“But they differed: some of them believed, and some of them disbelieved.”

Disagreement over its revelation is more serious, and this is what we are concerned with here. We therefore say:

“Disagreement over its revelation” is between believers and disbelievers. Believers believe in what has been sent down, whereas disbelievers reject the Scripture and that with which Allah sent His messengers; they will soon know. Those among the Muslims, Jews, Christians, and Sabians who believe in scripture and messengers in general believe in this, whereas those among the polytheists, Magians, and Sabians who reject scripture and messengers in general disbelieve in it.

This is because Allah sent the messengers to convey to people the speech of Allah that He revealed to them. Whoever believes in the messengers believes in what they conveyed from Allah, and whoever rejects the messengers rejects it. Thus, belief in Allah’s speech forms part of belief in Allah’s message to His servants, and disbelief in the former is disbelief in the latter. Reflect, then, on this principle, for it provides the criterion for resolving this confusion.

For this reason, one who disbelieves in the messengers sometimes denies that Allah has speech which He has sent down to a human being, just as he may disbelieve in the Lord of the worlds—as did Pharaoh and his people. Allah Most High said:

“Is it astonishing to people that We have revealed to a man from among them, ‘Warn mankind’”—the verse.

And He Most High said concerning Noah and Hūd:

“Do you wonder that a reminder has come to you from your Lord through a man from among you, to warn you?”

And He said:

“They have not appreciated Allah as He deserves, when they said, ‘Allah has not sent down anything to a human being’”—to the end of the passage.