The Quran and the Trinity

            Christian polemics are quick to point out the Quran’s representation of the Trinity to prove that Islam is a false religion. They claim that the Quran misrepresents the doctrine of the Trinity as a form of polytheism or that the Quran includes Mary as a person in the Trinity which is also incorrect. It will be shown that the charges of the polemics are completely false. 
    The Quranic verse that discusses the Trinity is:
    “O People of the Book! Do not go to extremes regarding your faith; say nothing about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and the fulfilment of His Word through Mary and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say, ‘Three.’ Stop!—for your own good. Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him! He is far above having a son! To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee of Affairs.” (4:171)
One of the issues raised in reference to the verse above comes from the line, “‘Three.’ Stop!—for your own good. Allah is only One God” as it assumes that Christians believe in three Gods rather than being monotheistic. Firstly, the verse can be interpreted in several ways, do not say three Gods, or do not say three persons, it is evident that the verse is saying that God is not in a class of three or in a set with two others. Secondly, no matter how many Christians profess the belief in one God, it is only on their lips as the doctrine of the Trinity as understood by orthodoxy necessarily entails polytheism. An explanation of this is given in my blog post, “Notes on the Christian Trinity and Incarnation - A Metaphysical Critique”. Simply, if each of the three persons are fully God and they are not each other, this entails that there are three Gods. The tritheism objection is a well-known argument in Christian analytical philosophy. Even the Church Father, Gregory of Nyssa, claims that it is a serious problem rather than a strawman of the Christian doctrine in his famous “Letter to Ablabius” When the Quran says, “do not say, ‘Three’”, it is addressing all forms of the Trinity in one sentence.
            The second verses often cited by Christians against Islam are:
    “Those who say, “Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,” have certainly fallen into disbelief. The Messiah ˹himself˺ said, “O Children of Israel! Worship Allah—my Lord and your Lord.” Whoever associates others with Allah ˹in worship˺ will surely be forbidden Paradise by Allah. Their home will be the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers. Those who say, “Allah is one in a Trinity,” have certainly fallen into disbelief. There is only One God. If they do not stop saying this, those who disbelieve among them will be afflicted with a painful punishment. Will they not turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness? And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger. ˹Many˺ messengers had ˹come and˺ gone before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They both ate food.1 See how We make the signs clear to them, yet see how they are deluded ˹from the truth˺!” (5:72-75)
The Christians ask why the Quran mentions that the Messiah and his mother both used to eat food as it is a silly argument. However, this argument is straightforward, as if they were dependent upon food for their sustenance, this entails they are contingent beings and therefore cannot be God as God is independent and self-sustaining. Christians are quick to respond that during the incarnation, Christ in his human nature was dependent while his divine nature was not. However, how can one explain how the person of Christ is both independent and dependent? The same blog post mentioned above further discusses the logical problem of the incarnation.
The last verse of the Quran mentioned by Christians is:
    “And ˹on Judgment Day˺ Allah will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you ever ask the people to worship you and your mother as gods besides Allah?” He will answer, “Glory be to You! How could I ever say what I had no right to say? If I had said such a thing, you would have certainly known it. You know what is ˹hidden˺ within me, but I do not know what is within You. Indeed, You ˹alone˺ are the Knower of all unseen.” (5:116).
Christians claim that since these two verses (the verse above and from 5:75) are from the same chapter, this is the Trinity it is referring to and since no Christian takes Mary as God or a person in the Trinity, Islam is false. However to claim that these verses are connected cannot be proven exegetically, it has always been understood that they are two separate verses with two separate contexts, even if they are both referring to Christianity. As for Mary, there is nowhere in the verse that mentions Mary as being part of the Trinity, meanwhile, in the verses where the Trinity is mentioned, Mary is not included. As for, “and your mother as gods besides Allah”, Christians do not need to explicitly state that Mary is their God for this statement to be true. Many things the Christians do, especially Catholics, elevate her status as if they are taking her as a God. This includes praying to Mary and asking her for specific things – this should only be done to God as only God saves! The “Hail Mary” prayer begins with, 
    “Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death…”
    In conclusion, the Christian polemics claiming that the Quran misrepresents the doctrine of the Trinity are unfounded. The Quranic verses addressing the Trinity emphasize the oneness of God and caution against ascribing partners to Him. The notion that the Quran includes Mary as a person in the Trinity is unsupported by the text. While Christians may argue against these verses, it is essential to recognize the distinct contexts and interpretations within Islamic theology.