Their claim based on The Prophets words
The Christians claim that the Torah and the books of the prophets contain a clear statement affirming three hypostases within one essence, one God, and one Creator.
They say that this is what they mean when they say Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that this expression summarises the divine essence, the Word, and the life.
Ibn Taymiyyah explains that they return to this claim whenever they attempt to defend their belief, arguing that it is derived from the prophets’ speech. He shows that this return is baseless, because the words of the prophets contain neither the term “hypostasis” nor the meaning of three divine persons. The prophets instead affirmed pure tawhid (oneness of Allah) and explicitly negated multiplicity in the Godhead. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/182–184)
The prophets affirm pure tawhid, not hypostases
Ibn Taymiyyah states that the Torah and all revealed scriptures declare the oneness of Allah and deny the existence of multiple gods or divine beings. He says that every prophetic book affirms that Allah alone is the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord, while condemning those who worship partners beside Him. These books, he notes, contain nothing about three hypostases, neither in their wording nor in their meaning.
He also says that the Christians invented the concept of uqnūm (hypostasis) and defined it as the essence combined with an attribute. This division, he says, is false because the divine essence is one and indivisible, while multiplicity occurs only in the attributes.
Since attributes cannot exist independently of the essence, nor can one attribute unite with a created being apart from the others, it follows that the claim of one hypostasis uniting with a human is impossible.
Therefore, their belief that one hypostasis, the Son was united with the Messiah while the others remained separate is both logically and scripturally invalid. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/184–186)
Attributes do not separate or indwell
Ibn Taymiyyah continues that it is impossible for one divine attribute to exist without the others or apart from the divine essence.
Allah’s knowledge, power, and speech are inseparable from His essence. Hence, the claim that one of them can indwell in a human while others do not is incoherent.
There is no statement in any revealed book that the Creator, who made the heavens and the earth, ever indwelled in a human, or that His essence or attribute entered a created body.
Even the idea of one attribute, such as speech or life uniting with another being is rejected by both revelation and reason. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/184–186)
No prophet called an attribute “son,” “god,” or “lord”
Ibn Taymiyyah refutes the Christian claim that Allah’s Word or attribute of life is called “the Son.” He states that none of the prophets or divine books ever used “son,” “lord,” or “god” to describe any of Allah’s attributes.
The prophets never said that one true God proceeds from another, or that an attribute of Allah is a separate divine being. Therefore, the trinitarian naming of Allah’s speech as the “Son,” His essence as the “Father,” and His life as the “Holy Spirit” is a clear innovation that has no prophetic foundation. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/184–186)
Their creed conflicts with reason and scripture
Although Christians say that they believe in one God, Ibn Taymiyyah points out that their writings, creed, and reasoning all affirm three distinct gods in essence. Their statements contradict each other, and their doctrine collapses under rational scrutiny. He cites Allah’s words about the people of the Fire: “If only we had listened or reasoned, we would not have been among the companions of the Blaze” (al-Mulk: 10).
He explains that Christians conceal the contradiction within their own words by claiming unity while teaching plurality. What they intend inwardly differs from what their followers understand outwardly. Their creed, therefore, deceives the common people into polytheism while the scholars among them try to defend it with complex language. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/186–187)
Misusing “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob”
They use as evidence the verse in the Torah where Allah says, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”
They argue that since the word “God” is repeated three times, this proves the existence of three hypostases.
Ibn Taymiyyah responds that repetition here indicates emphasis and not multiplicity. If the repetition signified only one God, they have no proof for trinity. If it signified three, then they have admitted to three gods.
He then clarifies that the correct meaning is that Allah is the One who was worshipped by each prophet individually, not that there are three divine beings. The repetition emphasises Allah’s continuous lordship over all three prophets, not the existence of separate divine entities. Therefore, the verse proves tawhid, not trinity. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/187–188)
The phrase “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” requires prophetic-linguistic reading
The Christians themselves admit that they did not derive the trinity through reason but through what they believe to be the Messiah’s words in the Gospel, “Baptise the people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Ibn Taymiyyah says this verse, if authentic, must be understood in the Messiah’s language and in a way consistent with his other statements.
He criticises them for imposing philosophical interpretations alien to the Messiah’s speech. Their explanation that “Son” means “Word” and that “Holy Spirit” means “Life” has no linguistic or textual basis in any prophetic language. It is an interpretation they invented centuries after the Messiah. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/188–190)
“Son” in the scriptures means honoured human, not a divine attribute
Ibn Taymiyyah clarifies that the prophets used “son of God” only for created beings whom Allah raised and honoured, never for His attributes. The Torah calls Israel “My firstborn son,” and the Psalms call Dawud “My son and My beloved.” The Gospel says the believers become “children of God” when they believe in the Messiah. All of these refer to Allah’s favour, not divinity.
