And the master Abū Ishāq used to say:

“I declare whoever declares me an unbeliever to be an unbeliever. Any opponent who declares us unbelievers, we likewise declare an unbeliever; otherwise, we do not.”

Our chosen position is that we do not declare anyone among those who pray towards the qiblah to be an unbeliever.

The proof is as follows:

The questions disputed among those who pray towards the qiblah include whether Allah Most High knows by virtue of an attribute of knowledge or by virtue of His essence; whether He brings His servants’ acts into existence; whether He occupies space and whether He is in a place and a direction; and whether He can be seen. Either the validity of religion depends on knowing the truth concerning these questions, or it does not. The first possibility is false. For if knowledge of these principles were part of religion, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would have been obliged to question them about these matters and examine what they believed concerning them. Yet he did not question them about these matters; indeed, they were not even discussed in his time—peace be upon him—or in the time of the Companions and their successors—may Allah be pleased with them. We therefore know that the validity of Islam does not depend on knowing