and to the matters established by revelation. Yet when ambiguous reports (1) and problematic wordings reached them, they did not deem it unlikely that within the narrations that are perfectly clear (2) [there should also be] (3) what is general and what is obscure (4). For Allah has declared that His Noble Book—falsehood cannot approach it from before it nor from behind it; it is a revelation from One All-Wise, Praiseworthy (5)—contains verses that are definitive while others are ambiguous. Consequently, they turned away (6) from citing such material and did not occupy themselves with it (7).

The proof of this is that the leading imams of the Sunnah, the best (8) of the community after the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace and be pleased with them—none (9) of them inserted the ambiguous reports into their writings (10). Thus Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—did not place in his Muwaṭṭaʾ anything of what al-Ājurri and the like recorded; nor did al-Shāfiʿī, Abū Ḥanīfah, Sufyān, al-Layth, or al-Thawrī. They paid no attention (11) to transmitting problematic texts.

Later, however, an up-and-coming faction emerged who busied themselves with conveying such problematic material, codifying the ambiguous reports, assigning chapters, and devising headings according to the natural inclinations of created beings. They even drew up a chapter on the Creator’s laughing, [another on His descending, moving, ascending, entering, and exiting] (12), a chapter affirming His molars, a chapter on Allah’s creating Adam in the form of the All-Merciful, and yet another chapter affirming