God breathes the spirit into Mary

The term used in the Quran in the context of Mary conceiving of Jesus is RUH. It is used in many different contexts and for different purposes.

When Allah sends ALRUH for divine inspiration, it executes its purpose as commanded by Him 40:15,42:52. It is important to emphasize that whatever it does and the effect it has, it is by the will of Allah alone, not its own intrinsic will or power. This is particularly made clear with what the RUH, that manifested in human form to Mary, told her in regards her miraculous conception 3:47,19:21. 

The angels of revelation then descend with the RUH upon those whom God deems fit 

77:5,97:4,16:2"He sends down the angels with the RUH by His commandment on whom He pleases of His servants, saying: Give the warning that there is no god but Me, therefore be careful (of your duty) to Me". 

RUH stems from r-w-h meaning anything that blows as in a wind/breeze/breath. It also carries the meaning of life giving breath. The word is always associated with a kind of breeze that brings something good such as life, rest or inspiration. Upon the prophet Jesus, the RUH al qudus/breeze of holiness, besides its basic role of inspiration, gave him the strength and aptitude to perform the miracles that he did 2:87,253,5:110. Jesus' association to the RUH do not however make any of them divine. It was a tool sent upon Jesus as was sent on all prophets and regular believers, each time for the purpose for which Allah intends for it. Jesus' mention with the RUH is among the patterns of the Quran of taking up the most cherished christological themes, then strip them from their paganistic implications. 

The Quran leaves no room to the kind of conjecture trinitarians are known for when approaching their Bible, let alone the Quran. Christians feel comforted whenever they superficially approach the Quran and find these familiar Christological themes. They are sometimes bold enough to assume the Quran is confirming their doctrines. After all, none other than Jesus is referred to as God's word, His messiah or a RUH from Allah. But by doing so Christians are missing the consistent Quranic approach of taking up the major trinitarian themes and labels associated to Jesus, then recasts them in a monotheistic, unitarian perspective. It is the case with the kalima, just as with the RUH/spirit or the name "messiah". Jesus is not the literal nor metaphorical "son of God" but simply, the son of Mary as Christians themselves cannot deny. Similarly, Jesus is stripped from any intrinsic power as regards his ascension and ability to perform miracles. Being the muhaymin/guardian of the previous scriptures and traditions, the Quran could not leave those themes unaddressed. And it does so in an impactful way, using them just as is done in Christian scriptures, while redefining them so as to deny their Christological background.

That corrective function goes beyond these aforementioned pillars of Christology. In the Gospels' eschatology, the trinitarian godhead is at the forefront and Jesus is given the leading role of judgement by his "father" Matt25,26. In the Quran, no possible ambiguity exists as to Allah's supremacy on that day, whether in terms of glory, authority or judgement.

The sending of revelation upon a prophet is carried out by an angelic delegation accompanying the spirit/RUH 16:2. In 16:102,26:192-4 that particular descending spiritual entity is not named, in another place God singles out the descending entity by name as Gabriel 2:97. The Quran describes the eminence of that particular messenger of revelation 

81:19-21"honored messenger, the posessor of strength, having an honorable place with the Lord of the Dominion, One (to be) obeyed, and faithful in trust". 

He is one who is mutaAA 81:21 denoting authority and the angels are created in different grades 35:1. His power, honor and unfaltering trustworthiness 26:192-4, his sacredness 16:102, means he is most fit to accomplish this noble task. That is why the Quran always singles him out from among the angels of revelation 2:98,66:4,97:1-4. The mention of an angelic delegation descending with the revelation expresses the prestige of Allah's word and the singling out of one entity from among them denotes the distinct nobility of the one selected to carry it. As noble and honored the carrier of revelation is, He remains under God's authority in the process 

2:97"he made it descend to your heart by Allah's command". 

This emphasis is meant at dispelling any doubt, in the minds of those that dislike the indirect manner in which God communicates with His prophets, making clear Who the ultimate source of that message is. Not only is the descent commanded by Allah, but it in addition originates from Him 

2:99"And certainly WE descended to you clear communications" 

2:105"Those who disbelieve..do not like..that the good should be brought down to you from your Lord, and Allah chooses especially whom He pleases for His mercy, and Allah is the Lord of mighty grace" 

26:192-4"And most surely this (ie Quran) is a sending down from the Lord of the worlds. The Faithful Spirit/RUH has descended with it, Upon your heart that you may be of the warners". 

The Quran originates from Allah, was commanded to be sent down by Him, through the trustworthy RUH, elsewhere named Gabriel, who is accompanied by a delegation of angels. Elsewhere the Quran, in its surgical use of words and in a similar context of attesting to the otherworldly origin of the Book, says that it is 

53:4"a revelation revealed". 

Since the most obdurate could still find a way to disbelieve, admitting to the divine origin of the Quran but rejecting the legitimacy of the prophet who could have been given the revelation by an inspired human, God makes it clear, it is a process twice revealed. The first time to the medium, that is Gabriel, and the second time to the prophet's heart, by the inspired medium. Sure no explicit statement says that Gabriel or holylspirit is an angel. Strong indications however point to the descending delegation as always and exclusively angelic. Throughout the Quran, no entity carrying God's will from heaven (revelation, punishment or else) is ever said to be other than angels. It is known that the descending entities fully encompassed by Allah's will in 19:64-5 are angels for whom Gabriel is speaking in the passage. What those attempting to deny Gabriel's identification with the holy spirit are left with is a slightly ambiguous statement in 97:4. And that is if one disregards the aforementioned patterns, as well as linguistic reasons for singling out the spirit from among the angels.

