لَّقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَآلُواْ إِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَم

They commit blasphemy who say:

"the Messiah, son of Mary, is Allah;"

    Jesus the Messiah was a Prophet of Allah and the revelations sent to him were to confirm the authentic part of the Jewish religion, and to improve upon it.  He never claimed to be Allah or the son of Allah, on the contrary, he warned his contemporaries against such excesses.

    But those who read the history of religion will be struck by the number of meetings (councils) to debate the existing differences in regard to, a) Jesus, b) his mother Mary, c) the Trinity, by the learned Christians of the period.  Such meetings took place at different times and in different places.  Good examples were the councils in the years 325 A.D. (at Nicea), and the year 381 (at Constantinople), the one in 431 and others.  These councils were beset with sharp disputes, fights, and disagreements, or nullification of previous beliefs to be replaced by new ones.

    This speaks for itself, or at the very least indicates the degree of evolution in Christian theology (man-made by the Church) in the early centuries after Jesus.

Ø What Jesus the Messiah came with is the belief in the Oneness of Allah and to teach to serve Allah and worship Him.  The case of the Messiah is exactly the same as the case of other Messengers of Allah.  But the creed that Jesus the Messiah came with, as pure as it was at first, began to undergo changes and modifications afterwards by the people of the Church.  These changes were slowly added to Christianity, just as the infidels began to convert to Christianity.  These converts were anxious to hold to some of their previous ways and beliefs, and these beliefs found their way into Christianity in its early days.

    But the creed of the Oneness of Allah as brought by Jesus the Messiah continued for sometime after Jesus, and one of the Gospels (Gospel of Barnabas) writes vividly about it.  This Gospel writes in such a manner that a person cannot help but be struck by the tremendous similarities between it and what the Quran says in regard to:

§ the Prophethood of Jesus,

§ the fact Jesus the Messiah never said he was Allah's son, and

§ of the Messiah's prediction of the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) among other things.

    The Trinity as it is claimed is blasphemy in Allah's sight and is totally wrong.  In other words, as Islam sees it, Trinity is a man-made notion that has no basis or proof.  The concept of the Trinity is completely incorrect.

قُلْ فَمَن يَمْلِكُ مِنَ اللّهِ شَيْئًا

إِنْ أَرَادَ أَن يُهْلِكَ الْمَسِيحَ ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُ وَمَن فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا

Say (O Muhammad):  "Who can then prevail against Allah, if He intends to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother, as well as everyone on earth altogether?!"

    Jesus the Messiah was a human being and a Messenger of Allah, and his constitution and nature were like the nature of any human being.

    Here, Allah (swt) wants to show the vast difference and separation between His nature and essence and the nature and essence of His creation.  The whole creation comes under one category, and it includes the Messiah and his mother Mary.

    Allah wants to give a theoretical example about His Authority and Might.  Allah says if He has willed to destroy not only Jesus and his mother but every creature on earth, will anyone dare stop Him?  Or can anyone stop Him?  The answer will of course be "No" since we know our frailties and our trivial power as compared to Allah's.

    Allah of course did not bring this point sarcastically, neither did He intend to destroy the Messiah, Mary or the world.  It was brought up to remind people of their faith, and the assumption of the Christians about the Trinity and the deification of Jesus, and the triviality of man's ability compared to that of Allah Almighty.  If the differences are so vast between Allah and man, wouldn't the idea of the Trinity be rejected right away?  The answer of course is yes.

 وَلِلّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا

يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاء وَاللّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

To Allah belongs the dominion of the Heavens and Earth, and what is in between the two; He creates what He wills; and Allah has power over all things.

    This is a further emphasis of Allah's Power and Dominion; that He is the absolute Owner of everything, this earth, the whole universe, and all seven heavens.  It is all His, and all are in His hands, and it is His Will that decreed this creation.

    Allah's capacity is so limitless that He can do anything He wants to, and His power and authority are such that He can execute anything He wants to.  Such is Allah, so High is He, so Exalted is He.

وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى نَحْنُ أَبْنَاء اللّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ

And the Jews and the Christians claim:

"We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones."

    No people on earth have any special privileges, not Jews, not Christians, not Muslims or any other.  People are equal in their rights in the eyes of Allah, and the justice of Allah is sharp and to the point.  If any specials are given to any people this will negate the concept of Allah's justice.

    The Jews cannot be the "select people of Allah" nor can the Christians claim to be "the exclusive children of Allah," since all will stand on an equal footing to answer for their deeds on the Day of Judgment, such is the justice of Allah.  The followers of such beliefs may do whatever they please with the naive thought that they will be granted heaven once they belong to that faith by birth or otherwise.  Nay, Allah's justice negates such claims and the accountability on the Day of Judgment is against that too, and Allah says that their claim is not true.

قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنُوبِكُم بَلْ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ

Answer them (O Muhammad):  "Why, then, does He punish you for your sins?"  Nay, you are but men, (part) of those He has created;

    This is a confirmation that humans will have to answer on the Day of Judgment, and it is addressed to the Jews and Christians who claim to be "children of Allah."

    The Quran rejects their claim and reminds them that their lot is like anyone else's.  There is no room for wishful thinking, and no favors given to any group.  Fair is fair.

يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاء

He pardons whom He pleases and He punishes whom He wills;

    Once accountability has taken place, and once justice has been exercised, Allah will forgive some if His Wisdom decrees so.  If the person deserves it and if Allah feels that such ought to be forgiven, His generosity is boundless and indeed He will forgive.

    But at the same time there will be punishment to others who deserve it, according to His Divine Wisdom too.

    Allah's rewards and punishment will only be according to His own Wisdom and out of His own Will.

 وَلِلّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

and to Allah belongs the dominion of the Heavens and the Earth and what is in between the two; and to Him is the final return (of all).

    Thus to Allah is the dominion of the heavens and earth and to Him is the Kingdom.  He is the Owner in Absolute terms, we are His subjects, and the things on this earth are His, and so is the universe.

    And unto Him we will return to answer for our actions and deeds, and for our beliefs and works for His cause.  All of us will return to Him.  This life is so very short, it is best to fill it with works of goodness, productive works of good use, so that we will be deserving in His eyes and earn the Eternal Paradise.

    The best possessions we take with us when we pass away are our deeds and the degree of our dedication to our faith.