—is no Muslim.

• Likewise, whoever does not acknowledge that, after the mission of Muhammad (peace be upon him), no one is a Muslim except the one who believes in him and follows him both inwardly and outwardly (1), is not a Muslim.

And whoever, after his mission, does not deem it forbidden to adhere to the religion of the Jews or the Christians—indeed, whoever does not declare them unbelievers and hold them in enmity—is, by unanimous agreement of the Muslims, no Muslim.

The point here is that the Christians like the Muslims to resemble them in certain matters, so that their own religion might thereby be strengthened and so that the Muslims will not be repelled from it.

• For this reason the Islamic law came with directives to differ from the Jews and Christians, as we have set out at length in the book Iqtidaʾ al-Sirat al-Mustaqim li-Mukhalafat Ashab al-Jahim.

The Christians have indeed achieved much of what they want at the hands of the ignorant—especially the extremists among the Shiʿah, the uninformed ascetics, and those who go to excess concerning particular shaykhs. Within these groups there is a marked resemblance to the Christians in their extremism, their innovations in worship, and the like. Consequently, they disguise for the Muslims certain graves that are actually Christian graves, so that the uninformed imagine them to be the tombs of righteous Muslims.

Now, as for that sanctuary in Ashkelon, some have said that it is the grave of a certain Christian or of one of the disciples. We possess no evidence that it is the grave of any Muslim—much less that it houses the head of al-Husayn. Therefore, the claim of anyone who says it is a Muslim grave—whether al-Husayn’s or someone else’s—is to be rejected.

That is sufficient grounds to forbid anyone from saying, “This is the shrine of al-Husayn.”