of the prophets with philosophical statements and interprets them accordingly—even al-Rāzī and other leading rational thinkers acknowledged that knowledge of the world’s origination does not depend on rational proofs. Rather, the Messenger’s truthfulness can be known before this question is settled, and the world’s origination can then be known through transmitted revelation. Thus, they acknowledged that it could be established through revelation, rather than having to be established through reason—let alone having to serve as a foundation for transmitted revelation, or being its only foundation.

Moreover, leading rational thinkers have acknowledged numerous methods, none of which depends on denying corporeality or denying the attributes.

[The third]

The third perspective:

It may be said: If the messengers and prophets have been followed by communities whose numbers Allah alone can count, without relying on this method; if these followers report that they knew the Messenger’s truthfulness with certainty, without any doubt; and if their words and deeds demonstrate that they know his truthfulness with certainty and have no doubts about it—while their numbers exceed, many times over, many times over, many times over, any number posited for mass transmission—then it is known that they did not assemble and collude to make this report about themselves. It is therefore known with certainty that they attained certain knowledge of the Messenger’s truthfulness without this method, which entails denying some of the attributes.

[The fourth]

The fourth perspective:

We demonstrate the invalidity of these statements that contradict the texts of the prophets, and the invalidity of the methods that their proponents have presented as rational demonstrations, as will follow, Allah willing.