Later on, the Sabians introduced polytheism and thus became idolaters; the pagan philosophers are counted among these idolaters. The early philosophers, however—those who worshipped God alone without associating anything with Him, believed that God originated this universe, and affirmed the bodily resurrection—belong to the Ḥanīf Sabians whom God praised.

Even the idolatrous Sabians acknowledged that the world was created, just as the idolaters among the Arabs did, and likewise the idolaters of India. Scholars of doctrinal history report that the first of those pagan philosophers to advance the claim that the universe is eternal was Aristotle.

Constantine, the first ruler to make the Christian religion manifest:

When a party from Ḥarrān embraced the religion of Christ—among them Helena of Ḥarrān, known as al-Funduqāniyyah—the king of the Romans, Constantine’s father, became enamored of her. He married her, and she bore him Constantine. She then championed her son, and it was Constantine who promulgated the Christian faith and built Constantinople. In his time the Christians innovated the creed upon which their various denominations agree to this day, for it was endorsed by three hundred and a few of their scholars and ascetics.

They also say that he instituted prayer toward the East; before that, none of their prophets or followers had ever prayed facing the East. God has legislated no place to face in prayer other than the Kaʿbah.

All the prophets—Abraham and those before him—prayed only toward the Kaʿbah, and Moses, peace be upon him, did not pray toward Jerusalem. Rather, they say that he used to set up the Tabernacle of the Covenant toward