He said:

“Thus it is firmly established by evidence admitting no conclusion other than what we have stated that Allah, the Almighty, is known only through revelation. For it is known with certainty that reason alone has no means of knowing these names, nor of knowing the One they designate, had revelation not conveyed this. The claim of anyone who asserts that reason can attain such knowledge, or allows that possibility, is necessarily known to be false.”

He then discussed the account of Abraham in terms that need not be presented here, until he said:

“According to us, knowledge of Allah is a gift from Him, attained through inference rather than by necessity. For if it were known by necessity, all rational people would possess it equally.”

He went on to say:

“Thus it is established that knowledge of Allah comes only through revelation, in accordance with our position that Allah never leaves His creatures, at any time or in any age, without someone to make Him known to them. He therefore made Himself known to them through His messengers and sent the messengers to call people to Him and point the way to Him, so that Allah’s proofs would not lapse.

“Every prophet made known to his people the One they were to worship, as Noah said to his people:

‘O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner: worship Allah.’

And as Shuʿayb said:

‘O my people, worship Allah.’

“The same is found in the accounts of the other messengers. Each continually called his people, and when he died, the authority of his revealed law remained in force during the interval before another messenger, until Allah abrogated it by sending another prophet. The succeeding prophet then fulfilled for his people the same role of making Allah known and calling them to Him that his predecessor had fulfilled for his people. Thus Allah has never left His creatures without revelation through which they might know Him, find evidence of His lordship, and learn His names.”