This, then, is as much as these pages can hold in response to the present question. It is a weighty matter upon which the very foundations of knowledge and faith rest, and we have answered it only to the extent the circumstances allow. Within these lines there is ample exposition and lofty principles—readily recognized by anyone acquainted with scholarly discourse in this field—although what God and His Messenger truly deserve of the truth exceeds what has been said here. A full, detailed rebuttal of these people is not suited to this place; every context has its fitting address. Still, we have indicated the points of entry by which one may grasp the reality of their claim and its falsity, for these people have corrupted both the intellects and the religions of others. They proliferate and gain prominence under whichever ignorant regimes favor them, such as the Batinite Qarmatian Ubaydid state, the Tatar state, and others like them among the people of ignorance and deviation, as well as in the realms of apostasy and hypocrisy.

These individuals are, in fact, more ignorant and misguided than the Jews, Christians, Magians, and the idolaters of the Arabs, Indians, Turks, and many of the Sabians. Most polytheists concede that the universe is originated and that God acts by His will and power; the monotheistic Sabians hold this view as well, and it was the position of the leading sages among the ancient philosophers who preceded Aristotle. The doctrine of the world’s eternity only became prominent among the celebrated philosophers through Aristotle and his followers, the so-called First Teacher, who