“Indeed, those who disbelieve among the People of the Book and the polytheists will be in the Fire of Hell.”

Likewise, when He mentioned the six religious communities in Surah al-Hajj, He said:

“Indeed, those who believe and those who are Jews…”—the verse.

And the Most High said:

“They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah…”—the verse.

This follows His words:

“The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah,’ and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah,’”

and continues up to His words:

“Even though the disbelievers detest it.”

He also said:

“They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’”

If Jews and Christians may be polytheists, then this applies even more readily to the Sabians. This is after they have altered their religion. Wherever they are described as polytheists, it is after that alteration; wherever they are classified as other than polytheists, it is because the original, authentic form of their religion contains no polytheism. Polytheism is an innovation among them. These distinctions should therefore be carefully understood.

“The solitary one” was among those Arabs distinguished by judgment, reasoning by analogy, and planning, and he was counted among their sages and philosophers. Thus Allah described him as being in a state resembling that of those who profess philosophy, saying:

“Indeed, he thought and calculated.
May he be destroyed! How he calculated!
Again, may he be destroyed! How he calculated!
Then he looked;
then he frowned and scowled;
then he turned away and grew arrogant,
and said, ‘This is nothing but magic passed down;
this is nothing but the word of a human being.’”