It is related that Allah, glorified be He, said to the Messiah:

“I shall create a community that I shall favor above every other community, though it has neither knowledge nor forbearance.” The Messiah said, “My Lord, how will You favor them above all other communities when they have neither knowledge nor forbearance?” He said, “I shall bestow upon them from My knowledge and My forbearance.”

This is among the distinctive blessings of following the Messenger. The more closely a person follows him, the more fully he attains this blessing. As Allah Most High says:

“O you who believe, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. He will grant you a double portion of His mercy, provide you with a light by which you may walk, and forgive you. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

“So that the People of the Scripture may know that they have no control over any of Allah’s bounty, and that bounty is in Allah’s hand: He grants it to whom He wills. And Allah is the Possessor of great bounty.”

Likewise, the two Sahīh collections contain the reports narrated by Abū Mūsā and ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar:

“The parable of us and the nations before us is that of a man who hired workers. He said, ‘Who will work for me until midday for one qīrāt each?’ The Jews worked. Then he said, ‘Who will work for me until the afternoon prayer for one qīrāt each?’ The Christians worked. Then he said, ‘Who will work for me until sunset for two qīrāts each?’ The Muslims worked. The Jews and Christians became angry and said, ‘We have done more work for less pay!’ He said, ‘Have I withheld anything that was your due?’ They said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Then this is my bounty, which I grant to whom I will.’”

Thus, the Quran and the Sunnah show that Allah grants the followers of this Messenger bounty that He did not grant the adherents of the two Scriptures before them. What, then, of those among the Sabians who rank below them, let alone the innovators among the Sabians—the philosophizers and their like?