of the Godhead so transcends all human thought and language that we cannot fully comprehend or express it. Whether we call Jesus the Son of God or the Word of God, the meaning in each case is to express His Deity. When we come to discuss the doctrine of the Trinity, we shall see that belief in His Divine Sonship is not contrary to reason but demanded thereby. No true doctrine can be directly contrary to reason, but all that concerns the nature of God Most High may well be superior to our fallible and limited intellect. This is why your Tradition (حديث Hadith) says, "Argument about the nature of God is blasphemy" (البحث عن ذات الله كفر ). All we can know of such matters is what has been revealed to us by God Himself, and the Bible very clearly asserts the Divine Sonship of Jesus.

115. M. The Qur'an denies the Deity of Jesus, and declares that God can destroy Him (Surah V., Al Maidah, 19). He was a prophet, and is compared to Adam (Surah III., Al 'Imran, 52); and he was a servant of God (Surah XLIII., Az Zukhruf, 59: cf. V., Al Maidah, 109, 110), but no more. Your Bible must therefore be wrong in proclaiming His Deity.

C. Again you take the Qur'an as a touchstone, and assume that it is from God. This, however, you cannot prove. Until it is proved, the argument that the Qur'an is opposed to the Bible may shake the authority of the Qur’an but not that of the

Bible. For the Qur'an not only confesses the Bible to be the Word of God, but states that it was itself sent down to confirm and guard the Bible; nay more, it appeals to the Bible in support of Muhammad's claims (Surah VII., Al A'raf, 156; Surah LXI., As Saff, 6). Even taking into consideration the verses to which you refer, the teaching regarding Jesus which the Qur'an gives amounts to this, that He is far higher in nature and dignity than any other prophet.

116. M. It certainly cannot be proved from the Qur'an that Jesus is superior to Muhammad, who is called "the Apostle¹ of God and the Seal of the Prophets" (Surah XXXIII., Al Ahzab, 40).

C. Besides these titles, the first of which is given to Salih as well as to Muhammad (Surah XCI., Ash Shams, 13), the latter is also called a "Warner" (Surahs LI., Adh Dhariyat, 50, 51; XXIX., Al 'Ankabut, 49; XV., Al Hajr, 89). But we are told by Tradition (as we have seen), by implication at least, that he was not exempted from receiving the prick of Satan at his birth. He needed to have his breast opened and his burden removed (Surah XCIV., Al Inshirah, 1-3), and his sins forgiven (Surah XLVII., Muhammad, 21). Moreover, Muhammad died and was buried, and he wrought no miracles. Regarding Christ the Qur'an gives much higher testimony. We have seen that Muhammad, according to Tradition, testified that at Christ's birth alone Satan was not present,