These people may therefore say:

Knowledge of the Lord’s existence is innate and immediate, and does not depend on rational inquiry. Knowledge of the truthfulness of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, together with the signs of truthfulness accompanying his message, is likewise attained immediately.

Once knowledge of the Creator, Exalted is He, and of the Messenger has been attained through immediate knowledge, detailed knowledge of Allah, His attributes, and other matters can then be acquired by receiving the Messenger’s teachings.

This is illustrated by the fact that most of those whom the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, addressed already acknowledged the Creator. For anyone seeking the truth, the signs of his mission and the proofs of his prophethood were too manifest to escape a rational person’s notice.

It may also be said:

Some people come to know the standing of the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and that he is knowledgeable and truthful in what he relates concerning divine sciences and religious knowledge. They then learn these matters from the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. This is a path that Abū Hāmid, this man, and a number of others may follow in coming to know prophethood. They say: We know that this person is a prophet just as we know that this person is a physician, that this person is an upright witness, that this person is trustworthy, and likewise with the other occupations,