is obligatory for every individual, and no one can stand upon guidance from his Lord and prosper except by holding to both kinds of faith.

As for the Christians’ claim, “We are the ones who believed in the Master Messiah although we never saw him,” the Jews likewise believed in Moses—peace be upon him—without having seen him, and the Muslims believed in Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—without having seen him. In fact, the Muslims have believed in Moses, Jesus, and all the other prophets while never beholding them, unlike the Jews and the Christians, who believed in some and rejected others.

Furthermore, the “unseen” is not intended to mean the Prophet’s physical appearance, for his form is not part of the unseen: people can and did see it, and merely seeing it does not of itself necessitate faith or disbelief. Rather, the unseen is that which lies beyond the observation of created beings—everything the prophets have told us about it. This includes belief in Allah, His angels, His scriptures, and His messengers, namely, believing that they are Allah’s messengers—whether or not their bodies were ever seen. Someone may see them yet not believe in their mission, and another may believe in their mission while never having seen them.

What is required, then, is faith in their mission, not in their mere physical features; so there is no point in saying, “We believed in a prophet although we never saw him.” Indeed, one who never saw him may know, through the proofs of his prophethood and the signs of his message, far more than one who actually saw him.