[The Twentieth Argument]
[The Heretics Follow the Deniers in Rejecting and Reinterpreting the Scriptural Texts]

We say:

The approach adopted by these deniers of the divine attributes—opposing divine texts with their own opinions—is precisely what the heretical Dahriyya used against them to deny what Allah had told His servants about the Last Day. They went so far as to maintain that no knowledge could be derived from what the messengers had conveyed about Allah and the Last Day. They then extended this approach to the acts enjoined by the messengers, such as the five daily prayers, zakat, fasting, and pilgrimage, treating them as obligations for the common people rather than the elite. Ultimately, they fell into heresy concerning the three foundations upon which the religious traditions agree, as Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, those who believe, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians—whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does righteous deeds—will have their reward with their Lord. No fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.”

Al-Baqarah 62.