Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is God's Prophet, Not His Son

All prophets preached monotheism and had superior moral values and sincere faith. God reveals that His messengers were entrusted with calling their people to monotheism:

We sent a Messenger among every people saying: "Worship God and keep clear of all false deities…" (Surat an-Nahl: 36)

After the prophets, however, monotheism was gradually corrupted and altered by human beings. Thus, God would send a new messenger to recite His verses, warn them of the Day of Judgment and unite them again under monotheism. Following the corruption of the revelation brought by Prophet Moses (pbuh), Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was sent to call his people to God's oneness and to depart from their bigoted traditions, abandon their superstitions, and submit solely to God. For example:

And when Jesus came with the Clear Signs, he said: "I have come to you with wisdom and to clarify for you some of the things about which you have differed. Therefore have fear [and respect] of God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 63-64)

I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So have fear [and respect] of God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path." (Surah Al 'Imran: 50-51)

When Prophet Jesus (pbuh) began to lead his people and their religious leaders, many of whom had departed from the Mosaic Law, invented their own ideas of what was lawful and prohibited, and developed a formalist and bigoted form of religion, they mocked him and became hostile:

When an example is made of the son of Mary, your people laugh uproariously. They retort: "Who is better, then, our deities or him?" They only say this to you for argument's sake. They are indeed a disputatious people. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 57-58)

Despite mounting obstacles, the number of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) followers rose rapidly, especially among the poor. In order to put an end to Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and his message, the local Roman administrators and several Jewish religious leaders set a trap for Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and eventually decided to crucify him. The Qur'an records our Lord's response to this move:

They [the unbelievers] plotted and God plotted. But God is the best of plotters. (Surah Al 'Imran: 54)

Just as our Lord saved Prophet Abraham (pbuh) from the fire, He rescued Prophet Jesus (pbuh) from this trap by raising him to His presence:

And their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him." (Surat an-Nisa': 157)

Clearly, those who sought to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh) failed. As is revealed in other verses of the Qur'an, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not die but is alive in God's presence. God has revealed that He foiled the plot against Prophet Jesus (pbuh), which serves as important evidence that the prophet is alive in His presence. Our Lord foiled the plot intended to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh). The claims made by those who maintain that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was killed consist of nothing more than speculation. The Romans, imagining that they were crucifying Prophet Jesus (pbuh), actually crucified someone else. (For more details concerning his life and ascent to God's presence, see Harun Yahya, Jesus (pbuh) Did Not Die [Istanbul:Global Publishing, 2005]
After his ascent, however, Christianity gradually degenerated with the belief in the trinity. However, we can learn about the monotheistic revelation that he brought, part of what he experienced during his time on Earth, and his elevation into the sight of God from the Qur'an, which was sent to mankind by means of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) and is valid until the Day of Judgment. It must not be forgotten that the Qur'an is a divine book whose words cannot be changed unless God wills them to be changed: "The Words of your Lord are perfect in truthfulness and justice. No one can change His Words. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (Surat al-An'am: 115)

Several verses state that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is not the son of God (Surely God is beyond that!), but only one of His prophets. Some of these verses are as follows:

Our Lord Has No Son

The basic logic behind trinitarianism is that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is the son of God. However, God's names invalidate these claims, for in His capacity as the Lord of the Worlds, He is far removed from such comparisons ignorantly made by human beings. He is unsullied by any flaw or deficiency. The Qur'an reveals:

It is not fitting for God to have a son. Glory be to Him! When He decides on something, He just says to it: "Be!" and it is." (Surah Maryam: 35)

They say: "God has a son." Glory be to Him! He is the Rich beyond Need. Everything in the heavens and everything on Earth belongs to Him. Have you authority to say this, or are you saying about God that which you do not know? (Surah Yunus: 68)

It is enough for our Lord to say Be! for something to come into existence. All entities are His property and His creations. All things have bowed their heads to Him and surrendered to His infinite power and might:

…Everything in the heavens and Earth, willingly or unwillingly, submits to Him… (Surah Al 'Imran: 83)

God is free of all causes, because He created whatever exists and happens, as well as their underlying causes. Everything happens in accordance with specific causes. For example, birth, death, learning, and ageing happen as the result of specific causes, such as time and space. Human beings live dependent on time and space. But our Lord is independent of time and space. He, Himself created time and space. It is our Lord Who created fatherhood, being a son, and having children, which are features peculiar to human life. Therefore, those who say that "God has a son" (Surely God is beyond that!) forget our Lord's incomparable names and think within the bounds of their own limited human perceptions. However, such claims are a huge lie in the sight of God. The Qur'an reveals that:

