11) Difference between the development of Islamic Thought...

11.Difference between the development of Islamic Thought and that of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity is considerable. In Islamic philosophy, the inclination was directed towards multiplying the Divine Attributes in a sense to consider all creatures as Divine Attributes. At the same time, such attributes do not impair Divine Unity. The early Islamic scholars of Kalam were aware of modalism in Trinity and believe that common people’s perception is nothing but innovation.

The theory of modalism is attributed to Sibelius (11), who considers God as a person with three attributes which certain Muslim Sufis also used in their poems. The modalism approach of the Trinity was strongly discarded in Christian theology. For they believe in a vertical Trinity, that is, father and son, according to which son does not possess perfect divinity.

In refuting the modalism approach towards Trinity, they believe that God not only is three in terms of meaning but is a Triad personality. (12) According to Mutakallimun, this idea is a kind of polytheism as the Quran says: “Believe therefore in Allah and His Apostle and say not three. Desist, it is better for you; Allah is only One God….” Kendi argued against the doctrine of the Trinity and Christians tried to reply to it.

Kendi said: “Threefold personality cannot be included in the categories of porphyry.” Yahya bin Adi, the well-known Christian learned-man in return replied as: “Such beings are individual substances.” (13) Mutakallimun of Islam like Ghazzali used the argument of Tamama (an argument in kalam), derived from the Quran to prove the Divine Unity. Ghazzali says that if there were two gods, then if one of them wanted to act, the other one had to favour it or oppose it.

In the former case, he would have been a follower which impairs his omnipotence and in the latter cases, one of them would have been weaker which again impairs their omnipotence. The same argument was applied by Scotus against a kind of Trinity namely the social Trinity. In such Trinity, God has three distinct personalities. Every one of them possesses certain attributes which suffice for being a god. The argument of Tamano was applied by new Christian scholastics as logical reasoning. (14).

NOTES: _________________________ 1. Awail al-Maqalat, p.50. 2. Ibid., p.58. 3. Awail al-Maqalat, p.58. 4. Sabzawari, Manzumah. 5. McDermott, 1978, p. 134ff. 6. Ibn `Arabi, Futuhat Makkiyah, vol.4, p.294. 7. Ibid., vol.2, p.516. 8. Al-Hikmat al-`Ushi`ah, p.229.

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