wife is barren, therefore grant me from Thyself an heir, Who should inherit me and inherit from the children of Yaqoub, and make him, my Lord, one in whom Thou art well pleased. O Zakariya! surely We give you good news of a boy whose name shall be Yahya: We have not made before anyone his equal. He said: O MY LORD! when shall I have a son, and my wife is barren, and I myself have reached indeed the extreme degree of old age? HE SAID: So shall it be, YOUR LORD SAYS: It is easy to Me, and indeed I created you before, when you were nothing. He said: My Lord! give me a sign. He said: Your sign is that you will not be able to speak to the people three nights while in sound health. S. 19:3-10 Shakir
These passages mention Zechariah's prayer to God for a son, the angels' response, and the subsequent discussion which allegedly took place between them. Zechariah addresses the angels, or one specific angel, as his lord! Here is a portion of the passage that makes this point clear:
He said, ‘O my Lord, how shall I have a son, seeing my wife is barren, and I have attained to the declining of old age?' SAID HE, 'So it shall be; THY LORD says, "Easy is that for Me, seeing that I created thee aforetime, when thou wast nothing."’ S. 19:8-9 Arberry
The entity speaking to Zechariah mentions what the lord had said, which makes it clear that the one speaking to Zechariah could not be Allah. This, thereby, shows that Zechariah was addressing someone other than Allah as his lord!
The Quran says that even Jesus’ mother Mary addressed the angels as her lord:
"Behold! THE ANGELS SAID: 'O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee - chosen thee above the women of all nations. O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.' This is part of the tidings of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (O Messenger) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with pens (or arrows), as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: Nor wast thou with them when they disputed (the point). Behold! THE ANGELS SAID: 'O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous.' She said: 'O MY LORD! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?' HE SAID: 'Even so; Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, "Be," and it is!'" S. 3:42-47
Thus, prophets and believers are pictured as violating Islamic monotheism!
1- The Role of the Holy Spirit in Islam:
There are two known roles that the Holy Spirit plays according to Islam:
1- It creates our "spirits." Allah Almighty uses it to blow into our mothers' wombs our human-spirits. That is why abortion is prohibited in Islam, because the fetus or foetus does have spirit (life) and it is a human being. It's not just a little piece of unliving flesh:
"But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His Spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do ye give!
(The Noble Quran, 32:9)""When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him.
(The Noble Quran, 38:72)""When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him.
(The Noble Quran, 15:29)""And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.
(The Noble Quran, 21:91)""And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our Spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).
(The Noble Quran, 66:12)"
RESPONSE:
There is not a single Quranic verse which says that God blows his Holy Spirit into our mothers’ wombs. The blowing of God’s Spirit is only made in connection with the creation of Adam and Jesus, just as Osama’s own citations show. But Osama’s point that the Spirit creates is correct and agrees with God’s true word:
"The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4
More on this a little later.
Furthermore, it is not at all the case that Islam prohibits abortion completely, but only during certain stages of pregnancy. This is due to the hadiths which say that the spirit or soul of the fetus isn’t created, or given, until the 120th day of pregnancy:
Narrated Abdullah:
Allah's Apostle, the true and truly inspired said, "(as regards your creation), every one of you is collected in the womb of his mother for the first forty days, and then he becomes a clot for an other forty days, and then a piece of flesh for an other forty days. Then Allah sends an angel to write four words: He writes his deeds, time of his death, means of his livelihood, and whether he will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into his body. So a man may do deeds characteristic of the people of the (Hell) Fire, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and so he starts doing deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise and enters Paradise. Similarly, a person may do deeds characteristic of the people of Paradise, so much so that there is only the distance of a cubit between him and it, and then what has been written (by the angel) surpasses, and he starts doing deeds of the people of the (Hell) Fire and enters the (Hell) Fire." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 549)Narrated 'Abdullah:
Allah's Apostle, the truthful and truly-inspired, said, "Each one of you collected in the womb of his mother for forty days, and then turns into a clot for an equal period (of forty days) and turns into a piece of flesh for a similar period (of forty days) and then Allah sends an angel and orders him to write four things, i.e., his provision, his age, and whether he will be of the wretched or the blessed (in the Hereafter). THEN the soul is breathed into him. And by Allah, a person among you (or a man) may do deeds of the people of the Fire till there is only a cubit or an arm-breadth distance between him and the Fire, but then that writing (which Allah has ordered the angel to write) precedes, and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it; and a man may do the deeds of the people of Paradise till there is only a cubit or two between him and Paradise, and then that writing precedes and he does the deeds of the people of the Fire and enters it." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 77, Number 593)
Dr. William Campbell comments on the practical implications that the Quran and hadiths, specifically the claim that the fetus becomes a clot, have had on Muslims:
In the dictionaries of Wehr and Abdel-Nour the only meanings given for ‘alaqa in this feminine singular form are "clot" and "leech", and in North Africa both of these meanings are still used. Many patients have come to me to have a leech removed from their throats, and many women, believing that the fetus goes through a stage as a clot, have come to me in the dispensary asking for medicine because their periods haven't come. When I would answer that I couldn't do that because I believed that the fetus was a person, they would say, "but it's still blood." (Campbell, The Qur’an and the Bible in light of History and Science, Section Four, Science and Revelation; online edition)
Thus, contrary to Osama’s statement, Islam does teach that the fetus is nothing more than nonliving flesh for the first 120 days.
