rational syllogisms and, in the latter, interpretations of transmitted revelation which, when examined by a discerning person, reveal that their rational syllogisms ultimately lead to sophistry: the denial of existing realities through deception and obfuscation. Their interpretations ultimately lead to Qarmatianism: distorting words from their proper meanings and corrupting revealed law, language, and reason through deception and obfuscation. This too is sophistry, but in religious matters. It is called Qarmatianism because the Qarmatians are the people most notorious for claiming knowledge of an esoteric meaning that contradicts the apparent meaning, and for claiming hidden interpretations that contradict the known and intelligible apparent meaning of the Quran and Sunnah. May Allah guide us and all our fellow believers, by His permission, to the truth concerning which there is disagreement. Indeed, He guides whom He wills to a straight path.

Since these people ultimately arrive at sophistry—which is the denial of realities and the denial of the Creator—and cannot avoid hypocrisy, imams such as Mālik, Ahmad, Abū Yūsuf, and others warned that these people’s speculative theology is ignorance and ultimately leads to heresy. Thus Ahmad said, “The scholars of speculative theology are heretics.” Abū Yūsuf said—and this is also reported from Mālik:

“Whoever seeks knowledge through speculative theology falls into heresy, and whoever seeks wealth through alchemy becomes bankrupt,