The WAW in 97:4 which is translated in general as AND, also often means inclusion of a particular entity within the general more encompassing entity. The purpose is to create a distinction in terms of prominence relevant to the context. For example the Quran says "and the prophets and Jesus and Moses" 2:136,3:84. It mentions the two in WAW/AND form to mean that they are included but to bring particular attention to those two amongst the prophets. Elsewhere it says 69:14"the earth and the mountains are lifted" or in 55:68"In both of them are fruit and dates and pomegranates". See also 31:16.

Finally, the attempted parallel of the syntax in 97:4 (separating entities part of the same angelic group) with 3:87 fails for the reason that in this verse God, angels and humans are explicitly stated elsewhere as being different entities. No statement in 97:4 or indications elsewhere say that the descending spirit and the angels are different entities, quite to the contrary as previously demonstrated.

The description of Gabriel with "RUH" denotes that angels are breeze like entities of the unseen realm. In this world they can take any form or be used for any purpose according to God's will. To Mary, that immaterial entity appeared as a human being 19:17-9. Then this immaterial entity, which assumed human form, blew a part of itself into her, so that she might conceive 

21:91"So We breathed into her from/MIN Our RUH". 

The Quran does not detail how that process was executed in relation to Mary. It uses the euphemism "farj" for the location where the breath was sent 66:12 a word referring to the space between 2 things, in this instance the legs. Farj is used for both men and women 23:5,33:35 eloquently but indirectly alluding to the private parts, which are located between that space. This process does not make Mary nor any part of her divine, just as God's breathing from His RUH in every human being doesnt make us or part of us divine 32:9,38:71-2. Ruhana/our breeze or breath is attached to God's name to stress its greatness, the particular connection it creates between the recipient and Allah, as is stated concerning the righteous 

58:22"These are they into whose hearts He has impressed faith, and whom He has strengthened with a RUH from Him/minhu". 

And just as the Quran associates the RUH with Jesus, it does the same with the prophet Muhammad in the context of divine inspiration 16:102.

The RUH sent by Allah, under His command, affects multiple people at once like the wind would. Similar usage is seen with the house of Allah or the month of Allah or the sakina of Allah/the soothing calmness that filled Muhammad and the believers, or the love from Allah bestowed upon Moses 20:39 etc. None of those things are considered parts of Allah, having any intrinsic power, or emanating from within His essence, or sharing in His divinity. Again, it is the RUH that breathed a portion of it into Mary, not Allah 

19:19"He (the RUH) said: I am only a messenger of your Lord, that I will give you a pure boy". 

The RUH is consistently described as in Allah's control and command. God in 21:91 attributes to Himself the breathing of a portion of the RUH into Mary, because the whole process is under His control. He commands the RUH to blow into Mary, and God alone gives power to the RUH to have the intended effect on Mary. The RUH has no intrinsic ability by itself other than what Allah grants it 

19:21"She said, when shall I have a boy when no mortal has touched me, nor have I been unchaste? He (the RUH) said; Even so; Your Lord says "It is easy to Me"

 3:47"He (the RUH) said; Allah creates what He pleases, when He has decreed a matter, He only says to it "BE" and it is".

The RUH, like the prophets of old, is a vessel through which God manifests His will. There are no ambiguities the like of which trinitarians have read into passages of the HB. It doesnt even say that this RUH is an emanation FROM Allah, but that it is something TO Allah, meaning belonging to Him, in His possession and full control. The RUH breathed into every human being just as the RUH breathed into Mary is said to be OF God because it BELONGS TO God. The action of God blowing the RUH does not hint to it emanating from inside of Him. The RUH is a breeze-like entity external to Allah. The action of God breathing it for the performance of a task, means He creates the conditions external to Him that make blowing to happen, so that the RUH is transferred from its location to where He wants it to be. For example God, whether in the times of Moses as depicted in the HB or the times of Muhammad as described in the Quran, is said to be literally fighting the disbelievers in battle, although the physical reality was that the believers were the ones waging war. Religious scriptures are repleat with such usage of God acting, and His actions manifesting through conditions external to Him. So, instead of naively imagining a human like deity blowing air out of its lungs, one can easily preserve the overall Quranic axiom of divine transcendence, by paralleling what causes the RUH to be sent, to the meteorological causes that send the wind on earth 

30:46"And one of His signs is that He sends forth the winds bearing good news.."

Lastly, what should be kept in mind as regards the RUH, is that it is an issue of which very little knowledge has been imparted to the humans, other than it is an entity under Allah's complete grasp and control 17:85 as demonstrated earlier. Therefore, like every reality pertaining to the Hereafter or the heavenly realm, only a glimpse of its true nature and manner in which it operates can be accessible to our perception in this life.

Jesus is no different than Yahya and Adam

The particularities of Yahya/John and Jesus' births, do not make any of them different or special than other human beings in terms of their physical nature, neither were these miraculous circumstances necessary to accomodate some false notions retrospectively applied to these special circumstances. 

Jesus did not need to come from a virgin so that he might circumvent inherited human depravity, which is an unscriptural idea, alien to Jesus' teachings. Neither did Jesus need to be a combination of the immaterial/RUH of Allah, with the material/human mother so as to assume his dual human/divine nature. All humanity has exactly this same dual aspect as Jesus, without any of us being divine. 

Man has both a principal and a secondary nature. His secondary nature returns to dust and his essence is related to Allah. This is why the Quran attributes the spirit to Allah and the body to the earth 38:71-72. 

The Quran thus establishes that man is hardwired with a connection to its Creator. In reference to that intimate relation, the prophet said

 "He who knows his soul knows his Lord". 

On the other hand the Quran warns 

59:19"And be not like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget their own souls". 

Man has both a principal and a secondary nature. His secondary nature returns to dust and his essence is related to Allah. This is why the Quran attributes the spirit to Allah and the body to the earth 38:71-72. A similar notion can be found in the Hebrew Bible in 

Ecc12:7"The body reverts to the dust that it was before, and the ru'ah returns to God who gave it".

 Nafs and ruh are 2 different but interrelated entities. Nafs is the receptacle that allows physical life to be combined with the spiritual entity with which every human being is endowed with, the ruh. It is man's principal nature. It is thus only the nafs that breaks down and dies, the receptacle allowing the biological and spiritual to be interwoven 3:185,21:35. The soul, the ruh does not die. It is this spirit coming from Allah, infused into Adam for the first time, to inspire him the understanding of good and evil that creates the human thirst for guidance and worship 

91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it". 

Contrary to the convoluted HB, this peculiar human feature was not hidden  in a forbidden "tree of knowledge" but hardwired in mankind, since its inception. This is the spark, when nurtured and developed, that leads one to fulfil the goal of human creation; the worship of God.

Jesus' very first words in the Quran were to declare his servitude to God, besides declaring other lofty aspects of his identity, as well as empasizing the tenets of monotheism 19:30. The Quran leaves no room to the kind of conjecture trinitarians are known for when approaching their own Bible, let alone the Quran. It is interesting noting the consistent Quranic approach of taking up the major trinitarian themes and labels associated to Jesus, then recasts them in a monotheistic, unitarian perspective. It is the case with the kalima, just as with the RUH/spirit or the name "messiah". 

Jesus and John were mortals, made from exactly the same elements as other humans, and could not have come into existence without God's word 2:117"Be". The word symbolizes that nothing escapes His grasp in the chain of causality. He may use His command to initiate the chain by creating out of nothing, or He may us it to intervene in a pre-existing chain of causality so as to result in the outcome that He wills

3:59"Surely the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, "Be", and he was". 

This is an instance of Allah using His word to complete a process. Both Adam and Jesus came to completion through Allah's word. Prior to that completion Adam was fashionned from inorganic earthly elements, or as the Quran quotes Allah 

38:75"him whom I created with My own hands". 

All things were, and are created by Allah's direct involvement. Mankind is no different but because it is a specie with a special connection with its Creator, the Quran uses the image of Allah using His own hands doing so, as a metaphor of special care in fashioning and forming it. When that fashionning process reached physical completion, Adam was ready to receive the spirit from Allah 38:71-2. It is at that point that Allah "said to him, "Be", and he was". That command is what triggered all components within Adam, the physical and the spiritual to fuse and ignite, resulting in what is understood by a "human being"; a creature whose flesh and spirit function simultaneously and interdependantly. 

Without God's word, the mere entry of the spirit within the flesh would not cause this creature to function as a human being. One can finish building a robot, then place its batteries, but it will only function once the switch is turned on. God's word is the switch that ignites the human being, allowing its material and spiritual components to work together.

The process that preceded Allah's command was different in Jesus' case. Unlike Adam, he was not first fashionned from earthly substance, but through the RUH that entered the body of his mother so as to allow her to conceive. At some point during the development of the fetus, Allah's word was cast towards Mary. This was the trigger allowing the fusion of the RUH that had entered her prior, with the fetus, resulting in a creature whose flesh and spirit function together.

A question one might ask is why, if all human beings, including Adam and Jesus, were brought to completion through Allah's word, why did the Quran choose to parallel Adam specifically with Jesus in order to deny Jesus' divinity? Adam is the archetypical human being, made from the dust of the earth. No human being after Adam, endowed with the spirit of Allah, is closer to its original earthly substance than him. In the context of refuting Jesus' divinity, and stressing his humanity, no point of reference among any human being is more appropriate than the human who is closest to its wordly, earthly, humble origins than Adam. Further, the one who is alleged to be a god-man, is as helpless in the process of his completion than a human being made of dust. What kind of deity cannot come into existence in whatever shape and nature, without the intervention of a higher power?

The main idea behind the statement, "then said to him "Be" and he is", often used for God's creative action, is that Allah masters the laws of causality. The imperative form gives a sense of absolute control, contrary to the similar but softer Biblical "Let there be". Grammatically, the statement "kun fa yakun/be and he is" is an idiom. Its constituents, like the gender/tenses/persons remain unchanged regardless of the sentence in which the idiom is integrated. The present tense, although speaking of a past event, also serves as a literary device to involve the audience/reader, making him the spectator of the event as it is unfolding, as if the coming to existence is happening now, in front of him.

Jesus is the word/kalima of Allah

3:45"Allah gives you good news with a word/kalima from Him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Isa son of Marium". 

Kalimatun, which means word or statement has a feminine designation. But what follows is in the masculine, making Jesus and word/statement 2 distinct entities. This is because Jesus is the product of the creative word, not the word itself 

4:171"The messiah, Jesus, son of Mary was none other than Allah's envoy and His statement/kalima, He casted it towards Mary including a life giving breath from Him (Allah)". 

It literally says Jesus, the human prophet, born of Mary, was a statement cast towards his mother. It does not say the intangible "pre-incarnate" Jesus was a word cast to Mary. This is what one with a hellenistic theological background would read into the verse. 

The precision of the verse does not end here. It does not say the word was cast inside of Mary, rather ila/towards Mary. For that "pre incarnate" Jesus to become flesh, it would have necessitated for it to enter Mary. So clearly, no human being was literally cast to Mary, and neither does it say it entered her. Simply, Allah cast his statement, His command to Mary. That statement allowed the miraculous process by which a particular human being came to existence. 

Jesus was not God's word, as denoted in 3:45 but became God's word. Exactly as Adam manifested the creative word of God. Or as the prophet Yahya/John was the manifestation of God's word, given the particular circumstances of his birth

3:39"Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a word/kalima from Allah". 

Kalimatullah in these contexts is thus not some pre-existing entity separate from God in an intangible shape before becoming physical. It is a command from God that allows a process by which certain physical entities come into being. Adam, Jesus or John did not pre-exist as intangible entities prior to manifesting God's word in physical form. 

