In this post I am going to again highlight the traditional Sunni belief that the Quran is uncreated, having eternally existed with/in Allah, in order to draw out its implications on both the Islamic doctrine of monotheism known as Tauhid, and the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The following renowned
scholar of Islam sums up the Muslim view of the uncreatedness of the Quran, and
some of the controversies that arose as a result of this position:
The
Quran believed to be eternal.
Though it is the belief of
the Sonnites or orthodox that the Quran is uncreated and eternal,
subsisting in the very essence of GOD, and Muhammad himself is said to have
pronounced him an infidel who asserted the contrary,2 yet several have been
of a different opinion; particularly the sect of the Mutazalites,1 and the followers of
Isa Ibn Subaih Abu Musa, surnamed al Muzdar, who stuck not to accuse those who
held the Quran to be uncreated of infidelity, as asserters of two
eternal beings.2
This point was controverted
with so much heat that it occasioned many calamities under some of the
Khalifahs of the family of Abbas, al Mamun3 making a public edict declaring the Quran to be created,
which was confirmed by his successors al Mutasim4 and al Wathik,5 who whipped, imprisoned, and put to death those of the
contrary opinion. But at length al Mutawakkir,6 who succeeded al Wathik, put an end to these persecutions
by revoking the former edicts, releasing those that were imprisoned on
that account, and leaving every man at liberty as to his belief in this
point.7
Al
Ghazalis opinion as to the Quran.
Al Ghazali seems to have
tolerably reconciled both opinions, saying that the Quran is read and
pronounced with the tongue, written in books, and kept in memory; and
is yet eternal, subsisting in GOD’S essence, and not possible to be separated
thence by any transmission into men’s memories or the leaves of books;8 by which he seems to
mean no more than that the original idea of the Quran only is really in
GOD, and consequently co-essential and co-eternal with him, but that the copies
are created and the work of man.
Opinion
of al Jahidh.
The opinion of al Jahidh,
chief of a sect bearing his name, touching the Quran, is too remarkable to be
omitted: he used to say it was a body, which might sometimes be turned
into a man,1 and sometimes into a beast;2 which seems to agree with the notion of those who assert
the Quran to have two faces, one of a man, the other of a beast;3 thereby, as I
conceive, intimating the double interpretation it will admit of, according to
the letter or the spirit.
Heretical
opinions.
As some have held the Quran
to be created, so there have not been wanting those who have asserted that
there is nothing miraculous in that book in respect to style or composition,
excepting only the prophetical relations of things past, and predictions of
things to come; and that had GOD left men to their natural liberty, and not
restrained them in that particular, the Arabians could have composed
something not only equal but superior to the Quran in eloquence, method, and
purity of language. This was another opinion of the Mutazilites, and in
particular of al Muzdar, above mentioned, and al Nudham.4 (Rev.
E. M. Wherry, A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran, III. Of the
Quran itself, the Peculiarities of that Book; the Manner of its being Written
and Published, and the General Design of it, pp. 111-113 https://answeringislam.net/Books/Wherry/Commentary1/sect3.htm; bold emphasis mine)
2 Apud Poc. Spec., p.220. (Ibid., p. 111)
1 See post, Sect. VIII.
2 Vide Poc. Spec, p.219, &c.
3 Anno Hij., 218. Abulfarag, p.245, v. etiam Elmacin.
in Vita al Mamun.
4 In the time of al Mutasim, a doctor named Abu Harun Ibn al
Baqa found out a distinction to screen himself, by affirming that the Quran was
ordained, because it is said in that book, “And I have ordained thee the
Quran.” He went still further to allow that what was ordained was created, and
yet he denied it thence followed that the Quran was created Abulfarag, p. 253.
