Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (2/276)

Hence, several of the early scholars (Salaf) said that the phrase “That Book” means “this very Book.” In their view, the demonstrative refers to the Qur’an at hand, even though a demonstrative may at times point to what is absent and at other times to what is present. Allah, Exalted is He, then says: “a guidance for the God-fearing—those who believe in the unseen.” ⦗2:2–3⦘

Yet He has also described the Christians as people who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day, declaring them disbelievers and wrongdoers. How, then, could they possibly be counted among the God-fearing who believe in the unseen? Allah, the Most High, commands:

“Fight those who do not believe in Allah or the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and who do not embrace the religion of truth—among those who were given the Scripture—until they pay the jizyah by their own hands and are humbled.” ⦗9:29⦘

The first aspect of taqwa (piety) is to guard oneself against shirk (idolatry), and Allah has branded the Christians with shirk in His words:

وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ السَّلَفِ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ أَيْ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ يَقُولُونَ الْمُرَادُ هَذَا الْكِتَابُ وَإِنْ كَانَتِ الْإِشَارَةُ تَكُونُ تَارَةً إِشَارَةَ غَائِبٍ وَتَارَةً إِشَارَةَ حَاضِرٍ وَقَدْ قَالَ {هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ - الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ} [البقرة: ٢ - ٣] وَقَدْ وَصَفَ النَّصَارَى بِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَنَّهُمْ كَافِرُونَ ظَالِمُونَ فَكَيْفَ يَجْعَلُهُمُ الْمُتَّقِينَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ. قَالَ - تَعَالَى -: {قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ} [التوبة: ٢٩] . وَأَوَّلُ التَّقْوَى تَقْوَى الشِّرْكِ وَقَدْ وَصَفَ النَّصَارَى بِالشِّرْكِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: