But this is not so; rather, this polytheist Alexander, whose minister was Aristotle, lived later than the other. He neither built the barrier nor reached the lands of Gog and Magog. It is from this Alexander, whose ministers included Aristotle, that the well-known Roman chronology is reckoned.
Among the various polytheists—the Arabs, Indians, Turks, Greeks, and others—there are those who devote themselves earnestly to learning, asceticism, and worship. Yet they neither follow the messengers nor believe in what they brought; they neither accept their reports as true nor obey their commands. Such people are neither believers nor friends of Allah. Devils associate with them and descend upon them, enabling them to disclose certain hidden matters to people and perform extraordinary feats of the same kind as sorcery. They belong to the same category as soothsayers and sorcerers upon whom devils descend.
Allah Most High says:
“Shall I inform you upon whom the devils descend?”
“They descend upon every sinful liar.”
“They pass on what is heard, and most of them are liars.”
All these people who lay claim to disclosures of hidden matters and extraordinary feats, if they do not follow the messengers, will inevitably lie, and their devils will lie to them. Their deeds will inevitably include sin and wickedness, such as some form of polytheism, injustice, indecency, excess, or innovations in worship. This is why devils descend upon them and associate with them, so that they become friends of Satan rather than friends of the Most Merciful.
Allah Most High says:
“And whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Merciful, We appoint for him a devil