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they were enlightened by the Spirit of God. St. Paul clearly
sets forth, in the passage just quoted, that the human soul
cannot discern the truths concerning God but only through
His Spirit, inspiration, and direction.
(c) Again, in (1 Cor. Vi. 19), we read that the righteous
servants of God are called “the temple of the Holy Spirit”
which they “received from God.” Here again the Spirit of
God is not indicated to be a person or an angel, but His
virtue, word, or power and religion. Both the body and the
soul of a righteous believer are compared with a temple
dedicated to the worship of the Eternal.
(d) In the Epistle to the Romans (viii. 9),the
same spirit that “lives” within the believers is called
alternately “the Spirit of God” and the “Spirit of
Christ.” In this passage “the Spirit” means simply the
faith and the true religion of God which Jesus (pbuh)
proclaimed. Surely, this spirit cannot mean to be the
Christian ideal of the Holy Ghost, viz. another third
of the three. We Muslims always wish and intend to
regulate our lives and conduct ourselves in accordance
with the spirit of Muhammad (pbuh) , meaning thereby
that we are resolved to be faithful to the religion of
God in much the same way as the Last Prophet was.
For the Holy Spirit in Muhammad (pbuh) , in Jesus (pbuh) ,
and in every other prophet was no other than the Spirit
of Allah praised be His Holy Name! This spirit is called
“holy” to distinguish it from the impure and wicked
spirit of the Devil and his fallen angels. This spirit is
not a divine person, but a divine ray that enlightens and
sanctifies the people of God.
(e) The Gospel formula, “In the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” even if authentic and
truly prescribed by Christ, may be legitimately accepted
as a formula of faith before the formal establishment of
Islam, which is the real Kingdom of God upon earth. God