Yet he may be among the wicked through whom Allah supports the religion, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Allah supports this religion through a wicked man.”

Just as a wicked man may fight the disbelievers and the Muslims benefit from his fighting, so a wicked man may debate them and the Muslims benefit from his debate. Yet he harms himself through his evil intention, which may lead him into various forms of lying, religious innovation, and injustice, drawing him into further wrongdoing. Many in both groups have fallen into this.

If, however, the person engaging in debate does not know the truth—whether he does not know the truth concerning the issue itself, or knows it but does not know some of the proofs, how to answer certain objections, how to reconcile two conflicting proofs, or something similar—then he is praiseworthy if he debates in order to discover the truth and its evidence, answer the objections raised against that evidence, and reconcile sound proofs. But if he debates without knowledge, speaking about propositions and premises he does not understand, then he is blameworthy.

The debates of the early generations—may Allah be pleased with them—with the disbelievers and the people of innovation, such as the Khawārij and others, belonged to the first category. Their debates with one another concerning legal rulings and Quranic interpretation sometimes belonged to the first category, and at other times to