Therefore, the Messiah’s being called “son” means Allah raised and honoured him, not that he shares Allah’s essence. The Christians’ interpretation that the “Son” is Allah’s Word or divine nature is a falsehood they fabricated and attributed to the Messiah. No prophet ever used “son” to describe a divine attribute. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/190–193)
“Holy Spirit” in prophetic usage means angelic aid or revealed support
Ibn Taymiyyah explains that the term “Holy Spirit” appears frequently in the prophetic books, but it never means Allah’s life or essence.
It refers instead to the angel Jibril or to revelation, guidance, and divine support. Just as Allah says “the Light of Allah,” “the Guidance of Allah,” and “the Revelation of Allah,” the “Spirit of Allah” means the divine aid sent to prophets and believers. It does not mean Allah’s personal spirit or attribute of life. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/193–197)
Clarifying “spirit” for humans versus the Creator
He explains that humans are composed of spirit and body. “Spirit of man” can mean the vapour within the body or the air moving through the chest. But Allah, exalted is He, is not composed of spirit and body, has no cavity, and nothing enters or exits Him. Hence, it is impossible to interpret “Spirit of Allah” like “spirit of man.”
Some may use “spirit” metaphorically for “life,” and Allah is indeed living, but none of the prophets ever used “Holy Spirit” to mean the life of Allah. They used it to describe what Allah sends down upon prophets—the same way “Light of Allah” means the light He creates in the hearts of believers. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/193–197)
The parable of Light in an-Nur 35 and its meaning
Ibn Taymiyyah cites the verse of Light: “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth… Light upon Light; Allah guides to His light whom He wills” (an-Nur: 35).
He explains that this verse describes the believer’s heart as a niche containing the lamp of faith. The light of faith is called the light of Allah, yet it is not Allah’s own attribute existing in man. Similarly, when revelation or support is called “Spirit from Him,” it means a created aid, not Allah’s personal essence entering the creature. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/195–197)
Result of a full comparison with prophetic words
By comparing the words of the prophets with the Christians’ later doctrines, Ibn Taymiyyah shows that prophetic language consistently opposes trinity, union, and indwelling. None of the prophets affirmed three divine persons or the union of Allah with a human. Their statements affirm tawhid, deny partners, and agree with the Quran and reason. Therefore, the Christian appeal to prophetic speech is a misquotation and distortion. (Jawab al-Sahih 3/182–197)
Conclusion
Ibn Taymiyyah concludes that the Christians’ return to the trinity through misreading the prophets is baseless. The prophetic books neither mention hypostases nor use Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Christian sense. They never name any divine attribute as “Son,” nor claim that Allah indwelt any man. Correctly understood:
- Father means the Lord and Nurturer.
- Son means the honoured servant raised by Allah.
- Holy Spirit means the angel or divine support sent by Allah.
This reading aligns with prophetic speech, the Quran, and sound reason.
Their trinitarian interpretation has no scriptural or rational foundation and stands as a fabrication upon the words of the prophets.
Their Return Once Again to Holding to the Trinity Based on What They Have Previously Quoted and Indicated from the Words of the Prophets (فَصْلٌ: رُجُوعُهُمْ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى إِلَى التَّمَسُّكِ بِالتَّثْلِيثِ لِمَا سَبَقَ أَنْ نَقَلُوهُ وَأَشَارُوا إِلَيْهِ مِنْ كَلَامِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ)
The christians say this because of this clear statement that Allah mentioned in the Torah and in the books of the prophets, we affirm three hypostases, one essence, one God, one Creator. This is what we mean when we say: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Response
The response is from several angles.
First, the Torah and the revealed books contain clear affirmations of the oneness of Allah and the negation of multiple gods and the denial of divinity for anything besides Him. These texts clearly invalidate the claim of the Christians and others like them.
They contain no mention of hypostases, neither in wording nor in meaning. They make the hypostasis a name for the essence along with an attribute, while the essence is one, and multiplicity exists in the attributes, not in the essence.
It is impossible for one attribute to unite without the other, or without the essence itself. Therefore, it is impossible for one hypostasis to unite with or indwell in any created being without the other hypostases.
Nowhere in the revealed books or in the words of the disciples is there any affirmation of three hypostases or even three specific attributes apart from others. There is also no mention of one true God being produced from another true God, nor are any of Allah’s attributes, such as His speech or life, ever called a son, a god, or a lord.
There is likewise no affirmation of the union of the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, with any human being, nor of the indwelling of an essence and attribute separate from the other attributes, nor even the indwelling of a single attribute itself—such as His knowledge, speech, or life—within another.
In truth, all that they have established of trinity, indwelling, and union has no proof from the prophetic books in their possession. Rather, those books contain many explicit statements that contradict their beliefs, in agreement with both the Quran and sound reason. They are therefore in opposition to both reason and the revealed books of Allah.
Second, they claim that they affirm only one God, yet in their creed, in their evidences, and in their other writings, they explicitly affirm three gods. They contradict their own statements, producing sayings that oppose one another in ways that any rational person who reflects upon them knows their falsehood.
