If Allah is One, Then Why Does He Refer to Himself with the Plural Pronoun, “We”?
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Summary: The use of the pronoun “we” to connote divine majesty an ancient Arabian rhetorical device that has fallen into disuse in both modern Arabic and modern English. This has led modern readers to misunderstand pronominal references to God using the majestic “we” as a Quranic justification for the Trinity or for idolatry.
1. Rhetorical Subtleties
One of the earliest and most authoritative Quranic lexicologists, al-Raghib al-Asfahani (d. 425 A.H.), explained that nahnu (Arabic for “we”) is normally a pronominal reference that a speaker makes to himself when referring to himself along with other people . But when Allah Most High uses nahnu to refer to Himself the Quran, He may either be using it solely for Himself, or (if He speaks of an action that He creates at the hands of His angels, for example) He may be referring to Himself along with His angels. [1]
When He uses nahnu to refer to Himself, nahnu is the royal “we”, and connotes majesty. Someone steeped in the Quranic language will feel humbled before the divine majesty when reciting such verses. This humbleness is the essence of worship, which defines the relationship between servant and Master. Verses that speak of resurrection and judgment, for example, have a powerful aura of divine majesty. In one such passage, Allah Most High says,
“The Day when the Trumpet will be sounded: that Day, We shall gather the sinful, blear-eyed (with terror). In whispers will they consult each other: ‘You tarried not longer than ten (days).'”
The next verse uses the royal “we” to continue this scene of divine majesty, saying, “nahnu a`lamu bi ma yaquluna idh yaqulu amthaluhum tariqatan in labithtum illa yawma.”, meaning,
” We know very well what they say, when the best of them in his ways will say, “You did not remain more than one day.”” (Quran, 20:102—104)
Other verses accept the second interpretation offered by Asfahani, e.g., “inna nahnu nazzalna al-dhikra”, meaning,
“It is We who have sent down the Remembrance [i.e., the Quran].” (Quran, 15:9)
The nahnu here could be the royal “we” (with the same connotations as in the previous verse), or Allah may be referring to Himself along with the Angel Jibreel. The dominant interpretation here and elsewhere, though, is that it is the royal “we”.
2. Language Shifts
The royal “we” used to be common in the English language. Fowler’s Modern English Usage notes,
“The OED gives examples from the OE [2] period onward in which “we” is used by a single sovereign or ruler to refer to himself or herself. The custom seems to be dying out: in her formal speeches Queen Elizabeth II rarely if ever uses it now.” [3]
Because the royal “we” has fallen into disuse, it no longer produces the same rhetorical effect:
“It will be observed that the term ‘royal we’ has come to be used in a weakened, transferred, or jocular manner.” [4]
This shift in the English language carries over when we read English translations of the Quran, and leads to questions like the one being addressed in this answer.
In its original Arabic, the eloquence of the Quran is miraculous, meaning that a rhetorician of the ancient Arabic language will clearly see that the Quranic eloquence can only be an act of God. There are many rhetorical devices in the ancient Arabic language, though, that have fallen into disuse in modern Arabic, or that have no equivalent in English. Our stony insensitivity to the Quranic eloquence is commensurate with our ignorance of the style and metaphor of the ancient Arabic language in which it was revealed.
This is a straightforward fact recognized everywhere. There are many expressions in the beautiful English of Shakespeare, for example, that have either become meaningless or taken on a different meaning. The word “fond” was used by Shakespeare to mean foolish: “For I, too fond, might have prevented this.” (Rich III 3.4) [5] The word “grin”, which we today associate with pleasure, was used by Shakespeare (and many others until recent times) as simply “show one’s teeth”: “the pangs of death do make him grin” (2 HVI 3.3). [6]
3. The “I” of Intimacy
If nahnu connotes divine majesty, then why ever use ana (Arabic for I)? Muslim rhetoricians explain that eloquence (balagha) is not static, but varies from one situation to another. [7] Some situations demand an aura of divine majesty; other situations demand an aura of divine intimacy.
Intimacy with Allah Most High is the privilege of those He loves, and when He speaks to them, He often uses ana rather than nahnu. One of the most intimate conversations in the Quran is Allah Most High’s conversation with the Prophet Moses (upon him be peace) on Mount Sinai, where Allah Most High refers to himself with ana rather than nahnu.
Has there come to you the story of Moses? When he saw a fire, and said to his family, ’Tarry you here; I observe a fire. Perhaps I shall bring you a brand from it, or find at the fire guidance.’ When he came to it, he was called, ’Moses, I am your Lord; put off your shoes; you are in the holy valley, Towa. I Myself have chosen you; therefore give ear to what is revealed. (Quran, 20:9—13)[8]
Similarly, after promising His devoted servants His eternal pleasure in Paradise,
“But the godfearing shall be amidst gardens and fountains: ’Enter you them, in peace and security!’ We shall strip away all rancor that is in their breasts; as brothers they shall be upon couches set face to face; no fatigue there shall smite them, neither shall they ever be driven forth from there.” (Quran, 15:45—48)
He tells His Prophet, “Tell My servants I am the All-forgiving, the All-compassionate,” (Quran, 15:49) using the singular pronoun ana to connote loving intimacy, and then giving them a gentle warning, “and that My chastisement is the painful chastisement.” (Quran, 15:50)
Contrast the tone of this singular-pronoun-warning with the royal-we-warning issued to those who obstinately disobey Him, “We shall take vengeance upon the sinners.” (Quran, 32:22)
A famous hadith qudsi that speaks of the intimacy of the remembrance of Allah also uses ana rather than nahnu: the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that Allah says,
“I am as My servant thinks I am. I am with him when he makes mention of Me. If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed.” (Bukhari)
The Quran is miraculously beautiful, but to taste the beauty, one needs to learn the ancient Arabic language. To someone who masters ancient Arabic, the Quran is a sparkling jewel. If one finds that one can’t see the beauty, the fault lies in oneself, not in the Quran.
And Allah Most High knows best.
Hamza.
[1] al-Raghib al-Asfahani, Mufradat Alfadh al-Quran, Entry Title: n.h.n.
[2] OED is an abbreviation for Oxford English Dictionary and OE is an abbreviation for Old English.
[3] R.W. Burchfield (ed.), The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage (3rd ed.), Entry Title: we
[4] Ibid.
[5] Shakespeare Dictionary, http://www.acepilots.com/bard/ws_word_f.html (as accessed on December 27, 2019)
[6] Shakespeare Dictionary, http://www.acepilots.com/bard/ws_word_g.html (as accessed on December 27, 2019)
[7] “Eloquence of speech is for speech to correspond to the demands of the situation and for it to be well-formed (fasih). What is demanded by a situation varies: a situation suited to indefiniteness is different from a situation suited to definiteness, a situation suited to the absence of qualification is different from a situation suited to qualification …” (al-Khatib al-Qazwini, al-Idah fi `Ulum al-Balagha, Muqadimma fi al-kashfi `an ma`na al-fasaha wa al-balagha)
[8] Muslim rhetoricians comment on the succeeding verses, saying that when Allah Most High asks the Prophet Musa, “And what is that in your right hand, O Musa?”, he deliberately prolongs his response by mentioning additional details (beyond the simple answer, “It is my staff.”) to relish his intimate discourse with Allah Most High, “It is my staff. I lean on it, and I beat down leaves with it for my sheep, and I have many other uses for it.” (Quran, 20:17,18)
