are stronger, more direct, and more beneficial, for this Quran guides to what is most upright. Allah Most High has said:

“Indeed, you guide to a straight path.”

The straight path is the shortest route to the goal, unlike crooked, false paths, which either fail to reach it or reach it only after immense toil and the loss of other benefits. Thus, if innovated methods contradict the scriptural texts, they are false. If they do not contradict them, they may still be false, or they may be true but unnecessary for anyone whose natural disposition is sound.

Hence, the closer someone is to the path of the prophetic message and the early generations, the closer he is to agreement with clear reason and authentic transmitted teachings.

Thus, although al-Qādī Abū Bakr was closer than Abū al-Ma‘ālī and his followers to clear reason and authentic transmitted teachings in the foundations of religion—unlike in legal theory—al-Ash‘arī was closer to them than al-Qādī Abū Bakr. Abū Muhammad ibn Kullāb was closer to them than Abū al-Hasan, and the early generations and the leading scholars were closer to them than Ibn Kullāb. The closer someone is to the Messenger, the stronger his claim to clear reason and authentic transmitted teachings. For the words of the infallible Messenger are truth containing no falsehood, and he conveys Allah’s words on His behalf. The best speech is Allah’s speech, the best guidance is Muhammad’s guidance, the worst matters are newly introduced ones, and every religious innovation is misguidance.

This is further illustrated by the two remote methods mentioned by al-Qādī Abū Bakr. The less remote of them rests on the claim that a work indicates a maker just as a maker indicates a work. This indication, however, rests solely on linguistic derivation, as explained earlier.