The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 50
CH. 3 ĀL-E-‘IMRĀN PT. 3 a Messenger of God and a fulfilment called Saifullah (the Sword of God) or of His word (ab) which He sent down | Asadullah (the Lion of God), so is the to Mary and mercy () from Him. So expression Kalimatullāh. According to believe in Allah and His Messengers the same authority, Jesus was called and say not, 'They are three. Desist, it Kalimatullah also because his birth will be better for you; verily Allah is did not take place through the agency the only one God. Far is it from His of a male parent, but by the direct holiness that He should have a son. "command" of God (19:21, 22). To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, and sufficient is Allah as a guardian. The words speak for themselves. Curiously enough, some Christian writers have asserted that the Holy Prophet did not understand the real significance of the word Kalimah. The word is Arabic; and to say that an Arab of the Holy Prophet's knowledge and intelligence did not know its meaning or significance is simply absurd. It is a fact that neither the Holy Prophet nor any of his followers ever attached to this word any extraordinary significance which might exalt Jesus over the rest of humanity. Large numbers of Christians have accepted Islam in the past. While studying the Quran, they must have come across this word several times but none of them ever took it in the sense in which our Christian critics pretend to take it, and none of them ever believed in the godhood of Jesus on account of this expression having been used in the Quran. The great lexicographers, the author of Tajul-Urūs, says that Jesus has been called Kalimatullāh because his words were helpful to the cause of religion. Just as a person who helps the cause of religion by his valour is 490 Besides the literal meanings given above, the Quran has used this word in the following senses: (1) "a sign" as in 66:13 and 8:8; (2) "punishment" as in 10:97; (3) "plan" or "design" as in 9:40; (4) "glad tidings" as in 7:138; (5) "creation of God" as in 31:28 and 18:110; (6) "a mere word of mouth" or "a mere assertion" as in 23:101. Taken in any of the above senses, the word ab (Kalimah) in no way gives to Jesus a status higher than that of other Prophets. Again, if Jesus has been called Kalimah (word) in the Quran, the Holy Prophet has been called Dhikr, i. e. a book or a good speech (65:11, 12), which evidently consists of many Kalimāt (words). In fact, if Kalimatullāh is taken in the sense of "word of God," the utmost we can say is that God expressed Himself through Jesus just as He expressed Himself through other Prophets. Words are nothing but a vehicle for the expression of thoughts. They do not form part of our being nor do they become incarnated. The personal pronoun in the expression (his name) occurring in the verse, being in the masculine gender, evidently cannot refer to Kalimah, which is in the feminine