[Surah al-Arāf: 146].

Allah Most High also said:

“And We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture: ‘You will surely cause corruption on earth twice, and you will surely rise to great heights of arrogance.’”

[Surah al-Isrā: 4].

He described the Christians as marked by polytheism, misguidance, excess, and religious innovations. Allah Most High said:

“They have taken their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah, as well as the Messiah, son of Mary, although they were commanded to worship only one God. There is no god worthy of worship except Him. Glory be to Him, far above what they associate with Him.”

[Surah al-Tawbah: 31].

Allah Most High also said:

“Say, ‘O People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion beyond the truth, and do not follow the desires of a people who went astray before, led many others astray, and themselves strayed from the straight path.’”

[Surah al-Mā'idah: 77].

Allah Most High also said:

“They invented monasticism—We had not prescribed it for them—but did so only to seek Allah’s pleasure; yet they did not observe it as it ought to have been observed.”

[Surah al-Hadīd: 27]. This has been discussed fully elsewhere.

Allah declared His Prophet free of misguidance and willful error, saying:

“By the star when it descends—your companion is neither misguided nor in willful error—nor does he speak from his own desire.”

[Surah al-Najm: 1–3] (1). The misguided person is one who does not know the truth, while the person in willful error follows his own desires.

Allah Most High also said:

“And remember Our servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, men of strength and insight.”

[Surah Sād: 45]. Here, strength means power (2) in obeying Allah, while insight means discernment in religion.

Allah Most High also said:

“By time—surely mankind is in loss—except those who believe, perform righteous deeds, urge one another to the truth, and urge one another to patience.”

Since the straight path necessarily entails knowledge of the truth and acting upon it,