The Christian Claim about Jesus as Creator
Christians use the verse where Allah says to Isa, peace be upon him, “when you create from clay the shape of a bird by My permission, then you breathe into it and it becomes a bird by My permission” (al-Maida 110).
They claim this proves that Jesus is a creator, and that this points to the divine Word united with his human nature. They also cite Psalms 33:6, “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made”, and argue that the permission mentioned means the divine nature itself gave permission to the human.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Refutation
Ibn Taymiyyah responds that everything they use from the Quran or previous scriptures is evidence against them, not for them. The revealed Books always contain guidance that shows truth from falsehood. Misguidance happens when people misinterpret, omit parts, or lie about what the Prophets said.
- Allah alone is the Creator
Allah names Himself al-Khaliq, al-Bari, al-Musawwir (the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner) (al-Hashr 22–24). He says, “Allah is the Creator of everything” (al-Zumar 62). He never gave this absolute name to any angel or Prophet. - The Messiah only shaped clay by Allah’s permission
Isa said, “I create for you out of clay the shape of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by Allah’s permission” (Aal Imran 49). This means he shaped clay and Allah made it alive by His permission. The shaping itself is something any person can do, but the miracle was Allah causing life to emerge. Isa was a servant whom Allah blessed (al-Zukhruf 59), and all his miracles were by Allah’s permission (al-Maida 110). - Contradiction in Christian interpretation
Allah distinguishes between who gives permission and Isa who is permitted. Christians distort the text by saying the divinity united with humanity gave permission to itself. This is contradictory. If the divine is the Creator, why would He need to permit Himself? - Essence or attribute
If the Creator is Allah’s Word, then speech is an attribute, not a self-subsisting essence, and cannot be the Creator. If the Creator is the divine essence described with speech, then that is Allah, the Lord of the worlds, whom they call the Father, not the Messiah. - The Psalms as evidence
When Dawud said, “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made”, this proves creation was by Allah using His Word, not that the Word itself is the Creator (Psalms 33:6). The difference between the one who creates and the means by which He creates is clear, just like the difference between the one who has ability and the ability itself.
Conclusion
Ibn Taymiyyah shows that the verse Christians use actually proves Isa is not the Creator. He only shaped clay, and the bird became alive by Allah’s permission. Allah is the only Creator, Owner, and Lord. Isa is a servant blessed with miracles, not the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Thus, their claim collapses, and the Quranic text stands as a refutation of their belief.
Translation: They said: And Allah also named him in this Book a creator, where He said:
وَإِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي
“when you create from clay the shape of a bird by My permission, then you breathe into it and it becomes a bird by My permission” (al Maida 110).
So He pointed by the word “creator” to the Word of Allah united with the human nature taken from Mary, because it is as He said on the tongue of Dawud the Prophet: “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. There is no creator except Allah and His Word and His Spirit” (Psalms 33:6)
And this, they claim, agrees with our view and our belief about the Messiah, because He said: “and you create from clay the shape of a bird, then you breathe into it and it becomes a bird by Allah’s permission,” meaning by the permission of the divine nature (lahut) united with the human nature (nasut). (nasut is the human nature, and its opposite lahut is divinity, al Muʿjam al Waseet 2/895).
The answer is: All that they use as evidence from these verses and others is a proof against them, not for them. This is always the case with all the people of misguidance. Whenever they use some of the words of Allah or His Prophets as a proof, within what they use is that which shows the falsehood of their claim.
This is because of the greatness of the revealed Books of Allah and what He made His Prophets say, for He made that guidance and clarification for the creation and healing for what is in the hearts. So there must be in the words of the Prophets, peace be upon them all, from guidance and clarification that which Allah distinguishes truth from falsehood, and sincerity from lying. But people go astray from their own selves, not from the Prophets of Allah.
Either because they did not reflect properly on what the Prophets said until they understood it correctly.
Or because they take some of the truth and leave some, like those who believe in part of what Allah revealed and disbelieve in part, so they are misguided because of what they did not believe in, as Allah said about the Christians:
وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَى أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَهُمْ فَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ
“And from those who said: We are Christians, We took their covenant, but they forgot a portion of what they were reminded of, so We caused enmity and hatred among them until the Day of Resurrection” (al Maida 14).
Or because they attribute to the Prophets what they never said, lying against them. Or because they translate their words with what is not a true translation, and interpret them with other than the meaning that their words indicate.
And Allah said:
هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى
“He is Allah, there is no god but He, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, He is the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. He is Allah, there is no god but He, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of Peace, the Giver of Security, the Overseer, the Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah above what they associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner. To Him belong the most beautiful names” (al Hashr 22-24).
So He described Himself as the Creator, the Originator, the Fashioner, and He never described any of the creation with this, not an angel nor a Prophet. Likewise He said:
اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ لَّهُ مَقَالِيدُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
“Allah is the Creator of everything, and He is Guardian over everything. To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth” (al Zumar 62-63).
And He said:
وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ الْجِنَّ وَخَلَقَهُمْ وَخَرَقُوا لَهُ بَنِينَ وَبَنَاتٍ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لَهُ وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ تَكُن لَّهُ صَاحِبَةٌ وَخَلَقَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ
“They make the jinn partners with Allah, though He created them, and they falsely attributed to Him sons and daughters without knowledge. Glory be to Him and exalted is He above what they describe. Originator of the heavens and the earth, how can He have a son when He has no companion, and He created everything, and He is Knowing of everything” (al Anam 100-101).
