ANSWERING THE MOST COMMON MUSLIM QUESTIONS ABOUT JESUS, THE TRINITY, AND THE TRUE GOD
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
Muslims frequently ask Christians a series of questions intended to challenge the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. These questions deserve careful, biblical, and scholarly answers rather than emotional reactions. Christianity is founded upon divine revelation recorded in Scripture, not upon isolated proof-texts or misunderstandings of the incarnation.
1. WHO IS THE ONE TRUE GOD ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE?
The Bible declares that there is only one true God.
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD." (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Jesus Himself affirmed this truth.
"That they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)
Muslims often stop reading at John 17:3. Yet the same Gospel begins:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)
A few verses later:
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14)
Therefore, according to John's Gospel:
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
Yet there is only one God.
This is precisely the biblical doctrine of the Trinity.
2. IF JESUS IS GOD, WHY DID HE PRAY?
This question misunderstands the Incarnation.
Jesus possesses two natures:
Fully God.
Fully man.
As man, Jesus prayed.
As God, He forgave sins (Mark 2:5–12).
As God, He accepted worship (Matthew 14:33; John 9:38).
As God, He calmed storms.
As God, He raised the dead.
Prayer does not prove someone is not God.
Instead, it demonstrates that Jesus truly became man.
Philippians 2:6–8 explains that although Christ existed in the form of God, He humbled Himself by taking the form of a servant.
If Jesus had never prayed, Muslims would claim He was never truly human.
3. WHERE DID JESUS SAY, "I AM GOD; WORSHIP ME"?
Muslims often demand these exact English words.
Yet prophets never used such formulas.
Jesus spoke as a first-century Jew.
Instead of using modern language, He claimed divine titles and performed divine actions.
For example:
"I and My Father are one." (John 10:30)
The Jewish reaction is extremely important.
"Because You, being a man, make Yourself God." (John 10:33)
Notice carefully.
The Jews did not accuse Jesus of merely saying He was a prophet.
They accused Him of making Himself equal with God.
Again,
"Before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:58)
Jesus deliberately used the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14.
The Jews immediately attempted to stone Him.
Why?
Because they understood His claim.
Likewise,
Thomas worshiped Jesus:
"My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)
Jesus accepted the worship.
No prophet ever accepted worship.
Only God deserves worship (Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10).
4. WHY DID JESUS CALL GOD "FATHER"?
Because that is God's eternal relationship within the Trinity.
God is eternally Father.
Jesus is eternally Son.
The Father is not the Son.
The Son is not the Father.
Yet both possess the same divine nature.
The relationship does not imply inequality.
It reveals eternal communion within the Godhead.
5. IF GOD IS ONE, HOW CAN THERE BE A TRINITY?
Christians do not believe in three gods.
We believe:
One Being.
Three Persons.
One divine essence.
Three distinct Persons.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
Yet there is only one God.
The Trinity explains all biblical evidence simultaneously.
Islam rejects the Trinity because it misunderstands it as three separate gods.
The Bible never teaches three gods.
6. IF JESUS IS GOD, WHY DID MARY CALL HIM "MY SON"?
Because Jesus truly became human.
Mary gave birth to His humanity.
She did not create His divine nature.
Micah 5:2 says the Messiah's origin is "from everlasting."
John 1:1 says He existed before creation.
Mary is the mother of Jesus according to His incarnation.
She is not the origin of His deity.
QUESTIONS MUSLIMS SHOULD ALSO ANSWER
Christians answer difficult questions from Scripture. Muslims should also answer difficult questions from the Qur'an and Islamic theology.
Why is Allah never called "Father"?
Throughout the Bible, God is revealed as Father.
Isaiah 63:16
Isaiah 64:8
Matthew 6:9
John 20:17
Romans 8:15
Galatians 4:6
Ephesians 4:6
Christians pray:
"Our Father in heaven..."
Yet the Qur'an explicitly rejects Allah as Father.
If Allah is the same God revealed in the Bible, why does the Qur'an reject one of God's own revealed names and relational descriptions?
This is a significant theological difference between the Bible and the Qur'an that deserves careful consideration.
Why is the covenant name Jehovah (YHWH) absent from the Qur'an?
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob repeatedly revealed His covenant name.
Exodus 3:15
"This is My name forever."
Thousands of Old Testament verses contain the divine name YHWH (Jehovah).
If the Qur'an claims to confirm previous revelation, why is God's covenant name absent from it?
Instead, the Qur'an consistently uses "Allah."
If Allah and Jehovah are claimed to be the same, why is the revealed covenant name never preserved?
This is a question worthy of serious theological reflection.
"ANYONE CAN SAY 'I AM GOD.'"
Muslims often argue:
"Jesus never literally said, 'I am God.'"
But simply saying "I am God" does not make someone God.
Many false prophets have claimed divinity.
Even today, some individuals claim to be God.
A parrot could be trained to repeat the words, "I am God."
Repeating those words would not make the bird divine.
The real question is not whether someone merely uttered certain words.
The question is:
Did Jesus demonstrate divine identity?
The answer is yes.
Jesus:
Forgave sins.
Accepted worship.
Claimed eternal existence.
Declared equality with the Father.
Exercised authority over creation.
Rose from the dead.
Will judge all humanity.
These are uniquely divine prerogatives according to Scripture.
The Jewish leaders understood the significance of His claims. They sought to kill Him because, in their view, He was "making Himself God" (John 10:33) and "making Himself equal with God" (John 5:18). Their reaction shows they understood His words as claims to divine identity, not merely as claims to prophethood.
THE MEANING OF "ELOHIM"
The Hebrew word Elohim is grammatically plural but is regularly used with singular verbs when referring to the one true God.
This does not, by itself, prove the Trinity.
However, it is consistent with the Bible's later revelation that the one God exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Other passages also present plurality within God's self-revelation, such as Genesis 1:26 ("Let us make man in our image") alongside the clear affirmation that there is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity arises from the whole witness of Scripture rather than from a single grammatical feature.
CONCLUSION
Christianity proclaims one eternal God revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The deity of Christ is established not by one isolated phrase but by the totality of biblical revelation: His eternal existence, divine works, authority to forgive sins, acceptance of worship, resurrection, and the testimony of His apostles.
The invitation to every seeker is to examine the Scriptures carefully and honestly, considering the full biblical witness about the identity of Jesus Christ.
"In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." (Colossians 2:9)
"Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13)
"The Word was God." (John 1:1)
May every reader search the Scriptures with sincerity and follow the truth wherever it leads.
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