The Holy Bible, unlike the Islamic literature, clearly says that life begins at the moment of conception:
"Your hands fashioned and made me, and now you have destroyed me altogether. Remember that you have made me like clay; and will you return me to the dust? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit." Job 10:8-12
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them." Psalm 139:13-16
Osama continues:
2- It is used to provide Divine Guidance to the Believers, those whom Allah Almighty Loves and Favors. It's not just the Holy Spirit that gives Guidance. Angels too give it:
"Raised high above ranks (or degrees), (He is) the Lord of the Throne (of Authority): by His Command doth He send the Spirit (of inspiration) to any of His servants he pleases, that it may warn (men) of the Day of Mutual Meeting,-
(The Noble Quran, 40:15)""Say, the Holy Spirit has brought the Revelation from thy Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims.
(The Noble Quran, 16:102)""Thou wilt not find any people who believe in God and the Last Day, loving those who resist God and His Apostle, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a Spirit from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein (for ever). God will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of God. Truly it is the Party of God that will achieve Felicity.
(The Noble Quran, 58:22)""Then will God say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'
(The Noble Quran, 5:110)"So as you can see, Allah Almighty Created the Holy Spirit for specific functions not only on this earth, but also perhaps else where in the Universe where we don't know about. But it is in no way GOD Almighty Himself.
RESPONSE:
First, none of these passages say that Allah created the Holy Spirit, so it is very hard for anyone to see what Osama claims. Second, Osama hasn’t really understood these passages since the references clearly ascribe divine attributes to the Spirit. For instance, according to surah 58:22, the Spirit from Allah strengthens all believers, showing that the Spirit is both omnipresent (present everywhere) and omnipotent (almighty or all-powerful). After all, the only way that the Spirit can be with all believers to strengthen them is if he has these specific attributes. But only God is omnipotent and omnipresent, which means that the Spirit is actually God, while being distinct from God at the same time! So we strongly disagree with Osama, the Spirit is "GOD Almighty Himself."
2- The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Bible:
The Bible's Old Testament is like the Noble Quran regarding the role of the Holy Spirit. It never claimed that the Holy Spirit is GOD Almighty Himself. In section 4 below, you will see some of the types of the Holy Spirit, or Spirit, that GOD Almighty Created for Mankind. But for now, let us see what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit:
"When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
(From the NIV Bible, Psalm 104:30)""Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
(From the NIV Bible, Psalm 139:7)""Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
(From the NIV Bible, Psalm 143:10)"So far, these verses are talking about the Spirit from GOD Almighty. The first verse above, Psalm 104:30, perfectly agrees with the Noble Verses above about GOD Almighty Blowing His Spirit into our mothers' wombs when we're fetus.
RESPONSE:
If Osama is correct then this means that the Quran, in agreement with the Old Testament, teaches that the Holy Spirit is eternal and therefore God. In the first two Psalm citations, the Spirit is identified as the Creator and is said to be omnipresent. Here are the immediate contexts of both citations:
"Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart. The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it. These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground." Psalm 104:1-30
The passage is speaking of God as Creator and Sustainer of all things, and it is in this connection that the Spirit is mentioned. The Psalmist is saying that God uses his Spirit to create and to sustain, or renew, all creation, which shows that the Spirit has all the attributes of God. If the Spirit created all things, and this Psalm says he did, then that means he existed before all creation, which means that the Spirit is eternal. If the Spirit renews and sustains all things then this shows that he is all-powerful and present everywhere, attributes which only God has.
"Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you." Psalm 139:7-12
The Psalmist speaks of the Spirit being everywhere in creation, much like God, which again shows that the Holy Spirit is God. God’s Spirit, like his presence, permeates all creation.
Finally, contrary to what Osama says, the OT explicitly calls the Spirit God:
"The Spirit of the LORD SPEAKS by me; his word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has SPOKEN; the Rock of Israel has SAID to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God," 2 Samuel 23:2-3
David equates the Spirit speaking with God speaking, showing that the Spirit is God! Hence, if Osama is correct that the Quran is in agreement with the Old Testament, then this means that the Quran teaches that Allah’s Spirit is "GOD Almighty Himself"!
Osama asks:
So does this now mean that the Holy Spirit, in the Bible, is part of GOD Almighty?
Absolutely not! The Bible is filled with figurative speech. I've written a detailed article proving this using many examples. The Holy Spirit mentioned above is a creation from GOD Almighty. It's purpose is to create our spirits as mentioned in Psalm 104:30.