And He described Himself as the Lord of the worlds, as the Owner of the Day of Judgment, that to Him belongs the kingdom and the praise, that He is the Ever Living, the Sustainer, not overtaken by slumber or sleep, that He is Powerful over everything, Knowing of everything, and similar attributes of rububiyyah (Lordship). He never described any of His creation, not an angel close nor a Prophet sent, with any of these special attributes which belong only to Him.
As for the Messiah, peace be upon him, He said about him:
وَإِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي وَتُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِي
“when you create from clay the shape of a bird by My permission, then you breathe into it and it becomes a bird by My permission, and you heal the blind from birth and the leper by My permission” (al Maida 110).
And the Messiah said about himself:
أَنِّي أَخْلُقُ لَكُم مِّنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ فَأَنفُخُ فِيهِ فَيَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَأُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ وَأُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
“I create for you out of clay the shape of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by Allah’s permission, and I heal the blind from birth and the leper, and I give life to the dead by Allah’s permission” (Aal Imran 49).
So he only mentioned creating a specific thing by Allah’s permission. How then can this be the Creator Himself?
The second point: He created from clay the shape of a bird. The meaning is that he shaped it in the form of a bird. And shaping like this is possible for all people, for anyone can make from clay the shape of a bird or other animals. But this shaping is forbidden, while the shaping of the Messiah was permitted by Allah. The miracle is that he breathed into it the soul and it became a bird by Allah’s permission. The miracle is not merely in shaping clay, for that is something others share in. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, cursed the image makers and said: “The people with the severest punishment on the Day of Judgment are the image makers” (hadith).
The third point: Allah informed the Messiah that he only did the shaping and the breathing by His permission. And the Messiah himself said that he did it by Allah’s permission. And Allah informed that this was one of His blessings upon the Messiah, as He said:
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنَاهُ مَثَلًا لِّبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ
“He was only a servant whom We blessed, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel” (al Zukhruf 59).
And He said:
يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَتِكَ إِذْ أَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَإِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي وَتُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِي وَإِذْ تُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ بِإِذْنِي وَإِذْ كَفَفْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنكَ إِذْ جِئْتَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ
“O Isa son of Mary, remember My favour upon you and your mother, when I supported you with the Holy Spirit, you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity, and when I taught you the Book and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel, and when you created from clay the shape of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the blind from birth and the leper by My permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My permission, and when I restrained the Children of Israel from you when you came to them with clear proofs” (al Maida 110).
And this is explicit that he is not Allah, but rather he is the servant of Allah, and he did that by Allah’s permission, just as others among the Prophets did similar things. It is also explicit that the one who grants permission is not the same as the one permitted, and the one who teaches is not the same as the one taught, and the one who grants blessings to him and his mother is not him, just as he is not his mother.
The fourth point: They said He pointed by “creator” to the Word of Allah united with the human nature. Then they said His words “by Allah’s permission” means by the permission of the Word united with the human nature. This shows their contradiction and their distortion of the Quran, because Allah said in the Quran that the Messiah created from clay the shape of a bird by Allah’s permission.
He distinguished between the Messiah and Allah, and He showed that Allah is the one who gave permission to the Messiah. But they claimed that the meaning is that the divine nature united with the human nature of the Messiah is the Creator and the one who gave permission. So they made the Creator the one who gives permission to himself. This is a false interpretation of the Quran, against the explicit text of the Quran.
The fifth point: If the divine nature is the Creator, then He would not need to give permission to Himself, for they say He is one God and He is the Creator. How then would He need to give permission to Himself and grant favour to Himself?
The sixth point: The Creator is either the essence described with speech, or the speech which is an attribute of the essence. If the Creator is the speech, then speech is an attribute, not a self-existing essence, and it would not be the Creator even if it were not united with the human nature. And the union of speech with the human nature without the essence being united is impossible even if union itself were possible, let alone when it is impossible. So it is clear that it is impossible for the Word to be the Creator in many ways.
And if the Creator is the essence described with speech, then that is Allah, the Creator of everything, the Lord of the worlds. And according to them that is the Father, and the Messiah according to them is not the Father. So he is not the Creator of everything. And the Quran makes it clear that Allah is the one who gave permission to the Messiah so that he created from clay the shape of a bird.
So it is clear that the one who created from clay the shape of a bird is not Allah and not an attribute of Allah. The Messiah is not Allah and not an eternal son of Allah, but rather His servant who did that by His permission.
The seventh point: Their saying that He pointed by “creator” to the Word of Allah united with the human nature taken from Mary, because Dawud the Prophet said: “By the Word of Allah the heavens and the earth were created.” We say to them: This text of Dawud is a proof against you, just as the Torah, the Quran, and all that is authentically reported from the Prophets is a proof against you. For Dawud, peace be upon him, said: “By the Word of Allah the heavens were created.” He did not say: “The Word of Allah is the creator,” as you claim.
The difference between the Creator of the heavens and the earth and the Word by which the heavens and the earth were created is something obvious and well known, just as the difference between the one who is able and the ability.
Jawab Al Sahih (4/42-52)
