and regard the recitation of it as valid, and derive legal rulings from it, then why do you not recite it to the ordinary people?

The answer is that the guidance of the Companions was that one should not relate to people a hadith beyond the reach of their understanding. This is as stated in the hadith of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: “Speak to people according to what they recognize”—that is, what they are able to understand, absorb, and comprehend—“Would you like Allah and His Messenger to be denied?” (1) For when an ordinary person encounters something unfamiliar, he recoils from it, denies it, and says, “This is impossible.” Ibn Masud said: “If you relate to a people a hadith beyond the reach of their understanding, it will surely become a trial for some of them.” (2) He spoke the truth, may Allah be pleased with him. For this reason, we do not tell ordinary people something beyond the reach of their understanding, lest tribulation arise and they be harmed in their creed and practice.

Another example is an issue about which some students frequently ask: It is authentically reported from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that when he recited the verse:

“Indeed, Allah commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and, when you judge between people, to judge with justice. Excellent indeed is what Allah instructs you. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.” [Surah al-Nisa]

he placed his thumb and forefinger upon his ear and his eye. (3) Someone then asks: Is it permissible for me to do likewise?

Our answer is: Do not do so before ordinary people, for they may quickly come to believe that this entails likeness or resemblance; unlike