Ruh-ul-Qudus (Spirit of Holiness)

Submitted by Keith Williams (United States), Jan 21, 2009 at 15:37

Hi Ifrahim,

You wrote:

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"Mr. William there is NO concept of HOLY SPIRIT in Islam. Please remember that JESUS CHRIST was born by the HOLY SPIRIT. It is NOT just "BE" as Muslims argue. There was a complete message given to the Holy Mother Mary by the Angel Gabreil. Please refer Gospel of LUKE 26-35. You will see "HOLY SPIRIT IS THE POWER OF GOD".

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Actually there is a concept of "Holy Spirit" in Islam, ruh al-qudus. Who is Ruh al-Qudus ??? Ruh al-Qudus is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is Gabriel from the Qur'an and the bible, and Jesus was strengthened by God through the Holy Spirit Gabriel. The difference is that the Holy Spirit comes from the Spirit of God. I intend to establish that there is a difference between the Spirit of God (min-Ruh) and the Holy Spirit (Ruh-al-Qudus).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: the majority of scholars said that the Holy Spirit refers to Jibreel (peace be upon him), and that Allaah called him al-Rooh al-Ameen, Rooh al-Qudus and Jibreel." (Daqaa'iq al-Tafseer, part 1, p. 310)

In Qur'an Allah commanded the prophets through Gabriel:"Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah's will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe,-" (Qur'an 2:9)
Qul man kana AAaduwwan lijibreela fainnahu nazzalahu AAala qalbika biithni Allahi musaddiqan lima bayna yadayhi wahudan wabushra lilmumineena

Who brought the revelation? Gabriel! In the verse below Gabriel was call the "Holy Spirit": "Say, the Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from thy Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a Guide and Glad Tidings to Muslims. (Qur'an16:102)
Qul nazzalahu roohu alqudusi min rabbika bialhaqqi liyuthabbita allatheena amanoo wahudan wabushra lilmuslimeena

The word used there for "Holy Spirit" is "roohu alqudus"

The bible says the same thing: Luke 1:26-27"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary."
Matthew 1:18"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
Gabriel (S) is the "Holy Ghost" and the Holy Ghost is the "Holy Spirit".

In the Greek Septuagint O.T. (LXX) pneuma is for spirit and in Hebrew Ruah is for Spirit and in Arabic Rooh is for Spirit.
However, there is a difference between "Rooh-alqudus' and the "Rooh". The word "Rooh" translated as "Spirit" where else the word "Rooh-alqudus" translates as "Holy Spirit" in the Qur'an and always refers to Gabriel (S) as I have explained above in Qur'an 2:9 and 16:102.

Here it says in Matthew 1:20 "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."

In Qur'an it says: "And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples". (Qur'an 21:91)
Waallatee ahsanat farjaha fanafakhna feeha min roohina wajaAAalnaha waibnaha ayatan lilAAalameena (Qur'an 21:91)

Here also: "And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants)." (Qur'an 66:12)
Wamaryama ibnata AAimrana allatee ahsanat farjaha fanafakhna feehi min roohina wasaddaqat bikalimati rabbiha wakutubihi wakanat mina alqaniteena (Qur'an 66:12)

Jesus (S) was described as a Spirit proceeding from Allah (Ruhun minhu): "…Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah and His word (BE), which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him (Roohun minhu)…(Q.4:171)
Ya ahla alkitabi la taghloo fee deenikum wala taqooloo AAala Allahi illa alhaqqa innama almaseehu AAeesa ibnu maryama rasoolu Allahi wakalimatuhu alqaha ila maryama waroohun minhu…(Q.4:171)

In this verse Gabriel (S) was addressed as Rooh: She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. (Qur'an 19:17)
Faittakhathat min doonihim hijaban faarsalna ilayha roohana fatamaththala laha basharan sawiyyan (Qur'an 19:17)

Nevertheless, it is very clear that Allah (S) has breathed ‘his Spirit' (min-Rooh) into Mary (S) by way of Gabriel (S). Allah (S) did no breath Gabriel (S) into her. Same thing happen at the creation of man: "But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His spirit, And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do ye give!" (Qur'an 32:9)
Thumma sawwahu wanafakha feehi min roohihi wajaAAala lakumu alssamAAa waalabsara waalafidata qaleelan ma tashkuroona (Qur'an 32:9)

