by his words “the path of those You have blessed” (al-Fātiḥah: 7) he meant the Christians; and that by his words “Indeed We sent Our messengers” (al-Ḥadīd: 25) he meant the disciples; and that by his words “and with them He sent down the Book with the truth so that it might judge between the people” (al-Baqarah: 213) he meant the Gospel.

Such statements are patent falsehoods and a brazen slander against Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him—claiming that he intended these meanings. They belong to the same species as their fabrications about the prophets, for they have alleged that the Messiah is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and that the Torah, the Psalms, and other scriptures affirm this. Then they take passages that every rational person knows Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him—never intended, and they say: “No one can doubt it; the wording is plain and obvious.”

Yet anyone familiar with Muḥammad’s life, and with the Quran and religion he brought, knows with certain, self-evident knowledge that Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him—did not regard the Christians as believers to the exclusion of the Jews. Rather, he pronounced both groups to be unbelievers, ordered that they be fought, and declared anyone who did not regard fighting them as obligatory upon himself to be an unbeliever.

This is a matter upon which the Muslims are unanimously agreed, transmitted among them from their Prophet through multiple, continuous chains of report. In fact, both supporters and opponents know this about him—except for someone utterly negligent in knowledge of his life, or someone who is openly obstinate.