with firm conviction, just as faith in him itself must be firmly held. If a man were to say, “I believe in him if my father or my shaykh permits me,” or, “unless my father or my shaykh forbids me,” he would not be a believer in him, by unanimous agreement. Likewise, someone who says, “I will believe in him if his truthfulness becomes clear to me,” has not yet believed in him. If he were to say, “I believe in him unless his falsehood becomes clear to me,” he would not be a believer.

It is therefore necessary to be certain that no conclusive proof, whether scriptural or rational, can contradict his report, and that whatever people suppose to be contrary to it is either false or contrary to it. As for positing a statement contrary to his and giving it precedence over his statement, this is rationally unsound, just as it constitutes disbelief under Islamic law.

Thus, it is necessarily known as part of the religion of Islam that all people must believe in the Messenger with an unconditional, firm, and comprehensive faith: believing everything he reports and obeying him in everything he makes obligatory and commands. Everything that opposes this is false. Anyone who says, “I must believe what I grasp through my reason, reject what the Messenger has brought on account of my own opinion and reason, and give my reason precedence over what the Messenger reports, while affirming that the Messenger is truthful in what he reports,” contradicts himself, is unsound in his reasoning, and deviates from the religion.

As for someone who says, “I will not believe what he reports until I know it through my reason,” his disbelief is evident. He is among those of whom it is said:

“And when a sign comes to them, they say, ‘We will not believe until we are given the like of what was given to the messengers of Allah.’