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).
Additional Scriptural References:
Isaiah 9:6 — The Messiah is called "Mighty God" and "Everlasting Father," signaling that the expected Messiah transcends human origins.
Micah 5:2 — The Messiah's origin is "from everlasting," indicating eternal pre-existence.
Jeremiah 23:6 — The righteous Branch is called "The LORD our Righteousness".
Malachi 3:1 — The Lord's messenger prepares the way before the Lord Himself comes to His temple.
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. The Hebrew word for "one" used in Deuteronomy 6:4 ('eḥāḏ) often expresses compound unity rather than solitary oneness—just as Genesis 2:24 uses 'eḥāḏ to describe Adam and Eve becoming "one flesh," indicating a unified partnership, not a single individual.
The Plurality Within the Godhead in the Old Testament:
Genesis 1:26 — "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness" — uses plural pronouns that hint at a plurality within the Godhead.
Genesis 1:2 — "The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters" — presents the Spirit active in creation.
The Angel of the LORD — Appears throughout the Old Testament (Genesis 16:7-13; Exodus 3:2-6; Judges 6:12-14) as a divine figure distinct from the Father yet addressed as God, recognized by early readers as a manifestation of the Divine Son prior to the Incarnation.
Isaiah 48:16 — Distinguishes between the Lord GOD, the One speaking, and the Spirit.
2. IF JESUS IS GOD, WHY DID HE PRAY?
This question misunderstands the Incarnation. Jesus possesses two natures: fully God and fully man. As man, Jesus prayed. As God, He forgave sins (Mark 2:5–12), accepted worship (Matthew 14:33; John 9:38), calmed storms, and raised the dead.
Scriptural Support for the Two Natures:
Philippians 2:6–8 — Christ existed in the form of God but "emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness" . This explains how He could be fully divine yet take a humbled human role.
1 Timothy 3:16 — "Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh" .
Hebrews 2:14 — Jesus shared in flesh and blood, subject to human wants and sufferings.
Luke 2:40, 52 — He was subject to ordinary laws of human development.
Jesus' Sinlessness:
2 Corinthians 5:21 — "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us" .
Hebrews 4:15 — "One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" .
1 Peter 2:22 — "He committed no sin" .
John 8:46 — "Which one of you convicts Me of sin?" .
Why Both Natures Were Necessary:
Prayer does not prove someone is not God. Instead, it demonstrates that Jesus truly became man. 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.
Jesus' Divine Claims:
John 10:30 — "I and My Father are one" . The Jewish reaction is extremely important: "Because You, being a man, make Yourself God" (John 10:33). They accused Him of making Himself equal with God.
John 8:58 — "Before Abraham was, I AM" — Jesus deliberately used the divine name revealed in Exodus 3:14. The Jews immediately attempted to stone Him because they understood His claim.
John 5:23 — "That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father" — an extraordinary claim within a Jewish monotheistic framework.
John 17:5 — "Glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed" — claiming pre-incarnate divine glory.
Jesus' Divine Titles:
The "Son of Man" Title in Detail:
Jesus frequently used the title "Son of Man" of Himself—no one else called Him this except Stephen (Acts 7:56) and John in Revelation (1:13; 14:14). The title derives from Daniel 7:13-14, where "one like a Son of Man" comes with the clouds of heaven and receives "dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him" .
At His trial before Caiaphas, Jesus declared: "I am; and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:62), echoing both Daniel's prophecy and Psalm 110:1. This was understood as a claim to divinity by His judges.
Thomas's Worship:
John 20:28 — "My Lord and my God!" — Thomas worshiped Jesus, and 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, and the Son is not the Father. Yet both possess the same divine nature.
Scriptural Evidence:
Matthew 28:19 — "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" — uses the singular "name" (not "names"), implying one essence but three persons.
2 Corinthians 13:14 — "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit" — unites the three in the work of redemption.
John 14:16-17 — Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a distinct Helper, "another Comforter" .
The Personhood and Deity of the Holy Spirit:
Acts 5:3-4 — Lying to the Holy Spirit is equated with lying to God, underscoring the Spirit's full deity.
