Section: Refutation of Their Claim that His very essence appeared in Jesus and united with the Messiah or with someone else

If by your statement, “He appeared in Jesus,” you mean the indwelling of His essence and His union with the Messiah or another, then it is a mere allegation, devoid of any past or present proof.

Even granting that the human being is the noblest creature Allah has made—and that such nobility could serve as a reason for His indwelling—that quality is not limited to the Messiah. Conclusive evidence shows that others besides Jesus, peace be upon him, surpass him in rank, such as Abraham and Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon them both. Allah took these two as khalīls (intimate friends), and no station rises above khulla.

Thus, were He to indwell the most exalted of His human creatures simply because of that excellence, the indwelling would have taken place in the very exemplar of that rank—in the khalīl and in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them both.

They have never produced a shred of evidence that the body taken from Mary—if, according to their own premise, it is not united with the divine nature—is superior to the khalīl or to Moses.

If they say, “He never committed a sin,” then John son of Zechariah likewise committed no sin. Moreover, one who sins and then repents may through repentance become better than he was before the sin, and better than someone who never committed that particular sin at all. The khalīl and Moses are, beyond doubt, superior to John, whom they call John the Baptist.

As for their assertion, “And for this reason He addressed the creation,” the one who actually addressed the creation is—