—is not, in fact, encompassed (1) by the very name “Messenger of Allah”; rather, this designation pertains to the soul alone and not to the body; or with one who claims, “Ṣalāh (ritual prayer) is not a name for the movements of the heart and body, but only for the inward acts of the heart.”

For this reason, al-Shahrastānī (2)—one of the most knowledgeable authorities on religions, sects, and doctrinal opinions—states in Nihāyat al-Iqdam (3) that to assert the createdness of the Qur’an’s letters is an innovated view, while the creed of the earliest generations of the ummah is to deny that they are created; and he himself is a prominent figure among those who hold them to be created.

Let no intelligent person imagine that either reason or revealed evidence contains anything at odds with this. On the contrary, whoever delves deeply into rational inquiry and grasps its subtleties knows with absolute certainty that sound reason—which never lies—harbors nothing that contradicts the doctrine (4) of the Salaf and the People of Hadith. What it does oppose are only the misconceptions entertained by their challengers, born of the darkness of their hearts and the whims of their souls, or the false accusations they levy because of their lack of piety and scant religion.

Were we, hypothetically, to suppose that unimpeachable reason came into conflict with certain reports, one of two consequences would follow: either the transmitter would have to be deemed untruthful, or the transmitted text would require interpretation. Praise be to Allah, this has never happened, nor should it ever occur, for Allah’s safeguarding of the Book and the wisdom He has revealed precludes it.

True, reports of this sort are found in ḥadiths fabricated by the heretics so that they might disgrace the people—