John 16:13 — Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "He" who guides into all truth, showcasing the Spirit's volition and personal role.
Titus 3:5 — The Holy Spirit regenerates believers.
The relationship within the Godhead does not imply inequality but reveals eternal communion. As Pope John Paul II explained, when Jesus called Himself "Son of Man," He used a title from the Old Testament that points to His superhuman character and His future coming in majesty and glory.
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 Principle Explained:
The Trinity is understood as one infinite divine essence (the "what" of God) eternally shared by three co-equal and co-eternal persons (the "whos": Father, Son, Spirit). This does not violate the law of non-contradiction because God is not claimed to be one and three in the same way—He is one in nature and three in personhood.
Biblical Evidence for the Trinity:
The Son's Divine Attributes:
Eternality — John 1:1; Micah 5:2
Omniscience — John 21:17
Creator — John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17
Forgives sins — Mark 2:5-7
Received worship — Matthew 28:19; John 14:1
Early Church Articulation:
The word "Trinity" (from Latin Trinitas) was introduced by Tertullian in the late second and early third centuries to summarize the biblical teaching. The Council of Nicaea (AD 325) and Council of Constantinople (AD 381) affirmed that the Son is "of one essence with the Father" and the Holy Spirit is also fully divine. These councils did not invent the concept but codified what Scripture testifies.
Islamic Objections and Christian Responses:
Muslim critics have historically made several philosophical objections to the Trinity. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that medieval Muslim philosopher-theologians argued that "all things that are many in number have matter" and that the doctrine implies God has accidents or that nothing divine could be "generated". In response, trinitarians emphasize that by definition, the doctrine implies monotheism, and they argue that mysteries have been revealed—we have no grounds to rule out facing them when thinking about a transcendent God. They also maintain that Jesus claimed to be fully divine while being subject to and inferior to God in His human nature only.
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. Mary is the mother of Jesus according to His incarnation, not the origin of His deity.
Scriptural Clarification:
Galatians 4:4 — "God sent forth His Son, born of a woman" — distinguishes Jesus' divine Sonship from His human birth.
John 1:14 — "The Word became flesh" — the pre-existing Word took on humanity, not divinity created at birth.
Colossians 2:9 — "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" — the divine nature permanently dwells in the incarnate Christ.
Hebrews 4:15 — Jesus is truly human, "like us in all things except sin" .
The Hypostatic Union:
The Person of the Mediator is the unchangeable Son of God. In the Incarnation, He did not change into a human person; neither did He adopt a human person. He simply assumed, in addition to His divine nature, a human nature that became personal in the Person of the Son of God. Scripture clearly points to this unity: human attributes are sometimes ascribed to the Person designated by a divine title (Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 2:8), and divine attributes are sometimes ascribed to the Person designated by a human title (John 3:13; 6:62; Romans 9:5).
7. JESUS IN THE QUR'AN: A BRIDGE FOR DIALOGUE
The Qur'an uniquely refers to Jesus as "Kalimatullah" (the Word of God) in Surah 3:45 and Surah 4:171, and as "a Spirit from Him" (Surah 4:171). These titles underscore His pre-existent nature.
Qur'anic Acknowledgments of Jesus:
Surah 3:45 — "The angels said, 'O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary'" .
Surah 4:171 — "The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was a Messenger of Allah and His Word, which He bestowed upon Mary and a spirit from Him" .
Surah 3:49 — Jesus performs miracles: creating a bird from clay, healing the blind and lepers, raising the dead—all "by Allah's leave" .
Surah 19:30-34 — Jesus speaks as an infant, declaring: "I am a servant of Allah... He has made me a Prophet" .
The Qur'anic Kalimah Concept:
The Qur'an's use of kalimah (word) to describe Jesus is significant. According to scholarly analysis, the term in Q 3:39 and 3:45 is indefinite (indicated by nunation), which differs from the Christian use of "the Word" with the definite article. However, in Q 4:171, the term is included in a list of appellations, confirming the identity of kalimah and Jesus. As Muhammad Legenhausen notes, interpreting Jesus as "the Word of God" opens possibilities for understanding the gospel from a Qur'anic perspective.
