Throughout human history, the most critical issue at the heart of religion and belief systems has been preserving the boundary between the Creator and the created. The belief in Tawhid — meaning the oneness and uniqueness of Allah — is the cornerstone of Islam in particular. However, throughout history, humanity has shown a tendency to cling to tangible figures and exalt them, in an attempt to overcome the difficulty of believing in an unseen God. The most dangerous consequence of this tendency is the transgression of the human boundaries of the messengers sent as Allah's envoys, loading them with divine or semi-divine attributes. THE DEIFICATION OF MESSENGERS: A HISTORICAL TENDENCY A. The Difficulty of Believing in the Unseen One of the fundamental characteristics of human psychology is the trust placed in what is concrete and visible. Believing in an unseen God has always been challenging for the human mind. This difficulty has throughout history driven people toward placing intermediaries between themselves and Allah, and then exalting those intermediaries. The Quran expresses this as follows:
"They serve, besides Allah, what neither harms nor benefits them, saying: These are our intercessors with Allah." (Yunus 18) This verse reveals the fundamental logic of shirk: people, thinking they cannot reach Allah directly, place intermediaries between themselves and Him, and over time they sanctify those intermediaries. B. The Forgetting of the Messengers' Human Nature Allah has clearly stated that all messengers sent to humanity are human beings. This is not an incidental choice; messengers must be human so they can serve as examples, experience the difficulties people face, and thereby offer genuine guidance. Yet as communities witnessed the extraordinary qualities of the messengers, they tended to overlook their human aspects and began attributing superhuman characteristics to them. THE DEIFICATION OF OUR PROPHET ISA IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION A. The Distortion of the Word "Lord" The most fundamental deviation in Christian theology is the attribution of the title "Lord" to our Prophet Isa, and the subsequent interpretation of this word to mean "God." In the original Aramaic and Hebrew texts, the word "rab" carries the meanings of "master, teacher, leader" — used as an expression of respect. However, especially after the Roman Empire declared Christianity its official religion, the councils convened to deliberate on the nature of our Prophet Isa elevated him to a position equal to Allah. At councils such as the Council of Nicaea (325) and the Council of Chalcedon (451), the dogma that our Prophet Isa was "fully human, fully God" was adopted. This is a clear violation of Tawhid. B. The Trinity's Contradiction with Tawhid The doctrine of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — which forms one of the foundational pillars of Christian theology, holds that one God manifests in three persons. This belief is incompatible with the principle of Tawhid. Allah's essence, attributes, and acts are one; He has no part or manifestation. The Quran warns on this matter in unequivocal terms. Attributes such as creatorship, authority to forgive, and worthiness of worship — attributed to our Prophet Isa — belong exclusively to Allah. Loading these attributes onto a human being means denying Allah's uniqueness and transcendence. C. The Doctrine of Incarnation The belief in Christian theology that Allah was born into a human body (incarnation) is an understanding unacceptable from the standpoint of Tawhid. Allah is exalted beyond space and time; it is impossible for Him to be embodied in flesh or to carry the characteristics of created beings. Our Prophet Isa is a servant and messenger of Allah, created miraculously. His birth without a father is not evidence of his divinity, but of Allah's power of creation. The Quran explains this by drawing a comparison with Adam. EXTREME INTERPRETATIONS ATTRIBUTED TO OUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD IN THE ISLAMIC TRADITION A. The Narration "Lawlaka lama khalaqtu'l-aflak" In the Islamic world, particularly within the Sufi tradition, narrations claiming that our Prophet Muhammad is the reason for creation have become widespread. The expression "Had it not been for you, I would not have created the heavens" (Lawlaka lama khalaqtu'l-aflak), found in works such as Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, is accepted by many as a hadith; however, it is not authentic according to hadith methodology and contradicts the Quran. This understanding places our Prophet Muhammad at the center of Allah's purpose in creation, thereby casting a shadow over the belief in Tawhid. Yet the Quran clearly states the purpose of creation: "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." (Adh-Dhariyat 56) In this verse, the purpose of creation is defined as worship of Allah — not for any messenger or created being. To tie Allah's will to create to a human being means limiting His absolute power and will. B. The Concept of the Nur-i Muhammadi (Muhammadan Light) The concept of Nur-i Muhammadi, prevalent in certain Sufi circles, holds that our Prophet Muhammad is the first light Allah created and that all of creation came into existence from him. According to this understanding, the light of our Prophet Muhammad is the source of all created things, and everything in the universe derives from this light. This belief contradicts one of Islam's fundamental principles: "The Creator of all things is Allah alone." The Quran gives no place to such an understanding anywhere; on the contrary, it emphasizes that Allah created everything from nothing and that no being shares in the act of creation. C. The Question of Our Prophet Muhammad's Infallibility Another extreme interpretation widespread in traditional belief is the doctrine of isma — that the messengers, and especially our Prophet Muhammad, are completely immune from sin. This belief has not remained limited to saying that messengers are protected from major sins; according to some commentators, it has gone so far as to claim they are protected even from minor sins and have never made any error at all. However, the Quran clearly shows that messengers are human beings capable of making mistakes, and that they were also put to trial. There are various verses indicating that our Prophet Muhammad was wrong in some of his decisions and was corrected by Allah. These verses show that our Prophet Muhammad was also human and capable of error. His greatness lies in his acknowledgment of mistakes and his correction of them through Allah's guidance. THE QURAN'S WAY OF DEFINING THE MESSENGERS A. The Messengers Are Only Conveyors and