They have no consistent or coherent position. Hence, some of the intelligent people say: The Christians have no statement that any rational person can comprehend, and their sayings are not transmitted from the prophets. They have neither authentic revelation nor sound reason, as Allah said about the people of the Fire:
{لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِي أَصْحَابِ السَّعِيرِ}
“If only we had listened or reasoned, we would not have been among the companions of the Blaze” (al-Mulk: 10).
They also conceal the opposite of what they outwardly declare, and most people who hear their sayings understand them in a way different from what some of them claim to intend. It was mentioned earlier that they used as proof the verse of the Torah: “And Allah spoke to Moses from the bush, saying: I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” They said: He did not say, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” but rather repeated the word “God” three times—saying “I am the God of…” three times—to establish the matter of the three hypostases in His divinity.
It is said to them: If this repetition only indicates affirmation of one God, then you have no proof in it, just as if He had said, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” But if it implies the affirmation of three gods, then you have indeed affirmed three gods, even though you claim that you affirm only one God.
If the meaning is that He is one God described as the One worshipped by Abraham, worshipped by Isaac, and worshipped by Jacob, then again you have no proof for trinity or hypostases, since you make the hypostasis a name for the essence along with an attribute, while the essence is one, and multiplicity is in the attributes, not in the essence. And it is impossible for one attribute to unite without the other or without the essence, so it is impossible for one hypostasis to unite with or indwell in a created being without the other hypostasis.
Third, their saying, “This is what we mean when we say: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” has already been explained. They admit that they did not originally say this expression, nor did they know the trinity by reason, which they later formulated in their creed and expressed with these words.
Rather, this wording is found in some of their gospels, where it is reported that the Messiah, peace be upon him, commanded people to be baptised with it. If the Messiah indeed said this, then what is required is to examine what he meant by it, to look at his other words and meanings, and to interpret his statement in the language he spoke, in a way that accords with his other speech.
These people, however, carried the words of the Messiah and the prophets upon a meaning that their words do not indicate, but rather indicate the opposite. They called the speech of Allah, or His knowledge, or His wisdom, or His expression, “the Son.”
This naming is an innovation, for none of the prophets ever called any of Allah’s attributes by the name “Son,” nor by the name “Lord,” nor by the name “God.” When they invented this naming, they then claimed that what the Messiah meant by “Son” was the “Word.” This is a clear falsehood about the Messiah, peace be upon him, and an interpretation of his words in a sense his wording does not indicate.
In their books, the term “Son” is used for one whom Allah has raised or nurtured. It is never used in the words of the prophets for anything except a created being, and it is never used except for human nature, not for the divine.
Israel is called a son of Allah, and David likewise, and so are the disciples. In the Gospel of John it says concerning the Messiah and his followers: “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. But those who received him, he gave them the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This means that they all become sons of God, yet they themselves acknowledge that none of them possesses any divinity united with humanity. Each of them is pure humanity. It is therefore known that the scriptures themselves indicate that the term “Son of God” refers only to human beings, not to an attribute of Allah.
Their saying that the Messiah intended by the term “Son” the divine nature is an evident lie upon him. The Messiah is not called “Son” in that sense, and the term “Holy Spirit” was never used by any of the prophets to refer to the life of Allah which is His attribute.
In the revealed books, “the Holy Spirit” means the angel, or it refers to guidance, revelation, and support. It is said “the Spirit of Allah,” just as it is said “the Light of Allah,” “the Guidance of Allah,” “the Revelation of Allah,” “the Kingdom of Allah,” or “the Messenger of Allah.” None of the prophets meant by saying “the Spirit of Allah” or “the Holy Spirit” what a person means when he says “my spirit.”
A human being is composed of spirit and body. Within his body there is a subtle vapour that comes from the heart and spreads through his body. He also has a cavity from which air enters and exits. So when it is said “the spirit of man,” it may mean the subtle vapour within the body, or the air that exits and enters through the body’s cavity.
Allah, exalted be He, according to the agreement of Muslims, Jews, and Christians, is not composed of spirit and body like a human being. He, glorified be He, is One, the Self-Sufficient Master, who has no cavity, nothing enters into Him, and nothing comes out of Him—not vapour, nor alternating air.
Some people use the word “spirit” to mean life, and Allah, exalted be He, is living and has life. But the prophets, peace be upon them, did not mean by their saying “the Holy Spirit” the life of Allah. Rather, they meant what Allah places in the hearts of the prophets and strengthens them with, just as “the light of Allah” is used in that way. Allah said:
{اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ زَيْتُونَةٍ لَا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِيءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُورٌ عَلَى نُورٍ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ} (an-Nur: 35)
Allah gives a likeness of the believer whose chest He has made like a niche, and his heart like a glass within that niche, and the light of faith in his heart—which is the light of Allah—is like the lamp within the glass. Yet that light in his heart is not itself the very attribute of Allah that exists with Him.
It becomes clear that whoever reflects upon the words of the prophets and compares them with the words of the innovators among the Christians and others will find that the words of the prophets always indicate the opposite of their misguidance, never anything that supports it.
Jawab Al Sahih (3/470-476)
