Why does the Quran use the term "we" in its ayats?
Many non-believers believe that this may be in reference to Jesus?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to
himself by the pronoun nahnu (we) for respect or glorification. He may
also use the word ana (I), indicating one person, or the third person
huwa (he). All three styles are used in the Qur'an, where
Allaahaddresses the Arabs in their own tongue. (Fataawa al-Lajnah
al-Daa'imah, 4/143).
"Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, sometimes refers to Himself
in the singular, by name or by use of a pronoun, and sometimesby use
of the plural, as inthe phrase (interpretation of the meaning):
'Verily, We have given you a manifest victory" [al-Fath 48:1], and
other similar phrases. But Allaah never refers to Himself by use of
the dual, because the plural refers to the respect thatHe deserves,
and may refer to His names and attributes, whereas the dual refers to
a specific number (and nothing else), and He is far abovethat."
(Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 75).
These words, innaa ("Verily We") and nahnu ("We"), and other forms of
the plural, may be used by one person speaking on behalf of a group,
or they may be used by one person for purposes of respect or
glorification, as is done by some monarchs whenthey issue statements
or decrees in which they say "We have decided…" etc. [This is known in
English as "The Royal We" – Translator]. In such cases, only one
person is speaking but the plural is used for respect. The One Who is
more deserving of respect than any other isAllaah, may He be glorified
and exalted, so when He says in the Qur'an innaa ("Verily We") and
nahnu ("We"), it is for respect and glorification, not to indicate
plurality of numbers. If an aayah of this type is causing confusion,
it is essential to refer to the clear, unambiguous aayaat
forclarification, and if a Christian, for example, insists on taking
ayaat such as "Verily, We: it is We Who have sent downthe Dhikr (i.e.,
the Qur'an)" [al-Hijr 15:9 – interpretation of the meaning] as proof
of divine plurality, we may refute this claim by quoting such clear
and unambiguous aayaat as (interpretation of the meanings): "And your
god is One God, there is none who has the right to be worshipped but
He, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful" [al-Baqarah 2:163] and
"Say: He is Allaah, the One" [al-Ikhlaas 112:1] – and other aayaat
which can only be interpreted in one way. Thus confusion will be
dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth.Every time Allaah uses
the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on the respect and honour
that He deserves, and on the great number of His names and attributes,
and on the great number of His troops and angels." (Reference:
Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 109).
And Allaah knows best.
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