No God but One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity

by Nabeel Qureshi

Although the Islamic inquisition thus came to an end, the arguments about the Quran did not. Ultimately, the majority of Muslims espoused a view exactly contrary to the defenders of tawhid. Based on the position of a man named al-Ashari, the average Muslim today believes that the Quran is eternal despite the problem this creates for tawhid. And how did al-Ashari counter the arguments of the rationalists? How can the Quran be eternal without challenging the absolute unity of Allah? His response is famous: bila kayf, or “without how.” In other words, there is no rational resolution; it is just true that the Quran is eternal and this does not contradict tawhid. In this proclamation al-Ashari emphasized revelation and tradition over reason and rationality, and his method has remained dominant among Muslim thinkers ever since. Over time, and entirely without logical defense, al-Ashari’s position on tawhid became the standard view, changing the history of Islam forever. His position is so firmly entrenched that, ironically, those who take al-Mamun’s position today face persecution. In 1995 a highly respected Egyptian scholar named Nasr Abu Zayd was declared an apostate by sharia courts on account of his belief that the Quran is partially created. His marriage was officially annulled, he received death threats, and he was effectively forced into exile. However, in more tolerant Muslim environments like Turkey, debates about tawhid and the Quran continue unabated.