—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—declared that he had been sent to them and to all human beings and jinn alike; he never once stated that he had not been sent to them, nor is there anything in his Book that even hints at such a notion.

As for the verses they adduce in proof—whose meaning they have misunderstood—they have abandoned the many clear, unequivocal texts in his Book that affirm he was sent to them, doing with the Qur’an exactly what they have done with the Torah, the Gospel, the Psalms, and the words of the Prophets: they leave aside the abundant, explicit passages and cling to a scant handful of ambiguous statements whose sense they have failed to grasp.

It is well known that examining whether a claimant to prophethood is truthful or lying takes precedence over discussing whether his mission is universal or restricted, though in practice one of the two questions may become known before the other. These people, however, have claimed that his message was limited and have asserted that the Qur’an itself indicates this.

Accordingly, we shall answer their claims in the very order they have presented them, dealing with each point in turn. With Allah rests all success.

The matter under discussion concerns anyone who addresses humanity saying that he is Allah’s messenger to them—just as Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did, and as others who made the same claim have done—whether they are among the truthful messengers, such as Abraham, Moses, and their likes—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all, and upon every righteous member of their households—or, on the other hand, impostors like Musaylimah the Liar.