Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The use of “We” and “Indeed, We” in the Qur’an when speaking about Allah تعالى does not indicate plurality. Rather, it is one of the ways of expression in the Arabic language used to convey glorification and majesty. Allah سبحانه وتعالى is One, without partner. He may speak of Himself using the singular pronouns such as “I” and “He,” and He may also speak of Himself using the plural form that denotes majesty. All of this is according to the linguistic conventions of the Arabic language in which the Qur’an was revealed.
Among the styles of the Arabic language is that a speaker may refer to himself using three types of pronouns:
The singular first-person pronoun, such as “I.”
The singular third-person pronoun, such as “He.”
The plural form, such as “We” and “Indeed, We.”
All of these forms occur in the Qur’an. Allah تعالى addresses the Arabs in the language they understand.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُبِينًا﴾
[Al-Fath: 1]
And He سبحانه وتعالى says:
﴿إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ﴾
[Al-Hijr: 9]
Elsewhere, He سبحانه وتعالى speaks in the singular form, such as:
﴿إِنَّنِي أَنَا اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدْنِي﴾
[Ta-Ha: 14]
No. The plural form here does not mean multiple gods; rather, it is used as an expression of glorification and majesty.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله explained that Allah سبحانه وتعالى sometimes refers to Himself using the singular form and sometimes using the plural form. He does not refer to Himself using the dual form, because the plural form in this context conveys glorification, whereas the dual form indicates a limited number.
It is also among the linguistic conventions of the Arabs that a single person of great status may speak about himself using the plural form. For example, some kings would say in their decrees and official decisions: “We have decided,” even though the speaker was only one person. The plural form was used to express majesty and authority.
And Allah تعالى is more deserving of glorification than anyone else. Therefore, when He سبحانه وتعالى says “Indeed, We” or “We,” it does not mean that there are other gods alongside Him. Rather, it is one of the forms of expression used to convey majesty.
If someone finds the meaning of some verses confusing, the proper approach is to refer the ambiguous wording back to the clear verses that explicitly establish the doctrine of monotheism.
If someone cites the saying of Allah تعالى:
﴿إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ﴾
[Al-Hijr: 9]
and claims that the plural form means multiple gods, this interpretation is refuted by the saying of Allah تعالى:
﴿وَإِلَهُكُمْ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 163]
And by His saying سبحانه وتعالى:
﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ﴾
[Al-Ikhlas: 1–4]
These clear verses leave no room for the meaning of multiple gods. Rather, they clearly establish the Oneness of Allah تعالى and His exclusive right to be worshipped.
Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله mentioned that the plural forms by which Allah تعالى speaks about Himself convey glorification. They may also relate to the multitude of His Names and Attributes, as well as His angels and forces. They do not mean that He سبحانه وتعالى has any partner in divinity.
Therefore, it is not correct to understand the word “We” in isolation from the conventions of the Arabic language and from the other Qur’anic texts that explain one another.
Pronouns such as “We” and “Indeed, We” in the Qur’an do not indicate multiple gods, nor do they refer to Jesus عليه السلام. Rather, they are among the linguistic forms of Arabic used to express glorification and majesty.
Allah تعالى has referred to Himself using both the singular and plural forms, and all of this is true, while the doctrine of monotheism remains firmly established and admits of no ambiguity:
﴿قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ﴾
And Allah knows best.