The Christians’ Polytheism and Its Impact on the Muslim Nation

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the one Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds; and on his family, companions and fellow brothers till the Day of Recompense.

The creed of people of the truth about the Messiah (Jesus) عليه السلام

Verily, Jesus صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم, son of Mary is a Servant and Messenger of Allah, a Word of Allah sent to Mary and a Spirit coming from Him. Allah تعالى made of the birth and the education of Jesus عليه السلام and his mother a sign and a Revelation. Jesus عليه السلام was the last Prophet and Messenger of Allah تعالى to the Children of Israel who deviated and turned away from the Legislation of Moses عليه السلام; they were kept under material covetousness and they lost the right and pure spirit of the religion. Therefore, Allah تعالى sent the Messiah to guide those who went astray of the Children of Israel, he revived their religion and restored it to them and cleared up its features.

Meanwhile, Allah تعالى, as it is the tradition, accomplished through the Messiah, His Servant, evident miracles; thus, he brought the dead to life, healed the blind and the leper, informed people of what they ate and what they stored in their homes. He called also to worship Allah Alone, without ascribing any partner or associate to Him. Besides, he denied all worship to the false deities and thoughts. He followed the tradition of his brothers the Messengers, confirmed those who preceded him and gave glad tidings of the one coming after him⁽¹⁾. However, they belied him and made him an enemy. They charged him, and his mother, of the greatest blasphemies and conspired to murder him. Nevertheless, Allah purified Jesus and raised him عليه السلام up unto Himself. His call spread thanks to what Allah accomplished through the helpers of the Messiah. They called people to his religion and to his legislation until they made it victorious over its antagonists and things got conformable to the Truth⁽²⁾.

This is the belief of those who are on the right path about the Messiah, son of Mary.

However, his message was faced to a so hard resistance and persecution, mixed to polytheist doctrines and pagan philosophies that it ended by loosing its fundamental principles. This is what favored its falsification, which generated doctrines and convictions in Christianity that deviated and distorted the Revealed Message to Jesus عليه السلام.

The reality of God to the Christians

Amongst the most important philosophical convictions and pagan doctrines on which Christianity is founded: Preaching the Trinity and the divinity of the Messiah عليه السلام and the Holy Spirit. Christians believe that the three are one God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; they are one in essence and equal in glory and power. None got ahead to life. All the Christian sects believe in the incarnation of Allah in the Messiah عليه السلام -which means the act of God coming to earth in human form as Jesus عليه السلام-, but they diverge on the manner of this union and this incorporation. One group believes that it is a streak of light on the transparence of the body. Another believes that it is the reflect of the candle’s engraving, another one also thinks it’s the appearance of the spiritual in the corporal, a fourth one thinks that the divine is contained in the human, a fifth group considers that the word of Allah is mixed with the body of the Messiah as well as milk is mixed with water.

So, for the Christians, and according to their falsified religion, Allah is one in essence, impartial and without dimension, moreover He is independent, absolute, and one in essence and three in people!⁽³⁾. Since these pretensions are wrong, it was not easy for them to understand them⁽⁴⁾. Thereby, Christians diverged on this matter very clearly and the different sects charge one another of disbelief. Allah عزَّ وجلَّ treated all of them as disbelievers and their destiny is torment if they do not cease their sayings. Allah تعالى said:

﴿لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلاثَةٍ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلاَّ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ [المائدة: 73].

The meaning of the verse:

﴾Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allâh is the third of the three (in a Trinity)’. But there is no Ilâh (god) (none has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilâh (God – Allâh). And if they cease not from what they say, verily a painful torment will befall on the disbelievers among them﴿ [Al-Mâ'ida (The Table Spread With Food: 73)].

In addition to their wrong convictions: The invention of the story about redemption and crucifixion. Christians believe that the Messiah عليه السلام is dead crucified for the atonement for the sins of humankind. They pretend that he is the unique of Allah sent to save the humankind from sins and those of their father Adam عليه السلام⁽⁵⁾.

All the Christians agree also on the fact that the son is united with the person whom they call the Messiah, that person showed himself to people, and then he was crucified and killed. However, they disagree on the form of this crucifixion; wondering whether death would have happened on the divine part of Jesus عليه السلام, or on the human one, or on both of them?⁽⁶⁾. Then, they pretend that after his crucifixion, he was buried and then brought to life three days later on Sunday; he is raised up to the heavens after overcoming death.

