or a boy, or someone else—and claims that He spoke to them. Such people are to be called upon to repent. If they repent, well and good; otherwise, they are to be beheaded. They are disbelievers, indeed more deeply disbelieving than the Jews and Christians

“who said that Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.”

For the Messiah is a noble messenger, honoured by Allah in this world and the Hereafter, and among those brought near to Him. If Allah has declared those who said that the Messiah is Allah, or that Allah united with him or dwelt within him, to be disbelievers, and their disbelief is so grave—indeed, even those who said that He had taken a son, concerning whom He said:

“And they say, ‘The Most Merciful has taken a son.’”
“You have certainly made an atrocious claim.”
“The heavens almost rupture at it, the earth splits open, and the mountains collapse in ruin,”
“because they attribute a son to the Most Merciful.”
“It is not fitting for the Most Merciful to take a son.”
“There is none in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Most Merciful as a servant.”

—then what of someone who claims that a particular person is Allah Himself? Such a person is more deeply disbelieving than the extremists who claim that ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, or another member of the Prophet’s household, is Allah.

These are the “heretics” whom ‘Alī, may Allah be pleased with him, burned with fire. He ordered trenches to be dug for them at the Gate of Kindah and cast them into them after giving them three days to repent. When they did not repent, he burned them with fire. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, agreed that they should be put to death. However, Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, held that they should be killed by the sword without being burned. This is the position of most scholars, and their story is well known among scholars.