expressed in words can be conclusive? Yet, as noted earlier, this claim is not known to have been held by any group of people, Muslim or otherwise, or by any recognized scholar, for it amounts to the utmost sophistry and denial of realities. Some people merely challenge particular verbal and revelation-based proofs, just as they may challenge particular ... rational proofs. As for challenging the entire category, no group of people among the speculative theologians is known to do so.

This man, however, engages extensively in sophistry and the sowing of doubt; indeed, he is among the speculative theologians most given to both. This is one instance of his sophistry. No speculative theologian is known to be more forceful in presenting doubts and false objections, yet weaker in answering them, than he is. His elaboration of arguments impugning the entire category of verbal and spoken proofs that indicate the speaker’s intended meaning falls into this category. Rather, these proofs that indicate