peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“If the People of the Scripture relay something to you, neither affirm it nor deny it. They might tell you something true and you would then reject it, or they might tell you something false and you would then accept it. Instead, say: ‘We believe in what has been sent down to us and what has been sent down to you; our God and your God is One, and to Him we submit.’ (Al-ʿAnkabūt 46)”

This principle—affirmed by the Quran and the Sunnah—that a person should withhold judgment on matters whose truth or falsehood is unknown, is also transmitted from other prophets. It is reported from the Messiah, peace be upon him, that he said:

“Matters are of three kinds: one whose soundness is clear, so follow it; one whose error is clear, so avoid it; and one that is ambiguous to you, so refer it to the one who knows it.”

Most rational human beings agree upon this. Therefore, it is impermissible to accept as true any report attributed to the Messenger or to anyone else unless there is evidence proving its truthfulness, and it is likewise impermissible to reject it unless there is evidence proving its falsehood. Upon this foundation rest both knowledge and religion, and the scholars have