among them anyone who exalted those philosophers, nor did they seek their assistance or so much as turn to them. On the contrary, the philosophers were regarded by them as leaders of unbelief and chiefs of misguidance. The same applies to Moses and his followers, and likewise to Muhammad and his followers: among all of God’s messengers and prophets and their communities there is no one who venerates the philosophers or appeals to their words. Rather, the messengers and those who follow them are unanimous in deeming the philosophers misguided and ignorant.

As for rational inquiry: it is only the most ignorant people with respect to divine knowledge and the universal sciences who magnify the statements of these philosophers in metaphysics and the higher disciplines. Their discourse in those fields is packed with ignorance and error to an extent known only to the Lord of Majesty. What those philosophers truly understood was limited to the natural sciences and certain mathematical subjects—such as geometry, a portion of astronomy, and a little about ethics and civic or domestic administration—matters that constitute but a fraction of what the messengers brought. After abrogation and alteration, even the Jews and Christians possess greater knowledge than the philosophers in theology, ethics, and politics, let alone in other domains.

Thus, the fact that these Christians rely on those would-be philosophers is clear evidence of their profound ignorance in both revealed and rational sciences. This issue has been explained at length in many other places, for the refutation of the philosophers is not confined to discussion with Christians alone; the discussion concerns them and everyone of any religious community who holds those philosophers in esteem.