Christians often ask followers of the Quran whether they object to using the term “Father” for God, aiming to highlight a perceived inconsistency between the portrayal of Jesus in the Gospels and the Quran. They argue that Jesus’ use of “Father” in the Gospels suggests a theological divergence from the Quranic depiction of Jesus as a submitter to God.
However, the Quran never condemns the use of the name “Father” for God, but also never endorses it. Interestingly, the Quran does not reprimand Christians and Jews for calling themselves “God’s children”.
5:18 The Jews and the Christians said, “ We are God’s children and His beloved.” Say, “Why then does He punish you for your sins? You are just humans like the other humans He created.” He forgives whomever He wills and punishes whomever He wills. To God belongs the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and everything between them, and to Him is the final destiny.
وَقالَتِ اليَهودُ وَالنَّصٰرىٰ نَحنُ أَبنٰؤُا۟ اللَّهِ وَأَحِبّٰؤُهُ قُل فَلِمَ يُعَذِّبُكُم بِذُنوبِكُم بَل أَنتُم بَشَرٌ مِمَّن خَلَقَ يَغفِرُ لِمَن يَشاءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشاءُ وَلِلَّهِ مُلكُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالأَرضِ وَما بَينَهُما وَإِلَيهِ المَصيرُ
Given that “Father” was a common term for God in Koine Greek, it would have been natural for early Christians to use this term in their writings. Similarly, in Arabic, the term for God is “Allah,” a term still used by Christians in Egypt today. However, Christians who do not speak Arabic typically do not refer to God as “Allah” due to the term’s specific cultural and religious connotations today, despite this also being the term Jesus most likely used when speaking Aramaic.
It is also worth emphasizing the linguistic and cultural context of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus primarily addressed a Jewish audience and likely spoke Aramaic, the common language among Jews at that time, or Hebrew when quoting scripture, the language of the Old Testament. The Gospels were later written in Koine Greek, the lingua franca of the Eastern Mediterranean, to reach a broader audience, especially Gentiles who adopted Pauline Christianity. Thus, the term “Father” in the Greek texts is a translation of what Jesus might have originally said in Aramaic or Hebrew.