Allah is not all powerful
A fundamental attribute of God is omnipotence (being all-powerful), and aseity (self sufficient, not dependent on anything else). However, the Quran gives an example where this is not true for Allah, and therefore not God:
Quran 39:4
Had it been Allah's Will to have offspring, He could have chosen whatever He willed of His creation. Glory be to Him! He is Allah—the One, the Supreme.
Quran 6:101
˹He is˺ the Originator of the heavens and earth. How could He have children when He has no mate? He created all things and has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of everything.
From this, we can come to the conclusion of two things:
- If Allah wanted a son, then Allah could have one (Quran 39:4)
- Allah can only have a son if Allah has a mate (Quran 6:101)
Given these statements, we know that Allah is both not all powerful and not self sufficient, because Allah is not able to have a son without a mate. Allah is dependent on some other entity to have a son.
Still not convinced? See common rebuttals
Rebuttal 1: Allah is just speaking in terms humans can understand; Allah doesn't really need a mate.
Response: If Allah doesn't need a mate, then "How could He have children when He has no mate?" (Quran 6:101 above) becomes illogical and deceptive. Why pose a limitation if it doesn't exist? The natural reading implies a necessary condition, which is that Allah needs a mate to have a son.
Rebuttal 2: It's not befitting for Allah to have a son or a mate / it's not in Allah's nature to have a son
Response: This is questioning "should Allah have a son", not "could Allah have a son". However Quran 39:4 directly states that Allah can have a son. If Allah can have a son without a mate but simply chooses not to, then it would have been phrased to specify that. Allah chose specifically to say that he cannot have son without a mate.
A Christians View
Christianity presents a God who is completely self-sufficient. The concept of the Trinity explains that God is one being in three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Son, isn't "created" or born in a human sense; he has eternally existed with the Father. The Bible says,
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God
Just like the Quran, Jesus is God's Word. This shows a relationship within God himself that doesn't depend on anything in creation. God's power is absolute because He lacks nothing, able to do more than Allah.