another characteristic, namely that it came as an overseer of their scriptures and their law—as mentioned a moment ago—serving as their guardian and trustee. Its role is not limited to confirming whatever truth and goodness they still contain; beyond that, it must shield them from any foreign elements that may have been illegitimately added, and uncover the realities that may have been hidden from them.
Thus one of the Qur’an’s missions was to challenge anyone who claimed the legitimacy of such invented additions to the earlier books: “Say, then bring the Torah and recite it, if you are truthful” (Āl ʿImrān 3:93).
Accordingly, Islam does not recognize any creed that elevates Jesus, peace be upon him, to the rank of divinity, abandons pure monotheism for the Trinity, and embraces doctrines of original sin, vicarious atonement, and crucifixion—doctrines colored by the paganism that prevailed when Christianity spread through the Roman Empire (1)—all while denying the prophethood of a messenger whom Allah Himself sent.
(1) For a detailed discussion of the extent to which Christianity absorbed pagan ideas, the channels through which these ideas entered, and the resulting deviation from pure monotheism, see in particular: André Nayton, Al-usul al-wathaniyya li-l-masihiyya (The Pagan Origins of Christianity), trans. Samira al-Zayn, p. 17 ff.; Muhammad Tahir al-Tanir, Al-aqaʾid al-wathaniyya fi l-diyana al-nasraniyya (Pagan Doctrines in Christianity), p. 35 ff.; Shaykh Safar b. ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Hawali, Al-ʿilmaniyya (Secularism), pp. 27–123; Charles Geneber, Al-masihiyya: nashaʾatuha wa tatawwuruha (Christianity: Its Origin and Development), trans. Dr. ʿAbd al-Halīm Mahmoud, p. 101 ff.; Ahmad Ahmad ʿAbd al-Wahhab, Haqiqat al-tabshir bayna l-madi wa-l-hadir (The Reality of Missionary Activity, Past and Present), p. 41 ff.—a work rich in Western Christian documents; Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahrah, Muhadarat fi l-nasraniyya (Lectures on Christianity), p. 29 ff.; Dr. Ahmad Shalabi, Muqaranat al-adyan: al-masihiyya (Comparative Religion: Christianity), pp. 90–160.