and the like, and anyone who tried to speak about him with fairness—many of their own scholars and worshippers, in fact—would be summoned before a council, where they would shower him with curses, all out of blind partisanship, the following of whim, and excessive veneration for the one they exalted. The same pattern is found among those driven by their desires: they do it for one shaykh or another, for certain members of the Prophet’s Household, for some scholars, kings, tribes, legal schools, or spiritual orders. In every case, the root of their error is the caprice of their own souls.

Regarding the Christians who lived during the Prophet’s lifetime—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and those who came after them, the Exalted said:

“Say, People of the Book, do not go to extremes in your religion beyond the truth; and do not follow the whims of a people who went astray before, led many others astray, and strayed far from the right path.” [5:77]

As for their assertion that the ṣirāṭ means “madhhab,” i.e., “a way,” and that it is a Roman word because the word for “road” in their language is strāta, we say to them:

In Arabic, ṣirāṭ simply means “path.” One says: “It is the clear path,” or: “It is the path bounded by two sides so that one cannot deviate from it.” Hence the Ṣirāṭ laid over Hell—the bridge across which the believers will pass to Paradise, while the unbelievers, when they attempt to cross, will tumble into Hell.

The term is also said to convey the ideas of straightness and evenness, which entail rapid passage across it. It has three linguistic forms—corresponding to three Qur’anic readings: aṣ-ṣirāṭ, as-sirāṭ, and az-zirāṭ—and it is a dialect