Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Why is God referred as 'We' and 'He'?

“In the Quran, God Almighty is referred to as 'We' and sometimes as 'He'. Non-Muslims often ask us why the gender is sometimes plural and sometimes male for God.”Asked by فواد, مراد آباد

He answers at 48:08 in Message of The Quran · 4 min 15 sec

His answer, in his own words
48:08
koi nahin molana yeh sawal aaya hai moradabad se fawad sahab ka aur unhon ne likha hai کہ مولانا in the Quran God Almighty is being referred as we and sometimes as he. Non-Muslims often ask us why the gender is sometimes plural and sometimes male for God please guide us how to address this question during our daawa interaction
48:41
yeh koi sawal hi nahin hai yeh to insani zaban mein yeh usloob ki baat hai insani zaban ka usloob hai yani jab tak aap yani ginti mein na ho ke quran mein kahin likha hua khuda ek hai kahin likha hua khuda kai hai to sirf is tarah ki baaton se aap koi to shosha hai
49:07
is se koi masla nahi paida hota ye usloob e kalam hai kabhi hum kehte hain main kabhi hum kehte hain hum kabhi kehte hain hum log ye usloob e kalam hai jo cheez aap sabit karna chahte hain us ke liye us ko yani ginti ke zaban mein hona chahiye yani kahin quran mein ye ho ke khuda ek hai kahin ho ke khuda kai hai tab ye sawal paida hota hai warna
49:31
ye usloob e kalam kaha jaye ga is ko aur kuch nahi maulana agla ek comment hai aur sawal hai jo toseef sahab ne kiya hai pune se aur un ka pehle comment parhte hain unho ne likha hai maulana today's talk was wonderful Many ulemas don't let us think or question the understanding behind verses of the Quran, whereas you explain Quran as a book which wants mankind to think, contemplate, and question. This is the right way and fits in the framework. Maulana, my question is: can these ulemas be changed so that they stop promoting closed-mindedness?
50:14
Should we all take it as a task to give all the madrasas and the so-called leaders your books, including Al-Risalah and Spirit of Islam? of islam dekhiye main bhi ek aalim hoon main bhi madrase ka product hoon to ye main kehta hoon ke har har aalim isi tarah se
50:39
samajh sakta hai baaton ko jis ko maine samjha to aap hamari kitabon mein logon ko pahunchaiye aur logon ke liye duaen kijiye aur bohat se ulama hamare mission mein lage hue hain aisa nahi ke ulama nahi lage hue hain
50:57
bohat se ulama lage hue hain jinho ne mutala kiya asal cheez kya hai ke madarison mein sirf mazi ki baat padhai jati hai aaj ki baat nahi padhai jati hadith mein aata hai ke yani
51:16
apne zamane se apne zamane ko janna to main madrase walon se kehta hoon ke aap ne yani qadeem ko bharpoor tor par jaan liya madrase mein ab daur jadeed ko samajhne ke liye hamari kitaben padhiye dono mein koi takrao nahi hai madrase aap ko qadeem se ba khabar karta hai aur hamari
51:43
kitaben jo hain wo jadeed se ba khabar karti hain aur ye wahi hadith ki taameel hai is mein keh to aap purey hope ke sath logon ke parhwai kitaben kyunke madarson mein fanniyat pai jati hain darsiyat pai jati hain door jadeed wahan nahi parha jata to ye
52:09
in ko alag se aap batana parega ke door jadeed hai kia yehi hum kar rahe hain aur inshallah bohat se ulama hamare mishre mein jud chuke hain molana agla sawal kia hai mumbai se shakeel sahab ne aur unhon ne likha hai
All questions he answeredThe whole lecture, from this momentWatch on YouTube

Machine transcription. These are his recorded words, written down by software from the Urdu he speaks — so a line may carry a misheard word. Every timestamp above opens the video at that second: one tap and you can hear him say it. Quote it as speech, and link to the moment.