For any of these people who is a Jew or a Christian is a disbeliever on both counts. Likewise, anyone among them who does not consider following the Seal of the Messengers obligatory, but permits adherence to Judaism or Christianity, is a disbeliever on both counts. Thus, one of them may be greater in disbelief than the Jews and Christians who disbelieve in Muhammad and the Quran. Conversely, Jews and Christians may be greater in disbelief than those among these people who believe in most of the attributes of what Allah sent Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to convey. Fundamentally, however, these people are greater in disbelief than Jews and Christians as a class: the latter acknowledge, in principle, the perfection of messengership and prophethood, whereas these people do not. Similarly, a righteous believer among the Jews and Christians of old was superior to a righteous believer among these people.

Likewise, someone who professes Islam and believes in some attributes of the Quran, of Allah’s speech and His sending it down to His messengers, and of His messengers themselves, but not others, stands in the same relation to these people as someone who believes in some texts of the Book and the Sunnah, but not others, stands to the Jews and Christians.

This makes clear the nature of the deviations arising from religious innovation within this community: they consist in believing in some of what the Messenger brought but not the rest, or in some attributes of Allah’s speaking, messengership, and prophethood but not others. Both forms may concern either the revelation itself or its interpretation.