permissible, for if fulfilling them is obligatory, they cannot be invalid; and if they are not invalid, they are permissible. This is because his words, “not in Allah’s Book,” apply only to what is found in Allah’s Book neither by its general import nor by a specific text. Whatever Allah’s Book indicates to be permissible by its general import is indeed in Allah’s Book, for when we say, “This is in Allah’s Book,” that includes what is contained therein either specifically or generally.
On this basis, this is the meaning of His words: “We have sent down to you the Book as an explanation of all things” [al-Nahl: 89]; His words: “but a confirmation of what came before it” [Yūsuf: 111] [Yūsuf: 111]; and His words: “We have neglected nothing in the Book” [al-An‘ām: 38] [al-An‘ām: 38]—according to those who take “the Book” here to mean the Quran. According to those who take it to mean the Preserved Tablet, however, this verse is not relevant here.
This is further demonstrated by the fact that any condition whose permissibility we have established through the Sunnah or consensus is valid by agreement and must therefore be in Allah’s Book. It may not be stated specifically in Allah’s Book, but Allah’s Book commands adherence to the Sunnah and following the path of the believers. It is therefore in Allah’s Book in this respect, for whatever encompasses something that itself encompasses another also encompasses the latter, and the proof of a proof is itself a proof in this respect.
One objection to this answer remains: If Allah’s Book has generally made it obligatory to fulfill conditions, then the condition concerning the bond of clientage falls under that general wording.
[It may be said]: A general text is probative only when no specific evidence excludes the case, for specific evidence qualifies the general text. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—excluded this stipulated condition by forbidding the sale or gift of the bond of clientage, and by saying: “Whoever claims descent from anyone other than his father, or attributes his clientage to anyone other than his rightful patrons, incurs the curse of Allah, the angels, and all humankind.” The Book also establishes this in His words: