he means giving and receiving in the general sense, “pertaining to existence and creation”—that is, “This has come to me through Allah’s will and power”—then this is true. Yet everyone shares in this, and the person who acquires his knowledge from the Book has also received it from Allah in this sense. The disbelievers, both polytheists and People of the Book, are likewise in this position.

But if he means that what has come to him is something Allah loves and is pleased with, which brings one closer to Him, and that the words conveyed to him are the speech of Allah Most High, then there are two approaches:

The first is to ask him: How do you know that this comes from Allah alone, rather than from Satan, his suggestions, and his whisperings? For the devils inspire their allies and descend upon them, as Allah Most High has told us in the Quran. This occurs frequently among the devout worshippers of the polytheists and the People of the Book, among soothsayers, sorcerers, and their like, and among the people of religious innovation, according to the nature of their innovations.

These states may be satanic, or they may come from the Most Merciful. There must therefore be a criterion by which to distinguish the allies of the Most Merciful from the allies of Satan. That criterion is none other than the Criterion with which Allah sent Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. For He is:

“the One who sent down the Criterion upon His servant, that he might be a warner to the worlds.”

It is through this that Allah has distinguished truth from falsehood, guidance from misguidance, right conduct from waywardness, the path to Paradise from the path to Hell, and the way of the allies of the Most Merciful from the way of the allies of Satan. This has been discussed at length elsewhere.