Further, the word of God manifests in different ways in this world, not only physical. Kalimatullah is also used in the sense of God's promise 6:34,115,10:64,18:27 etc. Such divine word is a command that can never be reversed or altered once issued 13:41, it can be the promise of victory and assistance to the messengers and their followers 37:171-2 or the promise of chastisement to the rejecters 58:21 or again the promises of miracles or blessings whether in this life or the next. This is because, as repeatedly said in the Book, Allah's statement is truthful and He never breaks His promise

10:55,33:4,38:34"The truth then is and the truth do I speak" 39:20"Allah will not fail in (His promise)".

The association of the kalima of Allah with something also seems to imply truth. This is highly appropriate in light of the descriptions made of Jesus in the NT where he makes false prophecies. Only truth emanates from Allah and Jesus' association with the kalima makes him the embodiment of truth.

The particularities of Yahya/John and Jesus' births, do not make any of them different or special than other human beings in terms of their physical nature. Neither were these miraculous circumstances necessary to accommodate the false notions retrospectively applied to them. For example Jesus did not need to come from a virgin to circumvent human depravity, something Jesus never even spoke of. Neither did Jesus need to combine the immaterial/RUH of Allah, with the material/human mother so as to assume his dual human/divine nature. All humanity has exactly this same dual aspect as Jesus, without any of us being divine. Man has both a principal and a secondary nature. His secondary nature returns to dust and his essence is related to Allah. This is why the Quran attributes the spirit to Allah and the body to the earth 38:71-72.

The Quran leaves no room to the kind of conjecture trinitarians are known for when approaching their Bible, let alone the Quran. Christians feel comforted whenever they superficially approach the Quran and find these familiar Christological themes. They are sometimes bold enough to assume the Quran is confirming their doctrines. After all, none other than Jesus is referred to as God's word, His messiah or a RUH from Allah. But by doing so Christians are missing the consistent Quranic approach of taking up the major trinitarian themes and labels associated to Jesus, then recasts them in a monotheistic, unitarian perspective. It is the case with the kalima, just as with the RUH/spirit or the name "messiah". Jesus is not the literal nor metaphorical "son of God" but simply, the son of Mary as Christians themselves cannot deny. Similarly, Jesus is stripped from any intrinsic power as regards his ascension and ability to perform miracles.

Being the muhaymin/guardian of the previous scriptures and traditions, the Quran could not leave those themes unaddressed. And it does so in an impactful way, using them just as is done in Christian scriptures, while redefining them so as to deny their Christological background.

That corrective function goes beyond these aforementioned pillars of Christology. In the Gospels' eschatology, the trinitarian godhead is at the forefront and Jesus is given the leading role of judgement by his "father" Matt25,26. In the Quran, no possible ambiguity exists as to Allah's supremacy on that day, whether in terms of glory, authority or judgement.

Jesus and John were mortals, made from exactly the same elements as other humans, and could not have come into existence without God's word 2:117"Be". The word symbolizes that nothing escapes His grasp in the chain of causality. He may use His command to initiate the chain by creating out of nothing, or He may us it to intervene in a pre-existing chain of causality so as to result in the outcome that He wills

3:59"Surely the likeness of Isa is with Allah as the likeness of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him, "Be", and he was". 

This is an instance of Allah using His word to complete a process. Both Adam and Jesus came to completion through Allah's word. Prior to that completion Adam was fashioned from inorganic earthly elements, or as the Quran quotes Allah 

38:75"him whom I created with My own hands". 

All things were, and are created by Allah's direct involvement. Mankind is no different but because it is a specie with a special connection with its Creator, the Quran uses the image of Allah using His own hands doing so, as a metaphor of special care in fashioning and forming it. When that fashioning process reached physical completion, Adam was ready to receive the spirit from Allah 38:71-2. It is at that point that Allah "said to him, "Be", and he was". That command is what triggered all components within Adam, the physical and the spiritual to fuse and ignite, resulting in what is understood by a "human being"; a creature whose flesh and spirit function simultaneously and interdependently. 

Without God's word, the mere entry of the spirit within the flesh would not cause this creature to function as a human being. One can finish building a robot, then place its batteries, but it will only function once the switch is turned on. God's word is the switch that ignites the human being, allowing its material and spiritual components to work together.

The process that preceded Allah's command was different in Jesus' case. Unlike Adam, he was not first fashioned from earthly substance, but through the RUH that entered the body of his mother so as to allow her to conceive. At some point during the development of the fetus, Allah's word was cast towards Mary. This was the trigger allowing the fusion of the RUH that had entered her prior, with the fetus, resulting in a creature whose flesh and spirit function together.

A question one might ask is why, if all human beings, including Adam and Jesus, were brought to completion through Allah's word, why did the Quran choose to parallel Adam specifically with Jesus in order to deny Jesus' divinity? Adam is the archetypical human being, made from the dust of the earth. No human being after Adam, endowed with the spirit of Allah, is closer to its original earthly substance than him. In the context of refuting Jesus' divinity, and stressing his humanity, no point of reference among any human being is more appropriate than the human who is closest to its worldly, earthly, humble origins than Adam. Further, the one who is alleged to be a god-man, is as helpless in the process of his completion than a human being made of dust. What kind of deity cannot come into existence in whatever shape and nature, without the intervention of a higher power?

The main idea behind the statement, "then said to him "Be" and he is", often used for God's creative action, is that Allah masters the laws of causality. The imperative form gives a sense of absolute control, contrary to the similar but softer Biblical "Let there be". Grammatically, the statement "kun fa yakun/be and he is" is an idiom. Its constituents, like the gender/tenses/persons remain unchanged regardless of the sentence in which the idiom is integrated. The present tense, although speaking of a past event, also serves as a literary device to involve the audience/reader, making him the spectator of the event as it is unfolding, as if the coming to existence is happening now, in front of him.

