The Quran Confirms the Trinity is Monotheistic
The Islamic scripture prohibits men and women from marrying those who associate a creature along with Allah:
Do not marry women who associate [others with God] (al-mushrikati) until they believe. A believing maid is better than an associating woman (mushrikatin), no matter how attractive she may seem to you. Do not let [your daughters] marry men who associate [others with God] (al-mushrikina) until the latter believe; a believing slave is better than an associator (mushrikin), no matter how attractive he may seem you. Those people invite (one) to the Fire while God invites (us) to the Garden and to forgiveness through His permission. He explains His signs to mankind in order that they may bear them in mind. S. 2:221 T.B.Irving
This means that Muslims cannot marry anyone who ascribes divinity to someone who isn’t Allah.
However, the Quran allows Muslim men to marry Christian women and eat the food of Christians:
Made lawful to you this day are At-Tayyibat [all kinds of Halal (lawful) foods, which Allah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, etc., milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits, etc.). The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals, etc.) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them. (Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time, when you have given their due Mahr (bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girl-friends. And whosoever disbelieves in the Oneness of Allah and in all the other Articles of Faith [i.e. His (Allah's), Angels, His Holy Books, His Messengers, the Day of Resurrection and Al-Qadar (Divine Preordainments)], then fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers. S. 5:5 Hilali-Khan
Herein lies the problem.
According to Islamic tradition, the Muslim book was composed during the seventh century AD in Arabia. During this time period, the major branches of Christianity all affirmed the Trinity and the Divinity of the Lord Jesus, be it Miaphysitism, Dyophysitism, or so-called Nestorianism. Therefore, the Christian women that Muslims would have married would all have been Trinitarians who worshiped Jesus as their Lord and God.
Now this either means that the Trinity is not idolatrous or polytheistic, but is a form of monotheism since it insists that there is only God, even though this God simultaneous exists as three eternally distinct, yet inseparable Persons. Or the Quran is simply contradicting itself for permitting Muslim men to marry women that associate partners with Allah.
If Muslims claim that the Islamic scripture is only allowing “believers” to marry Christian women who hold to Unitarianism, or the belief that Jesus is merely human, then this would only make it worse. The reason being is that unitarian Christians believe that God exalted a mere human being to heaven in order to share in God’s status, glory, dominion and worship.
Unlike Trinitarians, Unitarians hold the position that the merely human Jesus was physically raised from the dead in order to ascend into heaven to rule as the everlasting King and Lord of all creation, whom all the nations must worship forever.
Suffice it to say, this is outright condemned by the Quran, which explicitly teaches that Allah has no partner in his dominion and would never allow a mere human prophet or even angel to be worshiped as Lord:
It is not (possible) for any human being to whom Allah has given the Book and Al-Hukma (the knowledge and understanding of the laws of religion, etc.) and Prophethood to say to the people: "Be my worshippers rather than Allah's." On the contrary (he would say): "Be you Rabbaniyun (learned men of religion who practise what they know and also preach others), because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it." Nor would he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords (gods). Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted to Allah's Will? (Tafsir At-Tabari). S. 3:79-80 Hilali-Khan
And say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has not begotten a son (nor an offspring), and Who has no partner in (His) Dominion, nor He is low to have a Wali (helper, protector or supporter). And magnify Him with all the magnificence, [Allahu-Akbar (Allah is the Most Great)]." S. 17:111 Hilali-Khan
He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Who has begotten no son (children or offspring) and for Whom there is no partner in the dominion. He has created everything, and has measured it exactly according to its due measurements. S. 25:2 Hilali-Khan
In light of this, no Muslim can accept marriages with unitarian Christians as compatible with Islam.
Therefore, the only solution is to accept the fact that the Quran does not categorize the Trinity as associating partners with Allah, since the doctrine rejects the notion of the Son and Spirit being created beings that are divine in a lesser sense than the one true God. Rather, the Trinity affirms that all three Persons exist as the one true God.
Hence, unlike the Unitarians, Trinitarian Christians do not claim that Jesus is a creature who shares in God’s divinity, but is himself an uncreated divine Person who is coequal to and inseparable from the Father.
This means that, even though the Muslim scripture may reject the divinity of the Son and Spirit, it still acknowledges that Christians who affirm this belief are not saying that they are three gods. As such, the Quran is accepting the Christian profession that the Holy and Blessed Trinity is still one God.
There’s simply no other way around this major Quranic blunder if a Muslim wishes to hold to their scripture being perfectly consistent with itself.
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