when Suma'a b. Mihran asked him about Allah's verse in the Qur'an: So be patient just as the resolute among the apostles were patient, said, 'Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace be upon him, his progeny and them.' [Suma'a said,] I asked, 'How did they become the arch-prophets?' He said, 'Because Noah was sent with a divine book and law (shari'a), and all who came after him adopted Noah's book, law and teachings, until Abraham (AS) came with the Scriptures being commanded to leave Noah's book without disbelieving in it...'