What Is the Greatest Commandment Uttered by Christ?

The New Testament: A Meticulous Analytical Reading

Prepared by: Dr. Solomon Khalil
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In the context of contemporary doctrinal dialogues, explicit textual evidence remains the decisive criterion upon which grand realities are established. In a debate that took place between Sheikh Zain Khairullah and a Christian interlocutor regarding the claim of the divinity of Christ, the false nature of their deduction collapsed once the opponent was compelled to read the text in its entirety without truncation. The methodological dialogue centered on the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 21, 22, and 23, which completely invalidates the claim of the divinity of Christ (peace be upon him).

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Matthew 7:21–23 (English Standard Version)

This debate completely invalidated the claim of the divinity of Christ through verses 21, 22, and 23 of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

Source of the video in Arabic: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0_aZfqPO1J0

Dialogue Summary

Sheikh Zain Khairullah: "If you had a single explicit text in which Christ says, 'I am a god,' you would have brought it. But you have never found this phrase uttered by him."

The Christian Interlocutor: "I told you that the text exists. The text says: 'On that day you will say to me: O Lord'."

Sheikh Zain Khairullah: "Bring out the complete text for us, if you please. Do you not memorize it?"

The Christian Interlocutor: "Yes, I memorize it. The text in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter Seven, Verse Twenty-One states: 'Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.' "

Sheikh Zain Khairullah: "Complete the text... continue reading, for you have not finished yet. Complete the reading up to verse twenty-three."

The Christian Interlocutor: (Continues reading the text in the subsequent verses, specifically in the Gospel of Matthew, verses twenty-two and twenty-three): 'On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”'

Sheikh Zain Khairullah: "Depart from me, O what?"

The Christian Interlocutor: "You workers of lawlessness."

At this point, the truth manifested clearly. Sheikh Zain Khairullah smiled and said with a tone combining academic victory and clear exposition: "The very text you brought to claim the divinity of Christ proves that those who called him 'Lord' and performed miracles in his name were expelled and disowned by him, and he described them as workers of lawlessness! For this exact reason, I insisted that you complete the text fully without cutting it off; because its completion completely invalidates your claim."

These texts in the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 7, Verses 21–23) firmly refute the claim of the divinity of Christ (peace be upon him). These individuals thought that merely calling Christ "Lord" outwardly or exaggerating his status would save them. Hence, the conclusive reply came to prove that this calling is entirely useless unless accompanied by the absolute monotheism (Tawhid) of God (Allah) and dedicating worship exclusively to Him, Blessed and Exalted be He.

From this, sin and iniquity are intrinsically linked to violating the law (Sharia) and falling into polytheism (Shirk). Christ (peace be upon him) described them as "workers of lawlessness"—meaning violators of the divine law who abandoned monotheism (Tawhid). They reduced religion to a mere outward show and verbal extremism, which Christ disowned. They destroyed the foundation of the message of all prophets: the pure worship of Allah alone, without partner, in His Lordship (Rububiyyah), Divinity (Uluhiyyah), and Names and Attributes (Asma wa Sifat). Instead of executing Allah's command, they busied themselves with extremism regarding the person of Christ. Therefore, this text is a crushing proof against anyone who attempts to use the word "Lord" to claim divinity for Christ (peace be upon him).

What Is the Greatest Commandment Uttered by Christ?

An Analytical, Deliberate Reading of the New Testament Texts

Reflection upon the preceding passage leads to a fundamental principle in the call of the prophets and messengers: created beings are not to be given the attributes of lordship or divinity that belong to Allah alone. When the cited New Testament passages are examined, the article argues that Christ, peace be upon him, did not explicitly claim divinity. Rather, the cited passages contain statements in which he distinguishes God from himself and refers to God as “my God” or “the only true God,” as discussed below.

First: The Linguistic Background and Semantic Significance of "Elohim" and "Eli"

To properly comprehend the true linguistic foundation of these text structures, one must examine the original language of Christ and his native environment:

The term "Elohim" is an ancient Hebrew expression utilized in the Old Testament scriptures to denote Allah, the Creator, Blessed and Exalted be He. Because Christ (peace be upon him) spoke Aramaic—which is the closest linguistic sister language to Hebrew—his famous distress call "Eli, Eli" or "Eloi, Eloi" stems directly from the shared Semitic root for the word "Deity" (Ilah). When appending the possessive pronoun "my" to this root, it becomes "My Deity" (Ilahi). This is fundamentally derived from the identical ancient Semitic linguistic stock that forms the Arabic words Ilah (إله) and the majestic proper name Allah (الله).

Second: The Total Submission of Christ (Peace be upon him) to God the Creator and His Affirmation of the Phrase "My God"

The word "My God" appeared from Christ (peace be upon him) in contexts highlighting absolute neediness and complete servitude ('Ubudiyyah) to the Creator of the universe, Glorified and Exalted be He. Examples include:

Gospel of John (20:17): Christ explicitly severed all avenues of extremism and equated himself with his followers in their state of total servitude to Allah when he declared decisively:

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

John 20:17 (ESV)

Gospel of Matthew (27:46) & Gospel of Mark (15:34): When he cried out in his time of severe distress, directing his supplication to his Creator alone in ancient Aramaic, he said:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Matthew 27:46 (ESV)

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Mark 15:34 (ESV)

Book of Revelation (3:12): Even after his raising to heaven, the text records him repeating the phrase "My God" four times in a single sentence, confirming his permanent status of servitude to his Lord, Blessed and Exalted be He:

“The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.”

Revelation 3:12 (ESV)

Third: The Proclamation of the First Commandment and Combining Lordship and Divinity for God Alone

Christ (peace be upon him) emphasized the primary, foundational commandment inherited from all preceding prophets, which strictly confines Lordship and Divinity to Allah, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master (Al-Ahad al-Samad), completely free of any partners:

Gospel of Mark (12:29–30): When asked about the absolute greatest commandment, he adhered directly to the text of the Old Testament, answering in the absolute singular form:

29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’”

Mark 12:29–30 (ESV)

Gospel of Matthew (4:10) & Gospel of Luke (4:8): In his decisive rejection of temptation, he defined the only true object of worship:

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Matthew 4:10 (ESV)

And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”

Luke 4:8 (ESV)

Fourth: Christ’s Explicit Use of the Majestic Name "God" and Affirming His Prophetic Humanity

Christ addressed the crowds and his disciples across various settings, establishing that Allah is the Ultimate Truth Who must be obeyed, while defining himself strictly through human and prophetic parameters:

Gospel of John (8:40): He faced his opponents by affirming his human nature as a messenger sent by the Creator:

“...but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.”

John 8:40 (ESV)

Gospel of John (17:3): In his long, humble supplication to his Lord, he formulated the absolute essence of Tawhid (Monotheism) and the message of prophethood in a profound statement that completely demolishes all creeds of extremism:

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

John 17:3 (ESV)

Conclusion and Summary

The total accumulation of these successive proofs and verified texts demonstrates from within the certified books of the New Testament themselves, and by the tongues of their approved translations, that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) never elevated himself above the status assigned to him by Allah. He never claimed intrinsic personal divinity or an entitlement to be worshiped; rather, he permanently established himself as a sent servant, submissive, obeying, and calling mankind to the will and obedience of Allah alone—his Lord and their Lord, the True God Who has no partner.

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