5 Ibid., p.257.
6 Anno Hij., p.242.
7 Abulfarag, p.262.
8 Al Ghazali, in prof. fid. (Ibid., p. 112)
1 The Khalifah al Walid Ibn Yazid, who was the eleventh of
the race of Ommeya, and is looked on by the Muhammadans as a reprobate and one
of no religion, seems to have treated this book as a rational creature; for,
dipping into it one day, the first words he met with were these : “Every
rebellious perverse person shall not prosper.” Whereupon he stuck it on
a lance, and shot it to pieces with arrows, repeating these verses: “Dost
thou rebuke every rebellious, perverse person? Behold, I am that rebellious,
perverse person. When thou on appearest before thy LORD on the day of
resurrection, say, O LORD, al Walid has torn me thus.” Ibn Shohnah.
v. Poc. Spec., p.223.
2 Poc. Spec., p. 222.
3 Herbelot, p. 87.
4 Abulfeda, Shahristani, &c., apud Poc. Spec., p.222, et Marracc., De Our., p. 44. (Ibid., p. 113; bold
emphasis mine)
It is ironic that Muslims
had their own Arians, meaning those that were like the fourth-century heretic
Arius who proclaimed that Jesus was a creature of God while believing that
Christ was/is God’s Word. These particular Muslims not only believed that about
the Quran, but the two factious Islamic groups even went as far as to attack
and/or even kill one another over this issue of whether the Muslim revelation
was created or eternal.
Now lest Muslims object and
claim that Alfred Guillaume was making things up or misrepresenting the Islamic
position, I am going to cite from Muslim sources to show that what he has
stated in regards to the nature of the Quran in traditional Islamic beliefs is
absolutely correct.
42 Model Behavior of
the Prophet (Kit Al-Sunnah)
(1698) Chapter: The Qur’an,
The Word Of Allah
Ibn ‘abbas said:
The Prophet used to seek
refuge in Allah for al-Hasan and al-Husain, saying; I seek refuge for both of
you in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and every poisonous thing and from the
evil eye which influences. He would then say; your father sought refuge in
Allah by them for Ismail and Ishaq.
Abu Dawud said; this is a
proof of the fact that the Quran IS
NOT CREATED.
Grade: SAHIH (Al-Albani)
Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 4737
In-book reference: Book 42,
Hadith 142
English translation: Book
41, Hadith 4719 (sunnah.com https://sunnah.com/abudawud/42/142; capital and underline emphasis ours)
The translator says in a
note that:
4127. The Prophet called
the Qur’an the perfect words of Allah. A perfect word cannot be a
created thing. (Sunan Abu Dawud, English translation with
explanatory notes by Prof. Ahmad Hasan [Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers,
Booksellers & Exporters; Lahore, Pakistan, 1984], XXXV. Kitab al-Sunnah
[Book of Model Behaviour (of the Prophet)], Chapter 1698: The Qur’an, The Word
of Allah, pp. 1325-26; bold emphasis mine)
And:
6. The sixth proof
It was narrated that
Khawlah bint Hakeem said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “Whoever stops at
a place and says: I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of
that which He has created, nothing will harm him until he moves on from that
place.”. Narrated by Muslim (2708).
If His words were
created, then seeking refuge in them would be shirk, because that would be seeking refuge in something that is
created. It is well-known that seeking refuge in anything other than Allah, may
He be exalted, and His names and attributes is shirk, so how could
the Prophet have taught his ummah something that is obviously shirk, when he is
the one who came to teach them pure Tawheed?
This indicates that the
words of Allah, may He be exalted, are not created.
Na‘eem ibn Hammaad said:
Refuge is not to be sought in anything that is created, or in the words of
people, jinn, humans or angels.
Al-Bukhaari said, after
quoting that: This indicates that the words of Allah are not created,
and that everything other than Him is created.
See: Khalq Af‘aal al-‘Ibaad
(p. 143)
7. The seventh proof
The hadith of Abu Hurayrah
from the Prophet who said:
“The superiority of the words
of Allah over all other words is like the superiority of Allah over all of His
creation.”
A hasan hadith, narrated by
‘Uthmaan ad-Daarimi in ar-Radd ‘ala al-Jahamiyyah (no. 287, 340); al-Laalkaa’i
(no. 557)
This hadith confirms the
belief of the salaf, that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created…
10. The tenth proof
Words of the leading
scholars of the early generations affirming this belief:
‘Amr ibn Dinaar – one of
the best of the Taabi‘i imams – said:
I have been meeting the
companions of the Prophet and others who are next in status to them for seventy
years, and they say: Allah is the Creator, and everything other than Him is
created. The Qur’an is the word of Allah; it came from Him and will
return to Him.