RESPONSE:
Osama doesn’t realize how his comments are not only contradictory, but also violate Islamic monotheism. As we showed above, nowhere in either the Holy Bible or the Quran is the Holy Spirit said to be a creation of God. The opposite is true as the verses cited above showed, as well as the following citations prove:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2
The Holy Spirit was actively involved in the creation process, showing that he was already there before the creation. To exist before creation implies that the Spirit is eternal, just as the following passage explicitly states:
"how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the ETERNAL Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Hebrews 9:14
Furthermore, if Osama is correct that the Spirit is a creature (which he is not), then this means that a creature has all the essential attributes of God, i.e. Creator, Sustainer, omnipresent, omnipotent etc. Osama himself stated several times that the Spirit creates our spirits, showing that he is our Creator. We are, therefore, left with one of several conclusions:
Allah is guilty of the sin of association (shirk), since he has given a creature many of his essential attributes.
Osama has committed shirk since he has ascribed to a creature the very divine qualities that God alone has.
Since the Spirit created us, this means that we owe our existence to two beings, God and a creature. If this is so, then we must give our allegiance to and worship the ones who create and sustain us, which means Allah is not the only one worthy of worship.
There is actually support for this last point, since the Quran says that there are many creators:
And certainly We created man of an extract of clay,
Then We made him a small seed in a firm resting-place, Then We made the seed a clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the best of the creators. S. 23:12-14 Shakir
It is hard to accept Allah as the best of creators when the Spirit creates in the same exact way. In fact, according to Osama, it is the Spirit which creates us in our mothers’ wombs, so this passage should actually be speaking of him as the best of creators, not Allah. Allah must therefore share the honor of best Creator with his Spirit, who Osama says is not God but a creature.
This may even account for the language used in the following citation:
Do you yourselves create it, or are We the Creators? S. 56:59
The use of the plural must be referring to Allah and his Spirit, and cannot be a royal plural or plural of majesty as many Muslims claim. After all, the Spirit is just as much responsible for creation as Allah is.
Therefore, either this means that Allah has committed shirk for giving the Spirit divine attributes, allowing a creature to share in his divine function of creating, or Osama has done so for deifying a creature. But since it is the Quran which uses divine language for the Spirit, this means that Allah is guilty of the sin of shirk.
Another purpose for the Holy Spirit is to Guide the Believers:
1 Samuel 16:16
"Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better." GOD HAS AN EVIL SPIRIT?! Obviously not, it's only metaphoric as mentioned above.1 Samuel 18:10
"The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand..." ANOTHER EVIL SPIRIT FROM GOD?! Again, it is only metaphoric.1 Samuel 19:9
"But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp,..." ANOTHER EVIL SPIRIT FROM GOD?!1 Kings 22:23
"God sent LYING SPIRITS to lie to people" Does GOD lie?!
RESPONSE:
Osama refers to the Holy Spirit guiding believers, but cites passages which speak of evil spirits! The context of the passages clearly distinguish God’s Holy Spirit from the evil spirit(s):
"Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. And Saul's servants said to him, ‘Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.’ So Saul said to his servants, ‘Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.’ One of the young men answered, ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the LORD is with him.’ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.’ And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, ‘Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.’ And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him." 1 Samuel 16:14-23
"Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night… Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, ‘Where are Samuel and David?’ And one said, ‘Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.’ And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?’" 1 Samuel 19:9-10, 20-24
How, in light of the above references, could Osama confuse the Holy Spirit with evil spirits is truly a mystery.
Second, Osama is shocked that evil spirits come from God. He must have forgotten the following Quranic verses:
Thus have WE APPOINTED unto every prophet an adversary - devils of humankind and jinn who inspire in one another plausible discourse through guile. If thy Lord willed, they would not do so; so leave them alone with their devising; S. 6:112 ALLAH APPOINTS DEVILS?!
"Seest thou not that WE HAVE SET Satans on against the unbelievers, to incite them to fury?" S. 19:83 ALLAH SETS SATANS ON PEOPLE?!
If anyone withdraws himself from remembrance of the Most Gracious, We APPONT FOR HIM A SATAN, to be an intimate companion (qareenun) to him. Such (Satans) really hinder them from the Path, but they think that they are being guided aright! At length, when (such a one) comes to Us, he says (to his evil companion): "Would that between me and thee were the distance of East and West!" Ah! evil is the companion (indeed)! S. 43:36-38 ALLAH APPOINTS A SATAN TO PEOPLE?!
The Quran teaches that satans and devils are from Allah????!!!!
Osama misleads his readers regarding 1 Kings 22 since it does not say that God lied. Here is the context:
"And Micaiah said, ‘Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the LORD said, "Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?" And one said one thing, and another said another. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, "I will entice him." And the LORD said to him, "By what means?" And he said, "I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets." And he said, "You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so." Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.’" 1 Kings 22:19-23
It wasn’t God who lied, but a spirit whom God used to entice the false prophets. These biblical passages are teaching what should have been obvious even to Osama; that evil spirits are also under God’s sovereign control and can only do what God permits them to do. God can, and does, use evil spirits to accomplish his purpose:
"The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble." Proverbs 16:4
"In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will," Ephesians 1:11
This concludes the first part of our rebuttal. Continue with Part 2.
Rebuttals to Answering-Christianity
Articles by Sam Shamoun
Answering Islam Home Page