Allah denies the vanity of their pretensions and reveals the truth on the events that happened and denounces their lie. Allah عزَّ وجلَّ said:

﴿وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا. بَلْ رَفَعَهُ اللهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا﴾ [النساء: 157-158].

The meaning of the verse:

﴾And because of their saying (in boast), ‘we killed Messiah îsâ son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allâh’, - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of Îsâ (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. Îsâ (Jesus) عليه السلام, son of Maryam (Mary)]. But Allâh raised him [Îsâ (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he عليه السلام is in the heavens). And Allâh is Ever All-Powerful All-Wise﴿ [An-Nissâ' (The Women): 157-158].

The foundation of the Christian religion and the aspects of their polytheism

This is the Christian religion, founded on the blasphemy of Allah, disparaging Him and associating other false gods to Him, pretensions based on vain doctrines and corrupted convictions that are, most of them, extracted from the previous religions. This is what makes it loose its purity and its fundamental and correct form and conformity to the one revealed to Jesus عليه السلام son of Mary, Messenger of Allah the Lord of the Worlds. Eventually, the falsified Christian religion gathers both an imperfect divinity and the association to Allah, either at the level of His Rubûbiya (Lordship) or at the level of His Ulûhiya (Worship).

Among the aspects of the Christians association to the Rubûbiya of Allah: what we have already mentioned above; the exaggeration in the veneration of the creature. In other words, the personality cult, up to make of that creature associated to the Creator, a part of Him, and even another divinity with Him, denying of course the fact that he is a Servant⁽⁷⁾. In addition, other cases of association to Allah in His Lordship, to some of them is the unity between the divine and the human in the person of the Messiah. For others, the thought which consists of the incarnation of Allah in the person of Jesus عليه السلام, which means that Jesus عليه السلام is a divine man; human in his outside form and divine in inside nature. Therefore, he is composed of two natures incorporated one into the other and thus they become one, like fire and iron or milk and water. Another case of association to Allah in His Rubûbiya, the pretension that Jesus عليه السلام will judge people for their deeds in the Hereafter⁽⁸⁾, and from that derives the right to legislate granted to the spiritual leaders in their clerical organization and the right of forgiveness and repentance attributed to the monk and the priest⁽⁹⁾.

Concerning the aspects of the Christians’ association to Allah in His Ulûhiya, it is revealed through the worship of the Messiah عليه السلام in their prayers and the worship of sculpted images and statues in their churches⁽¹⁰⁾. Some of them also worship the Virgin Mary, believing she is the mother of God, the same as for the glorification of the cross, which is their symbol, as well as the glorification of the Prophets’ graves. It is for this reason that the Last of the Prophets صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم had cursed the Jews and the Christians who considered the graves of the Prophets for places of worship. This is because the origin of the association to Allah and the worship of the statues are due to those who stayed by the graves and considered them as places of worship. Thus, Christian community has gathered, at once, polytheism and an imperfect lowered divinity. They are, therefore, more misguided and more polytheists than the Jews⁽¹¹⁾.

The impact of the Christians’ polytheism on the Islamic nation

The impact of the Christians’ polytheism on the Muslim community is very evident. Amongst the most dangerous pretensions that influenced the Sufis and the worshippers of Al-Jahmiyah sect is the pantheism that we have already talked about; this idea of the falsified Christianity dictates that Allah is incarnated in the Messiah. Some Sufi extremists and their alike pretend that Allah, the Truth, has chosen human bodies where He, by His Lordship, incarnates. He removes the human meaning to these bodies, which are chosen to be the beloved of Allah, they will be the choice of His obedience and His service, they will be adorned with His guidance, and their position is elevated and honored in comparison to His other creatures⁽¹²⁾.

What Al-Hallâj sings, illustrates well this matter, in saying:

Glory to the one who manifested person,

The penetrating secret of his divine direction.

Then, in the universe, is visible,

In the shape of eating and drinking.

Even seen by his creation,

As the eyebrow sees the other!⁽¹³⁾.

Similar to their polytheism, what happened to many sects affiliated to Islam who are mistaken by what learned people find inside their heart by the effect of the faith in Allah, of His knowledge, His Light and His Guidance. The adepts of these sects end to believe that these blessings are Allah Himself⁽¹⁴⁾.

