[Section: The Muslims concur with the Christians in declaring the Jews unbelievers]
As for what they have transmitted from the prophets that points to the unbelief of the Jews, we contest them in none of it, nor do we need to cite their transmissions as evidence. If, among the reports that are soundly established from the prophets, there is material showing that the Jews became unbelievers when they altered the religion of Moses—peace be upon him—just as the Christians became unbelievers when they altered the religion of the Messiah, then that is a truth wholly consonant with what the Seal of the Messengers—peace and blessings be upon him—has conveyed, for we already know of their unbelief from a source whose veracity is beyond doubt.
Whatever they relate to us from the prophets: if we know them to be truthful, we affirm it; if we know it to be false, we reject it; and if we do not know whether it is true or false, we neither confirm nor deny it. Rather, we say:
“We believe in what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you; our God and your God is one, and to Him we submit.” (al-ʿAnkabūt 46)
Belief in everything that the prophets were given is a true and binding obligation. However, the obligation to accept what is reported concerning a particular prophet whom we know of only through them rests on two premises:
- That the wording was indeed spoken by the prophet