﴿ وَلَا تُؤْمِنُوٓا۟ إِلَّا لِمَن تَبِعَ دِينَكُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْهُدَىٰ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ أَن يُؤْتَىٰٓ أَحَدٌۭ مِّثْلَ مَآ أُوتِيتُمْ أَوْ يُحَآجُّوكُمْ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ ۗ قُلْ إِنَّ ٱلْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِيمٌۭ ﴾

“but do not [really] believe anyone who does not follow your own faith." Say: "Behold, all [true] guidance is God's guidance, consisting in one's being granted [revelation] such as you have been granted." Or would they contend against you before your Sustainer? Say: "Behold, all bounty is in the hand of God; He grants it unto whom He wills: for God is infinite, all-knowing,”

A community into which prophets and reformers have been born and in which religion has held sway for a considerable period of time, is often mistaken in thinking that their ethos and the truth are synonymous (that is, whatever they believe and practise is nothing but the truth). It comes to believe that guidance has something to do with a particular community rather than being a matter of principle, and is unwilling to accept such truth as has been revealed elsewhere. This was the case with the Jews. Under the influence of historical traditions, they began to believe that whoever was one of them was on the right path, and that whoever was not, was misguided. Even today, they tend to forget that truth is something that comes from God and not from an individual or a community. Although they are ostensibly adherents of a divine religion, in reality for them their community is supreme, while God is relegated to a secondary place. This mentality casts such a veil over their eyes that they become unable to see any merit outside their own fraternity. Even in the face of clear signs and arguments, they doubt the veracity of any outsider, and strongly oppose any call of truth which comes from without. In obedience to their false standards, they try to stifle such a call. They would not hesitate to adopt unjust methods to curb the activities of the preacher. They would even resort to spreading false propaganda to cast doubt upon his veracity. Going against God’s commandments, they adopt two separate criteria of behaviour, one for the members of their own community and another for outsiders.