‘Abdullah ibn Naafi‘ said:
Maalik used to say:
The Qur’an is the word of
Allah. And he used to regard as abhorrent the view of those who said
that the Qur’an was created.
Narrated by Saalih ibn
Ahmad in al-Mihnah (p. 66) with a saheeh isnaad from him.
Ar-Rabee‘ ibn Sulaymaan,
the companion and student of ash-Shaafa‘i, said, narrating a debate that took
place between him and Hafs al-Fard concerning the Qur’an:
He (Hafs) started the
debate with Ash-Shaafa‘i, and ash-Shaafa‘i presented his argument with proof,
and there was a lengthy debate in which ash-Shaafa‘i established proof that the
Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not created, and he regarded
Hafs al-Fard as a disbeliever. Ar-Rabee‘ said: I met Hafs al-Fard
in the gathering later on and he said: ash-Shafaa‘i wanted to kill me.
Narrated by ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan
ibn Abi Haatim in Adaab ash-Shaafa‘i (p. 194-195). Its isnaad is saheeh.
Ibn Abi Haatim said:
I asked my father and Abu
Zar‘ah about the views of Ahl as-Sunnah concerning the fundamentals of religion
and what they learned from the scholars in all regions, and what they believed
concerning that.
They said:
We met the scholars from
all regions, the Hijaz, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, and their view was that faith is
both words and deeds, and it may increase or decrease; the Qur’an is the word
of Allah and is not created in any way.
Narrated by Ibn at-Tabari
in as-Sunnah (1/176) with a saheeh isnaad.
Imam Abu’l-Qaasim
Hibatullah ibn al-Hasan at-Tabari al-Laalkaa’i quoted, in his great book Sharh
Usool I‘tiqaad Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa‘ah: This is the view of five
hundred and fifty individuals among the scholars and early generations of this
ummah, all of whom say: The Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not
created; whoever says that it is created is a disbeliever.
He said:
These people number five
hundred and fifty or more, from among the Taabi‘een and their followers and
leading scholars, other than the righteous Sahaabah, despite the
differences in their locations and the passage of many years. Among them
are approximately one hundred imams from whom the people learned their beliefs
and followed them in their views. If I wanted to write down the views of the
hadith scholars (concerning this issue), their names would be many thousands.
End quote from as-Sunnah
(493)
Summarised from the book
al-‘Aqeedah as-Salafiyyah fi Kalaam Rabb al-Bariyyah wa Kashf Abaateel
al-Mubtadi‘ah ar-Radiyyah (p. 121-147) (Islam Question & Answer, “Ten
textual and rational proofs that the Qur’an is the word of Allah and is not
created” https://islamqa.info/en/answers/219613/ten-textual-and-rational-proofs-that-the-quran-is-the-word-of-allah-and-is-not-created; bold emphasis ours)
Keep in mind the argument
that the words of Allah are not created, since I will return to this point
later on.
There’s more:
Adh-Dhahabee brings with a
good (jayyid) chain of narration, as occurs in Mukhtasar al-Uluww (p.
155) from Alee bin al-Hasan al-Kuraa’ee who said: Abu Yusuf said:
“I debated Abu Hanifah for
six months, and then our view became united that the one who said the
Qur’an is created is a kaafir.”
