Section: Refutation of the Christians who claim that the word “whoever” in the Almighty’s statement, “Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam…” applies only to the Arabs

As for their interpretation of the Almighty’s words:

“Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.” (Q 3:85)

—namely, their claim that He meant only His own people, as they allege—

and likewise their contention that, according to what they regard as justice, the Almighty intended solely those to whom the Prophet came speaking their language, not others who did not receive the same message, the answer is this:

Whoever explains a speaker’s intent—any speaker’s—in a way that people know to be contrary to his actual purpose is a liar who fabricates against him, even if the speaker were an ordinary member of the public, let alone a false claimant to prophethood. For even when a man is known to be a liar, if he utters a statement and we understand what he meant by it, it is impermissible to misrepresent him by declaring, “He meant such-and-such.”