“The Word and the Spirit: Qur’anic Titles for Jesus That Undermine Its Own Theology”

Introduction

One of the most striking verses in the Qur’an is Surah 4:171, which says:

“The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He directed to Mary, and a soul [spirit] from Him…”
— Qur’an 4:171 (Sahih International)

This verse grants Jesus titles found nowhere else in the Qur’an for any other human being:

• "His Word" (Kalimatuhu)

• "a Spirit from Him" (Ruhun minhu)

Yet, the same verse paradoxically denies His divinity:

“…So believe in Allah and His messengers, and do not say ‘Three’; desist—it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God.”

This creates a significant theological tension: how can Jesus be called “the Word of God” and “a Spirit from Him” while being demoted to merely a human messenger?

Let’s break down the implications logically, theologically, and historically.

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1. “The Word of God” – What Does It Mean in Scripture?

In Christian theology, “the Word” (Greek: Logos) is the eternal expression of God’s being. The Gospel of John opens with:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh…” (John 1:1, 14)

This isn't poetic language—it is a theological assertion of Jesus’ divinity and preexistence.

Yet the Qur’an uses the exact same title—“His Word”—without qualification. Nowhere does it say other prophets are "God’s Word." Not Moses. Not Muhammad.

If the Qur’an were consistent, this title should be explained, qualified, or applied to others. But it isn’t. And that raises a serious problem: either the Qur’an accidentally affirms a core Christian claim, or it borrows Christian terminology without understanding its implications.

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2. “A Spirit from Him” – An Elevated Ontology

The Qur’an also calls Jesus “a spirit from God.” That phrase, ruh minhu, is unique. In all of Islamic theology, only two entities are ever described as a direct spirit from God:

• Adam – created from clay and then God “breathed into him of His Spirit” (Qur’an 15:29).

• Jesus – born of a virgin and described not as receiving God’s Spirit, but as a Spirit from Him.

In Islam, human souls are created. But “a spirit from Him” implies origin within God, not from a created medium. This opens an ontological question: if Jesus is from God’s own Spirit, how can He be merely human?

The Qur’an provides no coherent answer.

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3. Qur’anic Denial of Divinity: A Contradiction in Terms

While giving Jesus divine-sounding titles, the same verse hastily warns:

“Do not say ‘Three’… Allah is only one God.”

This seems like a theological backpedal. The Qur’an:

• Affirms Jesus’ virgin birth, unlike any other human.

• Calls Him the Messiah, God’s Word, and a Spirit from Him.

• Asserts that He created birds from clay and breathed life into them (Qur’an 3:49)—an act attributed only to God in the Torah.

• Says He is alive in heaven and will return to judge.

Then it insists: “He is just a messenger.”

This is logically incoherent. If Jesus is God’s Word, His Spirit, born of a virgin, performed divine acts, and remains alive in heaven—He cannot be "just a prophet" in the same way Muhammad was. The Qur’an fails to reconcile the ontological elevation it gives to Jesus with its insistence on His mere humanity.

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4. Theological Borrowing, Not Revelation

What best explains this contradiction? Historical evidence suggests Muhammad encountered fragmented Christian and Gnostic traditions during his travels and interactions with Arab Christians and heretical sects.

• "The Word" was a known Christian title (John 1:1).

• "A Spirit from Him" reflects language found in Syriac Christian hymns and apocryphal texts.

Muhammad likely borrowed these high Christological titles to elevate Jesus without accepting full Christian theology. The result is an internally conflicted portrayal: Jesus is more than human but less than divine.

This is not divine precision. It is doctrinal confusion—a hallmark of human authorship.

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5. Why This Matters

Muslim apologists often use 4:171 to show that Jesus is “respected” in Islam. But respect is not the issue—accuracy is. The Qur’an’s portrayal:

• Misuses theological language it doesn’t define.

• Applies divine titles inconsistently.

• Denies the implications of its own descriptions.

If Jesus is truly the Word of God, then He is uncreated, as God’s Word is eternal (per Islamic theology itself—cf. eternal Qur’an doctrine). If He is a Spirit from God, He is not merely flesh. Either way, the Qur’an unintentionally affirms too much, then walks it back—revealing a patchwork theology.

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Conclusion: A Self-Defeating Denial

Surah 4:171 is one of the most theologically rich—and self-defeating—verses in the Qur’an. In attempting to deny Jesus’ divinity, it ascribes to Him titles that Islamic theology cannot logically sustain without undermining its own insistence on His humanity.

This contradiction is not just semantic—it is fatal to the Qur’an’s theological coherence. The verse ends by warning not to “say three,” but the damage is already done: Jesus is set apart in a way that collapses the Qur’an’s claim of him being "only a messenger."

No other prophet is called God’s Word or God’s Spirit. And that leaves Islam with two choices:

• Affirm what it implies—and accept Jesus' divine nature.

• Deny what it says—and admit doctrinal inconsistency.

Either way, the Qur’an cannot have it both ways.