And al-Bayhaqi also relates
this in al-Asmaa was-Sifaat, narrating from Abdullaah bin Ahmad bin
Abdur-Rahmaan bin Abdullaah ad-Dushtaki who said: “I heard Abu Yusuf saying..”,
then he mentioned it, and then he (al-Bayhaqi) said: “Abu Abdullaah (meaning
al-Haakim) said, ‘All of its narrators are thiqaat’.” (Maturidis.com, http://www.maturidis.com/maturidi/articles/fnegp-imaam-abu-hanifah-d-150h-and-the-splitting-and-deviation-of-the-hanafis-after-him-into-diverse-factions.cfm; bold emphasis min)
[Point 15 of 170]
15: Concerning The Speech
of Allaah And Questioning the Attributes
No one says about the
attributes of the Lord, the Most High, ‘Why?’ except one who doubts about
Allaah, the Blessed and Most High. The Qur’aan is the Speech of Allaah, His
Revelation and Light. It is not created, since the Qur’aan is from
Allaah and that which is from Allaah is not created. This was what Maalik
ibn Anas, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and the Scholars before and after them said and
debating about it is disbelief.[1]
______________________________
NOTES
1. The Qur’aan is the
Speech of Allaah, hence it is an attribute of Allaah.
All of Allaah’s
attributes have been with Him eternally.
Imaam Maalik said, “The Qur’aan is the speech of Allaah. It is not
created.” Reported by al-Laalikaa’ee in Sharh Usool I’tiqaad Ahl is-Sunnah
(no.414).
Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was
asked about the one who says that the Qur’aan was created, so he said,
“(He is) a disbeliever.” Reported by al-Laalikaa’ee in Sharh Usool I’tiqaad
Ahl is-Sunnah (no.449). (Kitaab Sharh us-Sunnah [Explanation of
Creed],
by Imaam al-Barbahaaree, Translated by Abu Talhah Dawud
Burbank https://qawaariyyah.wordpress.com/tag/abu-talhah/; bold emphasis ours)
Not only is the Quran
uncreated, it actually consists of two natures or aspects, one of which is
created!
46-) Is the Quran makhluq
(something created)?
a. It is necessary to view
the Quran in two ways.The material and created aspect of the Quran,
which is the paper, ink, cover, voice, articulation point and the case of the
Quran that are seen by the eye, heard by the ear and touched by the hand.
b. The spiritual and kalam,
which is a divine attribute, aspect of the Quran. From this point of
view, the Quran is not created. Since Allah is not created and He
is pre-eternal, His attributes are not created, either. One of His attributes
is the attribute of kalam (speech). We call the Quran “kalamullah” (speech or
word of Allah). Kalamullah is a divine attribute; in this aspect, it is
not created. It is a divine attribute and modesty that has become manifest
so that we will understand what Allah wants from us. (Questions on Islam, “Most
Read in the Category of The Quran” https://questionsonislam.com/tum-kategori/62; bold emphasis mine)
Question
I know that the Qur’an is
one of the attributes of Allah, like His Eye, His Hand and so on, and that it
is the word of Allah in a real sense, that was sent down to the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) through Jibreel, and that the Qur’an
is not created. But what is meant by that? Does that mean that the words of
Allah are not created, even when we read them, although we are created by Allah
and everything we say or do is part of the creation of Allah? Is thinking in
this way regarded as a kind of overstepping the mark? I do not want to do that,
all I want is to ensure that my belief is sound.
Answer
Praise be to Allah.
The Qur’an is the word of
Allah, may He be exalted, and is not created.
What is meant by that is
that Allah, may He be exalted, spoke the words of the Qur’an, which Jibreel
heard from Him, and brought down to the Prophet, and conveyed it to him.
All of the
attributes of Allah, may He be exalted, are uncreated; they are eternal, with
no beginning. The words of Allah are among these attributes, and that includes the Qur’an. Therefore the scholars said that
the Qur’an is not created, because it is the words of Allah, and that is one of
His attributes.
With regard to people’s
actions, they are created. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“While Allah has created
you and what you do [or make]”
[as-Saaffaat 37:96].
There are two issues that
we must distinguish between:
The first is the words of
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, that He spoke initially, and Jibreel
heard them from Him, and the Prophet conveyed them to us. This is an
attribute of Allah that is not created in its letters and words; the same
applies to His voice with which Allah spoke initially, and Jibreel heard it
from Him.
All of this comes under the
heading of the words of Allah, nothing of which is created,
no matter how it is written, recited or heard.
The second is the actions
of the person, who is the vessel which carries the words of Allah, so
he writes them in a book, reads them and hears them. All that comes from a person
and that he does is created.
