If the descendants of the Children of Israel, when they disbelieve, have no advantage over other unbelievers who likewise follow the altered and abrogated religion, it follows that distinguishing between the two groups is invalid: honoring one by allowing them to remain upon payment of the jizyah tax, permitting their slaughtered animals to be eaten and their women to be married, while denying this to the other. It is also clear that [therein] (1) lies a distinction contrary to the fundamentals of Islam, and that, were the distinction reversed, it would be more fitting. For this reason, Allah reproaches the Children of Israel for rejecting Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—more severely than He reproaches others among the People of the Book. For He Most High bestowed immense religious and worldly blessings upon their ancestors, yet they were ungrateful for His blessings, rejected His Messengers, altered His Book, and changed His religion:

“Humiliation has been laid upon them wherever they are found, except under a covenant from Allah and a covenant from people. They have incurred wrath from Allah, and destitution has been laid upon them. That is because they used to disbelieve in the signs of Allah and kill the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and habitually transgressed.”

Thus, despite the nobility of their forefathers and the truth of their ancestors’ religion, they are among the worst unbelievers in Allah’s sight, and His wrath against them is greater than against others. Their unbelief contains arrogance, envy, obstinate defiance, hardness of heart, concealment of knowledge, distortion of Scripture, alteration of its text, and other things not found in the unbelief of those others.

How, then, can these abominable, impure people, who are among the creatures most hateful to Allah, be accorded an advantage over their fellow unbelievers, when their unbelief is either equal to that of their fellow unbelievers or more severe? For no one can say that the unbelief of those who entered this religion is more severe than theirs, when both groups profess the same religion based on this existing scripture.