—or perhaps you substitute another term for “knowledge”; or do you mean by the three hypostases existence, knowledge, and power in place of life; or existence, life, and power; or existence together with life, knowledge, and power? There are still further versions whose enumeration would be endless.

So I would truly like to know: which of these contested notions did the Messiah intend when he said “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” if, as you claim, he was referring to the hypostases?

The word “hypostases,” both in form and in meaning, is found in none of the prophets’ speech. Indeed, it is said to be a Roman expression: sometimes they gloss it as “origin,” at other times as “person,” yet other times as “essence together with an attribute,” or as “a special property,” or simply as “attribute.”

Why, then, did you not leave the Messiah’s words exactly as they are, instead of twisting them with all these distortions?

A certain scholar spoke well when he said: “Were you to ask a Christian, his son, and his grandson what they believe, each would give you a creed that contradicts the other’s. The very foundation of their belief is ignorance and error; they possess neither transmitted knowledge nor rational proof.” They are just as Allah, exalted is He, says: “Among people there is one who disputes about Allah without knowledge, or guidance, or an enlightening Book.” ⦗Hajj 8⦘

Thus, regarding the trinity and the union that they profess, they have no knowledge whatsoever—let alone the more specific kind of knowledge that could guide them aright—so they are not