And the Magian nation among them—​they bed (1) their mothers, daughters, and sisters (never mind paternal and maternal aunts (2)). Their “religion” is pipe-music, their food is carrion, their drink is wine, their deity is fire, and their patron is Satan. Of all the children of Adam they are the vilest sect, the most depraved school, and the worst in creed.

As for the heretical Sabeans and the atheist philosophers: they believe in neither God, nor His angels, nor His books, nor His messengers, nor the meeting with Him. They affirm neither a beginning nor a return. For them the universe has no Lord who acts by volition (3)—One who does whatever He wills, is able over all things, knows all things, commands and forbids, sends messengers, reveals scriptures, rewards the righteous, and punishes the wicked. According to their theorists, reality is nothing but nine celestial spheres, ten intellects, four elements, and a hierarchy of existents whose chain resembles the fetters of madmen more than it resembles anything demanded by sound reason.

In short: the religion of ḥanīfiyyah—​and God has no religion besides it amid these false creeds, for there is no other true faith on earth—​is more hidden than the tiny star Suhā (4) when veiled by clouds.

God then looked upon the people of the earth and loathed them, Arabs and non-Arabs alike, except for a few remnants of the People of the Scripture (5). So He caused the sun of the Prophetic mission to rise in the pitch-black (6) depths of those darknesses