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Qur'an 4:171

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Qur'an 4:171
Verse's Information


Verse 171 of Sura al-Nisāʾ (Arabic: الآية 171من سورة النساء) (Qur'an 4:171) invites the People of the Book to Tawhid (monotheism) and forbids Ghuluww (exaggeration in religion), belief in the Trinity, and the divinity of Jesus (a). By citing the birth of Jesus from Lady Mary (a), which indicates his human characteristics, this verse refutes the Christian belief in his divinity.

Also, in this verse, Jesus (a) is referred to as the Messiah (al-Masih), which points to his purity from sins and human impurities.

Avoiding Belief in Trinity and Ghuluww

Verse 171 of Sura al-Nisa critiques the belief in the Trinity and considering Jesus (a) as God,[1] and forbids it.[2] According to al-Wahidi (d. 468/1075-6) in Asbab al-nuzul, the occasion of revelation of this verse was a group of Christians who called Jesus (a) the "Son of God".[3] Also, "People of the Book" in this verse is interpreted as Christians, because the verse is about Jesus (a).[4]

Arguments for Invalidating the Trinity and Divinity of Jesus

Qur'an 4:171 forbids Christians from the belief in the Trinity[5] and emphasizes the Oneness of God.[6]

In Tafsir-i nimuna, arguments based on this verse in criticism of this belief are mentioned:

Birth from Mary: The phrase "The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary" emphasizes the human nature of Jesus (a). He was born of a mother and raised like other humans, so how can he be God?

Prophetic Mission: Describing Jesus (a) as "Rasul Allah" (Messenger of Allah) indicates that he is a messenger from God, not God Himself.

Word of God: The title "Kalimatuhu" (His Word) implies that Jesus (a) is a created being.

A Spirit from Him: The expression "Ruhun minhu" (a Spirit from Him) points to the fact that Jesus (a), like other humans including Adam (a), was created by the will of God.[7]

Also, according to Allama Tabataba'i, this verse, by referring to God's absolute ownership of the heavens and the earth, negates any child for God. If everything is owned by God, imagining a child for Him would be meaningless.[8]

The term "Three" (thalatha) is considered to refer to the three Christian hypostases (aqanim) and the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).[9] However, it is said that the meaning of Trinity in the belief of some Christians is God, Jesus, and Mary.[10]

Naming Jesus (a) as Messiah

In Verse 171 of Sura al-Nisa (Qur'an 4:171), Jesus (a) is called "al-Masih", meaning the "wiped one" (mamsuh).[11] There are several opinions regarding this naming:

  • According to exegetes like al-Shaykh al-Tusi and al-Tabrisi, the reason for naming Jesus (a) as al-Masih is his being wiped clean of sin and worldly impurities by God.[12]
  • Some have said that the original word is "Māshīḥ" or "Mashīḥ" in Syriac or Hebrew, which was changed to "Masīḥ" in Arabic.[13]
  • According to some scholars, Jesus was called the Messiah because of the root meaning of the word itself. The term Messiah comes from the Semitic root m-s-ḥ, which means “to anoint” or “to wipe.” It is said that because Jesus traveled repeatedly from place to place, he would “anoint” or symbolically touch the land through his journeys, and for this reason he was given the title Messiah.[14]

Notes

  1. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, pp. 220–221.
  2. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 222.
  3. ↑ Wāḥidī, Asbāb nuzūl al-Qurʾān, p. 189.
  4. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 3, p. 399; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 5, p. 149.
  5. ↑ Kāshānī, Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn, vol. 3, p. 162; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 5, p. 150.
  6. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 223.
  7. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 4, p. 222.
  8. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 5, p. 150.
  9. ↑ Kāshānī, Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn, vol. 3, p. 162; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 5, p. 150.
  10. ↑ Kāshānī, Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn, vol. 3, p. 162.
  11. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 3, p. 400; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 222.
  12. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 3, p. 400; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 222.
  13. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 3, p. 400; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 222.
  14. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 222.

References

  • Kāshānī, Fatḥ Allāh... al-. Manhaj al-ṣādiqīn fī ilzām al-mukhālifīn. Tehran, Kitābfurūshī-yi Islāmiyya, 1st ed, n.d.
  • Makārim Shīrāzī, Nāṣir. Tafsīr-i nimūna. Tehran, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, 10th ed, 1371 Sh.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn. al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Beirut, Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 2nd ed, 1390 Sh.
  • Ṭabrisī, Faḍl b. Ḥasan... al-. Majmaʿ al-bayān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Faḍl Allāh Yazdī Ṭabāṭabāʾī and Hāshim Rasūlī Maḥallātī. Tehran, Nāṣir Khusraw, 3rd ed, 1372 Sh.
  • Ṭūsī, Muḥammad b. Ḥasan... al-. al-Tibyān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. Edited by Aḥmad Ḥabīb ʿĀmilī. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, n.d.
  • Wāḥidī, ʿAlī b. Aḥmad... al-. Asbāb nuzūl al-Qurʾān. Edited by Kamāl Basyūnī Zaghlūl. Beirut, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1st ed, 1411 AH.
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