Also here, He Allah (S) said: "When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him." (Qur'an 38:72)
Faitha sawwaytuhu wanafakhtu feehi min roohee faqaAAoo lahu sajideena (Qur'an 38:72)

Here Allah (S) strengthens Jesus (S) with "Rooh-alqudus [Gabriel (S)]": Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit… (Qur'an 5:110)
Ith qala Allahu ya AAeesa ibna maryama othkur niAAmatee AAalayka waAAala walidatika ith ayyadtuka biroohi alqudusi(Qur'an 5:110)
We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of apostles; We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the holy spirit… (Qur'an 2:87)
Walaqad atayna moosa alkitaba waqaffayna min baAAdihi bialrrusuli waatayna AAeesa ibna maryama albayyinati waayyadnahu biroohi alqudusi (Qur'an 2:87)

Nothing new, it also in the bible according to Matthew3:16And Jesus, when he was baptized…lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Allah (S) also strengthen the Believers (Muslims) with his spirit (min rooh): "Thou wilt not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which Rivers flow, to dwell therein (for ever). Allah will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of Allah (Hezbullah). Truly it is the Party of Allah that will achieve Success." (Qur'an 58:22)
La tajidu qawman yuminoona biAllahi waalyawmi alakhiri yuwaddoona man hadda Allaha warasoolahu walaw kanoo abaahum aw abnaahum aw ikhwanahum aw AAasheeratahum olaika kataba fee quloobihimu aleemana waayyadahum biroohin minhuwayudkhiluhum jannatin tajree min tahtiha alanharu khalideena feeha radiya Allahu AAanhum waradoo AAanhu olaika hizbu Allahi ala inna hizba Allahi humu almuflihoona (Qur'an 58:22)

And Allah (S) said he: "Raised high above ranks (or degrees), (He is) the Lord of the Throne (of Authority): by His Command doth He send the spirit(of inspiration) to any of His servants he pleases, that it may warn (men) of the Day of Mutual Meeting," (Qur'an 40:15)
RafeeAAu alddarajati thoo alAAarshi yulqee alrrooha min amrihi AAala man yashao min AAibadihi liyunthira yawma alttalaqi (Qur'an 40:15)

But he Allah (S) also said when: "They ask thee concerning the spirit (of inspiration). Say: ‘The spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)'" (Qur'an 17:85)
Wayasaloonaka AAani alrroohi quli alrroohu min amri rabbee wama ooteetum mina alAAilmi illa qaleelan (Qur'an 17:85)

Jesus, even in the present versions of the Bible, repeatedly proclaimed and asserted the Oneness of God. He never claimed to be God or Son of God, nor did he refer to a triune god of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The word "Trinity" is not found anywhere in the whole Bible. Didn't Jesus (peace be upon him) say:

"The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is One Lord." (Mark 12:29)

Read also: "Jesus said to him: ‘Away from me. Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and Him only.'" (Matthew 4:10)

Other emphatic expressions of monotheism are abound in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. Read for example:

"And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 1:3 and Deuteronomy 5:7)

Some consider the statement in the first Epistle of John (5:7-8) as a reference to Trinity. It reads, according to the old King James version (1611 AC) of the Bible:

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water and the blood: and these three agree."

However, this text was radically changed in the revised editions of 1946 and 1952 to read:

"For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement."

• A footnote it is mentioned: "And there are three that testify on earth." This is not found in any Greek manuscript before the sixteenth century.

  Deviations from the pure doctrines of Jesus and all prophets before him started with Paul, who never met Jesus. Paul was the first to claim the Godhead and divine sonship of Jesus, as well as his resurrection. Yet, the disciples and the early Christian generations were unitarians. They resisted the efforts of Paul and his followers to change both the faith and law of Moses and Jesus, and, later, many of them were tortured and killed for holding to their faith.

  Trinity was imposed for the first time, as an official creed of the Roman Empire, by Emperor Theodosius in the year 381 AC. The motive was mainly political, to save the Roman Empire by putting an end to the split between the Unitarian Christians and the Trinitarians, a split that persisted even after the Council of Nicea in 325 AC adopted the Pauline doctrines deifying Jesus as son of God.

  Trinity, subsequently endorsed by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AC, attracted those who found in it a compromise between their original pagan beliefs and Christianity. Trinity was an invention of Athnasius of Alexandria in the 4th century after Jesus departure.