So the hand of the person
is created, the ink with which he writes is created, the paper on which
he writes is created, the person’s tongue is created, his voice that
belongs to him is created. All of these are vessels in which people carry the
word of Allah and transmit it and convey it.
More than one of the
leading scholars have explained this issue and differentiated between these two
matters. Foremost among them is the leader of hadith scholars, Imam Muhammad
ibn Ismaa‘eel al-Bukhaari. He wrote a book on this specific topic entitled
Khalq Af‘aal al-‘Ibaad. Among other things he said in it (2/70):
Abu ‘Abdullah ibn Ismaa‘eel
said: I heard ‘Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘eed say: I heard Yahya ibn Sa‘eed say: I
always heard our companions say that people’s deeds are created.
Abu ‘Abdullah said: Their
movements, voices, actions and writing are created. As for the
Qur’an that is recited, recorded in the Mus-haf, written, and
memorised in people’s hearts, it is the word of Allah and is not created.
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Nay, but they, the clear
Ayat (i.e the description and the qualities of Prophet Muhammad written like
verses in the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)) are preserved in the
breasts of those who have been given knowledge (from the people of the
Scriptures)
But it is clear revelations
in the hearts of those who have been given knowledge”
[al-‘Ankaboot 29:49].
Ishaaq ibn Ibraaheem said:
As for the vessels, who would doubt that they are created?
End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah said:
When we recite the Qur’an,
we recite it with our voices that are created, that cannot resemble the voice
of the Lord. The Qur’an that we recite is the word of Allah, conveyed from Him
and not heard directly from Him. Rather we recite it with our voices. The words
are the words of the Creator, but the voice is the sound of the reciter, as is
indicated by the Qur’an and Sunnah, as well as common sense. Allah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And if anyone of the
Mushrikoon (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of
Allah) seeks your protection then grant him protection, so that he may hear the
Word of Allah (the Qur’an), and then escort him to where he can be secure”
[at-Tawbah 9:6].
And the Prophet said: “Make
the Qur’an beautiful with your voices.”
End quote from Majmoo‘
al-Fataawa (12/98). See also: Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (12/53)
The scholars of the
Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas said:
What we are required to
believe concerning the Qur’an, which is the view of Ahl as-Sunnah
wa’l-Jamaa‘ah, as indicated by the Qur’an and Sunnah, is that the Qur’an is the
word of Allah in a true sense. Its letters and meanings were sent down, not
created. It came from Him and will return to Him. It is the word of Allah,
may He be exalted, when it is recited and when it is written. Allah, may He be
exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
“(It is) in Records held
(greatly) in honour (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz).
Exalted (in dignity),
purified,”
[‘Abasa 80:13, 14]
“A Messenger (Muhammad)
from Allah, reciting (the Quran) purified pages (purified from Al-Batil
(falsehood, etc.))
Containing correct and
straight laws from Allah”
[al-Bayyinah 98:2-3].
The Qur’an that we read is
the word of Allah, may He be exalted, but we recite it with our voices. So the
words are the words of the Creator and the voice is the voice of the
reciter.
End quote from Fataawa
al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (3/21)
For more details on this
issue, please see Mukhtasar as-Sawaa‘iq al-Mursalah by Ibn al-Qayyim (503-510)
(Islam Question & Answer, “The Qur’an is the word of Allah, may He be
exalted, and is not created” https://islamqa.info/en/answers/227441/the-quran-is-the-word-of-allah-may-he-be-exalted-and-is-not-created; bold emphasis mine)
Hence, the Quran is both
uncreated and created, eternal and temporal at the same time, in that its
physical component, namely the mushaf or book that contains
it, and which is an essential part of its makeup, happens to be created.
