of perfect form, although he is a noble angel whose form is that of the angels; and just as things were made to appear to the Jews in such a way that they said, “We have indeed killed the Messiah.” [al-Nisā’ 157] Yet He said:

“They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them.” [al-Nisā’ 157]

What have you to do with this and the like, O al-Marīsī? It is simply that reports from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, have reached you, seized you by the throat, and refuted your doctrine. So you have sought relief from them through these sophistries and falsehoods, which no one versed in knowledge and the Arabic language recognizes. You remain preoccupied with them: whenever you resort to one sophistry, something else seizes you by the throat and chokes you, until you seek another sophistry to counter it.

Even if, in your dismay at these reports, you reject them through sophistries, you will find no relief from what confirms them in the Book of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, which you cannot reject. And how can you reject these reports when their wording has been authentically transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in clear Arabic, refuting your doctrine and interpretations? They have passed through the hands of