“O People of the Book, do not go to extremes in your religion and do not speak about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah, His word which He conveyed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and do not say, ‘Three.’ Refrain—it is better for you. Allah is only one God. Transcendent is He; far be it from Him to have a child. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allah is sufficient as a disposer of affairs.” ⦗171⦘ [al-Nisāʾ 4:171]

“The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels who are nearest to Him. Whoever disdains His worship and waxes proud—He will gather them all to Himself.” ⦗172⦘ [al-Nisāʾ 4:172]

“As for those who have believed and done righteous deeds, He will grant them their full rewards and increase them out of His bounty. But those who disdain and act arrogantly—He will punish them with a painful torment; and they will find for themselves, apart from Allah, neither protector nor helper.” ⦗173⦘ [al-Nisāʾ 4:173]

And He, exalted, also says:

“Monasticism—they themselves invented it; We did not prescribe it for them—except that they sought thereby the pleasure of Allah. Yet they did not observe it as it should have been observed.” ⦗57:27⦘ [al-Ḥadīd 57:27]

That is to say: We only enjoined upon them the pursuit of Allah’s good pleasure; We did not oblige them to adopt monasticism. Rather, they devised it on their own, and even after innovating it they failed to uphold it properly. Every innovation is misguidance, so they are censured both for introducing monasticism and for not observing it as it ought to be observed.