Reason for Ambiguous verses in the Quran

5:15"O people of the Book! Indeed Our Messenger has come to you, to explain to you much of what you have concealed of the Book and pardoning much, indeed there has come to you from Allah a light and a clear book/mubin".

When the Quran describes itself with mubin, it always is in the context of declaring that it is clearly a book from God, not man made. The root is B-Y-N and it means between. The action of the verb is "betweening". This betweening can mean clarifying because one can know better the difference between two things. It also can mean distancing because the betweening makes things become apart. The Quran clearly separates what is human and what is divine, and it is in that sense that it is mubin, not in the sense of "easy to understand". 

To wholly grasp the Quran certainly is not an easy task and one must beware of a hasty approach to it, drawing wrong conclusions from isolated verses or sentences taken out of their context. One must take the time, allow the whole of the Quran to be revealed to one's mind before attempting to interpret its message 

75:16,20:114"and do not make haste with the Quran before its revelation is made complete to you and say: my Lord, increase me in knowledge". 

This is how the Quran is 

54:17"facilitated/yassarna for remembrence". 

The "taysir" of the Quran doesnt refer to it being made easy but rather facilitated, ie the means to grasp are within reach but require personal effort.

When the Quran says that it contains the explanation of everything 6:38,16:89 like the previous revelations 6:154,7:145, it means it answers all questions pertaining to salvation, as can be seen from the direct context let alone by having a basic grasp of the book's explicitly stated purpose. These important issues have been made easy to grasp and devoid of any possible room for ambiguity. These crucial matters are expressed in the form of concise and straightforward statements 

19:97,44:58,11:1"a Book, whose verses are made decisive/uhkimat, then are they made plain, from the Wise, All-aware" 3:7"He it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive, they are the basis/mother of the Book". 

UMM al Kitab literally translates to MOTHER of the book. In the highly conceptual language of the Arabs, because the mother takes her child to his goal of physical development, the word came to be used in other contexts for that which help in attaining a goal. In this case, the decisive verses help us reaching to the truth. These decisive verses are well obvious and scattered throughout the Quran. Each of these verses on its own, is Umm al Kitab, just as a group of them is Umm al Kitab. The 7 verses of sura Fatiha are Umm al Kitab but this does not negate that other verses in the Quran are Umm al Kitab.

Islamic tenets arent the result of centuries of conjectures and proof texting from ambiguous verses, as is the case with Trinitarianism. Containing "all things" thus means all that pertains to spiritual betterment. The HB similarly says Ps119"all your precepts concerning all things". The obvious intent is that it  encompasses all religious matters relevant to the addressees, it is not referring to spiritually irrelevant matters like medicine or cooking recipes.

3:7"He it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive (muhkamaat)..and others are allegorical (mutashabihaat); then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity they follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation. But none knows its interpretation except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding".

The mutashabihat literally means "look alike". They have a range of understandings that are similar but not entirely the same. They are verses open to several understandings because of the subject treated. All of these similar understandings are correct so long as they agree with the rules of the language and most of all, the muhkamat verses. The muhkamat, contrary to the mutashaabihat, only allow one interpretation. They are firm and decisive verses. It is nothing strange for a communication relating knowledge of higher realities outside the reach of current human perception, to address the people in such manner. Previous scriptures are replete with such verses, and all previous prophets were inspired with that mode of expression that gives way to several interpretations 

Hos12:10"And I spoke to the prophets, and I increased their visions; and to the prophets I assumed likenesses".

It was part of Allah's plan to include such verses in order to reveal those 

"in whose hearts there is perversity..seeking to mislead and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation".

It is a device out of many, that God has put in place in this world, so as to expose the perversity of the heart. A blatant example of people failing the test is that of trinitarian christians, typically looking to proof text their doctrines within verses open to a wide variety of interpretations, in disregard of the muhkamat/decisive verses of their own books. 

To pass this test, humanity has been explained that "none knows its reality/ta'wil except Allah". Ta'wil doesnt refer to the meaning, but the reality, the ultimate conclusion of the verses. God is saying only He knows their true reality, obviously since they are referring to things beyond the realm of human perception and experience. For instance anyone can understand the meaning of the mutashabihat speaking of the angels, heaven or hell but none knows their true manifestation other than God, since these things are still beyond any experience or human imagination. 

It is no coincidence that 3:7 belongs to sura Aele-Imran which relates the story of Mary and Jesus, as well as of Zachariah, all of whom belonged to the House of Imran. As already noted the deification of Jesus by his later followers is one of the most outstanding instances of how people might interpret revelation in a manner that disagrees with the true nature and purpose of the divine message. The realm of the unseen will always retain an aspect that is beyond our grasp. This does not however justify one building doctrines majoritarly based on those passages, while disregarding the unambiguous guiding principles that are easily found throughout the book, even within those speculative passages. 

For instance, if Jesus gave life, it was by Allah's permission. He had no independent ability to do so, not anymore than the staff of Moses had the intrinsic capacity to change shape. And if Mary conceived of Jesus in an unusual way, it was, again, by Allah's will. Even while there still remains a "grey area" as to the "how" these things occurred, this does not compromise Allah's unity since they are only possible by His permission, having no intrinsic power 

5:17"Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely, Allah-- He is the Messiah, son of Marium. Say: Who then could control anything as against Allah when He wished to destroy the Messiah son of Marium and his mother and all those on the earth? And Allah's is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; He creates what He pleases; and Allah has power over all things"

But to the ones bent on denying the truth in pursuit of their paradigms, they will still give primary importance to the speculative parts through which the decisive information is reinterpreted, exactly as the Quran depicts them in 3:7. Sura aal imran, following the argumentation against Jesus' divinity, issues an impactful challenge 3:61 that came to be known as al mubahala. Will those whose salvation depends on piecing together obscure passages of their books be willing to come forth and call for God's curse upon the liars? The verse mentions "the liars". Only those present at the imprecation among the husbands, wives and sons, who are making the false claim, will merit God's curse.

The miraculous circumstances of Jesus' birth, his life, and until he was taken by Allah provide a fertile ground for speculation and deviation, as soon as one loses sight of the decisive verses and principles through which one is to interpret those passages. 

Historically the context in which the mubahala occured is when Islam had become an undeniable power knocking at the doors of the neighboring empires of the time. The prophet had to preemptively protect the borders of the growing Islamic state either by conquering new territories or by forming alliances with the tribes and nations bordering those kingdoms. Among them the Christians of Najran with whom he expected to find common spiritual grounds. After sending them a letter inviting them to Islam, they came back to Mecca with a delegation to inquire of his message. They were received at his mosque where they were allowed to pray and reside. Then began the theological debate which ended with the challenge of mubahala. The Christians declined it and preferred agreeing on an amount of Jizya in exchange of keeping their religion and forming an alliance of common interest with the Muslim state. Had they been convinced of the truth they were arguing for, they wouldnt have hesitated taking the oath of the mubahala. But since truth did not matter to them, only the luxurious life their position as clergymen conferred them in their society, they preferred not taking any risks. So they bargained the truth against keeping their position of power. 

Like the elite of all times who clinged to their ways when a prophet came to them, they knowingly maintained a falsehood in place, corrupting the laymen, because it benefited them. The Quran thus ends the argument with a powerful and pertinent statement 

3:62-3"This is indeed the truth of the matter. There is no deity save God. Indeed, it is God Who is the Mighty, the Wise. And if they turn away, God has full knowledge of those who spread corruption".

Again, a powerful illustration of this concept of testing the hearts through the ambiguous verses is in 74:30-31. It speaks of Hell, the place containing all the evil of the past present and future, as being guarded by 19 angels. Hell is not the kingdom of the devil. It is a place sustained by God, guarded by angels and where punishment is inflicted, including to the devil. Although the mention of the guarding angels' numbers was apparently unnecessary, it later states the purpose as being a trial to both believers and disbelievers. 

When the disbelievers who were threatened with this abode and who used to boast about their own armies over those of the Believers heard this, they laughed that the prophet proclaimed hell was only guarded by an army numbering nineteen beings. They implied they would have no problems in handling them. 

This type of Quranic argumentation exposes those with a materialistic mind frame which cannot posit what is beyond their own experiences. The one approaching the book with an attitude of negativity and rejection will be misguided by it, unable to objectively ponder on it, leaving the intended meaning aside, solely going after the parts in a comprehensive and intricate argument that are open to speculation in order to discredit the deeper sense or corrupt it 

2:26"Surely Allah is not ashamed to set forth any parable-- (that of) a gnat or any thing above that (in humbleness); then as for those who believe, they know that it is the truth from their Lord, and as for those who disbelieve, they say: What is it that Allah means by this (the gnat or any other illustration) as a parable: He causes many to err by it and many He leads aright by it! but He does not cause to err by it (any) except the transgressors".  

On the other hand when the believers, who have faith that there is a world beyond their own experience and far beyond what they visualize in their ordinary lives heard this reality, they shuddered with fear at the message of the might of Allah and increased in faith. 

There are other similar instances of the Quran relating the disbelievers' skepticism of certain apparent impossibilities of the Hereafter. In a context of reminding that the water coming down from the cloud is a process established by God who could turn its sweetness into bitterness as He turned its bitterness into sweetness, He allows the process by which fire is ignited 56:68-74. Besides the obvious message of gratitude, these verses speaking of God being the originator and constant maintainer of the most basic to the the most complex phenomena we know, also convey the message that none should disbelieve in God's ability to reverse, or modify these realities. 

To a believer, the fact that Hell will be a place where both trees and fire will mingle 17:60 or that only 19 angels oversee hell is an insight into the nature of the Almighty's unseen kingdom, for his hosts in this realm act on a scale unimaginable for our current existence "and none knows the hosts of your Lord but He Himself". 

The Quran is stating in that verse that this phenomenon of relating the unseen, in and of itself is a trial, for it brings forth the opponents' actual malice towards the Quran. At the same time it benefits the believers in the process, those who already have affirmed the possibility of the unseen. When 74:31 speaks of the People of the Book being certain after hearing this parable, it refers to their knowledge of this phenomenon of God separating the good from the evil through this process of trial as well. The HB and NT refer to the manifestation of God's might on the last Day, as well and how they were ordered to await that Day. It also reveals how the believers rejoiced when told this news by their respective prophets.

Cain and Abel

 Manslaughter has several degrees of seriousness depending on the victim, as exemplified through the story of Adam's 2 sons, whom the Quran does not name as it eloquently and concisely draws its audience's attention to the story's core precepts without distracting it with names of persons and places

5:27"And relate to them the story of the two sons of Adam with truth". 

It is interesting to note the repetitve stress on re-establishment of the truth, most often when the Quran recounts an incident already known for long by its addressees but transmitted in a convoluted and/or purposefully obscured manner.

As will be shown below, the Quran sheds light on at least 2 crucial events within the whole narrative that are strikingly absent from the HB. These details have important implications and ramifications not only for the protagonists but for all mankind; the reason for the rejection of one brother's offering, derogatorily referred to with al akhar. It means "remaining", he remains after first introducing the virtuous brother. The word also creates a kind of disdain and distancing between the sinful character and the audience/reader. The second issue the Quranic narrative tacles is the killing of the other brother, how it was unjustifiable from every possible angle.

For brevity's sake, the 2 brothers will be given their Biblical names.