  It is a coinage of the Pauline doctrine with pagan beliefs of the ancient world. For example, in Egypt: Horus, Isis and Osiris, in India: Brahma, Siva and Visnu, as well as the Greek myths of people who are sons of the "Holy Ghost" (Apollo).
  Other influences of the pagan beliefs was the change of Sabbath holiday to the Roman Sun-day, and to change Christmas to 25th December, the birthday of the Roman Sun-god, Mithra. So the concepts of Trinity and the Holy Ghost or Spirit were, in fact, a pagan invention that neither Jesus nor the early Christians ever accepted or advocated. The Roman emperors as well as the Egyptian pharaohs were considered to be sons of God therefore it was easier for them to understand the trinity doctrine than it was to truly understand the monotheism of true Christianity and the original messages were all gathered up and called heretical and destroyed while the messages that somewhat supported the trinity doctrine with changes were canonized. Thank God that he sent another messenger as Jesus said he would. "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." (John 16:12-14)

  To properly understand what does the Holy Ghost really mean, both in the Bible and in the Qur'an, we find in (Matthew 1: 18):

  "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

  If we compare this with a similar narration of Luke:

  "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary." (Luke 1:26-27)

  We can readily see that the Holy Ghost mentioned in Matthew 1: 18 is himself the angel Gabriel. The Qur'an confirms the same in Surah 19, verses 17 - 19:

*{We sent to her [Mary] Our ruuh [angel Gabriel], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. … [The angel] said: "I am only a messenger from your Lord, [to announce] to you the gift of a righteous son.}*

The angel Gabriel is the same angel sent with divine messages and support of Allah to his prophets. The Qur'an says in Surah 16: 102 that:

*{Say [O Muhammad]: Ruh-ul-Qudus (Spirit of Holiness, i.e. Gabriel) has brought it [the Qur'an] down from your Lord with truth, that it may make firm and strengthen [the faith of] those who believe, and as a guidance and glad tidings to those who have submitted [to Allah as Muslims].}*

The same was the context of Surah 2, verse 87, which says that:

*{And indeed, We gave Moses the Book and followed him with a succession of messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Gabriel].}*

Also Surah 2, verse 253 says that:

*{And to Jesus the son of Mary, We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Gabriel].}*

Then Surah 5, verse 110 says that:

*{[Remember] when Allah will say [on the Day of Resurrection], "O Jesus son of Mary! Remember My favor to you and to your mother when I supported you with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Gabriel] so that you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity, and when I taught you writing, al-hikmah (the power of understanding), the Tawrah (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)."}*

The same role of the Holy Spirit (Gabriel), as a messenger and a supporter from Allah, can be understood from Luke 22:43.

"And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him".

See also:

"For he (John the Baptist) shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." (Luke 1: 15)

Also read:

"For he (Barnabas) was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people was added unto the Lord." (Acts 11: 24)

See as well:

"And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him." (Acts 5: 32)

To conclude, I want to bring to your attention concerning a quotation from the Gospel of John (John 3:4-6). Many Christian theologians suggest that this particular gospel was intentionally written to advocate the false claim of the divinity and divine sonship of Jesus? Many Christian theologians, priests, ministers, etc... have even reverted to Islam after coming to the conclusion that quotations like these show that some corruption was put in there in support of the false claim and they clearly see it but the answer they get from the Church is "you just have to have faith and believe that Jesus is God, son of God, and a man, a God-Man. We can't show you in the Bible but you just have to take it on faith". Most people revert from Christianity because they know deep down inside that the trinity doctrine is not supported in the Bible. There are also many non-trinity Christians who don't believe in the trinity and you may also call them herectics but I urge you to really look at the doctrines and then look at the Bible and you will see that it is two different things.

Two verses of the Qur'an would summarize the arguments elucidated above. Surah 4, verse 171 saying that:

*{ O people of the Scripture! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, was [no more than] a messenger of Allah and His word ["be" and he was] which He bestowed to Mary and a spirit [ruh] created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: "Three [Trinity]! Cease! [it is] better for you. For Allah is (the Only) One ilah (god), glory is to Him [Far Exalted is He] above having a son.}*

Also Surah 2, verse 79 saying that:

*{Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say, "This is from Allah," to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn thereby.}*

peace

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