Shaykh Muḥammad Taqī al-Dīn al-Hilālī al-Maghribī;

In the language of the Torah and the Gospel everyone who is righteous and dutiful is referred to as “Son of God”. In the ninth verse from the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew it is written:

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” [Matthew 5:9]

And in the very same chapter there is the following statement in verse forty-five:

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven…” [Matthew 5:45]

And in verse number forty-eight:

“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” [Matthew 5:48]

And in the first verse of the sixth chapter [we find]:

“…otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”

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Commentary by Shaykh Rabīʿ ibn Hādī al-Madkhalī; “It should not be ruled out that referring to Allāh as ‘the Father’ and referring to mankind as ‘Sons of God’ may be from the fabrications of the Jews and the Christians and their distortions and alterations of the text of the Torah and the Gospel. And from the proof of this is Allāh’s rejection of this practice in His ﷻ statement:

 وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَىٰ نَحْنُ أَبْنَاءُ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبَّاؤُهُ

‘The Jews and the Christians say: We are the children of God and His beloved ones.’ [Sūrah al-Māʾidah 5:18]

then Allāh ﷻ said in refutation of this claim:

 قُلْ فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنُوبِكُم ۖ بَلْ أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ ۚ يَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَاءُ ۚ وَلِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا ۖ وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

‘Then say then why does He punish you for your sins? You are merely human beings from those who He created…’  [Sūrah al-Māʾidah 5:18]

And He the Exalted says:

وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ ۖ

‘The Jews said Ezra is the son of God, and the Christians said that the Messiah is the son of God…’ [Sūrah al-Tawbah 9:30]

Then Allāh ﷻ said in refutation of them:

 ذَٰلِكَ قَوْلُهُم بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ ۖ يُضَاهِئُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَبْلُ ۚ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ أَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ

‘…that is their statement from their own mouths. They repeat the statement that earlier disbelievers said. May God curse them; how are they so deluded?’  [Sūrah al-Tawbah 9:30]

In fact the Christians said that Allāh is the Messiah [Jesus] the son of Mary. But Allāh rejected this concept and declared them disbelievers in His statement:

لَّقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ

‘Certainly, those who say God is the Messiah, the son of Mary have disbelieved…’ [Sūrah al-Māʾidah 5:17]”