CHAPTER 5: THE CONTRADICTION OF THE CHRISTIAN’S CLAIM REGARDING THE UNIFICATION OF THE HUMAN ENTITY WITH THE DIVINE ENTITY
They said, “There is the incarnation of the creating Word of God with which He created everything, and its personification in a created human being. He is the One born to the chosen virgin Maryam (Mary) who was preferred over the women of the world. The Word was unified with him in a way free from mixing, changing, and transforming. He spoke to people just like God spoke to Musa from the bush. He performed miracles by means of His Divine entity and showed the deficiency of His Human entity, while the two actions are done by the one Christ.”
The answer: This statement is full of lies, disbelief, and contradiction. This answer is based on the following reasons:
One: The statement, “The creating Word of God with which He created everything,” is contradictory. The Creator is the God who created. He created things with His Word, i. e., ‘Be.’ The Creator did not create things with His Words but He created things and created Words by which things were created. Words are not the creator of things but the means.
The difference between the Creator and the created on the one hand and that by which the Creator created things on the other hand, is conceivable. They (Christians) said the Creator is that by which things were created. They said the Word is the Creator and they said that all creatures were created by it.
To clarify this matter, we say that if the Word is an attribute, then an attribute is not a creator. If it is both the attribute and the attributed, then this is the Creator and not that by which things are created.
Two: They say, “It’s personification in a created human being” and they further say, “The incarnation of the creating Word of God.” When they use the words ‘personification’ and ‘incarnation,’ this requires that the Word has acquired a body and flesh with the created human being. This necessitates the Word’s alteration so as to have a body and flesh. This leads to its transformation and change while they have said, “A unity free from changing and transforming.”
Three: The statement, “The Word was unified with him in a way free from mixing, changing, and transforming” is also contradictory. Unification means that two things become one. They say that before the unification, the Divine Entity was an essence and the human entity was another essence.
One can say: This was something and that was another thing or this is an independent entity and that is an independent entity. However, after the unification, they either become two as they were or the two become one. If they became two as they were, then there is no unification but they are still multiple. If they become one thing, there are two cases. If the product of unification is one of the two, this means that the other has become non-existent and this leads to the nonexistence of one of them instead of its unification. If this one thing is not one of them, this means that they must have changed and transformed, or else after the unification, if the two remained with their attributes, then no unification would have taken place.
The statement, “The Word was unified with him in a way free from mixing, changing, and transforming,” it is a contradictory statement. This only applies to multiplicity and difference and not to unification. To elaborate, we take an example. If water and milk or water and wine united together, the result of this unification would be a third substance which would be neither pure water nor pure milk, it is a third kind and the water and milk would have been transformed, changed, and mixed. Any unification without this process is impossible.
That is why there is much debate concerning this matter among Christians. Discussion concerning this matter has led to many invalids and rejected statements. Thus, according to syllogism, they all share the same false premise, which necessitates drawing one among many invalid conclusions. So, any conclusion deduced from these premises is invalid. One Christian might base his argument on one premise and the other might refute it. Then, the other might base his argument on another premise and the other Christian might refute it.
This is the case with all the invalid sayings, which have been used seeking to prove their erroneous belief. The invalidity of the premises indicates the invalidity of the conclusions. If the conclusion is verified, then the premise is verified and if the premise is refuted, then the conclusion is refuted.
Four: This is clearer after introducing this fourth point. Many Christians say, “After the unification, it is one essence, one nature, and one will.” This statement is attributed to the Jacobite Church.
They say that the Divine Entity and the human entity mixed like water mixes with milk or like water mixes with wine. This is the reality of the meaning of unification. The invalidity of it is clear. If this is the premise of their claim and if its invalidity is clear, then the invalidity of the premise indicates the invalidity of the conclusion. The truth behind this statement is that the one who was eating, drinking, urinating, and excreting, the one who was beaten and spat on, and the one who wore a crown of thorns on his head, is the Lord of the universe. The mere idea of such a thing is blasphemy against Allah.
Allah says,
which means, “And they say: ‘The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son (or offspring or children) [as the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say that He has begotten a son (‘lesa, Christ), and the pagan Arabs say that He has begotten daughters (angels, etc.)]-‘ Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins, That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Beneficent (Allah). But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Beneficent (Allah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children). There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) as a slave. Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. And all of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender).” (Maryam, 19: 88- 95)
Five: The statement, “He spoke to people just like God spoke to Musa from the bush,” necessitates that those people to whom Christ spoke are in the same rank as Musa bin ‘Imran (Moses, peace be upon him) to whom God has spoken directly, even if those people were disbelievers.
It is known that Allah privileged Musa (peace be upon him) above all other prophets by speaking to him directly. If very few people were in the same rank as Musa bin ‘lmran (peace be upon him), so how can these few people be in the same rank as Musa (peace be upon him)?
Six: It is known that God speaking to His prophets and messengers is better than His speaking to others. Christ did not speak to all the prophets and messengers. He only spoke to people among which are those who believed in him and those who disbelieved in him.
He did not speak to any of the messengers of God, but Christians claim that the disciples are the messengers of God. This is not true. If it were true, then he only spoke to twelve messengers while God has sent many messengers before him.
Seven: The human entity of Christ is like all other human entities. Man cannot see God in this worldly life as was said by Musa (Moses, peace be upon him), ‘Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him), and Muhammad (peace be upon him). If he cannot see Him, he cannot have contact with Him or be adjacent to Him not to mention unifying with Him.
Eight: If the one speaking to people is the Divine Entity unified with the human entity and this is clear, then he is a submissive creature that prays and asks. But the Divine Entity unified with the human entity is not a creature that asks God and worships Him. If it is the Divine Entity alone, as they claim, this is most unbefitting. If it is the human entity alone, the Divine Entity would not have spoken to people as He spoke to Musa (peace be upon him) from the bush.
