and, as He said,

“They took their rabbis and monks as lords apart from Allah.” ⦗al-Tawbah 31⦘

As for the Muslims, Allah guided them to the truth over which the others differed. They did not liken the Creator to the creation, nor the creation to the Creator. Instead, they affirmed for Allah every attribute of perfection that befits Him, declared Him far above all deficiencies, and acknowledged that He is the One: “Nothing resembles Him,” and “None is ever His equal” in any attribute of perfection. Thus they proclaimed Him free of defects—unlike the Jews—and free of any resemblance to the creation—unlike the Christians.

Regarding the prophets—peace be upon them—the Jews killed some and denied others, as the Most High says:

“Is it that whenever a messenger brought you something your souls did not desire, you waxed proud and rejected some while killing others?” ⦗al-Baqarah 87⦘

The Christians, on the other hand, associated the prophets and even those below them as partners with Allah. They worshipped the Messiah, took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, promoted the disciples to the rank of messengers of Allah, and claimed that through obedience a person could attain the station of the prophets. They fashioned statues of the prophets and the righteous, invoked them, and sought their intercession after their deaths. Whenever a pious man among them died, they built a mosque over his grave and placed his images inside it.

Both Ṣaḥīḥ collections record that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was told of a church