Bring me a scripture prior to this, or some remnant of knowledge, if you are truthful.’” Thus, He first challenged them to provide rational evidence, and then evidence from revelation.

Similar to this is His saying:

“Say, ‘Have you considered your partners whom you invoke besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth, or do they have a share in the heavens? Or have We given them a scripture from which they have clear evidence?’ Rather, the wrongdoers promise one another nothing but delusion.”

This is a broad subject, which has been discussed at length elsewhere. The purpose here is to draw brief attention to some of the ways in which the Quran establishes the Resurrection and denies that Allah has offspring or partners, since this section is a digression at this point in the discussion.

It has thus become clear that most thinkers engaged in rational inquiry, across all groups, acknowledge that knowledge of the Creator can be attained as necessary knowledge. This is the position of the Kullābīs and Ash'arīs, and follows from the position of the Karrāmīs, Dirārīs, Najjārīs, Jahmīs, and others. It is also the position of groups among the people of the Sunnah, including hadith scholars, jurists, and others, as stated by those who have addressed this among the followers of Abū Hanīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfi'ī, Ahmad, and others.

The only dissent comes from those among the Qadarīs, such as the Mu'tazilīs and others like them, who contest this, although they themselves disagree over it. In fact, many speculative theologians—indeed,