Allah has made it obligatory to believe and obey, this is not imitation, but faith, affirmation of the truth, adherence to it, and obedience to Allah and His Messenger.”

He said:

“Thus, these people have obscured the issue by calling the truth—namely, following the truth—‘imitation,’ which is falsehood.

“What the Quran condemns is imitation of forefathers, leaders, and masters in opposition to what the Messengers brought. Following the Messengers, however, is precisely what it makes obligatory; it never condemns anyone for following them.”

He said:

“As for their argument that things can be known only through evidence, that anything unsupported by sound evidence is merely a claim, and that a truthful person cannot be distinguished from a liar by their statements alone, two cases must be distinguished.

“If someone experiences inner resistance to believing what the Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brought until he hears the evidence, then seeking evidence is obligatory for him. If, however, he dies in doubt or denial before hearing proof that puts his soul at ease, he has died a disbeliever and will abide eternally in the Fire. His position is like that of someone who saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, but would not believe until he saw the miracles. Had such a person died before seeing the miracles, he too would have died a disbeliever, without disagreement from anyone among the people of Islam. We have required someone in this condition to seek proof only because he is obliged to seek that which will save him from disbelief.

“The second category consists of someone whose soul has become settled in believing what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him