And al-Firyābī narrated to us, saying: al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī al-Hulwānī narrated to us in Tarsus, in the year 233 AH, saying: I heard Mutarrif ibn ‘Abd Allah say: I heard Mālik ibn Anas, whenever those who had gone astray in matters of religion were mentioned in his presence, say: ⦗461⦘ “‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azīz—may Allah have mercy on him—said: ‘The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and those in authority after him established prescribed practices. Adhering to them means following the Book of Allah, perfecting one’s obedience to Allah, and gaining strength in upholding Allah’s religion. No created being has the right to alter or replace them, or to entertain anything that contradicts them. Whoever takes guidance from them is rightly guided, and whoever seeks victory through them is granted victory. Whoever forsakes them and follows a path other than that of the believers, Allah will leave him to what he has chosen and consign him to Hell—what an evil destination!’”

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn said: If someone asks, “We understand what you have stated and explained. If our debate does not concern any of the deviant doctrines rejected by the people of truth—concerning which we have been forbidden to argue, wrangle, and quarrel—but instead concerns a question of jurisprudence relating to rulings, such as ritual purity, prayer, zakat, fasting, pilgrimage, marriage, divorce, and similar rulings, is it permissible for us to discuss and debate it, or is that prohibited to us? Tell us what is required in this matter and how one may remain safe.”

He should be told, “Regarding what you have mentioned, how few are those who emerge unscathed from debating it, without ⦗462⦘ falling into temptation or sin in the process or allowing Satan to gain the upper hand!”

If he asks, “How so?” he should be told, “This has become exceedingly common among people—among scholars and jurists in every land. One man debates another, seeking to defeat him. He raises his voice and seeks to gain ascendancy over him through argument; his face consequently reddens, the veins of his neck swell, and his voice grows louder. Each wants the other to be mistaken. This desire on the part of each is a grave error whose consequences are not praiseworthy, nor do learned people of sound reason commend it. Your desire for the person debating you to be mistaken is an error on your part and a grave sin; his desire for you to be mistaken is likewise an error and a sin on his part. How, then, can everyone emerge unscathed?”

If someone says, “We debate only so that we may derive some benefit,” he should be told, “That is what is said outwardly, but inwardly the reality is otherwise.” ⦗463⦘

He should also be told, “If you seek the safe course in debating for the sake of benefit, as you claim, then suppose that you are from the Hijaz and the person debating you is from Iraq, and you disagree over a question: you say it is lawful, while he says it is forbidden. If you both seek safety and benefit, then say to him, ‘May Allah have mercy on you. The earlier scholars differed over this question, so let us discuss it with sincere counsel, not with the aim of defeating one another. If the truth lies with you, I shall follow you and relinquish my position; and if the truth lies with me, you shall follow me and relinquish yours. I do not want you to be mistaken, nor do I seek to defeat you; and you do not want me to be mistaken, nor do you seek to defeat me.’ If matters proceed in this manner, it is good and admirable—but how rare this is among people!

“If each of them says, ‘We are incapable of this,’ and they have spoken honestly about themselves, each should be told: ‘You already know your own position, your counterpart’s position, and the arguments advanced by your companions. Yet you will not relinquish your position and consider your opponent mistaken; and your opponent says the same. Neither of you therefore has any need to engage in argument, wrangling, or quarrelling, since neither wishes to abandon his position. Each of you merely wants the other to be mistaken, so you are both sinful because of this intention. May Allah preserve learned people of sound reason from such an intention.’ ⦗464⦘

“If a debate is not conducted in a spirit of sincere counsel, silence is safer. You know what you and he hold, and he knows what he and you hold; let the matter rest there.

“Furthermore, we cannot be sure that, while debating you, he will not say, ‘The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said…,’ whereupon you reply, ‘This is a weak hadith,’ or, ‘The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—did not say that,’ merely to refute his position. This is a grave matter. He may likewise say the same to you, so each of you rejects the other’s proof out of reckless incivility and a desire to prevail. This is found among many whom we have seen debating and arguing, and whom we ourselves have debated, to the point that some of them may even act rudely toward others. This is what the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—feared for his nation and what the earlier scholars detested. Allah knows best.”