the Quran and much of the hadith has been transmitted through mass transmission, then their meaning has all the more reason to have been transmitted in this way. For this reason and the one preceding it, when members of the Muslim community, ordinary people and scholars alike, hear the words of Allah Most High:

“Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by the people.” [Āl ʿImrān 97]

they know that the House intended is the one in Mecca, and that pilgrimage means the prescribed rites, even though most of them have not memorized this verse.

The fourth point is that those versed in the Quran and hadith have transmitted the language in which the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—addressed us. Alongside this, there was no need to transmit the language of anyone other than the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Thus, religious scholars do not need language specialists to understand the Quran and hadith, except in a few instances where some of them need such assistance, as with unfamiliar words in the Quran, hadith and jurisprudence, and their meanings. In this, they do not need the transmission of language specialists, although some may need it, or may cite it as corroborating evidence and for comparison, just as one proof strengthens another.

Thus, regarding everything Muslims have needed to transmit of the language of the Quran, they follow a transmission which they regard as known and certain, except for a few passages that remained obscure to some of them and which they consequently regarded as