There is no significant difference between the speech of the human entity and that of Christ who is clearly a part of the creation of Allah, as they also admit. They say that these are the words of the human entity. It is said to them: The one speaking to people is the human entity without the Divine Entity. You say that God speaks to people through the body of Christ as He spoke to Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) from the bush.
Musa (peace be upon him) heard the speech, which is from the Divine Entity from the bush. The speech Christ does not have anything to do with the Divine Entity but it is clearly the speech of the human entity.
Nine: When God spoke to Musa (peace be upon him) from the bush, the speech was that of God and not that of the bush. If this example is similar, then the one talking to people from the human entity of Christ is the Divine Entity alone.
It is known that there is a lot of clear evidence in the Gospel and in other texts which prove that the human entity is the speaker. This clarifies the difference between the one and the other.
Ten: It is said: It is known that God is too Exalted, and too Great, for His messengers to attain this rank. If it was Him who spoke to creatures through Christ and if the disciples were His messengers, who heard His Speech without any intermediary, then the disciples would either be like Musa (in rank) or greater than him.
It is also known that Christ himself did not have as many miracles as Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) let alone the disciples. The greatest of Christ’s miracles was bringing the dead back to life. Many other prophets like llias (Elias, peace be upon him) and others shared this miracle with him.
According to the people of the Scripture, people other than Christ have brought the dead to life with the Help of God. Among the miracles of Musa bin ‘Imran (peace be upon him) is the stick which turned into a serpent. It swallowed up the ropes and sticks of the sorcerers. More than once, he threw it and it turned into a serpent and when he retrieved it and it returned to being a stick.
It is known that such a miracle was not performed by any other prophet and it is greater than bringing the dead to life. When a human being dies and then comes back to life, he has actually returned to his previous state. God brings the dead to life by raising them from their graves and He has raised more than one person in this worldly life.
As for the stick turning into an animal and then returning into a wooden stick once again swallowing up ropes and sticks, this is greater and more impressive than bringing the dead back to life. God said that he made Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) along with other prophets of the children of Israel, bring dead people back to life more than those brought to life by Christ.
Allah says,
which means, “And (remember) when you said: O Musa (Moses)! We shall never believe in you till we see Allah plainly.’ But you were seized with a thunderbolt (lightning) while you were looking. Then We raised you up after your death, so that you might be grateful.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 55- 56)
He, the Almighty also says,
which means, “So We said: ‘Strike him (the dead man) with a piece of it (the cow).’ Thus, Allah brings the dead to life.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 73)
The hand of Musa (peace be upon him) came forth white (and shining) without any disease. This is greater than healing the leper as Christ did, for leprosy is a known disease. What is great is healing it and returning the person to his original state. This has two unmatched miraculous actions.
God made the sea part for Musa (peace be upon him) and the children of Israel to cross it and Fir’awn (Pharaoh) along with his soldiers were drowned. This was a wonderful miracle. It showed the Greatness of Allah when He destroyed the enemy of Musa, the like of which did not happen to Christ.
Allah also fed Musa (peace be upon him) and his people manna and quails in spite of their great number. He provided them with water that sufficed them. It gushed forth in twelve springs by striking the rock every day.
This is greater than Christ sending down a table spread with food, and turning water into wine. Peace be upon the prophets of Allah.
Musa (peace be upon him) faced more enemies than Christ like lice, frogs, blood, and many others. If the disciples were messengers to whom God spoke like He spoke to Musa (peace be upon him) from the bush, they would be like Musa in rank. How could this happen while Christ did not come with miracles like those of Musa. If Christ was the Divine Entity that spoke to Musa, His Power would have appeared greater than what appeared through the hands of Musa, for He was not immanent in Musa nor did the Divine Entity speak to people through Musa, as they claim happened with Christ. In spite of all these things, God supported Musa with such great miracles. How great would His miracles be if He was really immanent in Christ!
Eleven: Their statement that claims that God spoke to people through Christ as He has spoken to Musa from the bush is totally invalid. All nations agree that God was not immanent in the tree and did not unite with it as they claim. According to them, He was immanent in Christ both inwardly and outwardly. The Lord was not inside the tree, and was not immanent in it, or united with it. When God says that He spoke and called from it, it is like when He says,
which means, “He was called from the right side of the valley.” (Al-Qasas, 28: 30)
It is also like His saying,
which means, “Has there come to you the story of Musa (Moses)? When his Lord called him in the sacred valley of Tuwa.” (An-Nazi’at, 79: 15-16)
‘The blessed spot’ and other names like this do not imply that the Lord was imminent in the sacred valley, the blessed spot, or the right side of the valley. It does not mean that He united with any of them or became one essence nor one person with one of them. Some Christians say that the Divine Entity and the human entity became one essence. Others say that they became one person. No one has ever said that He was immanent in something (tree) like water is immanent in milk or fire in iron. Some among them say that the Divine Entity was immanent in the human entity, if anyone said something that was not mentioned in the divine books and that is not rational, it could not be taken as proof. Only authentic textual or rational evidence are taken into account.
Twelve: They say, “He performed miracles with His Divine entity and showed the deficiency of His Human entity.” It is said to them that God presented miracles greater than those, which appeared through the hands of Christ. He was rot united with any human being. So, what would necessitate that He unites with human beings to do lesser miracles?
Thirteen: Christ presented miracles like the other messengers. The miracles of some are greater than his. In spite of that, their miracles were not taken as proof of the Divine Entity’s unification with whichever prophet came with a miracle. This proves that it is invalid to consider presenting miracles as a proof of unification.
By: Sheikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyah
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