Imām Farahi held the belief that in the Gospel, Jesus is referred to as “the servant of
God,” not “the Son of God.” He stated: “Wherever the word ‘son of Allah’ appears in the
Gospels, it implies ‘servant of Allah.’ And wherever the words ‘abūnā’ (our father) or ‘abūnā waabūkum’ (your and our father) appear, they imply ‘my Lord’ and ‘your
Lord.'” (Mufradāt al-Quran Li al-Farahi p. 251)
Imām Farāhī (may Allah have mercy on him) was a distinguished linguist who possessed a thorough understanding of Hebrew. As the holy scriptures and books of the Israelites were primarily in Hebrew, their scholars and leaders used this language.
Farāhī believed that the Gospels were also revealed in Hebrew. Presently, the
Gospels bear witness to the fact that Jesus engaged in frequent dialogues with
Jewish religious leaders, which likely occurred in Hebrew.
Subsequently, he attempted to demonstrate through his commentary on the
Hebrew language and his interpretation of the word that in Hebrew, the word ‘al’awt’ (called ‘ibn’ in Arabic) is also used interchangeably to denote servitude.
Regrettably, ancient Hebrew literature is unavailable for us to trace its origin and find examples. Therefore, he presented some instances from the Bible itself in which the context and coherence of the text suggest that the word ‘ibn’ cannot be interpreted as son in any circumstance. Instead, its meaning becomes more explicitly obvious if interpreted as worship. He provided an example from the Gospel of Matthew, which strongly supports the use of “Lord” for the word “Father.” In my opinion, considering the status that the Bible attributes to children compared to parents, it is easily understandable that the word ‘ibn’ could be used interchangeably for a servant or worshiper. The child was regarded as akin to a slave in the presence of his parents.
Children could be punished, even killed, for disobeying parents, which reflected a similar punishment for disobeying God.
Words gradually evolve from their origins to encompass other meanings. A deeper examination of the Hebrew Scriptures may offer a better understanding of the word’s reality. Imam Farahi made a significant effort in this regard.