What Ibn Hazm has mentioned is also the view of many Ashʿarīs. They disagree over reasoning from evidence: is it an individual obligation or a collective obligation? They also disagree over what is obligatory: knowledge, or firm, unwavering belief? And is such belief called knowledge or not?

[Al-Juwaynī on denying the obligation of reasoning from evidence]

Abū al-Maʿālī used to say:

“People have not been required to attain knowledge, for knowledge in these matters is difficult to attain and can be acquired only through sound, thorough reasoning from evidence. Requiring this of ordinary people would impose something beyond their capacity. They have only been required to hold sound beliefs with firm conviction, free from doubt and hesitation. If someone were to call such belief knowledge, there would be no objection to using that designation.”

He said:

“We defended this approach for a time, saying that such belief is knowledge in the true sense: it is a firmly held belief that corresponds to its object as it actually is. Then it became apparent to us that knowledge is what arises from necessary cognition or conclusive proof.”

He said:

“The belief we have described is not distinguishable at the initial stages of reasoning from evidence, until it becomes firmly established and distinguishable from the belief of someone who merely supposes or guesses.”

[The words of Abū Ishāq al-Isfarāyīnī]

Abū Ishāq al-Isfarāyīnī said in one of his last works:

“Whoever believes what is obligatory