some such presumptions turn out to be mistaken: the community is, in fact, divided over the question, and the Prophet’s own wording—peace and blessings be upon him—may lend support to this opinion or it may lend support to the other. At other times the presumption of consensus is sound, yet the report from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—whose significance or very existence is unknown to some people, underpins that agreement.

The reason is that Allah, blessed and exalted, perfected the religion through Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—the Seal of the Prophets. He clarified it and caused it to be conveyed with unmistakable clarity. Therefore his ummah has no need of anyone after him who might alter any part of that religion; it only needs to learn the religion with which he was sent. Nor will his ummah ever unite upon misguidance; rather, there will always remain within it a group standing firm upon the truth until the Hour is established. For Allah sent him with guidance and the religion of truth so that He might make it prevail over every other religion. He made it prevail by means of proof and exposition, and He made it prevail by the hand and the spear, and a faction of his ummah will continue to stand openly upon both until the Hour comes.

What is intended here, then, is that every matter over which the whole ummah has reached an evident consensus—one recognized by both laypeople and specialists—is something transmitted from their Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. We attribute infallibility only to the entirety of the ummah. Many of its factions, however, harbor innovations that contradict the Messenger, some of which resemble the innovations of the Jews and the Christians. Among them are also acts of wickedness and disobedience, yet the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—is absolved of all of that, just as Allah said to him: “But if they disobey you, then say: ‘I am absolved of what you are doing.’” (Ash-Shuʿarāʾ 26:216).