a new form for a permissible use.

If the objection concerns the meaning, we mean by it only knowledge of the evidence that the world came into existence, and of the oneness of the Creator, Most High, and His attributes, as conveyed by revelation. On what grounds, then, is knowing Allah through evidence forbidden? If the objection concerns contentious wrangling, partisanship, enmity, hatred, and the consequences of speculative theology, then these are forbidden and must be guarded against. Similarly, arrogance, ostentation, and the pursuit of leadership may result from studying hadith, Quranic exegesis, and jurisprudence. These are forbidden and must be guarded against, but the pursuit of knowledge is not prohibited merely because it may lead to them.

How, then, could demanding proof and examining it be forbidden, when Allah Most High has said:

“Say, ‘Produce your proof.’” [al-Naml: 64]

And Allah Most High has said:

“So that those who perished might perish upon clear evidence, and those who lived might live upon clear evidence.” [al-Anfāl: 42]