Section: Everything that is said in support of prophethood is bound up with the nature of report.

The entire discussion on prophethood is connected to the discussion of reports in general, for when a claimant declares, “I am Allah’s Messenger to you,” he is making a report. In the same way, the transmission of his words, deeds, and signs to us occurs through reports. Now, a report sometimes conforms to the reality it describes—this is the truth, known to be true—and sometimes it does not conform, which is falsehood, known to be false. When the non-conformity is deliberate, the report is a lie.

Even when the speaker sincerely believes his report to be true, if he lacks a valid excuse—such as a mufti who issues a fatwa without a justifying ijtihād, or a ḥadith narrator who transmits without knowledge—he too is called a liar. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

“Abu al-Sanābil ibn Baʿkkak has lied,”

and he also said to the one who claimed