Allah is the religion of Islam.’ They explained ‘There is no change in Allah’s creation’ as referring to Allah’s religion.

They also cited as evidence the hadith narrated by Muhammad ibn Ishāq, from Thawr ibn Yazīd, from Yahyā ibn Jābir, from ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn ‘Ā’idh al-Azdī, from ‘Iyād ibn Himār al-Mujāshi‘ī, that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) once said to the people:

‘Shall I not tell you what Allah has told me in the Book? Allah created Adam and his descendants upright in faith, as Muslims, and gave them wealth that was lawful, with nothing unlawful in it. Yet they declared what Allah had given them lawful and unlawful.’ The hadith continues.

He said:

(Similarly, Bakr ibn Muhājir narrated it from Thawr ibn Yazīd through the same chain of transmission, with the same wording, including the phrase (upright in faith, as Muslims) in this hadith.

(…

Abū ‘Umar said:

Qatādah narrated this hadith from Mutarrif ibn ‘Abd Allāh, from ‘Iyād ibn Himār. Qatādah did not hear it from Mutarrif, but