Abel first sought reforming his brother. He pointed that the offering was rejected due to his sinfulness or lack of piety (the divine approval/disapproval might have manifested itself through inspiration, either to Abel or his father the prophet Adam). He should thus focus on his inner self, reassessing his spirituality and mend his ways instead of being envious 5:27. The nature of the offering in itself is not important, so long as it is done with sincerity and God-consciousness, hence the Quran's silence on the things both brothers offered

 22:37"There does not reach Allah their flesh nor their blood, but to Him is acceptable the guarding (against evil) on your part; thus has He made them subservient to you, that you may magnify Allah because He has guided you aright; and give good news to those who do good (to others)".

 

This is a major point driven through by the Quran. In the HB, God disdainfully rejects Cain's offering for no other reason that

Gen4:3"Cain brought the fruit of the soil" 

while Abel 

"brought the firstborn of his flocks and the fattest, and the Lord turned to Abel and to his offering"

This sacrificial rite is no more than a symbol of a conscious, selfless offering in God's name of something one cherishes as necessary and valuable. It is not an attempt to "appease" Him who is far above anything that resembles human emotion, nothing of His creation can disturb Him 35:44. Ultimately anything offered to Allah in God consciousness counts as of equal value and merit than a blood offering as stated in 22:37 above. The primary issue is to remain aware of Allah during this universal rite

 22:34"To every people did We appoint rites, that they might celebrate the name of God over the sustenance He gave them" 

The Quran recognizes the universality of this rite, and then restores it to the right, original course; glorifying God alone, first and foremost.

It is when one loses Allah's pleasure from sight in the process, such as by having one's intentions polluted with sinfulness as occurred to Cain, or by having other deities or motives in mind, that the offering is invalidated. The merit does not lie in the intrinsic value or nature of the offering. Even fasting for Allah's sake by the one who cannot afford an offering is a valid substitute 2:196. 

Although the HB echoes that reality when it says 

Ps50:8-14"..Will I eat the flesh of bulls or do I drink the blood of he-goats? Slaughter for God a confession and pay the Most High your vows". 

 Yet in other places, YHWH is depicted as physically delecting with the offering

Lev1:9"Then, the kohen shall cause to [go up in] smoke all [of the animal] on the altar, as a burnt offering, a fire offering, [with] a pleasing fragrance to the Lord". 

This is reminiscent of ancient mythologies, more particularily Babylonian, where the gods would partake in the offering together with the offerer. In the HB numbers18 the priests making the offering are the only ones allowed to eat from the dead animal. Gods do not sit on the same table as the laymen. The Quran in sharp contrast allows to

22:28-36"eat of them and feed the poor man who is contented and the beggar; thus have We made them subservient to you, that you may be grateful".

Finally, regardless of Cain's decision, Abel said he will not attempt murdering his brother in return, on account of his deep God-consciousness. Cain is now left with no reason to carry on with his death threats. Abel this way left the entire burden of manslaughter on his brother, not sharing any responsibility for having caused this action, for example by threatening Cain back with death, or fighting back so fiercely that he puts Cain's life in danger

5:28"If you will stretch forth your hand towards me to slay me, I am not one to stretch forth my hand towards you to slay you surely I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds". 

Cain apparently did not show any sign of reform, prompting Abel, despite his initial pleas, to openly declare his enmity towards his brother, making it clear to him what would be the eternal consequences of what he was about to commit

5:29"Surely I want that you should bear my sin and your sin, and so you would be of the inmates of the fire, and this is the recompense of the unjust". 

Abel wanted his brother to carry the burden of "my sin and your sin". It is speaking of 2 specific sins, in the singular. The context shows what these 2 specific sins are; Abel's unjust murder ie "my sin", and Cain's sinfulness, his refusal to reform himself despite the repeated pleas of his brother, leading to him being bent on murdering his brother ie "your sin". Certain commentators have erroneously assumed the word was in the plural, concluding that the murder transfered the victim's past sins to the criminal.

Again, Abel at no point denies he will defend himself and fight back if he sees Cain coming with the purpose of realizing his death threats. He didnt say "I wont defend myself and will let you do whatever you want with me" he only said "I do not intend, under any circumstances, to kill you".

 

Despite his brother's increased admonitions, from gentle pleas and pointing the wrong ways, to threatening him with hellfire should he commit the crime, Cain slew Abel. The victim was not only innocent of any wrongdoing, but did not even raise his hand with the intention of killing him while he defended himself. What made matters worse, Cain knew beforehand that Abel would never under any circumstance pose a threat to his life. With his crime, Cain had established an evil precedent among the sons of Adam. This precedent has found its way all throughout the history of mankind, down to our present days

"The Prophet said, "None is killed unjustly, but the first son of Adam will have a part of its burden." Sufyan said, "...a part of its blood because he was the first to establish the tradition of murdering". 

The hadith speaks of the concept of misleading others into sin. We will never establish the chain of events linking our current experiences and actions all the way to the first sons of Adam. But this hadith tells us the connection exists, so much so that whenever an unjust murder is comitted, Cain is burdened with SOME of that sin, not all of it. This is simple common sense as one cannot be held fully responsible for a crime he was enticed into comitting. It does not take away one's responsibility in the sin, rather determines the level of involvement of every individual.

God knows very well those who conceal or misconstrue the Truth 41:40 and such sin causes the rejection from God's grace, rejection by men and angels alltogether 2:161. This type of human and spiritual injustice is "fitna", not based on any reasonable evidence and knowledge but instead on inner desires, wordly interests, blind attachement to inherited ways, and the Quran logically explains that the misleaders shall bear their own burden of sins as well as the responsibility of misleading others -intentionally or not- into sin 4:85,16:25,29:12-13 without diminishing from the moral responsibility and consequent requital of those they mislead 14:21,43:36-9. Once more, misleaders do not take away the share of responsibility of a person in his sin, because none bears the burden of other people's sins 17:13-15,53:38-42. Misleaders share their own burdens in those specific sins which they enticed others into committing. Thus each one shares his full burden of responsibility within one and the same sin. This why the Quran keeps warning to guard

36:45"against that which is before you and that which is behind you"

  the "before" referring to the action one is about to perform and "behind" is the consequence of this action, referred to as the footsteps one leaves behind

36:12,37:69-70,43:22"they say: We found our fathers on a course, and surely we are guided by their footsteps". 