Warners The Quran defines the role of the messengers in an extremely clear manner. They are neither creators, nor forgivers, nor beings worthy of worship. Their duty is to convey Allah's revelation to people, to warn them, and to give them glad tidings: "Say: I am only a human being like you. It is revealed to me that your God is only One God, so take a straight path to Him and seek His forgiveness. And woe to the mushrikeen!" (Fussilat 6) This verse is an expression spoken by our Prophet Muhammad himself, emphasizing his humanity. He is a human being like all other human beings; the only difference is that revelation comes to him. Our Prophet Muhammad is a messenger who conveys Allah's mercy to humanity. He is not the source of mercy, but the bearer of it. B. The Reality That Messengers Were Also Tested and Made Mistakes The Quran narrates that the messengers were not perfect, that they too were tested, and that they at times made mistakes. These narratives are the strongest evidence against the deification of the messengers. C. The Command Not to Differentiate Between the Messengers In traditional belief, the tendency to regard our Prophet Muhammad as superior to other messengers is common. However, the Quran offers a balanced approach on this matter. It emphasizes that believers must have equal faith in all messengers. It is not right to exalt any one messenger above another, or to believe in one messenger while rejecting another. On the other hand, the Quran also states that Allah has given some messengers different duties and distinctions from others: "Those Messengers — some of them We caused to excel others. Among them were those to whom Allah spoke, and He raised some of them in degrees. And We gave Isa, son of Maryam, clear proofs, and We supported him with the Pure Spirit. And if Allah had willed, those after them would not have fought each other after the clear proofs had come to them, but they differed. Some of them believed and some of them disbelieved. And if Allah had willed, they would not have fought. But Allah does what He wills." (Al-Baqarah 253) This verse shows that the differences among the messengers are by Allah's decree and pertain to duty and responsibility. However, this does not call for people to create their own hierarchy of superiority among the messengers. The true worth of the messengers lies in their standing before Allah, and this is known only to Allah. THE DANGERS OF DEIFYING THE MESSENGERS A. The Corruption of the Belief in Tawhid Attributing superhuman qualities to the messengers undermines the fundamental principles of the belief in Tawhid. Ascribing to messengers the attributes that belong exclusively to Allah obscures His uniqueness and absolute power. Acts such as creating, providing sustenance, forgiving, and interceding belong to Allah alone. To associate a human being as a partner in these acts in terms of power and authority is open shirk. The Quran states unequivocally that shirk will not be forgiven. B. The Placing of Barriers Between Allah and His Servant The excessive exaltation of the messengers prevents people from turning directly to Allah. There is no need for any intermediary between Allah and His servant. Every person can pray directly to Allah, ask help from Him, and take refuge in Him. C. Straying from the Essence of Religion The deification of the messengers leads to straying from the original message of religion. The fundamental message of Islam is the oneness of Allah and sincere worship of Him. The messengers are the bearers of this message, not the message itself. When excessive importance is given to the messengers, the message recedes into the background, and rituals, customs, and personality cults come to the forefront. RETURN TO THE BELIEF IN TAWHID: SOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A. A Quran-Centered Faith In order to preserve the belief in Tawhid, we must understand our religion in a Quran-centered manner. The Quran is the word of Allah and reflects His will most clearly. No narration, tradition, or interpretation that contradicts the Quran can be accepted. The Quran has defined the position of the messengers in clear terms. Remaining faithful to this definition means giving the messengers their rightful due. B. The Importance of Critical Thinking and Questioning Rather than following tradition blindly, everything must be passed through the filter of the Quran and reason. Muslims must not have faith without questioning and reflection. C. Education and Awareness Wrong beliefs and practices widespread in society can be corrected through education and awareness. The importance of Tawhid must be explained in mosques, schools, and within families, and the true positions of the messengers must be taught. It is especially important that children are raised from an early age with a correct understanding of Allah. The uniqueness of Allah, the reality that power belongs to Him alone, and the fact that no being can be made a partner with Him must form the foundation of education. The history of humanity is filled with the struggle to preserve the belief in Tawhid. Allah called humanity to Tawhid by sending messengers, yet in time people deviated from this call and deified the envoys. The deification of our Prophet Isa in Christian theology is the most prominent example of this deviation. Unfortunately, in the Islamic world as well, tendencies to attribute excessive importance to our Prophet Muhammad and to load him with superhuman qualities are observed. The Quran makes it unmistakably clear that the messengers are only servants and envoys of Allah. They are human beings entrusted with conveying Allah's message to people. To love them, respect them, and take them as examples is obligatory — but this must not mean deifying them or associating them as partners with Allah. To return to the belief in Tawhid is to return to the essence of Islam. To acknowledge the oneness and uniqueness of Allah, to load no created being with divine attributes, to turn directly to Him, and to seek help from Him alone — this is what it means to be a believer. No being, including the messengers, can be made a partner with Allah. The purpose of creation is worship of Allah alone, and this truth must never be forgotten. In conclusion, the tendency to deify the messengers reveals a weakness in humanity's faith in Allah. Believing in the unseen may be difficult, but this difficulty cannot be a justification for deviating from the belief in Tawhid. Allah has provided His servants with sufficient evidence and guidance. The messengers are the bearers of this guidance. To place them where they truly belong — neither excessively exalting them nor belittling them — is the requirement of true Islam.
