the Torah concerning the attributes, falsely attributing it to Moses, believed in those attributes and fabricated these accounts, or intended to mislead the Jews and spread falsehood among them to corrupt their religion.”

The response is:

One or two individuals, or a small group, could do such a thing. But if they related it to the Jewish community at large, with its knowledge and differences of opinion, then, if its falsity were evident from the clear dictates of reason, some of them would inevitably reject it or find it problematic, saying: “Such a thing discredits Moses.” Since they all accepted it, we know that they did not believe it contradicted the clear dictates of reason.

It is well known among the People of the Book that their early predecessors did not reject the attributes mentioned in the Torah. Such rejection arose among them only later, when Jahmīs appeared in their ranks: either adherents of philosophy, such as Moses Maimonides and others like him, or Mu‘tazilīs, such as Abū Ya‘qūb al-Basīr and others like him. The Jews have ties with the Mu‘tazilah, and there are similarities between the two. Thus, the Jews used to read the Five Principles of the Mu‘tazilah and discuss the foundations of Judaism in terms resembling those of the Mu‘tazilah. Similarly, many Sufi ascetics resemble Christians, following practices of polytheism and monasticism in their asceticism and worship that resemble Christian practices.

For this reason, Allah Most High commanded us to say in our prayers:

“Guide us to the path