… and to warn those who say: "God has a son." They have no knowledge of this, neither they nor their fathers. It is a monstrous utterance that has issued from their mouths. What they say is nothing but a lie. (Surat al-Kahf: 4-5)

In another verse, our Lord reveals that "If God had desired to have a son, He would have chosen whatever He wished from what He has created. Glory be to Him! He is God, the One, the All-Conquering" (Surat az-Zumar: 4). In this verse, our Almighty Lord reveals that He has the power to create everything in the form that He wills. God's response to people's misguided belief in the trinity, which is founded on baseless human comparisons, is emphasized in the verses given below:

They say: "God has a son." Glory be to Him! No, everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Everything is obedient to Him, the Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, "Be!" and it is. (Surat al-Baqara: 116-117)

They say: "The All-Merciful has a son." They have devised a monstrous thing. The heavens are all but rent apart, Earth split open, and the mountains brought crashing down at their ascription of a son to the All-Merciful! It is not fitting for the All-Merciful to have a son. There is no one in the heavens and Earth who will not come to the All-Merciful as a servant. He has counted them and numbered them precisely. Each of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone." (Surah Maryam: 88-95)

As stated in the verses, this concept is a monstrous thing. Our Lord, the Lord of all in heaven and Earth, is unsullied by such fabrications.

Believers in the trinity also make another deviant assertion saying that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) has the same powers as God. The verse "…He has no partner in the Kingdom. He created everything and determined it most exactly" (Surat al-Furqan: 2) unequivocally denies this claim. Given that He is the absolute ruler of the universe, He has no need of any partner or helpmate. As one verse states:

And say: "Praise be to God, Who has had no son and  no partner in His Kingdom, and Who needs no one to protect Him from abasement." And proclaim His Greatness repeatedly! (Surat al-Isra': 111)

God commanded Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) to tell those who believe in the trinity:

Say: "If the All-Merciful had a son, I would be the first to worship him". (Surat az-Zukhruf: 81)

This response in the verse shows that the proponents of the trinity are in grave error. In the continuation of the above verse God reveals:

Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and Earth, the Lord of the Throne, beyond what they describe. So leave them to plunge and play around until they meet their Day, which they are promised. He is God in heaven and God on Earth. He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 82-84)

In these verses, God draws attention to the fact that believers in the trinity do not properly appreciate God's grandeur. They are depicted as people who play and plunge, heedless of the Hereafter's existence.

All of creation belongs to God and needs Him

According to the trinitarian belief, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is described as being uncreated and having powers equal to those of God. (Surely God is beyond that!) The fact is, however, that this false concept is a terrible slander in the face of the monotheistic faith revealed by our Lord to the prophets. As the Qur'an states:

God, there is no deity but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and Earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqara: 255)

Our Lord is the only deity and ruler. All the universe, everything, living or not, in the heavens and Earth, animals, plants and inanimate objects, all belong to Him, for He is the One Who created them. Everything acts in accordance with His decree and exists for as long as He wills. He feeds and nourishes all living things, turns the night dark, makes the Sun bright, and creates the seasons. He created all human beings that have lived and that will ever live, and so they all owe their existence to God and depend upon Him totally. The prophets that He sent to humanity are also servants created by Him to guide their people and follow His decree so that they may serve as models to humanity. Among them is Prophet Jesus (pbuh), a servant created by God, a worthy messenger of high esteem (Surah Al 'Imran: 45). Indeed, God says this of Prophet Jesus (pbuh):

The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant to God, nor would the angels near to Him. If any do disdain to worship Him and grow arrogant, He will in any case gather them all to Him. (Surat an-Nisa': 172)

As revealed in the verse, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is a very devout individual who is proud to fulfill his duty of service to God and submit to Him fully. All references to his supposed divinity were produced long after he was raised to God's presence. Our Almighty Lord possesses complete dominion over all beings. Everything apart from Him needs our Lord to exist and to survive.

God created the universe from nothing. All living things are born and die, and everything has an allotted life span. There is nothing in the universe that will not come to an end one day, nor any living thing that will not finally die. As the Qur'an reveals, however, "God is the First and Last" (Surat al-Hadid: 3). In other words, He has no beginning and no end. He existed before everything and will continue to exist after everything. Before the universe and its contents were created, there was only God; after the universe and its contents cease to exist, there will be only God. God, the Creator of life and time, is independent of all features of matter.