There is a reason why, in sura fatiha, we seek example from people of the past confirmed to have succeeded spiritually, hence the use of the past alladhina anaamta alayhim.

This story of Adam's 2 sons establishes that in the next life, punishment is a matter of degrees, where a murderer can get a more severe punishment depending upon the person he killed. The one slain was innocent of any wrongdoing, even warned his brother that was about to kill him, tried reforming him, and finally pointed the grave consequences of his sins. But this familial tragedy was about to repeat itself, as the murderous Israelites were trying by all means to put an end to their Ishmaelite brother's life, despite his calls to reforms, there being no reasons for them to threaten and attack him, and his warnings of hellfire should they carry on with their deadly intentions. The Jews of the prophet's time were not only trying to kill a man innocent of any wrongdoing against them and in general, but were trying to kill a prophet of God as their forefathers tried doing and sometimes succeeded against the prophets raised from among themselves and who called them to adhere to their own Books which they had thrown behind their backs and forgotten. The story of the 2 sons of Adam ends with a reminder of a lesson they knew very well

5:32"For this reason did We write upon the children of Israel that whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men".

Human actions are predetermined?

The Quranic concept of attributing to Allah the consequence of a man's actions, even for the most insignificant things like the clothes man wears, reminds man that the laws of the universe are caused then allowed by Him, He is the only Independent Cause 

11:56"there is no creature except that He is holding its forelock". 

He "causes" the spiritual senses to be sealed, as one often reads. In Quran terminology this means He has established and allowed a process in which willful, repeated transgression leads to a progressive dimming of the innate spiritual receptivity 

91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it". 

This higher reality in terms of causality is similar to Allah "causing" physical death as a result of repeated auto-mutilation. God could, against their freewill, prevent people from sinning 18:65-82,6:107,112,137, force them to believe 2:253,5:48,6:35,149,11:118, let them live their sinful life 111:1-5 or interrupt the system of freedom of choice at anytime 11:36, and all is done according to His Knowledge, Wisdom and Justice.

 Even a person's sins can be said to be ultimately from Allah, but without precluding moral responsibility. Sins come in result of a chain of causality established, allowed and sustained at all times by Allah; Neglect and disobedience to one's innate virtuous potential leads to heedlessness of the external signs until transgression occurs. Allah "caused" the person to sin by allowing the process which fully integrates moral responsibility. 

Therefore nothing happens, good or bad, unless Allah wills it/allows it, and it is as a clear reminder of this supreme reality that in some instances speaking of human will, Allah's will immidiately follows 

81:28-29,76:29-30"Surely this is a reminder, so whoever pleases takes to his Lord a way, And you do not please except that Allah please, surely Allah is Knowing, Wise". 

This basically is one of the pillars of Quranic teachings, striking a balance between divine will and human effort. The sequence in the verses of sura takwir above make it clear, in the system of causality established, allowed and sustained at each instant by God, and which intricately integrates moral responsibility, humans need to be resolved upon an action, then God either allows or not that intent to be executed. Similarily it states in the HB in 

Prov16:9"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord prepares his step". 

God has decreed that man shall earn in this world and/or the next the consequences of his freechoices, while remaining ultimately subservient to His will, which is predicated upon justice, wisdom and mercy 

10:44"Allah does not do any injustice to men, but men are unjust to themselves". 

As similarily put by the prophet Elihu in the Hebrew Bible

 Job34:10-11"far be it for God [to commit] wickedness or for the Almighty to [commit] injustice. For He recompenses man for his deed, and according to man's way He causes him to find". 

Some reports depict the prophet as encapsulating that notion. When people came asking him whether it is right to inflict punishment in the hereafter when one acts upon a preordained evil deed 

"Thereupon, he said: Of course, it happens as it is decreed by destiny and preordained for them, and this view is confirmed by this verse of the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious.." 

And the prophet went on quoting the main verse that epitomizes the Quranic concept of freewill and ingrained cognizance of God 

91:7-10"And (by) a soul and He Who proportioned it. And inspired it with its wickedness and its virtue. One has succeeded whoever purified it. And one has failed whoever corrupted it". 

The "wickedness" is the ability to do evil and the "virtue" is the opposite. Both potentials are within human power and will, as stated in the second part of the verse. Another hadith illustrates that point 

"Evil one is he who is evil in the womb of his mother and the good one is he who takes a lesson from the (fate of) others". 

One is ingrained with the ability for evil, right in the womb. This is the very essence of freewill. Once born, the person then either chooses to do good by "taking lessons" or refuses to do so by developing his evil potential instead. God has thus preordained that one should strive to purify one's soul, with the strength of one's inner positive potential.

God's foreknowledge of a volitional act includes that the act must be done freely; God knows that I will do a certain thing by my own free will. Since the knowledge of God does not fail, my action has to be a free action caused by my free will. Should my action prove to be a product of compulsion, the knowledge of God would fail.

In another hadith, the prophet reportedly says 

"Allah has written for the son of Adam his inevitable share of adultery whether he is aware of it or not: The adultery of the eye is the looking (at something which is sinful to look at), and the adultery of the tongue is to utter (what it is unlawful to utter), and the innerself wishes and longs for (adultery) and the private parts turn that into reality or refrain from submitting to the temptation". 

We see again, that God's foreknowledge of these different types of adultery includes man's freedom of choice. He either turns temptation into reality or refrains from it.