They allowed themselves to alter the law of Christ, declaring lawful whatever they pleased and forbidding whatever they pleased. By contrast, Muslims maintain that the Lord of all worlds commands as He wills—for to Him belong creation and command—and that no created being has the right to change His religion or tamper with His law. Yet He Himself may introduce whatever He wills into His affair, abrogating what He wills and confirming what He wills.

The same principle holds for matters of law such as what is permitted and what is forbidden. The Jews had wholesome things that were originally lawful rendered unlawful to them as a punishment, and they were burdened with severe strictures regarding impurities, shunning many items that were in fact pure in addition to avoiding actual filth. The Christians, on the other hand, do not forbid what God and His Messenger have forbidden; rather, they declare foul things permissible and handle impurities freely—indeed, the more a monk immerses himself in filth and abomination, the more virtuous they deem him. As for the Muslims, God has made the good and wholesome lawful for them and has forbidden the foul. Thus they steer a middle course in all matters, though this is not the place for an extended discussion.

In the same way, Ahl al-Sunnah hold a balanced position within Islam. Concerning the Companions, they stand between the Rāfiḍites—who go to extremes regarding ʿAlī, declaring him infallible, or a prophet, or even a deity—and the Khārijites, who pronounce him a disbeliever.

They are moderate with respect to the divine threats of punishment, positioned between the Wāʿīdiyyah (from among the Khārijites and Muʿtazilites), who categorically consign the sinful of the ummah to torment, and the Murjiʾites, who are reluctant to assert that any evildoer among the believers will be punished.

In matters of predestination they tread the middle path between the deniers of divine decree—such as the Muʿtazilites and others—and the determinists among the Jahmites, who negate God’s wisdom in His creation and command.

With regard to the divine attributes they are likewise in the center: between the negators, who deny God’s attributes—or some of them—and thus liken Him to inanimate or nonexistent things, and the anthropomorphists who liken His attributes.