[Section: Rebuttal of the Christians’ Claim That They Are Those on Whom God Has Bestowed His Favor]

They go on to say:

"In the Opening Chapter of the Book (al-Fātiḥah) he is instructed to ask for guidance to the straight path, the path of those upon whom God has bestowed His favor, not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.

By the phrases ‘those upon whom favor has been bestowed,’ ‘those who have incurred wrath,’ and ‘those who have gone astray,’ he meant the three communities that existed in his own era—namely, the Christians, the Jews, and the idol-worshipers—and there were no other nations in his time.

Thus, we Christians are the favored ones, while those who have incurred wrath—there can be no doubt—are the Jews, against whom God’s anger is recorded in the books of the Torah, the Prophets, and in this Book; and those who have gone astray are the idol-worshipers who deviated from God. This matter is clear, plain, and obvious to everyone, especially to people of intellect and understanding.

The word ‘path’ (ṣirāṭ) means a creed, i.e. a way, and the term itself is Roman, for ‘road’ in their language is istrāta.

Response:

As for their statement, ‘We Christians are the favored ones,’ it is among the strangest claims, revealing the extreme ignorance of the one who uttered it; even more astonishing is their assertion that this is something self-evident.