all that preceded it was only paving the way for it, and everything that follows is necessitated by it. Whatever is brought in after perfection is superfluous, for nothing that comes after perfection can be better; it must either fall below it or borrow from it. It is thus an excess that serves no real need, though there is some benefit in stating it. Peace be upon those who follow guidance. This is what I have learned from the people I met and conversed with concerning Muhammad—peace be upon him—and from the proofs they present for themselves. If what they have stated is true, then all praise is due to Allah; and if it is otherwise, our Master will record it. They have appointed me as an envoy, and praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”

The reply to this comprises several points.

First: We say that the revealed laws are, in fact, three: (1) a law concerned exclusively with justice, (2) a law concerned exclusively with grace, and (3) a law that unites justice and grace—mandating justice and recommending grace. This last is the most perfect of the three, and it is the law of the Qur’an, which