God created the concepts of space and time, and thus decrees that human beings should be bound by them. No person can know what will happen a day or even an hour later. When He decrees a thing, however, He knows what its end result will be, regardless of how far in the future it will occur. Therefore, His decrees are always the truest, the best, and the wisest.

All things in the universe will one day cease to exist. A human being is born, lives, and inevitably dies at the end of his or her limited lifespan in this world. This is also true for all members of the animal and plant kingdoms. Every living thing will die and will return to the ground. Our Lord, however, is Everlasting and exists at all times. Eternity belongs to Him alone.

Human beings need constant care and interest throughout their lives. They spend much of their lives looking after their own bodies, making sure that they are clean, fed, and get enough sleep. God, on the other hand, has no such worries. As the Creator of all living and non-living things, He is Everlasting, Omniscient, and Almighty. He has no need of anything; rather, He gave various needs to those things He created and then told them to be aware of these needs, serve only Him, and seek everything from Him. A person's duty is to turn to God in the knowledge that he or she can continue to live and have his or her needs met only if He so wills. God reveals, with examples of the greatest wisdom, that He is the one God:

Everyone in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Those in His presence do not consider themselves too great to worship Him and do not grow tired of it. They glorify Him by night and day, without ever flagging. Or have they taken deities out of the earth who can bring the dead to life? If there had been any deities besides God in heaven or Earth, they would both be ruined. Glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they describe! He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. Or have they taken other deities besides Him? Say: "Produce your proof! This is the message of those with me and the message of those before me." But most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away. (Surat al-Anbiya': 19-24)

The fact is that We have given them the truth and they are liars. God has no son and is accompanied by no other deity, for then each deity would have gone off with what he or she created, and one of them would have been exalted above the other. Glory be to God above what they describe, Knower of the Unseen and the Visible! May He be exalted above all they associate with Him! (Surat al-Muminun: 90-92)

Prophet Jesus (pbuh), a devout human being who believed fully in Our Lord's attributes, also believed in God's infinite might and ascribed no partners to Him. It is revealed in the Qur'an that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is the servant of God:

He [Jesus] said: "I am the servant of God, He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet." (Surah Maryam: 30)

It is revealed in another verse that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is mortal, and that like all other human beings He will be resurrected in the Hereafter:

Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised up again alive." (Surah Maryam: 33)

God created him, gave him an allotted span on Earth to preach monotheism, and then raised him to His presence to save him from those who plotted against him. When the time appointed by God comes, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will return to Earth and, in the manner decreed by God, complete his duties as messenger, for God has shaped his entire destiny, just as He has done for all people. God created every miracle performed by Prophet Jesus (pbuh), and allowed him to display them through His mercy. Throughout his earthly life, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) expressed his deep faith in God and called people to His straight path, as the following verse states:

God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path. (Surah Maryam: 36)

Prophet John's (pbuh) birth was also a miracle from God

One of trinitarianism's alleged foundations is the miracles in the life of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Our Lord imparted a blessing by giving Prophet Jesus (pbuh) extraordinary miracles. His life was full of miracles, from his birth until his elevation to God's presence. One of these miracles was that he was born of a virgin. The birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is truly a great miracle of our Lord. The Qur'an describes how Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary as a handsome, well-built man and informed her of God's will for her: although no man had ever touched her, by the will of God she became with child with Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Her pregnancy took place in a miraculous manner, independent of any earthly cause:

She asked: "How can I have a son when no man has touched me and I am not an unchaste woman?" He [Gabriel] said: "It will be so. Your Lord says: 'That is easy for Me. It is so that We can make him a Sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.' It is a matter already decreed." So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place. (Surah Maryam: 20-22)

As can be seen from the clear language in this verse, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) came into the world by means of a creation outside the known causes, without a father. Before he was born, God had the angels inform Mary of many his attributes and that He was sending him as a blessing to his people:

He [Gabriel] said: "I am only your Lord's messenger so that He can give you a pure son" ... We can make him a Sign for humanity and a mercy from Us." (Surah Maryam: 19-21)

This miraculous creation is one of the so-called proofs for belief in the trinity. Although the extraordinary nature of this birth is plain to see, the birth of Prophet John (pbuh) was also miraculous. His father, Prophet Zachariah (pbuh), had prayed for an inheritor with the following words:

Remember your Lord's mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he called on his Lord in secret and said: "My Lord, my bones have lost their strength and my head is crowned with white. But in calling on You, My Lord, I have never been disappointed. I fear my relatives when I am gone, and my wife is barren. So give me an heir from You to be my inheritor and the inheritor of the family of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, pleasing to You." (Surah Maryam: 2-6)

Then and there, Zachariah called on his Lord, saying: "O Lord, grant me, by Your favor, an upright child. You are the Hearer of Prayer." (Surah Al 'Imran: 38)

Apparently, Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife could not have a son under normal conditions. Yet he prayed with a sincere heart to our Lord for a helpmate and an inheritor. And, our Lord answered his prayer:

Zachariah! We give you the good news of a boy named John, a name we have given to no one else before. (Surah Maryam: 7)

The angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber: "God gives you the good news of John, who will come to confirm a Word from God. He will be a leader and a chaste, a Prophet and one of the righteous." (Surah Al 'Imran: 39)

Our Lord gave Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) the glad tiding he would have a son called John (pbuh). Like the birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), this too is a miraculous state of affairs—since on account of their age and health, it appeared impossible for Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife to have children. Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) said the following when he learned of the impending miracle: "My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?" (Surah Maryam: 8). But our Lord, Who created the entire universe from nothing and can do whatever He wills, told him:

He [God] said: "It will be so. Your Lord says: 'That is easy for me to do. I created you before, when you were nothing.'" (Surah Maryam: 9)

He [Zachariah] asked: "My Lord, how can I possibly have a son when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" He [God] said: "It will be so. God does whatever He wills." (Surah Al 'Imran: 40)

The New Testament contains a similar account:

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped by fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you are to name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the holy spirit even from birth. He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Zechariah asked the angel: "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."(Luke 1:11-18)

Our Lord presented Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife with Prophet John (pbuh), a miracle from His presence, and endowed him with obedience, wisdom, love, sensitivity, and cleanliness right from childhood. The following is said of Prophet John (pbuh):

…he had fear of God – and devotion to his parents – he was not insolent or disobedient. Peace be upon him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised up again alive. (Surah Maryam: 13-15)

As these verses reveal, Prophet John's (pbuh) birth was a great miracle. Independently of earthly causes, God answered Prophet Zachariah's (pbuh) prayer for a son and an inheritor in the person of Prophet John (pbuh). This great news was imparted by means of an angel, just as Mary was informed of her impending pregnancy. Given that Prophet Zachariah's (pbuh) wife was too old to become pregnant, we can see a great similarity in the birth of these two great prophets. This shows just how invalid this particular claim of the trinitarians is.

The Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surat al-Baqara: 117)

The creation of Prophet Adam (pbuh)

The extraordinary creation of Prophet John (pbuh) and Prophet Adam (pbuh) are proof that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was not created to be part of a triune God. According to the Qur'an, Prophet Adam (pbuh) was also created in a miraculous manner. 

… when your Lord said to the angels: "I am creating a human being out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration in front of him." (Surat al-Hijr: 28-29)

These verses point to a most extraordinary creation: Prophet Adam (pbuh) had no parents, for he was created out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. Other verses regarding creation from mud and the like read as follows:

O humanity. If you are in any doubt about the Resurrection, know that We created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then from a clot of blood, and then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed, so We may make things clear to you. (Surat al-Hajj: 5)

Among His Signs is that He created you from dust and here you are now, widespread human beings. (Surat ar-Rum: 20)

God created you from dust, and then from a drop of sperm, and then made you into pairs. No female becomes pregnant or gives birth except with His knowledge. And no living thing lives long or has its life cut short without that being in a Book. That is easy for God. (Surah Fatir: 11)

The creation of Prophet Adam (pbuh) is also similar to that of Prophet Jesus (pbuh):

The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is the same as that of Adam. He created him from earth and then He said to him "Be!" and he was. It is the truth from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters. (Surah Al 'Imran: 59-60)

In these verses, God reveals that He created Prophet Adam (pbuh) and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in a similar manner: Prophet Adam (pbuh) was created out of clay and had no ancestors, and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) had no father. Both of them were created through God's command of Be! This great truth, which leaves no room for doubt, makes it clear that both prophets were God's servants who, despite their exalted status, were still completely dependent upon Him to meet all of their needs.