of prophethood can occur only when the claimant is truthful in that claim. Hence it is clear that they actually heralded his prophethood, and that is exactly what we set out to establish.

What further demonstrates this is that the earlier prophets informed the People of the Scripture about the events that would overtake them and about the kings who would be unleashed against them—kings who would kill them, ravage their lands, and carry them off as captives, such as Nebuchadnezzar and Sennacherib. Those monarchs never claimed to be prophets, nor did they summon anyone to a religion; therefore the prophets had no reason to warn their communities against following them. By contrast, they did warn against following anyone who falsely claims prophethood.

Muḥammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—overpowered the People of the Scripture: he slew those he slew, took captive those he took captive, and expelled them from their homes. For that very reason they were bound to mention him and to record the events that befell them in his time. Had he been a lying pretender to prophethood, they would necessarily have cautioned their followers against him; yet it is well known that the majority of the People of the Scripture