As for His words, Most High:

“That is Jesus, son of Mary—the word of truth,”

by “the word of truth,” He referred only to his name and his attribution to his mother, and that is literally Allah’s speech. Your own imam, Ahmad, said: “Allah is Allah,” meaning that the name is the one named.

As for His words, Most High:

“And, because of their disbelief, they were made to drink the calf into their hearts,”

when the calf was scattered into the sea after being filed down, and they drank from the water, what they drank was that very calf. Thus, everything you have mentioned is literal.

Ibn Aqīl said:

The reply is that qaryah denotes that which gathers people and in which they gather, not the gathered people themselves. Similarly, qur’ and its plural aqrā’ designate the time of menstruation or the time of purity. Likewise, tasriyah (retaining milk), musarrāh (an animal whose milk is retained), and sarāh designate where milk and water collect, not the collected milk and water themselves. A qārī is one who gathers provisions for hospitality, and a muqrī is one who gathers guests—not the guests themselves.

Nor is a caravan called an ‘īr unless it includes particular beasts of burden. Pedestrians and men on foot are not called an ‘īr. If the word merely meant a caravan, it would apply to men on foot just as it applies to those with riding animals. Their claim is therefore disproved.

As for their statement, “Had he asked, the wall would have answered,” such a thing does not happen at one’s choosing, nor can one rely on its occurrence except when presenting it as a miraculous challenge. It does not happen merely because the thought occurs to someone, or at any and every time.