Allah had placed the truth upon ʿUmar’s heart and tongue; he would never remark about any matter, “In my view it should be such-and-such,” without events unfolding exactly as he had said. The sakīna (divine tranquility) would speak through him. Yet for all of that, neither he nor anyone else who is not a prophet is immune to error, and a Muslim is not obliged to accept his statements unless they are borne out by the Book and the Sunnah. Likewise, it is not permissible for a person to act upon what is cast into his heart unless he first measures it against the Book and the Sunnah: if it accords with them, he accepts it; if it conflicts, he rejects it.

Muslims hold that, among the followers of Jesus—peace be upon him—there was no one comparable to Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with them both. Thus, when they say of the apostles that they were not infallible, they are saying this of men whom they themselves regard as superior to the apostles. And when they assert that the Messiah is a created servant and not divine, they say the same of those whom they consider even greater than the Messiah, such as Muhammad and Abraham—upon both of them be the finest blessings and peace.

Among the irreligious elements who affiliate themselves with the ummah are people whose innovative forms of extremism resemble that of the Christians, such as those who claim divinity.