Reason 9 of 10
God is love, and he lets you call him Father
The Quran says God loves those who obey and does not love the disbelievers. It refuses the words Father and son. The Bible says God is love, loved us while we were still sinners, and adopts those who trust Christ as his children, with assurance now.
Love that comes first
The Quran does call God al-Wadud, the Loving. But its love follows obedience: God loves those who follow the messenger, those who turn to him and the clean, and does not love the disbelievers or aggressors. The Gospel says God loved the world and gave his Son, and that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.
وَهُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلْوَدُودُ 14
14And He is the Forgiving, the Loving,
Quran 85:14 (Pickthall) · context
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ 31 قُلْ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ 32
31Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. 32Say: Obey Allah and the messenger. But if they turn away, lo! Allah loveth not the disbelievers (in His guidance).
Quran 3:31-32 (Pickthall) · context
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْمَحِيضِ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَٱعْتَزِلُوا۟ ٱلنِّسَآءَ فِى ٱلْمَحِيضِ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ ٱللَّهُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلتَّوَّٰبِينَ وَيُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ 222
222They question thee (O Muhammad) concerning menstruation. Say: It is an illness, so let women alone at such times and go not in unto them till they are cleansed. And when they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as Allah hath enjoined upon you. Truly Allah loveth those who turn unto Him, and loveth those who have a care for cleanness.
Quran 2:222 (Pickthall) · context
وَقَٰتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ وَلَا تَعْتَدُوٓا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ 190
190Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! Allah loveth not aggressors.
Quran 2:190 (Pickthall) · context
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (WEB) · context
8But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (WEB) · context
8He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love. 9By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his only born Son into the world that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:8-10 (WEB) · context
Father
The Quran never calls God Father, rebukes Jews and Christians for calling themselves his sons and loved ones, and says the claim that he has a son almost splits the heavens. Jesus taught his disciples to pray Our Father, and the apostles say God sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts so that we cry Abba, Father.
وَقَالَتِ ٱلْيَهُودُ وَٱلنَّصَٰرَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَٰٓؤُا۟ ٱللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّٰٓؤُهُۥ قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنُوبِكُم بَلْ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَإِلَيْهِ ٱلْمَصِيرُ 18
18The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating. He forgiveth whom He will, and chastiseth whom He will. Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and unto Him is the journeying.
Quran 5:18 (Pickthall) · context
88And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. 89Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing 90Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins, 91That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son, 92When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.
Quran 19:88-92 (Pickthall) · context
9Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Matthew 6:9 (WEB) · context
15For you didn’t receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God;
Romans 8:15-16 (WEB) · context
6And because you are children, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”
Galatians 4:6 (WEB) · context
1See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.
1 John 3:1 (WEB) · context
20“He arose and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran, fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let’s eat and celebrate; 24for this, my son, was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found.’ Then they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:20-24 (WEB) · context
Assurance
The Quran says every one of you will come to hell and tells Muhammad to say he does not know what will be done with him or with you. Sahih al-Bukhari records Muhammad saying, at a companion's funeral, that even he did not know what God would do with him. Salvation in Islam hangs on the scales of deeds.
Jesus says whoever hears his word and believes has eternal life and will not come into judgment. John wrote so that you may know you have eternal life. That is not pride. It is trust in what Jesus finished on the cross.
وَإِن مِّنكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ حَتْمًا مَّقْضِيًّا 71
71There is not one of you but shall approach it. That is a fixed ordinance of thy Lord.
Quran 19:71 (Pickthall) · context
قُلْ مَا كُنتُ بِدْعًا مِّنَ ٱلرُّسُلِ وَمَآ أَدْرِى مَا يُفْعَلُ بِى وَلَا بِكُمْ إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَىٰٓ إِلَىَّ وَمَآ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ 9
9Say: I am no new thing among the messengers (of Allah), nor know I what will be done with me or with you. I do but follow that which is inspired in me, and I am but a plain warner.
Quran 46:9 (Pickthall) · context
فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ 102 وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَٰزِينُهُۥ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ خَسِرُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ فِى جَهَنَّمَ خَٰلِدُونَ 103
102Then those whose scales are heavy, they are the successful. 103And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls, in hell abiding.
Quran 23:102-103 (Pickthall) · context
24“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 5:24 (WEB) · context
27My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
John 10:27-29 (WEB) · context
11The testimony is this: that God gave to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He who has the Son has the life. He who doesn’t have God’s Son doesn’t have the life. 13These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:11-13 (WEB) · context
8for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, that no one would boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (WEB) · context
Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 Summary, not a quotation
At the death of Uthman ibn Maz'un, the Prophet says that, by Allah, though he is Allah's messenger, he does not know what will be done with him.
Read the full text on sunnah.comWhat Muslims answer
Muslims answer that calling God Father lowers his transcendence (Q 42:11, nothing is as his likeness), that al-Wadud and al-Rahman show God's love and mercy, and that hope and fear together are the right posture of a servant.
Why that answer fails
The Father is not a biological claim; it is the language of covenant and adoption, used by the prophets (Isaiah 63:16) and by Jesus. God's transcendence is exactly why his coming near in Christ is grace, not something we could reach by our scales of deeds.
Sources
- Earliest source 1 John, Romans, John, Galatians, Luke (World English Bible).
- The Quran, Pickthall translation: 2:190, 2:222, 3:31-32, 5:18, 19:71, 19:88-92, 23:102-103, 42:11, 46:9, 85:14.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1243 (sunnah.com numbering).