—all Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike testify against them that the books have been distorted and altered; just as the Christians, together with the Muslims, testify against the Jews that many of the Torah’s meanings have been corrupted and its rulings replaced, even though both the Christians and the Jews insist that the Torah’s actual wording has not been tampered with.

Accordingly, the mere survival of the written letters of those books in their hands, while they twist their meanings, profits them no more than the Jews benefit from retaining the letters of the Torah and its prophecies after having distorted their import. Indeed, every prophecy the Christians acknowledge is found in the possession of the Jews, and both Christians and Jews defend those texts against the charge of verbal alteration, even though, in the Christians’ view, the Jews are among the worst of all creation in unbelief and the most deserving of Allah’s punishment in this world and the next. Yet in the eyes of those Christians who declare the Muslims unbelievers, the Jews are deemed even more unbelieving and more wicked than the Muslims. For the Christians unanimously agree that the Muslims are better than the Jews, and the Jews unanimously agree that the Muslims are better than the Christians. In fact, every nation that differs with the Muslims attests that the Muslims are superior to all other peoples and sects—everyone, that is, except itself, and self-testimony is inadmissible. Thus the peoples of the earth are agreed—willingly or unwillingly—on the superiority of the religion of Islam.

It is therefore clear that the mere preservation of a scripture’s letters, while its meanings are ignored and perverted, neither guarantees faith for its adherents nor precludes their unbelief.

Consequently, the testimony borne by Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and his community to Jesus—peace be upon him—and to what was revealed to him of the Gospel, affirming what the Christians possess, is no greater than the testimony borne by Jesus—peace be upon him—the disciples, and all who followed him to Moses and to what was revealed to him of the Torah, affirming what was in the