These people then assert consensuses which they make foundational principles of their discipline, although they cannot cite even a single imam of Islam as having reported them. Rather, these claims rest on the conjectures that arise in their own minds. In public gatherings, they attribute such views to imams such as Abū Hanīfa, Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, and Ahmad.

When one of them is asked privately, “You claimed that this is the position of these imams. Who transmitted it from them?” he replies, “This is what rational people say, and the imams do not disagree with rational people.” Thus, they attribute statements to the early generations and the imams because they believe that reason establishes them.

It is well known that even if reason established this by the agreement of all rational people, it would still be impermissible to attribute a statement to someone when no one had transmitted it from him. This is why the scholars of hadith take such care to be truthful. Indeed, many statements that are themselves true and correct, and accord with the Quran and Sunnah, are narrated from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, yet these scholars classify their transmission as weak or say, “This is falsely attributed to him,” because he did not say it, or because it has not been established as coming from him—even though its meaning is true.

The discourse of the people of innovation, however, is founded upon falsehood, whether deliberate or arising through religious innovation. This is why Allah associates falsehood with the worship of partners alongside Him in several places in His Book, as when He, Most High, says:

“Indeed, those who took the calf for worship will incur anger from their Lord and humiliation in this worldly life. Thus do We recompense those who fabricate falsehood.”
[Al-Aʿrāf: 152]

And He, Most High, says:

“And shun false speech, devoting yourselves to Allah alone, associating no partners with Him.”
[Al-Hajj: 30–31]