The effect of the falsified Christianity on the Muslim community is an undeniable factor; the proof is the existence, in the nations of Islam, of the doctrine of the personality cult or the overestimation of the Prophets, in the beloved of Allah and righteous people. With the Sufis, Ar-Râfidhah and Al-Jahmiyah and their alike who have exaggerated in the Messenger صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم esteem, and the Shiites have exaggerated in the person of Ali Ibn Abi Tâlib رضي الله عنه and other personalities less important. Therefore, they have exaggerated in their glorification and they have elevated them from servants and worshipers position to the worshiped one. The Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم said: “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a slave. So, call me Allah’s Slave and Apostle”⁽¹⁵⁾. The Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم also said: “Beware of exaggeration in matter of religion. Verily, those before you, have perished because of the religious exaggeration”⁽¹⁶⁾.

It is also found out in these sects and others, of those who stay by the graves and consider them as places of worship. Whereas, the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم said: “Verily, those of the earlier generations used to take the graves of their Prophets and righteous people as places of worship. Do not take graves as places of worship. I forbid you to do so”⁽¹⁷⁾. He صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم also said: “The most evil people are those who remain alive when the Doomed Hour comes, and those who take graves as places of worship”⁽¹⁸⁾.

Also, among the aspects of influence, the Christians’ pretension that the Messiah is a light⁽¹⁹⁾. Likewise, some of the Sufis pretend that the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم is a light of Allah’s Light. In this way, they exaggerate in his glorification. Besides, it is almost usual to find in the church the picture of the Messiah, Mary, Georges and Peter; and most of them pray for the pictures and worship them apart from Allah. Likewise, some Sufis and tombs worshipers put the picture of their Sheikhs right in the direction of the Ka ̀ba (destination of prayer) to bend and prostrate themselves before them. They take these pictures with them or hang them on the wall imploring a cure or a blessing. In fact, it is reported in the Sahîh (authentic narration of Al-Bukhâri) that `Âisha رضي الله عنها narrated that Um Salama رضي الله عنها mentioned a church she had seen in Abyssinia in which there were pictures. She told the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم about it, who commented: “If any religious or pious man dies amongst those people, they would build a place of worship at his grave and make these pictures in it. They are the worst creatures in the sight of Allah”<sup>(20)</sup>. Among other aspects of influence, the Christian spiritual leaders are granted the power to legislate, whereas this power is exclusively reserved to the Lord عزَّ وجلَّ. In this way, Christians have worshiped these leaders by obeying them while they made the lawful illicit and the illicit lawful. According to `Adiy Ibn Hâtim رضي الله عنه who heard the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم reading this verse:

﴿اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ…﴾ [التوبة:31].

The meaning of the verse:

﴾They (Jews and Christians) too their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah (by obeying them in things which they made lawful or unlawful according to their own desires without being ordered by Allah)…﴿ [At-Tauba (The Repentance): 31], I told him then: “We did not worship them”, he said: “Did not they forbid what Allah permitted and you forbade it, too? And did not they permit what Allah forbade and you permitted it, too?” I answered: “Yes, It was the case”, he said: “Hence, that is their worship”⁽²¹⁾.

The character of this influence, also, appears clearly on stubbornness blind followers of their schools and their own scholars, even if they are preaching in opposition with the texts of the revelation. This issue is visible in some Muslim countries where the power to legislate, to change, and to modify in matter of religion is granted to the parliament and the rulers, not even wondering if these legislated texts are in accordance with the prescriptions and the texts of the Revelation.

As we can find Christian influence on the Sufis at the level of notions, such as monasticism, renunciation of the world, hermitage, giving up with marriage and the purification of the soul by torturing the body with firm and harsh exercises. Moreover, organizing trips around the country, imitating the monks in their sermons, in their exercises and their spiritual retreats⁽²²⁾.

What have been presented above are the most important effects of Christian polytheism on the Muslim community. In fact, the Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم was telling the truth: “You will follow the wrong ways of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure, you too will go there”. We said: “O Allah’s Apostle! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?”. He replied: “Whom else?”⁽²³⁾.

Our last prayer is all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon our Prophet صلَّى الله عليه وسلَّم, his Family, his Companions and Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.