and al-Aswad al-‘Ansi, along with the rest of the lying pretenders to prophethood.
The investigation hinges on two foundational principles:
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First, we must identify what he actually states in both his reports and his commands. In other words, we must know precisely what he claims and what he instructs, and whether he says that he is Allah’s messenger to all mankind or, instead, that he was sent only to a specific group and to no one else.
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Second, we must determine whether he is truthful or a liar.
When these two principles are established, detailed faith is complete—that is, we know the messenger’s truthfulness and we know the content of his message. As for summarized faith, it is attained by the first principle alone: recognizing that he is truthful in what he conveys, much as we believe in the earlier messengers; and we may come to know his truthfulness—or his falsehood—