of the
Authorized
English translation of the Quran by
Dr.
Rashad Khalifa
God's Usage
of the Plural Tense
In the English speaking world, where the trinity
doctrine is prevalent, some people are intrigued by God's usage of the plural
tense in the Quran. The overwhelming
message of the Quran, where there is absolutely no compromise is that "GOD
IS ONE"
(2:133,
163;
4:171
5:73;
6:19;
9:31;
12:39;
13:16;
14:48,
52;
16:22,
51;
18:110;
21:108;
22:34;
37:4;
38:65;
39:4;
40:16;
41:6;
112:1).
Whenever the first person plural form is used
by the Almighty, it invariably indicates participation of other entities,
such as the angels. For example, the
revelation of this Quran involved participation of the angel Gabriel and
the prophet Muhammad. Hence the use of the plural form in
15:9:
"We revealed this scripture, and we will preserve
it." The plural form here simply
reflects the fact that the angel Gabriel and the prophet Muhammad participated
in the processof delivering the Quran.
Another example has to do with blowing the breath
of life into Adam and Jesus. The
creation of Adam took place in heaven and God directly blew into him the
breath of life. Thus, the first person singular form is consistently
used: "I blew into Adam from My
spirit"
(15:29,
38:72).
The creation of Jesus, on the other hand, took
place on earth,and Gabriel carried God's
"word" to Mary.
The plural form is consistently used when referring
to the creation of Jesus
(21:91,
66:12).
When God spoke to Moses directly, without the
mediation of angels, we see that
God is speaking exclusively in the singular tense:
"I am God. There is no other god besides
Me. You shall worship Me alone, and
observe the regular contact prayers (Salat)
to commemorate Me."
(20:12-14).
Whenever the worship of God is mentioned, the
singular tense is used
(51:56).
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