A Shared Foundation:
The Qur'an acknowledges that Muslims, Jews, and Christians are all "People of the Book" and were originally given revelation from the same God—the God of Abraham. Surah 2:136 declares: "We believe in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes." Surah 29:46 states: "Our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit" .
These acknowledgments—especially the title "Word of God" and the affirmation of Jesus' unique birth and miracles—provide a bridge for discussing Jesus' divine nature, as the Word of God is eternal.
Areas of Disagreement:
However, the Qur'an categorically rejects the Trinity and Jesus' divinity: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, 'Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary'" (Surah 5:72) and "Say not: 'Trinity!' Cease; it is better for you! For Allah is One God" (Surah 4:171). The Qur'an teaches that associating partners with God (shirk) is a grave theological error. While both faiths intend to worship the same God in origin, their concepts differ fundamentally.
8. 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 (Surah 112:1-4). 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 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: "This is My name forever" (Exodus 3:15). Thousands of Old Testament verses contain the divine name YHWH. If the Qur'an claims to confirm previous revelation, why is God's covenant name absent? Instead, the Qur'an consistently uses "Allah." Muslim scholars note that "Allah" is closer to "Elohim" (after removing the plural of respect, "Eloh" is very close to "Allah"). However, the question of why the explicit covenant name is not preserved remains worthy of serious theological reflection.
The Qur'an's Eternal Nature Problem:
A complicating factor in Muslim objections to the Trinity is the Muslim doctrine of the eternal Qur'an. Early Muslims believed their holy book had been created prior to the cosmos. Later, belief in an eternal, uncreated Qur'an replaced this view. As the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes, this created a problem parallel to the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation: "How can this eternal, non-physical reality be present in an earthly book, or in an episode of Arabic speech?" This has been called the problem of "inlibration," parallel to the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation of the Word. Muslim objectors had to take care when objecting to the doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation, lest they say something incompatible with their preferred views about the Qur'an.
The Problem of Divine Attributes:
Some Muslim and Jewish critics object that trinitarianism is simply tritheism. If told that the "persons" of the Trinity are merely God's attributes, they object that Christians arbitrarily stop at three "persons" since God has more than three attributes. However, this objection is complicated by the fact that early Muslims accepted, under Christian influence, the doctrine that there are many real, distinct attributes or characteristics in God. This made it hard to draw a sharp line between Muslim and Christian conceptions of God's unity.
9. "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, and a parrot could be trained to repeat the words.
The real question is: Did Jesus demonstrate divine identity? The answer is yes.
Jesus' Divine Prerogatives:
The Jewish Leaders' Understanding:
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 Significance of the Resurrection:
The subsequent resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4) affirms His divine nature. Many scholars have pointed to the substantial historical evidence for the resurrection, seeing it as a vindication of His claim to deity (Romans 1:4).
10. 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.
Additional Old Testament Foreshadowing:
Psalm 110:1 — David wrote about an exalted figure who sits at the right hand of God, implying equality with Yahweh.
Proverbs 8:22-31 — Wisdom is personified as existing before creation, alongside God—a foreshadowing of the eternal Son.
Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity arises from the whole witness of Scripture rather than from a single grammatical feature. As the Bible Hub commentary notes, "While the precise word 'Trinity' does not appear, the Bible repeatedly presents God as one being who reveals Himself through three persons" .
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.
Key Scriptural Summation:
"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 Invitation:
The invitation to every seeker is to examine the Scriptures carefully and honestly, considering the full biblical witness about the identity of Jesus Christ. The early Christian community embraced this doctrine as consistent with inspired Scripture, and manuscript evidence from the Bodmer Papyri, Chester Beatty Papyri, and Codex Sinaiticus confirms that these truths have been faithfully transmitted through centuries.
May every reader search the Scriptures with sincerity and follow the truth wherever it leads.