That the Quran also appears
in human form and as beasts are confirmed in the following reports:
Abu Umama said he heard
Allah’s Messenger say: Recite the Qur’an, for on the Day of
Resurrection it will come as an intercessor for those who recite It. Recite
the two bright ones, al-Baqara and Surah Al ‘Imran, for on the Day of
Resurrection they will come as two clouds or two shades, or two flocks of birds
in ranks, pleading for those who recite them. Recite Surah
al-Baqara, for to take recourse to it is a blessing and to give it up is a
cause of grief, and the magicians cannot confront it. (Mu’awiya said: It has
been conveyed to me that here Batala means magicians.) (Sahih Muslim,
Book 004, Number 1757: http://searchtruth.com/book_display.php?book=004&translator=2&start=0&number=1645)
The Quran will appear in
the form of a pale white man:
It was narrated that
Buraydah said: I heard the Prophet say: “The Qur’an will meet its companion
on the Day of Resurrection when his grave is opened for him, IN THE
FORM OF A PALE MAN. IT WILL SAY TO HIM, ‘Do you recognize me?’ He will
say: ‘I do not recognize you.’ IT WILL SAY: ‘I am your companion the
Qur’an, who kept you thirsty on hot days and kept you awake at night. Every
merchant benefits from his business and today you will benefit from your good
deeds.’ He will be given dominion in his right hand and eternity in his left,
and there will be placed on his head a crown of dignity, and his parents will
be clothed with priceless garments the like of which have never been seen in
this world. They will say: ‘Why have we been clothed with this?’ It will be
said: ‘Because your son used to recite Qur’an.’ Then it will be said to him:
‘Recite and ascend in the degrees of Paradise,’ and he will continue to ascend
so long as he recites, either at a fast pace or a slow pace.”
Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad (394)
and Ibn Maajah in al-Sunan (3781); classed as hasan by
al-Busayri in al-Zawaa’id and by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah
al-Saheehah (2829).
Here is the English
translation of Ibn Majah’s version of this report:
3781. It was narrated from Ibn Buraidah that his father told that the
Messenger of Allah said: “The Qur’an will come on the Day of Resurrection, LIKE
A PALE MAN, AND WILL SAY: ‘I am the one that kept you awake at night and made
you thirsty during the day.’” (Hasan) (English Translation of Sunan
Ibn Majah – Compiled by Imam Muhammad Bin Yazeed Ibn Majah Al-Qazwini, From
Hadith No. 3657 to 4341, Ahadith edited and referenced by Hafiz Abu Tahir
Zubair ‘Ali Za’i, translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab (Canada), final review by
Abu Khalil (USA), [Darussalam Publications and Distributors, First Edition:
June 2007], Volume 5, Chapters on Etiquette, Chapter 52. The Rewards Associated
With Qur’an, pp. 68-69 https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah/33/126; capital emphasis ours)
To top it off, the Quran
and its individual surahs actually pray to and worship Allah as their very
Lord!
Khalid b. Ma‘dan said:
RECITE THE RESCUER, which is A.L.M. The sending down,3 for I have heard that
a man who had committed many sins used to recite it and nothing else. It spread
its wings over him AND SAID, ‘MY LORD, forgive him, for he often used
to RECITE ME;’ so the Lord Most High MADE IT AN INTERCESSOR for him and
said, ‘Record for him a good deed and raise him a degree in place of every
sin.’ Khalid said: IT WILL DISPUTE on behalf of the one who RECITES IT
when he is in the grave SAYING, ‘O God, if I am a part of Thy Book, make
me AN INTERCESSOR for him; but if I am not a part of Thy Book, blot me out
of it.’ It will be like a bird putting its wing on him, IT
WILL INTERCEDE for him and will protect him from the punishment in the
grave. He said the same about ‘Blessed is He.’4 Khalid did not go to sleep at night till he had recited
them. Ta’us said they were given sixty virtues more than any other sura in
the Qur’an. Darimi transmitted.”
3. Qur’an, xxxii.
4. Qur’an, lxvii. (Mishkat
Al-Masabih, English Translation With Explanatory Notes by Dr. James Robson
[Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Booksellers & Exporters, Lahore-Pakistan,
Reprint 1990], Volume II, Book VIII. The Excellent Qualities of the Qur’an,
Chapter I, p. 459; bold and capital emphasis ours)
With the foregoing in view,
we are ready to proceed to the next segment of my discussion (https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/the-quran-confirms-the-prehuman-existence-and-incarnation-of-christ-pt-2/).
IHS
