Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi likewise transmit—through ʿAdī ibn Ḥātim—from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Al-Tirmidhi remarks, “This hadith is authentic.”

The reason, in brief, is that the Jews recognize the truth yet do not act upon it, while the Christians worship without knowledge. Allah has depicted each community with traits befitting its condition: He describes the Jews as arrogant, miserly, cowardly, hard-hearted, concealing knowledge, and treading the path of deviance—the path of base desires and aggression. Concerning the Christians He speaks of excess, of invented rituals in worship, of associating partners with Him, of misguidance, and of declaring lawful what Allah has forbidden. Thus He, exalted is He, says: