as ‘Uthmān ibn Sa‘īd al-Dārimī said in his refutation of the Jahmiyyah. Discussing the question of seeing Allah, he said:

“Some of them said, ‘We do not accept these reports or regard them as evidence.’

“I said, ‘Indeed, you do not accept the Book of Allah either! Tell me: even if you do not accept these reports, do you doubt that they are narrated from the early generations, transmitted on their authority, and widely circulated, handed down from their foremost and most trustworthy men, generation after generation?’

“They said, ‘Yes.’

“We said, ‘Your acknowledgment of them is sufficient evidence against you, supporting our assertion that they are well known and have circulated among scholars and jurists. So produce comparable reports from them as evidence for your claim, which all the transmitted reports contradict.’ Yet they cannot produce a single narration or report to support it.

“You know, if Allah wills, that the practices, rulings, and judicial decisions of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions can only be known through these transmitted reports.